LONDON DEATHFEST X
CAMDEN UNDERWORLD 27/06/09
Hitting it’s 10th anniversary, birthday cakes were forgone but glasses were toasted to the success of this yearly event by everyone walking through the door. Many hours later those same not so sober people fell up the venue stairs having just been flattened by Immolation and no less than eight other bands. The hardy had watched them all, only venturing outside during a backline change-over and being forced to run for lives by one of the most violent flash floods I have ever had the displeasure of being caught in. Apart from that act of a pissed off deity everything ran smoothly as ever. Congratulations once again to Paul and Felicity of Arcane Promotions for their dedication and hard work and thumbs are pointed downwards to those unoriginal promoters for shamelessly capitalising on their good name, ideas and even bands. Death to false deathfests! (PW)
I’ve always liked Horsham based Dyscarnate and I’ve seen them on a number of occasions, so I know the energy that they can bring to the stage when they play. It’s always a little bit difficult being the first band on an all day gig, but Dyscarnate manage to perform this feat with consummate ease. The band play a style of death metal that has a wicked crunch, some excellent break-downs within songs that contain a groove that keeps everything interesting, and above all the stage presence that the four-piece have belies their age. They play through some of their old songs with a tightness that you would expect from a band that had been touring for years, and new song “An axe to Grind” gives a good idea that they are only going to become more brutal and more proficient at their art. A good start to the day as Dyscarnate manage to capture the attention of the crowd with some catchy, nasty and hook laden riff work. Very, very enjoyable indeed and I expect to hear them rising through the ranks in the very near future.
On to Porkfarm. From the off, these guys are pretty damn intense, and combine the fast stuff well with some of the more mid-paced breakdowns that allow something for the crowd to get their teeth into. Songs such as “Suffer” have a good dynamic to them but where Porkfarm occasionally fall down is in their ability to consistently capture the attention of the crowd. The vocals are good and so is the music, but I would have expected them to be a lot more “in your face” than they were and to be bringing the aggression to the audience a lot more. Still, the track “Severed and Bound” has a catchiness to it that if other pieces like this were combined with that little bit more aggression in the future then they would definitely turn a few heads. There are obviously some moments to be impressed during their set, with the band seemingly getting more into it after a little bit of time on the stage. If Porkfarm can bring a little bit more in the way of presence and fire the crowd up then they could be around for years to come.
Croydon based band Fleshrot really need no introduction for those of you who regularly attend death gigs in and around London. They rarely disappoint and this is one of those performances which can stand alongside some of their best. I’d only ever seen them at the Purple Turtle, so it’s always interesting to see bands playing in a larger venue. They quite simply kicked ass, and in my opinion provided one of the more enjoyable sets and performances of the day. These guys have bag loads of energy and the intensity at which their entire set is played at is pretty amazing. The stomping parts are awesome. The singer has a real confidence on the stage, and from beginning to end, they ruled the Underworld. Delightfully titled track “Drunk, Fucked and Dismembered” (not a good night out really......) is one of the highlights of the set, and typifies the brutality and intensity for which these guys are well known. New song “From the” reminds me of the sort of energy and structure that Deicide had in their earlier years and the song “Dahmer” shows that Fleshrot are near the top of the pile when arranging songs to make them aggressive and catchy in equal parts. Excellent musicianship from a talented and committed band. Top marks.
Ahhhh………Amputated. This band split opinion like no other. Some people love their over the top lyrical content and slamming death metal whereas some other fans of DM have already decided to pigeonhole them as being a triviality that relies on gory and outrageous song titles. Well…….shame on you guys. As in my opinion, this band was the one of the most impressive live on display today alongside Fleshrot and headliners Immolation. Frontman Mark’s banter today had real conviviality and the banter with the fans is both enjoyable and friendly. But all that aside, they provided some hook laden, slamming, punishing and exceptionally enjoyable death metal. Songs such as oldies “Dead Hungry”, “Anally Disembowelled” and “Gargling with Infected Semen” all go down an absolute treat (no pun intended) and are played with the ferocity and energy that we are accustomed to from this band. What was interesting to see, is how some of the newer material was going to be received. Let’s just say that it was awesome. “Projectile Beer Vomit” gets a nice pit going and “Cunt Like A Sewer” is pure entertainment (not for the person performing cunnilingus I guess). There’s also some song about Warhammer as well which for the life of me I can’t remember the title, but in the end it doesn’t matter. There should be NO divided opinion over Amputated after this performance as it was totally enjoyable and totally entertaining – and isn’t that why we go to see bands in the live arena in the first place? Not for a note for note rendition of the cd, but to be blown away by the performance – and that’s just what they did!! Superb stuff and these guys remain in my “make the effort to see list”. (AD)
