10 Best Metal Live Performances You Can Watch On YouTube Right Now
Dedicated to those of you too lazy to go to a rock show and too cheap to buy a live DVD.
What's the best part about being a metal fan?
Is it the unrivalled sense of community? Is it that feeling of anarchic freedom whenever you hear your favourite riff or solo? Is it the infamous lifestyle of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll?
Well, at a live show, you can find all this and more. There's no better feeling than being surrounded by your fellow metalheads, moshing and head-banging wildly while some of the most visceral music ever created is blasting out at full volume, with your favourite rockstars standing on a stage just metres from you.
But, who are we kidding? Gigs are expensive nowadays! Why fork out £96 to go and see Metallica in London, when you can just as easily grab a laptop and watch a full set they played back in 1999 for free?
If that's your worldview, then this list is for you!
But first, some ground rules: 1) It most be pro-shot (none of your fan-made mobile phone footage balls here!). 2) It must be the full set, not one or two songs. 3) It must be an official upload from either the band, their label, or the festival/venue. No rips of live-streams or DVDs on a channel belonging to user "DevilShredLover1998"...
10. Behemoth (Bloodstock Open Air, 2016)
Black metal titans Behemoth clock in low on this list because, as great as their performance on the Friday of Bloodstock 2016 was, the mixing in the clip the festival uploaded leaves a fair bit to be desired.
However, once you get past that, the performance itself is nothing short of extraordinary. Writing as someone who actually went to Bloodstock that year, it's safe to say Behemoth was one of the highlights of the whole weekend. Performing their acclaimed magnum opus The Satanist (2014) in full from front to back, frontman Nergal and his gang of face-painted compadres provided an hour of primal, engaging, enigmatic black/death.
Particular praise goes to set opener Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel, whose slow-burning first verse built the hype for this mammoth set perfectly, and Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer, which inserted a hefty slice of thrashy speed and melody into an otherwise despondent, dark performance.
Oh, and shout-out to Nergal suddenly losing his mind at the beginning of Amen.