It has been already five times I saw Triptykon playing live and it has been always an unforgettable experience. This time was no different, however we encountered some minor setback at the very beginning. We reached the venue on time just to notice that one of our friends, whose ticket we were keeping, got lost somewhere. Before he arrived, Blaze Of Perdition had finished their act. What a shame, since I haven’t seen them on stage for a while.

Mord’A’Stigmata have lots of devoted fans, yet I have never got carried away by their music, especially live. After they had left the stage, German formation Secrets Of The Moon took over. I wanted to see them play, just to apprehend the phenomenon of popularity of this band, which I consider to be fairly average. I fully approve of the idea of placing less renowned supports before the headliner, so that they would be able to present their work to the wider audience, but this time it turned out to be a traumatic experience. Perhaps I just don’t get these new black metal trends anymore, sticking to the classic of the genre. Nevertheless I would be much more happy to receive a little longer Triptykon setlist instead of that show.

The event was organized very efficiently. It took only few minutes after the Secrets Of The Moon act to prepare the stage for Triptykon. And then the leisure ‘Crucifixus’ intro filled the air. The atmosphere got thicker with every pulsation. The lurid blue light brought in a ghoulish aura, intensified even more by three inverted silver crosses jutting out of the stage. A little while later the killer song out of Celtic Frost repertoire ‘Procreation (Of The Wicked)’ pealed out in its extremely hard, straight-from-the-tar-pit version, Vanja’s bass striking the audience into shock with its every pulsation. The rampant crowd started to press on the railings, hundreds of heads banging fiercely.

The next blow that came and left us on our knees for the rest of the gig was “Dethroned Emperor”. With every passing beat I felt the trembling excitement, completely out of my control. Ecstatic euphoria after only two songs so far, would you believe it? Another track came, Triptykon’s marvelous ‘Goetia’. Only then did I notice an utterly new face over the drum set. The absence of Norman Lonhard was a bit of a surprise and I could not suppress the feeling that the drums fall a little behind the rest of the band. I’m not sure if the sound system was to blame, or was it simply the matter of drum parts themselves. Anyway, it didn’t hurt so much to dwell on it any longer, especially that the next giant emerged, ‘Ain Elohim’ from the Celtic Frost good-bye album ‘Monotheist’. I still remember the times when Tom shied away from performing the tracks from this album live. I’m glad he has overcome and now he includes this stuff in his shows.

‘Tree Of Suffocating Souls’ trampled everyone into the ground with unrivaled ease. No time to rest. The pulsating black mass of the crowd surged to the beat of the music. The mosh-pit under the stage spread its violence like the eye of the cyclone. A few half-naked maniacs lashed out there like some furious beasts. Another hymn blasted out and yet another salute to the old fans. The first notes of “Circle Of The Tyrants” drove me almost convulsive. It’s unbelievable, the force of influence in these songs. I’m so goddamned glad, Tom includes Celtic Frost stuff in Triptykon setlists. It seems a form of compensation for me, since only once was I given to see that band in Poland. I was even more glad, because I knew Tom keeps changing his setlist all the time. Bewitched, almost entranced, I felt every sound resonate in me.

Do you remember the phenomenal ‘Aurorae’ music video? This song played live seems equally melancholic. It carries tons of nostalgia, something somber and dramatic that I could feel with every scrap of my body and soul. Something so extraordinarily intense, that almost physically painful. The spiritual force of this song intricately enlaces the listener in the shroud of mystery and otherworldliness. Santura’s guitar solo gives you serious shivers. It is an extraordinary experience to listen to live version of this song.

The next track was Triptykon’s ‘Altar Of Deceit’ from ‘Melana Chasmata’ album. Ominous and  sinister as pure hell. Tom, drawling his words through clenched teeth with  a deep reverb, must have put some fear of Devil in the hearts of the audience.  After the last notes of that wonderful composition Tom, in carefully chosen words, thanked everyone for extremely warm welcome. Sadly, the raging crowd failed to appreciate that and kept bawling ‘rock the fuck out!’, which was at least out of place. Tom, undeterred, added the remark, that they were going to play the song, that has been written before many of the attendants were even born. He meant Celtic Frost’s ‘Morbid Tales’. Wrenched by the spasm of emotions, I imbibed with every single sound. Triptykon’s version of this song gained such an inconceivable heaviness, it’s hard to even imagine! The grand finale was ‘The Prolonging’ from Triptykon’s debut album ‘Eparistera Daimones’.

The setlist was very well composed and, although missing some tracks, I consider this gig a huge success. Shortly after the show I went home with my guests from Oświęcim to spend the night listening to the music and talking about the gig and various musical climates we hold dear. The atmosphere of the act itself and the following reunion brought back some memories and old emotions. I wish there were more nights like that in the future. Hail, Arior and Darek!

Leszek Wojnicz-Sianożęcki