On Friday, V-Gen in Paceville will host an interesting live musical event that will juxtapose the epic doom of Forsaken and Martyrium’s Black metal riffage.

Both bands have a long history and presence within the local metal scene, and have succeeded in venturing beyond Malta to claim a leading position at an international level within their respective genres.

Martyrium were formed in 1999, their arrival on the local metal scene leaving an immediate impression thanks to the intricate blend of influences that evolved into the band’s unique form of extreme black metal. Apart from various live appearances abroad, the band have to date released three albums, the most recent being Awakening the Ancient, which was released last April.

Forsaken have been an essential presence on the Maltese metal scene since its inception in the early 1990s. Embracing a progressive brand of doom metal, the band have undergone various changes, building their international profile with every album they have released. 2005’s Dominaeon and 2009’s After the Fall albums in particular continued to elevate Forsaken to new heights which, boosted by their several festival appearances, has firmly placed them among the leading epic doom metal acts in the world.