by BBG

Trey Azagthoth of Morbid Angel

May 26th was a day of firsts for me at the tenth annual Maryland Deathfest. It was the first time I saw Confessor, Deviated Instinct and Haemorrhage. The first time I heard "new" material from death-doom godsWinter. The first time I saw Noothgrush with new live vocalist Dino Sommese (Ghoul, Dystopia, etc). And maybe most memorably, the first time I witnessed a man whip out his junk out on stage, piss in his cupped hand and wipe his face with it.

The latter first came care of Horna, who's lead singer Spellgoth performed the "urine baptism" at center stage (pictures below, NSFW?) and was one of several notable black metal-influenced performances (Archgoat, Tsjuder, Black Witchery) on that brutally hot Saturday. The moment wasn't noticed by many, but the foul stench of old blood and human fluids left a trail throughout the indoor stage.

My mid-afternoon arrival at Sonar meant that I sadly missed sets by Infernal Stronghold, Bloody Phoenix, and Looking for an Answer, and not-so-sadly missed October 31 (members Deceased) and Anvil (the former being eons better than the latter). The remainder of the sweltering hot day was largely a string of successes with stellar sets from crusty thrashers Hellbastard, UK's Dragged into Sunlight, deliciously obnoxious goregrind from Haemorrhage, death-doom pioneers Winter (who played unearthed songs at MDF), thrash from Morbid Saint and an impressive set from the reunited technical-doom crew Confessor.

Reunited crust-death metal crew Deviated Instinct wins for my favorite of the daytime performances (they played at close to the same time as The Devil's Blood), and though bassist David Vincent gave me a bit of a Nikki Sixx douche-chill during Morbid Angel's headlining set, the band's performance of the early classics absolutely murdered. Brujeria, the supercrew made up of members of Napalm Death, Carcass and more, were great headliners for the opposing outdoor stage but I opted for Noothgrush.

More pictures from day three at Maryland Deathfest are below. If you missed them, check out day one pictures HERE, a set of Rorschach's pictures HERE, and day two pictures HERE.

Continue reading "Maryland Deathfest Day 3: Morbid Angel, Winter, Brujeria, Dragged Into Sunlight, Haemorrhage, Confessor and more"

BBG is back in Oslo, this time for Inferno. Here's what he's catching at the Norwegian metal festival...

by BBG

Autopsy @ Inferno

It's true. Everything in Europe is a little bit different than the states. Case in point, the classic European mosh pit. In the USA, there's always a few knuckleheads walking in circles and trying to assert their pit supremacy with flailing arms, swing kicks, picking-up-change, and skanking. Kudos to an American band, Autopsy for showing me that European moshing is basically a mass of ear-to-ear smiles, pogoing, and kids bouncing off of each other like pinballs.

Agalloch had just started their set at Inferno by the time I got to the venue on the festival's third night, so I missed sets by Merah, Necronomicon and Aeon Throne. I have seen Agalloch a few times and am used to seeing them in a much smaller space; the Portland band on the gigantic Rockefeller stage was nothing less than epic, probably aided by the amazing knob-twiddling skills of the one and only Billy Anderson (who is touring with them as their soundman). Songs from their recent Marrow Of The Spirit and Ashes Against the Grain never sounded so good.

Agalloch's touring partners, the great Velnias, held down the John Dee in the set directly following, and their grand statements of black metal majesty have never sounded so big. The last time I saw the band was at the DIY space Acheron in NYC, so this was decidedly different.

No offense to either Agalloch or Velnias, but after two sets of multi-part epic black metal, catching Tsjuder on the main stage was a welcome change. Tsjuder were everything I wanted at that moment from a "true Norwegian black metal band" (self described, of course); simple in approach, nihilstic, relentless, hooky but without the corny, and with breakdowns straight from the Celtic Frost playbook. The crowd ate it up like it was a coconut curry (one of the only things to eat at the venue), and so did I. Side note: Tsjuder wins the prize for band with the most fans with a tattoo of their logo at Inferno.

Dead Trooper was next on the John Dee stage, and their thrash hybrid contained elements of black metal and many other different influences mixed in. While that in itself isn't a deal breaker, the alternating growls and clean singing in Hetfield style (sorrow becomes sorroooooo-wah) truly put this band over the "not interested" hump for me. Sorry homies.

I washed my hands clean of Dead Trooper with the always amazing Absu. The lightning fast Texas crew played favorites like the new album opener "Earth Ripper", "Four Crossed Wands", "Thirteen Blows" and my personal favorite Absu track, "Pillars of Mercy." The last time I saw Absu (at Europa), I was told that the song was arranged for two guitars so I am happy that the trio figured out a way to take that Tara classic on the road. Such a unique band, one of the few that can get away with campy song introductions and still rip as hard as the best of them.

Clad in cowboy attire, hair braided, and opening with riffs that sounded like more metallic versions of Morricone soundtracks, I thought I had Solstafir pegged as a progressive metal band with a southwestern slant. Though they started a bit shaky, the band tightened up by the end of the first song and played an interesting set of psychedelic metal with black metal parts that had some great moments. The crowd were nuts for the band, and I was surprised and definitely impressed.

Autopsy was the main attraction of the night, and rightfully so. The primitive death metal legends got the crow riled up and brought the first mosh pit of the evening with songs like "Severed Survival", "Gasping for Air", and later fare like "Maggot Holes" and "Hand of Darkness". So animated. So brutal. So amazing. I can't wait for the Bell House show.

Pictures from day three of Inferno are below.

Continue reading "Inferno Festival 2012 -- night 3 pics & review (Autopsy, Agalloch, Absu, Solstafir & more)"