Expectations - May Euro Tour 2013

In the vein of the previous post, I'll be helping "Expectations" with booking their 2013 Euro tour. They hit the road in May and will flame up a fine number of countries for the upcoming Summer.

May, 17th - Sofia, Bulgaria

May, 18th - Novi Sad, Serbia

May, 19th - Pecs, Hungary

May, 20th - Wien/Salzburg, Austria - NEED HELP

May, 21th - Ingolstadt/area, Germany - NEED HELP

May, 22th - Würzburg, Germany - Die Kellerperle

May, 23th - Neckarsulm, Germany - TBC

May, 24th - Freiburg/area, Germany - NEED HELP

May, 25th - Zurich, Switzerland - NEED HELP

May, 26th - Vicenza, Italy - NEED HELP

May, 27th - Bologna, Italy - NEED HELP

May, 28th - Rimini, Italy - NEED HELP

May, 29th - Pescara, Italy - NEED HELP

May, 30th - Bari, Italy - NEED HELP

May, 31th - Larissa, Greece

June, 1st - Thessaloniki, Greece

A long list of dates, but as you can see they still need help. In case you can provide them with a booking contact or maybe even book them yourself, you can get in touch with the band through their facebook page found here, leave a comment at the bottom of this post or send an e-mail via the following addresses:

dancho AT ftkbooking DOT net

shivery.productions AT web DOT de

Expectations - Self-titled (2012)

All of a sudden I have so many different things to post on here and I found myself not knowing where to turn first. After this review I will be publishing some updates which will happen on the blog, as well as some other ideas I have at the moment. Until then, hope you enjoy the read bellow.

Today we have "Expectations" under the spotlight, a five-piece hardcore outfit hailing from Sofia, Bulgaria, going strong since 2009. Previously, this band has already been mentioned on the blog when I did a tour diary concerning my time spent on the road with "Downfall of Gaia" last year. I saw them live in Sofia, a write-up which you can check out here, and I have to say that I went home fairly impressed. Even if you managed to skip that concert review, the band was on the road through Europe this September, so some of my readers maybe even grasped the privilege to see them live.
So in case you skipped my concert review, what's the deal with "Expectations"? They throw at us some truly emotionally charged modern hardcore, where you can hear a lot of possible influences, ranging from "More Than Life", "Carpathian", "Ruiner" and even some "Funeral For A Friend" moments, all the while being twisted with a touch of their own style. Pretty much everything I liked about them live has been transferred onto the recordings. Usually I end up liking these types of bands more during gigs than on recordings, but here it ended up being equally enjoyable. I ended up rewinding the seven songs present on this release numerous times and each time they just keep growing on you.
Their songs are very dynamic and energetic, consisting of an equal dose of rushing, chest pounding tunes and slower, more dragging sections. The faster melodies can truly throw a punch at your ears, something that I remember surprising me quite a lot last year. There's a fine number of atmospheric sections floating on this release and they manage to slightly push this band away from those more generic and common hardcore acts. At moments, their tunes come close to sounding like a fairly heavy post rockish incarnation and an accent is put on the overall ambient. Faster song sections are pretty straightforward and I really enjoyed them in the same amount as I did live. On top of all that, you notice that the band likes to toy around and experiment with their melodies, so various tempos and styles of playing can be heard on this release.

I also loved the occasional appearances of other band members on vocals, who sound awesome altogether and definitely add a lot of flavor to the overall feel of the tracks. "Only Real When Shared" is an excellent example of this, since it features the drummer on vocals, if I recall well from their live performance. Singalongs, or well screamalongs, are also present which is a thing really loved by yours truly.

This manifestation of "Expectations" comes in CD format, released on 25 March 2012. It arrives in a really neat, high quality gatefold package. Once you open it, the outside expands the cover picture while the inside pages reveal the lyrics. The overall design is rather simplistic, yet oozes with melancholy. If you are interested in hearing or downloading this release you can do so on the band's bandcamp page found here. Additionally, if you desire to grab some other merch, the band has set up a big cartel page, which you can visit here. On both links you will notice that the dudes managed to put out some more new material, an EP named "Gone", so check it out while you're at it.

Overall, this is a really neat release. The band managed to spark a fire with their potential and they don't seem willing to stop. "Expectations" already announced that they are booking a new European tour next May, about which I will make a post soon enough. I am yet to take a listen to their newly released recordings and my readers might beat me to it, but if they continued in the fashion of this self-titled then you have nothing to fear. Check them out, stay tuned for the tour dates and I hope you enjoyed the read.

Gig announcement: Mono, Dirk Serries' Microphonics

 

"Resetor booking & promotions" strikes again. When they first contacted me about doing promotion for this concert I instantly got the biggest smile on my face. Although the gig is happening in a number of months, I'm already extremely excited about it.

"Mono", simply reading this name is enough to get your head spinning, your heart warm and to skyrocket your determination about going to this event. After almost three years since their previous show in Belgrade, the grandiose post rock quartet from Japan is back once again. Leaving people breathless and stunned for an impressive twelve year lifespan, the band is determined to conquer Europe in the name of their newly released studio album, "For My Parents". The band will be on the road for five long weeks, so you can keep an eye open for updates on their website found here.

Following the world-shattering sound of "Mono" will be "Dirk Serries' Microphonics", a one man project from Belgium. With just a guitar in his hands, various effects in his pocket and a keen sense of improvisation, Dirk Serries will unleash brooding, melancholic soundscapes upon the audience. Be it in the form of industrial sounds, tribal-like melodies or a soothing ambient, this part of the evening will surely grasp all the attention it deserves. A glance at his work can be cast here, more than enough to make the listener tremble.

This wonderful event will take place on 11 February 2013 in "Club Fest", a venue covered in a gig review found here. Ticket pre-sale begins on Monday, 23 December 2012, directly at the venue and in the "Felix Shop" in Belgrade. You can also reserve tickets, by leaving your full name and phone number, via the following e-mail: kartemono AT gmail DOT com

Thirty Dollar Bill

This is a post I've been intending to publish for a very long while now and have been quite reluctant to do so. Sadly, personal life has pressed me heavily for an extensive period of time and I've been basically forced to fend as best I can. I'll keep the write-up brief and I'll try to be direct.

As some of you might know, either from knowing me in person or from following my tumblr, I've been trying to make something happen with my writing for ages. Like all other artists or writers, it has been really tough making ends meet, especially without having a job or steady income. I've been jobless for almost two years now, not because I'm not looking for one but because I can't get one. Many factors are involved, obviously both personal and economical, but I presume that those reasons aren't really for public eyes.
So the reason why this post is being written is that I am desperate and hoping that this blog and its dear readers can help me, in essence, to survive. I've always despised the usage of advertisements and similar banners on blogs, so I will definitely keep my own page clean of such pestilence. Thus, I have decided to add a donate button instead. Maybe a few dollars or euros might not mean much to some of my readers, but right now to me it would mean the world.
Now I know that many will meet this move with a frown on their face, but hopefully people will realize that I am doing this out of pure necessity and not greed. I love this blog and the only thing I can do now is try to rely on it a little. I've been through a lot with this project and not everything has been pleasant. Still, after all the good things and even those bad, I keep pouring my heart and soul into this and it is my only hope that it can somehow make me go forward through these particular harsh times.
Soon enough, namely in a day or two, I will publish a longish post concerning updates which will happen here, as well as info on some future writing projects of mine, as a way to reach out to all of you and to make your stay here more comfortable. Thank you for all the attention and all the support you have showed me thus far. 

Cutthroat Convention - Peeling the Sea (2011)

I planned to post something else today, but somewhere along the way I got severely sidetracked. Hopefully tomorrow, or otherwise as soon as possible, that post will come due to the fact that I find it rather important. In the meantime, here is another release review and I hope you find it enjoyable.

Not long after the "Ludovik Material" write-up, comes yet another out-of-the-ordinary band for this blog. "Cutthroat Convention", a UK-based quartet, began bringing weirdo noisy experimental tunes to the masses back in late 2008. Three releases later, "Peeling the Sea" came out in June 2011 in association with a label called "Doubledgescissor >8<". It is worth saying that the project didn't stop with this release, since while I'm writing this there are two more of their outlets floating around.

First of all, you have to keep in mind that this is in no way your everyday band and it definitely desires a specific type of mood. That doesn't mean the band is bad, on the contrary. Once you get there, this is something that is bound to twist your brainwaves in all sorts of crazy ways.

