VMO live in London: Maximalist black metal rave mayhem

VMO (Violent Magic Orchestra), Japan’s notorious audiovisual experimental electronic/metal troupe, returned to London as part of their European ‘DEATH RAVE’ tour.

Hailing from Osaka, VMO define maximalism. Do you have a working set of ears? VMO wants to fill them with harsh noise, guttural screams, distorted thumping bass, and intense rave beats. Do you have functioning eyes? They’ll blast them with nonstop strobes and high-lumen “tactical” flashlights.

When they played Bring Me The Horizon’s NEX_FEST in Tokyo last year, along with the likes of YOASOBI, BABYMETAL, and MAXIMUM THE HORMONE, attendees were seen “covering their eyes and ears due to the glare and noise before heading for the exit en masse”.

To most, the thought of such a live show is a sensory nightmare and a massive headache at the least. But since their formation in 2016, they’ve built a cult following at home and internationally, performing at small shows and electronic festivals across Europe for the past few years. Now, with the release of their second album ‘DEATH RAVE’ in March, they’ve become one of the most talked-about underground acts currently on the scene.

From the above description, you might think VMO make purely unlistenable tripe unfit for human consumption, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Pulling together elements of black metal, industrial, noise, gabber, and techno, their new album is at its heart a complex and heavy-hitting electronic record, punctuated by not only intensity but also serenity. It’s an evolution from their 2016 debut album ‘Catastrophic Anonymous,’ which is more akin to being under constant fire from heavy artillery.

Before the show kicked off, two founding members stayed perched on the stage- a dual set of strobe lights (yes, they’re part of the team). This was a clearly non-threatening but still ominous reminder of what’s to come. A sense of anticipation filled the air as the projector displayed trippy, nightmarish glitchy visuals of warped faces and teeth while a heavy techno beat flooded the room.

Entering the stage in their distinctive corpse paint, the band, each named after legendary black metal bands, comprises members of the epic dark sound 10-piece Vampillia. Mayhem, the bearded muscle daddy manning the strobes and providing backing growls, guitarist Gorgoroth, and Darkthrone, the manic DJ donning a balaclava covered in cable tie spikes. Finally, the only one not in face paint and surprisingly the most intimidating member of the group, frontwoman Zastar (Xasthur).

Looking small among her bandmates, Zastar’s powerful vocals and unpredictable stage persona gave her a scary energy. One moment she would be dancing playfully with her flashlights, and the next, break into blood-curdling screams. Owning center stage, it felt like we were watching the leader of a pack of gargoyles having a mental breakdown.

A few songs in, and though VMO were dishing out the intensity, the crowd vibe was like they were watching performance art, enjoying the experience but respectfully watching from a distance. When their gabber x techno belter ‘Welcome to DEATH RAVE’ hit, Darkthrone jumped into the crowd to incite a mosh pit, loosening up the crowd and reminding them that they’re at a heavy-as-f**k electronic show, not a Marina Abramović performance.

Reflecting the tone of the album, the set interlaced ferocity with tranquillity into their otherwise dark, twisted, and blood-pumping sound, supported by even more twisted visuals. For the entire set, a projector displayed dramatic scenes of cyber dragons, trippy otherworldly landscapes, as well as the group playing in front of a large crowd of dancing zombified onlookers. Every track had new visuals to admire, making it hard to know where to focus your eyes at any given time without fear of missing something.

The climactic ‘Flapping Dragon Wings’ saw the night off as the dragon flew into the distance while sombre strings slowly got taken over by harsh static and horror-like growls, before any resemblance of beauty was completely engulfed by a thick wall of sound.

Tonight, VMO delivered one of the most unique, fun, and impactful sets I’ve seen in a long time. My prior reading about the group’s live sets had me thinking I was in for optimum overwhelm, and honestly, the thought of going through that on a workday didn’t feel all that appealing. But the set was way more than that. There is method behind the madness, and their fusion of sound, combined with their appearance, manic energy, and CGI imagery that makes you feel like you’re listening to music from a deranged alternate dimension, is like none other.

VMO’s aesthetic, presence, video work, and well-layered genre-melding rave bangers, are all worthy of bigger and better things. Internationally, it feels like they’ve been lumped into a niche, while in Japan they’re scoring support slots for acts like metalcore outfit Crossfaith and performing at BMTH’s aforementioned NEX_FEST. But the tides could be changing for VMO. Once they manage to force their way out of that niche, they could be turning heads of audiences in both the metal and electronic spheres.

If you have yet to jump into the strobe and experience the breakneck world of VMO, you best get on it.

Photos by Charles Shepherd

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