Live Report: Northern Excavation Tour 2025

Artists: Desiderii Marginis (SE) / Raison d'Etre (SE) / Brighter Death Now (SE)

Venue: Glazart

Location: Paris, France

Date: 4th October 2025

Nary a month goes by that I don't mention Cold Meat Industry in one of the articles published on this website. No other record label has had more of an influence on the formative years of dark ambient, and over the course of its history the label became so influential that it collapsed under its own DIY weight. Naturally, that fact did little to diminish (and in fact probably enhanced) its legendary status. Therefore, when the trio of CMI artists from the 1990s, namely Desiderii Marginis, Raison d'Etre and Brighter Death Now, embarked on a European tour in early 2024, it was one of the most exciting events the dark ambient scene had seen in ages. Apparently, that tour was a resounding success, because the personae involved decided to repeat it in the same constellation just 18 months later. Hence, another visit of theirs to Paris, and another insta-attend for me.

Even the venue stayed the same as last time, the infamous Glazart on the northeastern edges of Paris proper, an institution that has hosted many an alternative concert over the years and where I've seen some of my favourite gigs by lesser-known bands. The fact that the surrounding area is aesthetically and demographically some of the very worst that Paris has to offer only enhances its industrial atmosphere. As I made my way through the semi-dystopian streets leading to the venue, I wondered if the artists would manage to conjure a truly different experience compared to last year's performance, and I'm sure that a good chunk of the other 130-140 visitors (a solid tally for a dark ambient gig these days) wondered the same. The wondering didn't last very long, though, as Johan Levin of Desiderii Marginis stepped up onto the stage right on schedule, and the evening could officially begin.

Desiderii Marginis (SE)

This was my fourth time seeing Desiderii Marginis live, and the third in the last two years, so despite being an absolutely massive fan of the project, a part of me was hoping that Johan would go for a radically different set this time around, and sure enough, my wishes were granted. Like last time, the set opened with Ghostfires, the stand-out second track from Desiderii Marginis' phenomenal last LP, but the backdrop was entirely new this time around, eschewing scenes from real life in favour of textures, materials and similar abstract visuals that Johan likes to experiment with. The familiar track soon gave way to a deep, rotating drone with highly processed guitars laid over it, as the backdrop changed to lava-like liquid flows, and it became apparent to me that we were listening to brand new material here. I was initially taken aback by the trebly, dissonant, almost dramatic nature of the new track (or tracks), and if it's indeed excerpts from the upcoming Desiderii Marginis album, then it promises to be another step into new territory for the project. Slowly but surely, subtle rhytmic elements came to the fore, as the flowing ink-like backdrop slowly morphed into a humanoid figure and the whole set shifted into a much more industrial gear, although the music eventually sailed back into more classic Desiderii Marginis waters, featuring such trademark elements as the extended clang and melodic crescendoes that made the project famous in the first place. I have to admit that I have rarely seen Johan so engaged with the performance (for dark ambient standards, mind you), as his stage presence really seemed to flow perfectly with the music. The audience seemed to recognise this as well, as the end of the set was greeted with thunderous applause, rarely afforded to opening acts. Overall, a very powerful performance that made me highly intrigued about upcoming material.

Raison d'Etre (SE)

After a short break, it was time for the second Swede of the evening to come up on stage, namely Peter Andersson, the mastermind behind Raison d'Etre (not to be confused with the other Peter Andersson of Deutsch Nepal fame), probably one of the most famous dark ambient acts ever to come out of Sweden. Before commenting on the performance itself, let it be said that Mr Andersson committed three grave sins on the evening in question: he came dressed in the T-shirt of his own project (forgivable), he stood right in the middle of the backdrop throughout the performance (forgivable), and he drank red wine straight from the bottle in full view of the Parisian audience (unforgivable). That being said, the backdrop in question was nothing short of impressive, featuring black-and-white scenes of various pagan rituals on a rocky shoreline, seemingly a movie from perhaps the 1950s or 1960s that my uncultured arse didn't recognise. Scenes from the movie ran throughout the set and it was the perfect background for Raison d'Etre's set for the evening, which opened with humming field recordings and quickly devolved into monstrously deep drones, the processed Gregorian chants that are a trademark of the project's, as well as hints of melodies exhibiting unmistakable features of the old-school strain of dark ambient. Kudos to Peter for producing so many of the metallic sounds live on various improvised instruments, which gave another dimension to the live experience. The first half of the set was all about metallic noises dispersed over Lustmordesque levels of bass, whereas the second half was calmer and more dreamlike. One of my favourite parts was right towards the end, where the oscillating bass frequencies mixed with Gregorian choirs to create an atmosphere completely out of this world. The set ended with a crescendo of all the elements together over the implacable ticking of a clock and images of the devil or demigod of some kind eating a human figure. Powerful imagery for a powerful set that was in every way worthy of a headliner.

Brighter Death Now (SE)

With the first two acts out of the way, it was time for the main course, the man, the myth, the legend - Roger Karmanik, the owner of Cold Meat Industry and an accomplished musician in his own right with Brighter Death Now. Not that you would deduce any of this from Roger's appearance or his behaviour - he freely mingled with the audience throughout most of the evening and seemed supremely approachable and laid back. His particular brand of death industrial is not my everyday cup of tea, but ironically, it's probably the subgenre of this type of music that is best adapted to live performances, so it's not to be missed when the opportunity presents itself. The performance opened in an appropriately funerary fashion, with spoken samples over deep bass drones that were soon joined by industrial elements. As scenes of war, destruction and burning houses featured on the backdrop, Roger manipulated the strings of his bass guitar with a bow, adding to the hypnotic nature of the performance. The number of decibels was notably up from previous sets as things shifted into higher gear, and the guitar was temporarily left aside in favour of the microphone. The backdrop was no less dramatic than the eerie vocal performance, showing images of trees with hanged human figures and other artefacts, before coming to a standstill and a short intermezzo that marked the half-way point of the set. The guitar gave place to violin, over images of tortured human figures treated like cattle by an unknown nemesis. Smoke filled the room on several occasions, coming from makeshift pipes and similar contraptions spread throughout the stage in a rather ingenious fashion. The last fifteen or so minutes of the performance were nothing short of hypnotic, and it's impressive to what extent Brighter Death Now is able to elevate the experience from the albums into a live setting.

In sum, the Northern Excavation Tour certainly excavated its way through Paris, and made me grateful for the fact that these long-standing musicians are still around and performing live. The sound was immaculate, the turnout more than decent for this type of event, and there was a certain palpable feeling of a historical event in the air. Perhaps most importantly, at no point did it feel like some sad, rehashed tour of musicians well past their prime; quite the contrary, the music felt as powerful and as fresh as a properly aged bottle of red wine, and I can't wait to sample the next vintage.