Author: Urban Bolta
Location: Klub Fleda / Brno / Czech Republic
Concert date: 11.03.2011
Attendance: 500
Ticket price: 23€
Older fans of rock music love to tell us youngsters, with a real glow in their eyes, about the old days, when whole caravans of four or five cars would hit the road together for gigs abroad and share unforgettable moments they’ve kept etched in their memory forever. These days, mass expeditions like that are rarer, which makes getting to be part of one all the sweeter. About 20 lovers of heavier sounds set out from beneath Triglav for Brno, following the trail of “Killfest”, so the atmosphere in Klub Fleda on the night of the show was super homey and thoroughly pleasant.
The Killfest tour put Overkill, Destruction, Heathen and After All under one roof, but sadly gave our home turf a wide berth. The closest it got to us was on 10.03. in Woergl, Austria, but since that clashed with the Symphony X & Nevermore show in Ljubljana the same day, a trip to Brno in the Czech Republic two days later was by far the better option.
Between checking into the hostel, feeding our hungry stomachs and the early start of the show, the crew from our van (me included, of course) sadly missed the opening set by the Belgian thrashers Ater All, so the night only really kicked off with the next act, the Bay Area thrashers Heathen. Fans of the band probably still remember last year’s show in Maribor, which was a real treat compared to this time around. The reason? A set of just half an hour, made up exclusively of songs from the new album “Evolution of Chaos”, which was undoubtedly a pretty controversial decision for fans of the older Heathen. The album is excellent in every respect and a credible successor to Heathen’s eighties legacy, but still, a few older classics would have done us good.
The Americans’ stage show is built on the incredible guitar duel between the indestructible Lee Altus and Kragen Lum, who trade melodic solos back and forth with dizzying acrobatics, which makes their performance a real feast not just for the ears but for the eyes too. The quintet was launched onto the stage by the punchy Dying Season and swayed the nicely packed hall to the rhythm of melodic thrash metal. Heathen once again proved themselves a tightly rehearsed unit, brimming with technical chops and their own musical vocabulary, full of amazing transitions and brilliantly constructed songs. If I had to pick the biggest reservation about Heathen’s overall performance, it would be vocalist David White, who has just a touch too little frontman charisma, so the exceptional instrumental foursome overshadows him at times. After Control By Chaos and Arrows Of Agony, the set wrapped up quickly with the epic No Stone Unturned and Jon Torres’ superb bass line, and the aforementioned short running time kept them from playing a more decisive role on this night.
Next up, right before the stars of the evening, were Destruction, the legendary German band that, together with Kreator and Sodom, makes up the holy German thrash metal trinity. The core of the band is Schmier (vocals, bass) and Mike Sifringer (guitar), and last year’s new addition is the Polish drummer Vaaver, whom we already saw behind the kit for Destruction at last year’s Bang Your Head!!! festival.
Destruction opened with Curse of Gods (“Eternal Devastation”, 1986), a textbook demonstration of thrash metal rawness, and drew in everyone in the hall, including those who’d been warming up their vocal cords with beer at the bar in the next room. The band’s more aggressive sound instantly set off a proper mosh pit below the stage, which fired up the musicians even more and pushed the temperature in the club almost to boiling point! The classic Mad Butcher kept the war raging, before it was time for Armageddonizer and the first taste of the current studio album “Day of Reckoning”, the very reason Destruction went on tour in the first place. All eyes throughout the set were on one of the flag bearers of German metal, the legendary Schmier, who took us all on a road of no return and wrung us out down to the last atom of strength. He and guitarist Mike kept swapping positions and thrashed the congregation without a second of rest and without compromise. Vaaver did an outstanding job, showing off his technical brilliance by nailing even the most complex transitions with ease and keeping up with Destruction’s hellish tempo, so if he clicks with the boss on a personal level too, he could be an excellent choice as the band’s drummer for years to come. The newer material held its own confidently alongside older classics like Bestial Invasion – though, let’s be honest, there were relatively few of those. But successfully blending older and (very) new material is often a big challenge for many a band of their caliber, and Destruction rolled over it with the force of a tank, gave us a schoolbook lesson in “no bullshit” thrash metal and once again lived up to their highly esteemed name in metal circles. Destruction – see you again soon, and until then, take care!
