CRADLE OF FILTH / WITHOUT WAVES / ADVORSA
Date: 16th October, 2021
Venue: Concord Music Hall
Ticket: $35 / €30
Promoter: n/a
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, we are still living in strange times, with people being totally confused, unable to act as… people. Everyone is arguing with everyone, with the result being confusion being part of our everyday lives. Of course, this has affected concerts too (or lack of thereof) and I think it is the last three months that we see bands getting up and about with venues opening the doors. However, is everybody ready? Do you know what to do before and during the show? ‘Nope’ is the answer and to add insult to injury, seeing concerts happening, gives a false sense that everything is back to normal. The Chicago stop of the ‘Lustmord And Tourgasm’ tour did not feel 100% normal as both supporting bands (3TEETH and ONCE HUMAN) had to be replaced by WITHOUT WAVES and ADVORSA due to health issues. This makes you wonder what health protocols are in place, who is checking what, and (most importantly) is everybody safe to keep touring? Or is it something that we will adapt and evolve with time? I do not have the answer(s) to this, but I hope that we will only see just a few cancellations and nothing more.
I think it was because of this uncertainty and last-minute adjustment that the venue was not as occupied as we were hoping for, during the opening acts. Still, the arena looked pretty good, even though the reaction to ADVORSA’s Death Metal was a bit lukewarm. Of course, the CRADLE OF FILTH fanbase is not Death Metal-oriented (although Metal is Metal) and therefore ADVORSA had a tough task to get everybody on their best concert-going mood. Also, I have no idea how much stress the band members had to overcome for getting to fill in for 3TEETH in such short notice (I don’t think it was more than one day). Be that as it may, ADVORSA stuck to their guns, with their in times groovy Death Metal, and by the end of their set, there were signs of mosh-pit movement. I mean, “Amalgamation Of Horrors” was a smack on the face with the fast snare-drum action, the down-tuned Florida-Death-Metal guitars and Angelo Hakey’s deep growling. To be fair, Angelo spearheaded the band’s efforts to break the awkwardness of filling-in/supporting act, especially after this two-year draught. ADVORSA played the entire “Amalgamation Of Horrors” and for me, “The Cult Of Cthulhu” was their set’s highlight. Aside from the straightforward H.P. Lovecraft reference, the slow and kinda atmospheric buildup showed me that ADVORSA have more layers than Death Metal may imply. I also think that this number was a turning point for the set because the next two songs did get some response from the still-growing in number audience. Speaking of references, who does not appreciate mention the Ash character played by then one and only Bruce Campbell? If that name does not ring any bell(s), then you’ve got some homework to do this Halloween. At any rate, “Dead By Dawn II” came out great, and with “Unutterable Hideousness”, ADVORSA dropped the curtain on their 30-min set, with the people inside Concord Music Hall looking more lively for sure.
ADVORSA setlist:
01. “Amalgamation Of Horrors”
02. “Wake”
03. “Corruptor Of Dead Flesh”
04. “The Cult Of Cthulhu”
05. “Dead By Dawn II”
06. “Unutterable Hideousness”
ADVORSA
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With the venue looking fuller, it was time for another “hard nut to break” with the only difference this nut being onstage. I had no prior knowledge of WITHOUT WAVES and I believe this is why I am describing the Chicago-based band as hard to break. Because if I had known them, I would have spent a fair amount of time to nail down their music style, although judging by the singer/guitarist’s black suit and his guitar positioning, I should have expected this. No, I do not judge a book by its cover (at least not always), but seeing Anthony Cwan’s outfit gave me strong Progressive Metal vibes, something I did confirm once I counted six strings on the bass... Seriously though, WITHOUT WAVES do have a lot of different elements in their music, including Jazz fusion, atmospheric Post Rock, sprinkled with smoldering, tech riffs, and sometimes those have a strong bite. From the SYSTEM OF THE DOWN-esque “TV II” to the insane riff-action of “Victorian Punishment” and pretty much everything in between, WITHOUT WAVES highlighted the term Progressive with their own colors. And because of this, it took extra time from the unprepared ears (like mine) to understand part of how the half an hour set went down. However, the level of experimentation does deserve more attention to understand and appreciate all the different styles brought together by WITHOUT WAVES.
WITHOUT WAVES
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Playing an entire album live has pros and cons; I mean, it is great to get to hear an album that is an important part in a band’s history, and this gains more significance if the album in question is also special for the listener. Of course, the cons have to do with the fact that there is no surprises as far as the setlist is concerned, although this is replaced by the anticipation of the song that hits you the hardest. I will add to this list the awkwardness some bands seem to possess when there is pressure to play a bunch of old songs the way they were recorded in the album, something that (may) get tougher if the current lineup has nothing to do with the one that wrote and recorded the music. In this case, the pros were stronger, because “Cruelty And The Beast” is the album that brought CRADLE OF FILTH in my record collection. I remember vividly listening to the album with headphones with my discman (the portable and rater bulky thingie that played CDs and occasionally skipped when walking was not smooth)... Anyhoo, (as Dani says) the wait was exciting, albeit a bit longer than it should have.
