It’s now past midnight, and my first day at Copenhell 2019 has, truth be told, been tame. It started out well with Demons & Wizards, but from then on, it has been a non-event for me. It turns out that VLTIMAS is exactly what I need!
First surprise is to see David Vincent strut onto stage without a bass. The bass has been taken over by a to me unknown bassist. Wearing his gunslinger hat and a long coat, Vincent has the freedom to move around and interact with the audience in a different way than we’re used to.
This is the first live show ever for Vltimas, I’ve been told by one of my good colleagues in the press room before the show. However, due to the fact that these are seasoned musicians there are hardly any signs of lingering caused by nerves. On the contrary. From the first, hard notes of the title track of the album sounds, there is only one way, and that is forward.
Vltimas combine the deadly speed and technicality of the three members’ former and other bands with Vincent’s penchant for groove and rock, and the result is a dark amalgam of rock and death metal with a fair deal of catchiness. The song “Monolilith” is the prime example of this style, and by far my favourite track off the album.
The thought that I had that a Morbid Angel cover might sneak into the setlist is put to shame. Instead, Vltimas surprise by include a cover of “Black Sabbath”. I, for one, hadn’t seen this one coming, but it sounds cool as f*ck.
I couldn’t think of a better way to conclude a day that has otherwise been a bit disappointing for yours truly.
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One should think that greatness is bestowed upon this constellation of extreme metal stars. With guitarist Rune Eriksen (Aura Noir, Earth Electric and formerly Mayhem) as the procreator of the vision for Vltimas, Cryptopsy drummer Flo Mournier as the believer who followed, and finally the voice of thunder, David Vincent, to complete the unholy triumvirate of death metal, one should think that there’d be no stopping them.
The result of their collaboration isn’t bad as such. It isn’t the revelation I thought it would be, that’s all.
My main grievance is that ‘Something Wicked Marches In’ sounds like old wine on new bottles. Some would probably say that they want it to sound like Morbid Angel. I don’t. On the contrary. As much as I think Morbid Angel is absolutely amazing, Vincent has an outlet for playing Morbid Angel music, namely I Am Morbid. That’s a fantastic outfit. Saw them, loved it.
The old wine comes in becomes in because I think Vltimas’s debut carries a lot of the same feeling and sound that ‘Illud Divinum Insanus’ did, only without the industrial influences. If you listen closely, you’ll even notice that Vincent reuses phrases from the past (one example is ‘Total Destroy’ where he sings “Glory, glory”…haven’t we heard this before?). Truth be told, the first three songs, the title track included, sound more than anything like lesser Morbid Angel songs.
It is only with the two songs ‘Monolith’ and ‘Last Ones Alive Win Nothing’ that the Morbid Angel chains are broken. Both happen to by my favourite tracks off this album. These are different the way I’d hoped this album would be. They have a touch of black metal coldness, death metal, and at the same time David Vincent’s flair for catchy refrains. This is where the magic happens – I wish there would’ve been a bit more of this!
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DAY 3
There should be no doubt that today is the day both Phil and I have been looking forward to. We miss the first couple of bands (family stuff, alright!) and head on directly with a dose of rock solid death metal from upcoming Danes PREVAIL.
I saw them at Heavy Agger back in May and was mightily impressed by their sound and groove, although there were still bits and pieces that needed to be worked on. That is still the case here five months later, by they have definitely done their homework and seem like an even tighter unit, centred around the former Svartsot members Claus and Michael. Definitely an approved gig.
More death metal from another up and coming death metal outfit from our tiny country. Those in the audience who were here on Thursday will recognise the front man from BAEST, who also happens to be the Duracell bunny who fronted Livløs.
Baest is a real pleasure to listen to for those of us who dug Entombed and Dismember during the early nineties. The guitar sound is almost the same, only with a slightly deeper growl from front man Simon. The band deliver with awesome power. This is death metal with a purpose, namely to destroy everything. Perhaps the next obvious extreme metal export from these shores?
Speaking of Danish music exports: Did you know that thrash metal icons ARTILLERY were one of the first western bands to play in the disintegrating Soviet Union? Well, they were.
They were also one of the most influential thrash bands in Europe, although they never reached the popularity of some of their German counterparts. The main reason for the band’s popularity among peers was most likely due to the unique style of lead guitarist Michael Stützer (who joined Artillery in 1982, one year after the band was formed). I’d claim that alongside Denner/Sherman, this man is the most influential Danish rock or metal guitarist ever.
I am looking forward to this gig. Artillery was the first metal band I saw live (in 1988), and I’ve just realised that I haven’t seen them since 1991. About time, eh!
One thing that has definitely changed is that Michael Stützer is the only band member remaining from when I last saw them. The younger folk around him do a fab job, though, as the band plough through both old and newer material. It is worth noting, as Phil remarks later, that Michael Bastholm Dahl is the only actual singer we have heard during the day. And he his. Compared to Flemming Rönsdorf who is the singer I associate with Artillery, Dahl is a Pavarotti.
The hobbit-sized Stützer moves around the stage constantly and repeatedly tries to animate the crowd who are more than appreciative of the old-school thrash rifferama that pours out of his strings.
Artillery unleash ‘The Almighty’, ‘The Challenge’, ‘Live by the Scythe’, ‘Beneath the Clay’, the masterpiece ‘By Inheritance’, ‘Legions’, the monster hit tune (in my world) ‘Khomaniac’ and finally the song that has almost become the band’s theme song; ‘Terror Squad’.
