If one were to want proof of the pull that Polish black metallers MGŁA have over their Finnish fans, they need look no further than how the Helsinki show was nearly sold-out not long after their tour was announced. On Monday, November 7th, 2022, we went to check them out once again at On the Rocks, confident in this strong lineup including ULCERATE from New Zealand, and up-and-coming Lithuanian SISYPHEAN.
For a sold-out show, getting into the venue was surprisingly smooth – at least for the first hour or so after opening time, since most of the audience arrived during SISYPHEAN. With MGŁA‘s drums already set up in the back, the stage looked a bit too cramped and the 5-piece had to squeeze a bit to the front, drummer in the center, bass and guitar on one side, vocalist and other guitarist on the other. The band had a rather short set, but has clearly improved and evolved in comparison to their previous appearance at Howls of Winter earlier this year. The new record has been quite well received by critics and earned them this spot for the first couple weeks of the tour.
At this point, the audience was still a bit cold, but things were going to heat up as soon as the technical death metal/avant-garde trio ULCERATE stepped on stage (with slightly more space than their predecessors, having two members less). The band from the land of the hobbits – cinematographically speaking at least – has the opportunity to present their 2020 record, “Stare Into Death And Be Still,” for the first time, which made up most of their short setlist, given the length and complexity of their songs. It has been at least 5 years since the guys were last in town, yet the show was still as tight and engaging as we remembered. The new material seemed to work quite well live and the drumming was as impressive as ever.
With the audience properly ignited, it was time for the main act. After a brief changeover and after putting on their traditional “faceless” stage attire, MGŁA began this first of four Finnish gigs with “Age of Excuse II.” With the hall now completely full – it can be quite challenging to move around in this venue when at full capacity – the amount of headbanging and raised horns increased visibly.
The set was equally divided between the last two records, with the only two older songs being “Mdłości II” and “With Hearts Towards None I.” Surrounded by the occasional smoke raised on the stage and engulfed by their traditional blue lights, the band played a proper no-nonsense gig, with the same intensity with which their fans have now grown accustomed, leaving little to be desired (if not maybe that it could have lasted a little longer).
After one hour, “Age of Excuse IV” sent everyone, or at least most, to the queue towards the cloakroom, before heading out in this surprisingly not-so-cold November rain. Definitely another big plus were the early showtimes (the gig being on a Monday), which made everything much easier also for those who had a long commute back home and an early wake-up the next day.
SISYPHEAN
ULCERATE
MGŁA
