Corpse paint, a Venom cover and a frankly irresponsible amount of fire: Behemoth and Dimmu Borgir’s double-headliner was worth every year of waiting…

Words & photos by James Crisp (@james_taking_pictures) | Sep 23, 2026

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So my ever-growing list of bands I need to see live just got two very satisfying ticks at Brixton Academy. Behemoth and Dimmu Borgir are bands I’ve genuinely loved for years, so catching both on a double-headliner bill had me looking forward to this one much more than usual. Dark Funeral opening the proceedings only sweetened the deal. Three formidable bands, a night of gloriously excessive theatrics, corpse paint and a staggering amount of yours and my favourite, PYRO!!! Honestly, whoever put this lineup together clearly knew the way to my heart, and that way is usually through black metal and a tonne of fire.

There’s always that slight worry when you’ve waited so long to see a favourite band, let alone two. You’ve built the experience up in your head, watched the YouTube videos over and over and imagined how certain songs will sound in person. Thankfully, this evening quickly put those concerns to bed, then set that bed ablaze, baby.

Dark Funeral wasted absolutely no time whatsoever with easing anyone into proceedings. Unchain My Soul opened their set with a vicious rush of lovely black metal, immediately establishing the level of musicianship we’d be enjoying throughout the evening. Keeping music this fierce so tightly controlled takes extraordinary ability, and beneath the aggression sat razor-sharp playing. The Arrival of Satan’s Empire, The Secrets of the Black Arts, and Let the Devil In kept the pressure on before Where Shadows Forever Reign closed their five-song assault. Short? Unfortunately. Easily forgotten? Hell no.

With Lord Ahriman’s imposing presence and Heljarmadr’s commanding delivery, they gave the evening an appropriately sinister start. There was something particularly pleasing about watching musicians make such demanding material appear so natural. My hands would have resigned halfway through the opener. Their stage presence matched the music’s uncompromising intensity, making their brief time onstage feel substantial. They certainly left me wanting so much more.

By the time Dimmu Borgir arrived, that personal excitement was kicking in big time. This was a double-headliner show, and their performance carried all the scale and authority that billing deserved. Opening with Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel before moving into Mourning Palace, they immediately delivered the atmosphere, aggression, and enormous melody I’d waited frigging years to experience. Hearing those recognisable sounds filling Brixton was a proper moment, particularly when the latter’s unmistakable atmosphere took hold.

The staging gave their music a suitably extravagant home, with imposing scenery, dramatic lighting, and flames turning the Academy into a scaled-down Hell on Earth. Shagrath seized attention with an ominous confidence, while the musicians around him maintained excellent precision through the layered arrangements. For all the theatrical excess, the playing remained central to the spectacle.

That balance was what impressed me most. With so much happening, it would have been easy for individual details to disappear. Instead, the melodies, guitar work, and rhythmic shifts all contributed to the performance’s sheer scale. Everything fit together with real elegance, even at its most ferocious.

Council of Wolves and Snakes, Ætheric and The Serpentine Offering demonstrated how effectively the band balances intricate detail with intense force. But finishing with Progenies of the Great Apocalypse was quite another matter. That was a proper holy shit moment for me. Hearing a song I’ve loved for years, a song that introduced me and many others to the band, delivered with that much power, surrounded by all the theatrics, was almost overwhelming. Pure epicness, the kind of finale that leaves you standing there grinning, trying to take it all in. What a way to finish. Years of waiting had been thoroughly justified.

Then came Behemoth, opening with Daimonos and immediately making their intentions clear. Their attack had extraordinary definition: savage, tightly coordinated and delivered with the confidence of a band completely in control. Conquer All, Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel, and Ov Fire and the Void delivered several moments where recognising the opening notes was almost as exciting as the songs themselves.

Bartzabel was a particular highlight for me. There’s something about its slower, ritualistic atmosphere that really gets under your skin, and hearing it live was everything I’d hoped for. Then there’s that guitar solo section, which is just… chef’s kiss. The phrasing, the melody, the way it rises out of the surrounding heaviness. Absolute perfection, my friends. For all the aggression and spectacle, moments like that showed just how much feeling there is in Behemoth’s playing.

And Nergal? He is simply one of the best frontmen out there, fact. His stage presence is insane, but the conviction behind everything he does is what makes him so compelling. A gesture, a stare, the way he holds himself between vocal lines, everything draws your attention. He makes a venue this size feel entirely under his command, while still delivering the goods as a musician. Even when standing relatively still, he has that rare ability to make you wonder what he’ll do next.

Naturally, there was more fire. A frankly glorious amount of fire. The theatrics, costumes, spikes, and carefully timed eruptions gave Behemoth’s performance a scale that matched the music, and the band’s precision made every impact count. Whoever signed off the pyro budget deserves a raise and a thank you from anyone who gets to experience the show.

Shagrath joining them for the legendary Venom’s In League with Satan brought that shared headline spirit onto the stage before us all, before O Father O Satan O Sun! eventually provided a monumental final statement.

I’d waited years to see both these bands, and the payoff was tremendous. Across all three performances, the talent and commitment were every bit as impressive as the spectacle. The lights and flames gave us plenty to stare at, but the musicianship kept us hooked. An exceptional night, and yes, I’m still thinking about the PYRO!!!