Live

Camden Purple Turtle

Only the truly dedicated remain for headliners, Esoteric, and considering they've been broadcasting from the far reaches of hell for well over a decade now, its a testament to their unwavering, if unbounded mission that this far in the followers they've picked up still feel like keepers of some cold, clandestine flame. Of course the diminishing attendance could be down to the fact that they're about to play for a full 100 minutes. Considering that Esoteric's multi-layered, beyond-barren trawl barely changes course, but rather undergoes a series of aftershocks and glacial shifts in texture, this is an endurance test that feels like a personal rite of passage to see through for the duration. What you're witness to isn't just endless, cavernous horror with a black hole for vocals, but also the least populist, most hook-free and un-reassuring band in existence, a rare oasis od unreachable purgatory in a world where pain is broadcast with an RSVP.

Reviewed by: -Jonathan Selzer, Terrorizer Issue 130 April 2005