In a time where tours are being pulled left right and centre, it is certainly hats off to Batushka and Belphegor for preserving with their co-headline endeavour. Across the continent, venues have changed and host cities have been swapped at last minute, but somehow, they have managed to keep the wheels on this tour. Maybe being in league with Satan is good for something after all? They pull into Manchester after a night in the Heavy Metal capital of Bedford (no me neither) and the Black Metal hordes of the north west are certainly out in droves to meet them. In many ways this line up is a promoter’s dream as Batushka, Belphegor and Diabolical all have their own fiercely loyal fanbases (don’t worry Warhammer and Almost Dead, your time will indeed come) and the presence of not one, but three well stocked Merch tables illustrates that all three are headline material.
Read MoreI don't know anything about Death or Black Metal and I have never pretended to. The heaviest gig I have attended might possibly be Opeth, on their "Ghost of Perdition" UK tour, 10 years ago. But I guess in these kind of pentagram circles, they could be considered pop.
I arrived in good time only to realise that the gig was sold out and the venue packed, we had to queue for a good 15 minutes. I had no idea who the opening acts were and neither did the staff, or maybe didn't dare to spell or pronounce their names.
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