NO MERCY FEST
Just missing the Easter holidays and with doors opening at 5pm it still looked like a fair few were bunking off work early today to catch all the bands playing.
First up were Hades Lab who I had previously missed but was looking forward to catching as they contain members of Gorerotted and Killing Mode in their ranks. Singer Zilla came on and apologised as they were not at full strength tonight and were just playing as a 3-piece. With a powerful PA behind them they still sounded mighty ferocious with Rushy’s powerful drum mauling and humongous elongated throated yells from the singer. A song which may well have been introduced as ‘Black Plague’ sounded akin to Necrophagia taking on a tag team from Razorback records at a bring your own chainsaw party. In other words this was pretty sick stuff. Not having an official website or any songs on their myspace yet, they did well to get the opening slot here and were akin to mixing your drinks with formaldehyde, just to see what happens. Will be checking them out again at the Infernal Damnation festival next week.
Root from the Czech Republic were the surprise of the day. I had certainly heard of them and having been around for 17 years should well have done, but had never actually heard them. Riffs were very melodic in essence and singer Jirí "Big Boss" Valter was at a black pulpit reading lyrics from a grimoire of arcane delights. He was also adorned in intricate facial sigils giving the whole performance a theatrical Satanic slant totally accentuating the music. “Satan is here,” he responded to an audience catcall as they set about practising their craft like latter day alchemists, certainly putting a spell on proceedings and going down really well with many of the UK Czech metal contingent down the front for them. It was the riffing that really set them apart as well as the visual display. Basically every song seemed forged full of sublime solos despite cliché titles to them like Satan (ahem). Last song was 666 and basically summed up a downright evil and interesting set.
Same couldn’t really be said for Dew Scented who always sound like a covers band despite having their own material. Starting off slowly was a trick we knew would not last and sure enough they quickly exploded into their no bullshit brand of leave your brain at the door Slayer worship. You know exactly what you are getting with these Germans but they do things with both flair and conviction somewhat belying lack of originality. ‘Cities Of The Dead’ had the mosh off and was a somewhat infectious assault of old school credibility. Singer Leif was certainly up for charging the place up and asked for the mosh pit to get opened up for ‘Turn To Ash’ and although they did ok, I had a feeling there was a band from Birmingham on the way who were really going to show them just how to do things. New songs like ‘Into The Arms Of Misery’ sounded pretty much the same as the old ones and by now this was becoming kind of tiresome and I was rather pleased when they called it a night.
For many the evening was starting with the arrival of Polish horde Behemoth and let me tell you in no uncertain terms, they absolutely shredded from the off. Nergal and his hard working, ever touring crew are machines or perhaps aliens as their make up suggests and always impress the hell out of me. Turning everything very dark they simply owned the stage and everyone in the place with songs like ‘Antichristian Phenomenon taking our souls and consuming them in a solitary gulp. The insectoid appearance of the band always really commands attention as well and with the lightshow really firing up a notch this was visually as jaw dropping as the ferocity of the music. Newer numbers from the fantastic Demigod sounded spot on, clinically delivered and doing just as intended, ‘Conquer All’ job done. Orion looked ghoulish hammering away at the bass and despite not being able to get a clear view of Inferno blazing away on the drums you could certainly hear him. “Hands up any Christians,” shouted Nergal before promptly throwing them to the lions and Summoning Of Ancient Gods took us right back a decade to the groups blacker origins and sounded just as impressive with cold and icy licks.
I think we were all waiting expectantly for a new one and we got it as anticipated. ‘Christgrinding Avenue,’ was not only an address anyone would be proud to live at but also one that created a good 1st impression and a song with so many bodies hitting the floor that it was impossible to pick everyone up. ‘As Above So Below’ and the rabid tenacity of the bestial ‘Slaves Shall Serve’ was the sort of thing that hardly any band would dare to follow, certainly fewer still would have any chance of upstaging but that band were next up.
As a postscript I can’t help but think Behemoth are a band far too good to be wasted on $haron and O$$y’s little corporate party in America.
I tried to work out how many times I have seen Napalm Death before and guess if I say twice a year for the last 20 on average around 40 times would be about right. The only polite place was the photo pit as we danced around each other trying to capture the frontman who simply won’t stand still, but for once I was rewarded catching him like a stunned beast in my sights. It was tough being there though as the real pit was calling with songs like ‘Suffer The Children’ literally crying out to come and play.
When it did, this was a big old violent circle pit and sometimes you have to just put pen and paper down and go in for some action (and bruises in the morning). ‘Silence Is Golden’, well not much of that going on here. Barney’s fearsome barks and Mitch Harris’s violent yaps were leaping out from the grinding machinery of Napalm’s war. It was pretty unifying that every band had an anti religious message behind them here tonight. Napalm D made theirs with Fatalist from newest and also excellent album Smear Campaign.
There was a bloke in the pit as big and nasty looking as Jake The Muss from ‘Once We’re Warriors’ and I gave him a wide birth as we ripped into ‘Breed To Breathe’ which knocked the breath straight out of us and was quickly followed by more Top 40 hits like ‘When All Is Said And Done.’ Barney announced he was having problems with his shoelaces not that this was going to slow him down and it was time for some short sharp old ones like Scum and blink and miss it ‘You Suffer’. After ‘Nazi Punks Fuck Off’ I staggered out to pour water over my head, guzzle beer and watch the bruises come up. I would say I was too old for this shit but as long as Napalm Death keep going, so will I.
And so it was time to slow the pace (well you couldn’t make it faster) with headliners Moonspell making a welcome return (3-4 years) to our shores. Having made it right back in my good books with their spectacular return to form album Memorial last year I was more than happy when they quickly launched into Finisterra, one of the discs most powerful and darkest numbers.
Moonspell had blown London apart once before when they supported Type O Negative on the Irreligious tour but on subsequent visits and some albums that just didn’t hit the mark, they have disappointed me in the past. I was hoping that the balance was going to be redressed here and to a large extent it was.
We could even have thought that the whole of the album was being played as ‘Momento Mori’ was next. Fernando’s voice was rich and powerful as he flamboyantly strutted his stuff in a red cloak and put on a rousing performance. The guitars shimmered magnificently and the keyboards sounded just right in the mix. Prog tendencies at times bewitched the likes of ‘Opium’ and ‘Awake’ whisking us back to the groups 2nd Skin Era.
In fact I need not have worried as Moonspell basically ignored material from ‘The Antidote’ and ‘Darkness And Hope,’ instead opting to drag us back in time to Irreligious for ‘Ruin And Misery’ where powerhouse croons were dragged along on the wings of anthemic bursts. A huge spotlight suddenly beamed like a giant eye and ‘Blood Tells’ leapt out the speakers illustrating the Portuguese band at their very best, enforced, angry and very much on fire.
Vampiria took me back to the first time they had played it at I believe The George Robey circa 1995. It sounded austere and lycanthropic and had the audience howling, what more could you want. The ice cream keyboards sent shards of ice down my spine and sounded magnificent. Having an hour to shoot across London I legged it just before the end of the set as and with ‘Alma Mater’ ringing in my ears escaped to face the night and whatever lay therein. Excellent show!
Pete Woods
LONDON KOKO 10/04/07