Live Review: Infected Rain w/Semblant, Elyose, Miruthan and Skin On Flesh at Camden Underworld!

Travelling across The Netherlands, France, England, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Portugal, the Motocultor Across Europe Tour 2025 unites five bands to create a unique live experience as they all feature a female vocalist. The official press release calls it a “delicate mixture of powerfulness, brutality and melody” and in many ways one glance at the line up confirms that statement, although there are technically three male vocalists on the stage at various points. At the iconic Camden Underworld in the heart of London, a Monday night show finds four of those five bands in Skin On Flesh, Miruthan, Elyose and Semblant sharing a backline drum kit they make alternations to to save space, headliners Infected Rain the exception.

Despite having a name that gives off Industrial Gothic vibes, Skin On Flesh [7/10] are a Berlin based Alternative band who believe variety is the spice of life. Part Rock ‘n Roll fury, part Punk energy, they warm the crowd up with a collection of well crafted pieces and are clearly having the time of their lives. In some ways they’re reminiscent of Sumo Cyco but they look like they could whip out a cover of “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt at any point. Their major claim to fame is “El Tiempo“, a track with almost a million Spotify streams alone that features on the Cyberpunk 2077 “Phantom Liberty” expansion soundtrack. The issue is that they seem out of place here, too light weight to give us what we crave when compared with those that surround them.

Murderous Australian Death cult Miruthan [8/10] might like nothing more than a virgin sacrifice but tonight their ritualistic welcome to their occult world is a something a little more menacingly sinister. Hammering through cuts from their EP “Cult Of The Dead” with venom and vigour the masked five piece five us pummelling rhythms a plenty with an unholy trinity of vocalists decimating the weak and thinning the herd. The theatrical element is one the play on with guitarist and cult leader Demigod Nzambi disappearing from the stage and resurfacing in the crowd mid set, a trick repeated by lead vocalist Ghost later on as he stares down members of the audience in unhinged fashion. That all bolsters the storytelling which makes the backbone of their material with this very much a performance to savour.

Three days before tonight’s show, French Symphonic Metalcore… Nu-Metal or even Nu-Goth trio Elyose [8/10] released a new album titled “Évidence” and waste no time in premiering a few fresh cuts live with “Immuable” and “Tentatives échouées” impressive stand outs. They have a backing track in play adding bass and electrics however manage to fill the stage with their sheer presence, vocalist Justine Daaé joking that singing in French to an English audience is a cultural experience as she thanks us for our kindness. A collection of huge sounding songs sung with operatic accenting makes for a nice contrast to the angular riffs of guitarist Anthony Chognard and it has to be said that their drummer is an absolute beast on the kit.

Celebrating a decade of their album “Lunar Manifesto“, Brazilian Symphonic Death Metal quintet Semblant [9/10] are rightful co-headliners tonight. They pull out of the magician’s hat a couple of cuts they’ve rarely played live and never played in London, including “The Shrine“. They have in their armoury a wealth of talent, the contrast between the clean sung female vocals and harsh uncleans being perfectly weighted so one doesn’t out way the other. A mesmerising guitar solo during “What Lies Ahead” is an incredible moment before the powerful grand finale “Enrage“. The synths add a warmth to each and every cut while the synchronised head banging is a nice old school touch. They have energy and stage presence which makes all the difference, the bass guitar so low slung you wonder just how Johann Piper can reach without putting his back out.

When we saw Infected Rain [9/10] on the Sophie Lancaster stage at Bloodstock Open Air Festival last summer the band had a few technical issues and played their set without a backing track. Tonight they are armed for the apocalypse with a mat and stands for vocalist Lena Scissorhands across the front of the stage and a screen projecting their name to the masses. The now four piece have come a long way from the outfit that we first witnessed playing “Stain Of Mind” in tribute to Slayer, the evolution of their sound over the years helping to separate the Moldovan natives from the wolf pack. Taking the riff ideas of early KoRn and elevating them into Groove Metal and DJent they tear Camden Underworld a new hole in the space time continuum, ripping through a blisteringly energetic set designed to put bounce in the Mosh pit. Scissorhands has the crowd in the palm of her hand by the end of the first verse, switching between growls and unhinged clean moments with consummate ease. Technically speaking this tour is one for their near year old sixth studio album “Time” from which we are treated to no less than seven cuts for seven deadly sins with five others making up the set. Highlights include “The Realm of Chaos“, “Orphan Soul” and “The Earth Mantra” with the band having inked so many classic tunes since 2008 that they could have doubled the set list. “Mold” or “Black Gold” would have been nice additions but the band have other plans, tormenting us with “Pandemonium” and “Because I Let You“. They do however go back a decade in grand finale, a sing-a-long rendition of the classic that is “Sweet, Sweet Lies” bringing the curtain down. It seems the band have banished the curse of Scissorhands losing a deadlock the last time they played this venue, the world is still very much their oyster.