Metal Monday CCXXVII - Concert Edition

I have had the great, dark pleasure of witnessing three wicked groups in one twisted place: Abigail Williams, Ghost Bath, and Wolf King. This concert was not like the ones before though it is not the first black metal concert I have had the privelge of attending, nor is it the first time I have been to this OKC venue. Previously, as posted and described, I was fortunate enough to stand before the glory of Pillorian and Wolves In The Throne Room, which was a most glorious experience however I knew of what I would be hearing. This particular excursion was very unknown to me. I own a few Abigail Williams albums (and thoroughly enjoy those) yet Ghost Bath and Wolf King were not in my arsenal as of yet. I began to listen to them whenever I decided I would make the dark journey and have my body assailed by these blackened giants but I paused in my decision, allowing myself to go in blind as to what I would be presented, to have some mystery and surprise from this event. And so, here are the details of that said event.
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After the opening band had to cease operations early due to gear failure, Wolf King took the stage. They asked for praise for the opening  act regardless of the issues, which I found to be a cool thing to do on their part. As chill as they were, these giants shredded the stage. They had synergy unlike many and their lead singer had amazing stage presence, able to rile up the crowd and generate excitement. They reminded of Kansas City locals Marasmus, of which I have seen multiple times to my visits to the Riot Room, their flame-haired, giant of a lead singer thrashing the stage and commanding the crowd. Off the stage, both guys were chill and awesome dudes. Though not my particularly prefered type of metal, I enjoyed their prowess and presentation, and they did have some killer parts to their tracks that did catch my attention. I picked up their two albums available but have yet to really delve into those.

Second up was Ghost Bath. This was a band that took stage and did not present themselves rather they allowed the music to do the work, and so it did. Wailing wild, their lead singer ushered in a series of tracks that were incredible, heavily reminding me of Hermodr in voice while the music was like that of Insomnium. These long haired maniacs were an incredible sight to witness, crippling the air with screams and sundering souls with multiple guitars and thundering drums. I have listened to a few songs since and I am hooked by their sound, it's both dismal and epic.

​By this point in the concert, I was exhuasted, worn down by two different sounds, both equally amazing. Yet, here I was, on the precipice before the end...and that ends name was Abigail Williams.

Three men took the stage before this all too small crowd and from the very first moments I knew this was going to be incredible. Simply from listening to their chatter with the sound guy you could tell these guys knew their stuff, that this was their domain. They began with In Death Comes The Great Silence, one of my favorite tracks of theirs, and it crushed me with its power. The hooded lead singer was like a wraith before mortals, wailing with warning and danger, luring us ever closer into the darkness. The lead guitarist plucked and played the strings with a dark magic, filling the air with sorrowed strings. Then, there was the drummer, a collosal force at the rear that drummed with energy and ability the likes I have never seen. These three were what brought me here and I was beyond elation. Each song unleashed was worldbreaking, shattering the routine and room without relenting. It was magnificent.

I was heavy hearted leaving however I was also in awe of the performance I had the honor of seeing. Purchasing much of the merch before leaving, I added a random album to arsenal from Wolvhammer. I had missed the tour with UADA previously and only knew of the band from that and a few other things however I know not of their prowess. The references of familiar bands such as Enslaved and Nachtmystium caught my attention though and I decided to go ahead and snag it up, to regain some of the lost experience from the tour before. After this point, I plan on showcasing each of these albums. For now, I wil put up a track I fell in love with on my drive to see Abigail Williams, one I hadn't fully appreciated until now. Crank it to 11 and let this track consume your week!