Z7 METAL DAYZ 2006  - second day

05.08.06 at Z 7 in Pratteln (CH)

www.z-7.ch 

photos © by Stefan and Siegfried Vogelaar

reviews by dalia di giacomo

and 

Boris Witta, Desi Güthlin

The public use of these photos  is strictly prohibited 

without written permission

(ARKHAN)

(FELSKINN)

ATRITAS

DISPARAGED

NANOWAR

PURE INC.

VANDEN PLAS

MYSTIC PROPHECY

GOD DETHRONED 

AFTER ALL

WINTERSUN

BRAINSTORM

EPICA

DARK FUNERAL

(JON OLIVA'S PAIN)

Second Day! The Saturday will be most interesting for extreme Metal-fans, 100% of the Black Metal-bands of this year are playing today, the Swiss Black Metal-formation Atritas and mighty Dark Funeral from Sweden. Already at the entrance, lots of obverse shirts can be seen, beside some stupid kiddies. But the mood is good, the first beer opened, time to greet some friends, and then turn to the stage, where Atritas will appear in a few minutes…

"Pardon me oh mum and dad
for the Telecom sent the bill with wrath ,
but i believed that the call was short
let him who hasn't a girlfriend 
go and call the number of the bitch
even though it's an expensive number,

this number is 166 166 166

I was alone i took the phone 
who did i hear! can i believe
a pack of horny lesbians howling back at me..."

Pure entertainment and comedy. Desecrating, irreverent hilarious parody. Let's say immediately that, concerning the instrumental ability, Nanowar play live really well  in an essential but effective way, where guitar, bass and drums sustain the incredible almost cabaret show where not only the stage acting but even more lyrics are the keys to the satire. Nanowar propose, in a highly self confident form,  a parody about Power and Classic Heavy metal genres, re-shaping and taking inspirations tracks from Manowar,  from Iron Maiden and other legends of metal. But this would be only a superficial vision of the band, actually if you pay attention of this satire you understand that Italian Nanowar (now NanowaR Of Steel), considered a "Power" band,  spoof many aspects of our society. After all, the joke around Power/Heavy/True/Pagan metal is only an occasion in order to express  razor-sharp critics about institutions or just about inflated manners and personalities, through the help of the music they can play and sing. In my opinion they don't spoof Classic Metal in itself (or at least not only) but habits,  thanks to  a very hilarious, caustic and totally funny attitude. Moreover, they trespass the  boundaries of Old school True/Heavy/Power metal in the moment when even Metallica or Rhapsody become instruments of the sardonic parody. Anyway, it's indeed correct to say that also some bombastic and/or cheesy features of the Classic /True Metal are really brought down to ridiculous but, as pointed before, this is only side effect. No intelligent fan of the genre(s) should feel pissed off, on the contrary should be only entertained  and feel almost proud. I think that Nanowar's philosophy is to mock all what seems strong and imposing,  but that  proves to be weak and mediocre and problematic. Symbols like sword, king, crown, steel, power and fight mean nothing when become just empty exaggerated words or marks for posers. The crowd is totally amused: applauses and laughs alternate with the enthusiastic  identification of the original master tracks. People understand the jokes, appreciate the sound and the gags, realize that Nanowar's intent is to beat the shit out of some habits. Good that Nanowar can deliver the show in good English so jokes are universally intelligible. Hey hey attention: nonetheless if you are Italian (or know very well Italian) you will be able to detect a lot of further details that make the enjoyment even more complete and humorous. Many parodies are typical Italian or exploit  Italian backgrounds and social tissues. Nonetheless Nanowar become always quickly understandable cause people are the same the whole world over. The song Master of Pizza provides even some  words in Neapolitan dialect (an album called "Made in Naples" is currently under preparation) that (figure out!) hardly can be phonetically distinguished from English when both languages are sung quickly together. Curious thing actually. Ok, Master of Puppets has become Master of Pizza ("i live in a volcano, i am napoletano...Iamme, Iamme ! Iamme! Marescia' ") but the venue gets amused also by other explosive songs like  Metal--la-la-la , one of the most amazing parodies: proud and happy under the shower in an ambush of sodomy; or  Odino and Walhalla, King (of the happy meal) targeting Pagan/Epic metal. 
One other  desecrating moment is when bassist Gatto Panceri 666, with his death metal attitude (he will tell me he really listens to much Death metal), launches the spoken intro for The Number of the Bitch (of course parody of Iron Maiden super icon Number of the Beast).

Does our hands speak? When we are Italians, it's  for sure. Gestures who symbolize and simplify the heavy metal codes turn out to be 100% fun: they must be well learned in order "that "persons like Uinona Raider too can understand". relaying on his cool voice, naughty and unstoppable singer/entertainer Potowotominimak sets  fire to all gags, supported by Mr. Baffo. Mohammed Abdul is concentrated on his guitar while Uinona Raider on "mute" backing vocals. "Scream for us"! "A real story!" "I really need a good shower!" , "Scream for Odino!", "Odino Walhalla!", "Power of the power of the power of the power of the power of the power (of the great Sword)" are just only a short list of their slogans placed in  their numerous extra song-gags.  Of course much of the show is colored from spicy sexual and /or temperament implications. Success for them and amusement for us. Remember!: "Other bands play, Nanowar gay!"