Irish grinders Abaddon Incarnate had well and truly dropped off the radar since their last (and it has to be said somewhat disappointing) performance at the Deathfest a few years ago. With a new album ‘Cascade’ just about to hit the shelves, the band seemed invigorated this time around and literally tore the Underworld up as they romped through 12 numbers or so in their time slot. Starting with ‘False’ and ‘Unclean’ from their punishing 2001 release ‘Nadir’ they pleasured the old fans before quickly moving onto newer material. The only real problem was a lack of audience interaction and they deserved better than a few dedicated hair twirlers at the front. This was apparently their third gig in London in the last ten years too. ‘Hour Of The Dog’ from my favourite album ‘Dark Crusade’ stood out and the interestingly entitled ‘Burn With The Sun God’ was a new one that had me thinking I should not have been so quick to dismiss this lot last time around. (PW)
Now Detrimentum are one hell of a heavy band. Last year’s ‘Embracing The Deformity was one of the 2008’s highlights and these boys can mix it with some of the best when it comes to technicality and brutality. From the off they do exactly what it says on the tin and play their set with the energy and passion that you would expect. “Circle of Hell” is well received with its fast pace and nice rhythms. The band is as tight as a gnats chuff and some of the work on stage you just have to admire. The difficulty that Detrimentum have today, is that they are in the middle of the pack, and sometimes, some of their brutal, technical material is difficult to get into when you have already had about 4-5 other bands on and you’ve been standing on your feet a while. That is certainly not a criticism about them, just that after some of the previous artists playing some slamming death, it can be difficult changing your mindset to fully accommodate the talent and work of these guys. Still, Detrimentum play a bloody good bunch of songs choc a block of deathly treats and “Odyssey Through Torment” which is probably one of the best received songs that they play tonight is nothing short of awesome, unrelenting, unforgiving and passionate brutal death. The heart and talent that these guys play with today cannot be faulted. (AD)
Due to Northern Line troubles I missed the beginning of Gorod’s set, arriving as they were just getting into their stride. The first thing I noticed was that vocalist Guillaume and bassist Barby were probably body builders in their spare time; they looked huge on stage, leaving a formidable impression on some of the crowd I expect.
They had a melee of rhythms springing around, and this was quite interesting. It was something like an emphasised Decapitated with many more manic widdly sections. ‘Here die your Gods’ said this more than any other song, and for one brief moment I wondered if they were going to incorporate the universally popular ‘Spheres of Madness’ into it somewhere. Fortunately they didn’t!
By the last song the crowd was raging, but obviously time was of the essence and they were ushered quite unceremoniously offstage – almost pushed in fact – leaving the spectators chanting for an encore, a gesture which was visibly appreciated. They’re not a band I would personally follow, but devotees of barking rhythms should definitely investigate further.
Avulsed were a different proposition altogether. Their earthy riffs and fairly lively stage show - complete with plenty of hair twirling – went down a treat with the crowd. There was more of an atmosphere and Dave Rotten (mmm, very Spanish sounding that!) grunted his way about the stage, even during head-banging. Song announcements came in that sadly tiresome manner whereby everything is reduced to an inaudible grunt – kind of defeats the purpose doesn’t it? Hopefully one day one of these bands will work this out (or just take a leaf out of Immolation’s book).
The guitars at this stage had been annoyingly lowered, resulting in more hum than buzz and rendered the drums the dominant instrument. A few titles (thankfully a set list photo was taken) included ‘Gore-spattered Suicide’, ‘Breaking Hymens’, ‘Let me Taste your Flesh’ and ‘Sick, sick, sex’. After wandering to and fro, rabbiting away to us, Mr Rotten announced, ‘sorry my English is very bad’. I don’t know whether it was the accent or the grammar, but he certainly had me thinking ‘que?’
You couldn’t deny their enthusiasm, but at the same time I knew I’d heard it all before and to be honest was at this point relishing seeing the headliners once again. (OC)
I still get star struck when I see these guys. Immolation have always been one of the most committed and well respected of death metal bands and an inspiration for any aspiring to make it in this genre. The fact that Bob and Ross spend most of the day selling their own T-shirts on their stall, spending time chatting to the fans and being about as humble as you can get, highlights their support and commitment to the death metal scene. Well….it’s what everyone had been waiting for, and Immolation do not disappoint. From the opening song to the close they rule. Playing with absolutely full out blistering energy and with a togetherness and professionalism that you would come to expect from a band that have been playing for so long, they have the Underworld crowd eating out of their hands. Songs from Shadows in the Light such as “Passion Kills” and “World Agony” blend in seamlessly with material from their earlier albums and the intensity on stage that Ross Dolan and company portray is immense. It’s all the more striking when the mild mannered front-man speaks quietly to the crowd between songs showing the aforementioned humility. “Into Everlasting Fire” of course goes down an absolute treat and throughout the set, the swarming pit never ceases to be a maelstrom of activity. Couple that with some hectic stage-diving (at one time by someone who is completely trolleyed and seemingly doesn’t know where he is – dealt with expertly by the band by the way) and you have a pretty much unforgettable performance from Immolation. “Once ordained” and the excellent “Father, You’re not a father” are also among a set which highlights just how consistent and how good all their albums have been. By the end, the crowd are left in no doubts as to who the daddies were tonight. An excellent way to finish off what was an altogether enjoyable and successful day, and I am now left counting the days until Immolation get in the studio to record their first cd for new label Nuclear Blast……..oh Lordy!! (AD)
Andy Duke, Oliver Cass and Pete Woods
Click here for photographs
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