 | The day before the festival, I said to my wife "there is no reason why I shouldn't be there at one o'clock". After all, Hangar 27 is at walking distance from where I live. So if I'd left my apartment at noon, I'd make it on time ànd I'd have some time to relax in the nearby park, absolutely no reason why should be late, right? I mean, I'm a music reviewer and in that aspect I think it's obligatory to come early. Except, I'm also a writer, fiercely working on my second novel. It was half past three when I had finally decided to stop writing and to go to sleep. It was noon when I woke up. I quickly at two speculoos-cookies, jumped into the shower, hurt my knee, cursed loudly and got ready to leave. I also had to take a quick detour to an ATM machine. It was warm, way warmer than I expected. Eventually, around two I arrived at the scene. |
Hangarhead had already kicked off the festival when I finally entered the building. The place wasn't packed and people were just starting switch from coffee to beer. A man came up to me and introduced himself. It was Winfriend, one of my readers and - dare I say - fans. We talked about music, festivals, work, politics and Cecilia's World. I watched the food trucks get ready and remembered I had only eaten those two cookies. So I grabbed a pack of Sultana's and by the time I had finished them, it was time to see my first band on the festival.
That band was Temptations For The Weak and I had absolutely no idea what to expect. It was a local band and during their soundcheck I heard pieces of 'Old' by Machine Head. This could become interesting.
And it did. These guys pleasantly surprised me with their blend of modern metal, thrash and metalcore. Their music sounded potent and well varied. A big plus goes to vocalist Djoni who is blessed with a wide vocal range, from clean to core-screams. The rest, skilled musicians in their own term, seemed to have a lot of fun on stage and showcased some good old fashioned heavy metal fun. This surely is a band to keep and eye on.
*Funny side note: their cover of 'Bodies' couldn't have come at a better time. Winfried didn't know the song. I told him that this was the tune from the second fight scene in Cecilia's World and he suddenly liked that scene a lot better.
And it did. These guys pleasantly surprised me with their blend of modern metal, thrash and metalcore. Their music sounded potent and well varied. A big plus goes to vocalist Djoni who is blessed with a wide vocal range, from clean to core-screams. The rest, skilled musicians in their own term, seemed to have a lot of fun on stage and showcased some good old fashioned heavy metal fun. This surely is a band to keep and eye on.
*Funny side note: their cover of 'Bodies' couldn't have come at a better time. Winfried didn't know the song. I told him that this was the tune from the second fight scene in Cecilia's World and he suddenly liked that scene a lot better.
Next up was Objector, also a local band and also definitely worth your time. That is, if you are an old school thrash metal fan. The vocalist was wearing a Kreator t-shirt, and that was the era Objector took us to. Eighties thrash metal, nothing more, nothing less, but coming at high speed and kicking ass as if there is no tomorrow. I liked everything about the gig, but I was mostly impressed by the drummer. He his an animal, focused to the core while he blasted out the tempos the rest of the band could thrive on. Perfect thrash metal chemistry.
| Speaking about chemistry. Bark can do something very few bands can: make music I don't really like and do it so convincingly that I buy a t-shirt. Bark plays hardcore infused stoner metal, or something like that. Their sound consists of a mix of several genres, with one thing in common: sheer energy and raging aggression. At one point during the gig, I tweeted something about Bark being the perfect replacement for Nailbomb and I stick by that. Somehow these guys are becoming one of my absolute favorites in today's Belgian scene. Their gig in Edegem rocked like hell. Pure fucking class. |  |
In that aspect, maybe Moker was my least favorite band on this festival. However, that doesn't mean that Moker sucks. These guys have been around for no less than eighteen years, perfecting their technical death metal. Here, blessed with an excellent sound (kudos to the sound engineers for their work during the entire festival), Moker blasted their complex and brutal music through the speakers and the fans ate it like speculoos. Me, just not a tech-death fan, watched them for a while and then decided to enjoy the weather outside. Once there, I noticed that it was raining like crazy, even hailing. Moker had made the weather gods angry, so it seemed.
 | After another stomach-filling it was time for Bütcher to wreak havoc. I don't think I have to point out how wild, overwhelming and punishing this gig was, do I? People who know Bütcher, know that their vintage and old school speed metal is ruthless and as intense as having your cock pierced by a tank. These legends did what they do best: leave no survivors. |
Can you believe that I had never seen Saille live before? This was the gig I was most curious about. Their atmospheric black metal may have sounded a bit out of place in between all these death and hardcore infused bands but I love every single second of it. I also think I was not the only one. Personally, I loved the odd contradiction of the dark, mysterious and gloomy imago of the band and their members just having fun on stage. They were all smiles and enjoyment, even though the gates of hell occasionally opened up and devoured a few souls.
Because the weather outside was so nice and friendly, I decided to stay inside, sit down on the concrete floor and burn a few bibles. There, I watched another PA-system being set up and I wondered. Other festivals came to mind in which something similar happened and I wondered if Carnation would be louder than the previous bands. It's a little trick in the world of live music: play louder than your supporting acts to sound more impressive.
And...yes. Carnation cranked up the volume. Nobody seemed to mind, probably because Carnation also played that other trick in the world of live music: smash the audience in the face with fierce and brutal death metal. The crowd went bananas and with good reason too. This was an impressive gig, even to me, someone who is extremely selective with his extreme music. I actually spent a big part of this gig talking to one of the food truck owners, the one with the delicious Italian sausages. But kudos to Carnation for being a punishing live band.
And...yes. Carnation cranked up the volume. Nobody seemed to mind, probably because Carnation also played that other trick in the world of live music: smash the audience in the face with fierce and brutal death metal. The crowd went bananas and with good reason too. This was an impressive gig, even to me, someone who is extremely selective with his extreme music. I actually spent a big part of this gig talking to one of the food truck owners, the one with the delicious Italian sausages. But kudos to Carnation for being a punishing live band.
With Wiegedood, my evening ended. Part of me wanted to stay and watch Welicoruss but that knee I hurt earlier that day and an upcoming outburst of flu decided otherwise. From a respectable distance, I watched Wiegedood black metaling the shit out of what was left of Carnation's path of destruction. As I mentioned earlier in this review: I'm very selective of my extreme metal but Wiegedood is always welcome. Their relentless and suffocating approach to black metal has never disappointed me and here too they simply blew the roof off the place. For my wrecked old body this was the final beatdown before I headed back home.
On the walk home I befriended a cat. I was a big black tomcat with white marks around his eyes. He walked alongside me for half a kilometer and then suddenly turned around and ran off, possibly chasing a mouse. I spent the rest of my walking time thinking back and preparing this review. I was glad I eventually went to this festival, even though I wasn't feeling too well. In fact, the only thing that could have been better were places to sit. So next time, if they put some chairs or benches in the merch area, this would be the perfect festival for an old metalhead like me...
Serge
On the walk home I befriended a cat. I was a big black tomcat with white marks around his eyes. He walked alongside me for half a kilometer and then suddenly turned around and ran off, possibly chasing a mouse. I spent the rest of my walking time thinking back and preparing this review. I was glad I eventually went to this festival, even though I wasn't feeling too well. In fact, the only thing that could have been better were places to sit. So next time, if they put some chairs or benches in the merch area, this would be the perfect festival for an old metalhead like me...
Serge
