GURD  

SPECIAL 10th ANNIVERSARY - II PART

BIG CELEBRATION SHOW 

 Umount/ Pigskin

1st May -  at z7 - Pratteln - CH

 review by Boris "Azrael" Witta

- all pics © by Stefan "Absolut_Evidence" Vogelaar

The public use of these fotos  is strictly prohibited without written permission

INTRO

PIGSKIN

UMOUNT

GURD

AFTERSHOW

INTRO

Today is the day: Gurd celebrate their 10th anniversary with a great concert. And the best thing is: They will record a live-album and also a DVD. So it was my duty to appear and to enjoy this memorable evening. 

The opener of the evening are Pigskin. I know them from the “Unerhört”-Sampler of the magazine RockHard, I was pretty touched by the song “Epidemic” and so I’m pretty tensed how they are live.

After an intro, they start with “Daisy Cutter”, and from the first second on is clear, what style they play. Modern Metalcore, with some Thrash Metal-influences and also some modern elements. The singer, the guitarist and the bassman all wear kind of an overall, but singer Dani takes the jacket off after some songs. Funny: During the whole gig, the zipper of his is open, and he doesn’t remark it… Jeff on the guitar looks is the most metallic guy in the band: He’s permanently headbanging and posing with his white six-string. Vocalist Dani acts very  aggressive, is always moving and everyone can see that he’s really living his music.

I’m sorry, but I just absolutely dislike the outfit of bassist Sigi: He wears a cap and very strange sunglasses, like he’s standing on the snowboard, but not on stage. And his way of stageacting looks more than once like  he would be a jumping jack. But anyway, the gig is great, and when I look around, I remark that today’s crowd is very young, and the guys are not just some Trend-kiddies, they look like real metalheads. That’s very good to see, the rising generation is alive! Pigskin get warm applause and Dani says that he’s touched that so many people appeared… Well, I think there aren’t too much people, but this surely will change during the evening. Fact is, Pigskin play very good, and after 40 minutes, which passed very fast, they leave the sage. A good start!

Setlist Pigskin

Daisy Cutter

Facing Me

Run Down

Hate Sphere (Bloodsoil)

Mountain Hill 82

Why don’t you look for truth

Epidemic

Fuck your industry

When Devil runs

Blood Wave

Since 1996

The second band is Umount, and I heard already a lot of good things about them. They call their sound Neo or Post Thrash Metal, and I couldn’t have said it better. Singer Dani has the longest hair of the evening and is also because of his height an impressive person. The band governs perfect the change between hard verses and melodic choruses with clean vocals. Sometimes, Umount reminds me a bit to In Flames, but generally, they have a very own sound. Even tough guitarist Stefan and Adam on the bass have short hair, they’re banging all the time, and most of all Adam is absolutely drowned in his music. Again, the soundman of the Z7 creates a super, a clear and a not too loud sound, so everyone can enjoy the music. The songs I like the most are those, which are strictly hard, with growly vocals, ore strictly melodic with clean vocals. Drummer Normal just looks fucking cool with his beard, and he gets the “Banging-while-drumming-Bonus”! The atmosphere in the venue is good, the audience gets more and more warm. Singer Andre could communicate a bit more with the crowd (on the setlist is written “eye contact” and “short announcement”), but that’s just a detail. Umount also play a new song, and Andre has to look on the text, because he’s not able to sing the song already by heart. I got the text, but unfortunately, there isn’t any song title. Of course Umount play an extra song, and I think they can be very content with this gig, also because they convinced me, and I’m not a real Modern Metal-fan. Compliment for that.

Setlist Umount

Scum

Hide

Sonic Hype

Enemy

Misterioso

Wiedergänger

Burning Rye

Self Nominated

Tone Colour

White Lioness

Slippery

Wicked

Terrorizer

Now the hall gets fuller and fuller, everyone wants to see Gurd. And here they are, the kings of groovy Thrash/metalcore. It’s absolutely easy to see that the whole band is top-motivated, and the start with “Razorblade” and some pyros couldn’t be better. There is banging, jumping and screaming everywhere, the crowd celebrates Gurd from the first second on. V.O. Pulver as singer and guitarist, Spring, the second guitarist, bassman Franky (with the ultracool Lemmy-Bass) and Tschibu, the drummer, give everything they have. They pose like hell, but every pose seems to be totally natural and coming straight from the heart and soul. Gurd play every hit, every classic of their big discography, and the fans get mad. The first highlight is of course “Rule the pit”, and during this song, there’s a very big moshpit and there are also lots of stage divers. 

V.O. is obviously very content, happy and also touched and motivates the crowd. I don’ know, but I can’t remember a concert with such a good atmosphere, it seems that everybody on the hall enjoys the gig. I’m happy that Gurd play my personal favorite, the Thrasher “A New War”. Pounding and heavy, as it should be. Gurd have also a great lightshow, which fits perfect to each song. After the last song “Skin Up”, we don’t have to wait long until Gurd enter the stage again. Now V.O. wears a FCB-Shirt, number 69, Pulver. Three extra songs, and the crowd and band get more and more enthusiastic. I can really feel the power of Metal in the air, and that’s one of the best feelings, which exists. After “HxHxHx” and “Bullshit”, the special part of the show begins. 

During the following five songs, every ex-member of Gurd appears on stage, and it’s easy to see that everyone of them still has a got relation to V.O. and Gurd. “With this song, everything began: “Warmachine” from Kiss”, V.O. announces. Sang by the singer of V.O.s former band “Poltergeist”, “Warmachine” motivates everyone to jump and bang and scream again, now it’s pure celebration. But it’s not over yet: Now all members are together on stage, plus Schmier from Destruction, plus members of Umount and Pigskin. Partytime! And the song is… “United Forces” from S.O.D. Perfect! The fans in the first row get a champagne-douche (yezzz!!) and everyone is excited. What a son, what a feeling between band(s) and fans. And again, it’s not over. The audience is still screaming, and so Gurd (again the normal band now) play a last one, and there are once more great and beautiful pyro's. After the gig was finished, there are minutes full of applause, screaming and “More!”-shouts. My god, what a concert. Thank you V.O., thank you Gurd, and I hope we’ll see you in 10 years at the same place!!

Setlist 

Gurd

Razorblade

Learn

Rule The Pit

What do you l.f.

A new War

I.O.U. nothing

Masterplan

Distinction

Down The Drain

Face To Face

Older But Wiser

Control

We will resist

Skin Up

Get Up

HxHxHx

Bullshit

Extra Songs with Ex-Members

Red House

GO GO GO

Groovy

Warmachine (Kiss-Cover)

United Forces (S.O.D.-Cover)

+ one more (Gurd alone)

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