SOULFLY, OVER KILL, EXODUS, INCITE & supports

Metalmania Fest 2009

07.03.2009 Warsaw/ Stodoła (POL)

For more than 20 years Polish metal fans know that the beginning of spring is also a time to prepare to celebrate another edition of the biggest metal festival in that Eastern European country. METALMANIA is the key-word here. during many years of fest's history maniacs banged their heads and raised their horns for such a legends like: JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH, RUNNING WILD, KREATOR, HELLOWEEN, SEPULTURA, TESTAMENT, CRADLE OF FILTH, NAPALM DEATH, CANDLEMASS, MORBID ANGEL, SAXON, IMMORTAL,DEATH, CARCASS, THERION, PARADISE LOST and many, many more. In last few years this heavy and extreme music marathon usually started early in the morning and ended up long after midnight. The battlefield were two stages placed in Spodek in Katowice. And the festival became much more popular among maniacs from countries like: Czech, Sloavakia, Ukraine and Lithuania.

Unfortunatley this year the most famous Polish concert venue is renovated, because of European Championships in basketball which will be organized this autumn. So METAL MIND PRODUCTION - the company which runs this fest since the very beginning - had to made a difficult choice. Fortunetaly instead of having a one year break, they've decided to organize smaller show under the new name METALMANIA FEST in the capitol of Poland. It was a good idea, but of course Stodola is much smaller than Spodek. So there was no sense in inviting more than five or six bands. I could only imagine what would have happened if there was no refiiting in Katowice and the organizers would have been able to invite the bands which already played in Warsaw and those who tour Europe as a "Priest Fest". That would be a killer show with around 8-9 thousands of maniacs in Spodek - there's no place for more people in it – guaranteed. When on the cold saturday's morning I arrived at the venue I've received some sad news. Due to the educational duties of one of the band's guitar players HEAVEN SHALL BURN were forced to announce the last moment cancellation. It was a big disappointment for me, 'cause I was really curious how the rising star of extreme metal scene will be received by old school thrash maniacs who dominated the Warsaw crowd. I wasn't able to see the Polish support acts, too. There was some work which had to be done - interviews with EXODUS ansd SOULFLy will be published in our potal soon, so I stared to enjoy the show when American thrashers INCITE entered the stage.

INCITE – family connections
This young band is known first of all from the family links with Max Cavalera. The vocalist Richie is his stepson. Some of you may also already know that guy from his guest appearances on few SOULFLy albums and on the song "Black Ark" from CAVALERA'S CONSPIRACY debut album. As well as from the stage appearances during last year CC European tour. Unfortunately he's not as good vocalist as his stepfather, but it was visible that he screams with a lot of aggression and passion. During the whole INCITE's set he was encouraging maniacs to open the mosh pit and I must admit that he managed to force some dudes to move their asses. I guess that energetic and quite simple, thrashin' noise made that task easier. Maybe it was a power of suggestion, but I've heard a lot of SEPULTURA and CAVALERA CONSPIRACY's influences in their music. Songs like "Divided We Fall" and "Army of Darkness" sounded a little like outtakes form "Inflikted" session. And however the lack of own style was quite obvious, after all it was not too bad, 'cause their energetic attitude - bass player who looked like Michael Jackson from "Black or White" clip was the most furious guy - together with ass kickin' stuff was really well received by the crowd. When after 30 minutes Richie announced the final song he also asked people to buy their debut EP to support the band. So during the break before EXODUS' show I went to take a look at the merch stand. There were really very few maniacs who supported the stars of METALAMNIA FEST. The main reason is that polish currency (zloty) is at the five years low to euro, so everything that is imported is much more expensive now. For most of the maniacs who gathered in Stodola the prices seemed to ba taken out from the outer space. Unfortunately there was no INCITE's EP on sale. So instead of buying anything I took a look at the bands' clothes. The absolute winner was OVER KILL with few really great green-black t-shirts.

EXODUS – too tired to rock out the place?
Sound of movie-like introduction caught my attention so I went back to the venue, where more than thousand maniacs gathered to see one of the best thrash metal band ever. This time I was really curious how will the band sound with Nick Barker - there are very bands left in which that huge guy didn;t play ;) - filling in for Tom Hunting. EXODUS started their show with the title track from their legendary debut and now also almost title track from their controversial latest effort. "Bonded by Blood" is a killer tune so maniacs started to rage since very first notes. Unfortunately there was a little mess in guitar sound so the killer riffs delivered by Holt/Altus duo, weren't as sharp as they should and as they may be. Fortunately after few songs the band's sound was perfected, and it was easier to enjoy the classics from the 80s and killers from last three studio albums ("Let There Be Blood" not included in that case). Band followed with epic "44 Magnum Opus" - with cool guitar duel - and "Fabulous Disaster". And I must say that EXODUS' members seem to be a little tired. Maybe because it was KILLFEST 09 last show. I don't know. But the breaks between songs were definitely too long. Sometimes they were pathetic, too. Like that one when Dukes talked a lot of shit about Polish porn. Whan I saw him before the show Jack Gibson seemed to prefer rather to go to sleep, than being on stage. So during the whole concert he was almost unnoticable. Even the killers like "Piranha", "Metal command" or "Blackilst" were played at 80 per cent of original power. There was nothing to complain about the setlist, which included also "Toxic Waltz", War Is My Shepherd" and "A Lesson In Violence", but as a total the Bay Area thrashes' gig was rather good – and I'd say only good - than fantastic. The crowd seemed not to take care about it and the band was received very warm and we could see Holt smiling wgen he was walking out from the stage. And what about Barker? He played good. But there was nothing to praise, too.

