Author: Primož Novak
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Graz / Explosiv / Austria
Concert date: 01.03.2018
Attendance: 400
For many years, Sepultura was a hated name on the metal scene. It took more than ten years for people to get over certain things and accept that a reunion of the classic lineup is never going to happen. The band had to take the heat for that and keep going through all the negativity. Today you could say it’s a minor miracle Sepultura survived at all, since at one point they were doing really badly and barely scraping by. But persistence pays off. Last year Kisser and company put out Machine Messiah, an album that announced a new era promising quality records once again. In support of it, Sepultura hit the road in Europe for the second time, this time as headliners. Joining them on the trip across the continent were German progressive death metallers Obscura, American black/death outfit Goatwhore, and deathcore crew Fit For An Autopsy. A varied lineup for sure, and one that sold out quite a few shows. The tour was filling halls of 600 to 800 people, which is undoubtedly a solid number.
The show at Graz’s Explosiv sold out almost a month in advance, though the place only fits around 400 people, which is below the tour average. Still, a packed Explosiv was a good sign that Sepultura can fill a room even in smaller cities.
The warm-up duty fell to American deathcore band Fit For An Autopsy. The band includes renowned producer Will Putney, who has helped plenty of deathcore acts get a better sound. Putney didn’t join the tour, so the band played as a five-piece. As far as deathcore goes, nothing here is out of the ordinary: they arrived on the scene when deathcore had already been popular for a few years, and they couldn’t really show anything groundbreaking because it’s the same old patterns repeated. Still, Fit For An Autopsy played a decent set. The sound was brutal, the breakdowns were all there, and they were tight too. They may not sound exactly innovative, but with a bit of persistence Fit For An Autopsy will rise above the average as well. The potential is definitely there!
Next up were Goatwhore. A band from Louisiana playing something between death, black and thrash metal, with the occasional borrowing from hardcore punk and crust. In short, a mix of everything. At first glance the mix seems over the top, but after a couple of songs it’s clear Goatwhore aren’t going to overdo it. Everything is arranged sensibly, with no overcomplicating. The band puts simplicity front and center, and above all the fact that the whole thing »burns«. Goatwhore work even better live than on record. The charismatic vocalist clearly puts his lines in the spotlight, while the other three members play their roles with total confidence. The singer may be what catches your eye first, but it soon becomes obvious that Goatwhore work great as a whole, nicely tight, and a proper party is guaranteed for the crowd. Their albums may not be anything exceptional, but their gig is definitely worth catching.
Obscura haven’t been an unknown for a while now. Ever since the band released Cosmogenesis, they’ve been a recognizable name in the extreme metal scene. This time they were wrapping up the promo tour for Akróasis, which came out in 2016 and was the main focus of the set. Of course Obscura also dipped into their previous two releases so that any older fans would be satisfied. The band’s tightness was without question at a high level, but sonically the whole thing felt too sterile. The energy was there, the virtuosity didn’t run short, neither did the complex rhythms, but it felt like something was missing. There was sharpness, but not real power. Obscura may not have fit the genre context of this tour, but the packed room was proof that technical and progressive metal bands have their audience too.
Mention the name Sepultura and you always get whole debates, for and against. That’s been going on for more than two decades now, and the band is still here with a different lineup, which is a stumbling block for many. After the well-received Machine Messiah, quite a few fans gave Sepultura another chance. The shows got better, and after drummer Eloy Casagrande joined, the whole thing was lifted to a higher level. A lot of good things were said, so a Sepultura gig close to Slovenia was a must-attend. The start made sense: two new songs plus Kairos. After three songs, the visibly sweat-soaked vocalist Derrick Green looked like he wouldn’t last till the end, let alone the gray-haired bassist Paolo, who could barely keep up with the crazy Casagrande. Despite their years, the band stuck with their setlist to the end, which ran about an hour and a half. The power never faded, Green was vocally confident, and the one who shone brightest was young drummer Eloy Casagrande with his marathon stamina.
No need to stress that the new songs won’t get as good a reaction as the old ones, although even on the songs Derrick Green already sings on, the crowd went wild. But the real madness kicked off with Desperate Cry and Territory. The songs were played well, and Kisser nailed the solos pretty accurately too. The only thing missing was a second guitar to fill out the sound. The Sepultura show also won people over with good sound and lights. The band gave off the feeling that they really put in the effort for this tour and held nothing back. The setlist confirmed it. Sepultura could have played a routine best of and coasted through the show along the path of least resistance. Instead they went for a risky, bold move. Andreas Kisser said they’re celebrating 20 years of Derrick Green this year. To mark it, they played three songs from Against (1998), the first album with Green on vocals. Then came the promo for the current album again. On Machine Messiah, Green showed off his melodic singing, the instrumental Iceberg Dances wowed again with its rhythms, and Casagrande just never ran out of ideas and power. Kisser even played one part on a flamenco guitar, yet another layer on top of an already varied setlist. Then came a tribute to the crowd with the classics Inner Self, Refuse/Resist and Arise.
After Arise, Sepultura left the stage, then came back with Slave New World, which was once again part of the live setlist for this tour. To close it out, they finally remembered the album Roots. First to drop was Ratamahatta, where Green played an extra drum and traded vocals with Kisser. Sepultura haven’t delivered such an authentic Ratamahatta in a long time. The show ended with the obligatory Roots Bloody Roots, as expected. Drawing the line, the current version of Sepultura really made an effort, there was no routine, and the setlist showed a lot of guts. After what we saw, here’s hoping they come back near us soon.
With a night of Sepultura, Obscura, Goatwhore and Fit For An Autopsy, Graz’s Explosiv club more than lived up to its name.
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