PHOTOS: BEHEMOTH, SEPTIC FLESH, LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH & WOE AT THE TLA, PHILADELPHIA, PA, JAN. 7, 2010

First show of the the new year for me proved to be a great one. Local black metallers Woe, who recently signed to Candlelight Records, opened the night up a little early with hypnotizing riffage, closing the set with “Condemned with Prey.” In spite of the starting times having been changed, Woe’s creator Chris Grigg commented, “Despite the venue’s unprofessional decision to make us play 40 minutes prior to the advertised start of the show, we are confident that those who were in attendance were suitably deafened and offended.”

Next up, Metal Blade’s Lightning Swords of Death proclaimed their evil with gauntlets on and shirts off. Definitely one of the most epic performances I’ve seen in a while. Septic Flesh were welcomed to the stage by the ever-growing crowd as they expertly melded live music with pre-recorded
backing vocal and synth tracks, making the more intoxicated audience members scream for more in a pretty demanding way. The photo pit started getting crowded at this point, so I apologize for a lack of shots of the drummer.

As the kids began getting antsy, a chorus of “BE-HE-MOTH” chants began to rise from the floor, finally erupting in a wave of guttural screaming once the band finally took stage. While some kids just head-banged, otherss found it necessary to run around like oafs, knocking each other down, spinning, and generally being meatheads.

Photos after the jump.