Devil horns aplenty welcomed Deathstars to London as their 2023 European tour draws to a close. These shows are supporting their latest album, Everything Destroys You. Due to a delayed album release caused by earlier delays in the album production, the tour was rescheduled earlier in the year. Support was from the impressive Liv Sin and Priest.
Deathstars – Liv Sin – Priest
Scala, London – 12 November 2023
Words and Photography: Razorrhead Productions
Deathstars
The band began in 2000 in Sweden. They considered Deathstars to be a metamorphosed version of the 1993-founded Black Metal act Swordmaster. They came to fame with their hit single Cynanide, which ended up playing non-stop on Metal radio stations and music video channels. Since then, they have played extended tours and have a number of good releases under their belt.
The London show is one of the last shows of their tour, so it would be interesting to see how much energy they have left after playing all around Europe already.
They kick off with songs such as Night Electric Night, Between Volumes And Voids, and Ghost Reviver. Vocalist Whiplasher sounds great on stage, very close to his voice on the records as he strives between calm, slow vocals and his unique low, industrial-influenced sound.
Skinny on bass, who helps provide the low-end mix of the show, makes sure the guitars don’t sound too thin while his very long dreadlocks fly everywhere from his constant headbanging. Nitro on drums provides heavy beats and a hefty kick drum to boot. We also have two guitarists this time around for this tour who provide crunchy, down-tuned riffs that fit in perfectly with the electronic backing tracks.
There is a great atmosphere on stage tonight, with plenty of smoke, moody lighting, and crunchy sounds that add to their popular gothic imagery. Whiplasher comes across as the friendliest as he touches hands with some lucky crowd members and even has a little flirt with one of the photographers.
They continue their set with songs such as Tongues, Death Dies Hard, and New Dead Nation. After each song, there is a hail of devil horns from the crowd and band as they quickly kick into the next song. There is not much room for talking on this set as the band pulls out song after song.
They end the set with an encore which features two of their most famous songs, Blitzkrieg and Cyanide. It was a fantastic show with a great performance from all of the band members.
This is one of the best shows I have been to in some time, and hopefully, we will be able to catch these guys again sometime soon.
Liv Sin
First up were Liv Sin. Formerly Sister Sin, this band formed in Sweden and has had a number of touring opportunities under both names, with the likes of Slayer, King Diamond, and Motörhead.
This time, they had the grace to be the supporting act for Deathstars, and they did not disappoint. Main vocalist Liv provides accurate Heavy Metal energy that is thrown across the stage as she headbangs with so much passion and angst.
The other band members are not excluded, as their facial expressions show just how much they love doing what they do and how each hard riff drives them deeper into mayhem.
They play songs such as The Process, Forget My Name, Antihero, and King Of Fools, to name a few. Liv really reminds me of Angela Gossow, formerly of Arch Enemy, with her roaring screams and angry facial expressions. There is pure might on stage.
Not forgetting the formidable solos by both guitarists backed up by their bassist and drummer that keep everything in place. This is one of the best starts to a show I have seen in some time.
Priest
Next, we have Priest. This was defiantly an interesting part of the show as the three band members came on stage with their interesting gimp suit outfits. Priest is made up of three musicians: Mercury, Salt and Sulfur, former members of the well-known band Ghost.
They take a different approach by creating synthwaves while still retaining dark moods followed by catchy hooks. They released their first single in 2017 and have gained quite a following ever since.
Their songs are so unbelievably catchy and fun while the crowd bobs around to each beat. Vocalist Mercury takes the centre stage with powerful chorus-like vocals and incredible imagery. Both remaining members take turns on their instruments, which vary between synthesizers, keytars, and drum pads, occasionally jumping around on stage and clapping their hands to get the audience moving.
They cover songs such as The Pit, A Signal In The Noise, The Cross, Blacklisted, Let Your Body Go, and Obey, to name a few. There is a good variation between newer and older songs.
Towards the end of their set, Vocalist Mercury walks into the crowd and rests his hands on some lucky audience members, performing some sort of ritual, increasing the connectivity between himself and his audience.
Another great set that left this place with so much positivity and left the audience wanting more.