Okay, so grab your mixing pot and add the following ingredients: vocals, bass, drums, stir and spice it up with a score of various electronics, samples and effects. And a tiny violin decoration on top.
So where to begin with describing things? The human element, namely the vocals, consists out of a whole spectrum of audio shapes. There's anger, whining, screaming, talking, singing, something that I would label as squealing, frustration, fast reciting... you get the idea. The changes are subtle and flowing, so you basically don't realize that the style changed until it already did so like five times.
As for the violin, it managed to bring extreme amounts of eerie factors to the music backed up by the equally strange howling of the electronic section. Those two elements combined added several really creepy song moments. In contrast to that the bass playing bounces between being quite heavy, a la industrial noisy, and melodic in a (post)punk manner. It really stood out for me and in all forms it proved to be highly enjoyable.
Now I thought that the drums will be the only firm part of the band, but apparently I was severely wrong. Like every other piece of this band, drumming also comes with a score of surprises. Either through bouncing out of rhythm, sharply changing pace or just being inarticulate, the person holding the sticks definitely aided the maddening melody behind "Cutthroat Convention".
The tracks, in general, are almost impossible to describe due to the fact that it all seems like either a really wicked acid trip or a journey through the mind of a raving madman. Thus I'll try to focus and talk just about the song construction and composition. Like I mentioned above regarding the vocals, everything is constantly changing in some weird way, all too subtly. If we would mark the song progress with a line, then these tracks would have the shape of some illiterate doodles of a schizophrenic. Nothing makes sense, yet everything seems to be in order. Songs have wild ups and downs, they get slow and stretchy, then they become faster and spastic. At times things are peaceful, while in other moments you are faced with a nerve-wrecking wall of noise. Although you might feel like there is almost no consistency in this chaotic carnival, there is a fine layer of melody and mood crawling under it.

As mentioned above, this EP has been supported by "Doubledgescissor >8<", a diy label and promoter of experimental projects settled in London. I've received the "Cutthroat Convention" CD in a really cool self-made cardboard envelope which has the label logo spray-painted on the cover. The package looks so well that I decided to keep it as a part of the CD itself. Wrapped in a plastic bag, "Peeling the Sea" comes with a rather minimalist design, with a two page gatefold cover of sorts made of really thick paper. The disc is also spray-painted with both the band's and label's logos. Overall, quite simple, but effective and nice. Additionally, you can get this release, as well as their older and newer material, for free on the band's bandcamp page, found here.

Personally, I find this a really cool release. It is not my usual cup of tea and something completely out of the ordinary, but in the right mood I find it great. I am yet to take a listen to all of their previous and newer recordings, which makes me rather excited since I am curious how much their style fluctuates between releases. The band is still pretty much alive and active, as you can see on their facebook page found here. Definitely check them out, you're in for an eerie ride.

Black Hole of Calcutta - S/T #2 (2012)

For the past couple of days I've been stuck with music which is somewhat outside of my usual norm. I guess that I get distracted way too easily, like a dragon and shiny objects. Needless to say, you should thank this band for putting me back into my rightful place, since if it weren't for them who knows when I would muster the will to write for the blog again.

Today on the blog there will be nothing but despair, rage and violence. "Black Hole Of Calcutta" comes crawling forward from Portland/Seattle, spreading darkness and chaos. As much as I've seen on the internet, there is various information regarding this project, so I'm uncertain what is the exact year of its birth, but presumably it is somewhere during 2010. Thus far the band already has an impressive amount of releases behind its back, including splits with names such as "Wojczech", "Human Error", "Lycanthropy" and "Bloody Phoenix", to name a few. Given that the band is still somewhat young, their already lengthy discography definitely deserves praise. Additionally, a little bit of info that will surely tickle your interest is that both Ian and Jesse, the strings (vocal and otherwise) and drum players respectively, also contribute to the project known as "The Makai". Aside of them, I'm not sure who else is in the band. The record sheet says that they are a duo, but elsewhere online I saw that they have four members. For the sake of the review, this is one pissed off two-piece.

So as I said in the intro, I've been distant from my music lately, but "Black Hole Of Calcutta" was just the kick I needed to push me back into my usual habits, with a complete frenzy might I add. This release is interested in nothing else other than punching you in the gut and leaving you on the ground either fighting for air or smearing yourself in your own puke.

The opening track "Myth Of Progress" starts off the album with a sludge-like rhythm, dragging around and spewing a nasty melancholic mood. One minute and some seconds into the song you are faced with a rather sharp turn in the dark corridor, since the band jumps at you and starts beating your ears into a pulp. What follows is an angry thrashy hardcore, powerviolence, crusty, dear mother I can't breathe monstrosity. From that moment on, it's all about extremely fast riffs, pounding drums and exerting your lungs to their maximum. Imagine "Masakari", "Enabler" and "Wojczech" having a tea party, then in the midst of it comes "Black Hole of Calcutta" to smash everything.

Once the five minute opener is done, you are continuously faced with short, violent outbursts of madness until the very end. Only two songs barely manage to exceed the two minute mark, so everything happens fast and you have no idea what just hit you. Basically it took me a couple of hours to take a listen to the entire record, since I kept replaying each song a dozen times due to all of them being so catchy and energetic. The thing that really caught my ear is that, despite complete mayhem going on around you, the band manages to insert an exquisite amount of jammy melodies and even flowing, melodic punkish tunes. Shortly put, this band is a whirlwind and at times you are given less of a beating, depending on where the wind throws you.

This record has been released by mutual efforts from two different labels. Release and distribution for Europe was handled by "I Feel Good Records", while "Give Praise Records" took care of the USA. You can check out both of these labels on their websites here and here, respectively. The design is simple, yet effective, as you can see from the cover. The back of the record is done in a similar manner, black with white letters showing the names of the twelve tracks. I have to say that I loved the insert from the very second I saw it. Two drawings are present and they are done in an interesting style which goes so well with the font used for the lyrics. The said font is also really plain, hand-written, but it looks so damn good. A very interesting and appealing record all around.

"Black Hole of Calcutta" managed to throw at us one truly powerful record. Excellent composition, superb production and just a massive sound featuring so much uniqueness, thus I sincerely have no flaws to attribute to these guys. I do feel sorry that I discovered them so late after many of their records, but I will definitely keep an eye out for them from now on. Check them out on their bandcamp page found here and shower them with support, you will definitely not regret it.

Ludovik Material - Passion For Red (2012)

These last couple of days I've been sorting out through all the submission I got in physical format, as well as finally replying to a bunch of late e-mails. I have also been writing and preparing a rather important post which I want to publish for quite some time now, since the need for it is pretty urgent. What makes me so slow at times is my overall perfectionism, so the blog always comes to a grinding halt until everything is done the way I imagined it in my head.

On today's repertoire we have something that is quite rare and out-of-the-box when it comes to genres  posted on this blog. "Ludovik Material", a trio from Slovenia, is a carrier of a strange mixture of sound. Add an ex-trance producer, a drummer, a female singer and what you get is a a weird experimental stew. The band is still very young, initially forming in May 2011, and they already have a turbulent biography. Quick tour of their home country, a demo and just one year later they managed to release nine songs in the form of "Passion For Red". 

Most probably I would never stumble upon this band by myself, but "Kapa Records" showed up once again to lead the way. In case you forgot, this label is responsible for two bands already featured on this blog, those being "The Canyon Observer" and "Coma Stereo". Both of those reviews you can read here and here.

What first came to mind while listening to this band was "The Animatrix" soundtrack, in the sense of having as much different sounds as there are songs. All three parts of the band twist and convulse throughout the nine featured tracks, ranging from being moody, slow, repetitive, heavy, inarticulate, exploding and everything in between. The intro song caught my attention instantly, lashing out with truly mesmerizing drum playing, gloomy electronics and rending, yet melancholic, strings. An excellently placed song, which as an opening lures you into the album with its near post rock feel. Soon enough comes track number two, which has the same name as the release itself, carrying a sort of tribal-like atmosphere that features interesting drumming and lots of crackles and noise. "Made In" comes third, lashing out with provocative vocals and savage electronic sounds, in general being aggressively catchy and body moving. And later on during the album you are faced with a song like "Come", a really slow and easy going tune with extremely gentle electronic work. So as you can see, song construction and the very style of execution varies with each song. Each song manages to stand out from the rest and, although this seems like a neat feature of an experimental album, in the midst of that variety resides a tiny flaw in my mind when I think about this band.
My one and only complaint would be the vocals, since I found a certain dose of inconsistency in that field. The spectrum of sounds produced goes from singing, screaming, wailing, talking and even moaning, which I think somewhat shatters the overall feel of the album. When the instrumental section is so diverse, the vocals need to be a strong chord which will bind the band together otherwise you end up being all over the place. I can absolutely see the desire to introduce extreme amounts of variety on the album, but there is also a need to tie it all in a solid package. Sadly, it fell on the vocals to be the wrapping paper, since the album viciously opens in an instrumental manner. At times I got myself lost into thinking that I'm listening to more than one band, which again makes me think of the above mentioned soundtrack. That being said, my preference goes toward the more coarse and aggressive form of the singing and screaming as heard on certain instances in "Made In" or the more plain, megaphone imbued talking style from "Almighty". This is more of a personal opinion and I stick to my guns, but I assume that the vastness of sounds coming from the throat will definitely find its crowd. 

