LIVE FROM THE PIT: Sinsaenum, Deandra, Damim and Die Ego

Is there a better way than spending Friday night out than listening to metal? Absolutely not.

Especially when SINSAENUM are in the city! The multinational supergroup features FRÉDÉRIC LECLERQ (guitar, keyboard; KREATOR, LOUDBLAST), STÉPHANE BURIEZ (guitar; LOUDBLAST), SEAN ZATORSKY (vocals; DÅÅTH), HEIMOTH (bass; SETH) and ANDRÉ JOYZI (drums) - they blend blackened death metal with melodic and experimental elements and have recently released a new full-length album named In Devastation.

Their set at The Underworld in London was the last stop of the UK leg of their tour, before heading back into Europe, and has seen three supports for the evening - DENDERA, DAMIM and DIE EGO.

First support band of the evening, DIE EGO, hails from London, and although their crowd was not big, they still managed to make the fans move and sing along. Consisting of DIEGO FARDEL (lead guitarist), GABE SCAPIGLIATI (vocals and bass) and EDOARDO MARIOTTI (drums), the heavy-metal trio blends heavy-metal with thrash, classic, death and doom metal in their songs and takes influence from bands like PANTERA and SLIPKNOT. Their set was quick, yet energetic, and set off the mood of the evening in the right direction.

Next up was yet another band from London, DAMIM. The extreme metal three-piece, that features NATHANAEL UNDERWOOD on vocals and guitar, FLOW TOULMAN on drums and FAUST PEREZ on bass, brough raw and unforgiving show to the venue, together with aggressive vocals and riffs. As well as its predecessor, the band unfortunately did not have a big crowd, but that did not stop them from putting up a set that was met with success with the fans that were present and hype the crowd even more.

DENDARA, the last of the three supporting bands, had seen the biggest crowd of the evening during their set. Formed in 2007 in Portsmouth, the heavy metal five-piece with two guitars DAVID STANTON and STEPHEN MAIN, who has been in the band since its founding, vocalist ASHLEY EDISON, bassist BRADLEY EDISON and drummer ANDY FINCH has been influenced by the likes of TRIVIUM, TESSERACT and LAMB OF GODS, and are very popular with the British crowds. The band’s set was fast-paced, immersive and non-compromising, and the fans around The Underworld knew words to every song.

Although some fans left right before SINSAENUM’s set, the crowd was still lively. The supergroup did not hold back with fan interactions, piercing screams and emotional moments and it made the set absolutely stand-out. Coming out with a ten-track setlist, the band was working with about an hour long set, which is not very long for a headliner, but they managed to make the fans sing with them every single word, form a big moshpit in the middle of the floor and express their feelings of gratitude every chance they got, as the headliner show in the iconic venue and the support of their fans were immense. Playing songs from their latest album In Devastation, as well as few older songs, SINSAENUM was able to cater for all their fans and create an evening that was both memorable and filled with excitement.

SINSEANUM’s headline show in The Underworld was an amazing opportunity for the band’s fanbase to see them up and close and it was obvious they grasped that opportunity immediately. Supported by the great DENDARA, DAMIM and DIE EGO, who have all come onto the stage with amazing sets, the evening had an incredible atmosphere and the floor was shaking from the moshpits, dancing and jumping.

Words and Photos: Katerina Stepanikova