Jet lag at the PARTY SAN ;)
[Dajana] Since we arrived on Wednesday, we had the luxury of starting the first day of the festival at a leisurely pace. Nevertheless, on Thursday I already felt as if I had a festival day behind me, even though no bands had played on Wednesday and alcohol consumption had been rather moderate. It's like jet lag... And it was to remain that way for the whole weekend.
Meanwhile, things are already kicking off at 1:45 p.m. on the main stage. Was it this early last year too? WAY TOO EARLY for my taste - the first bands are being mercilessly burned out...
:: pics :: ROTPIT ::
[BRT] The opener :: ROTPIT :: was a blank slate for me. I listened to them a few days before the festival and realized that they didn't sound as Swedish as I initially thought. The term “to rot” is central to the band and probably also to the lyrics... I don't know if it's a band or a project, because singer Ralf Hauber is better known from Revel In Flesh, where he's currently on his own after losing his entire band. He doesn't seem to be an easy guy.
Well, ROTPIT delivered brutal, straightforward death metal, but failed to present any hooklines or anything recognizable. The gig wasn't bad per se, but it was also quickly forgotten. Unfortunately, the guys didn't spread much charisma. There is an incredible number of bands in this sector right now, and name-dropping is no longer enough, sorry.
[Dajana] Well, it's surely not the easiest task to open a festival. The infield is still somewhat empty, with most fans still arriving, getting their wristbands and setting up their tents. Or are they all already wasted? Who knows... but... speaking of which... What about another Köstritzer... ? ;)
Band: Ralf Hauber (vox), Jonny Pettersson (git), Erik Barthold (drums)
:: pics :: EXTERMINATION DISMEMBERMENT ::
[BRT] When it comes to brutal or slam death metal, the Nocturnal Hall delegation is usually pretty clueless, and we're not exactly fans either, but we have to admit that there are quite a few technically skilled bands out there, who really know how to put on a show.
[Dajana] Oh, I'm always up for good brutal death metal ;) And singer Vladislav Martirosov had an incredible presence.
[BRT] :: EXTERMINATION DISMEMBERMENT :: from Belarus are fans of bulletproof vests and I've never come across them before. I can't name a band that's even remotely similar, but with four full-length albums, these guys are anything but newcomers. We have to admit that they're really good. Tthey spread a hell of a lot of energy, and have a truly charismatic guy on the mic in singer Vladislav. All that won't make me a fan, but I'd definitely check them out again if they were standing in front of me.
Band: Vladislav Martirosov (vox), Arseny Kovalchuk (git, vox), Viktor Kanashevich (bass), Alexander Kazakov (drums)
:: pics :: ...AND OCEANS ::
[BRT] The Finns :: ...AND OCEANS :: are a band that I had completely overlooked until now. I listened to them briefly while preparing for this review and thought they were okay - pretty good for symphonic metal, but not wild, evil, or rampant enough for black metal. However, that was just a brief impression. The band confirmed this impression on stage. Everything seemed a bit static and sedate, except for singer Mathias. No one really lets loose, and so I quickly lost interest. There's nothing wrong with the technique and songwriting, but unfortunately it comes across as relatively bureaucratic and stiff.
[Dajana] After Extermination Dismemberment, it wasn't easy to keep the energy level high ;) I really like ...AND OCEANS on record, especially their brand-new album The Regeneration Itinerary. The Finns have a knack for great melodies. And I also thought the show was great. But yes, all the technical finesse often comes at the expense of stage acting. That might look a bit stiff on a large open-air stage - maybe it comes across better in a club.
[BRT] Okay, okay, okay... I'll give the guys another chance on record...
Band: Mathias Lillmåns (vox), T (git), Teemu Saari (git), Pyry Hanski (bass), Kauko Kuusisalo (drums), Antti Simonen (keys)
:: pics :: THE SPIRIT ::
[BRT] As much as main man MT claims that his baby, :: THE SPIRIT ::, has something unique and is not a Dissection clone, he proves time and again on stage that he is completely wrong. Many riffs and entire song passages seem so blatantly stolen that you'd think Thulcandra was on stage. That's not as bad as it might sound, but it doesn't exactly motivate you to buy their records or see them live. There is some stage acting, but it doesn't raise the band above the “pretty nice” level.
[Dajana] I found the band on the big stage to be both, overambitious and totally uptight. I also thought the pyrotechnics were out of place, because they were used in a completely uninspired way. They didn't fit with the songs or any of the passages.
[BRT] Uptight is a good way to describe it....
