07.12.2005
IX METAL FORCES
PUNGENT STENCH
NECROPHAGIST - DESASTER
ELUVEITIE - EPIDEMIC DISEASE
at SAK Wasserwerk - Tumringerstr. 271 - LÖRRACH - Germany
26 November 2005
review by dalia di giacomo
photos © by Stefan W. Vogelaar
The public use of these photos is strictly prohibited without written permission
 " |
| Metal Forces VIII |
| Metal Forces VII |
| Metal Forces VI |
| Metal Forces V |
Metal thunder in Lörrach! The ninth edition of the Metal Forces Festival is a huge success in the true meaning of the word. All tickets available are sold, most already in pre-sell action, the crowd is simply enthusiast, the Sak Wasserwerk must take ca. 420 people, and 40 or 50 persons unfortunately cannot be accommodated due to strong and well supervised security rules. The five bands in the billing will pump up mind and blood in a merciless , unrelenting crescendo. Thrash and Death are ruling, though also Pagan/Celtic and Black flavors are represented. Born as uncompromising underground meeting for the scene in the midst of South Germany, Switzerland and France, the Metal Forces Festival grew up year after year, becoming now already a cult moment for extreme and mighty, uncorrupted Metal of finest. Thanks to the fans, to the bands invited and to the great work of its Team, the IX MFF is a pleasure for every metal maniac that joined. Obviously the pit is full packed and provides warm excitement, tons of headbangings plus stage- diving and major moshing. All bands are supported with an exceptional response, in fact a response fully deserved by each act. Moreover the whole running order of the concert goes on in a satisfactory condition: to put together 5 bands on the stage, each of them having its style and requirements and , at the same time, maintaining under pressure every drop of the audience's energy, is not easy. But the goal is fully reached. From the very beginning till the end of the festival, the shows have been utterly enthralling and rewarding.
Last but not least, it's always enjoyable to meet colleagues like Boris Witta (Taste-of-Black.ch and gryphonmetal) Desi (gryphonmetal) as well as meeting friends and bands among pit , gallery, bar and merchandise room. Beer is flowing, bros and sisters! But not only, cause together with beer, also the unique , naughty irresistible Gorefield's Comics provide for humorous good mood . Indeed this year, there is a little cool surprise : the first edition of Gorefield's comics dedicated to the Metal Forces portraying, through quick, sharp satiric comic-strips, the members of the Team and certain clichés around Metal. So a big thank you goes to Daniele Milizia, Svea, Gorefield and to all who have prepared this formidable edition: you rule!
Gorefield
sold-out!
19:30 The German Death/Thrashers Epidemic Disease (ex The Mortal Remains), formed in 2002, and since 2003 enriched by the brutal vocal assaults of Daniel Bürgin (aka Morgrim), ignite the Festival by hammering out good songs, clearly Death oriented, energetic and aggressive in the way that the suitable ode to extreme music is immediately intoned. The homonymous track "Epidemic Disease" is the opener, then we pass through songs like Postmortem Suicide and A Cosmic Grave. Morgrim's vocals are able to shift from guttural grunts to fierce screams and it is a fact that Morgrim acts as an optimal frontman for this band. At the beginning of their gig the sound coming out from the bass is brought too much in foreground, but after 2 or 3 songs, the sound is finally good mixed and even the tracks become more and more remarkable. This is to say that, after an unavoidable short time in order to "break the ice", the engine starts off perfectly and the pit definitely understands that the Thunder of the Metal Forces has just begun. Actually i think Epidemic Disease, who already got a well known status in the regional underground, are a good band with a huge potential, they just a bit of more aggressiveness also in their outfit and they would be another revelation. Anyway from the central part of their concert till the last song, they are laying down one cool riffing after the other , shooting such an intense attack. Nonetheless they also know how to be melodic and harmonic, the lead solos are drilling and the rhythmic section well massive, tempo changes are fluent placed in a logic sequence, so that headbanging erupts from itself. Bonebreaker accelerated rates coexist in their songs together with slower midtempo. As aforementioned, it is around the middle of the concert that the song quality really did a great jump into a better level, I think with the track A cosmic Grave, followed by Death is not a Creeper , Killingtime and Cremation of the Unborn. They end their set at 20:10 among applauses and appreciation. Some of these tracks can be downloaded in their official website, and i think they will leave in you the "infected" wish to know more about this band, the same i'm thinking right now after the show. Congratz, Epidemic Disease have spread the proper virulent infection in order that we go on persevering in our quest for pitiless and powerful malignancy. But don't give me a doctor, give me some beer now, prost! Yes, I'm fucking metal!
