Nekrogoblikon
The Underworld, Camden – 15/1/20
Live review by; Myk
Nekrogoblikon bring their unique brand of Goblin metal far too infrequently to Europe so it’s hardly surprising that there is a reasonable sized queue waiting to get into the venue.
With the obligatory ‘John Goblikon’ resident Goblin mascot encouraging the crowd, they kick off like a sonic tidal wave with ‘The Many Faces of Dr. Hubert Malbec’, from their latest 2018 album ‘Welcome to Bonkers’ quickly followed by the YouTube viral hit ‘No One Survives’ from 2011 Stench. ‘The Skin Thief’ is up next before singer Scorpion has a word with the sound desk to reduce the bass and up the vocals in the mix, making the overall sound far better.
Following that 2015s’ Heavy Meta is plundered for the gloriously ironic ‘We Need A Gimmick’ before the delightfully barmy ‘Bears’ from Stench. A trio of equally daft numbers from ‘Welcome To Bonkers’ are up next; ‘Darkness’ and ‘Dressed As Goblins’ particularly getting the crowd sing along treatment. Then after ‘Dragons’ we get the inevitable David Bowie voice sample from the film Labyrinth leading into the long-time fan favourite ‘Prince of the Land of Stench’ which sees ‘John Goblikon’ venturing far out into the crowd to encourage even greater interaction, he is followed by bassist Zoot who disappears towards the end of the song only to re-appear pint in hand. Clearly being a member of Nekrogoblikon is thirsty work but suitably refreshed they launch into ‘Return to the Sky (From Whence You Came)’ another sampling from Stench before they finish with the self-titled ‘Nekrogoblikon’ from Heavy Meta.
After a brief crowd call for more, we are treated to ‘The Magic Spider’ before really finishing with the brilliant ‘Powercore’ from the 2013 Power EP.
A great night, however songs from the 2007 ‘Goblin Island’ were noticeable by their absence and overall Nekrogoblikon remain a Marmite band, but for those who choose to engage in this Goblin metal oddity, they are definitely winners who will no doubt be back for more.
