Dark Funeral Kick Off 2025 With A Black Metal Bang

We are a tad mad at Dark Funeral, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Ex Deo and Kami no Ikari. Dark Funeral’s Let The Devil In tour was our first show of 2025 and it was such an unholy night of riff magnificence and apocalyptic screams, growls and howls that we fear the bar for the year has been set impossibly high. But we have no doubt that the rest of the bands on our 2025 gig calendar love a challenge as much as the next devil. 

Dark Funeral – Fleshgod Apocalypse – Ex Deo – Kami no Ikari

O2 Academy Islington – 7 January 2025

Words: Lucy Dunnet

Photography: Manuela Langotsch

Dark Funeral

“HAIL SATAN!” With barely enough time to catch our breath after Fleshgod Apocalypse, the crowd started growling for Dark Funeral, and the only funeral we hope to attend this year began.

The slow jabs of the spotlight on each band member, highlighting their heavily spike-clad leather outfits and ghostly faces – not to mention the enormous banners of Nosferatu that had been watching us all night – kicked off Dark Funeral’s set with a clear message: God is not here, but Satan is. 

Dark Funeral - O2 Academy Islington - 7 January 2024.
Dark Funeral – O2 Academy Islington – 7 January 2024. Photo Manuela Langotsch/MetalTalk

The opening track, Nosferatu, led to the kind of headbanging that resulted in head butts to the butt and butt bashes to the face. These Swedish Black Metal legends incited precisely the kind of mosh pit you would expect from a satanic-themed set: one in which you are alone, can see too much darkness and are guaranteed to fall into said darkness because Satan’s legions are attacking from all sides. Fortunately, the darkness enjoyed throwing you back up if you did slam to the ground.

Dark Funeral - O2 Academy Islington - 7 January 2024.
Dark Funeral – O2 Academy Islington – 7 January 2024. Photo Manuela Langotsch/MetalTalk

Dark Funeral exuded musical darkness and atmospheric genius, testament to their three decades of smashing it in the Black Metal sphere. They are a band that help silence your inner demons by unleashing musical, theatric ones. An inspirational thought to shut our eyes and really appreciate As One We Shall Conquer was followed first by dark bliss, then adrenaline as we realised we were standing right in front of a pit of thrashing animals, and, finally, a heavy thwack to the back that reminded us why we love Black Metal so much: we find calm in the evil chaos and comfort in the destructive discomfort. 

“Are you still fucking out there?” vocalist Heljarmadr (Andreas Vingbäck) hounded the crowd. Ignore the neck cramp, we told ourselves; Dark Funeral requires every ounce of our energy and then some. Open The Gates and Shadows Over Transylvania were unbridled demonic forces with extreme tempos blended with soul-destroying screams. 

Dark Funeral - O2 Academy Islington - 7 January 2024.
Dark Funeral – O2 Academy Islington – 7 January 2024. Photo Manuela Langotsch/MetalTalk

The drum-led ominous intro of Let The Devil In began Dark Funeral’s penultimate track of the night, followed by Where Shadows Forever Reign, with crowd surfers soaring to the front and actually putting grins on the security guys’ faces – quite the contrast to the menacing glares from the band. When leaving the venue, we had to remind ourselves that frowns and growls do not equal “hell, I love this band, and let’s be friends” to the average person outside. 

Dark Funeral were a deathly atmospheric band of satanic demons from start to finish, with the grim reaper himself delivering their flag for Heljarmadr to cool us off with before their departure. If you haven’t yet had a Dark Funeral musical experience, get a bloody move on. 

Dark Funeral - O2 Academy Islington - 7 January 2024.
Dark Funeral – O2 Academy Islington – 7 January 2024. Photo Manuela Langotsch/MetalTalk

Fleshgod Apocalypse

Just as the anticipation for Fleshgod Apocalypse was threatening to fizzle out – there is such a thing as too much classical music and too long in between sets – the five fleshgods of the apocalypse took to the stage and wasted no (more) time in reminding us why we bought another of their T-shirts and have been bingeing their latest album Opera for the past few months.

Fleshgod Apocalypse - O2 Academy Islington - 7 January 2024.
Fleshgod Apocalypse – O2 Academy Islington – 7 January 2024. Photo Manuela Langotsch/MetalTalk

Vocalist Veronica Bordacchini was a black-veiled vision of ethereal horror and her haunting vocals added spine-tingling shivers to the deathly growls of front-gentleman Francesco Paoli. This band knows how to create an eerie atmosphere, from the opener, Ode To Art – De’ Sepolcri’s operatic crescendoes, straight into the unfairly catchy belter that is I Can Never Die.

The hype man of the apocalypse, pianist and orchestral effects organiser Francesco Ferrini, may have been tucked away in the corner of the stage, but he frequently popped out with props and delighted grins; out of sight but certainly not out of mind. 

Fleshgod Apocalypse - O2 Academy Islington - 7 January 2024.
Fleshgod Apocalypse – O2 Academy Islington – 7 January 2024. Photo Manuela Langotsch/MetalTalk

It turned out that the elongated climax built before their set had not been intentional, and in between growls straight from hell, Paoli apologised for the issues. We were immediately given the opportunity to show our forgiveness when the gruff front-gentleman asked for “a bit of moshing.” We had been keeping our eye on one bouncing, limb-flailing fan in particular, so we knew who to dive for to open up the body-bashing, apocalypse-worthy pit.