OVER KILL – New York City dynamite
Coming up next was another thrash metal legend. OVER KILL was definitely the best band of METALMANIA in 2008. So my expectations were really high. And without any doubts the New Yorkers didn't fail. Once again they killed me with their highly energetic, precise, perfectly sounding, intense show. Right from the very first sounds of the opening track to the very end band showed that in current form OVER KILL is definitely one of the strongest names on thrash metal scene. Setlist included almost songs only from 1985-1991 era. The only exception was title track from "Necroshine". Of course band played a bunch of immortal anthems including: "Evil Never Dies", "Rotten To The Core", "Hello From The Gutter", "Feel The Fire" - played in Poland for the first time since 1987, "In Union We Stand", "Thanks for Nothing", "Horrorscope" - which was played much more faster than album version, "Hammerhead", "Elimination", "Over Kill" – both: their song from 1984 EP and MOTORHEAD's cover and last.. but definitely not least "Fuck You". While OVER KILl was close to finish that song we've seen complete madness on the stage. All EXODUS members appeared to celebrate the final show of „Killfest 09” tour. Holt showed his bare ass. Dukes started to play guitar. And what was most amazing Blitz dived into the crowd. It was something really unique, funny and spontaneous. During the whole OVER KILL show Blitz was definitely the master of ceremony. Time seems to be stopped for that guy. He looks exactly the same like in 1989. His voice is as sharp as it was 20 years ago. It's un-fuckin'-believable. The guitar players along with D.D and Ron Lipnicki joined him in the work of elimination of those who would doubt which band was the best during the MMF 2009. Once again they proved to be a killer live band and if METAL MIND will invite them again next year I won't be disappointed.

SOULFLY – Primitivo terrorista unleashed
Since the early 90s when SEPULTURA released „Arise” album Max Cavalera is considered in Poland as one of the most important personalities on extreme music scene. So it was no strange that SOULFLY was chosen to headline this year's METALMANIA FEST. I've seen the band in 2007 at BRUTAL ASSAULT in Czech Republic. It was a good show, but this time I really expected much more. Why? „Conquer” is one of my feavorite records of 2008 so I hoped for something unique. Something that will show that Cavalera is back in the saddle for good and ready to deliver quality metal music again. Unfortunately there was something wrong with Max's throat – I guess that he had a cold - and SOULFLY's main man was hardly able to scream (he did even apologize for this -„Sorry for my voice. Fuckin' bullshit”). So the whole show couldn't be as good as it should be. SOULFLY started with „Blood Fire War Hate” - Max entered the stage in balaclava on his head (the cap with holes for the eyas and a gap for the mouth) and crowd went crazy. The latest studio album was representd also by: „Fall of The Cycophants”, „Enemy Ghost”, „Doom” and „Unleash”. Those tracks emanate with raw energy and live versions are really ragin'. Of course Max didn't forget which band created his legend. So – as a second track in the setlist - we had a chance to listen to „Troops of Doom”. Band played also „Refuse/Resist”, „Propaganda”, „Roots Bloody Roots” and the fragment of „Desperate Cry”. As Max declared that band doesn't follow the same setlist every night, we had a chance to listen to two NAILBOMB's songs taken out from the „Point Blank” album. („Wasting Away” and „Sum of Your Achievements”), There were also a little qutotations here and there. SOULFLY intertwined their own songs with riffs taken from such evergreens like; „Corporeal Jigsore Quandary”, Master of Puppets”, CAVALERA'S CONSPIRACY „Sanctuary” and „Rainin' Blood”. SOULFLY played also a lot of songs form their first four albums, but I must admit that I started to follow Max's work in that band with „Prophecy” - previous albums were too tribal and too far from metal for me - so I didn't recognize them all. But for sure „Primitive”, „Jumpdafuckup”, „I and I”, „Prophecy” and „Eye for an Eye” were included on this night's setlist. And the choruses were sang by people who helped Max in his moments of weakness. Of course there were also some special ingredients. Marc Rizzo – this guy acts like a kid with ADHD diagnosed - entertained us with an incredibly fast flamenco guitar solo and the whole band created the primal mood during the tribal drum part. To make it more special Max invite some fans to help the band. After 90 minutes SOULFLY left the stage and I must say that there was a little insufficiency. I guess that those musicians are able to play a show which will be remembered as one of the best in a long, long months, but instead of this they prefer to have more fun on the stage than to pay a full attention to play as precise as OVER KILL.

When I arrived home and opened cold beer I was sure that it was a good idea to organize such a show. But let's hope that next year the fest will return to the place where it belongs. And this year will be remembered only as an emergency situation.

Pictures by: Robert Grablewski