"Passion For Red" comes in either digital download or CD format, both available on the bandcamp page found here. The CD has the standard plastic packaging, but it features a really nice and thick booklet with lyrics and artwork. Each right page is filled with lyrics while the left pages are decorated with appropriate drawings corresponding with the words. There's definitely nothing nicer than opening an album and finding lyrics and other information inside, so many thumbs up for this.

Once again Slovenia managed to spew out something interesting on the scene. If we put the small album inconsistency aside, which isn't a true flaw at all, this is a really catchy release and definitely something with which you can take a break from your other daily bands. The band is still pretty much alive, so maybe soon we will be able to hear something new coming from their practice room. Hope you enjoyed the read.

Colossus Of Destiny - Eden (2011)

This review comes rather suddenly, since I really wanted to make another post before October ends. Somehow I always get angry at myself when I see a low post count for a given month. And, I have to admit, once I wrote the "Calf" review I realized how much I missed writing album reviews and discovering new bands in the process, so this also comes as something to satisfy my own inspired mood. 

Today I present to you "Colossus of Destiny", a three-piece progressive post metal outfit hailing from Paris. Born back in 2009, the French have started making music which soon formed into a self-titled, three song EP only one year later. Yet another 365 days later and coming out in February 2011 they come back bearing this album which is longer, more complex and further evolved. 

"Eden" opens up with an almost six minute blast coming in the form of the song called "Uncover the Cosmic Clue". I have to say that this was an excellent opener and it completely grasped my liking almost instantly. What you are faced with is a score of sounds influenced by bands such as "Elodea", "Kylesa" and "Baroness", yet utterly morphed and weaved into something that is purely "Colossus of Destiny". At first glance, the thing that really amazed me was the very massiveness of their sound, building up a gigantic wall of sound with only three humans holding their instruments.  

Once you look past the monstrosity which they unleashed, you realize how complex the sound actually is. Songs are fast paced and featuring so many ups and downs, interesting bridges, sudden swings in melody and unexpected instrumental sections. There is so much going on in a particular song, always with a constant, yet superbly flowing, rush and it all makes you feel like the songs are much longer than they are. By the time the second song, called "Eden", hits the speakers you pretty much don't know what to do, where to look or what keeps hitting you in the face repeatedly. The opening song was a climactic punch to the ears, but "Eden" continues to attack the senses with amazing guitar riffs, insane drumming and some truly powerful bass. When you go through the entire record you realize that there is no stopping with this band, every tone they make is one huge epic moment and the EP is an apocalyptic bomb sowing chaos everywhere.

Another wonderful thing about this band is the pace with which it grows on you. At first you just begin with liking their music, but by the end of the record you are completely in love with them. It is unbelievable how they keep getting more and more interesting as seconds pass by, so when the final tune echoes away and dies the listener is left with a mind blowing feeling of witnessing a mild breeze turn into a violent thunderstorm.

I've been introduced to this release by "Blue Wave Productions", if you remember the same promotion group from France which showed me "Battle of Memorial Britain", a review which you can read here. Additionally, this EP was supported and released by "Hellbound Records", a label that has two more bands under its wing and you can check them out on their facebook page here. "Eden" comes in CD format and in a plastic case featuring some minimalist, but quite peculiar artwork, as you can see on the front cover. The CD itself also has a really interesting swirl print, so overall the design is very appealing. 

In the end, this is one insane record and yet another astounding band in the already powerful French brigade. I've avoided detailed explanations of songs in this review simply because explaining everything would be impossible and talking about just one specific part seems so poor since there are millions of things exploding around. Just listen to them, trust me, you won't regret that decision in the slightest. And you can do so on their bandcamp page, found here. Currently, judging by the band's facebook page found here, the project grew in number and are now a quintet, adding a new vocalist and one more guitar player. They are writing new material for an upcoming full-length album and this is definitely something to be excited about. Keep them on the radar, I sense a storm coming.

Calf - A Constant Loss Departs from the Sentiment of the Abandoned (2011)

As promised, I am now back with writing release reviews, this one being the first one since May. Wow, that is a very long time indeed. Since then I got numerous physical review submissions, so at the moment I am trying to retrace the order I received them in and to post them in the respected manner.  Additionally, I have an inbox full of unanswered mails which I will begin to reply to as of now. My sincere apologies go to all the bands and labels that had to wait for so long, as you can see it wasn't a matter of the blog being dead or me being lazy, but much rather life has been turbulent and I had to do a lot of writing regarding things other than band reviews. Thank you all for the continued interest and patience, hopefully future content will be even more appealing for everyone.

Opening the band season will be a project bearing a rather pretty and simple name, "Calf". This quartet is nested in Athens, Greece, a place where they started making music in 2009. After taking some time with experimenting with sound and visiting various musical approaches, the band managed to release its debut musical outlet in the form of an album called "A Constant Loss Departs from the Sentiment of the Abandoned". Recorded in late 2011, their firstborn arrives bearing a truly vast array of sounds being weaved around a post rock backbone. Composed out of four lengthy tracks, accumulating to a grand forty minutes of music, the album goes through various different audio landscapes and moods, making you crave for another ride as soon as the first one finishes.
The most appealing feature of "Calf" is absolutely the diversity of sounds which they manage to present to the listener. Spending two years in incubation and taking the proper time to write a complex release definitely aided the band and they came out of the cocoon as a success. As you listen to this release, you are greeted with a score of variant tunes which range from being aggressively epic and fast to completely droning, depressive and melancholic. All presented atmospheres flow in an excellent manner, yet along the way they manage to morph into something completely unexpected.
The opening track is a superb example of what the band has to offer. "Dorian Grey Killed the Last Vestiges of his Consciousness", the first and shortest track of the album, begins with something that sounds like a phone call sample, quickly breaking into an epic, heavy post rock melody. As it carves a cold and somewhat desolate feeling in your head, the tune falls off into a trance-like state, slowly building up in intensity towards the end. "Ich Bebe", the second track in row, puts more of an accent on a brooding, slow melody which bears a more, dare I say, happy feeling at times. The band masterfully throws a lot of different elements into their songs and they come together in a perfect fashion. Either shapeshifting moods or changing tempos and types of song construction, "Calf" has numerous things to offer. It would definitely take me an insane amount of space to cover all their aspects through words, so listening to them is the only thing that can give proper homage to what they created.
The band uses audio samples at various points on the record, giving an overall eerie feeling to the entire release, this being a huge merit in my book. I really liked the fact that the record ends with a continuation of the sample which actually opened the album, giving a sort of cycling feeling to the entire project. Also, the overall quality of the sound is superbly clean and professional, which definitely gives you a chance to fully enjoy every piece of the "Calf" machinery.
Going a bit deeper into technical details of the release. The album comes in CD format, packed in a neatly designed stretch-out gatefold cardboard cover, released by "Noteale Records" which you can check out here. It was produced by Aris Christou, a rather known name in the Greek alternative rock scene due to his involvement with numerous projects such as "Bocomolech" and "Closer". Additionally, a short preview of the then yet to come album has been created, coming in the form of a one minute video which you can see here. The album itself can be downloaded here, courtesy of the band and the label.
Overall, this is a might fine release and I'm really happy that I got introduced to this band. A grand amount of potential is displayed on this album and I hope that the band sticks together for more future endeavors. I'd like to thank Chris from the band for his interest in the blog and for sending me their wonderful CD, along with a short letter containing a part of the guitar tabs for one of their songs! Hope you all enjoyed the review and that it inspired you enough to show "Calf" a lot of support, they surely deserve it.

Gig reviews: Nada Surf, Ezra Furman

I'm back home yet again and I have to say that I'm completely emotionally, and otherwise, exhausted. Departing from a loved one multiple times per year is neither pleasant nor healthy. It's going to be hard writing about this show now, since it was part of the birthday present I received from my girl so it is coming along with some nice personal memories which are, at the moment, making me utterly sad.