Cool gig!
HATESPHERE were never known to deliver a shitty gig. Tonight is no exception. It’s as if Esse, Pepe and the boys have found that extra gear that truly forms a concert to remember.
The atmosphere is simply exceptionally great on this fine Saturday evening, and HateSphere sounds like a monster; tight, heavy, loud and more convincing than they’ve been in ages.
‘Drinking with the King of the Dead’ never sounded more crushing, and it is usually a very heavy song. As a bonus, Livløs/Baest singer Simon climbs on stage for the third time during this festival to add his vocal chords to set closer ‘Sickness Within’. Boom – damned deal done! Awesome set.
I was reminded yesterday that FIRESPAWN is fronted by L.G. Petrov. Without having listened to any of their music before, I’m pretty certain that this is something for me.
It is.
I called Simon from Baest/Livløs a Duracell bunny yesterday, but L.G. is no less so. This 45-year-old (he’s three months older than me) is all over the friggin’ place. And not only that; as Dawn Of Demise bassist Bjørn notes in passing, the former Entombed singer is more death metal than ever in this outfit.
You kind of know that when five guys from Sweden get on stage, they mean death metal business. A mixture of Swedish and US death metal, I’d say. Truth be told, it’s not all completely and insanely interesting from a creative perspective, but solid it is overall, and some of Firespawn’s music is simply majestic. What can you expect when you have former and current members of Entombed/Entombed A.D., Unleashed, etc.? Exactly! Death f*cking metal!
Time to turn the dial back to thrash. Not only thrash: One of the Big Teutonic 4, no less! DESTRUCTION played Aalborg 13 years ago, a slightly slow gig in terms of audience response as far as I remember.
Not the case today! Aalborg is sucking up everything Schmier, Mike and Vaaver decide to throw at us. The trio is literally taking us through one of the paths of thrash metal history with ‘Curse the Gods’, ‘Nailed to the Cross’, ‘Mad Butcher’, ‘Bestial Invasion’ and a handful more.
Schmier is in the best of moods – at least until he realises that he has no beer on stage. “How the fuck can we be in Denmark and have no beer on stage?” the man exclaims and promptly sends a stage hand away to seek out some of the golden liquid. Which, by the way, he eventually passes on to the audience. Poor stage hand, methinks.
Destruction have clearly aged when you look at the bulk of a man who’s called Schmier and the scrawny, little Mike beside him, but no matter what, they deliver the goods with no holding back. A true lesson in thrash metal.
Now, finally, what many of us have been waiting for! I AM MORBID with the only and real Morbid Angel singer, David Vincent, at the helm. This is a special gig for a number of reasons. The main reason is that Morbid An…I mean I Am Morbid show up as a trio. Other than Vincent and drummer Tim Yeung, Ira Black (formerly of among others Vicious Rumors and Heathen) walks on stage, and that’s it. What is really surprising is how well the Morbid Angel songs work without the second guitar. This speaks to their strength!
As the concert progresses, my reflection is that it is amazing how this one set comprises more than a few of my all-time favourite songs (‘Fall from Grace’, ‘Where the Slime Live’, ‘Dominate’, ‘Blessed Are the Sick’, ‘God of Emptiness’) and all-time favourite riffs (‘Visions from the Dark Side’!).
This gig simply reaches right into my old metal heart in a way that hasn’t happened in a long time, with the ultimate death metal voice, the killer riffs from a fantastic guitarist, the drummer from hell behind the kit. Listen, we even get a drum solo and a guitar solo after ‘Maze of Torment’. It’s been a while, eh?!
I rarely bang my head beyond a slight nod anymore (age and all that), but there’s quite simply no stopping when ‘Where the Slime Live’ thunders between the walls of the venue. That song is so utterly heavy, it’s like a drug.
Vincent commands the stage and audience with an authority that you rarely see. I mean, he’s one man down, the whole setup is very basic (three guys and their instruments, nothing else), and still, the sheer power of the songs he co-created and his strong personality drives the whole thing to a point where this trio simply owns the evening, and, in my humble opinion, the entire festival. I am indeed morbid. The next natural step for this lineup would be to record new material, eh?
Thus relieved after two days of so-so experiences, this third day turned out to be a much welcome outburst of rock solid thrash and death metal the way your two Power Of Metal.dk correspondents like it. Thank you again to the Aalborg Metal Festival for a great festival!
Thomas & Phil
Photos by Thomas
This Brazilian combo does everything right. The mix of blackened death/thrash is worked out by Nervochaos to perfection. There is groove, they are extreme, they have an evil sound, the vocals sound aggressive and guttural, and the mix of different extreme music styles sounds quite original. I hear so many influences of bands in their style that I can’t mention them all. Below you find a YouTube link to the second track ‘Ritualistic,’ immediately one of my favorite tracks after the first spin. The riffs and atmosphere has some old Carcass and the Swedish death metal style. Bands like Pungent Stench and Mortuary Drape also enter my mind. Later on there are tracks reminding me of Morbid Angel, but also many Swedish death metal influences appear in ‘World Aborted.’ The third track has some Celtic Frost-like parts in it, but also a lot of groove. Almost dance-able is the groovy part in ‘Live Like Suicide,’ which also gets my approval.
Again, this proves for me that I can’t judge a book by its cover. This is a very welcome piece of music this month, and if you like both songs below, don’t hesitate to buy your copy.
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