[Gig Review]: ABBATH DOOM OCCULTA ‘Return to The Raven Realms’ Tour, 30.01.26 @ Croxton Bandroom, Melb (AU).
Event: Abbath Doom Occulta ‘Return to The Raven Realms’ Tour
Location: Croxton Bandroom, Melbourne (Aus)
Date: Friday, 30th January 2026
Organiser: Soundworks Touring*
Writing: Dean Underhill
Photography: Richie Black Photography*
*refer to bottom of article/gallery for relevant portfolio/links, etc.
Like the intro to ‘Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism’, it’s been a pretty big build up to this one.
Abbath’s Doom Occulta probably raises as many questions as it answers. Why a full set of Immortal classics, (will we see a reunion or is it a snub)? Why have we got so many good international Black Metal acts descending on us this summer? Will Abbath come back soon and play his own material?
The anticipation for this show was palpable from the moment that you arrived at The Croxton. Even on High Street, there was a buzz as eager metal heads smiled at each other through customary stank-face and corpse paint. Abbath were sorely missed in 2020 when their Max Watt’s show was cancelled due to our once in a century disruption. It had been 10 years since Abbath performed in Melbourne.
A moderately sized appreciative audience assembled to be treated to some reputable blackened thrash from Sydney’s Bastardizer. Frontman Chris Beesley screaming into a vintage mic with an inverted cross featured on the stand, the band belting out some mid-tempo Black Metal-infused thrash before consolidating the second track with a furious stomp, marvellously underpinned by some heavy drumming courtesy of George Delinicolis (of Isildur’s Bane). The third offering was an infectious, blistering, high powered speed-metal infused piece. Beesley growling and snarling into the 50’s style mic. These guys were living up to their name.
The group punched out the accents on guitar and suitably accomplished lead peels from Bill Morgan. The next offering clacked like an out of control train through the mid-tempo verses and then launched into a Motorhead-inspired pounding. Nick Wilks played the bass equivalent of Fast and Furious whilst Morgan confidently shredded the lead on his red Gibson.
Following up and dialling up the extreme brutality, was none other than Melbourne’s Werewolves. Opening up their set with ‘Sublime Wartime Voyeurism’, the raw sound and technicality of composition spearheaded by the incredible Dave Haley was enough to get me headbanging from the word go. There’s a reason why these guys support such headliners as Abbath, and if you haven’t seen them I suggest that you get on it.
Sam Bean, once again played like a man possessed by demons on the bass, simultaneously handling the venom speckled vocals with aplomb. With the fourth track ‘I Want to be Offended’, Bean played the bass like a growling monster. Following this, there was a brief interlude in which he confessed to the audience he needed a breather before the fast and intricate, crushing track that followed. All three are incredibly accomplished musicians; Bean just seems to hold it together and transforms Haley’s fury and power to a testosterone-filled, blood-pumping rhythmic melody that Matt Wilcock seemingly enjoys the freedom to riff, shred and scream over the top with some of the nastiest, stinkiest licks and chord progressions.
One punter comically summed up the frenetic energy of the set when he yelled out ‘play faster’. The response was immediate and genuine. There is no such thing as a slow Werewolves track.
Having remained in the second row following the Werewolves set (for fear of losing my vantage point), finally the moment arrived. Ukri Suvilehto had been sound testing the drum kit in growing cascades of stage fog as the familiar creakings and rumblings of the ambient intro to ‘All Shall Fall’ broke out over the Croxton Bandroom. The summoning of the demons of Blashrykh had begun.
On cue, Suvilheto opened the leviathan of a track with one single stroke of the tom, followed by rousing blastbeats as Andreas Fosse Salbu (Bass/Ghaal’s Wyrd etc.) and Ole Andre Farstad (Lead guitar/Abbath/ Ilti Milta) emerged from stage left, donned in impressive corpse-paint and stylish leather costumes. Cheers and whoops went up as the guitars screamed over the top of Suvilheto’s furious beats; as the guitars slowed into the keynote refrain the demi-god of Norwegian Black Metal himself, Abbath (Olve Eikemo) appeared striding through the blue-lit fog. Launching into a cascade of power chords, adorned in his iconic image of corpse-paint and raven-inspired battle armor, he smiled an evil cheeky grin at the audience as an audible cheer was heard over the maelstrom of unleashed fury. He leaned into the mic and opened with his trademark ‘bluuugghhhhh’, and the Croxton was off, ‘Storming the borders of Chaos…’ Indeed, all did fall before this giant luminary of Norwegian Black Metal.
It’s hard to describe the euphoric feeling that swept the crowd as the raging intensity of the drums and guitars blasted out, spine tingling indeed. No sooner had the riffing started, Olve, Ole and Andreas were headbanging in unison. Lead guitar swelling over the deep, punchy riff before breaking into the muted lead melody, a poignant pause before the unleashing of thick, fast sonic chaos. As we hit the chorus, fists and devil horns were airborne and as if casting a demonic spell croaking ‘All Shall Fall’ the crowd erupted in a mosh 5 rows back, and others chanted along the chorus, headbanging in mesmerised submission.