This exquisite concert was held last Friday, namely 19 October 2012, in "Tivoli Oudegracht", Utrecht, the Netherlands. The said venue is basically a sibling of "Tivoli De Helling", the place where I saw "Russian Circles" and "Deafheaven", which was covered in a review found here. Located some good fifteen minutes walk away from the city's train station, the venue is placed in a rather large street which you can't miss. Aside of the exterior which is nicely melded with the surrounding buildings, the interior of the venue is almost the same as seen in the previous show place. A spacious, dimly lit room with a bar and a big stage definitely reminded me of the sister-venue, later even surpassing its overall sound quality and proving to be a really great place to host a gig.

First to grant musical life to the big concert room that night was Ezra Furman, a singer/songwriter hailing from Chicago. Walking on stage wearing a dress and sunglasses, Ezra picked up his guitar and provided a nice half an hour performance. I have to say that the set didn't have my entirely devoted attention due to the fact that I was being flabbergasted by my woman next to me, guilty, and that I was utterly anxious and excited about seeing "Nada Surf" afterwards. Needless to say, tunes managed to pour into my ear and what I heard had its interesting moments. The guitar playing was truly awesome, clashing between gentle melodies and passionate violent outbursts. I wasn't really tuned into the singing, since at times it wasn't my cup of tea, but other moments it did grasp my liking. Lyrics seemed to touch a vast array of themes, from being funny and witty to provocative and aggressive, yet always remaining sincere and somehow fragile. Truth be told, I was never that much into singer/songwriters, so I presume that is why my attention wasn't that much focused. Still, I noticed a lot of people loving Ezra's performance live, so you should all definitely check his tunes out and support him, I'm sure you'll love his work.

After a tiny break it was time for "Nada Surf". Although there exists a long history behind that band name, I've initially heard about the project earlier this year thanks to my girlfriend. She had the privilege to grab their gig back in February when they also played in the Netherlands, so when I heard her impressions of the show, as well as reveling in their music almost nonstop at her place, I instantly fell for the band. What I found appealing the most about this alternative rock trio/quartet is the fact that they got thoroughly nested in my brain the very second I took a listen to their music. The love just kept growing on me over time, especially when you realize how well composed their songs are and how many superb, as well as unique, melodies they can carry. Normally, all that love made me harbor huge expectations for the upcoming show and it was no surprise that the band completely lived up to its name and blew my mind away. The red ribbon was cut with one of my favorite songs, "Clear Eye Clouded Mind" and it made my jaw roll around the floor. The track was executed so perfectly and with such amazing energy, showing the crowd that we are in for a thrilling ride. "Do It Again" and "Weightless" followed soon, continuing in a marvelous manner. It was wonderful seeing the band members smiling and just radiating with positiveness along with the excellent sound they made. There was a lot of movement on stage, the members even performing a brief dance at one point. Later during the set "Killian's Red" was also performed and this tune definitely seems like the band's masterpiece when witnessed live. On recordings the song is impacting and powerful in its own right, but in concert it was simply overwhelming. During this piece everyone could realize how well-crafted their music is, with multiple moods entwining in a single track and rushing with a remarkable flow. "Whose Authority", "Jules and Jim", "When I Was Young" and "Teenage Dreams" were just some of the songs which were also played, crafting an amazing lengthy performance. For the entirety of the set I was amazed at the quality and clearness of the sound, the venue definitely grasping my liking. There are several videos of the performance online, so check them out and you can be the judge for yourself when it comes to the breathtaking sound. Sadly, in the end, we had to miss the last song because of our train, which we caught in the last possible second, but leaving to the sound of "Blankest Year" was equally enjoyable and nice.

All in all, this was a spectacular evening on so many levels. I hope you can excuse me for the rather short or incoherent review, I simply have too much personal emotions flooding my mind and it's really hard to write it all down right now. I'd like to thank the bands for playing and providing the crowd with an amazing evening and, of course, I have to thank my wonderful girl for taking me out and making me abnormally happy, as always.
On a small side note, as I mentioned in the previous reviews, this is the last gig I will be attending in a while, so there will be some interviews and album release reviews coming up next. Hope you enjoyed the show review season on the blog, stay tuned!

Festival report: Ieperfest 2012, day three

Once again I was lucky enough to grab a chance and be by the side of my lovely woman, so I kinda took some time off when it comes to writing and life in general. Well actually, that is a lie, I've been doing, or at least trying to do, some writing for several other projects I have in mind. If all goes well and I manage to beat a major writer's block I have, you will no doubt be reading about those other things I've been working on. Everything is just going extremely slow due to a number of things I'm trying to beat in my life, but I'm trying to take it step by step.

"Nemea" opened the final festival day. A local band hailing from the city Ostend woke up the audience with a brooding form of post metal. I didn't see the entire performance, but from what I witnessed, the band is really interesting. The have a rather compelling sound, in the form of flow and structure, although I somehow feel like they need more consistency. It is really hard to describe, but it seemed to me that specific song sections are way too flowing and at times lack a certain dose of heaviness. This is just a personal opinion however and the band is by no means bad. Absolutely check them out, they are still a very young band and I expect a long road ahead of them.

"The Death Of Anna Karina" was one of the bands that made my jaw drop to the floor when I saw it on the schedule for the festival. Do I really need to explain why? Cult Italian screamo, going strong ever since 1999. Although the band went through different stages of metamorphosis it always managed to hold its ground and stand out with its superb and unique sound. Each record they put out is better than the previous one and it seems as thought the band is on a constant path of growth and advancement. It is funny how I, for some reason, never thought I'd be seeing them perform live, yet there they were in hand-reach in front of me. A mix of older and newer songs was performed, so the crowd got to hear songs like "Castration" and "Dissoluzione", which I have to say was pretty awesome. The girl and me managed to acquire the setlist on paper from the lovely guitar player, but sadly I don't have it with me at the moment. If anyone is interested in the entire list of songs, just leave me a comment and I'll post it for you. In any case, the show was thrilling and had so much energy crackling all over the stage, lots of moving around, singing along and even the singer dropping to the floor and convulsing to the beat of the given song. Sadly, the set saw a flaw which definitely crippled my opinion about the overall show, but luckily I know it's not the band's fault. The vocals were abnormally low, which is obviously rather negative when it comes to a screamo band. You could barely hear the vocalist, although it was apparent that there was barely any air in his lungs from screaming his guts out. The moments when he was discernible were those when the rest of the band would grab a much lower tone or be far slower than usual. The person who was responsible for the sound truly failed, which is a sad fact for this band, since the vocals always played a key part of everything, especially on the last record where I find them quite powerful. Despite this, "The Death Of Anna Karina" impressed me and has sealed my love for their work entirely. 

After a reasonable break it was time to get blown into oblivion by "Toxic Holocaust". Oh. Yes. This devastating Portland-based trio has been ripping ears with its crust, thrash, speed metal crossover ever since 1999. They have been unstoppable with releasing the finest outputs of the genre in all these years and they just keep getting stronger. The band was quick to unleash a true audio assault on the crowd, initially coming in the form of "In the Name of Science" which sounded amazing. I was definitely prepared for a brutal concert, but an impact of this caliber I wasn't expecting. The attack continued with "War Is Hell", "Wild Dogs", "Nuke the Cross" and "Endless Armageddon" among the score of  other tracks performed, finally ending with the song "Bitch". This was such a fast and fiendish ride, you literally had no time to think and I barely managed to successfully scrabble some notes into my booklet. The sound was clear and powerful with a little bit of that thrashy crackling, everything ending up being completely as it should. Later during the day, while standing in the food line, I grabbed a chance to talk a bit to two members of the band who ended up being extremely nice and friendly, making the band that much more awesome. Can't say that you need to check them out, since by now you should have already done that a long time ago. If you haven't... don't make me come over there!

Once "Toxic Holocaust" finished their wild set, it was time for a bomb made out of positive energy called "7 Seconds" to explode on the main stage. There is probably no person out there in the hardcore/punk/whatever scene that doesn't know about this band. Legends of hardcore punk, these guys have been focused on shining out the most positive aspects of the genre, and ideals in general, for a remarkable thirty two year period. After countless records and tours, the band is still growing and being stronger than ever. Initially I heard about this band thanks to my cousin somewhere way back in 1999 I think, a time when I was just getting into music, and since then they never stopped spinning in my player. I absolutely adore "7 Seconds" now as much as I did back then and it was such a mind-blowing experience to finally get the privilege to see them live after all these years. That time has definitely been a huge catalyst, as far as emotions and expectations go, and the band completely delivered. The smile on my face and silly dancing lasted for the entirety of their set, the music and amazing amount of positive energy simply driving you forward. I don't think there was a single person in the crowd that was left unmoved or without a grin on their face. "One Big Guessing Game", "If The Kids Are United", "99 Red Balloons", "Here We Go Again Kids" and "Red and Black" are just some of the songs which incited everyone to just relax and enjoy themselves, making the festival into one enormous party. People continually climbed up on stage and had fun with the members of the band, the singer honestly being mind blown and constantly saying thanks to everyone. Of course, there was enough time to talk and bring out those positive ideals of music while bashing those stupid macho principles and asshole right-wing ideologies. (guess who?) The sound, of course, was absolutely flawless and like everything I imagined, which made the entire experience wonderful. This also falls as a runner-up for my top gigs of 2012 and I see that I will have a really hard time making that list in the end. All in all, a legendary band sculpting a legendary performance, no more words need to be written. 

