MOSHNIGHT FESTIVAL 

DEW-SCENTED

ZUUL FX

LACK OF TIME -  784 ITCH

   Sedel - LUZERN - Switzerland 

03.09.2005 

www.sedel.ch - www.earmuffprod.com

review by dalia di giacomo

all photos © by Stefan W. Vogelaar

[The public use of these photos  is strictly prohibited without written permission]

portrait of a concert in crescendo - Ready for the new season of pure heaviness and fierceness? yes? yes, here in Switzerland too, and one of the most important and well known venues around here, the Music Center Sedel in Lucerne,  celebrates its fresh renovation (and still  works are not finished in the building) and its start into  a series of important events. Hopefully the competent guys of Earmuff productions will organize a series of "Moshnights" with  metal of great quality. This month, two concerts are already in program, the one of tonight headlined by the German combo of new breed Thrash Dew-Scented, and the one on 24th September with Swiss  metal legend GurD.  The venue Sedel is part of a bigger edifice that was once the prison of Lucerne.  Like written in the story section of the Sedel official homepage: once a prison, today music and atelier center . Today the metal Scene of Lucerne ( but not only) has gathered here numerous and enthusiast, but attentive and demanding like always. I remember the times of the OLD Wärchhof...guys let's make them alive again! 

The pit room, with its black walls is very comfortable with bar, seats and some tables, and maintains a fierce and crude typical underground outfit. The entry is very near to the pit room,  in this venue too you just need a moment in order to go out and breath the fresh air of the hills. We are  only few meters far from  the highway , few meters from the town, yet enclosed in  fields and meadows.

On the whole, this concert will be an excellent event, but  ideally divided in two parts. 4 bands will hit the stage: 784 Itch and Lack of Time belonging to the Swiss underground , bands who are more hardcore oriented;  then we will attend the French/Swiss Zuul FX (who recently signed with Equilibre Music) and Dew-Scented , who both will switch the concert to a definitely higher level of skillfulness and musical quality. With Zuul FX and the Dews the concert will  reach its climax, in spite of the  very energetic shows  of  the supporters . This means that the headliners prove to  be even more energetic , more violent, more brutal and  more proficient.  Zuul FX and Dew-Scented will ride the tiger, will step on the gas pedal   shifting us all  to another superior level, and at the same time they will pass through  an important warm up test for their upcoming great shows. For example , just think that Dew-Scented will play soon  together with Nevermore in (European) tour

 784 ITCH  www.784itch.ch 

The 4-piece Swiss 784 Itch, crossover from Lucerne,  begin and inject the first attack of the evening . They hit the stage around 21:15, the intro is a quite long and menacing sample , with effects of nightmare and obscure drum strikes. Singer Joe together with  slim and blonde drummer Roli , bassist Mega and guitarist Fürscht open with Blackfire followed by Rain  and  Not like this. I don't know why generally happens that the crowd remains far from the stage , when the opener begins to play . Someone please explain to me this nonsense behavior. So Joe and Co. have to put holy sweat and much energy in order to wake up the "legion", though the atmosphere is already very benevolent. Yes it is an opener's duty, but a more active  initial involvement would be gratifying for every band that has to break the ice. And i must say that 784 Itch deserve a lot  of our attention. This band, quite affirmed in the Swiss scene,  is doing a great job tonight. In my opinion the second part of their concert is even more varied with songs richer in ideas and movement. During the show indeed vibes become warmer as  well as the loops  provided by the bands who become more and more blistering. The music mixes hardcore with NWOAM, spiced up with  Sepultura flavors and melodies. A certain vague remembrance with modern metal  attitude shows up vocally in the way Joe sings the melodic parts and in the way backings are added. The mobility of the band is very good, and, concerning this aspect,  the highlight is when their bassist leaves the stage, going on  playing in the pit. though not completely original, it is always a highly appreciated acting. 784 Itch are enough talented, have all the requisites for success, their loops are heavy and attractive (i'm thinking of song Virus or Use your Wings now), their look is dynamic, and i suppose they have  good quantity of intelligence and professionalism. Just   a gram of even higher quality and unpredictability  in the melodic parts would make that kick  of difference.

