Incantation Istanbul Live Review

Hey folks, I’m writing these lines accompanied by Carnophage – Matter Of A Darker Nature because I just can’t get enough of it. Ahem… once again, I’m here with you in yet another concert review, and I’m genuinely excited about it. Why was I somewhere else yesterday and somewhere else today…

The concert featuring Incantation / Carnophage / Persecutory / Dissident Faith, which took place on 28.06.2026, had been announced months in advance. I wanted to go so badly that, every time I had a check-up or met my dear doctor buddy Cihan (Gürhan), I’d lose my mind with him hyping me up like, “man, you cannot miss this one.”

But just a week earlier there had been the Death To All show (what a gig that was!). And as I was, let’s say, in a pretty messed-up state like the country itself, I couldn’t help wondering how I was going to pull this off. But as I said—if there’s death metal involved, especially a death metal night with friends, it’s simply inevitable. One way or another, I was going.

And just two days later there was also the Trivium concert organized by Stagepass, but there was nothing to be done.

I went all in and bought the first flight ticket (ah, what do you know—“I’ve got miles! damn it, just pull the trigger,” I said), then immediately hit up my brother, the good man Amir, with the news: I’m coming to the Incantation show too! Thankfully he went above and beyond for me—I’ll never forget his support.

Anyway, when the 28th finally came around, I jumped on the plane and headed for Istanbul. After a long trip to the hotel, I did the obvious first thing—dropped my bag off, turned right back around, and rolled straight into Kadıköy. People had already started gathering; the atmosphere was already heating up.

I always say it in every article, but concerts for me are mostly an excuse—the real pleasure is seeing friends, catching up, taking the pulse of whatever’s going on, and picking up new gossip. I immediately slipped over to Cihan, with Mert Balkaç next to him of course. After a bit of banter with them, I dove straight into the night. While chatting with Levent Vural, Cem Kurtuluş, Can, Naki, the two Cems, and others, the master Oral showed up. Then, once Cihan joined in, the topic inevitably drifted toward offal.

While all this was going on, we got hungry, so Cihan casually said, “let’s go hit the liver spot,” and we found ourselves at Ciğerci Hulusi. While demolishing liver, one topic led to another, and before we knew it, the time had come.

The first band of the night, Dissident Faith, took the stage. This new formation from Ankara—whether they’ve played elsewhere before or exactly who the members are, I honestly don’t know. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to meet them. But as far as I could tell, they delivered a solid, mid-level performance and did a good job on stage. They have a newly released album and performed tracks from it—respect to them for that.

After a short set, things started to heat up properly, because Kadıköy’s veteran force Persecutory was next.

Master Çağatay was so sharpened with rage that he poured all his fury directly into the Persecutory set. It was like this even at their Ankara show, but playing at home painted everything in a deeper shade of red. They opened with Adorned in Primeval Seas and the ritual had begun. Evil screams and dark melodies were being hurled at us from the stage like machine-gun fire from the abyss.

They played five songs in total, with the first four coming from their latest EP and album. But they closed with a surprise—if I’m not mistaken, something we hadn’t heard from them in a long time, probably since around 2018–19: Towards the Ultimate Extinction. Aside from Barışcan and Çağatay, the lineup has completely changed, yet that didn’t seem to dilute their rage one bit. I love them and I’ll keep following them.

Then came a short break—because they absolutely ran me over. The ventilation inside wasn’t working properly or was simply insufficient, and after Persecutory’s set we were basically cooked like sausages.

More banter, goofy photos, and general chaos outside the venue later, Bursa’s fine man Ferdi arrived. He lifted the mood even further, more gossip was exchanged, more laughs were had, and then it was time for Carnophage…

Man… these guys blow me away every single time. While we were eating, Oral had said, “our songs are seriously hard, they really push me,” and he wasn’t kidding—I discover something new in their music every time I listen.

As you know, this excellent technical death metal band is just as fun on stage as they are musically complex. I’ve often ended up saying this about Oral: he’s honestly one of the best frontmen in Turkey—or even compared to many bands abroad. I’m saying it clearly: the crowd is led by Oral!!!

And that’s exactly what happened—he led them. Carnophage delivered a ridiculously fun set, full of mosh pits, jumping, and total chaos. They opened with Bone Nails in such a way that everyone was already thrown into each other within minutes.

By the time they hit Until the Darkness Kills the Light, I was completely gone, shouting “abiii!” at one point in pure excitement. Before Blood Commander, Oral even asked about the person who “lost their keys” :)

Just like Persecutory, they ended the night with Deformed Future // Genetic Nightmare—songs I either hadn’t heard in a long time or simply didn’t remember clearly.

I can easily say it was the best performance of the night. Ending the set with a track from my most-played Carnophage album was almost an orgasmic moment for me. At some point I just stopped filming and said “fuck it, keep going,” and fully gave myself to it.

And now the headliners, folks…

Like I said, seeing Incantation right after Death To All felt like running from one death into another. I can’t thank Gökhan, Deathground Org., Ege Rock 35, and Amir enough for adding one of my all-time favorite bands to this lineup.

The band played a full 17-song set in that filthy, suffocating heat… and honestly, if they’d let them, they would’ve kept going. The turnout was insane. I don’t remember ever seeing The Wall that packed. There was barely room to breathe, but it was already too late—I had completely lost myself.

What a performance…

They kicked off the death march with Golgotha and then stacked hit after hit one after another. Meanwhile, Levent and Cem eventually had to sober up and step out—the show was on a Sunday, and work was waiting the next day. Add transportation problems on top, and they had no choice. I genuinely felt bad seeing them leave this incredible atmosphere.

Tracks like Iconoclasm of Catholicism, Ascend Into the Eternal, Profanation, Fury’s Manifesto, and Blissful Bloodshower were among those I remember clearly.

The energy inside was pure old-school chaos. When they finished with Unholy Massacre, we were all gasping for air, so Cihan and I stepped outside—but they were still playing down below.

And then the happy ending: the show was over. After seeing off Cihan and the others, I took a short Wizard break with Murat and then it was time for everyone to head their separate ways.

Of course, the night was over for me—but the concert chain was still continuing…

HÜS