"Cattle Decapitation". I have to be honest, I never heard about this band before, which is really wrong of me, since they seem to have a fair bit of history, ranging from the distant year of 1996.  The scariest thing for me is that most probably I would completely miss to see them on the festival, if it wasn't for a random encounter beforehand. Namely, my girlfriend's friend said that we should definitely catch them since they are "insane live", so thanks to him we gave these guys a go. Well now, let me tell you that his definition of the band was a serious understatement. This band adds a whole new meaning to insanity, not being just plain crazy or nuts, but seriously mentally deranged with a little touch of being demonically possessed. And all of this I mean in the most awesome and brilliant way possible, the project ending up as being one of the greatest discoveries for me on the entire festival. Without reading any further, I just urge you all to check these guys out, lurk up their music online, go to their shows like your life depends on it and simply support them in any way possible. So what exactly happened on the gig that it made me be so flabbergasted? First of all, the music was absolutely stunning, the band instantly lashing out with an aggressive fusion of black/death metal and grind, knitted into impressively complex and mind bending tracks. The melodies range between extremely exploding, technical, rending and beating to the brain, while at times sounding really epic and sophisticated. In the most schizophrenic whirlwind of instrumental sound stood the vocalist of the band... and I have no idea where to begin with explaining his performance. Remember that demonic possession thing I mentioned earlier? Well, this guy is the ground zero of a massive infestation from otherworldly beings. The score of sounds the man produced during the set was astounding, going from screaming, squealing and growling, all the way to having a funny humor-imbued voice during breaks. All of these were executed in so many different pitches and with a vast array of intensity, so you are left standing there and marveling at what is going on around you. Of course, the devils didn't nest just in the vocal chords, but in fact they started raping the entire band. "Cattle Decapitation" is one of those bands that is just a thrill to watch on stage and you can't look away. My eyes have never been so glued and focused, the state lasting for the entirety of the show. Crazy headbanging, making various deformed faces, the speed and style of the playing, the singer continuously pouring gallons of water on himself and dripping everywhere. And of course, the most marvelous of his maneuvers, launching a ball of spit above his head and then either re-swallowing it in midair or catching it with his hand and sniffing it back into his skull. Yes, everything is truly tense and constantly hanging on the peak of climax when it comes to this band. If all of this is not enough for you to check them out, then I don't know what is. On a side note, the band managed to grab even more of my love once I checked them out after the festival when I got back home. Apparently, the lyrics of "Cattle Decapitation" portray the horrible way humans treat the environment and nature, as well as continuously putting humans into slaughter and abuse scenarios , the same as those which are brought down upon non-human animals daily in real life, or even plainly speaking about genocide. I don't know about my readers, but this gets major thumbs up from yours truly.

Here we come to a whole new level of misanthropy, apathy and depression. And this is the part of the review where things get downright serious. What follows is probably one of the top three performances of the festival and most likely rushing to be in the top for the entire year. Today I was riding in the public transport and briefly remembered how "Crowbar" executed their set on "Ieperfest" and I wanted to rip the gripping pole, beat people up and then smash my own face into a pulp... that's how perfectly beyond this world and words they sounded. I guess that I need to seem more coherent in order for the readers to understand my thoughts, so I'll try to verbalize the experiences I brought from that gig. Anyone who is remotely into hardcore, and its darker incarnations like sludge, knows about "Crowbar". And if you don't, you should go back and do your homework properly. This twisted and apocalyptic apparition has crawled out of the swamps of Louisiana way back in 1989, sowing despair and creating dystopian landscapes wherever it goes. The little town of Ieper was about to be desecrated and the band was determined to do it thoroughly. "We are here to kick your asses", were the mild words of the singer, not exposing the nihilistic monstrosity which was about to be let loose upon everyone until it was too late to run away. I stood there in utter awe, rattled by shivers when the silence was shattered on stage. "Conquering", "New Dawn", "Burn Your World" and "High Rate Extinction" were some of the songs which made the gigantic, slime covered citadel known as "Crowbar". "The Lasting Dose" and "Planets Collide", a pair of my personal favorites, were executed on stage making me completely stunned in the overall gray and desolate landscape the band weaved around the audience. The sound was so powerful and perfectly clear, giving the listener an ability to thoroughly revel in every performed tone. Recalling this show makes me feel really speechless, which shows me just how much a band can make an impression on you and leave you stunned. It was a powerful experience where "Crowbar" excelled at what they do and swiftly managed to live up to their name and reputation. This gig planted its roots deep into my heart and it surely won't be forgotten. My only hope is that, one day, I will get the chance to see them again.

For the past year or so, I've managed to be so lucky to be able to grab numerous bands I love. Anyone who is reading this blog on a regular basis could really see how much gigs I went to and the amount of infatuation I had for a large number of bands hosted here. To be extremely honest, the list of bands which I have seen live drew me to the point where I had no idea which projects I'd crave to see next. Well, among the really few bands that are left for which I would give anything to see was "Converge", so "Ieperfest" gave me the desired opportunity. Aside of personally being quite excited about seeing them in concert, it seemed that almost everyone on the festival was stoked to see the legendary mathcore quartet. Wherever your eyes would wander you would see "Converge" T-shirts and tattoos, leading me to believe that a really spectacular show and insane atmosphere will ensue, probably resulting in a number of deaths from crowd surfing and moshing. Overall I was beyond thrilled to witness the following spectacle and the expectations just kept boiling. And then, the long awaited moment came... and dear mother was I disappointed. It is really bitter for me to recall that gig and I don't even know where to begin with remembering. The choice of the performed songs was really not impressive to begin with, since in my opinion it wasn't as violent as it should be. Too many songs were slow and somehow dragging, which made the set dull, at least for me since I expected complete mayhem and destruction. Everyone can easily look up the setlist on the internet, so you can be the judge of my statement above. Also, following the steps of the chosen songs, the band members didn't seem so enthusiastic and energetic about the fact that they are playing. The singer had some inspiring moments, but it all seemed so bleak in comparison to what I imagined. Additionally, we all know that one of the biggest merits of "Converge" is just the most crushing and powerful, yet insanely melodic and driving, sound, but live they simply didn't cut it right. My impressions were that the volume could have been way more higher and impacting, but what did happen was the crowd getting just your average hardcore show. Having so many trashy thoughts about such a legendary band is not really aiding the popularity of this blog, and it's definitely not the first time I talked bad about a ridiculously famous project, but hey. Bad things happen, those also including bad gigs and this is by no means my final judgement of the band. I will hopefully see this band again in December and I will give them a second chance. Somehow I feel that they will sound much better on a gig which they are headlining, in comparison to a festival performance. We'll see, you never know.

Following the event that seemed like I was robbed off of my childhood memories, I decided to drown the sadness in food, completely forgetting that seeing "Bolt Thrower" would do me good. Although I was far away from the stage and barely paying attention, I guess I could say that I went through their entire performance and they sounded awesome. I was still pissed off by the previous show, so I devoured a meal of french fries, but this band managed to subtly make me forget about the disappointment. It is really sad that I didn't focus too much on stage and because of that I won't be writing much here. All I'll say is that for a "heard live" band they pretty much ruled. 

Festival report: Ieperfest 2012, day two

I've been slacking recently, but hey I guess it's not my fault that life is being annoying at the moment. I do however, have to mention one thing. This summer on "Cry Me A River" festival I met one of my readers, to whom I wasn't even introduced properly, who really admired the blog, but who also said to me that I shouldn't be feeling sorry for sporadic posts and that the blog is more interesting and unique that way. I keep remembering that advice/compliment, so dude if you are reading this now thank you so much for your words! It's really nice hearing things like that and they definitely keep the machine going.

