MISERY INDEX, HATE ETERNAL, AEON, SYNT

Bloody meeting after five years

14.01.2009 Berlin/ K 17 (GER)

The circumstances of those concert were a little bit curious and sometimes I am wondering myself or is really nothing repeatable on this world… The 14th of January is maybe a neither of special days remembering about the historical events, but in my private chronicle this date has since the January of this year a special meaning in due of a one death metal band playing a show on the stage of known Berliner K 17 club. The name that I mean here is HATE ETERNAL, cause the Americans played in the same venue perfectly… 5 years ago. The 14th of January 2004 the crew of Erik Rutan visited Berlin as the headliner of tour with DYING FETUS and DEEDS OF FLESH and the same day of 2009 they appeared in these walls with the company of MISERY INDEX and AEON. What should we think about it? Is it coincidental or maybe rather strange? Eh, whatever would it be, the impressions of those evening were a pleasant kind of memories, not forgetting of course about those fresh, reasoned by the observing a few high-quality death metal bands in their powerful condition.

The audience of 250-300 people was like for the middle of week a very good number, although the main hall of venue wasn’t full already at the beginning. As the first band of evening crawled into the stage out not so known (at least like for me) a band called a little bit untypical – SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY. The music of this band presenting a mix of death metal with a numerous grindcore elements absolutely wasn’t overthrowing, so I didn’t want to investigate what are the lyrics about, but concentrating oneself just only on the band’s name, can to suppose that we have to do with the stories full of black humor… That’s of course only my thought, cause if there’s everyone among of us, who knows the guys better, I have no intention to persist on my opinion. OK, the next horde, so go ahead. The Swedes of AEON plays not so much of tours, so this show was my first meeting with them alive. Everything was however so good as should to be – a brutal music, smashing sound and the activity of members (especially the singer Tommy), so the show of AEON can to be treated as the exemplary gig of true death metal horde. The repertoire presented by the quintet naturally was consisted of the tracks from two his albums – “ Bleeding The False” (the most enthusiastically reception had representing this album track “Soulburner”) and “Rise To Dominate”. About 45 minutes of carnage with antichristian lyrical themes was accepted not only by me, but by the Berliner audience too, so I hope to see them soon in the same good form, cause it’s really worth. Maybe on the one of summer festivals? I would have nothing against. During the minutes of HATE ETERNAL sound-check I was imaging myself which kinds of surprises will be prepared this time by Erik and his friends. As I mentioned at the beginning, last time I watched the Americans perfectly 5 years ago, when the singing guitarist was supported by the bassist Randy Piro and by the god (shit, that’s not so adequately word in this place, so maybe rather – daemon) of infernal blasting in the person of Derek Roddy. Although I was falling in love with HATE ETERNAL already in times of their debut album “Conquering The Throne” and supporting them I tried to be loyal watching the shows during the all of their European tours, I was always convinced that death metal needs two guitars on the stage and by the lack of the second guitar player, music of HATE ETERNAL loses sometimes her power. The first surprise – this evening the Americans will play in four persons line-up. Yes, Erik was supported this time by his comrade from the old times in RIPPING CORPSE – Shaune Kelly (guitar) with two other guys – J.J Hrubovcak (tour session bass) and Jade Simonetto (drums). The intensity of sound naturally must to be better, but believe me, that even with two guitars it’s not so easy to play and mirror perfectly so technical music playing by Americans, not only full of brutality, but first of all – full of technical passages, difficult riffs, thick and intensive song’s structures. Supposed the sound could to be better, if not this nasty imp, sitting like always somewhere in the venue equipment. By his interference the tracks played by HATE ETERNAL joined itself into a one magma, it was very hard to recognize the particular songs… In the sweat of one’s brow it succeeded to me however to snatch the titles performing by Erik and his comrades, who in due of the recency of “Fury And Flames” presented naturally the most part of this stuff, but in any of cases they didn’t forget about the previous pieces: “Hell Envenom”, “Sacrilege Of Hate”, “Servants Of The Gods”, “The Obscure Terror”, “Bringer Of Storms”, “Powers That Be”, “I, Monarch”, “Whom Gods May Destroy”, “Behold Judas”, “Tombeau” and of course the title track from “Kings Of All Kings”, incidentally my most favourite album of their discography. God, but why it sounded so disastrous??? I would like that all of this that I watched was untruth, hoping to see yet HATE ETERNAL playing a gig with the genuine sound, massacring like a thousands of blades, but at the same time clearly and selective… So, it’s time for MISERY INDEX. Another Americans whom I watched a few times in my metal fan career and similar like the predecessors in this venue too, but earlier – in February of the last year. The heirs of DYING FETUS attained this time an honour of tour headliner again, presenting by this opportunity the works from the newest album named “Traitors”. The tracks of the new record, connected with the bombs of “Discordia” and of course my most liked debut “Retaliate” exploded with the double force, smashing not only the walls of venue, but all buildings on the street too. Much of you will ask probably “how is it possible?”. The reply is very simple: the massacring sound is a base of success by the every of death metal bands at live version. The one and only what I can miss is a fact, that the crew of Erik Rutan fell out in this comparing not so good… Fortunately, Sparky and his friends organized the true carnage for body and sound in the full swing. Please, don’t blame me, if I will stop in this place, but I can’t simply to find the other words, that wouldn’t be boring and set-patterned. The show of MISERY INDEX very effectively filled a small shortage reasoned by the previous and strictly speaking – a band especially liked to me. But every cloud has its silver lining – with this conclusion I could crown here my reportage from this battlefield, cause there’s no loser and no victor – death metal will rule and dominate beyond of all times. Forever and for always. Amen.