(((O))) : Live: Conan and Bast – Fibber Magees, Dublin. November 22nd, 2014.

What a difference a year makes. You wouldn’t have seen me within a mile of a show like this a year ago, but if 2014 will be remembered for anything, it’ll be remembered as the year I finally discovered metal (and a lot of its myriad sub-genres). That’s ‘discovered’ in the truest sense of the word; sure, the likes of Iron Maiden and Metallica were parts of my musical education growing up, but it was never something I took an active interest in until recently, and I have two of the bands on tonight’s bill to thank for that. I was a big fan of Conan’s Blood Eagle when they released it earlier this year, so when it came to my attention that they were playing Dublin, with the similarly impressive Bast in tow, well, I just had to be there. Most people celebrate their 22nd birthday in a much more low-key manner than going to a doom gig – I am not most people.

As well as being my first doom gig, it’s also my first visit to Fibber Magees on the north side of Dublin, and it has to be said that things get off to a less than auspicious start. Local band Nautilus are meant to be on stage by the time doors open at 8pm, but delays mean that the openers don’t start playing until closer to 9:30pm, which nixes any chance of sticking around for the aftershow and a live set by Belfast’s Slomatics while being able to avoid paying €50 for a taxi out to where I’m staying. Logistical problems aside, the night is relatively hassle-free; besides, it’s difficult to care once Nautilus get going. Having put themselves on my radar with the release of their debut EP in August, tonight’s live set is new frontman Cathal Hughes’s first time on stage with the band, and he’s backed up by a powerful rhythm section and a scorching lead guitar provided by John Leonard. They’re forceful enough to make an impact, and while I’m not exactly au fait with the Dublin metal scene, I’ll be sure to keep an eye on them in the future.

A band who unfortunately fail to reap the benefits that can come with the transition from the studio to the stage are Wild Rocket, another local act who add a touch of space rock to the night. Their music trades the atmospherics associated with the genre for some well-suited heaviness, helping them to fit in on the bill in the process. However, the sound mix doesn’t do them any favours, which is unfortunate; yes, it’s a pub setting and one never exactly goes to a gig like this expecting a stellar mixing job, but Wild Rocket’s dense sound is thinned out considerably in front of a surprisingly disinterested crowd, who I suppose are here for the bands further up the bill. For now, they seem to be a band who work better in the studio: I have since checked out their debut album Geomagnetic Hallucinations, and I like what I hear. Better luck next time.

Things are taken up several notches with the arrival of Bast, a London-based doom/black metal hybrid who put themselves on the map this year with the release of their outstanding debut LP Spectres, which was put out through Conan frontman Jon Davis’s Black Bow Records, and it’s no wonder he thought he’d found something special; the trio blaze through a selection of tracks from the album tonight with all the fervour of a band who know exactly how to present themselves on stage. They’re on for half an hour, and while a 3-song setlist sounds slight on paper, their predilection for bleeding dry every drop of potential from their material means that 10-minute epics are the norm. They go down a storm, and make me thankful that I’ve brought ear protection – it may be my first doom gig, but I had no intention of it being my last.

On tonight’s evidence, I’ll be attending plenty more of these in the future. Conan‘s headline slot was as visceral as one might expect, opening with a slew of tracks from Blood Eagle (of which the bruising ‘Foehammer’ was a particular highlight) before taking us on a trip through their debut album Monnos. Their punishing live presence was exacerbated by the prowess of new drummer Rich Lewis, who brought the required amount of heft to the table, filling the shoes of Paul O’Neil, which was no easy task. I wasn’t able to stay for the end of their set due to the aforementioned logistical setbacks, but from what I did see, there was certainly a victorious air about them – they’ve had a great year, establishing themselves as one of the leading lights of the UK doom scene. They’ve also started writing for their third album, but don’t plan to be off the road for too long, with dates further afield in the US and a return for some UK live dates pencilled in for next year. Miss them at your peril.