Vastly different in sound, but united by an uncompromising ethos, Russian Circles and Chelsea Wolfe delivered a masterclass in live performance on Wednesday.

With The Haunt packed to capacity, it was certainly an intense affair, onstage and off. Chelsea Wolfe has long been known for her brooding, slow-burn live performances and on this occasion she was electrifying.

Fusing elements of goth, drone, ambient and black metal, among other things, she’s a writer of incredible versatility, and that made for a performance to remember. However, some among the audience did seem to lose their patience after over an hour of dark, sometimes glacially-paced fare.

Poised to release their fifth album, Memorial, Russian Circles arrived with their bewildering array of effects in tow. Following a lengthy intro, the three-piece launched into a set of great power and volume, balancing the delicacy of some compositions with the out-and-out riff frenzy of others.

It’s testament to the skill of the musicians involved that they never fell short in recreating the dynamic, heavily layered sound of their albums, digging out material from throughout their near-decade long career.

It was an apt reminder of why they remain revered.