(Live Review) METAL THREAT FESTIVAL - Day 2 (Impaled Nazarene + more)

Metal Threat Festival

Part Two

Day Two 4-15-23

The Brauer House

Lombard, Illinois

By The Beard & Little Johnny

As day number two of the Metal Threat Fest begins, and we attend stop ten, and bands #56-63 on our “2023 The Reviews Never Stop Tour”, let us review who is on the bill for Day #2 titled: "Black Metal Day"

Impaled Nazarene

Sacramentum

Sabathan

Power from Hell

Possession

Deus Mortem

Morgul

Slutvomit

Yep, looks like a long day of Neil Diamond covers in corpse paint! Lol.

Okay Johnny, this is your fest. Get out there and go to town. The Beard, as usual, will find a wall to lean against away from possible mosh pits.

First up today were Washington’s own:

SLUTVOMIT

Not surprisingly black/death with punk metal undertones. This allowed them to be sloppy and yet still be in-genre. That is an apt description. They played fast, aggressive, and sloppy. I think this may have been how Venom might have sounded in their garage circa 1977. (Ed: I Thought Venom only played the Hammersmith Odeon?!)

Songs were mostly drawn from their latest release, Copulation of Cloven Hooves.

The Beard is going 75/100 as they were the opener for the day.

Next up were Norwegian symphonic black metal outfit:

MORGUL

These guys play like a runaway train. They got shafted with poor lighting though. Good lighting could have really been an asset to these guys. It would have provided some atmosphere at least.

Morgul’s vocalist could not get here; thus, the set was largely instrumental. Given what passes for the standard black metal voice, this in my opinion, probably did not hurt them. Still, with no help on lighting and no vocalist, I am as always grading the set that is in front of me and so based on that.

77/100

A slower start to Black Metal Day than yesterday’s Death line-up.

Third up today were Polish black metal act:

DEUS MORTEM

Polish lead singer, Merek Lechowski, (aka Necrosodom) stands at least 6’3” and has some serious guns for arms. Add in the long hair and corpse paint and he is one intimidating dude. I have no idea what he is singing about, but I sure as hell am not going to argue with him about it.

Otherwise pretty standard 1990’s era black metal, think Marduk or maybe Carpathian Forest. Deus Mortem isn't really much about atmosphere, mostly it is meat and potatoes speed licks and double-bass drum thunder.

These guys are not going to replace MGLA as Poland’s leader in the sub-genre, but they do have all they need for the genre, a look, a sound, and a presence, plus a really good crowd response. Little Johnny is looking for corpse paint to put on his own face. “you’re going to end up looking like a mime little dude.”

Interestingly enough, I find myself awarding this act an ...

87/100.

Well executed stuff.