MORGOTH
New Pegasus Club, London, England
July 11th, 1990
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How would you feel if you’d just driven all the way from Germany to play your first gig in the UK and come up against a place like this, one of London’s tiniest venues in a virtually unreachable part of the city with equipment that would make a barn dance seem well equipped? Surprisingly, Morgoth seemed unperturbed and it’s to their credit that they actually had the enthusiasm to put on this show, because it was sparse to put it mildly with only the really committed London thrash community filling the venue.
Quite how they managed it I’ll never know, but the result was a very hostile set that will bide Morgoth well for their forthcoming support slot with Obituary. You’ll all know my reservations about death metal and its many bands. Well, Marc Grewe definitely isn’t on his own in the vocal union that it’s built up, but musically Morgoth certainly proved that they have a rightful place up with the best. Carsten Otterbach and Harry Busse had a guitar sound heavy enough to shred clothing, and despite a drum kit which was pitiful in the extreme Rüdiger Hennecke still managed to back it all with a creditable drum sound, even if the PA was unable to pick it up.
The set included most of the material from their two EPs (Resurrection Absurd and The Eternal Fall), both released on Century Media, and although the PA didn’t help with distinction, ‘Lies Of Distrust’ and ‘White Gallery’ seemed to come over the best as Carsten’s guitar and Marc’s guttural vocals made the most of what PA sound was available. The intricacy was undoubtedly blunted, but anyone witnessing this show will have been able to see their potential roll in October with Obituary.
Mike Exley
Review taken from Metal Forces, Issue 38 (1990)