The 4-piece emerging Swiss band, Basel - based and  signed  in  AFM roster, is actually not so original at all, nonetheless they deliver a good nice show characterized by  a Hard Rock musically quite oriented in direction Van Halen, full with cadenced music, enhanced by  that good quantity of self-confidence and good taste and clear solid vocals, yet also softer moments of melodic ballade nearer to Grunge inspiration are served. Indeed, Pure Inc. know how to mix melody and angrier force  through a solid feeling of Rock with just a touch of Blues. Noticeable guitar riffs interlace with a compact dry drumming and a compact bass playing. I am a Rolling Stone rocks and is one of the tracks presented and taken from their latest second album "A new Day's Dawn",  released this year. Another track from this album, which impacts very well, is Where's your God that  begins with a guitar arpeggio and a light touch of cymbals developing soon a rock ballade of satisfactory power. Singer Gianni Pontillo (also vocalist in The Order) is a polite guy able to be quite interactive with the crowd yet maintaining a certain leading charisma between shouting and singing, while guitarist Sandro Pellegrini is  the more energetic expression of the band together with  the young and talented drummer. In this soundscape,  bassist "Genti"   is very supportive, providing that calm exactness very useful to the cadenced proceeding. In few words, Pure Inc. are agreeable and play a listenable, many times involving Rock straight in your face but with the proper groovy warmth. Pure Inc. have a lot of experience live, that's why they shine here now with a good amount of  maturity. Fear my Eyes crowns one of the moments of the final  propulsion.

Unfortunately German progressive/metal Vanden Plas has to cancel the show, due to an allergic reaction which hit the hand of a member of the band, the guitarist... if i understand well? An insect sting or something so. Despite all the proper and immediate cure it is not possible to perform. Lead singer Andy Kuntz speaks for the band and  greets from the stage all the fans, telling that the band is very sorry for this inconvenience, moreover there was the intention to present the new album "Christ 0". This is no lucky day for Vanden Plas who wishes us a great time with Crucified Barbara that will take the stage again, substituting the German metallers. Organizer Dane takes care about the translation into French for the always present audience coming from France. All in all the crowd appreciates Andy Kuntz's words and, anyway, enjoys the idea to attend again a show from the Swedish girls. From Crucified Barbara's side it's nice to be at disposal and , at the same time, this is a further occasion to promote more vividly their music. Nonetheless I saw them yesterday and today i am no longer interested; i wait for After All.

official statement from Vanden Plas - "one day before the show i got bitten by a mosquito in my left hand.
the next morning (the day of the show) my hand was really turgid, so i went to the hospital where i got medicaments (cortison).
we all hoped that i get well until the afternoon, so we drove all the way down to Pratteln. but it didn't get better. in Pratteln i went again to a hospital, but there was nothing the doctor could do. i wasn't able to play at all, so we had to cancel the show .... :("

The motto of the Death Metal-bastion from the Netherlands seems to be: Veni, vidi, vici. This is how a total triumph has to look like. An aggressive, well-motivated crowd which pushes the band enormous, and God Dethroned give full insert. Henri Sattler on guitars on vocals (logically not too active with his double taxation), the eyes wide open, master of the growls, and next to him Isaac on the second six string, with a grim vista, throwing riff after riff into the audience. The strength of God Dethroned is for sure their variability: There’s brutal Death Metal, then calm, melodic parts, almost harmonic, which show the ability of the musicians, then freezing Black Metal-influences, and always a maximum of blasphemy. “The Warcult”, one of the highlights, destroying, neck breaking, the masses mosh like hell, and it gets pretty warm. It’s like every Death Metal-maniac concentrates his whole power, his whole energy and his whole enthusiasm into this gig of God Dethroned. However, this is a real Death Metal-manifest, and the band obviously appreciates it. Bad, that there’s not enough time for some more songs, I guess everyone in the hall was hungry for more... absolutely no doubt, the loudest applause for a Death Metal-band this weekend.

Outdoor stage. Belgian Metalcore/Thrashers After All are massive and motivated. Another Dockyard1 band (see GurD) that has recently released an album, This violent Decline, which seems to be incentive enough in order to lay down a good gig. Aggressive thrashy riffs sound really interesting and mastered by a great  guitar twin work, at times even in synchronicity, in order to magnify the energy. The pizzicato bass gives constant support. The whole rhythmic section is enough hammering and downtuned while the guitars are set  on a higher timbre that shifts the sound to another level. maybe it's only me, but i clearly feel the guitars burning in my head, while the rhythmic section hits the chest. Singer Piet Focroul performs  in a very angry  and gloomy and passionate way. Fortunately the rain becomes less intensive and the crowd can gather numerous, approving  and supporting. Actually After all provide for a good stage acting and for a compact set where melodies show up in the middle of muscular tensions of the riffing; methinks old school is well combined with more modern ingredients. The setlist is varied and balanced among the productions and ends with Blind Euphoria, proceeded by Forgotten. Forgotten  is introduced through  a kind of proclamation shouted by Piet: "from Black Metallers to Thrashers, you are here tonight and you  all are not forgotten!"  Chills and enthusiasm. The previously  played Blackest Moon, within the new songs, seems to me very dynamic and very emotional too. Interesting thing, so i could say that Blackest Moon is surely a track that gets my deep attention. In the same way Pure Inc. did, After all too , during the show, invite the crowd to applaud the whole Z7 crew.

