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Due to a combination of parking problems
and a forward brought program, the Aardschok delegation entered
Paradiso on the first notes of Grave. Since HATE
SQUAD is gonna visit our country again to keep the
Dynamo Open Air campsite awake we can undo this fiasco on very short
notice. GRAVE typically
is a band that goes on and on. Not that long ago they released their
fourth album "Soulless". But creatively they have been numb for
quite some time now. It looked and sounded pretty impressive this
evening. At least, at first sight. Singer/bass player Jörgen
Sandstrom is an imposing figure - as tough as the sound of his Grave.
The congenial attitude of the musicians made the audience watch
their performance with proper attention. It didn't stir things up
though. In the technically perfect sound wall there were little
sparkling ideas to be perceived. All songs were heavy, fast and
log ... and therefore sounded quite alike. Would the band ever want
to promote from an eternal support act to a place in the first division
than there's a lot of work to be done by the three Swedes. (RH)
After reading Wim Baelus' review
of the CD "Victory" and the interview in Aardschok 4/95 I got quite
curious about the performance of UNLEASHED.
And I have to admit, also live it pretty much looked as if the Swedes
really are changing their traditional sound into something new.
Although in Paradiso the band drew from their extensive legacy of
dunking death metal they also played quite some pieces of their
latest CD. Like for example "Victims Of War" and "Scream Forth Agression",
tracks that differ very from their old material and don't quite
make clear in which directions Unleashed wishes to develope. Besides,
the rest above average performance could not veil the demotivation
of the gentlemen when playing the old material. Charactaristic for
this was the dull grinning Anders behind his drum kit. Bass player/growler
Johnny Hedlund was having much more fun. His unbridled devotion
got some reaction going from the audience, although it stayed restricted
to the pit in front of the stage. The majority of the audience resigned
Unleashed endured awaiting eagerly for things that were still to
come. (RW)
For it especially was the evening
of GOREFEST and Death,
for which the other three bands merely figured as warm up acts.
In certain walks of life the rumor was going around that some guys
from Amsterdam wanted to get even with Jan-Chris de Koeyer for the
things he said in the interview of Aardschok issue 4/95. As the
hall lights were put out the audience got on their feet immidiately
without one dissonance to be perceived. Probably yet another case
of boasting? Presumable. After a considerable musical change, of
which the end is not within sight yet, and after having said quite
some stimulating things, Gorefest is still a band which is carried
on hands. Quite rightly, because the band proved again to have climbed
to a lonesome height, in The Netherlands but probably also far abroad.
The presentation, the light, the sound, and everything was about
perfection. And still there is musical developement. Mainly the
two guitar players (Boudewijn Bonebakker and Frank Harthoorn) seem
to think alike even better. The setlist contained merely songs from
the last two (studio)albums, "False" and "Erase". Nothing from the
debut "Mindloss". Even the old crowd puller "Confessions Of A Serial
Killer" with which their shows were regular ended, stayed under
lock and key. With which the band seemed to be trying to underline
that as far as they are concerned the death metal era is closed
and they are looking into the future with great expectations. (RH)
After an extensive soundcheck,
the Dead Can Dance intro and the meanwhile coincidentely lightend
church windows of Paradiso, strangely enough the two newcomers of
DEATH, Conlon and
Koelble climbed the stage first. The opening song wasn't, as promissed
in interviews, "Zombie Ritual" but successively "Spiritual Healing"
and "The Philosopher". The line-up of the renewed Death again appeared
to be a strong one. And it was very interesting to see Gene Hoglan
interpretating the old songs in his very own way. It has to be said
though that the gentlemen guitar players dropped a stich here and
there. Bobby Koelble anyway was hard to be heard and Chuck Schuldiner
sounded without the tunnel effects of the albums a lot less "evil"
and sometimes even out of key. Another drawback was the quite relaxed
attitude of the musicians, therefore the intervals in between songs
were pretty long and this looked very unprofessional. Not that anybody
was annoyed by it because after every silence they would play a
killer song like "Crystal Mountain", "Lack Of Comprehension", "Empty
Words" and "Suicide Machine". And as the audience at the end of
the set seemed to be dozing off , it was Gene Hoglan whom without
mic screamed the crowd to order again, after which Amsterdam got
to deal with the encores "Zombie Ritual" and "Pull The Plug". The
only thing that casted a light slur upon this quite varied Full
Of Hate Festival was the expelling from the hall of the few crowdsurfers,
that were able to reach the stage, by the "kind" security without
mercy. That's not what Chuck was meaning with "Zero Tolerance"?
(RW)
Robbie Woning
Robert Haagsma |
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