Behold the timetable for the second day of "Ieperfest" 2012, trust me when I say that it was purely awesome:
- No Second Thought (T)
- Truth And Its Burden (M)
- Vaccine (T)
- StillxStrong (M)
- Whatever It Takes (T)
- Cornered (M)
- Pianos Become The Teeth (T)
- TRC (M)
- Hellbastard (T)
- Reign Supreme (M)
- MxPx Allstars (T)
- Your Demise (M)
- Grand Magus (T)
- Trapped Under Ice (M)
- Scraps (T)
- Unearth (M)
- Nasum (T)
- The Black Dahlia Murder (M)
- Eyehategod (T)
- Ignite (M)
- Pig Destroyer (T)
- Sick Of It All (M)

"Truth And Its Burden" was the band to open the main stage of the second festival day and it was a pleasant surprise. A metalcore quartet hailing from South Africa provided with a solid half an hour of intriguing tunes and some really nice speeches toward the audience. I'm not really that much into that particular genre of music, but this band definitely proved to be entertaining live. Nicely flowing melodies, great vocals and a really positive flow of energy. As I mentioned, the band took its time to talk to the crowd and I am usually bored when bands have too many monologues during festival performances since they are eating time, but on this occasion I enjoyed it. It was interesting to hear how the band is experiencing their visit to Europe and the things they bring from their home town, especially since they are from a place where not many projects are born and the underground scene seems to be nonexistent. Listening to that makes you appreciate the situation you have back at home a little bit more or at least it gets your drive for involvement run faster. Later during the day there was an interview with "Truth And Its Burden" in the "More Than Music" tent and I managed to grab some notes, so further down in this review I will try to transcribe my gibbering writing. All in all, interesting band and I definitely wish them all the luck for the future.

Next up was the very well remembered straight edge powerviolence band seen previously on "Fluff Fest", "Vaccine". Still angry and vigorous, the band took the stage and started beating the crowd into a pulp, not stopping until it was time to just walk away. No pauses, no talking, no breathers, just a lack of anger management and violence, no pun intended. There is really no better way at explaining their tunes other than saying that they are unbelievably pissed off and aggressive, yet being superb at what they do. Creating so much chaos and then taming it properly is really impressive, so I have to give praises to this band in all aspects. Me and the lovely woman got a chance to talk to Will and Matt from "Vaccine" later during the day and they are really awesome dudes. Lesson of the day, if this band is playing anywhere near you, or well even far away since I'm obviously neither from the Czech Republic nor Belgium, go and grab their show, this is something you don't want to miss out on. And if you don't like them...well, you should be taken to their show for punishment.

After "Vaccine" we spent some time in the "MTM" tent watching a documentary about a corporation named "Veracel" and their exploitation of South American forests. Soon enough, however, some really appealing tunes started blasting from the main stage and I was just tempted to go out and check out what was going on. In the end I stuck around for the entire performance of "StillxStrong" and the only thing I wrote in my booklet as a reminder was "FuckingxAwesome". With no remorse, this xvx hardcore punk quintet from Brazil came to show their views and attitude to the audience and they did so without stuttering for a single second. Extremely fast and turbulent hardcore, interesting melodies and violent outbursts of sound, all backed by incredible vocals I fell for instantly and of course an important message to spread around, this band has it all. In the whirlwind of sound they absolutely don't shy away at being viciously direct, for example having a simple yet effective song like "Why Can't You Be Vegan?". They aren't alien to topics concerning human rights too, addressing matters of homophobia in Brazil during one of their speeches. I didn't see the entire set of this band so I'll keep this short, but this is definitely a project worth the note. Absolutely check them out and give support, spread the word!

We were wandering around the festival and then ended up in the "MTM" tent yet again. This time a presentation about "Ethical Veganism" was about to be held, hosted by a friendly dude named Tim, or Timxvx if you please. I won't be talking about the said presentation now, but instead I have decided to ask Tim if he was willing to do an interview for "Natures With No Plagues". He agreed and I'm really excited to actually do an interview that is not related to music, so hopefully in the near future you will be able to read about our correspondence on the topic of (ethical) veganism.

Alright boys and girls, time to get downright pissed and dirty with good ol' trusty crust. Rising from the grim UK scenery of 1985, these lads are one of the legendary names of punk fused old school crust and they are as angry and energetic as ever. Yes, I'm talking about "Hellbastard". The guys just picked up their instruments, started beating and rending them, absolutely not giving any fucks whatsoever. They were energetic, pissed off, perfectly deploying that type of sound and atmosphere they are known for. Despite having a couple of issues with equipment, they provided a wild show which featured everything from crazy slashing at the gear, not caring about slight mistakes, many curses toward the system and even burning some money on stage. Although seemingly aggressive and bitter, the band vibrated with positive energy and it was cool to see that they arrived to simply have a good time and just have fun. Overall it was a great show and I'm glad I have them written down in my book. Old crusties make me happy and I want to be just like them when I grow up.

If I recall well, after "Hellbastard" finished their set, now was the time when the interview with "Truth And Its Burden" was scheduled in the "MTM" tent. As I mentioned above, I took some notes, good three pages of scribbles which I will now try to decipher and form a story or at least a fluent part of text. I have to say that I'm a really bad journalist, or well my note-grabbing skills are untrained enough.
The birth of the band occurred five years ago in Johannesburg, South Africa, starting out as a metalcore project highly inspired by acts such as "August Burns Red", "Parkway Drive", "I Killed The Prom Queen" and "Misery Signals", to name a few. Over time, as band members explored other genres, the project itself started taking influences from "Shai Hulud", "Incubus", "Sepultura", "Death" and even "La Dispute", grabbing all their positive aspects and messages, so the culmination of all those styles is what drives these four people.
Thus far the band shared its music on several South African tours and sharing stages at home with bands like "Have Heart" and "Shipwreck A.D.". 2010 saw a real breakthrough for the band, when they managed to step over to Europe and tour. Near the ending of the year they invited "The Ghost Inside" to come over and tour South Africa, a relationship which will open them a way toward signing for "Mediaskare Records". This year saw their second big European tour, recently playing on "Brutal Assault" festival in the Czech Republic.
DIY ethics have always been integrated into the band. With not a lot of following going around, the band took matters into its own hands regarding promotion, fliers, posters and everything else for that matter. "It becomes like a night job haha." "Be as much as DIY as you can. When there is limited support, you are on your own. Keep the spirit alive and don't have someone else rape you off of your efforts. It's a sense of pride." The vocalist especially addressed younger bands back home, who seem to only put effort into plainly releasing a record by themselves, saying that it is important to always go out and learn more, delegating tasks and improving.
"Hardcore is a message, despite the style." There is a lot of negative energy in South Africa, so the band decided to cling to all those positive ideals they could find. "We want people leaving our shows uplifted and not feeling down. It's like beating cancer. You can either stay positive and live off of that energy or you can dig a negative hole which will kill you."
So in the end, before I left at least, how did these four people decide to be a part of a small hardcore band in an even smaller scene? And the answer was simple and to the point. "It's all about feelings  and  a sense that we actually do something. Jobs feed your stomach, not your soul."

After a lunch break and some sleeping in the car, since we were completely exhausted for some reason, came an insane streak of bands which was absolutely stunning. "Unearth" was the first to set off the chain reaction and they did so with a blast. The metalcore five-piece from Massachusetts exploded on stage and managed to be thrilling from start to finish. I listened to this band ever since they hit the scene and, although I haven't been following their recent development, they stuck on my list to this very day. What always managed to make them differ from other bands of the genre is just a non-generic sound, lacking annoying breakdowns, all too common melodies and instead being constantly furious, direct and unstoppable. Live their sound was truly devastating while remaining really clean and discernible.  I remember "Eyes Of Black" and "This Lying World" being played, the latter one really bringing back some awesome memories. The band delivered a huge amount of energy and was extremely charismatic during their set, yet the majority of the crowd was being stiff and unmoved again, which is a real bummer since the entire band tried to inflame the atmosphere. All in all, excellent and perfect, just as I imagined!

When the sound died on the main stage, madness and chaos were heard from the tent, signalling that "Nasum" has begun. We were sadly late to grab a good spot and it was so full that we ended up being almost outside of the tent and looking from a really bad angle, which resulted in us viewing only two songs of the entire set before crawling away elsewhere. Needless to say the band killed it completely, ripping the air with an insane grindcore massacre. What little I saw of the stage signaled a score of movement and an excellent atmosphere inside, which somewhat made me sad that I didn't view it entirely. But I fear not, I will grab them on another occasion properly.

