Impiety/Necrowretch/Gort/Nefastoreth (Rome, 1st December 2017)

Bands: Impiety/Necrowretch/Gort/Nefastoreth
Location: Traffic Live Club - Rome (RM), Italy
Date: 1st December 2017




















Finally, on 1st December 2017 there has been the first night of the long-held Goatvomit Festival, that's one of the very few occasions here in Rome to see in action real underground and extreme metal bands from abroad like the Singaporeans Impiety and the Finns Archgoat. Impiety, out there since the early '90s (without counting their first incarnation under the moniker Sexfago during the end of the '80s), were the main act of this first night happened at the Traffic Live Club, the main Roman place for this kind of events. Their Roman descent has been the very first gig related to their "Winter War Apocalypse Tour", an Italian-French tour (that will end just tomorrow) made along with the French maniacs Necrowretch. Instead, the bands that supported them are both Italians and they are called Nefastoreth and Gort.

Unfortunately, as it happens usually to me, I was arrived (slighty) late to see the first band scheduled in the bill, Nefastoreth but, fortunately, they started to play their curses only 2 minutes before, so I missed nothing. Once I'm in, I realize that the place is almost empty, the audience is formed more or less by 10 people about, and it's a shame since the show offered by Nefastoreth, a quintet from Roma Caput Mundi formed in 2002 and with 2 full-lenght albums into their discography, so we aren't talking about sissies.

The atmosphere breathed is fuckin' dark (literally!) and on the stage there is a table full of candles, skulls and other trinkets, behind where the singer Nahash, whose face is totally hidden by a mask in a way similar to bands like the Portuguese kult The Ominous Circle or the Germans Shrine of Insanabilis, carry out a ritual casting his anathemas to the entire mankind. Considering that these 5 demons are representing a ritual, the entire band is incredibly cold and seraphic, playing an occult and obsessive black metal very fit for the German label World Terror Committee, and, for this, Nefastoreth offers a show truly rare to see on the Italian soil (unless you are named Fides Inversa...). Cold and antisocial as they are, Nefastoreth, after 30 minutes circa, ends their curses without saying anything to the audience in an ultra-misantropic way.

Now it's the turn of Gort. They are a quartet from Naples with a discography enough rich to include also 2 full-lenght albums and an EP, "A Morte Ad Nortem", released recently. Their look is surely more traditional than Nefastoreth since Gort have all a classic corpse-painting but the only exception is given by the drummer because he wears a plague black mask. Instead, their music is a straightforward and violent black metal, so you can see finally someone in the audience (like me, for example) that occasionally bang their own heads. I appreciated in particular the singer Illness due of his fuckin' bestial performance also because, during the show, it has been able not only to tear down the mic stand but even to throw to the audience his can of beer already finished (actually, he did something "worse" during the recent Cult of the Parthenope Black Metal where he hurted his own left arm with a knife!). So, my impression given by Gort during their gig has been excellent, and I believe that they had to play as first band instead of Nefastoreth so to already give the right intensity to the entire night. In addition, I would point out that, originally, the place of Gort was occupied by Onryo, a Roman death/grindcore band but, said frankly, these ones had nothing to do with the black and hyper-blasphemous atmosphere of the Goatvomit Fest, so it was good that Gort entered its bill!

After the Italian bands, here you are the French maniacs Necrowretch, and finally the place starts to be filled in a serious way. The band, still fresh of their 3rd album "Satanic Slavery" (Season of

Mist) and strong of the new bassplayer Malik, consist of musicians very into the French extreme metal (and not only) scene. To say the least, the corpulent guitarist Desecrator plays also in the mighty Venefixion while the drummer Ilmar is known for his militancy into Chaos Echoes...and in some prog rock projects! The same Ilmar, the only one of Necrowretch to wear a kind of corpse-painting, has impressed me a lot not only for his hallucinated expressions but also for his notable technical skills along with a rare ability to violent the drums at a breackneck speed. Obviously, the entire band is no less important, playing a violent black/death metal that reminds me of the Canadian masters Blasphemy and the Swedes Grotesque, but knowing also to offer more atmospheric passages in a doom vein. And I have to say that the intensity by Necrowretch it was so absurd that, at moments, you had the impression that the same place was supposed to be imploded! In fact, it isn't a case if many people banged their fuckin' heads throughout the Necrowretch's show.

But now stop everything because of Impiety, the band expected by all of us. I must say that they've made us wait a lot because, after their soundcheck, they disappeared behind the stage for 10 minutes circa. But then, the show by Impiety, always leaded by that beast named Shyiatan, it has been characterized by a violence in its purest form and by a fuckin' wild headbanging. Into the audience, there were someone that called for the known "Anal Madonna" and finally, when the moment arrived to play it, Shyiatan introduced this song with a blaspheme against the Virgin Mary...in Italian! After the last track in the list, the audience was so excited to request another song, and do you know what Impiety have played? The titletrack of the 1992 "Ceremonial Necrochrist Redesecration" with the result to unchain a pure hellnoise! So, the first night of the Goatvomit Fest ends with an amazing gig and after 4 all good and very different bands.

I used many nice words so far but now I have to criticize something. Firstly, the sound of the Traffic Live Club is questionable (but it isn't new for me) because it is too chaotic and confusing, and this thing is increased especially by bands known for their extreme fury as the ones played this night. Secondly, I have to report the stupid Italian trend to dislike our bands, also when these ones are really good and full of experiences like  Nefastoreth and Gort considering that, especially during the show of the former, the place was, unfortunately, almost empty. I hope that soon this idiotic trend will be terminated because also the Italian acts deserves a lot!

In every case, this night has been a unique event, and I hope that will be more events of this kind here in Rome. Personally, I had a lot of fun also because, after the gig, I was voiceless and I had also destroyed my neck due to a fuckin' wild headbanging. In addition, with the help of a friend of mine (that L.L. that did the live report about the coming of Mayhem here in Rome, do you remember?), I recorded the entire show with my digital recorder. But, unfortunately, due to health problems, I can't to be present tonight for the last episode of Goatvomit that will see nothing else than Archgoat, supported by 3 Italian bands such as the very young Cioran (Blackened Hardcore), Lectern (Satanic Death Metal à la Deicide) and, especially, the speed metal maniacs Baphomet's Blood. But I am sure that also this will be a killer gig!!!

Feel free to make a donation to Timpani allo Spiedo 'zine through the PayPal button at your right. Thank you very much!

OTHER PICTURES (TAKEN BY ME):