Fleshgod Apocalypse - O2 Academy Islington - 7 January 2024.
Fleshgod Apocalypse – O2 Academy Islington – 7 January 2024. Photo Manuela Langotsch/MetalTalk

The energy that had been building for Kami no Ikari and Ex Deo exploded with all the force of an intentionally stomped-on minefield. Bloodclock and The Fool were delicious nightmares, with accidental kicks to the shins bringing pain to the pleasure that was Fleshgod Apocalypse’s every breath and movement.

Everything about this Italian symphonic Death Metal band was magnificent, right down to the smudged black paint hollowing out each member’s eyes. We do not say this lightly, but if enduring an apocalypse would mean non-stop live performances from Fleshgod Apocalypse, then sign us up. 

Fleshgod Apocalypse - O2 Academy Islington - 7 January 2024.
Fleshgod Apocalypse – O2 Academy Islington – 7 January 2024. Photo Manuela Langotsch/MetalTalk

Ex Deo

We have seen plenty of Viking bands on stage, but Roman bands? Not so many – and we are now questioning why on earth that is, because the Metal greatness of Ex Deo was colossal. Formed as a side project by Kataklysam frontman Maurizio Iacono, Ex Deo are a majestic legion to be reckoned with. Move over Vikings; it is the year of the Romans. 

Ex Deo - O2 Academy Islington - 7 January 2024.
Ex Deo – O2 Academy Islington – 7 January 2024. Photo Manuela Langotsch/MetalTalk

Irresistibly headbangable from the first burst of Imperator’s deep, dark drumbeats, we had no difficulty imagining an army setting off to war to the soundtrack of Ex Deo. Whenever Iacono took to the front of the stage, he assessed the gathered humans before him with a mixture of trepidation and hopeful longing in his eyes: would we fight for or run away from this ominous general? 

Ex Deo - O2 Academy Islington - 7 January 2024.
Ex Deo – O2 Academy Islington – 7 January 2024. Photo Manuela Langotsch/MetalTalk

Having chosen to stay and join the fight, Ex Deo treated us to a single off their new EP, Year Of The Four Emperors. “Are you ready to enter the Colosseum?” was the only warning we got ahead of the war horn blasts, signalling the start of the new single, Vespasian. Ex Deo have seamlessly woven the brutality of Death Metal with the aggression of a gods-fearing army and the beauty of Roman order.

Ex Deo - O2 Academy Islington - 7 January 2024.
Ex Deo – O2 Academy Islington – 7 January 2024. Photo Manuela Langotsch/MetalTalk

“London, ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?” Bellowed Iacono, only briefly breaking character and softening his commanding prowess when he couldn’t contain the cheeky grin that broke out following this epic quote.

After proclaiming what an absolute honour it was to be here tonight, Ex Deo left us with Romulus. We started as Death Metal scoundrels and progressed to soldiers, but we finished in the Roman orchestra as Iacono conducted us with wistful yet murderous hand gestures.

Ex Deo - O2 Academy Islington - 7 January 2024.
Ex Deo – O2 Academy Islington – 7 January 2024. Photo Manuela Langotsch/MetalTalk

Kami no Ikari

The French melodic Deathcore band Kami no Ikari have been around for only four years and touring for three. Still, their terrifying stage presence, nailed-it Black Metal aesthetic and catchy demonic screams left no one questioning their place on this tour with older, deadlier bands. 

LET THE BLACK HORDES IN! We entered the O2 Academy Islington as Kami no Ikari appeared on the stage, but we were in the minority as a long, winding queue of fans remained outside. However, any pity we felt for the band and absent fans was banished as soon as vocalist Amarino Barros opened his mouth and eyes. 

Kami no Ikari - O2 Academy Islington - 7 January 2024.
Kami no Ikari – O2 Academy Islington – 7 January 2024. Photo Manuela Langotsch/MetalTalk

The frontman’s menacing red eyes scanned the crowd with ferocious intensity, marking within seconds why they deserve to be called “The Wrath of the Gods” in Japanese. Haunting melodic instrumentals and choral wails were weaved into the brutal riffs, beats and growls; Kami no Ikari have created a sound that is both majestic in its complexity and unwavering in its battle between styles and God versus man. 

“We are fucking French, and this next one is fucking fast,” announced Barros before unleashing Interitus (destruction) on us. It only took two shouts of “interitus” before we were singing along to every chorus. The French theatrics reached a climax at the end of the track when Barros held up an imaginary machine gun and, as promised, destroyed the crowd and then himself. 

Kami no Ikari - O2 Academy Islington - 7 January 2024.
Kami no Ikari – O2 Academy Islington – 7 January 2024. Photo Manuela Langotsch/MetalTalk

From gulping liquid and spraying it into the air like a dragon spewing fire to chiding the crowd for only raising one horn when they have two hands, Amarino Barros led Kami no Ikari with the devilish mischief of a Japanese trickster God. The cohesiveness and camaraderie between the band members on stage was a thing of wonder, and we cannot wait to see what they do with more time, a bigger stage and more sets of horns.

Kami no Ikari - O2 Academy Islington - 7 January 2024.
Kami no Ikari – O2 Academy Islington – 7 January 2024. Photo Manuela Langotsch/MetalTalk

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