Concert Review: Behemoth-- Boston, MA-- November 1st, 2018

Lineup: Behemoth/At the Gates/Wolves at the Throne Room
Venue: House of Blues, Boston, MA

Wolves in the Throne Room: Black metal, particularly of the atmospheric variety, has a tendency to grate on me and Wolves in the Throne Room continued that proud tradition. By the time they broke into their second 10-minute slice of droning ambient noise accompanied by lovely dying cat shrieks and a floor tom that sounded like a washing machine that it was on its last legs, I started texting one of my friends about the Celtics game against the Bucks and the solo albums of various Migos members to pass the time.

At the Gates: Finally getting another chance to see At the Gates again after being forced to leave their headlining set on the 2015 Decibel Tour early was a sweet piece of redemption. While Tomas Lindberg's vocals have understandably dipped a bit now that he's in his mid-40's, the Swedish melodeath pioneers still bring a ton of energy to the stage and have the same headbang-worthy punch they had in their heyday. As long as they keep performing with this much spirit and making highly enjoyable, riff-driven extreme metal, their second stint as a full-time band should continue to be a roaring success.  

Behemoth: Even without the séance-like backdrop full of incense and billowing smoke that you typically see at their shows, Behemoth was able to put on a commanding, often larger-than-life performance that reinforced why they're one of the most lethal extreme metal forces on the planet. Everything from the material from their breakout 1999 album Satanica to the cuts from their just-released 11th (!) LP I Loved You at Darkest felt like being caught up in a massive tidal wave of ferocity and darkness. Adding to this ominous atmosphere was the towering presence of the band itself. Nergal, Inferno, Orion and Seth carry themselves like warriors that just got off a battlefield in Hell and while I'm not going to pretend that there isn't a  bit ton of corniness attached to their imagery and stage banter, it matches their Satanic aesthetic perfectly. Behemoth delivers a unique, intense show that is always a lot of fun to take in and I hope they return to the States again before this touring cycle concludes.      

Grades:
Wolves in the Throne Room: D+
At the Gates: B+
Behemoth: A-

Setlists:
At the Gates:
To Drink From the Night Itself
Slaughter of the Soul
At War with Reality
The Chasm
Cold
Death and the Labyrinth
Heroes and Tombs
Suicide Nation
The Book of Sand (The Abomination)
Blinded by Fear
The Night Eternal

Behemoth:
Wolves ov Siberia
Daimonos
Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer
Bartzabel
Ov Fire and the Void
God=Dog
Conquer All
Ecclesia Diabolica Catholica
Decade of Therion
Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel
Slaves Shall Serve
Chant for Eschaton 2000

Encore:
Lucifer
The Next 1000 Years