20:25 Eluveitie play a Pagan/Celtic- inspired Metal, they come from Switzerland where they receive more and more attention with a good success. In May 2004 they signed to the Dutch label Fear Dark. Without any doubt Eluveitie is an emerging factor in this scene. I think that a wider bigger achievement in their career is not so far. Therefore I had no doubt that sooner or later i would have attended a gig from them. It was only a question of (short) time, and tonight the IX Metal Forces gives me this opportunity. I was really curious eh...cause i heard nothing but positive comments concerning Eluveitie . I'm not a megafan of Pagan metal, but i'm interested when some good proposals appear. After all i'm , on the contrary, a big fan of History, Middle Age, Druidism and Ancient civilizations, so a band who proposes the Celts as main content of their research doesn't leave me indifferent. Everything's very good in a theoretical aspect, but in practice?. Well, i must say that Eluveitie deserve the growing good estimation. First off cause they have good taste, secondly cause, though being half a tribe ( a 9 pieces band), with members coming from many parts of Switzerland, they appear a very united and compact force, and finally the good music and the ancient/ middle age instrumentation combined with modern strings gets an optimal impact, at the point that i end up to prefer them to In Extremo or Saltatio Mortis. Eluveitie, that in their career played also with Elvenking and Korpiklaani, are very metal, the fact that they are influenced by acts like Dark Tranquillity and the Haunted, come out savagely from their notes. The beautiful aspect is that violins, hurdy gurdy, pipes and Irish flute don't hide the metal set of their music, yet these ancient instruments turn out to be a vehicle for creating dark ancient mystical atmospheres, particularly shining during the ballades or during merely instrumental break downs. The use of the ancient Celtic language in their lyrics (Gaulish: a result of their serious researches in this sector) can be another component of interest. In the line up are included 3 beautiful girls, who, bare footed play 2 violins and one hurdy-gurdy, known in Italian also as "Ghironda" . From the moment that Eluveitie are about to enter the studio in order to record the new CD, that will be entitled "Spirit", also new tracks are proposed. Spirit, Uis Elveti, The Song of Life, The Dance of Victory, The Endless Knot, Tegernakô, Your Gaulish War, AnDro, Lament, Aidû : these are the songs proposed, belonging Lament and Aidû to the encore. The whole show (circa 1 hour) has been attractive: from the intro in the dark and great smoke effect, till the last song , Aidû, where only 4 members are left on the stage for a highly atmospheric and touching interpretation. The band around singer and mastermind Chrigel Glanzmann seems to be anyway a very democratic group where everyone brings personal contribution, it is evident from the way the instruments are changed, from the backing vocals many times left to the female presence, from the mutual support and the integration between unusual instruments and pounding metal rhythms. Related to this i would like to underline the brilliant performance of their drummer. Yes, Eluveitie's music live appear underlined by a mighty drumming. Melody and aggression, headbanging and cadenced dances honour the tradition, the roots and make our will for loud music bigger. Success and lots of applauses for Eluveitie in their last show of this year, while the moment of facing Desaster comes nearer.