Well hello there, sir. The long awaited moment is here! I've been trying to grab this wretched band for a very long time and some of you might even remember my failed attempt to catch them in Croatia some time last year. "The Black Dahlia Murder" is just one of those bands which is completely out of the common boundaries of genres which I usually listen to, but I adore the project insanely. There is a special place which they hold in my book, with all their maddening riffs, evil settings and silly attitude, being a truly unique and fun band all the way. Even before they actually started to play they instantly managed to put a huge smile on my face, screaming stuff like "Your forefathers were thieves!" and "Oh my God!" into the microphones during the sound check. And then, in the moment when the sound from the tent ceased to exist and a flood of people spilled outside to the field, the five-piece possessed by outer-worldly entities began their ritual. Sing or yell or shriek the lyrics, put a smile on your face and swing your body in a trance, it's time to ride. Seriously, this band manages to inject such a great dose of madness and adrenaline into you, while being incredibly entertaining to listen and behold. Not to mention, on a personal note, that they played two of my favorite songs, those being "Moonlight Equilibrium" and "What A Horrible Night To Have A Curse", exactly one after the other and I was mind blown and completely slain at that point. The band was everywhere on stage, constantly moving and executing all sorts of maneuvers with the singer taking the role of conductor to the unholy masses in front of him. Of course, the sea of limbs and hair was not moved as much as the kapellmeister desired, thus he was not afraid of fingering everyone outright, for which I give utter praises. Luckily the band stayed pleased, exchanging glances with the few of us who were either dancing or screaming the lyrics.  Due to my thrill of reliving this show, I, of course, forgot to mention the fact that the sound was simply perfect and their entire set flawless, music-wise. All that is left to say here is that you should go to their show, whenever possible. And a message to the band, there is a distant and forsaken land called Serbia where legions of horrors crave your flesh! Come over on your next tour!

We were watching the band from a strategic point, so once they finished their act we were quick to move to the tent and, with a couple of maneuvers, able to grab a nice spot for the upcoming spectacle.  The dark swamps of Louisiana gave birth to an abomination in 1988, a misanthropic, nihilistic and thoroughly grim child named "Eyehategod". After 26 long years of tours and records, the legends of sludge crawled to "Ieperfest" to vomit forth their wicked tunes. The only thing that my shaky hands left  as remembrance in my notebook was "too good to be real". I seriously cannot express with words how remarkable this band is on stage. Shoved and piled up on the small tent stage, they exploded with a vile wave of sound, setting up the most unbelievable atmosphere with the very first chord and keeping it tense until the very end. The sound was so perfect, oozing with that dragging sludge groove and extreme heaviness, thoroughly depressive and tormenting. A wall of crackles, rending, pounding and distortion was uplifted, being excellently melded with the vocalist who aided the sound with coarse wailing, forming that amazing sound the band is known for. "Available soon in Vietnam", along with eerie distortion, were the words that kicked off the show in full gear, "Eyehategod" setting such a wonderful mood which seemed intimate, as if they were playing in either someone's living room or a run-down highway diner. "Jack Ass In The Will Of God", "Dixie Whiskey" and "$30 Bag" were just some of the songs that were played that evening, rippling through the cigarette smoke of the guitarist. For 45 minutes they held the audience in trance, those minutes seeming much shorter afterwards, which is quite strange for a sludge show. All in all, astounding performance and I feel truly honored that I have witnessed the legends from New Orleans.

Eh, what to say now? I have to say that I was fairly disappointed with "Ignite" on the festival, so I will keep this short and spare my time and blog space. Ages ago I used to love the band and even now they tend to spin in my music player from time to time. It was always enjoyable listening to their exceedingly melodic hardcore punk tunes backed with amazing clear vocals. What managed to make their set fail my expectations is the fact that the singing was nowhere as awesome as on the recordings. It was quite weak and not impacting at all, which made me walk away to the distro/merch tent in hopes of soothing my sadness, so to speak. And this is pretty much all that I'm going to say on the matter.

The closing act of the day was quite legendary, although my expectations weren't completely met. "Pig Destroyer", need I say more? The Virginia grindcore has been ripping out guts and throats for the last 15 years and there was no point at which they would turn back. I always loved this project and their ability of taking gore and aggression onto a whole new different level, thus the abnormal excitement about seeing them live. Although their playing was on par and exceeding the beast on recordings, playing technical and fast, the sound was horrible. It seemed either too loud or too muffled and unrecognizable. The only "song" which I was instantly able to recognize was "Jennifer", a deciphering which is obvious for those of you who know about this piece. Keep in mind that I do not blame the band for this mischief, but much rather the stage they were playing on. Additionally what made this set horrid were the lights. Dear mother nature, even if you weren't suffering from photosensitive epilepsy, this was enough to give you a full blown seizure. Not only when flashing on and off, but also it was simply too bright to look at the stage, so the majority of the time I would either hide behind a taller person which actually wasn't that hard or stare at my girlfriend and kiss her which of course I don't complain about. Despite the fact that one could really grasp the talent of the band, I feel as if it was severely crippled and not entirely enjoyable. Next time, hopefully.

A band needs your help!

This is somewhat of an urgent and unexpected post, so please read it if you stumble upon the page. My good friends from the band "Eaglehaslanded" are currently on tour and last night they got robbed in Prague. Someone ransacked their van in the middle of the night and now they need your help. Here is their official post from their facebook page, found here:

"We have heard/read stories about bands being on tour and somebody robbed their van.. we are now in the same situation. Last night in Prague somebody broke into our van and stole some equipment. We're now heading to Vienna to continue the tour and no shows will be cancelled but we will most probably need some help to heal the wounds. If you're willing to help and you're wondering how - come to a show and buy some merch/cds - today Vienna, then Pecs, Subotica and Novi Sad. Another option is to donate to our paypal: dancho@ftkbooking.net - everything goes to buy new guitars and whatever more is missing."

Festival report: Ieperfest 2012, day one

I've managed to hit a speed-bump of sorts when it comes to life, so my inspiration levels have decreased significantly, which equals less posts on here. Lucky for me, I had my trusty booklet on the festival and I kept notes about my thoughts, so writing will come easier than usual. This event marked the ending of the summer festival season for me and there are tons of things I need to share, some positive some negative. As I already mentioned, after this I will start posting release reviews, which I presume will be a good thing due to the fact that you boys and girls are probably bored by only reading my gig and festival write-ups.

The year 2012 saw a grand twentieth birthday of "Ieperfest", a huge hardcore happening stretched over three days in Ieper, Belgium. What started out as a modest 2-day festival in 1992 today stands as a force to be reckoned with and has become the underground event with the longest tradition. "Genet Records" and "Republyk Vort'n Vis" have been working together all these years, the fruits of their labor manifesting as a really amazing and long list of bands which they hosted. I have to be completely honest and say that in all those 20 years, this is the first time I have heard of the festival and it makes me sad, and ashamed, since I obviously missed out on a lot of amazing bands. When I saw the schedule for the twentieth edition of the event I was instantly mesmerized, to say the least.
Getting into a little bit more detail regarding the festival itself. As I mentioned above, it is located in Ieper, a small town in Belgium, just 15 kilometers from the French border. The site is located next to the road and is fairly easy to be found. There is a really big area for parking and an equally huge camping spot. The field where the camp is settled was kinda hard to maneuver, since the grass was somewhat tall and the very ground is wavy, but in the end it turned out to be manageable. Two things really surprised me when it comes to the lodging area and those are extremely clean, and nice smelling, toilets and a spot with showers. Although my woman and me were true hardcore/punk/crust and so we didn't shower during the festival, it is very neat to know that you can if you need to.
Another awesome thing was the food, though it comes with a flaw of sorts. 100% vegan dishes featuring seitan stew, scrambled tofu, pasta with minced soy, fries, vegan ice cream, fruit and many other things on the menu kept everyone filled with energy and also being extremely tasty in the process. However, the downside was the fact that you had to buy tokens in order to get food and drinks. Not only are the plastic coins entirely environmentally unfriendly, which goes against the policies of the festival, but most of the times they are hard to get since the lines are huge. The same goes for actually getting the food, since the waiting time tends to be quite long. At one occasion we actually measured the time we waited in the que, ending up being locked in the line for more than 30 minutes. My suggestion would be to make the meal distribution like on "Fluff Fest", one really big tent and multiple stands. And definitely lose the plastic coins, for reasons obvious.
One other thing worth mentioning, despite the fact that it will get its share of words throughout the review, is the "More Than Music" tent. Filled with info-desks, a small zine library and a podium for presentations, documentary movies and interviews with bands, this tent served as an extreme example of the festival's desire to educate people. I spent a fine amount of time in the "MTM" tent, but the sad thing is that every time I went there I realized that not a lot of people are present or they are just there to relax in the library. In general, I felt really alienated from the majority of the crowd because it was a completely different scene than the one I usually am a part of, so I guess it is just a different mindset of the audience. Despite that I give utter praise to the festival for trying to have an educative aspect and putting a huge accent on supporting the vegan lifestyle and the anti-fascist, ALF/ELF movements.

