Utumno House Band at the Cave, Almaren by elennalore  

Utumno House Band at the Cave, Almaren, 1973 Years of the Lamps

Written by Alatar for Ainulindalë, Arda’s number one music magazine

When I heard that the former Vala Melkor’s notorious band was going to perform a concert in Almaren for the first time, I knew I needed to be there. This report is for all of you who were too late to buy a ticket or too afraid to come and witness it yourselves.

It was a surprise that this concert was not banned, but I suppose that Lord Manwë has taken a more lenient attitude towards his brother and his music lately, and we at Ainulindalë are merely happy about this, of course.

This concert took place at the Cave, an abandoned mine of Aulë. With burning fires and smoke walls, the place really resembled Utumno, or at least how the fair citizens of Almaren imagine that secret base where Melkor lives. It was a provocation, of course, but I swear that the Balrog at the door was real.

Quite a crowd of Maiar had been gathered in the cave; many of them either houseless or openly serving Melkor, but I also met some from the various halls of the Valar, like this nice pupil of Aulë who allowed me to have a short interview with him (the full interviews of the UHB fans will appear in the next issue).

There were no support acts. The show started slowly with a lot of smoke and faint music that gradually filled the cave. As the audience slowly gathered before the stage, the music became more powerful and discordant. I could sense the nervousness of the crowd – many of them hadn’t seen Utumno House Band live before and didn’t know what to expect.

Utumno House Band calls their music style glam rock, which is something to do with the type of volcanic rock Melkor has built his fortress in. It’s difficult to describe other than loud, but some of the tunes are quite catchy, even though the discordant notes can cause more sensitive Maiar a nasty headache. It might feel like their object is just to cause chaos among the Ainur, but no one can deny that the energy of the band is unrivalled. I am sure that Manwë’s windmills worked extra hard that night to produce electricity to their instruments.

The lights and fires in the cave dimmed, and a ring of flames appeared around the stage. When the band finally entered as dark figures among the smoke, the audience broke into loud applause and spontaneous screaming. Melkor had that effect on people. Then Thuri played the first chord on her guitar, and for a moment, everything went still – then the flames rose high, and the band began to play for real.

I’ve seen them play many times, but I’m sure that this gig in Almaren was their boldest act so far. It was pure provocation: loud, obnoxious and still very enjoyable. The audience was enthralled by Melkor’s attitude and his voice, low and soft like spider-silk at times, screaming a moment later. Add the intense drums, Thuri’s masterful guitar solos and Ungoliantë’s wild hands on the strings of her harp, and I’m sure that the audience found themselves in a concert of their lifetime.

We can’t talk about Utumno House Band without talking about their looks. Colourful and whimsy clothes like those you could see at Irmo’s Halls, proud hairdos and high-heel boots were the costumes of the other members of the band, but Melkor was clad only in black leather. With his long raven-black hair he looked like the negative image of his brother.

It was a real treat for Almaren to finally see the band live. At the end, Melkor flashed a knowing smile at the front row audience before leaving the stage. I’m sure that he got some new followers that night.

Utumno House Band line-up: Melkor (vocals), Thuringwethil (electric guitar, back vocals), Gothmog (bass guitar, pyro effects), Langon (drums), Ungoliantë (electric harp, keyboards).

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