UNDER THE BLACK SUN 2008

Dark rituals and black magic

4-5.07.2008 Helenau (GER)

After two years of preparations and promises, that “this year finally”, I have visited a festival made by one of my friends. The 11th edition Under The Black Festival, done every year by a man, who has love to black metal in his whole heart – Jörg of Folter Records – had assembled during two days 15 underground bands, providing like always the devilish impressions to all of maniacs the hellish sounds. In spite of rain and dark clouds, which the first of days covered the all area above Berlin and a close neighbourhood, circa 400-500 of lost souls came to the small village Helenenau, awaiting the dark rituals and black magic.

Every, who has visited this place, being long time ago yet in communistic times a centre of relax the party members, surely has nothing to repent, cause two days, full of beer, whiskey and venomous sounds, had confirmed the argument, that metal will never die and supporting the underground is surely very needful.

A small delay about 6.00 PM, when the first of bands had to start a two days music massacre, finally was over and about a half hour after, the stage built among the trees of neighbouring wood was possessed by the first of participants, namely – by TRUPPENSTURM from Germany. Three musicians, smeared with artificial blood, have presented of course a raw and extreme piece of black metal, but the reaction of not so numerous public, was rather yet unenthusiastic. Probably most of the people, sleeping in their tents or consuming the alcohol, awaited a later performances. As the second has appeared itself the Norwegian KRYPT. I can truly to admit, that this proposal liked to me more better, cause the sounds, produced other things by the previous members of not existing more TSJUDER (the singing bassist Nag), surely reasoned by me a positive kinds of impressions, especially when one of the members was playing guitar woman(!) Although the next representative of the German scene – GRAUPEL, absolutely hadn’t reasoned in my soul and mind whichever arts of high ecstatic experiences, the Frenchmen from HELL MILITIA every inch have recompensed me them. A piece of their stuff was simply striking and I don’t know, or was it reasoned by the presence of very spontaneous bass woman (not first and not last case during this festival, but only reasoned by the participate the same person in others bands) or something else, but this show had exactly something special. I know, that I wasn’t in my opinion alone, cause raging crowd under the scene was the best evidence of this state. I must necessary to search a stuff of this horde, cause the sounds presented in live version were really very promising, no doubt! Absolutely I wouldn’t suppose, that the band following after – KAWIR – will be simply boring as dull as ditch-water. Don’t understand me wrong – I have always liked the Greek scene, much of bands from this country stands on really very high level, but those horde, playing a mix of black metal with doom elements had absolutely nothing, what could to enchant, make the man admired or although to satisfy. In my opinion everything was simply poor and indistinct – a music, image of musicians (like for me was more than nonsensical, but probably the tastes differ, so if I am the amateur, please to forgive me), so when the guys did, what they had to do, I have felt only a big relief.

Fortunately, BEASTCRAFT was in able to recompense me those impressions very effective. Nothing strange – a hellish strength, emanating from every track this Norwegian crew featuring among other things the URGEHAL members, thrown me out from my boots so high, that I have almost visited the cosmic space! Here was a place for any kind of bungle, cause the time of performing (a deep dark night, of course), specific atmosphere and good quality of music were the elements deciding about the victory and triumph of those band not only those evening, but first of all the day. If there’s among of yours somebody, who remember yet a one from forgotten some today black metal classics, namely the American VON, probably will have any problem with connecting the track titled “Satanic Blood”. Perhaps a part of maniacs the black sounds knows the interpretation of this songs from the DARK FUNERAL debut album, but the show of BEASTCRAFT perfectly proofed, that the Swedes weren’t the one and only, who have taken those piece of work in their hands. Of course, cover stays a cover forever and nothing’s able to replace the original performing, but a good copy is almost like original. Maybe you won’t agree, but that’s only my private verdict.

So, it’s the highest time to introduce the headliner of the first day. SECRETS OF THE MOON is classified as black metal horde, but also some untypical band, which although a some of accretions can’t to be characterized as true band representing this art of metal. Please, don’t charge me the nastiness, I don’t want to judge this crew as the posers, but I have noticed that the Germans have even in their own country very specific public – something in style “if you are not with them, you are against them”. I don’t know to which of these both options could I to count my unostentatious person, cause if any of half-measures are involved, the questions stays very, very difficult… OK, but now something about the gig. I must truly to admit, that the one (but only one and nothing more) thing in the image of this band can to be treat as a piece of originality – personally I have never met a band wearing a dusty clothes. The middling-fast tempos of the songs are practically all of determinants, distinguishing the music of quartet from Osnabrück, which passing last times the personal changes, had found a new live bass player, who became… a lady LSK, playing in the mentioned here before another band, namely in French HELL MILITIA. In my opinion this fact absolutely changes anything for better, because the lack of spontaneous or the fury, characterizing her person in those horde, didn’t improve the visual effect, remembering too about the quality of SOTM music. I have heard only one album of this band, if my memory works good yet, was probably titled “Antithesis”, but as I have stopped only on him, the conclusion can to be only one – that’s not my bottle of beer. And very similar kinds of impressions I had during the show of this horde, which I watched without whichever emotions, leaving the festival area before the end of their gig, and then, sitting down before the fireplace to read a very curious book. My intuition has told me probably earlier something about a boredom, so reading the masterpiece of Erich Kuby “Nur noch die rauchende Trümmer” (only yet the smoking ruins), describing the agony of Brest fortress in France 1944, seeing by the eyes of German soldier, was surely the better undertaking than listening the secrets of the moon, which those night has hidden itself behind the dark clouds