Morgue Orgy – Actress & Bishop - Sunday 9th August 2009
A long overdue return to the Actress & Bishop and three new bands for the Chopmeister to review...
Necrotize. Despite seeing sister band Mindless Torture on numerous occasions this was the first time I'd managed to see Necrotize. It definitely won't be the last. Whereas Mindless Torture doff their musical hats to old school death metal, Necrotize inhabit blackened thrash territory, and generated immense power during the slower sections. The two bands that most sprung to mind by way of comparison were Mercyful Fate and Dissection odd as that may sound. Incredibly tight as a band, and sporting two guitarists who were more than happy to shred, they started the evening off well. Set list: “Revelations”, “I Am God”, “Wretched Life”, “Proud I Fall”, “Messiah”.
Under Blackened Skies combined technical death metal with black metal leanings whilst still exhibiting a groove, or bounce, to their sound that many will envy. There were smatterings of hardcore too, with some enormous, brutal, breakdowns being unleashed. Greek band Mencea sprung to mind as a direct comparison. Third track of their set, “Worlds Apart”, was being played live for only the second time, but you'd never have known. This track also marked a change of style, with its modern prog style sections. They played a fluid set, again incorporating much soloing from two accomplished guitarists. Their drummer impressed too, and he can certainly blast! There was one machine gun tempo section where you felt he could have played it, with almost metronome precision, all night. Another quality display. Set list: “Burn The Suffering”, “Soothslayer”, “Worlds Apart”, “Chaotic Empathy”, “Alone”, “Part Together”.
Morgue Orgy have been highly recommended by respected sources for a while and I can see why. They visited most areas of extreme metal, from metalcore to deathcore, via modern prog, battle metal and even thrash. Thankfully, due to the adeptness of the musicians, the sections flowed effortlessly and they rounded the evening off well. Great to see three extreme bands all with guitarists prepared to solo too. At the outset I wasn't convinced by the need for a keyboard player, but my opinion changed as their set progressed. Very slick fellas, another band I need to see again live soon. Set list; “Kong”, “Blacken”, “Abortion”, “Armageddon”, “Scared”, “Mang”, “Arkham”, “Smithers”.
