Back in 2016 (seems like in another life, really) I finally got to see SVOID live. At the time, they had just released their sophomore studio album S.V.O.I.D. and were doing a mini tour in Romania supporting the Italian masters of horror Abysmal Grief. 8 years later, on the 2nd of April, Svoid were celebrating the release of their 3rd album, “Neptunian“, and were again opening for Abysmal Grief, this time in Budapest’s Dürer Kert club. The opening act of the evening was the local band Devil Seed, in a gig organized by the enthusiastic maniacs of Insane Hellride Entertainment.
The evening was opened by the above mentioned Devil Seed, a female fronted epic doom metal band from Budapest. Last time I saw them was in 2019 and back then they didn’t impress me in any way. They were still searching for their identity and the music was not too convincing and quite boring to be completely honest. But time has passed and now, with a full length under their belt (“Devil Seed” released in 2020), the band is more mature and has a more solid sound and song structure. The music is interesting and catches your attention by invoking a classic horror movie-like atmosphere with melodic riffs and nice melodies. Their audience was also very supportive, both in attitude and in numbers, (which is quite unusual for an opening band), and a lot of people seemed to be there only for them, which means the band has established a quite strong fan base during these years. Overall the Devil Seed show was entertaining, with quality music which the enthusiastic audience really appreciated. Their heavy/doom metal is catchy and that seems to please the public.
Once their show was over, it was time for a quick change over before SVOID would take the scene. The trio entered the stage and started in full force with “Neptunian Genesis“, the first track off their latest record, an album which showcases the maturity SVOID has reached in 2024. During their lengthy performance the band played 4 tracks off the new record and also went down on memory lane by doing some very old stuff which I never saw them do before: “Opus Gnosis/Eleven Alpha“, from “To Never Return“, and “The Emptiness They Find“, from their very first EP, “Ars Kha“. The rest of the songs covered their other releases as well, including “Devil’s Blood“, the cult Watain cover reshaped into a SVOID style version.
Watching the show from a distance, I noticed how good the band looked and sounded together. I truly think that this formula works best for them and that they have finally found themselves after several years of changes and introspective experiments. Dániel (guitars and vocals) and S (bass and vocals) complement each other in a great way and even if they are quite apart on stage, they feel each other very well. Gyuri (drums) is now a very important part in the SVOID machinery as his solid and confident drumming brings the much desired stability to the whole picture.
The band has developed its sound in a very special and personal way, inserting a lot of post punk elements into the black metal mix, which adds an even more ominous darkness in the music. SVOID sounds really great live, that’s where their songs, old and new alike, take a new life and combine together with the black metal flame of the origins. Excellent performance, looking forward to the next one!
Last time I saw Abysmal Grief was in 2018, when I also did a video interview with Regen Graves, for the Hungarian channel Headcrusher Magazine. That was a memorable show, which took place in a very small and sweaty place, but perfectly suitable for the atmosphere the band creates. Now the location changed, but Abysmal Grief and its music remained the same so I knew exactly what to expect from this band, one of the true masters of horror doom metal.
After setting up the stage to look like a small and well kept graveyard, the lights went down and a creepy “Intro” started to pour out of the speakers. Soon after, the band entered the stage and the crowd gathered in the Kisterem (Small concert Hall) went berserk. The sound was very good in the small venue and that made the music from the organ even creepier, while Labes Necrothytus‘s voice sounded more profound and commanding, sometimes even hysterically evil and demented.
While at some point their music might sound repetitive, the 5 musicians really know how to perform their sinister duties and no effort was spared into making this evening a real “dead” one. Even if they do not communicate with the audience at all, the Italians are masters at creating and maintaining the creepy atmosphere throughout their show with theatrical gestures and inspired stage play. They seem to really live in their moment on stage and they immerse themselves in their roles, transgressing the music and becoming either priests, pallbearers or insane monks. The energy which comes out of the music was felt with great intensity in the audience, people were headbanging or singing along with the vocalist. The band sounds great on disc too, but in a live setting is where they impress the most, as the visuals are perhaps the most important part of their music and their eccentricity is best highlighted through dramatic gestures and grimaces. Speaking of visuals, the lights, the candles, the skulls and the thick smoke played a great role in creating a truly horrific and satanic setting.
The show lasted for 75 minutes, more than enough to take the audience on a sinister trip through abandoned graveyards engulfed in a dense funeral mist, coming out from the smoke machines in generous amounts. The band is currently on the Compulsive Necrophilia European Tour, so the setlist must be the same all throughout the concert dates. I recognized tracks like “Hearse“, “Borgo Pass“, “Hidden in the Graveyard“, “Nomen Omen“, “Maleficence“, “Strange Rites of Evil” or “Crypt of Horror“.
As a conclusion, this was the perfect evening for such an underground event, all three bands and the organizers contributing one way or another to the final result. Even if in the end I did not buy any merch (the Abysmal Grief stand was very well supplied with LPs, CDs, tapes and various shirt models), I am happy that for 3 hours I was able to hear good music and enjoy quality shows with some bands who put all their effort into it.
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