BEHEMOTH, KATAKLYSM, ABORTED AND LYFTHRASYR
It’s not often I go to another country to see a band who aren’t touring the UK, but I have done it in the past and seeing as France is actually rather close, decided to go for a little adventure in Lyon with some friends for a couple of days.
I was very surprised to discover there were no Behemoth tour shirts being sold as I thought the Poles were usually quite keen on producing such things. Oh well never mind I thought, and strolled up to the balcony to watch Lyfthrasyr (whom I’d never heard of). Well I still haven’t really heard them as there was practically no guitar in the sound mix. I could hear the keyboards, vocals and drums, but sadly these weren’t really selling it to me and I lapsed into a world of my own.
Outside in the queue (yes, we’re going slightly back in time for a moment), I’d noticed Sven from Aborted sporting a newly shaved head. Being a (heterosexual!) long-haired obsessive this made me a little sad and it added to the miserable fact that I think Aborted shot themselves in the foot with latest album ‘Slaughter and Apparatus’. Now, I may dislike this but it would be very unfair to say they put on a bad performance. In fact they were very good…and it was a most bizarre set. They’ve clearly been socialising a lot with Behemoth, because on they came with corpse paint (!) and then Seb checked his guitar with a few seconds of Mayhem’s ‘De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’. Utterly strange! Owing to not having listened to the new album for about six months, I couldn’t say what they opened with but I suspect it was ‘The Chondrin Enigma’. Luckily for me there were only two new songs on the setlist (the other being ‘Avenious’). A backing sample (oh I do like those things) announced ‘The doctor is in!’ and all hell broke loose with ‘Meticulous Invagination’. The French went mental and being the mellow thing that I am, decided to take photos from the side of the crowd. ‘Gestated Rabidity’ made way for ‘The Saw and the Carnage Done’, which (after a epic break of a good second) broke (or should that be ripped?) into ‘Sanguine Verses’, which transformed into the first minute of ‘Threading on Vermillion Deception’ and then into ‘Blood Fixing the Bled’ (something from “The Archaic Abattoir” that I hadn’t heard before). Seb (guitarist), whom I know is a Black Metal fan, looked far more convincing in his black and white paint than the others. Perhaps it’s the long hair, who knows. Having given up on his propeller-like wind-milling, Sven looked more than happy scowling at the crowd. His lack of hair hasn’t slowed him down much though and he opted for his hardcore styled head thumping ‘thing’ for most of their set. ‘Hecatomb’ reintroduced the trademark Aborted savagery and ‘A Cold Logistic Slaughter’ carried it on until the end.
I thought I knew exactly what they were going to play for the encore when the very first sample from “The Archaic Abattoir” filled the air waves. However, they hadn’t finished their friendly mocking of their Polish acquaintances yet. Amusement and bewilderment came over me as Behemoth’s ‘Chant for Eskathon 2000’ rang out for some time and I don’t think I was the only one feeling like that. They managed the transition into ‘Dead Wreckoning’ ridiculously well and on that note they ended, walking off to an appreciative cheer.
My love affair with Kataklysm was very short lived as I find them a bit too catchy and groovy. Having not seen them for a couple of years, I was (kind of) looking forward to the Northern Hyperblast (surely a term that should be used for Cryptopsy instead?), as they’re good for an enthusiastic head-nod at least! Their set turned out to be unusually long for a support act and mostly comprised of material from the most recent three albums. ‘Like Angels Weeping (the Dark)’ had the crowd leaping around from the off set whilst the band divulged in much hair flailing. I couldn’t understand a word Maurizio (vocals) spoke between songs, as he’d resorted to using his first language with the French crowd. Still I can’t really complain; at least he announced songs in English. ‘Let them Burn’ certainly took my neck (but not my hair!) for a ride and the next thing we knew, ‘The Ambassadors of Pain’ were snarling at us. ‘The Resurrected’ increased the pace a tad and ‘Crippled and Broken’ more than slowed it down again. The people in the pit were having a merry old time wacking each other to such rhythmic Death Metal, but I was feeling a little ‘Beyond Salvation’ (I exaggerate a little). ‘As I Slither’ even had me shouting the chorus (I can’t have been too far beyond salvation after all), and so did ‘Manipulator of Souls’ come to think of it. ‘Shadows and Dust’ put and end to proceedings and I was left looking forward to plenty of blast-beats hahaha!
I’ve come to the conclusion that Behemoth (with the exception of Inferno behind the drums) must have permanent headaches. I still haven’t worked out how a band can do so much touring and head-banging without killing themselves.
‘Rome 64 C.E.’ raged out of the PA and Inferno encouraged fists and horns to be thrown back and forth, while the others picked up their guitars and prepared themselves for madness. ‘Slaying the Prophets ov Isa’ was always going to be first on the list, and I certainly didn’t have any complaints, apart from fists in the air blocking my camera’s view temporarily. ‘Anti-Christian Phenomenon’ was the first of the more blatant Christ-bashing songs on offer tonight and raced past before we knew what had happened. Leaping from era to era in a maelstrom of rapidly twirling hair and snare pounding, ‘Demigod’, ‘From the Pagan Vastlands’ and the brand new ‘Prometherion’ were called forth to pummel us into submission. The crowd were pretty tired by this point and it would be fair to say the Poles had ‘Conquered All’ (how many more times will this pun be used?) in Lyon tonight, even if it wasn’t over. We were led up ‘Christgrinding Avenue’ and informed most impolitely that ‘slaves SHALL fucking serve’. ‘As Above so Below’ was disappointingly (well I thought so) the only song aired from “Zos Kia Cultus” and a blast-filled drum solo gave us continued space to breathe before Inferno’s fire breath warmed up the venue. The watching ‘Christians…’ were rounded up to be fed ‘…to the Lions’ and by this point Seth was going absolutely barking with the wind-milling (nothing new there to be honest) and finally (or so I thought), the real ‘Chant for Eskathon 2000’ cried out and I went to get my bag, not sensing more hilarities were on their way. The encore was a strange affair; not only did they play the Turbonegro song ‘I’ve got an erection’, but Seb from Aborted decided to come prancing onstage nude, with his hands covering his modesty. Of course Seth didn’t want to let him off, but eventually he did.
A very good gig, and great performances from everyone…who knows, maybe one day I’ll return to Lyon for another gig.
Oliver Cass
NINKASI KAO, LYON 14/10/07