PARTY SAN FESTIVAL 2008

Three days of killing

7-9.08.2008 Bad Berka (GER)

Tradition is tradition, so like every year, a one week after Wacken, I have visited Bad Berka too – a small spa in Thüringen (East Germany), where instead of healing the rheumatism, sciatica or another complaints, a few thousands of people comes to Party San Open Air – a smaller than Wacken, but sure noteworthy festival, concentrating mainly the bands of extreme metal arts. The participants announced in this year, especially a few hordes of old school (but not only), were a sufficient impulse to pack up oneself with a friends into the car and hearing the music of idols, to drive towards the town placed among the majestic mountains.

Similar as in the case of Wacken, Party San has three days and starts at Thursday. Here’s however a small difference – every year first of bands start to play at 8.00 PM and since the last year as the one place of action stays the main stage with the effective inscription “Hell Is Here”. By the edition of PSOA 2008 hell was unleashed by two German hordes – PURGATORY and DEADBORN. If I would have to be sincerely, neither of them thrown me to my knees, although the records of those first occupies a place on my shelf. That’s exactly the example of music, which sounds good at live version, but reasons absolutely any of exaggerating frenzy. A very good impression made to me although FARSOT. The black metal horde from Jena played very selective, good sounding and very effective gig. I don’t know to which band could be compare the music of this horde, but the one and only what I can to admit, is that they liked to me very much. As the first not German participant of this evening on the stage appeared itself SKYFORGER. The Latvian commando, the main band of Folter Records, playing the mix of black and pagan metal exists already very long time and was always the one of bands, which I have wanted to watch (at least from pure curiosity), but having finally this occasion, I can’t to summarize it’s gig as especially impressive. Of course, in any case I couldn’t to admit, that the concert of horde was completely shitty, so simply can to formulate it – was good, but not perfect. So, finally it’s time to present the headliner of the first day of festival. DISMEMBER. Last time I saw the Swedes during the Europa Burns Tour in March of this year and the one and only, what I feel to Matti and his comrades is very big respect. This band absolutely doesn’t grows old, staying since the beginning a dangerous killing machine, able to break the bones, severe the heads and shredding everything into pieces. This statement can to be confirmed not only by the new album “Dismember”, which band of course still promotes intensively, but the gigs too, and as I remember, there was any gig of DISMEMBER in my life, when I have felt myself disappointed. This time was similar, cause not only the new tracks, but first of all the old classics have trampled me into the ground like a herd of elephants! The details? Here it goes: “Stillborn Ways”, “Death Conquers All”, “Skinfather”, “Dark Depth”, “Tide Of Blood”, “Forged With Hate”, “Under A Bloodred Sky”, “Override The Overture”, “Bleed For Me”, “And So Is Life”, “Dismembered”, “Skin Her Alive”, “Sickening Art”, “In Death’s Cold Embrace” and of course instrumental “Nenia”, closing like always every of gigs the horde of Stockholm. I don’t suppose, as it would be although a one person, who was bored or felt the hunger. All what is good has soon the end, so nothing strange, that the same met the gig of Swedes. Our heroes, tired but happy, said to the satisfied public “goodnight” and this way, the first day of festival came to the end. Probably, many a man crooned yet during their sleep a verses of DISMEMBER hymns, he, he!

