I arrived at the
venue a bit early. I had in mind that I could enjoy the afternoon sun and maybe
drink a cold coffee. I sat at the café, across the street and just before my
coffee came, a friend of mine, who also happens to co-run the event managing company,
Krisis Productions, came out of the
venue.
“Wanna come in?” he
asked me. ‘Fuck yeah’, I thought but I kept my cool. “Sure.” The soundcheck
from most of the bands was already done. I chatted with some friends while
listening to the two bands that were going to open the show, tuning their
instruments.
After the coffee,
came the first beer and around half a beer later, Dimholt took their place on the stage. They came from our
neighboring country, Bulgaria, having released their first full length, “Liberation
Funeral”. Their sound could be described as black metal, with a bit of
a roll in it and psychedelic tendencies. The crowd was still out of tune and
hanging around, rather than paying attention. This usually happens at the
beginning of a show, especially if you know that it’s going to be a long night
(five bands in total).
I liked their sound
and they were well rehearsed. I stood at the middle of the venue, listening to
the instruments and I have to say that the sound of the drums could be just a
bit lower so the riffs could be heard clearly. The singer has a good voice and
the overall feel that they gave me was positive. The orchestration of some
songs has something majestic about it, creating a grandiose feeling. But their
sound is still not fully developed and this can be heard in some songs, where
the lead guitar plays on its own, on top of the orchestration and it just
doesn’t work for me. Time will show and Dimholt deserves our attention.
Next in line was a
local band, The Psalm. They play
death metal, as it was created by bands like Asphyx, Autopsy, Bolt Thrower and the likes. They are a
power trio that gives away raw, aggressive and serpent like feelings enveloping
with their riffs. Their strongest aspect is the voice, deep and growling with
great articulation. But I was somewhat disappointed by their performance,
especially with the rhythm guitars and leads/solos. This weakness can be
justified since the vocals, the rhythm guitars and the lead guitars were all
performed by one man. I think it would be better if they have an extra player
in concerts, responsible for either the rhythm or the lead guitars. They do
have potential but this will become clearer and more solid as they work and
progress in time.
Demonomancy,
from Italy, came on stage with matching outfits and their debut, “Throne of Demonic Proselytism” under
their belts. Also a power trio, with shaved heads, eyes painted black and
chains wrapped around their naked top bodies. They started and they ended. No
chit chat. Just a pure sonic assault. The singer gave a very passive/aggressive
performance, supporting their image as a demonic death/black band. The sound
was a bit chaotic and I think that maybe it was done on purpose. My opinion and
expectations, when attending a concert, is to have a clear sensory (mainly listening)
experience. I want to listen to the orchestration and the riffs. This chaotic
expression, may serve the purpose of creating atmosphere, but sonic chaos and
sonic atmosphere is not the same, as you will read in the next paragraph. They
have the riffs and the potential to make it happen but not just yet.
There was a relatively
large break in the program, probably because Lvcifyre were making sure that their sound is exactly as they want
it to be. At some point, they began playing and I felt ‘it’. But they stopped.
Then they left the stage and returned in ‘armor’. “Well”, I thought, “They sure
take this seriously.” The main and great difference from the previous bands was
that Lvcifyre have a very clear
vision of what they are doing and how they want it to appear in our
consciousness. They play in a whole other level that is not achieved by many.
If I was a 20 something boy I would probably feel fear and awe. It was one of
the most impressive acts I have seen and I will tell anyone that has an
interest in the dark arts, that given the opportunity, Lvcifyre must be
experienced. This is not an exaggeration. They were absolute in their
certainty, massive and dominant, transmitting auras from another, darkened
universe, where light still hasn’t emerged in it. Pure sonic darkness.
I could have paid attention
in the orchestration and find flaws but I didn’t. If there were any, I ignored
them completely. I allowed myself to submerge into the ‘fyre’.
After the end of
their show, as I did after every band, I chatted with friends. The main
difference was that we were giggling. Because this is what real men do when
they experience true darkness. They giggle. Deal with it.
Obliteration
came from Norway, dressed in the ways of the old school. An experienced band
that showed their fangs while dominating the stage with their presence. They
are also a high caliber live band, along with Lvcifyre, but they express a different feel. Aggressive, thrashy
death metal with a voice that is assaulting the senses and solos flying through
the songs while the drummer is battering relentlessly.
At some point the
singer launched a booger to the crowd but it didn’t hit anyone. It wasn’t done
on purpose. “It must have been an absolute necessity for him”, I thought. Then
it happened again and again. After four boogers and a whole lot of primitive
death metal, I thought that this just might be the singer’s way of expressing the
lack of tissues under his bullet belt. Kinda gross, but hey! it’s metal.
The show lasted more
than four hours and I was completely exhausted. We went to get something to eat
and then at a rock bar for a quick fix of alcohol. It was a great show that
promoted the underground in the best possible way. There is juice down there
for anyone willing to swim through the darkened river of Hades.
