Death March: Torturing Nurse 虐待护士, Conch 尼浊累, Muqali 木华黎, R.N.V. (Yuyintang 育音堂 2020.12.26)
Damn does it feel good to attend a metal show again! There is something visceral and strangely intimate about metal nights in China – a combination of the friendly tight-knit crowds, the ‘baring your soul and tearing your vocal cords’ screams, and the high-energy musicianship. Simply put, if you’re in the right mood – metal shows are a blast.
Kicking off the evening was none other than Torturing Nurse – who since 2004, has been the analogue harbinger of noise and audial chaos here in China. Dude has done well over two hundred performances across the world and has been published in over four hundred recordings in just about every format. His set last weekend lasted at about eight minutes before the table collapsed under his weight and frustration and his equipment was tossed into a corner of the stage floor in nihilistic fashion. Legend.
Following them was Conch – a relatively new stoner metal outfit out of Shanghai. Instead of opting for the theatrical sludge metal tropes, the band wisely digs into the merciless atmosphere of their music, dragging songs out and allowing the grooves, the guttural screams and pummeling drums to slowly engulf you, leaving one dazed and swaying helplessly side to side. Definitely a band to keep an eye out for.
Thrash metal on the contrary is all about theatrics and Muqali out of Nanchang did not hold back, injecting a no holds barrel melodic punk attitude to their set which had attendees throwing themselves into a frenzy. Fun stuff.
Closing out the night was the makeshift black metal outfit R.N.V whose bone-crushing, gut-wrenching and end of days sound was only held back by their drummer not being presence (he was in skull form I believe) forcing the band to play to a backing track. Not ideal, but it was clear they weren’t going to let it keep them from having a grand ol’ time.
Metal with a deviant streak in it – a hell of a way to end my 2020 music going year!
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