The seventh
instalment of the biannual Siege of Limerick has been, unsurprisingly, a
resounding success. With a bill that featured some of the finest Irish bands
from each corner of the island, including a stunning set from Shardborne,
possibly their best yet, From the Bogs of Aughiska providing something
genuinely different during the day and Rites totally delivering the sludgy
goods as well as Germany’s Valborg delighting with their progged out death/doom.
All of that pales in comparison though to the headliners – Altar of Plagues,
the Siege’s biggest headliners yet.
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| Photo: Bad Reputation |
The Cork
post black metal outfit have truly earned the enigmatic status that they
currently enjoy, all galvanised by last year’s lauded Mammal record. With a set
spanning over an hour, the band straight away captivate all on hand when the
solemn opening of 'Neptune Is Dead' begins to enter. Launching into the hypnotic
blastbeats and corrosive, pained vocals, the 18 minute oeuvre is a sight and
sound to behold.
Followed by
'Earth: I As A Womb' and 'II: As A Furnace', the band take us back to their jaw
dropping White Tomb record. Dave Condon and James O’Ceallaigh’s vocals sound
utterly revolting, their vitriol is just palpable, complemented by drummer
Johnny King holding down a relentless barrage of blasts. His performance is
near flawless, despite being lost behind a smog of lights and stage smoke that completely
hide the drum kit from view.
Finally,
it’s the lush 'Feather & Bone', which eventually breaks into something of an
improv towards the song’s end, Dave Condon takes the mic away from the stand
and with it being difficult to see with all smoke, creates a some harsh noise
with what looks like a beer can placed to the mic. Meanwhile, James discards
his guitar to take up an extra floor tom to add more to the tribal drums already
reverberating around Dolan’s. To call it a dramatic close is quite the
understatement.
Agonisingly,
Altar of Plagues so rarely play their own country these days, this being their
first Irish show in nearly two years. With the success of this absolutely
captivating set, hopefully that will change. It needs to. And finally, The
Siege of Limerick continues to grow and grow and bigger things must surely be
around the corner for the eighth edition in October.
And here's some rough footage someone took of 'Earth: I As A Womb'.
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