The cherry on top of the cake after two great sets, the last to lay their weapons down on the stage that night were Overkill, one of the most successful American thrash metal bands not to come from the West Coast, the cradle of the genre’s popularization in the second half of the eighties. With consistently high-quality releases over the years, Overkill have earned legend status, and even their latest studio triumph “Ironbound” is a sizzling mix of the traditional thrash metal school and modern production, so the band’s relevance after all these years is beyond question – and so, consequently, is going to see them live, if you ever get the chance.
The stage disappeared into fog, the musicians took their places and kicked off the show in the hazy atmosphere with the opening track of the new album, The Green and Black. Just as the view of the stage began to sharpen, Bobby “Blitz” – a living legend and a symbol for generations of thrash metal fans – flew in from the left like a phoenix from the ashes and started in on his vocal duties. Then came a jump back to the start of Overkill’s career with Rotten to the Core and Wrecking Crew, and the seasoned musicians knew how to slowly pour oil on an already heated atmosphere with a carefully crafted setlist, gradually turning Fleda into a proper cauldron. The whole show was incredibly dynamic, and in the spirit of their mascot, the bat Chaly, the band paid a lot of attention to how they looked on stage, adding even more life to an already breathtaking performance.
The fearless Bobby of course dominated the dynamic running around – he hides his five decades remarkably well, bursting with youthful energy, his voice serves him great, and so far he’s standing very firmly on his own two feet, especially considering all his health troubles in the past. He has an incredible grip on what’s happening, and his charismatic personality and cult status are enough to have the crowd in the front rows practically eating out of his hand. During longer instrumental passages, like the middle section of Ironbound, Bobby stepped off the stage and left the spotlights to guitarists Dave Linsk on the right and Derek Tailor on the left, D.D. Verni on bass in the middle and drummer Ron Lipnicki in the back. The guitar trio visibly enjoyed themselves on stage, having fun with almost poser-ish flourishes and stage maneuvering, with D.D. leading the way. The Americans finished the main set with two newer tracks, Give A Little, with its brilliant trading of backing and lead vocals in the chorus, and the punchy Old School. The return to the stage was express, just like the trio of closing songs. The classic Elimination (“The Years of Decay”, 1989) drew huge cheers, with its cutting riffing, before Bobby wrapped up the night with a final address and a cover of The Stiffs’ Fuck You, ending a get-together full of punchy choruses, palm-muted riffing and above all ecstatic moments in the crowd.
The Killfest tour, which has been going great and filling European concert halls these past few weeks, is just further proof that thrash metal has spread its wings wide in recent years and is riding a wave of huge popularity. It surely won’t stay like this forever, and when it ends, we’ll look back on our trip to the Brno show, and on enjoying the rhythms of Overkill, Destruction and Heathen, with even more fervor. And so another Czech story has been written, and let me finish pouring my thoughts onto paper by thanking Sova and the whole gang we spent the weekend with in Brno and on the roads of Central Europe.
Photos: Urban Bolta
Setlist
OVERKILL: 1. The Green and Black 2. Rotten to the Core 3. Wrecking Crew 4. Infectious 5. Bring Me the Night 6. Bastard Nation 7. Endless War 8. Ironbound 9. Blood Money 10. Hello from the Gutter 11. Give a Little 12. Old School ————— 13. In Union We Stand 14. Elimination 15. Fuck You DESTRUCTION: 1. Curse the Gods 2. Mad Butcher 3. Armageddonizer 4. Tears Of Blood 5. D.evolution 6. Thrash Till Death 7. Bestial Invasion 8. Hate is my Fuel 9. Nailed to the Cross 10. The Butcher Strikes Back HEATHEN: 1. Dying Season 2. Control By Chaos 3. Arrows Of Agony 4. No Stone Unturned
Photo Gallery
