Bands Seen: Mercyful Fate, Emperor, Mayhem, Carcass, Wolves in the Throne Room, Blood Incantation, Mgla, Gatecreeper, Akhlys, Black Sabbitch
The 2022 installment of Psycho Las Vegas got off to a diabolically heavy start with shrouded Polish legends Mgla. Just under an hour of smoke-induced distortion and characteristically slow chugging eventually evolved to crowd-favorite “Exercises in Futility V” before the band left the main stage.
Wolves in the Throne Room followed suit with a fitting performance full of new tracks and old favorites, atmospheric melody, and passionate shrieks. These were the only Americans to grace the main stage on this first day of blackened-metal-fueled chaos.
Carcass marched the guitar parade out with force, playing like they were 20-somethings back in England trading tapes with the likes of At the Gates and Dissection. They notably involved the crowd, encouraging them to dance and sing along with them as they ripped through “Heartwork,” among other favorites.
Mayhem needs no introduction, but as this author’s 5th time seeing them, it just gets better and better. Mixing in killer new tracks from Daemon at the beginning of the show – before transforming into hooded villains for a few off of DMDS, and finally ending with the Deathcrush EP… Mayhem did not disappoint and set the stage well for Emperor.
Emperor. Wow. Meaning no disrespect to the others on the billing – Emperor is cut from a different cloth. Tight, melodic, fast, and full-powered, Ihsahn and company played hit after hit after hit, leaning into every chorus and verse with the intensity and terror of their prime. Favorite track of the night: “Curse You All Men.”
On a variety of unique side stages, extreme metal was on full display in all forms. An all-female Black Sabbath cover band, Black Sabbitch, soared through 1970’s Sabbath with a finesse that would make Iommi proud. Blood Incantation thundered in the Rose Ballroom of Resorts World, pausing occasionally to joke about the headlining slot Bone Thugs-N-Harmony got over some other more deserving groups (it’s a metal festival, after all, right?). Nightmare-bringing black metal group Akhlys (featured on this webzine with their newest record) brought down the Redtail stage at 2:00AM, three hours after Emperor left the room. And last, but not least, the first Extreme Underground Metal Band of the Year, Gatecreeper, dominated the Ayu Dayclub stage.
Sunday night. The Sabbath. A Dangerous Meeting. Mercyful Fate took the stage on North American soil for the first time this century. What followed was nothing short of spectacular. The stage – an elaborate scene complete with an evil baphomet and inverted cross – could barely contain King Diamond, Mercyful Fate‘s iconic frontman. His range of falsetto shrieks and Satanic growls were competitive with that of the 1980’s. The band, led by guitarist Hank Shermann, were loud and proud, and shredded through legendary instrumental sections while the King changed his wardrobe to match the song. All told – a perfect conclusion. Mercyful Fate changed the evolution of heavy metal – and their performance on Sunday night reminded the thousands in attendance of why. Until next year!