With the 1/4 of the “Re-Mistressed” cover artwork of “Cruelty And The Beast” at the back, and with the usual setup of having the drums and keyboards on stage right and left, respectively, the lights went out and the intro “Once Upon Atrocity” took me for a trip down the memory lane. Dani, the only member in the lineup when this monster of an album was released, removed his hood, climbed on the raised platform, which housed his killer-looking, skull-bearing mic stand, and started the long-growling of “Thirteen Autumns And A Widow”. Really, the lyrics on this album go longer than your usual songs, and even longer than those clocking seven minutes. “Hear Me now! All crimes should be treasured” said Anabelle with an appropriately dramatic voice for the amazing and groovy as hell “Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids”. Well, the groovy part was soon replaced by the snare-drum driven part during which the CRADLE OF FILTH fans got into the crowd-surfing business. Oh my, during “Beneath The Howling Stars” the photo-pit was a mess, with bodies flying in, and with photographers trying to capture the action, especially during the insane part right after the “for beauty is always” line... Dani must have gone through his entire spectrum of screaming, grunting, growling and whatever else his vocal chords and effects allowed him to. “Venus In Fear” gave everyone a breather and a chance to regroup because the band was on fire. Really, it was a pleasure to watch Rich Shaw and his Pinhead-looking guitar colleague Ashok interacting with the audience in their unique and often bizarre way. Ok, Rich gets the lion’s share on the bizarreness side of guitar playing, and this is a perfect fit to the band’s Gothic character. I am talking about genuine Gothic and not the cheesy / plastic “Twilight” one... Daniel Firth and Marthus were both beasts on stage, with the latter being confined behind a plexiglass cage...
I loved the fact that despite the young(er) on average age of the metalheads in the front rows, there was singing (or should I say growling) along and lots of moshing; extra kudos are in order for the people who gave 100% during “Desire In Violent Overture” and particularly during “The Twisted Nails Of Faith”. After the latter, came the 11 minutes of the impressive three-part epos “Bathory Aria”; the keyboards and the Gregorian chants joined the whispering Dani for about 15 seconds... “This was the 12-inch version of “Bathory Aria””, said Dani in his trademark British phlegm. This did not spoil the atmosphere at all (in fact, his sense of humor is a huge part of CRADLE OF FILTH), and after the jinx was reversed, the samples were back to keep the aria going. Hands down, this was the climax of the night, with the band nailing the 11 minutes like it was the late ‘90s all over again. Especially the epic slow part in “Eyes That Witnessed Madness” and the end of it with Dani doing his narrating-growls were fantastic. But we were not done yet because after the “Portrait Of The Dead Countess” interlude, it was time to nail the final nail on the “Cruelty And The Beast” coffin, with the epic “Lustmord And Wargasm (The Lick Of Carnivorous Winds)” (don’t you love this long song-titles?).
It did not take long to see the band returning on stage, with the keyboards playing a familiar melody. Oh yeah, it was another first for me (at least for me, and as far as I remember); the “Hallowed Be Thy Name” was the first song of the encore and what a delivery that was, especially when Dani appropriately asked “scream for me, Chicago” in a possessed Bruce Dickinson way... Ok, the singing-along was nearly impossible, but who cares? “Greetings, Chicago”, said Dani making the unofficial record of the most belated greeting in the history of live concerts... “Thank you for supporting CRADLE OF FILTH in these difficult times”, he added before wishing the supporting bands who could not make it good health. This was a painful reminder that we are not out of the woods yet, no matter what some people would like everyone to believe.
Anyhoo, (again quoting Dani) it was time to get a taste of how CRADLE OF FILTH anno 2021 sound, with a double treat from the upcoming 10/10 “Existence Is Futile” album. Everything I suspected while listening to the killer new collection of songs was affirmed; this lineup is in its best form, and both new songs (“Crawling King Chaos” and “Necromantic Fantasies” with “Nymphetamine (Fix)” in between) proved their weight in gold. “F*ck me if I haven’t done enough screaming tonight, now it is your turn” said Dani and if you consider the lyrics of “Cruelty And The Beast” you’ll know that he was telling the truth. The setlist closer was dedicated to the Crewdle of Filth, the band’s road crew “...which are the most important people besides you” as Dani explained. Of course, “From The Cradle To Enslave” was appropriately the last song of the set, and in case you’re wondering why, then the lyric line “This is the end of everything!” will give you the answer. This was an epic set by CRADLE OF FILTH who I am sure will be crossing the Atlantic soon for the proper new album promotion. Until then, stay healthy!
CRADLE OF FILTH setlist:
01. “Once Upon Atrocity”
02. “Thirteen Autumns And A Widow”
03. “Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids”
04. “Beneath The Howling Stars”
05. “Venus In Fear”
06. “Desire In Violent Overture”
07. “The Twisted Nails Of Faith”
08. “Bathory Aria (I: Benighted like Usher / II: A Murder Of Ravens In Fugue / III: Eyes That Witnessed Madness)”
09. “Portrait Of The Dead Countess”
10. “Lustmord And Wargasm (The Lick Of Carnivorous Winds)”
11. “Hallowed Be Thy Name”
12.“Crawling King Chaos”
13.“Nymphetamine (Fix)”
14.“Necromantic Fantasies”
15.“From The Cradle To Enslave”
CRADLE OF FILTH
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