1st Day // Terrordrome Abnormal Inhumane, Carnal Redemption, Delete The Mass, Malicious Silence, Veil // Eightball Club, Thessaloniki, Greece // 16.03.13
These days are hard to live on with all the unemployment and the crisis in Europe. Nonetheless here in Greece we are always pride for many things. And now we are proud that a local festival for the death and grind metal scene has taken place for a second time. Hopefully this will be an institution and every year Greek underground death metal bands will present their work to the audience.
The last year I couldn’t go to the event because some personal problems and by the things I was told after I really regret it. This year I wouldn’t miss it for the world; especially when the reason for such an event was to help a fellow man in this scene and to gather money for his family concerning a health problem. When the simple people are together and help each other this world can go where we want to.
To the festival now… I want to say I cannot remember everything and I must apologize for any errors you are about to witness. The first day was Saturday 16th of March and it was a weekend where in Greece we celebrate carnival. So hopefully it was going to be a celebration and a bloody party. And of course it was. Although I was expecting more people on the audience, the number of the attendees was more or less of 90. The whole atmosphere was great since most of the bands and the audience was not totally strangers. I managed to miss the beginning of the first band that was Veil. But thankfully I missed only a song or two. It is a bit awkward to start a show and to warm up the audience. And it is more difficult to do it with such a crappy sound. The trio gave all their heart and they did great for such an inconvenient place. The weird about them is that the drummer was the lead singer but he did a magnificent job. On one song they had a guest on vocals. It was a great beginning for the death metal festival and the band from Karditsa.
And then the stage was filled by four guys from Lamia. Malicious Silence started their show with a little better sound than Veil’s. They are known for their brutal death metal in vain of Suffocation. So the reactions from the audience were truly warm. Everyone is waiting for their next release. Christos has magnificent skills on playing the guitar and composing, hopefully we will hear from them soon enough. And after we get our license to brutalize from Malicious Silence we got hit by a grindcore band named Delete The Mass. The fury was unleashed and everyone was in amok. The guys from Athens gave a great show, despite the worries of their singer about his anxiety. When he wore the custom made shower and felt like home the show went on. Of course the social issues for a grindcore band are a must and Delete The Mass is not an exception. Fast and furious the band played many songs, among them a lot from their new full length release “Μάζα” (translated as Mass) and what was it that hit us with this energy blast I still wonder.
I was trying to forget about the awful sound and trying to enjoy the show, when a band I didn’t know until now take the stage. Carnal Redemption delivered us a great amount of old school brutal death metal that I really enjoy. No the sound was not that good for the trio from Athens either. The vocals were at many times seem to faint. Anyway their music had totally paid off for us with songs such as “The Miserable Antihero” and “Genocidal Blindness” from their latest promo. I am expecting great things from these guys.
The time passed nice and without noticing at all the pre-headliners were on stage. Abnormal Inhumane is their name and they are a brutal death metal band from Athens. They have an album released from Anopsys Records in 2011, but their lineup is changed since that CD. Their music is the death metal that is called also slam. And I must admit that with the new vocalist they are complete and they fit exactly to this description. Well played brutal death metal from a band that seem to be really tight. The audience was expecting them and the pit was full all the time. Their music was great on the CD “Disgusting Cruelty Of Homicide” and they yielded it magnificent on stage. Yet the night was going to end with another band. This time was Terrordrome from Thessaloniki. A band that our city and our country is proud of; the latest release was truly out of this world and for me one of the best releases for 2012. The crowd didn’t stop to dance and mosh in their rhythms. These four dudes know exactly what to offer their fans. Although the singer Peter had a cold last day he totally nailed us with his vocals. The brutality of “The Day Of Sacrilege”, “Moribound” and “Bounded” is unmistakable and gave the night the final hit. The last song was a cover of Morbid Angel’s “Dominate” which they take it to another dimension. The end had left us with nothing but the hunger for the next day.
2nd Day // Terrordrome, Abnormal Inhumane, Carnal Redemption, Delete The Mass, Malicious Silence, Veil // Eightball Club, Thessaloniki, Greece // 17.03.13
And the 17th of March had arrived and another six bands was waiting for us. Another death metal evening was near. This time I managed to linger more than the last day and I only had time to watch two songs of Spawns Of Inferno from Serres. I am very disappointed with myself because I really wanted to listen to more of their brutal death metal. These guys have not yet a release and I was eager to hear from them. So I tried to be consoled by the next band called Abyssus. Unfortunately for them their sound was so awful that I couldn’t stand it. I listened to some of their tracks from YouTube and I liked the retro feeling of them. Yet I wouldn’t let to enjoy them performing live because of the sound.
The next band though paid off all the anticipation of the night. Wreckage gave a hell of a show. Their guitarist Kostas (he played also for Kvazar) was sounded great. And by great I mean like Entombed were on stage. The sound of his guitar was so gloomy exactly like the sound of Entombed’s first two albums. The music of Wreckage is that dark and groovy that they were the highlight of the night. Well for me and my taste they were. After the closer cover of “Eyemaster” (I think it is unnecessary to say of whom) we were at the middle of this second and final night. Progress Of Inhumanity are a grindcore band from Athens with just one release in their vault, yet a great one. Their crusty punk rhythms keep the energy high and despite the bad acoustics the moshpit was unstoppable. I want to listen to new material from them as soon as possible so I can listen to them properly.
The two last bands are very well known and they are both from Thessaloniki. First on the stage were Erectus. The anticipation for their new release is high and to see them playing live some of the material was a great experience. Again the sound was the worst possible and I couldn’t understand anything from the songs. The band has great songs but everything was so loud that you wouldn’t hear clear nothing at all. The energy of their singer was coming to nothing because of the sound. And another black spot I must testify is their short setlist. I believe that they should play longer. And this weekend was about to come to an end. The band that would give the closer was Head Cleaner. I don’t think you need any recommendations for these guys. The Napalm Death style of their grindcore is widely known to the Greek audience and they are loved for it. The energy of Mitch – their singer – in their live performances is released to the crowd and you owe to follow. With new songs from their latest EP and of course many older songs the evening was getting to an end.
It was a great festival and I know that these nights will continue to happen since we support our great death metal bands. After some photos with the bands and the guys that came all the way from Athens to support this event, we left with nice memories and with longing for the next year. A big thank you must go to the guy that is behind all these. John Xanth is that guy and everyone knows him. He is the one to blame for the great second weekend. Until next year and the 3rd Greek Death / Grind Scene Festival, wishes for good health. Keep on supporting all the good things around our great death metal scene.
Kostas “Krotidas” Triantafyllidis