In the past few months, the metal community and basically everyone else in America, has been talking about politics and taking sides on where they stand in their political views. A recurring topic has been the actions taken by the anti-fascist organization known as Antifa against the metal community, which included the show cancellation of Swedish black metal act Marduk in Oakland, CA a few weeks back. While the cancellation was determined by the venue the show was scheduled at, Marduk showed no intentions to succumb to the pressure and delivered an excellent performance at The Regent Theater in Los Angeles, CA in support of their “Frontscwhein” tour.
Los Angeles underwent a heavy rain season during the days leading to the show, with the strongest storm hitting the day of the event. That posed no obstacle to the rabid fans expecting to see the Swedish titans. The show started with the performance of some of the best black metal bands the city has to offer, starting with Highland, an upcoming band that combines the traditional sound of the genre with some enthusiastic and well-written melodies that create a morbid nostalgia for the old days. The band was followed by Icon of Phobos, an elusive and mystical band that brings some of the best song-writing and live-performance a local act can deliver.
The music continued to peak once the tour package, which included French quartet, Svart Crown, death metal legends Incantation and the controversial Swedish commandos Marduk, went under the spotlights. The energy expelling from the stage filled the already-packed venue to the top, and the heart of the fans with sheer raw intensity unparalleled by the storm happening outside. Each band created their own atmosphere and catered to the needs of those sympathizers of either black or death metal, making this an excellent show for every and any fan of extreme metal. But if there would be a need to choose the leader of the whole package, that would rightfully go to the headliners, who despite the undeserving opposition presented by those who aren’t truly involved in this music movement, crushed every conjecture in its path and stood strong at the frontline of the battle.
