When the self proclaimed feminist black metal band Witch Club Satan was set to play a show in the nearby city of Stavanger, I had to set sail south to catch a glimpse of the provocative trio myself. I say provocative based on the opinion of some metalheads whom I have observed in a selection of comment sections across social media the past few years, and also based on the reactions of “normies” I’ve seen share their opinions on the band.
Witch Club Satan were accompanied by the local youngsters of “post metal” band Wrath who have gained increasing attention through the Norwegian underground as of the past few years. Wrath very recently signed a record deal with Dark Essence Records and brought all their gunpowder to their show with Witch Club Satan this evening.
Wrath to Folken
Inbefore the concert I shot up Wrath with a request for a chance for a fotopass to the night, which they gladly helped connecting me with WCS to recieve! So I packed my gear and jumped in my car to drive down to Stavanger for the night with high expectations to both supporting and headlining band.
Wrath is a band that I’ve known about and been listening to for atleast four years since their self-titled EP Wrath came out in 2021. Front woman Jenny Rudi went to the same school as I did for high school (if im not terribly mistaken) and has been in the same local metal community as I belong to, Karmøy/Haugesund. This was however the first time that I had the oppertunity to catch them live, so I was very happy for the oppertunity to also photograph them at this concert.
Arriving at the local venue Folken with a cold bewerage in hand, I awaited Wrath to set the stage. The venue housing 650 people at maximum capasity, quickly started filling up once Wrath played their first note. Aron Vagle on the bass started the night with a short intro on his traditional “Jaw harp”, before their first heavy riffs came flowing.
Wrath mixes alot of traditional Norwegian elements into their music, sound and album art. Aswell as prog, black metal and folk influences, the band has a heavy stoner-ish riffage that brings alot of weight to their sound. On stage the band is more casual than you might expect from the genres listed above, vocalist and frontwoman Jenny takes the stage in sneakers and short addidas shorts, rocking a Suicidal Tendencies t-shirt and bringing a playfull energy to the stage as seen on the photo above.
The band mentioned this beeing one of their largest audiences to date but the group didn’t seem to tremble from that. With pure energy, playful taunts to the audience and chest pounding drums the band gripped the audiences interest and immersed them in their potion of jazzy-folk metal. A worthy opener for the Witches of Satan who enjoyed portions of Wrath’s set themselves from the 2nd floor balcony.
Witch Club Satan
Awaiting the witches, I stood in the midst of the photopit when a gentle tap on my shoulder was noticed. As I turn around I see guitarist Nikoline dressed in a big white knitted headwear behind me, playing on a old handheld drum in the audience. Following her, the fellow companions, drummer Johanna and bassist Victoria came in simular attire through the masses.
The trio of Witch Club Satan take their stage presence seriously, and it’s to a great amazement to the audience. From tribal/rural instruments, to spooky home-knitted headwear, candle lit crowns, and full on naturalist boobs on stage, WCS has the attention of the audience at their grasp.
Beeing someone who enjoy their music online, I was curious to see how well the band was able to translate it into a live setting.
The Witches of Satan was dressed for the part, but also brought their raw emotions, energy and heart to stage. Connecting all these aspects together was the black metal. High pitched female screams, gritty guitar riffs, plummeling drums and a killer punching bass was all delivered on a silver plate by the band. With audience interactions playing a big part in their ritual on stage the band really brought the public a night to remember.
I stood on the 2nd floor balcony shooting photos and witnesed Nikoline shredding her guitar while floating on top of the crowd in some wild crowdsurfing (she took a few spooky dives) meanwhile bassist Victoria stood tall on the front row rack, singing amoung the frontline metalheads as another way to connect to the attendees.
The band are very vocal about their thoughts and views, so I was not very surprised to also see some of this in their live performance. The band had a short section inbetween songs to shed some thoughts on todays current political situation in Europe and in Gaza before their set continued in a more naturalistic fashion, dressed in long black witchy hair and almost only that!
Conclusion
Both bands brought their best performances to the people of Stavanger. Two immersive soundscapes and witchy rituals were experienced first hand by all attendees. I would gladly go to another concert from any of these two bands, but would like to point out the amount of artistic theatrics that Witch Club Satan put on creates for a fantastic live music experience for both non-metal listeners, and black metal enjoyers!
Gallery
All photos taken by KingGorthaur / Vetle Aksdal