Orgivm Satanicvm festival 2020 –

by Karina Noctum
Posted on 15-03-2020

The first festival of the year while predominantly Black Metal it offered a wide variety of music styles and non-music related acts enough to cater to the different tastes in the audience. The artistic contribution was done by Trine Grimm and Nick Morte who are tattoo artists. A Theodor Kittelsen inspired painting was made at record time before the show started, something really interesting and unusual to see.

The pening artistic act differed a lot from what was going to come next with Visobel Black who is a violinist and The Maniac. The stage was set up as if a ritual were going to be conducted, but yeah it turned out to be more of a freak show. I managed to see the whole needle insertions underneath the skin and other painful body punctures up until the blood started pouring out and then I had to leave for fear of fainting. I do think is courageous to take the body to cross those limits, but I guess sword swallowing with no bleeding is more of my thing. So this dramatic and bloody act marked the beginning of what was going to be a really good musical experience.

The bands that played on Friday were all pretty different. It all started with The Devil’s Rejects who combine hard rock and metal. They had a considerable audience for their show and some fans who headbanged the set all the way through. I think they succeeded with setting the right mood for the night. Their latest album called Blood Feast is to be released on February the 28th, you should check it out.

https://youtu.be/-yf_9GCkDSI

Next was Urarv, I have seen them a couple of times now and their stage presence is something that always stands out and is pretty unique. It’s totally what you would expect from a mastermind that has an Avantgarde background such as Aldrahn. Musically they have evolved from a more Darkthronish/Folk Black Metal to a a bit more experimental sound with different tonalities and lots of rock influence. But still it remains eerie, psychedelic and mental in a ghastly Mercyful Fate way. Their third album is on the making and I think that perhaps it will keep changing and evolving in unexpected ways, so I’m looking forward to see how it will turn out..

URARV live at Orgicvm Satanicvm 2020
Photo by Storm D -Live Photography

Then the total contrast in terms of image appeared in the form of robed musicians who conducted their show by candlelight, nothing more fit to the music. It was a balm to the ears. I really like downtuning. So I enjoyed The Funeral Orchestra a lot. The percussion was pretty simple, but hard and pretty effective. They count with Nicklas Rudolfsson who also plays in Sacramentum, a band that made a comeback and have been headlining some festivals last year .He was a part of a thrash band that I like a lot called Swordmaster, a band that turned into Deathstars. Well instead of joining Deathstars he did something totally different and absolutely awesome such as The Funeral Orchestra. How cool is it to see musicians being so versatile and succeeding at it in totally different genres.

I would really like to see them again, but I guess it won’t be any time sooner since I heard they do not play that often and that this was a rare and special occasion.

After the pretty relaxing and almost trance-like experience it was time for the headliner that could not be more different. Awesome thrash riffing that brings energy levels back to max. Svarttjern are now these days promoting their latest album which is excellent and you couldn’t expect less from seasoned musicians such as HansFyrste, Fjellnord og Grimmdun, HaaN, Malphas from Carpathian Forest. Svarttjern was the best show for many of us. You can listen to their new album here:

https://youtu.be/P8JFRwE3MLg

On the second day of the festival Diablery delivered a pretty good, tight and pleasant concert. The hellenic band plays a Black Metal with some melodic/Symphonic influences that brings to mind bands like Dissection, Limbonic Art, Arcturus, epic Emperor-like vibes and old Cradle of Filth. It could have been a band coming from Nocturnal Art Productions with all the style that label stands for. So the concert included also dedications to a plethora of demons which is something pretty typical Black Metal, but that I hadn’t heard in a while.

https://youtu.be/4ANKMyUhki4

So it was time for the second dose of Swedish Black/Death/Heavy/Rock act hailing from Gothenburg. I’ve seen them opening for Gaahls Wyrd and Mayhem. Their style has all the feeling and blast beats you need in one. So it’s something for everyone.The concert was as energetic as the one they delivered for a considerable bigger audience in Sweden. Their sound is pretty interesting. Their full-length came out in 2018 but they have been active in several other bands and under another name so even though it seems like a newcomer both the sound and performance disproves it as it is pretty good and convincing. They are pretty active playing in many festivals so we will hopefully see more of them this year and hopefully another full-length soon.

MORK live at Orgicvm Satanicvm 2020
Photo by Storm D -Live Photography

Totalselfhatred have made a name in the Depressive Suicidal Black Metal scene so I was familiar with the sound and I found it interesting to see them live. They have a long trajectory and even though their sound is a huge contrast from what the previous band was it’s melancholic melodies are pretty relaxing. Their warm blackgaze melodious moments were a a pretty huge contrast to the norwegian bands to come. But I think it is interesting to see so many different styles in one night and how the mood in the audience changes.

The headliners were Mork, a band that have been playing a lot in Oslo and probably the best venue for them was Kolbotn actually. Mork has become a favorite with the audience and they always deliver a pretty good professional show. What was good at Blå was to be able to see the drummer Jontho (Ragnarok) from a close distance because he is a pretty powerful drummer and it’s awesome. But the best act when it comes to feeling, the energy it gives to see them live was definitely Koldbrann. They do not play often and that’s a pity. They are currently working on a new album and I’m looking forward to see them more live after the release.

So Orgivm Satanicvm was a pretty cool, greatly varied festival with a good selection of pretty different bands within Black Metal both international and local and other extra acts that made it highly entertaining. Hopefully the festival will continue and grow bigger because it is a good showcase for both underground and known bands.

Full photo galleries are available on our webpage as follows

MY DYING BRIDE – The Ghost Of Orion

FLYING CIRCUS – 1968

Orgivm Satanicvm festival 2020 –

Orgivm Satanicvm festival 2020 –