On Saturday, February 21, a black and death metal evening featuring Mayhem, Marduk, and others took place at the Exhibition Grounds in Holešovice, specifically in the Křižík Pavilion.
Mallephyr unleashed a wave of raw energy on stage. The strings cut through the smoke, the drums thundered like thunder, and the vocals pierced through the shadows. Every movement felt alive, every note charged the room with energy. Through the lens, it was movement, intensity, and atmosphere frozen in time.
A dark stage, dim lighting, and Inferno in all its glory! They played without unnecessary effects, pure presence reigned supreme. The stage was dominated by focused expressions, sharp silhouettes, and smoke rising in narrow beams of light. It was the kind of performance where the atmosphere builds quietly and stays with you. It remained a simple, honest, intense experience.
Immolation stormed the stage like a force of nature. Every riff was hard, the drums thundered like a heartbeat, and the vocals pierced through the thick fog of lights and smoke. The intensity was palpable. The energy was raw, relentless, and magnetic. Behind the camera, it was about capturing the chaos in individual moments: the guitarist in the middle of a strum, the singer's grimace, the pulsating crowd reflecting the music. Live death metal is more than just sound. It is movement, power, and atmosphere all at once.
There are concerts you photograph, and then there are nights you survive with a camera in your hand. Marduk took control and transformed the stage into a battlefield of sound and shadows. From the first blast beat to the last echo fading into the dark hall, every second demanded precision, instinct, and trust in the moment. The light was merciless, sharp white beams cutting through the smoke, dark red flashes engulfing the entire stage. Faces appeared and disappeared in an instant. Fingers moved faster than thoughts. Expressions shifted between fury and absolute concentration. In those fractions of a second, I searched for images that tell their story, not just how it looked, but how it felt. Live metal photography is not about perfection. It's about energy. It's about capturing the moment when chaos unifies and the singer's silhouette emerges in the light, when the drummer merges with movement (hard to capture behind his throne), when the crowd becomes a living pulse beneath the stage. That night wasn't just about documenting the performance. It was about capturing the intensity, atmosphere, and raw presence that makes live music unforgettable. Some of the images still resonate in my ears.
Some concerts test you even before they begin. The audience was ready. The atmosphere was tense. And seconds before Mayhem stepped onto the stage, my camera decided to malfunction. A technical problem arose, right then and there, at the worst possible moment. There was no time to properly fix the problem. No second camera I could calmly swap out and take a breath. Just instinct, pressure, and the sound of the opening music as I tried to make everything work. And then... they appeared.
Mayhem didn't just walk onto the stage, they emerged. Cold light cut through the smoke and silhouettes formed with ritual precision. The tension I felt behind the camera somehow reflected the tension in the room. Perhaps that's why each subsequent shot feels raw, imperfect, and urgent. I didn't achieve all the results I had imagined. Some moments escaped me as I struggled with the settings instead of the shadows. But live photography isn't about perfect conditions. It's about adapting when nothing goes according to plan and still telling the story. In a matter of seconds and with stubborn equipment, I captured what I could: the intensity of their presence, the weight of every movement, the uncompromising atmosphere that Mayhem brings to the stage. Sometimes the struggle behind the lens becomes part of the story itself.
Photos and report by Vasilis Tiropolis (you can find more on website: https://www.xp-spot.com/index.php/gallery)
Edit by Kerry Lynx