Author: Rok Klemše
Photos: Nina Grad
Venue: Kino Šiška, Ljubljana
Concert date: 28.02.2011
Attendance: 350
The year has turned, and under the baton of Dirty Skunks, the “the American Way” festival tour Bonecrusher has once again rolled into Ljubljana. This year’s caravan once more offered a colorful mix of bands, something for every pair of ears, all neatly packed into one big shiny package of extreme metal with a bow on top.
First on stage, sadly in front of a still almost totally empty Kino Šiška hall, were Spanish thrashers Angelus Apatrida. The guys are riding the thrash metal revival wave successfully, and unlike (far too) many of their contemporaries, they’re actually pulling it off pretty well. In their destructive thrash blast, which sadly lasted barely half an hour, the Spaniards focused mostly on their current album Clockwork. What we got was aggressive, fast and youthfully angry thrash that obviously, though with a lot of respect for the legacy of the greats, borrows heavily from giants like Destruction and Megadeth. The influence of the latter is easy to hear when guitarists Guillermo and David stand side by side and treat themselves to longer solo and riff escapades. On top of a varied batch of sharp riffs, Guillermo also serves up a fierce vocal that recalls young Chuck Billy in the era of The Legacy album. Angelus Apatrida made the most of their half hour, even if they’re not some major thrash metal breakthrough. Still, we can count them among the better representatives of the young breed of thrash bands, since they reach for the excellence of Warbringer, and a lot is also expected of their upcoming album Transformation.
After lightning-fast changeovers, which didn’t take more than fifteen minutes even for the headliners, the stage was already taken by a representative of a different musical current. Carving out their own slice of the cake and their own half hour was California’s technical death(core) outfit Burning the Masses. The guys clearly take their cues from those insane, sick Canadian bands, since a large chunk of their music is supersonic “wankery” soloing. The guitar wizardry of the Valenzuela/Ostowari duo is something to marvel at, and watching their fingers race up and down the necks at the speed of light is a real feast for the eyes. Unfortunately it’s a lot less of a feast for the ears, because with Burning the Masses you get the feeling that instrument wanking takes priority over any sense of songwriting. That said, credit where it’s due: the guys know how to write effective breakdowns that aren’t boring and grating like in most bands with the core label, but technically upgraded with lively riffs. The biggest disappointment is surely the departure of the charismatic vocalist Big Chocolate (Cameron “Big Chocolate” Argon), because his replacement is the definition of a bad “cookie monster” vocalist, hitting deep, brutal growls by deftly hugging the microphone. Pablo Francisco would surely have something to say about him: THIS.
The ears got to rest up a bit again during the set by Italian outfit Fleshgod Apocalypse, who are doing a pretty good job of rescuing the bad reputation that (rightfully) clings to Italian metal. The Italians strutted onto the stage in torn tuxedos and blackened faces, looking as if the classical Italian composers Verdi, Vivaldi, Paganini and Puccini had just risen from the grave and walked on stage. Fleshgod Apocalypse blend elements of classical music into their death metal, which is most obvious in the backing track and the technically executed neoclassical solos. Once the Italians hopped on the scooter (ciao), they didn’t stop until the end of the show, with one blast after another. Relentlessly fast and aggressive songs came one after the other, to the point where by the end of their set it all got a little monotonous. The monotony was cut through, though, by a pretty well-executed cover of the classic Blinded By Fear by the cult At the Gates and by the excellent closing tracks Thru Our Scars and Requiem in Si Minore, one with a fantastic, epic and totally unhinged chorus, the other with more variety, which made for a more thrilling finish.
Carnifex from the USA already played at last year’s Bonecrusher, and at this year’s edition they presented their recently released album Hell Chose Me. During the Americans’ set it was mostly breakdown and deathcore lovers who got their money’s worth, which was clearly visible in the crowd as well. The hall was filled mainly with nicely dressed, carefully coiffed helicopters and ninjas doing their acrobatics in front of the stage. How you can stay serious while doing that is beyond me. Carnifex did rage with plenty of energy and success over their good half hour, with the bulk of their set made up of the new album. Still, I hope Carnifex won’t be back at the next Bonecrusher.
