Retribution Alive’s Alan Hicks put on a Black Metal festival in Camden. Friday was hosted by The Dev and showcased four acts.
First up was Ahrtemisia Nathair, playing harp. They were solo, as their keyboard player was unable to attend. This worked reasonably well until the mix favoured the backing tracks, drowning out the harp in places.
I managed to introduce Ahrty to Draca of Godking and Dyderung, having found out that Draca had been invited to join Ominous Covenant who were next on. Theirs was a more straightforward Black Metal set, going down well with the crowd.
Third on were Maltesers Sceptocrypt, fronted by a Pole, who received a muted reaction from some of the crowd due to the guitarist misreading the room.
The headline band were Cairns, who had replaced Hexenbrenner. They played a powerful set, confirming that the substitution was worth it.