| " |
| Desaster live in Zürich 2005 |
After having seen how much loved and which kind of response got Desaster in Zürich this last September, i was supposing that at the Metal Forces the German /Swiss audience would have reserved for them a hot, devoted gratification. Today the supposition becomes solid reality: much awaited, Desaster are the super idols of this IX edition. Their concert is a triumph, a total acclamation, a love flowing from fans to band but also from band to fans. Indeed, like already seen in Zürich, Desaster are very interactive and thankful to their soldiers in the pit. Desaster never leave an occasion to act in mutual energy and solidarity with their devotees. "De-sa-ster! De-sa-ster!" the choir even begins before the concert so you can imagine that people will go absolutely nuts throughout the whole show. Infernal, Tormentor and Odin enter the stage, provide the last soundcheck in front of fans already crowded right up against the stage; and when Sataniac takes the microphone, Desaster start off straight to the point, without intros, without light-fading, and this will be also what Necrophagist and Pungent Stench will do: being straight to the point, summoning the Forces, making the crowd crazy. Libido!: it is orgasmic to see how they command the pit. Their Heavy Old School Thrash, mixed with some insertion of Black, is pulverizing. The pit unleashes an enormous moshing, we will have stage diving's too. The motto" bang or be banged" gets its "personification". At the end of the show many fans will be sharing the stage headbanging in a row and singing together with Sataniac. Needless to say, Desaster are in formidable shape, and , if compared with what i saw in Zürich, the synergy between the members is better, and, being the stage larger, the mobility too is better; there is a larger crowd, so the response is amplified. Tormentor is totally in the concert banging and enjoying every second of the performance delivered by audience and band mates. Like seen in Zürich, the real huge passion of bands and fans is the same. I don't think Slayer themselves could be welcomed more warmly. Desaster present a very muscular set perfectly performed. Nekropolis Karthago is the opener, followed by Nighthawk and Ghouls to strike. Teutonic Steel is received like an anthem of glory, followed by Profanation and Sacrilege and Tyrants of the Netherworld. Then we have Devil's sword, and the supreme, deliriously awaited Metalized Blood
| Brothers of Metal, warriors of steel |
| Bang now your heads to the sound |
| Our violent is takin' command |
| Together we are standing proud |
| Drums are pounding, guitars are sqeeling |
| Whimps and posers end we will see |
| Bass is roaring, vocals scream wild |
| Now metalized blood is running free |
The encore is asked in unison, and the choirs are sealing Desaster's triumph. Around 10:30 ends this bath of glory, another battle was won, Desaster shake a lot of hands, greeting warmly the pit, Sataniac even bows to his fans with courtesy.
Necrophagist must go on stage after the solemn acclamation for Desaster. It would be a challenge for everyone but not for Necrophagist that impassible, dry, self assured¨, turn the page presenting a total new music after the Old School attack. But Necrophagist also change the drum-setting seriously. Who is interested in knowing more details about the drum setting of Necrophagist's drummer Hannes Grossmann can find more infos here. But before Necrophagist begin their gig, the winner of the contest organized in order to get a BC Rich guitar is announced, a certain Sebastian is now the lucky proud owner of that guitar. Sebastian is called on the stage, and visibly emotioned tells " ehi i'm too drunk to play!"
After this pleasant intermezzo (lucky you Sebastian!), let's get back to Necrophagist, who, after the usual last instrument and sound volume check, at 11:10 are ready for killing. Straight to the point they are stormily, direct, somehow acid, and propose a fast technical Death which has just some new breed Thrash characteristics. Necrophagist are a technical band, some passages are not easy to digest immediately, you should really be into their discography in order to fully enjoy this concert, moreover some complicated unpredictable sick tempo changes make headbanging a difficult thing to do , cause you have to change gear many times, so Necrophagist are not everyone's cup of tea, nonetheless on the whole they are fantastic and very skilled. Expert bangers and expert connoisseurs are needed, but the pit is full and dynamic, sign that we have many people here that are into Necrophagist. The members of this German 4-piece band seem young and harmless, on the contrary they are simply lethal. In particular a song of them , among the ones proposed, incarnates this being lethal perfectly, this song is Seven, available for download at their official website. Seven lets understand also how much rich in experimentation the band can be. Lead solos are another point of force in Necrophagist. Their soloing is amazing! Muhammed's grunts are impressive yet i was expecting an even more aggressive show from his side. Anyway there isn't much to complain, Necrophagist are terrible like an uncontrolled X_ray radiography. They are sinister with virtuoso capacity, with plenty of ideas, merciless, and, above all exact. Exact and sharp like a razor. Among the tracks in the set list we can fully appreciate The Stillborn One, Seven , Foul Body Autopsy, To Breathe In A Casket, Epitaph, Extreme Unction. The pizzicato bass, but in general the whole infernal rhythmic fist, rips our chest and and our brain. The impact is absolutely positive, cause Necrophagist have truly spread out new vibes in the Metal Forces history. They SHRED! They, a band able to cover in a cool way Death's Crystal Mountain, actually set a new mood and a new way of destroying . Here again the encore is granted, It's midnight when Muhammed Suicmez greets us with a dry, short "Ciao". See you this winter, when Necrophagist will be touring, supporting Bolt Thrower, Malevolent Creation and Nightrage at the "Those Still Loyal" European Tour 2006. On 20th January, at Remise in Will: i will be there!
