The Black Castle: VON, Sumeria, Icon Of Phobos, Harassor, Ghoulgotha and Maledict Concert Review
November 9, 2012 Show at the Black Castle in Los Angeles. I must admit to hearing about the legendary VON rather late in the game. In 1992, VON released the eight song demo Satanic Blood that soon began a legend in the tape trading underground. Boosted by a word of mouth campaign, copies of the original pressing of the demo on cassette are now exceedingly rare, and are basically considered priceless. A primitive slab of early black metal, VON and Satanic Blood are revered icons within the pantheon of early black metal, an exalted status held by only a few bands. At the time, my ear was not very attuned to the underground as I was concentrating on school. However, as I became aware of VON’s existence rather late in the game I admit, I was soon able to snag a copy of the VON compilation Satanic Blood Angel. Essentially, Satanic Blood Angel is a CD pressing of the demo with an extra rare live performance tacked on as a second disc. The CD pressing has been periodically reissued over the years by a few different labels.
VON have recently reassembled with a new lineup around band founder, bassist/vocalist VENIEN, and have begun to record material and to play a few shows. For example, October 31st saw the release of Satanic Blood, a new re-recording of classic material that is being issued on VON’s self titled label. To promote the release, VON are playing three exclusive live shows this year, the first of which occurred on November 9th at the Black Castle in Los Angeles, a weird underground venue within the bowels of the city.
Local concert promoter Hatewar Productions promoted the show, and you never know quite what to expect from Hatewar. However, you can definitely count on a slew of good opening bands, mostly locals, as Hatewar has a discerning eye for quality. Sure enough, that’s exactly what the Black Castle crowd was in store for on that evening.
The main draw began after midnight as VON, adorned in blood, strode across the stage. The crowd went nuts as VENIEN, drummer Anthony Mainiero (of The Atlas Moth), and guitarists Xaphan (of Kult Ov Azazel), Lord Giblete, and Hammer Of Dread launched their assault. With a deeply powerful sound not captured on the original Satanic Blood demo, the droning quality of VON’s music leapt to the forefront as the set wore on. Individual songs soon disappeared into a crescendo of droning cadence and chaos. VON simply did not let up without a discernible break as the set soon became one long song that lasted for well over an hour. The powerful, hypnotic quality of the music cannot be overstated, a quality that is apparent on the newly released re-recording Satanic Blood.
VON have proved their worth as a founding father of American black metal. Should VON choose to release new material in the future, that material could possibly take the USBM scene, and black metal as a whole, in new directions.
(Source: heavymetal.about.com) *site defunct