A Friday’s midday was opened by IRATE ARCHITECT gig and following as the next DEFLORATION. Both of German bands didn’t rapture me however, so I started my observations, beginning with the show of TYRANT. The Swedish crew, which I watched already by the occasion of autumnal visit in Berlin with ENTHRONED and GORGOROTH and as I have remembered this Swedish horde as a good quality band, I had no anxieties about his form. 45 minutes of mixture black, death and thrash metal, enriched sometimes by the elements of rock’n’roll sounds in live version excellently, so if I would have to vote for TYRANT in category “the best live band”, I would do it unhesitatingly. It was however like a silent before the storm, cause after that has come the time of war. Dear girls and boys – is it necessary to introduce these gentlemen? Ah, maybe for the pure formality and decency: Martin Van Drunen (ASPHYX), Paul Baayens (ASPHYX, THANATOS), Stephan Gebedi (THANATOS), Ed Warby (GOREFEST) and Theo Van Eekelen (HOUWITSER) at the one stage, without their mother bands, but as HAIL OF BULLETS! Yes! That’s another genial project (maybe even already a regular band?), which absolutely not coincidental reasoned the interesting of him by the management of Metal Blade and recording the excellent album “Of Frost And War”, confirmed that death metal won’t die yet very, very long, and if somebody would like to know some details about the World War II, especially about the German attack against Soviet Union in summer 1941 and the following events, doesn’t need a much of books or documental films, cause the album of HAIL OF BULLETS can to replace it more effectively. “General Winter”, “Red Wolves Of Stalin”, “Nachthexen”, “Stalingrad”, “Advancing Once More”, “Berlin”… Yeah, everyone of us could to feel oneself like in the fire of battle. It’s such a pity, that in one moment a heavy rain has fallen from the sky, so the most part of public escaped away from the scene, trying to hide oneself under the different kinds of refuges, but the self show came to the end all time powerful and brutal like earlier. Fortunately, during the performances of LIVIDITY, KAMPFAR and TYR, the sun was shining again, drying before the set effectively not only the clothes of drenched maniacs, but by opportunity everything around too, he, he! During the show of UNANIMATED, admitting by me as uncurious, I was eating exactly my supper, preparing myself also for another of war impressions. This time however thank of black metal and thank of German horde – ENDSTILLE. Iblis & Co., covered with blood and in obligatory corpse-paints, all time continues the promotional campaign of their new album “Endstille’s Reich”, so first of all were presented a few of tracks from it (“Vorwärts”, “Endstille’s Reich”), but except of them appeared of course the older songs like “Dominanz”, “Frühlings Erwache”, “Bastard”, “Navigator” or “Ripping The Angels Flesh”. No doubt, that ENDSTILLE stays one of the most liked black metal bands in own country, so the warm meeting from public absolutely shouldn’t to amaze. Another change of style – we are moving into north and precisely – to Sweden. Everyone knows probably, that this country stays one of the most important exporters the steel in the world, and I mean here not only the steel literally, but of course the death metal steel of highest quality. To one of them belongs surely BLOODBATH, once a side-project of the leading mainmen of Swedish scene, today a splendid band, but playing a not so much concerts… That’s a pity, cause with so big potential of power and strength, the horde loses so much, holding oneself aloof… About this potential convinced me again the Party San show, during that Mikael Akerfeld and his bloodbathed comrades have presented the mix of their best hits from “Nightmares Made Flesh” (“Outnumbering The Day”, “Soul Evisceration”, “Cancer Of The Soul”, “Eaten”), completing by the tracks of “Resurrection…” like “So You Die” or “Ways To The Grave”. The show of BLOODBATH was naturally full of violence, guaranteed by the killing sound, but the rightful treat had to begin barely at midnight. Who could to unleash the real and the third (not the world, of course) war? Five people, who already over 20 years stays in the service of Her Majesty, recording the smashing albums, being a tangible confirmation of domination the British Empire in the world of music. I don’t know, how they do it, that in spite of so many years stays all time so extreme, so heavy and so dangerous, that even a masses of younger death metal bands keeps in their background… BOLT THROWER is still young and suppose, that will be yet the next 20 years. The musicians stays of course and like always the true masters of their artistry, cause the riffs of Barry Thompson and Gavin Ward, supporting by the low frequencies of Jo Bench and Martin Kearns are more dangerous weapon than hundreds of tanks, canons or bombs. Can’t to forget of course about Karl Willets, whom voice belongs no doubt to the best death metal vocals on the world. Except of this, he has grown even seriously his hair, ha, ha! Music is however the most important, so during over one hour the recital of Tommies (by this name were called from Germans during the last war the British soldiers, he, he!) we could to hear a collection of the greatest battle hymns, and there were following: “Conflict – Wait Out”, “World Eater/ Cenotaph”, “Mercenary”, “Entrenched”, “The Shreds Of Sanity”, “The IVth Crusade”, “No Guts, No Glory”, “At First Light”, “Where Canons Fade”, “For Victory…”, “Killchain” and ending the fight “Powder Burns”. Only the one word can to summarize the gig of BOLT THROWER – respect!!! Paraphrasing the title of British national hymn “God Save The King”, don’t you think, that the last word of this sentence could to be effectively replaced by the name of our heroes? I am for it!