Now I will present to you the entire list of bands for the first festival days. I just now remembered one awesome thing about "Ieperfest", a thing that events like "Fluff Fest" and "New Noise" should really take note of. Although the timetables were extremely tightly knit, there would be only one band playing at a certain time. Even though there might have been a delay in the tent, for instance, the band on the main stage would not begin playing until the tent band was done. This way you can see everything and you don't have to stab yourself in the face and shoot people because you have to sacrifice one band in order to see another one. So festivals, watch and learn. Anyway, here is the schedule for day one:
- Sydney Ducks (T)
- Midnight Souls (M)
- Dukatalon (T)
- Take Offense (M)
- Coke Bust (T)
- The Mongoloids (M)
- Dean Dirg (T)
- Death By Stereo (M)
- For The Glory (T)
- Kylesa (M)
- Skarhead (T)
- Norma Jean (M)
- Homer (T)
- Knuckledust (M)
- The Chariot (T)
- Corrosion of Conformity (M)
- Mucky Pup (T)
- Crown of Thornz (M)
- Aborted (T)
- Funeral For A Friend (M)
- Congress (T)
- Agnostic Front (M)

The band which kicked off the festival for me was "Dukatalon" and it was a truly pleasant surprise. Not only was it really cool to see a band hailing from Israel, but the output they presented was excellent. This three-piece project mixed tones of sludge and post metal, creating a heavy and eerie sound wall of sound. They excel at making truly enormous and perfectly flowing soundscapes, a trait which is quite impressive since we are dealing with a trio here. The band just swept away everything, no special effects or makeup, just straightforward stomping, overtly grim and mood-bending atmospherics. This was definitely the surprise of the day and I recommend that you all check them out. I'm yet to take a listen to their recordings, but I'm pretty sure that they will grasp my liking even at home.

"Coke Bust", strike two. And I have to say that I was somewhat disappointed. The band was equally energetic as on "Fluff Fest", but back there they just sounded better. In the Czech Republic, the songs were much more discernible and, at the same time, far more aggressive, while on "Ieperfest" they ended up being too noisy and just not that violent. I still like the band though and it was a pleasure to hear "Fumigation", "No Authority" and all of their other tracks they performed on tour. Once again, definitely take a listen to these guys and keep an eye open for them.

My initial plan was to go and see "Dean Dirg", but as it turns out they cancelled. And not only that, but the band actually broke up, which really made me bummed out since I basically could have seen one of their last ever shows. So instead I kinda hanged out with my girlfriend and our friend until it was time for "Death By Stereo". I have to say, this ended up as being a sort of black sheep of day one due to the fact that the band managed to piss me off with just one of their live statements. The band started out fairly well, providing a great amount of energy and being instantly entertaining. At that point I really regretted the fact that I missed their show in my hometown some time ago, since I imagined a smaller show being even more energetic. Then, however, came a couple of sentences from the singer where he noted that "there are not a lot of emo kids in the crowd". "Good, they are hurting our scene." Okay. First of all, and this is coming from someone who is mainly going to punk festivals and gigs and I am sure that a lot of my readers will concur, I really disapprove of any sort of verbal oppression, intolerance or insults, unless the said statements are against the system because that's what this is all about basically. Even if I wasn't a punk and an anarchist, it's safe to say that my dear mom and dad did a fairly good job at raising someone who is not an intolerant douche. Second, those words sounded like they came out from 2006, when people mistook a movement of teenagers wearing eyeliner and checkered bracelets for "emo kids" and went around to beat them up. Even if you're gonna bash something, at least learn your damned terminology. I might fall into the category which you might call an emo since I listen to emo obviously. You know, bands like "Rites of Spring" and the tightly connected screamo like "Saetia" and yeah I'd go and cry my eyes out on their show, or I'd go and listen to "Orchid" and smash your brains out. Those words on stage, coming from someone who started out in 1998 when emo and screamo were truly strong, are really disgraceful and just stupid. Maybe I'm being too judgmental and I take my music seriously, but I'll leave that to the readers to decide. All in all, total disappointment.

Ages ago I was dying to see "Kylesa" live, yet there I was on "Ieperfest" being ready to see them a second time. Previously I saw them in Nijmegen, a show about which you can read here, and I was really curious how they will sound like on this occasion. And it is safe to say that I definitely enjoyed their performance on the festival far more than in "Doornroosje". "Said And Done", "Don't Look Back", "Unknown Awareness" and "Scapegoat" are just some of the songs which were performed and which sounded far more awesome than on the previous show. The sound was much more gigantic and even more clear and impacting than before, so it really seems that the band can do no wrong. Additionally, I have to say that the female vocals were excellent this time, since previously I had some complaints. On this occasion everything was definitely like on recordings, nicely executed singing and screaming which was on par with the album material, a strong and heavy instrumental section and a truly massive sound overall, something that "Kylesa" is well known for. Overall, this was a superb performance, way better than I hoped for. 

"Norma Jean" was up next on the main stage and I was fairly excited, since I heard that they are really entertaining live. I honestly didn't listen to them before, but their tunes ended up being extremely catchy and interesting, so I enjoyed their set quite a lot. The band was also really cool to look at, bursting with quite a lot of energy and providing a fine dose of wild maneuvers on stage. What did leave a murky experience is the fact that the crowd was really stiff and unmoved, this actually happening on most of the shows on the festival, and you could somewhat sense that the band was slightly irritated by it. Or well, at least I found it quite weird to see a band jump around and swing their instruments while the crowd is just existing there. The vocalist addressed the crowd numerous of times, but to no avail. Still, the band did their part really efficiently and I definitely don't have any complaints. One of the last songs, or maybe even the last one I can't really recall, featured the singer of "The Chariot" as a guest vocalist and that was a really climactic point where everything went insane. I have to say that I would really love to grab a chance and see them in a smaller venue on their own gig, which I presume would be a totally insane experience.

Here we come to something that never happened to me while writing a review and that is the fact that two bands in a row get almost identical critique. Prior to the festival I was told that whatever I do I just have to go and see "The Chariot" so, voila, I did just that. Like with "Norma Jean", I was so pumped up with words regarding their live performances, since I only heard praises, but after the show I had no idea what to write in my booklet due to the fact that the set didn't leave any sort of impression on me. But hey, maybe that is a good thing sometimes? The sound was really fast and powerful with really peculiar melodies. Additionally in correlation with the previous band, "The Chariot" radiated with energy and they could have done a lot more, but the crowd just didn't respond properly and I think that the lack of a response really reflected on the band. Nevertheless, they provided a lot of crazy movement on the small stage, which I failed to completely see since I was standing at the left side of the entrance, so my vision was somewhat flawed. And again similarly to "Norma Jean", I hope to see them live on a gig which they are headlining, so maybe one day I get my chance.

Now was the time for a band that is probably one of the most unexpected names to get an invitation to the festival. "Funeral For A Friend", the famous post hardcore hailing from Wales, might have seemed to be completely out of place on this event, but they managed to put on a fantastic performance and end up being one of the most positive bands of the entire "Ieperfest". Ages ago I used to listen to them and, although I stopped somewhere along the way, they succeeded to bring back some truly nice memories. Aside of the fact that they sounded excellent, it was just their great attitude and energy that made me love their set. The band simply came on stage and had fun, enjoying every second of it, making it almost impossible for people around not to like them. They addressed the audience on numerous occasions, excusing themselves and saying that they know they aren't really hardcore, which I found  quite friendly in a way and, if I may say so, cute. That entire "we are all different, let's just have a fun time" attitude definitely crowned their set and it made me enjoy every second of it and with a huge smile on my face. I really haven't listened to the band in a long long while, so I forgot most of their song names and whatnot, but I do remember that they played "Bullet Theory" and "Roses For The Dead". I took a listen to them at home while writing this review and I have to say that I am extremely happy that I had the pleasure to see them live. Maybe I'm not a real fan or whatever, you might not be one as well, but I definitely recommend anyone to go to their show, you will go home full of energy.

The closing act of the day was the legendary hardcore band from New York, "Agnostic Front". No matter how well known and famous, I didn't really enjoy them live and I ended up walking away after a few songs. I have no idea what was going on, but their sound seemed extremely weak and somehow "empty" for a five-piece. I could barely notice any sort of melody, or anything else for that matter, and even the vocalist was weirdly heard. At first I thought that it was just the place where I was standing, but the sound remained obscure even when I moved through and out of the stage area. Not a really glorious end of the day, but I knew that the next one will be insane.