On 7 November, RCA Club in Lisbon hosted the absolute Portuguese debut of Canadian band Panzerfaust, following the cancellation of their previously scheduled show in Leiria due to transport delays.
The black/death metal band invited ANZV to initiated the ritual. In a pure and overwhelming manner, the audience was drawn into the depths of “Kur”, immersed in the sonic rituals and conceptual weight of such impactful record. Surrounded by a dense haze scented with incense, the first chords of “Ekur” were heard, followed by “Isimud” from the 2022 album “Gallas”.
The band’s bassist, Trevash, consistently urged the audience on with her fist raised. Returning to material from “Kur”, tracks such as “Alû” and “Shamash” were performed, with Ahnum dancing among the crowd, and were met with great enthusiasm from the audience. The concert continued with “Sahar” and “Inane” again from Gallas. No one remained indifferent to the strong visual component of ANZV’s performance. “Edimmu”, “Namtaru” and, inevitably, “Anzû” followed, all taken from “Kur”. With “Rituals”, the ceremony came to an end.
The audience responded with a warm applause, and there was a shared sense of anticipation for ANZV’s return to Lisbon, a city where the band is always very well received.
At 22:20, the RCA stage was bathed in red light and filled with smoke as the Panzerfaust ritual was about to begin. Goliath’s cry echoed through the venue, opening with “The Day After Trinity” from The Sun Of Perdition – Chapter I: War, Horrid War (2019). Two more tracks from the same album followed: “Stallengrad, Massengrad” and “Decapitators Prayer”, greeted by raised “devil horns” throughout the RCA Club.
With an imposing stage presence, the band then leapt forward to 2024, the year of The Sun Of Perdition – Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion, performing “The Hesychasm Unchained” and “Ocean’s Fucking Razon”. Alex Loutch set the pace on drums before the guitar picking of Brox Kaizer Van Dijk emerged, joined by the bass of Tommy Geavais. Goliath then raised his arms to either side, signalling the beginning of “Promethean Fire”, from The Sun Of Perdition – Chapter II: Render Unto Eden (2020).
A wave of collective headbanging followed with “Far Bank At The River Styx”, a track from The Sun Of Perdition – Chapter III: The Astral Drain (2022) that left no one unmoved. The band then returned to 2024 for what initially appeared to be the final song of the night, performing “To Shadow Zion (No Sanctuary)” from the album of the same name.
The set concluded to a thunderous round of applause, with the audience calling for more and refusing to let Panzerfaust leave the stage. The band obliged, rewarding the crowd with “The Snare Of The Flower” from The Sun Of Perdition – Chapter II: Render Unto Eden. Fists and devil horns were raised as the band extended the closing moments of their ritual.
Panzerfaust’s performance left the audience wanting more. We hope to see them return to Portugal many more times.
Courtesy of Notredame Productions
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