Review Summary: Danish black metallers find their perfect live concert premise: a 34m tall cylindrical water tower, made of concrete.
If I was going to choose a location to play a black metal set and all the mausoleums in town had been booked up by necromancers and people that like Gorgoroth a bit too much, I’d say a 34m high, 20m wide cylinder of concrete and steel probably wouldn’t have been #2 on my mental checklist to look out for. However, one such unlikely venue exists in the form of the Brønshøj Vandtårn and, apparently, has earned a bit of a second life as a location for musicians to record in, or as a venue for gig-goers seeking a unique experience. Before going fully in, a caveat. I’m writing this having not seen the visual part yet, which may well alter one’s impressions going forward (the show was filmed for release on DVD); this review will therefore, deal mostly with how it sounds. And on that end, I’d be up for Solbrud recording every album from now on within the confines of the water tower -
Levende I Brønshøj Vandtårn sounds fantastic.
As much as it feels obvious to say, the live setting (especially being where it is) lets their music sound as it probably always should have done – with respect to the studio releases, Solbrud have never sounded so… right. Playing black metal on the more mournful end of the spectrum, the bump in reverb naturally lent by their surroundings only seeks to improve that oh-so-nebulous ‘atmosphere’. In this case, the sense of loneliness or alienation is heightened by giving a more tangible impression of emptied boundaries, sound crashing off lifeless concrete and functional, unfeeling architecture (of course, this does collide with the irony of it being a live set with an audience, but at least while listening, suspension of disbelief does the legwork here). The kick drum sounds magnificent – imposing and deliberate during slower sections, and with all the rumble, drama and confusion of a cavalry charge when the blast beats let fly. It’s rarely too much though, as most the shrieks and peals of vocals and guitars find their sweet spots more often than not, and there’s even room for the bass to rumble around the listed structure too. As such, with an already consistent back catalogue behind them, Solbrud have rarely heard so ‘complete’. Further credit must go to the pacing of the setlist, a wholly satisfying mixture of their three albums to-date, balanced extremely well to sit neither on plodding misery or a furious barrage for any longer than would be welcome – and they even find time to introduce a new track, the achingly beautiful tar-slow ‘Sjæleskrig’.
It must be said, this is no substitute. The events of 2020 have been awful for live music in Europe (in case, you know, you missed it). As a way of experiencing music, there remains nothing like being surrounded by sound, rubbing shoulders with others (presumably) having as quality a time as you are. As such,
Levende I Brønshøj Vandtårn cannot hope to fully offer a wholly satisfying impression of what it would have been like to have been there – the swell of drums, the piercing vocals, or the unpredictable reverb (I can’t have thought it’d be particularly warm either, being a November in Denmark). However, it is a bloody excellent listen all the same; as a reminder of what we had (the show was recorded in 2019), and what we hopefully have to look forward to, I’m curiously glad they waited this long to release it.
