LIVE REVIEW: From The Bogs of Aughiska @ Pilgrim’s Pit, Stoke-on-Trent

August 25, 2018 James Weaver

Black metal thrives best in the underground. Metal’s most unconventional style sits comfortably away from the spotlights and polish of the mainstream and, instead, offers a much more primitive and intimate listening experience. Located in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent lies Pilgrim’s Pit, a peculiar little venue, and against the miserable drizzle of a Wednesday evening hosted Irish horde FROM THE BOGS OF AUGHISKA.

Abduction live @ Pilgrim’s Pit, Stoke-on-Trent. Photo Credit: James Weaver

One man outfit ABDUCTION served to kick off proceedings and despite the obvious lacking in bandmates by his side, the project served up a solid opening bout of visceral black metal. Reverb and loop pedals were used to their fullest extend here and whilst this can often come across as grating in the live environment, here, it only bolstered his aural hellfire. The aforementioned loops built dramatically, replicating the bass and percussion found in your conventional bands, and the icy tremolo riffing and high-pierced shrieking vocals packed a punch as ABDUCTION delivered a solid opening performance.

Rating: 8/10

Crimson Throne live @ Pilgrim’s Pit, Stoke-on-Trent. Photo Credit: James Weaver

Arriving hot on the heels of ABDUCTION‘s unusual but captivating opening set, CRIMSON THRONE followed suit and provided ample noise of sheer excellent quality. The dual-pronged assault from guitarists AM and DT provided ample riffs of neck-snapping ferocity and the pair bounced off each other, allowing subtle hints of melody to thrive here.

Equally, the blistering display from drummer DM kept the tone of their set razor-sharp as a plethora of blastbeats were executed with pin-point precision and TH‘s lead vocals stuck firmly to the traditions of the genre. The only slight dampener here was the occasional technical hiccup of feedback static that reared its ugly head at several times throughout the set, yet it wasn’t enough to shatter the band’s chilling and enticing atmosphere. With their debut full length record on the horizon, momentum is certainly building for CRIMSON THRONE and judging from their performance here in Stoke, things are looking extremely positive for this emerging black metal band.

Rating: 9/10

From The Bogs of Aughiska live @ Pilgrim's Pit, Stoke-on-Trent. Photo Credit: James Weaver — From The Bogs of Aughiska live @ Pilgrim’s Pit, Stoke-on-Trent. Photo Credit: James Weaver

With the bar set staggering high, the pressure was on for FROM THE BOGS OF AUGHISKA to deliver a climatic finish to the evening’s proceedings and the Irish trio certainly did just that. Blending elements of dark ambient with black metal seems like a no brainer and the soundscape displayed by the band here worked a treat in creating a suffocatingly heavy atmosphere.

Sonics laced with dread engulfed the crowd in a trance as the masked band members stood motionless before switching effortlessly into a thunderous execution of noise. A barrage of blasts from the drums intertwined with the thumping riffs whilst pained screams swirled above. It was a hair-raising execution of the style and the ambience in the band’s sonic repertoire certainly added an enticing element which kept you hooked throughout their performance. Mesmerising from start to finish without uttering a word to the crowd, FROM THE BOGS OF AUGHISKA created a chilling musical atmosphere, and will have certainly created a buzz that builds momentum for their forthcoming new record.

Rating: 8/10