‘Great to be back in Melbourne, it’s been a while’, Olve quipped into the mic before opening up into the aural onslaught of ‘Sons of Northern Darkness’. There is something exceptional and timeless in the way these Immortal tracks were composed. The charging, brutal, intense chorus of drums and guitar, interposed with gnarly lead transitions that deliver a sinister atmosphere before ripping open crushing riffs that are as moorish as Grandma’s whiskey vanilla fruitcake. This was so recognisable in the delivery of tracks like ‘Tyrants’ and ‘Blashyrkh my Raven Dark’ when the raging blizzard of icy riffs stop in the eerie ‘eye of the storm’ and you’re treated to that icy atmospheric lead before the sonic sleet storm erupts, blazing drums and angst-ridden guitar sweeping you into energised solidarity. All 3,300 punters packing The Croxton conscripted to ‘The Winterhorde of Fury’ and ‘Under the Banner of Blashrykh we rode’ for 1 hour 15 of sublime second-wave elite Norwegian Black Metal.
Yes it was bloody hot and sweaty in that club, but it didn’t abolish the chill up and down the spine as Olve belted out ‘In My Kingdom Cold’ to the accompaniment of Suvilheto’s thunderous blastbeats and whirring guitars. The bridge with its’ giant, slowing, lumbering guitars over which Olve rasps, ‘And here we go again’ before the chorus of guitars power up again for delivery of that emotive, stabbing layered riff. Blashrykh Bells, what a performance we were witnessing here!
Olve was his enigmatic self on stage, strutting an impressive figure as a portable fan kept both his physiology and persona cool as his raven-dark hair flicked in the breeze, referencing the cold dark Arctic (or possibly Antarctic) wastes. His banter was welcome between tracks, although intentionally kept to a minimum as the band respectfully wasted no time imbibing us with these timeless blackened anthems. Following the delivery of ‘Tyrants’ Olve couldn’t hold back his cheeky enthusiasm.
‘Give a shout out from the boys!’ to which the audience responded gleefully. ‘A shout out for the girls’, a confused response. ‘You know what I mean’ mumble, mumble. As we say here in Oz, Abbath was ‘just getting around it’, apparently holding out the ‘Olve branch’ of inclusivity to his adoring fans. [Editor’s Note: Nice one, Dad - Brady]
‘One by One’ he shouts into the mic and the stage explodes with tonal aggression as the crowd roars. The fury unleashed as guitars cut the atmosphere with screeching power chords and Suvilehto hammered the drums.
The spotlight wasn’t always on Olve. Ole and Andreas bestowed their own menacing stage presence through flurries of headbanging and leaning into the crowd, with boots firmly planted on the foldback speakers. All three guitarists moved around the stage with ease, playing duets at times and changing up positions to the adoration of different sections of the crowd. Not to be outdone though, Olve treated us to his trademark ‘demon walk’ as well as aesthetically accenting his passionate, intricate flourishes on guitar with a customary ‘Gene Simmons-esque’ tongue poke through an enchantingly sinister grin.
There is one thing I recognise about great bands of any genre, they have a unique branded sound. There is no exclusion with Abbath/Immortal. Halfway through the set we were treated to the anthemic ‘Norden on Fire’ and it’s tracks like this that deliver that unmistakable guitar sound of Immortal. Not to be sniffed at was Ole’s accomplished mastery of the fretboard during the intricate solo. Fuck me, we were half way through the set and The Croxton was figuratively on fire!
The band were playing tight and enthusiastically delivering classic Immortal tracks that had an emotional impact on so many long time fans. Many no doubt identified their favourite tracks, which coincided with memorable chapters of their own lives.
The setlist ran as follows:
All Shall Fall
Sons of Northern Darkness
In My Kingdom Cold
Tyrants
One by One
Norden On Fire
Call of The Wintermoon
Damned In Black
Blashrykh Mighty Raven Dark
The Sun No Longer Shines
Withstand The Fall of Time
Encore:
Beyond The North Waves
Personal stand out tracks: well everything was bloody amazing but what really got me fist pumping and headbanging were: Sons of Northern Darkness, In My Kingdom Cold, One by One, Damned In Black and Withstand The Fall of Time.
I hope that you were there to witness the unshackled monster of Blashrykh Mighty Raven Dark when the faux ending dropped an eerie silence followed by Olve bathed in frosty blue light, playing out the solo lead accompanied by Ole, then Olve belting into the mic face looking heavenward, ‘Blashrykh Mighty Raven Dark…’
Both Abbath and Demonaz have not just produced an iconic sound, but with those that have joined them in their journey they have carved out a unique, exceptional niche in Black Metal history. For all those fortunate enough to have witnessed them at The Croxton, you are no doubt still glowing in the fallout of blackened stars. For those that missed, hopefully we Withstand The Fall of Time to see Immortal follow this up soon or, at the very least, Abbath return to play his own masterful compositions.
Until next time, Demon Hordes…
