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By
planning their CD presentation as the support act of two colleague
death metal bands, the local band CONSOLATION (one
of the bands that later contributed at the benefit festival for
Chuck on March 24 - 2000 / YK) were assured an audience. On their
new CD "Stahlmaster" is apparent that the band has developed quite
a bit. Consolation still plays very tight and very brutal but sound
much more diverse than they did in the past. This musical variation
seems to be their salavation live. Where many speedy death metal
bands already are quite boring after a few songs, Consolation manages
to keep the attention of the audience in De Kade until the last
note. Songs like "Deathrill" and "Holocauster" are filled with blast
beats, speedy bass drums and apparantely endless guitar runs, but
in "Motocation" (which features beautiful humming breaks), "The
Camel Song" (live for that matter supplied with a deep grunt!) and
"Route 666" (Bathory goes Kyuss) nowadays quite other sounds are
passing by as well. The striking thing is that the vocal parts are
sometimes being done live by completely different musicians then
on the CD. This is undoubtedly part of the "teamspirit" talked about
so often by Consolation's label Displeased. With this teamspirit
it isn't strange for the former Consolation vocalist Manoloxx to
climb the stage to scream along with his successor Arjan on the
track "Darkest Black" (or was it "Another Darkest Black"?). Consolation
belongs in the top of the Dutch death metal scene and proves again
that their live performance holds true to the CD.
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Next that evening were two bands
that were already discussed in Aardschok issue 11-1998.
I shall never understand why a band
like BENEDICTION is touring without their own
sound guy. It's undoubtedly a matter of money, but I don't believe
the financial loss is worth losing face like they did with concerts
such as tonight's in Zaandam. The lady behind the switches, normally
handling them for Bob Color, is capable of wringing the sound
within a few seconds. Just after 6 songs something definable comes
out of the PA again. With a sharp high guitar sound and a terribly
chaotic drum mix, Benediction resembles a very bad black metal
band. More guitar amplifiers fell out, and I decided I had heard
enough for the time being of these former English death metal
heroes.
Although DEATH
were on stage in Zaandam for two hours, their setlist only differs
in order from the Tilburg set. The band members just took their
time and were a bit more relaxed, which has everything to do with
the fact this being their last show of the European tour. During
the encore "Pull The Plug" (strangely enough introduced by the
Charlies Angels' theme) and the followed pieces "Breaking The
Law" and "The Trooper" Death was massively supported by Benediction
and crew. It was very nice to watch how much fun a generally serious
band like Death can have with such an enjoyable and chaotic jamsession.
Robbie Woning
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