Band: MT (vox, git , MS (drums ), Stanley Robertson (git), Kevin Schautzer (bass),
:: pics :: DOOL ::
[BRT] Of course, Dutch band :: DOOL :: were in a completely different league, distilling what can be brought to the stage in terms of songwriting, stage acting, charisma, and coolness into just under 45 minutes. This applied to the whole band, although Raven Van Dorst naturally stood out as the centerpiece. Vocally, Raven is in a league of her own here at PARTY SAN, but even her few short, to-the-point announcements take a clear stance and earn her extra sympathy points. Best band of the festival, but definitely more suited to the last three acts of a festival evening. Much love!
[Moni] I thought DOOL was terrific. This was the band I was most looking forward to, and I was not disappointed. Vocally, Raven was the absolute highlight for me. I would have liked DOOL to play longer and later, and I wasn't alone in that wish – if you looked around during the performance, you saw many happy faces.
[Dajana] That says it all! DOOL are simply amazing! ♥♥♥
Band: Raven van Dorst (vox, git), Nick Polak (git), Omar Iskandr (git), Job van de Zande (bass), Vincent Kreyder (drums)
:: pics :: GRAND MAGUS ::
[Dajana] :: GRAND MAGUS :: I have loved in the past. I really, really enjoyed listening to them and seeing them live, and I (used to) have a lot of CDs and merchandise in my closet. After Hammer Of The North, however, I lost sight of the Swedes. I remember thinking that their records weren't developing musically anymore, that they all sounded the same somehow...
[BRT] I followed GRAND MAGUS for a little longer and always admired the band for their ability to spread positive energy like few other bands can. With the uninspired Sword Songs, I was done with the them too, and live performances have become a little too routine.
Here at PARTY SAN, GRAND MAGUS played their hits, but seemed a little sloppy and out of practice. That may have seemed authentic and nicely rough, but at least with the choir vocals, they shouldn't have been so off key. Overall, it was fun, but the band's really good days are probably over, and the epic vibe they used to convey is now better presented by Visigoth and the like. But having to go on stage after Dool was perhaps a bit of a thankless task.
P.S. If you have several bands with vocals on the bill, you could spread them out a little better, couldn't you?
[Dajana] Unrehearsed and sloppy... yes, you could say that. J.B. also had audible problems with his voice, and it wasn't because of the wind. I found the show rather disappointing, and so the Swedes will probably continue to play outside my radar in the future.
[Moni] It may be that the band's really good days are over and you've definitely seen them better, but I enjoyed GRAND MAGUS! Since they were one of the few bands with vocals, I was perhaps more forgiving of minor mistakes than you were.
Band: JB (vox, git), Fox Skinner (bass, vox), Ludwig Witt (drums)
Setlist: I, The Jury, Skybound, Steel Versus Steel, Ravens Guide Our Way, Sunraven, Untamed, Like The Oar Strikes The Water, Hammer Of The North
:: pics :: FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE ::
[Dajana] Let's move on to one of the bands I've always wanted to capture on camera, but never managed to do so until now: :: FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE ::.
Symphonic metal with opera vocals... This isn't new, and the Italian version is indeed very powerful, both musically and visually. They even had a real piano on stage. But, in the end, however, it was a bit too much.
[BRT] Phew, yes... no... Hmmmhh. Musically, what the Italians are doing is certainly damn impressive, technically perfect and dramatically well arranged, but unfortunately, it didn't touch me in the slightest. It's not that I don't occasionally indulge in technically crazy prog overkill, but at the moment it just didn't work for me. It made me terribly nervous and slightly annoyed. So, let's just leave it at “wow, what a drummer.”
Band: Veronica Bordacchini (vox), Fabio Bartoletti (git), Francesco Paoli (bass), Francesco Ferrini (piano), Eugene Ryabchenko (drums),
:: pics :: HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY ::
[BRT] :: HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY ::
are one of the bands I lost touch with along the way, unfortunately. Their second album, Aokigahara, really blew me away at the time. I saw them live in Münster, opening for Der Weg einer Freiheit, which was okay, but it was also just a really small gig.
By their third album, all the wildness had been lost and the band had strayed a little too far into pretty sounds. Well, I guess I missed out on a lot, as several records have been released since then that weren't reviewed here.
Accordingly, I wasn't all that motivated to check them out. But I didn't think HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY was really bad. The light show was particularly impressive, and there was some stage action, but at some point, the post-rock style and screamo vocals started to feel a bit monotonous. Let's just say that a breakout would have done the band good. In their defense, there were two songs towards the end with clear guest vocals, which I really liked at the time. I'll definitely listen to them again.
[Dajana] I thought the light show was rather bad, at least during the first three songs while taking photos.Very atmospheric, yes, but way to dark. Singer J.J. also seems to be very “shy” and prefered to "hide" in the back of the stage (which is very high for photographers).
Band: J.J. (vox ), M.S. (git ), Marrok (git live)
:: pics :: NAPALM DEATH ::
[Dajana] When Barney got onto the stage, I had to hold my breath. Barney has become alarmingly thin—the suspenders were by no means a fashion gag, but functional. I really hope, he's okay and doing well. But his energy didn't diminish: Barney jumped across the stage like a rubber ball, as usual, and railed politically against domestic violence, religions, and Nazis, or spread lots of love ♥.