| " |
| Pungent Stench live inWinterthur 2005 |
| Ampeauty |
12:40 Austrian Cult Death Metallers Pungent Stench begin their show after a long sound check and in particular a major re-setting of the drum-kit configuration. Necrophagist play with their own configuration , which, i can suppose, is very different if compared to the configuration adopted by the other bands, so Drummer Alex, who already seems very precise and meticulous on the stage, must add an extra work in order to re-set things like they were. An helping hand is also given by Desaster's drummer Tormentor, which is a sign of solidarity too. Don Cochino, during the show, will express his excuses to the audience for this waiting. Anyway people appeared not be disturbed that much and even more eager to attend the concert of the sick insane Unholy Trinity. Beyond any lyrics and any vicious music, tonight they don't seem very provocative concerning stage acting. But they are very effective. Again another band more interested in summoning the mighty spirit of Metal instead than converging on extra-sarcasm. And actually this is the best strategy: the Trinity as another straight to the point, straight- in- your -face band, the music hold heavy like hammer, their causticity will emerge anyway for all those who well understand the texts. To headline a concert fully launched to heaviness and extreme is no easy task. Any stop or slow down , any error would be miserable. And "The Pungent" are up to the task, this is the important thing, which makes me increase my respect for them. Though i am still perplexed concerning the way they structure their music, though i still don't completely dig it, i am impressed seeing how much they are resolute. I think they give a better show than the one delivered in Winterthur (Heavymetal.ch Festival ) last April. In spite of the late hour, the pit is still crowded and full of energy, so the Pungent can be proud that their cult status actually is confirmed. The performance of all 3 members is flawless and again bassist Mario is precious like gold, both instrumentally and vocally, providing again reliable backing vocals. Martin Shirenc (aka Don Cochino) surprises me for his sharp and raw effectiveness. The setlist appears well calibrated, providing moments of rocking attitude but also much brutality. Yes..yes of course. Unfortunately Ritchie Valens' La Bamba is proposed again. Methinks it's a must for them and their listeners. But still i find this song horrible. Anyway, to be honest it is really "La Bamba" that is able to unleash another memorable moshing, plus tons of good vibes. Execration, Abhorrence!! but i think that also here in Lörrach i am the only one to detest this song, anyway also this infamous song seems to be delivered like a hammer in your head, tonight La Bmaba no longer seems an easy entertainment.
Presenting much of their repertoire, Pungent Stench are successful also with tracks like Klyster boogie or Dead body Love or Viva la Muerte. Pace changes are technical and perfect, drums are thunderous, Martin Shirenc's solos are razor-shaped, the call for an encore is predictable. At 1:35 the show ends with greetings, acclamations and some requests for one encore more , thing impossible to be done.
Well, awesome festival, awesome crowd. We are the survivors of a great metal storm, already waiting for the next edition and asking for more. Terrible troopers we are! We are hungry and voracious for more Metal, we are ravenous, we want to see our warriors on the stage. So we deserve nothing less than the Metal Forces...cause we are FUCKING METAL!
dalia di giacomo
Mario and dalia
Pungent Stench and dalia
Daniele Milizia, Dalia, Gorefield
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