Indoor stage: the Dutch female fronted symphonic/epic band Epica is actually much awaited, awaited in a way like they were a kind of small revelation of the latest years. Epica don't disappoint their fans and lay down a show which  shows much care in any detail. Indeed, maybe too much care. In my opinion, this is actually the problem. The band is very agreeable and soaked with a symphonic music providing both tender and powerful features. Honestly, i think that  there cannot be any alternative in order to propose this music: the look must be glossy, romantic, just only slightly sinister and always massively atmospheric. But  now it comes the problem: the result, although agreeable and involving, sounds somehow manufactured, not natural, artificial. Singer Simone Simons looks like Walt Disney's The little Mermaid, and her red hair is constantly aired by an electric fan. The band seems to ride gently the clouds of Valhalla, putting one of the strong point in the duet moment between Simons and guitarist Mark Jansen's  brilliant  grunts. Yet everything is too much "prepared", at times even  right bombastic and prefabricated, totally made up in the best look possible. A very important  detail of the show is the Light. Well, it is actually one of the best light show  i have ever seen, the rays of light are so perfectly calibrated concerning colors and and 3d reflections that the band is given an all round three-dimensional pathos. Yet this super light performance ends up to magnify that sense of artificiality. It is quite a dilemma: to deliver a perfect  show with this genre of music and to appear prefabricated or to be more natural appearing careless and empty. I think that  symphonic music is not very easy to be brought on stage, so let's be happy with  this cinema-like screening  and let's enjoy the fantastic terrible grunts which  counterpoint and integrate the mezzosoprano sweet vocals from Simone. 

Let's enjoy the harmonic background carpets and let's dive into a world of fairy tales and fantasy. It's strange, very strange, but , during the concert, even not one single comparison with Nightwish or Within Temptation or the music of Kamelot or whatever in this direction is assaulting my mind. i remain there, a bit mesmerized thinking constantly of the the little mermaid. Don't know whether this a compliment or not. Meseems that  also a lot  of expectations  is put on the head of this band, a combo which is anyway passionate. The setlist is fluent and songs are chosen so that  the various musical sides are all underlined. At times the band sounds more Gothic, at times more in direction Power/epic, at times the band even gives green light to Pagan elements. I don't know Epica's discography, not my style at all, but there is one song that awakens me up and forces me to sharpen  my interest. This song is so beautiful that towers over the whole bitter sweet soundscape. It must be "Cry for the Moon" . I understand the words "behind a fairytale forever and ever"...? ...it must be Cry for the Moon...

. 

Finally, it’s time, it’s time for Dark Funeral, the gig I expected the most this day. Already an hour before the gig, we take the first row, and then, after sixty long minutes, the intro comes out of the boxes, and the five Swedish maniacs enter the stage, vocalist Emperor Magus Caligula and the guitarists Lord Ahriman and Chaq Mol again in their leather armament. “King Antichrist” is the first blasphemic opus, but what a fucking bad sound! As good as no guitars, no voice, just drums, drums, drums. That fact changes foremost after three or four songs, and some people told me that Matte Modin had some timing-problems during the blasts. Well, if the the sound on stage was this bad like in front of the stage, then nobody can make him some reprovals. But back to the show: Dark Funeral are as impressive as the last time with Naglfar and Endstille, just a fucking Black Metal commando, a band, which is one of the creators of the Swedish hyperblast style. Corpsepaint, spikes, leather, this is not a show or an image, this is real, it’s a part of every Dark Funeral-member. “Secrets Of The Black Arts”, “My Dark Desires”, the terrific “Hail Murder” (with an enormous choir!), my personal favourite “Vobiscum Satanas” (if I remind it right), and of course a lot of numbers from the actual album “Attera Totus Sanctus”. The sound gets better, and it’s just a celebration to bang to these infernal hymns and to forget everything else. After the gig, I heard that a friend of mine had to puke right next to me, and I didn’t even remark it… perfect the change between killing blasts and the icecold leadguitars, and when Lord Ahriman stands in front of you, bangs and raises his guitar to the audience, it’s just very stately. Of course Dark Funeral have to come back after the regular set, and “An Apprentice Of Satan” closes the concert. The ineffable kings of darkness showed why they got this title, but with better sound, it could have been even better… and at this point, a fuck off to all this stupid kiddies in the first rows who think Black Metal means to take as much Kajal as possible, the most evil shirts and to act like a fucking poser. You’ll never understand the essence of Black Metal, the essence of bands such as Dark Funeral!!

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