Although there has been a fair amount of volume worship at Camden’s Electric Ballroom, this November night felt like a full-on pilgrimage.
The room was buzzing by the time Castle Rat, half doom coven, half theatre troupe, strode onto the stage. With dungeon-punk aesthetics, thick, ceremonial riffs, and a frontwoman who commanded the audience with a blend of camp and real menace, their set unfolded like a ritual in slow motion. It was the type of opening act that energises a room rather than merely warming it up. Leaning in, the audience voluntarily entered Castle Rat’s fantastical world of cursed spellbooks and chained maidens, which was equal parts dirge-laden power and performance art.
With a burst of pure velocity, Necrot followed, delivering a set so tight it felt surgically violent, tearing right through the smoke and shadows that Castle Rat summoned. With riffs sharp enough to leave visible wounds, bass tone that rattled pint glasses off the bar, and blast beats like collapsing scaffolding, their death-metal assault was relentless. A pit immediately erupted, bodies heaving, smiling, and bruised as Camden returned the favour. Necrot wasted no time, and the audience wouldn’t have allowed it; each song increased the temperature by a few degrees.
Then, like a furnace, High on Fire rushed in. With his trademark feral groove and bulldozer heaviness, Matt Pike, shirtless and legendary as ever, led the trio through a set. Each riff in songs like Fertile Green and Snakes for the Divine rolled out like flaming machinery, creating a massive sound. The bass produced a low-end current that you felt in your ribs before you heard it, and the drums struck with an almost industrial force. The sense of controlled chaos that only High on Fire can evoke was what elevated their performance to a transcendent level. Booming through the Ballroom’s PA with a clarity that made the sheer volume feel rewarding rather than punishing, Pike’s guitar tone felt almost alive.
The band’s newer songs blended in well with the classics, demonstrating that they are honing their legacy rather than relying solely on it. The audience was fully invested, consuming every change in tempo and every drop-tuned roar. It felt more like the final triumphant charge of a conquering warband than the conclusion of a set by the time Pike unleashed the final solo, smiling like a prophet scarred by battle.
Review & Photos By Rebecca Bush – https://www.instagram.com/beckybphoto/
Subscribe to DeVlog – The Video Home Of Devolution Magazine https://www.youtube.com/@devolutionmagazine
Castle Rat
High on Fire
