Following on our wee chat in October, ZT caught up with London’s promising Isengard Promotions for some more quality banter.
ZT: We last spoke in October 2012, how have things developed with Isengard since then?
Isengard Promotions: Very positively, I think the October show was definitely a turning point; the strength of the line-up was so much better than previous ones it definitely raised my standards of what a decent extreme metal gig is. Our lineups have been getting stronger and attendance at some has been outstanding.
ZT: You are about to organise what is arguably one of your biggest gigs to date, bringing over Israeli DM act Sonne Adam to the Boston Arms on May 17th.
IP: It is definitely the biggest show put together so far and there looks to be a good amount of interest due to the sheer quality of the line-up. Very exciting indeed! Sonne Adam are an incredible band and to add Grave Miasma too is just perfect.
ZT: How did you choose the supports for the bill? An exclusive show from Grave Miasma seems like quite the coupe.
IP: The Grave Miasma exclusivity wasn’t requested or imposed, it was their decision. A member informed me that the upcoming Grave Miasma/Necros Christos tour in autumn doesn’t plan to come to the UK, so it really is the only opportunity to see them here for some time. To add to the unmissable factor, Sonne Adam aren’t including any other UK dates on this tour. Craven Idol and Decrepid round off the line-up very nicely, killer bands with reputation for relentless live assaults, it’s all come together perfectly and should be a very special show.
ZT: The Boston Arms’ sound has caused a fair bit of speculation in recent times. What are your thoughts on it all? Wasn’t their sound system recently upgraded?
IP: I hear mixed opinions on this. I’ve been there recently to catch the Tribulation/Ketzer (one of the best gigs I’ve been to this year) and Master shows; the standard of sound did them justice. I also heard Absu sounded fantastic when they played here earlier this year. Can’t please everyone I suppose. As for PA re-vamps, nothing stuck out as being different + they’ve had the same sound engineer for years.
.
ZT: London venues have been closing right left and center. Has it become more difficult to book the right venues for gigs?
IP: It’s sad to see it happening, in the last few years a few great venues have closed/have an uncertain future for various reasons; The Bull and Gate, The 
Grosvenor, The Gaff and The Walthamstow Standard for example, all of which had great vibes about them. On the positive side, its good to see that The Water Rats has picked up following new management of bookings (if I am informed correctly, it was previously handled by a bunch of pay to play scumbags). The Black Heart in Camden has also been developing quite a name, recently hosting Fen, Aura Noir, Wodensthrone etc and the location is perfect. The Boston Arms too has been getting popular for London extreme metal promoters. Overall I don’t think the supply for venues is inadequate at present.
.
ZT: What else can we expect from Isengard in the future? Are you still content with what you see, looking at the overall scene?
IP: I’m quite optimistic for the future, I’ve only been doing this for a year + few months from which I’ve learned a great deal and am proud of what I’ve done. This gig would be my first show with an international act and I hope to do more. The UK has some fantastic bands, acts such as Adorior, Diamanthian, Spearhead, De Profundis, Lvcifyre, Scythian etc have put out some great stuff; quite obscure bands that totally sodomize the hyped up, plastic sounding extreme metal bands in the UK. There have been some really great bands forming (somewhat) recently too, I highly recommend checking out Ataud, Eye of Solitude, Scutum Crux and Virophage.
See event’s page HERE.
Follow Isengard HERE.
