Voivod / Necrophagia / Insurgency – Audio, Glasgow (14/6/2017)

It’s a rarity that bands from overseas return to Glasgow so soon after their previous gig. Hot on the heels of their recent re-issues, as well as last year’s Post Society EP, Quebecois prog-thrashers Voivod have revisited Scottish shores on a headline tour only eight months after their previous visit. Bringing along cult death metallers Necrophagia, and upcoming black-thrashers Insurgency for the ride, the show proved to be a summertime treat for Glasgow’s headbangers.

Lancaster’s Insurgency (5) opened proceedings with their frenzied black thrash attack. Through the thick fog onstage came the sound of war as the band’s furious and relentless performance pummeled the eardrums in Audio. However, they were casualties of the curse of the upcoming opening band. The venue was barely half full, and those in attendance (who most likely encountered the band for the first time at this gig) this early in the evening responded minimally to the band’s performance with only a few heads nodding throughout the set and polite cheers and claps between songs. The sound, which came across true to the band’s black metal overtones, was a haze of pounding drums, fuzzy guitars and harsh screeches which resulted in most of the riffs being lost in the funeral fog. Though let this not be a detriment to them as they performed well, and it’s fair to say that Insurgency is a name to look out for in the UK extreme metal underground.

Bringing a change in sound to the evening, Necrophagia (7) showcased their cult horror-inspired tales of depravity soundtracked by their crushingly heavy death metal. Through chugging riffs to thrashing violence and haunting synths, the band got the ever increasing crowd fired up throughout their performance. Initially a few die-hard deathheads pounded the stage with their heads to gore-drenched numbers like “Chainsaw Lust” (dedicated to late Euronymous of Mayhem), “Embalmed Yet I Breathe” and “The Dead Among Us” (tributed to one of the band’s main inspirations, the Italian Godfather of Gore – Lucio Fulci) until more and more of the audience followed suit. Main man Killjoy’s piercing shrieks and undead snarls complemented the tight and heavy rhythms blasting through the speakers as perfectly as a bloodstained knife and a black leather glove from Italian giallo horror traditions. Killjoy’s red-splattered face looked demented as he lovingly embraced a severed leg and proudly displayed the result of a gruesome beheading, like Leatherface after a psychotic killing spree in a hot Texas June. Like the video nasties of yesteryear that influence them, Necrophagia may be considered a cult band in the world of death metal. However, after their reception at Audio that night, Glasgow’s bloodlust for their horrifying brand of death metal is yet to be satisfied – until they return…

Headlining the gig, legendary sci-fi prog thrashers Voivod (9) walked onto the Audio stage to rapturous applause over the mechanic intro to “Killing Technology”. As the immortal robotic voice from the album declared “We are connected!”, the packed venue raged to the band’s high energy performance. The setlist primarily featured classics from the band’s 80’s and early 90’s albums, as well as a selection from their latest release, the Post Society EP. The band seemed to be in a party mood with plenty of headbanging and smiling onstage, as well as effervescent frontman Denis “Snake” Bélanger’s dancing and funny faces entertaining the fans. From “Killing Technology” through “Post Society”, “Chaosmongers”, “Ravenous Medicine” and “Korgull the Exterminator”; heads flailed and voices roared for the Quebecois metal heroes. Ending the evening with a mental mosh to the band’s self-titled song, and an encore of their signature cover of Pink Floyd’s “Astronomy Domine” (poignantly dedicated to late guitarist and founding member Denis “Piggy” D’Amour), Voivod brought the fun and the energy to Audio. It’s clear that the fans couldn’t get enough as they clamoured for a second encore. It might not have been long since their previous visit, but it’s evident that Glasgow loves Voivod and eagerly awaits their return.

Inset Images courtesy of Bukavac Photography

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