DISFEAR, DOOMRIDERS, MALIGNANT TUMOR

Live the storm

12.11.2008 Wroclaw (PL)

If that gig had taken place a year before, I probably wouldn't have paid any attention to it. Honestly, I hadn't been mad keen on the style of music called D-beat but... it changed instantly when I heard DISFEAR. To tell the truth, the main reason I took interest in this band was the fact that that Tomas Lindberg and Uffe Cederlund are in the line-up (if you don't know who these guys are, go home and do your homework immediately!). I rose to the bait and I don't regret. When, in January 2008, their album “Live The Storm” fell into my hands I fell in love with it at once. Music played by this Swedish quintet is a well-balanced combination of hardcore-punk rawness and aggression, rock and roll flair and some catchy melodies. A very energetic mix, right? So great was my excitement when I read the news that these guys were going to play in my country.

But let me start from the beginning. The first band playing that night was MALIGNANT TUMOR, a quartet from the Czech Republic desribing their music as „dirty metallic crust 'n roll”. However interesting it may sound, I have to admit that their performance was mediocre and quite boring (except for the funny costumes they wore). Maybe I was bored because I hadn't known any of their songs before? Anyways, they definitely weren't the reason for my coming to Wroclaw that night.

After a break, DOOMRIDERS entered the stage. These guys hailing from Boston present a style of playing being an interesting mixture of death and roll and stoner rock. It's worth mentioning that the band's guitarist and singer Nate Newton also plays bass in a well-known mathcore group CONVERGE. That gig was great. DOOMRIDERS made a good impression on me with the energy they put into their show and the raw, heavy and, at the same time, clear sound they achieved. Well, I suppose that it's impossible to remain indifferent to such hits as “Black Thunder” - an almost epic piece containing a very catchy and recognizable melody; a dynamic, filthy killer-song “Deathbox” or a danzigesque song “Midnight Eye”. Generally, they played most of the songs from their debut “Black Thunder” plus some new ones including “Crooked Path” from their special tour split with DISFEAR. To sum up, if you like good rock played in a heavier manner, go for DOOMRIDERS.

Finally, guys from DISFEAR took the stage. They began with a short intro which smoothly merged into the song “Get it off”. Right from the beginning, they turned out to be a volcano of energy. Especially, you could come to such a conclusion by observing Tomas in action. His stage movement, happiness derived from the music... He seems to put the same amount of energy into his performance no matter whether he is giving a concert for thousands of people (like during some summer festivals when he performed with At the Gates) or for about two hundred people (like that night in Wroclaw). A totally honest attitude. The setlist comprised not only hits from their lastest album „Live The Storm”, but also some older stuff. Therefore, beside such pieces as „Get it off”, “Fiery Father”, “The Cage” „Testament" or “In Exodus”, you could hear songs like „A Thousand Reasons”, „Rat Race” or „Misanthropic Generation”, to mention a few. After about an hour of really intense and uncompromising hardcore-punk madness, DISFEAR left the stage. Despite some sound problems (the lack of clarity at times), Swedes proved that they are at their peak. If you don't know them yet, check them out. Even if you're not very much into hardcore-punk, the chances are that you will take an instant liking to DISFEAR!

Pictures by: Piotr Kudełka