Before the show by Norwegian black metal attraction Keep of Kalessin, most people there probably weren’t expecting anything special, since the Norwegians’ studio quality is slowly but steadily declining, and they practically hammered a nail into their own coffin (and stirred up anger among the wider metal crowd) by appearing in Norway’s Eurovision selection (where they did take an enviable third place). But Keep of Kalessin shut the doubters’ mouths in the very first moments of the show… or opened them wide in gaping awe. The guys played probably their best show on our soil, and we’ve had a chance to see them here at least four or five times. Keep of Kalessin haven’t been a classic black metal band for quite a while, since you’ll search in vain for the classic black metal bee-buzz (nonstop tremolo picking). Main composer and guitarist Obsidian C. keeps a steady stream of brilliant riffs, epic passages and fantastic solos flowing. With frequent changes of rhythm and tempo and varied, lively drumming that doesn’t just rape the double bass pedal, Keep of Kalessin are edging toward death and thrash metal, and thanks to the sprawling complexity of their song structures, almost toward progressive metal. Obsidian C. manages to cover more ground with one guitar than most do with two, helped by an energetic bassist, while the charismatic vocalist Thebon got the crowd going with ease. The experience was further boosted by a superbly chosen setlist, which included songs from the new album Reptilian as well as a nice handful of older classics, plus a spectacular “light-show”. Apparently only black metal bands know how to exploit the technical lighting potential of Kino Šiška, because the only other act that can boast a similar light show in Šiška is Rotting Christ.
The cherry on top of the cream, closing out the night, was the legendary American death metal outfit from Maryland, Dying Fetus. The band is approaching its 20th anniversary, and that’s solely thanks to the tireless will of John Gallagher, the only original member left. So many members have come and gone over the years that you’d run out of fingers counting them, and today Dying Fetus perform as a trio. Which doesn’t show one bit on Gallagher, Sean Beasley (bass) and Trey Williams (drums). The lineup sounds so tight and so coherent that they might as well have been playing together since the Big Bang, and just three of them make the kind of noise that was probably present at the dawn of creation. Gallagher handled the chopping and slicing with fantastic riffs and hellishly good solos, which Beasley followed with ease and incredible skill with his “blunt force” bass playing. Williams chipped away at the foundations of Šiška from behind his drum kit, while Beasley and Gallagher, with a phenomenal and devilishly brutal vocal performance, started gnawing at the foundations of the surrounding buildings too. With just three instruments, Dying Fetus manage to create more racket than an entire symphony orchestra, and despite the constant aggression and sawing, thanks to their varied, lively structures and technically polished lines they never get boring for even a moment. The carefully chosen wreckers included the current album Descent Into Depravity, and the older classics Homicidal Retribution, One Shot, One Kill, Praise the Lord and the rarely heard Grotesque Impalement weren’t missing either. Dying Fetus didn’t sugarcoat anything; they came, they played, they left. But in such a good way that their show won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
I hope we can look forward to a third Bonecrusher. Despite this year’s poor turnout, this festival tour is a good way to offer visitors with diverse musical tastes as much as possible for as little money as possible. If I may be a little wicked to finish… we’d have survived without the bad deathcore, but to each their own: every eye has its own painter, and every pair of ears has its own bellower.
Photos: Nina Grad
Setlist
FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE:
1. In Honour Of Reason
2. As Tyrants Fall
3. Sophistic Demise
4. Embodied Deception
5. Blinded By Fear
6. Thru Our Scars
7. Requiem In SI Minore
CARNIFEX:
1. In Coalesce With Filth and Faith
2. Entombed Monarch
3. The Diseased and the Poisoned
4. Dead Archetype
5. Sorrowspell
6. Lie to My Face
7. Hell Chose Me
Photo Gallery
