Blackbraid/Winterfylleth/Noctem live at The Garage – Concert Review

BLACKBRAID/WINTERFYLLETH/NOCTEM

The Garage, London. April 15th 2026.

It is a random Wednesday night in Highbury, London. Arsenal are playing at home. This would make most people have second thoughts about heading out at night, going on the tube etc… However, most people are not part of a six hundred strong crowd of black metal fans, eager to witness Blackbraid’s headlining UK and Ireland tour with special guests Winterfylleth and Noctem as support.
The well respected venue that is The Garage is sold out tonight, and the black clad horde are almost vibrating with anticipation.

Noctem are first up, and is the way with most opening acts, they are met with a vaguely interested but lukewarm initial response. This is soon replaced with whoops of enthusiasm and horns held high for the Iberians as the dramatic show draws people in. We watch with growing excitement, a commanding vocalist and talented musicians rattling through a solid setlist of black metal – if Noctem don’t make a load of new fans because of this tour, I’ll eat my battle jacket.
By the time they reach ‘The Pale Moon Rite’ it’s safe to say they’ve started the night well, and by the closing song ‘A Cruce Salus’ they’ve won London over.

Winterfylleth are no strangers to London, having been a feature in the UK black metal scene for the best part of twenty years.
There is no corpse paint, no spikes, no props. In contrast to the other bands on the line up, Winterfylleth have almost no ceremony at all. What they do have is experience, passion and more skill than you can shake a crucifix at. They also have a new album to promote, and they give us three songs from it – ‘Heroes of a Hundred Fields’, ‘Echoes in the After’ and title track ‘The Unyielding Season’. The audience are responsive and enthusiastic as Chris makes screaming and playing guitar look easy – those of us who are familiar with Winterfylleth know what to expect and we’ll take as much as we can get. There is also a good mix of older material in the nine-song set. ‘A Valley Thick with Oaks’ is a particular treat. Chris thanks the crowd a few times for being there and supporting live music, Mark looks ecstatic to be behind the keyboard and can be seen grinning away in between providing strong backing clean vocals. You get the feeling they’re all just glad to be doing what they’re doing, and we are even more glad to be in this venue tonight to witness it.
Winterfylleth have given us something special on this final show of the tour – a live masterclass of British black metal with no frills, just musicians who love their craft and have honed it to near perfection.

There is a surge of bodies as Blackbraid prepare to take to the stage. We watch as furs and skulls are carefully arranged. The band are painted and dressed in leathers, laces and bones. If someone had told me years ago that I would be watching indigenous American black metal I would’ve said fuck yeah, sign me up. I only hope the younger members of the audience realise what a special thing they are about to witness as the lights pulse in time with drums and chanting flows over us.
I have followed Blackbraid since before the full release of his first album, and even so I had no idea just how visceral and frantic his live performance would be. The man has an unbelievable amount of energy and spirit on stage, a true frontman and performer in his element. He screams and whips his hair around like a thing possessed throughout ‘Celestial Bloodlust’ and ‘Wardrums at Dawn on the Day of My Death’, snarling at the crowd in a manner that would be terrifying if it weren’t so utterly mesmerising. Vocalists tend towards having a strong presence; a compelling vibe to them that draws the eye as well as the ear. Blackbraid elevates this somehow – he is beautiful, animalistic, magnetic. We cannot look away. His live performance is relentless in aggression and fun. This is somehow simultaneously a serious and joyful experience for all involved, and at one point I see him break character and smile broadly at his band. He stalks the stage and punches the air with the microphone stand repeatedly, screaming triumphantly to an audience that is either watching enthralled or throwing themselves around in the pit. Even when he is on his knees with the microphone cable wrapped around his neck, his passion and emotion pummel us just as much as the music does.
‘The River of Time Flows Through Me’ is the halfway point in the set, and a personal highlight. The pace is carried on throughout the next few songs, until the band suddenly leave the stage, and a respite is offered in the form of ‘As the Creek Flows Softly By’ – a hauntingly beautiful flute piece performed solo by Blackbraid, (aka Sgah’gahsowah). A respectful silence and stillness settles over The Garage as we take in the poignant sounds– broken only by rapturous applause and shouts of appreciation when it ends.
The ten-song set is brought to a close by more from the first album, ending of course with ‘Barefoot Ghost Dance on Blood Soaked Soil’, which the crowd loses its collective mind to. We get to hear Blackbraid’s spoken voice for the very first time when he thanks us, and the other bands are brought out on stage for a photo which includes the entire audience. This marks the end of the tour, but I very much doubt it will be the last time we see Blackbraid and his incredible live band on this side of the pond, and they will be welcomed back with open arms by a community that clearly holds them dear.
Music is the great uniter, transcending cultures and countries. Tonight, London embraced Adirondack black metal – and was all the better for it.