I was in Portland for the weekend with plans to see the Dark Tranquillity / Soen / Persefone show on Saturday. Since I had Friday night available, I was curious to see if there was another show of interest. I had been talking to Portland-based symphonic black metal band Nocteris for a few months, and sometimes timing just works out, as they had a show Friday night at The High Water Mark. I wasn’t familiar with any of the other bands, and admittedly I don’t listen to a lot of black metal without other elements (e.g. progressive, post), but I thought it would be fun to see a bunch of local area bands while also seeing Nocteris for the first time. And as I have established previously, going in to a show blind can be a lot of fun!

Portland symphonic black metal trio Nocteris opened up the night. I got to meet them and chat briefly before the show, and they were super nice and fun to talk with. And wow were they impressive live! The band was super tight and played so well together. Vocalist / bassist Sam has a ton of charisma and is an incredible frontwoman, with absolutely brutal vocals and some nifty basswork. Matt was great on the guitar, and Vic was a pulverizing hurricane on the drumset. Like many bands with symphonic elements, the orchestration was tracked, but it sounded grandiose in the live setting. Nocteris does a great job blending the aggression of black metal with the big cinematic feel of symphonic metal, and I look forward to seeing them again soon and hearing more material from them in the future! After their show I chatted with the band a bit more and had the opportunity to conduct a brief interview with Sam, which will be published in the very near future.

Nocteris played a 6-song set, covering most of their material except their super cool Lady Gaga cover. The songs were:

1. Intro / Fleshbound Devotion
2. The Void Beyond
3. Echoes of Rebirth
4. Neither Human Nor Beast
5. Spellbreaker
6. Medusa (Crowned in Flame)

The second band of the night was local black metal quartet Polemicist, and I went in completely blind. The songs were fast and furious, angling in the melodic black metal direction with some atmospheric elements. I will admit this isn’t my favorite style of black metal, but Polemicist was quite good live, and I enjoyed their performance. I particularly loved the dueling guitar parts, with plenty of tremolo picking and lead work to complement the blazing riffs, and the bass and drums were absolutely crushing.

Polemicist played a 5-song set. The setlist was:

1. Amongst the Ruins
2. On the Changing of the Tides
3. Medieval Rites
4. The Ambition & The Wrath
5. On Redemption

Local Cascadian black metal quartet Alum Occulta played third. I was also unfamilar with them going in, but I was immediately drawn into their musical compositions. I listen to a lot of atmospheric post black metal, and though they lacked the “post” aspects, I found their sound super appealing. The melancholy themes and thick atmosphere worked well with the speedy riffing, blastbeats, and old school blackened shrieks, and the dynamic contrast throughout each song was fabulous. It was an impressive set that felt like it was over too quickly.

Setlist

Alum Occulta played a 4-song set featuring everything from their most recent EP, “Effloresce.” Even though the songs tended to be on the longer side, I certainly wouldn’t have complained to hear one or two more songs! The setlist was:

1. Intro / Obelisk
2. Path of Exiles
3. Holding (Reprise)
4. Wraiths of a Former World

Vancouver, WA, black / post metal quintet Warden headlined the night. Again, I wasn’t familiar with them at all, and the fact that the vocalist had a variety of props was quite intriguing. Their sound seemed to be a mix of atmospheric and post black metal, with less reliance on speed (though there was plenty of it!) and good variety in tempo and dynamics. The vocalist was intense while also using the aforementioned props throughout the set, somewhat reminding me of Nina of Lowen when I saw them in December, though not quite as cinematic or polished. The guitars and bass were great, adept at both the softer melodies and speedy riffing, and one of the guitarists also contributed vocals. The drums were fantastic, blasting with ease and adding plenty of support during the slower sections. The band had great stage presence and played super well together, a great headliner for a great slate of bands.

Warden played a 7-song set featuring five songs from their latest release, “Beneath Old Pines,” as well as two songs from their original self-titled EP. The setlist was:

1. Oathbound
2. Beneath Old Pines
3. The Lake
4. Dying Star (extended outro)
5. Gods
6. Garden of Endless Sleep
7. Burning in the Godstar

Nocteris was the reason I came to this show, but it gave me the opportunity to discover some other bands I likely would not have otherwise. It was a great lineup top to bottom, and it was fun seeing varied flavors within the same genre, providing some breadth to the listening experience. I also enjoyed the venue and would absolutely return for a show in the future. It is small, but the sound was great! I enjoyed stepping outside my normal musical comfort zone just a bit, and I find I am pleasantly surprised when I do.