| Doors: 6 pm | Show: 6.45 pm | Tickets: 27 Euro + fees |

The first two months of the year are usually quiet ones. In March bands and spring get slowly off the grid - the first big names have hit the road to promote their current releases and to make some money till the open air festival season starts.
Except for last year’s summer festivals, Brazilians metal legend SEPULTURA haven’t presented their new album Machine Messiah yet on an extended European tour. Now they are going to do and have gathered a nice bunch of chums to share the bill. Most of all I was looking forward to enchanting Black/Death Metal maniacs GOATWHORE, but also OBSCURA and FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY. It’s going to be a sweaty and face-melting evening… ;)

:: pics :: FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY ::

Hunting across Europe the trek made a stop at :: Zeche Bochum ::, Germany. At this location shows start very early and you better appear even earlier as first bands often begin before announced times. Otherwise, you might miss them. However, I actually expected a sold out venue and cuddly conditions, but it was not, yet packed and crowded when the headliner got onto stage.
It didn’t help for :: FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY ::. The Deathcore masters got the party started a little before their time with a countable amount of fans front of stage.
The huge drum kit of Sepultura left hardly any room for the other bands. Most musician stood like nailed wherever some place was. Fronter Joe Badolato tried to move the edge of the stage for his energetic bursts but eventually stopped, as lights were bad and his balancing act might have caused another broken leg. Conditions could be better for sure but it didn’t keep the band from performing on a highly energetic level, supported by a powerful and clear sound for their progressive approach, delivering interesting twists and turns in their music. Definitely worth to be checked out!
Only the crowd had difficulties to get motivated. Some heads were nodded and also single fists seen to be raised but nothing that would come close to circle pits or headbanging franticness. FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY had a 30 minutes set focusing on their latest effort The Great Collapse.

Setlist: Hydra, Heads Will Hang, Still We Destroy, Saltwound, Iron Moon, Black Mammoth

:: pics :: GOATWHORE ::

Louisiana foursome :: GOATWHORE :: caught me some years ago at Party San Open Air and made me a true follower since then. Purely enchanting those guys are ;) Singer Ben appeared in cast and crutches and tried to master the entanglement of wires and equipment on stage. Most of the time of the he sat on a road case: „When you end up in a cast on tour in Europe and forgot to bring your Dave Grohl Stage Chair, you make due with a road case“. Yeah. It of course takes much more to stop him performing as ferocious and lively as we know him. He was so full of energy that he even jumped up several times, which was probably not the best for his leg.
The enthusiastic span of the audience was once again rather short. Orders and calls were followed but only for a second or so and then blew out.
GOATWHORE kicked off the ritual with a classic, Alchemy Of The Black Sun Cult, and then went through the latest three records with the main focus on last year’s Vengeful Ascension. Asskicking show and finally a formidable circle pit at the last statement FBS.

Setlist: Alchemy Of The Black Sun Cult, Under The Flesh - Into The Soul, Baring Teeth For Revolt, Vengeful Ascension, Collapse In Eternal Worth, Mankind Will Have No Mercy, Chaos Arcane, In Deathless Tradition, Apocalyptic Havoc, FBS

:: pics :: OBSCURA ::

With :: OBSCURA :: entering the stage all rambunctiousness was over. High end tech death metal wizardry needs concentration. And the space on stage to move was still way small. OBSCURA used CO2 jets but it didn’t work visually as the musicians stood anywhere else. Musically it was quite a contrast, which isn’t any bad but here the atmosphere was somehow too clean and killed the flow. OBSCURA played an inexpertly short set. Perhaps 30, 35 minutes. But they had its own fair share of fans in the audience. First rows were full of Akroasis shirts. The Germans are really likeable, played their intricate and complex songs with ease and joy, not showing off.
OBSCURA played a best-of set since Akroasis dates back 2 years already and the new album, Diluvium, will be released in summer.

Setlist: Ocean Gateways, Akróasis, The Anticosmic Overload, Centric Flow

:: pics :: SEPULTURA ::

As the headliner set approaches, people rush and squeeze into the hall and push close to the stage, which was finally cleared, leaving a lot of space for giant singer Derrick Green to run around. Right from the outset the high level of energy is back. :: SEPULTURA :: don’t take prisoners and kick off with a doubles feature from the band’s new album Machine Messiah.
They played 6 out of 10 songs from the new one but also throw in many classics, representing almost every era of the band’s history. As guitarist Andreas Kisser told, Derrick Green is celebrating his 20th anniversary with the band and to honor that SEPULTURA played a triple from the 1998 album Against, Green’s first one with them.
The way the audience responded hasn’t changed anyway. Must be the Wedesday. Horns and fists were raised when demanded and then dropped down again, unless a classic was played, then the fans downright freaked out.
Seeing old and new songs played in equal share made me realize that SEPULTURA recycled some distinct riffs/hooks from the classics in newer songs. They copied themselves, so to say. The new and newer songs are surely of high quality and have a punching sound, yet lack of what the classics make so crispy and kicking.
I also have to admit that after around the half of the set I got sick of the endless solos by Kisser and his rock star behavior. Yes, he is a great guitar player, yes, he has achieved a lot with SEPULTURA he can be really proud of and yes, there needs to be action on stage. But that’s no reason to self-display such ego.
Despite the small stage part for the supporting bands, minor technical and light issues, it was a great and entertaining show and evening. I enjoyed watching SEPULTURA and hearing the old tracks again.
On a side note: It was the first ever show with only women in the photo pit. Wow!

Setlist: Intro, I Am The Enemy, Phantom Self, Kairos, Territory, Desperate Cry, Sworn Oath, Resistant Parasites, Against, Choke, Boycott, Machine Messiah, Iceberg Dances, Inner Self, Refuse/Resist, Arise // Slave New World, Ratamahatta, Roots Bloody Roots

story & pics © Dajana & Dajana Winkel • Photography