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Witch Club Satan are the best thing to happen in black metal in years. Furious, unflinching and utterly incendiary to behold, they take the genre's penchant for transgression to its logical end with a glorious blend of theatricality, pomp and pure, visceral nastiness that bridges old school champions like Darkthrone and Immortal with more modern, outspoken branches of BM embodied in the likes of Dawn Ray'd or Underdark.
It's fitting that their first UK show would be at Birmingham's Supersonic Festival, an event with a storied history of boundary-pushing acts. There's a buzz in the O2 Institute even before the Norwegians take to the stage, and when they make an appearance its to the throat-rending howls of Birth. With frost-tipped riffs and blast-beats delivered with a vigour and intensity that calls to mind the Platonic ideal for what black metal should be; a raging tempest of pure emotion and fang-bearing venom.
But then there's the theatrical side. A spoken word interlude - Water Girl - sees them ditch the stark, harlequin esque outfits they wore at the start of the show to go fully nude with floor-length black wigs. Far from being a stunt in titillation, the sight of Victoria Røising proudly displaying her pregnancy bump - the bassist announced she was expecting twins just a few weeks ago at a show in Romania - underscores the idea of femininity, motherhood and reclamation that defines the band's music.
A second costume-change into sparkling dresses and the creepiest masks we've seen this side of Slipknot, another spoken word interlude delivered by the trio genuinely unsettling with at least one of the ladies nailing a spot-on Exorcist/Pazuzu impression while video footage of bloody surgery plays in the background.
Here, they also showcase their affinity for surprise hooks. Newest single You Wildflower comes after a speech in support of Palestine, the shrieks of "You don't give up" lending the song a call-and-response energy you'd expect of a hardcore gig, while Fresh Blood, Fresh Pussy might be the best black metal anthem since Satyricon's K.I.N.G.
With guitarist Nikoline Spjelkavik flinging herself into the audience for Solace Sisters, the set ends with an admirable sense of anarchy, the faces of everyone in attendance united in pure "what the fuck just happened" shock. What else could you possibly want from your black metal?
Witch Club Satan support Avatar on select dates of their In The Airwaves tour of Europe and the UK next year. For the full list of dates, visit their official website.
Witch Club Satan setlist Supersonic Festival 2025
Birth
Blod
Mother
Water Girl
Mother Sea
I Was Made By Fire
Black Metal Is Krig
Wild Whores
Hysteria
You Wildflower
Fresh Blood, Fresh Pussy
Solace Sisters
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