While half of Buffalo was downtown for last night's M83 show, another, somewhat darker affair, was taking place a few miles away at Club Infinity in Williamsville. Legendary swedish black metal band Watain came, saw and devastated a crowd of fierce and loyal fans cementing their place as one of black metals heirs to the throne. The frenzied crowd was left in awe after a blitzing performance complete with candlelight vigil, rotting flesh, and a full blast of melodic, ferocious attack.

Opening the show was Rochester's Malformed. For a bunch of younger guys they certainly had a good grasp of death metal. Strings of breakdowns interlaced with gutteral vocals and quick-spurt blastbeats make them an up and coming band to watch. Likewise, Grave Descent, from Buffalo, were top notch, exhibiting all the power with a more classic death metal sound. At times they reminded me of early Morbid Angel, which is always a good thing.

One of the highlights of the show had to be seeing Hubris. I have seen them before but each time they seem tighter and tighter, refining their blend of scathing black metal. The dual vocal exchange was an interesting component of their sound, as was the rhythm section, locking quite masterfully. The crowd reaction was phenomenal as they have built a bit of a following here. If last night's show was any indication Hubris is a band that is going places. Keep an eye out for them....

After, what seemed like a very short set by Sathanas (who are excellent in their own right), the set-up for Watain's show began. I have to be honest. I've never seen a stage show quite like theirs. There was a present, visceral ambience to the stage, like something out of Hellraiser. Chains surrounding rows of candles, fire everywhere, banners promoting their allegiance to all things dark, rotting animal flesh (the room had a distinct foul odor), and somber, medieval tones playing in the background. When the group finally came out the excitement in the room was palpable.

Smeared in corpse paint, nail portruding gauntlets, and clothes that looked like they had not been washed in years, Watain took stage and commanded force immediately, blasting through various numbers from their 14 year catalogue. I was very excited that the band played "Reaping Death" as this is one of my all-time favorite numbers by the band. The set was a good mix of old and new...I heard tracks from Casus Luciferi and Sworn to the Dark as well as Lawless Darkness, a good representation of how Watain's sound has evolved over the past few years. Fierce and uncompromising, what makes Watain so exciting is their connection to its primal roots. In a day and age when black metal is veering further and further into mainstream territory and, dare I say, selling out, it's nice that a band can take the music to new and exciting places while still recognizing where the music came from.

As the show drew to a close the group ended with one of their most epic numbers before quietly existing the stage. Lead singer Erik Danielsson stayed behind holding vigil on stage as the medieval, tonal music echoed through the venue. Finally, he left, leaving the crowd to bask in the ambience of the performance. Contender for metal show of the year? My vote is an emphatic yes.