07.12.2005

 

IX METAL FORCES 

www.metalforcesfestival.de

 

PUNGENT STENCH

 NECROPHAGIST - DESASTER 

ELUVEITIE - EPIDEMIC DISEASE

 

  at SAK Wasserwerk - Tumringerstr. 271 - LÖRRACH  - Germany

26 November 2005 

 


INTRO

EPIDEMIC DISEASE

ELUVEITIE

DESASTER

NECROPHAGIST

PUNGENT STENCH

 

 

 

 

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

INTRO

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!


 

 

EPIDEMIC  DISEASE                epidemic disease    

 

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!

 

IX_metal_forces_festival_epidemic desease_02.jpg (44152 Byte)  IX_metal_forces_festival_epidemic desease_03.jpg (50494 Byte)

 

 

ELUVEITIE        eluveitie      


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.

 

IX_metal_forces_festival_eluveitie_01.jpg (25540 Byte)  IX_metal_forces_festival_eluveitie_02.jpg (35132 Byte)  IX_metal_forces_festival_eluveitie_05.jpg (22247 Byte)  IX_metal_forces_festival_eluveitie_06.jpg (48197 Byte)  

 


 

 

DESASTER       desaster 


"
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    necrophagist

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, SevenFoul Body AutopsyTo 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!

 

 

 

IX_metal_forces_festival_necrophagist_04.jpg (37556 Byte)  IX_metal_forces_festival_necrophagist_05.jpg (32678 Byte)  IX_metal_forces_festival_necrophagist_06.jpg (33880 Byte)

 

 

PUNGENT STENCH               pungent stench          


"
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

IX_metal_forces_festival_pungent stench_01.jpg (41410 Byte)  IX_metal_forces_festival_pungent stench_03.jpg (26772 Byte)  IX_metal_forces_festival_pungent stench_07.jpg (33548 Byte)  IX_metal_forces_festival_pungent stench_08.jpg (35662 Byte)  IX_metal_forces_festival_pungent stench_10.jpg (43586 Byte)  IX_metal_forces_festival_pungent stench_11.jpg (34446 Byte)

Mario and dalia

 

Pungent Stench and dalia

 

Daniele Milizia, Dalia, Gorefield

zum Seitenanfang top - inizio pagina

 

presentation|news|reviews|interviews|live reports|editorials|f**king bollox|tours|dates

  upcoming releases|underground|videoclips|MP3's|suggestions|

     movies/dvd|links|contacts|gryphonbook

[I Despair]


© GryphonMetal.ch   2001-2005Niederrohrdorf - Switzerland               contacts