Ah, Camden Town...one of my favourite places to go out to; whether it be on the lash, shopping; eat, and have a wild adventure. Today; I am honoured to be invited to see a handful of new discoveries at the Unicorn - a nice, small pub/venue that I occassional go to to get my head blown off with some extreme music of varied proportion. A 20 minute stroll from Camden Tube Station, always makes it an enjoyable night out.

Entering the venue; I find the promoter & organizers who introduce me to each other, eagerly awaiting the 5 bands; I had a brief talk with new friends, and old… while enjoying a deadly DJ set, filled with nothing but extreme metal - which was a breath of fresh air as most DJs seem to have the same set of Alternative similarities, which gets really old as they seem to copy each other. Finally... SACRIFICAL SLABS hit the stage; bringing forth chugging chaos, boisterously bouncy crunchiness & fiercely drunken domination. Almost sounding like NAPALM DEATH with their first few songs not lasting long; female shrieks, and deep guttural growls that thump and stomp with raging savagery. The band went crazy; especially the female vocalist, going berserk to her own rhythms with the rambunctious battering – hammering with prestigiousness & a blistering barrage of uniquely versatile vehemence that thunders with tenaciously technical pursuits of quirky snappiness. This was their first ever show; I found them to be full of talented potential, hasty hymns full of hardened grit & concrete gnarliness made this a good starter.

GRIMPULSE next storm the stage with their pulsating melodies and amplified adrenaline; fuelled into a flamboyantly energetic distinction of hardened harmonies, hybrid extremity & frantically riveting seamlessness. The vocals may not appeal to everyone, as they came across as gruff & grunty - the speedy instrumentation immersed with the primal yet primitively venomous riffing of Death Metal subjugations merge a sonic ritual of ruthlessly vicious pandemonium that helps void those minor problems. Though they seemed to have issues mid-portion; I personally had no matter even when they redeemed themselves, they still managed to put on a killer set. Near the end; the guitarist ended up topless & trouserless, as he was pressured by the crowd into doing so - which was pretty humorous - a great band who definitely got the blood pumping.

STURMTIGER are next; showcasing a sinister slab of Death/Black Metal madness, manifesting a bestial atmosphere of obscurely raw & ominously meticulous mayhem. Oppressed with morbid visions, malevolent yet warlike retribution & a soaring strike of stampeding malice. Injecting infectiously audible bass grooves, growly raspiness & rampantly violent remorselessness that revolves around a borderline foundation of aggressively punchline subtly. Amalgamating barbarous cruelty,  and catchy yet razor-sharp shreds that roar with wrathful precision. A brutal band who remarkably supply rigorous vigor, keeping the very surprisingly packed room motivated with momentously mandatory malignace. Personally; these kind of bands are what wake me up in the morning, with a few beverages down the hatch… you can imagine how excited I was - another band who have earned a new fan for sure.

Not long after they finished; AKILLA race onto the stage with their mesmerizing set of slow tempos, yet transitioned with heavy chords while converged with an exhilarating blend of crushing bolts of harsh vocals & rapidly swift nimbleness. Dosed up with intricately distinguished distortion, compiling a grandiose grandeur of gritty & linear lacerations. This here band embellish on experimental dynamics; conveying great chemistry, sublime subjugation & Melodic Death Metal havoc. Harnessing throaty pipes of meaty persistence, promptly stomping with thumpy velocity in contrast with the maelstrom of weighty precision. The penultimate band for the evening excelled into an impactful flair of detailed firepower, and enjoyably entertaining performances that profoundly exceeded all original expectations...until the finale band take the stage…

Headlining Black Metallers Mørktår rage onto the stage next with their misanthropic anti-religious themes; overwhelming shrieks, evil blackened blasphemy & unsympathetic uncompromises of memorable representations of dark forbidding. Terrorizing the room with mandatory severity with phosphorus yet rancorous soundscapes that explode furiously into a hellishly demonic ritual that overarchs with a cold, ghoulish presence - while punishing metal maniacs in the room with their own style of sulphurous rebellion. Spreading the plague with dominion, dynasty vengeance & screaming uproars of mass hysteria. Overall concluding the night; I had a blast enjoying some splendidly underground metal that while some may take some time to appreciate, for me - it was a pleasure to travel to one of my favourite venues, making new friends and meeting old while entertained with some rowdy music.

Bottom line; as the event came to an end, I can certify that Retribution: Alive established an astonishing group of acts who really do deserve to get noticed - if you are in the London area, it was only £20.10 for my return train through zones 1-6...and then a short 20 minute walk to the venue. If you can afford that and are in the mood for some bestial devastation; keep a look out for that venue, there are also other great places as well as what this here promoter puts on too - what a night! Rock on.
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