No, i don't know Lack of Time, is that bad? But their singer is  Serge vocalist of Lo.Ma, isn't he? or is he his twin brother? Asking  Dr. Spiga of the band Aka Profound i just receive the  little info (eh well... Dr. Spiga doesn't speak that much...) that Lack of Time began to be around in the scene before 2000 (ohhh) , that they got a period of pause and now they seem to return  to hit the scene (ahhh).  Oki doki. My journalistic and objective duty is to tell that the crowd appreciate them a lot: during the concert there is a lively reaction, headbangins and the first moshings. My subjective opinion is that, on the contrary, i don't like them at all. As first reaction, i personally find this band a bit Cataract wannabe, with a singer, whose personality gets in contrast also optically with the rest of the band, or vice versa, but ok, at the end of story  the thing doesn't change. The aggressiveness, the mobility and the passion of the whole combo is out of discussion, but i don't see that light that makes me say "oh woow!" . None of the songs "remains" in my mind, neither i "remain" eager to see them  again. But well, i  repeat and underline that this is just my opinion. In fact the crowd begins to be really excited on the wave of their music, the moshnight makes honor to its name, the great show is offered by the audience more than by the band. For the crowd a long breathtaking concert night is just begun, for me everything changes with Zuul FX and Dew-Scented and hell yes!  nly then it will be  moshnight for me too. However, sweat and energy is running wild  with Lack of Time, their  angry  message seems to make great catch. Anger, heaviness, reaction and rebellion  could be words that well depict their music. If only this music could be better expressed.... heaviness and heaviness without constructive geometry and seductive ideas brings nothing, if not just  for the moment. Anyway we are again hardcore, heavy-weight metal madness  oriented and looped based , wrath tempered, with an energetic good voice, yes, and just a bit  theatrical outfit  but i don't know what to do  with it .  A picturesque intermezzo is the integral strip for  i -have b-day-vocalist, a gift from his band. Nothing to do with music, it is just fun in the middle of  the concert introduced by the classic "happy birthday to you" underlined by bass chords. Yes it is very funny everybody likes it like hell, well me too, always welcomed some good strip, but please not under these circumstances. I would really appreciate nude things integrated in the music when  they are part of the message and of the style,  but , this thing,  is an unoriginal banal parenthesis of low level. But from the moments that hope never dies, i must honestly  say that fortunately the latest part of the show grows better in tunes and instrumental proposals. The vocalist leaves the stage and meets directly the crowd. The audience is now on cloud 9 performing stage diving and moshing. Detailed guitar passages  are present as well vorticous thrashy- hardcore passages and remarkably bass work. An encore is requested, but  (i should say fortunately) is not given. Maybe we are in lack of time... 

a couple of titles read in the written setlist, please don't ask me confirmation

Corporal Punishment - R.D.C. - Colorblind - Selfdefence

Oh yes, from now on the concert becomes simply excellent. Praise and praise to Earmuff for having teamed up these 2 bands who match perfectly together and together give a touch  of high quality extreme metal.  After all  the previous pumping - up, both audience and bands keep up the rhythm and complete the good work  begun by 784 Itch, maintaining  the atmosphere hot and intense.

