MORBID ANGEL, WATAIN, INCANTATION – Come and Take It Live, November 23, 2019

MORBID ANGEL, WATAIN, INCANTATION – Come and Take It Live – Austin, Texas, November 23, 2019

MORBID ANGEL led one of the best black and death metal tours of the year into Austin, Texas with WATAIN and INCANTATION as support acts. I last saw MORBID ANGEL on the Decibel Magazine Tour back in February in San Antonio. That tour saw MORBID ANGEL sharing the stage with CANNIBAL CORPSE, BLOOD INCANTATION and NECROT. Although two-thirds of this tour featured old school death metal bands, WATAIN added a Swedish black metal flavor.

INCANTATION took the stage first. I reviewed their concert with DARK FUNERAL for Metal Centre back in June at the same venue. This was also not the first time I’ve seen them open for MORBID ANGEL. I saw them perform in the late ‘90s with MORBID ANGEL. Steve Tucker was also MORBID’s singer back then. I believe Tom Stevens of NOKTURNEL and SAVAGE DEATH was the voice of INCANTATION. Band founder and guitarist, John McEntee fronted the band again as reported on their show with DARK FUNERAL. McEntee has been their singer for the last fifteen years.

INCANTATION played a set of evil death metal perfect for the night’s cast. The band played their trademark mix of blasting drums, doomy tempos, wicked false harmonic guitar sounds, guttural vocals and brutal compositions. They played a set culled from throughout their career including tracks form “Onward to Golgotha” and “Diabolical Conquest.” While they share characteristics with many bands of this genre, their take on the sound is unique. If you’re heading out to see this concert, make sure to show up early to catch their set.

WATAIN appeared with the usual Satanic ritual stage set up of giant, fiery inverted crosses, chains, tridents, animal skulls, and corpse paint. There was an animal pelt, possibly a fox, affixed to the Erik Danielsson’s mic stand. There wasn’t a trace of animal blood on stage, covering the band or thrown on the crowd. The major difference in their appearance, though, was the lineup. Guitarist Pelle Forsberg was detained and denied entry into the country. The customs official who detained him allegedly based his decision on a Google search and pictures on Forsberg’s phone. Apparently, he took offense to Forsberg’s black metal lifestyle. The band was forced to cancel their Houston show. Tonight, they appeared as a four-piece with bassist Alvaro Lillo moving to guitar, while singer Erik Danielsson strapped on a bass.

Vocalists playing instruments sometimes damper their on-stage persona, but that wasn’t the case with Danielsson. His rapid bass picking seemed to do the opposite, energizing his presence. Also, he made plenty of time to talk between songs, his face ghastly illuminated by the flame that danced on top of the giant metal inverted cross. The band opened with “Sworn to the Dark,” a song containing a chorus line that everyone seemed to know or caught onto fast. I feel the album by the same name is their finest.

“Malfeitor” and “Total Funeral” were two welcome tracks from their following album “Lawless Darkness.” Danielsson’s reverberated voice during the chorus line on “Total Funeral” bounced through the venue in an eerie fashion. “I Am the Earth” was another track of note from another early album “Casus Luciferi.” The band put on a great performance, but the sound wasn’t so good. At one point, a guitarist played a riff solo from the band and I could barely hear his notes.

Although MORBID ANGEL’s onstage aesthetic wasn’t as pleasing as WATAIN, the band still played with tremendous chops. Consisting of Steve Tucker (bass, vocals), Scott Fuller (drums), Dan Vadin Von (guitars) and of course band founder, Trey Azagthoth on the other guitar the band is one of the oldest and still the best bands in death metal. Azagthoth’s guitar play is always a thrill to behold, from his speedy picking to his grooves and cosmic solos.

The band initiated their set with four new tracks from their most recent album, “Kingdoms Disdained.” Although not as well known as their David Vincent numbers, the complexity and sheer power of the tunes got the crowd moving. A trio of “Blessed Are the Sick” numbers sat well with the old school crowd. I was excited to hear “Abominations” with its Lovecraftian lyrics and bubbling cauldron riffs. “Rapture” is definitely a crowd favorite. Any MORBID ANGEL set would not be complete without this song, so it was showcased in their set. The main riff on that song and the blast beats accompanying the bridge are some of the band’s best. Scott Fuller pulled it off well. I didn’t hear the complains as I did at the San Antonio concert about the exclusion of “Altars of Madness” material, but the band did make time in their set for “Prayer of Hatred.” Read the entire setlist below.

While I also would have preferred to have heard more Vincent-era numbers, the Tucker era wields its own force with plenty of technical prowess. It’s a shame WATAIN were forced to perform without Forsberg, but it worked out in the end. Danielsson fit into his dual role quite well. INCANTATION are always a welcome sight. They were a fitting opener for the evil black/death lineup of the night. The sound wasn’t very good, not enough volume for one thing, but overall it was a great night for evil music.

MORBID ANGEL Setlist