Author: Rok Klemše
Photos: Nina Grad
Venue: Arena, Vienna, Austria
Concert date: 12.12.2014
Attendance: 150
Even though I’m a die-hard metalhead, one of my favorite releases of this year is the »non-metal« album from Norwegian hard rockers Audrey Horne, Pure Heavy. Why? One listen is all the explanation you need, but still: bombastic choruses that win you over instantly, outstanding instrumental chops from every member of the band, the guitar wizardry of the Ice Dale/Thomas Tofthagen duo, and a positive energy that radiates off Audrey Horne like Chernobyl. The quintet from Bergen, Norway, otherwise known mainly as the Mecca of black metal, has just been presenting Pure Heavy on a European tour, and the stop closest to us, Vienna in December, got a whiff of summer-time looseness. Joining Audrey Horne were Pet the Preacher, who we already know, and the totally unknown 77.
Each of the three bands on the bill sent us swimming in a different pool of rock. First up, Denmark’s Pet the Preacher, took us into the waters of dirty stoner, complete with the obligatory Black Sabbath influences and bluesy solos. The band is no stranger to Slovenia, having played last year’s Metaldays, but back then they didn’t really get to shine. This time it was different: stoner simply works best in a dark, garage-like (even better if it’s smoky) setting, and in Arena’s small hall the trio did a fine job of warming up the first few heads who had taken shelter inside from the December cold. Pet the Preacher released a new album this year, The Cave & The Sunlight, and gave the lion’s share of their good half-hour set to presenting it, while the crowd answered with synchronized, slow head-nodding. The Orange amps made it clear we were in for a fat groove of simplistic riffing, distorted bass and plain but punchy drums, and Pet the Preacher delivered exactly that. Christiana Hede Madsen’s stoned, cracked vocals and the jammy excursions of this wonderfully tight trio were the cherry on top of the bubbling stoner swamp, and my throat was longing for a swig of home-brewed moonshine.
That promising start was slowed down a bit by Spain’s 77, who obviously have a pretty strong fan base in Vienna: the hall had already filled up solidly, and the crowd feverishly followed the even more feverish Spaniards. All good so far: the performance was top notch, the band’s energy incredible, the tightness excellent, the sound too, but there wasn’t a single verse, riff or chorus with any original authorial touch. We’ve got Airborne, do we really need yet another copy of rock dinosaurs AC/DC? The band’s name, with the year ’77, references the year the cult AC/DC record Let There Be Rock came out, and unfortunately the Spaniards are just a pale, generic »copy-paste« of the Bon Scott era of the legendary Aussies. Down to song titles like Maximum Rock and Roll, Down and Dirty and Less Talk (Let’s Rock). So 77 served up a heap of classic hard rock clichés, from the rasping vocals and group choruses to the posey, sex-charged soloing. Nice, but totally without a soul of its own.
Which is absolutely not the case for Norwegian hard ‘n’ heavy kings Audrey Horne, about whom even the American media write that the best American rock band comes from Norway. What’s fascinating about the band is that most of its members come from the world of extreme metal, yet their hard rock with elements of heavy metal outdoes most bands that live only in that genre. Audrey Horne released the critically acclaimed Pure Heavy this September, an album that runs you over like King’s Christine, and its title single was the ultra-catchy Out of the City, crowned with a fun video in which the guys appear as Muppets. Fittingly, Audrey Horne were welcomed with The Muppet Show theme, and amid the roaring enthusiasm of the sparse crowd of about a hundred and fifty heads, they kicked things off with a lion’s heart, Wolf In My Heart. The Norwegians won us over sonically right away, since compared to the rather polished studio versions they sounded dirtier, more garage-y, if you will. But the sound can be as good as it gets and still have no effect if the band isn’t up to it. From that angle, Audrey Horne are the absolute winners! There wasn’t a moment when the incredible energy of the Norwegians, in great spirits, didn’t radiate from the stage, along with their spontaneous good humor and genuine connection with the audience, whom all the members except the drummer joined down in front of the stage several times. Audrey Horne spiced up an adrenaline-fueled hour and a half with a hard-hitting setlist made up almost exclusively of songs from Youngblood and Pure Heavy, with Blaze of Ashes (Audrey Horne) the only older excursion. Live, every single song was so convincing and catchy that I’m sure each one could have been a mega-platinum hit in the eighties. And on top of their incredible tightness, the band showed off fantastic form, led by the great vocal performance of charismatic entertainer Toschie. But in my opinion, all the attention was undoubtedly stolen by guitar heroes Ice Dale (Enslaved) and Thomas Tofthagen (Sahg), who served up a real encyclopedia of guitar moves that neither Iron Maiden, nor Van Halen, nor Thin Lizzy, nor Deep Purple would have been ashamed of at their best. Those double harmonies are downright worthy of the gods! Audrey Horne held the crowd in their grip from the first second to the last, sent them into ecstasy especially with the explosive Out of the City and Redemption Blues (which even brings retirees back to life, the ones already smelling the cypresses), and wrapped up an adrenaline ride and a top-notch, unforgettable Friday night after an hour and a half with This Ends Here.
Do not miss Audrey Horne at Metaldays 2015!
Setlist
AUDREY HORNE:
1. Muppet Show Theme/Wolf In My Heart
2. Holy Roller
3. Youngblood
4. There Goes A Lady
5. Volcano Girl
6. Out of the City
7. Tales From the Crypt
8. Pretty Little Sunshine
9. Into the Wild
10. Show And Tell
11. Blaze of Ashes
12. Straight Into Your Grave
— encore —
13. Redemption Blues
14. Waiting For the Night
15. This Ends Here
Photo Gallery
