APRIL 7th, 2023
INFERNO METAL FESTIVAL
DAY 2

Concert Review + Photo Gallery: Polina Kulikovskikh
Inferno Festival - Day 2: http://www.metaltitans.com/concertpics/inferno-festival-day-2/

In the second day of the Inferno festival, the sun made a welcome appearance, and the lively atmosphere around Rockefeller club was further enlivened by the numerous pubs and cafes in the vicinity. The previous night's festivities had put everyone in high spirits, and the promise of more incredible performances on this new festival day only added to the excitement.

The eagerly awaited second day of the Inferno festival kicked off with a bang as the Austrian post-black metal band, Harakiri For The Sky, took to the stage. Known for their atmospheric and emotionally charged music, the band did not disappoint, delivering a powerful performance that captivated the audience from start to finish. With a unique blend of black metal fury and post-rock introspection, Harakiri For The Sky demonstrated their prowess as a band with dynamic shifts between blast beats and melodic interludes. The lead vocalist's intense screams and hauntingly beautiful clean vocals added a layer of complexity to the performance, making it a truly unforgettable experience for everyone. The energy and passion displayed by Harakiri For The Sky set the tone for the rest of the day, promising more outstanding performances to come.

The Norwegian symphonic black metal band, Odium, took to the Rockefeller stage next, sending waves of anticipation through the crowd. Despite only releasing one album, "The Sad Realm of the Stars," in 1998, Odium's members have gone on to make significant contributions to the metal genre, playing in bands such as Myrkskog, Emperor, Grimfist, and Funeral. In 2018, Odium celebrated the anniversary of their only album at the Inferno Metal Festival, and this year, they returned to the stage with added firepower in the form of Mustis (ex-Dimmu Borgir), who joined as a second keyboard player.

The arrival of Wolves in The Throne Room to the main stage was met with a hushed anticipation, as the crowd waited in anticipation for what promised to be a truly unique and unforgettable performance. This black metal band from Washington,USA is known for their experimental and atmospheric style, as evidenced by their genre-defining debut album, "Diadem of 12 Stars," which was released in 2006. As the band took to the stage, a long, atmospheric intro filled the club with smoke and the heady scent of incense, setting the tone for what would be a truly transcendent, spiritual experience that defied easy categorization. With their haunting melodies, atmospheric soundscapes, and intense, immersive performances, Wolves in The Throne Room proved that they are truly one of a kind.

The next band Godflesh was a little unusual but a very welcome addition to this years’ Inferno line-up. Originally formed in Birmingham, England in 1982 under the name Fall of Because, the band was later rebranded as Godflesh in 1988. From their inception, Godflesh set themselves apart from other metal bands by incorporating a drum machine for percussion, a bold move that helped to meld heavy metal with industrial, electronic, and dub influences, paving the way for the emergence of industrial metal and post-metal as genres in their own right.

The final band to grace the stage on this incredible day was none other than Amorphis, a band with a long and storied history dating all the way back to 1990. As pioneers of the Finnish death metal genre, Amorphis made a name for themselves early on with their raw, aggressive sound and incendiary live performances. Over time, however, the band began to evolve, incorporating elements of progressive, folk, and power metal into their music and gradually moving away from the more traditional death metal sound that had defined their early work.

Despite this evolution, however, Amorphis has never lost touch with the raw power and intensity that has always been at the heart of their music, and their performance at Inferno Festival was no exception. With a set list that combined old favorites like "Black Winter Day" with new tracks from their latest album "Halo" (2022), the band took the audience on a journey through their long and illustrious career, showcasing the depth and versatility of their sound.