Even if you can't understand much of his Birmingham accent, his German “Fuck you AFD” with a one-finger salute was a clear statement! :)
I don't think I need to say anything more about :: NAPALM DEATH :: themselves. Live, NAPALM DEATH tore everything down and were actually the real headliners. A new album would be nice, Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism has already gathered some dust, even though there was an EP in 2022.
Shane Embury wasn't on stage, not even with Brujeria the next day (he still played with NAPALM DEATH on the US tour in April) – but there was a new face on bass.
[BRT] Oh well, what else can I add... NAPALM DEATH was my first blast beat band, their music accompanied me through all the ups, downs, and changing moods, so they really have a special place in my heart. None of the guys' concerts have ever disappointed me, and Barney's ultra-cool stage acting is Grammy-worthy anyway.
Unchallenged Hate was the first song I ever heard by the band, and it was awesome! Of course, Barney also made a few statements on politics, the shift to the right, and diversity, and thank Satan, he struck a chord with most of the audience. It was clearly a headliner gig and, along with Dool, the best band of the festival for me.
Yes, changing temporary musicians is nothing new these days, but bassist Adam Clakson didn't seem like an outsider at all, and yes, it's time for new music, because over the years, the guys from Birmingham have always had something new to say musically!
[Moni] NAPALM DEATH were definitely one of the bands I liked. Besides the fact that NAPALM DEATH are one of the bands that have real vocals, it's fun to watch Barney go wild on stage. Otherwise, I was always at a punk festival taking place at the same time that weekend – but with NAPALM DEATH, I still got my punk fix.
Band: Mark "Barney" Greenway (vox), Mitch Harris (git), Shane Embury (bass), Danny Herrera (drums)
:: pics :: DARK ANGEL ::
[Dajana] Yes, :: DARK ANGEL :: might be labeled as cult or called legends, as they belong to the second wave of the thrash metal revolution that once started in the Bay Area with Exodus and Metallica. But they've been missing since roughly 1992... and now we have the third reunion or something? But this time with new material. After 34 years, Extinction Level Event is supposed to be their fifth full-length album, out September 5 via Reversed Records.
I was never a fan, so I had no expectations. That's okay, I like to be surprised ;)
Meanwhile, the infield had emptied considerably. It seems that others' expectations were even lower... I would say that DARK ANGEL delivered a tight and solid show with almost continuous red lights and pyrotechnics. However, I didn't find them convincing as headliners.
[BRT] DARK ANGEL... There's expectation and there’s reality. The expectation of the old school thrasher was along the lines of “yeah, Darkness Descends in its entirety, like back in the days, please” - the reality is that after the classic, a very unpopular and “pretty okay” album with new singer Ron Rinehart came out. The sound was more progressive, the singer was really a singer, and the intense aggression was no longer there in that form. Which was partly due to the singer. What the die-hard fans obviously missed, was, that the reunion took place WITH singer Ron Rinehart and thus they had to make a few compromises with Darkness Descends.
I saw DARK ANGEL live once after the reunion and it was at least okay. But even before that, it was clear to me that the organizers had bet on the wrong horse as headliners for PSOA. Perhaps it should also be noted that the band never had a reputation for being a particularly good live band. After an energetic atomic bomb band like Napalm Death, DARK ANGEL came across as rather lame, unfortunately.
The infield was alarmingly empty and the fans' reactions were just as lame as the band.
To their credit, the set was technically perfect and the band tried their best. However, the sound was pounding and Gene Hoglan's great drums tended to drown everything out. Somehow it sounded as if every second of the songs was plastered with breaks, fills, and drum antics. Somehow, as the playing time increased, I became angry and frustrated. I, too, expected more, some of the old-school fans were completely dismayed. However, I also noticed a few other reactions...
P.S. Ron Rinehart isn't actually a bad as a singer, but you have to expect something different; it just has nothing to do with pure Darkness Descends aggression.
P.P.S. Darkness Descends was played in its entirety, but this wasn't announced beforehand.
Band: Ron Rinehart (vox), Eric Meyer (git), Laura Christine (git), Mike Gonzalez (bass), Gene Hoglan (drums) Setlist: We Have Arrived, Time Does Not Heal, No One Answers, Extinction-Level Event, Darkness Descends, The Burning Of Sodom, Hunger Of The Undead, Merciless Death, Death Is Certain (Life Is Not), Black Prophecies, Perish in Flames
[Dajana] So, let's party a little before snuggling into my sleeping bag. The night is known to be short - as soon as the sun peeks over the mountain, it's unbearable in my tent, at least. Maybe I should get myself a black'n'fresh tent too...
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