When i listened to the debut-album "By the Cross" (promoted and distributed in Switzerland by Irascible) my attention was soon captured, but to see this group live is for me almost a revelation.  They can be included in the group of the best live bands . Their tracks are immediately mighty, catchy and appealing. Today evening they sound less "industrialised" than  on CD and totally merciless. Their creative ideas turn  immediately into wind-mill and neck-breaking wizards . Their frontman, former No Return singer, Steeve "Zuul" Petit is leading his 4 - piece band with temperament and charisma. He is one of those frontmen, whose only presence takes it all. Then finally please add that  his growls and shouts are evil and abrasive, his windmills impressive , his stage acting imposing, and that he can trust in reliable and flawless mates. So the performance of guitarist Blast and of the whole band in general is awesome already from the very beginning, from earthquaking opener Behind the Light  The opener track plus Punisher, Nothing is real, Get away and I 8 U  are  the absolute peak. Zuul FX  give a new push  to Death/Core/Thrash  and Heavy lacing all with incredible ability and overwhelming exactness. This concert makes perfectly understand how brutal , modern  yet fertile with  sprays of beautiful melodies this French/Swiss band is. And robust too, with an intrinsic musical richness.  The crowd is in ecstasy, countless headbangings, some crowdsurfing and stage diving, a lot of  pleasure . The moshing in the middle of pit is not violent, is no chaos, it is almost a dance done by people who literally know how to master headbangings and air guitars. Fantastic Swiss people, i'm amazed every time, i don't know whether i should watch  the band or watch the crowd. Best choice: i go on headbanging like a mad in good company. Vocalist Zuul too must be impressed if he wants to film us with a camcorder . Well, I don't  whether if he is used to do so, if yes, for sure he hasn't changed his mind this evening !

Go! and it's Bled Dry  time! Around midnight the new breed of European Thrash Metal hit the stage The Dew's will provide such a great gig. And with  guitarist Florian, provisorily back in this moment,   he is not back  in  the official line- up anyway. Pity cause i see a brilliant guitar couple in Hendrik and Florian, 2 guitarists that  were a mark for the band. The line up  is perfect tonight. On the contrary, not always the sound is perfect, the volume of Hendrik's  guitar must be adjusted if i understand well, while the microphone at times  is not  up to the task. But the line up  is perfect, the concert brilliant, the cohesion supreme, nothing spoils this awesome performance.  Speaking with Mr. Leif Jensen i had already the confimation that  Uwe would be behind the skins. If compared with the gig of this last autumn at  Dynamo, we have now the presence of drummer Uwe indeed , Alex holds the bass doing a relentless rhythmic job,  Florian seems to be in great shape. The result is that the band  appears even more motivated and united  than  in November, if it may be possible.  Leif is  ferocious and resolute on stage , often headbanging, shouting his lungs out . Issue VI was a step forward to fast aggression  and vehemence but a step more towards mature and brilliant tracks. The gig of tonight confirms it. Not only. The new stuff impacts very well  and seems well known  by the crowd as well as the whole discography. The band has reached such a level of intensiveness that  the beautiful musical lines and instrumental embroideries begin to be  an exclusive delightful things for no -poser ears. This is to say that in this  intimate atmosphere of the Sedel they have the right and proper audience. Stage diving and crowd-surfing for Dew Scented too, very acclaimed, very supported and appreciated. I think and hope that the Dews feel  at ease and home here. Like Leif says, it is not always easy for a North German band to land here, in spite of the many kilometres , but organization and band have worked it out. The setlist is varied and rich, new songs like Out of the Self and Turn to Ash  are infernal demons. Unfortunately The Prison of Reason is not included, but this setlist is striking. The typical jumped distorted guitar trills of Rituals of time  tower  in Soul Poison, a  much awaited song.  Among the tracks from album  "Impact"  Acts of Rage and the wonderful Cities of the dead, played 2 times on the whole, are particularly appreciated. The second time for the mythical Cities of the Dead takes place in the encore as highly acclaimed wished song, chosen by the audience. The encore will see 2 tracks consisting in Cities of the Dead and the short piercing cover  Evil Dead from the new " Issue VI". The album "Inwards" is not forgotten,  the title track Inwards,  and Bitter Conflict ,  are some of its ambassadors. The sequence Inwards , Cities of the dead, Out of the Self and Acts of Rage is the final pillar of the gig. Florian's solos and the twin  guitar assaults are enthralling duringthe whole concert. More than  an hour of Thrash till mosh mania.

dalia di giacomo  

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

  upcoming releases|underground|artwork|videoclips|MP3's|venues

     links|contacts|gryphonbook

[I Despair]

© GryphonMetal.ch   2001-2005Niederrohrdorf - Switzerland               contacts