UNDER THE BLACK SUN 2008

Dark rituals and black magic

4-5.07.2008 Helenau (GER)

Second day of ritual brought a sunny weather, so walking down the wood filled very efficient the afternoon time, letting by this opportunity to admire the landscape. It was very nice feeling to listen the birds singing and echoes of nature instead of noise, producing by the electric guitars or demonical throats. Of course, I don’t say, that hearing them makes me angry or afraid, but this kind of pleasant stepping-stone is sometimes very needful too, and I don’t believe, that event the most fanatical maniac of heavy sounds wouldn’t agree with me. Finally, the hour has come and as the first participant of second part of ritual, the stage was possessed by MAGNIFICAT. That’s a little bit curious horde, cause her leader – Magnus, is the Mexican living in Germany, so the rightful motherland of this band stays rather as mysterious question. I can however very truly to admit, that this band has rather in my opinion nothing, what could to pay the attention. The mixture of black/thrash metal, very average anyway and the white jacket of the mainman weren’t the elements, that decided about the good quality of this group. Fortunately, following after that VORKREIST, where everybody had an occasion to see in action the bass woman of HELL MILITIA (Miss LSK, for reminding!) has improved my humor. French underground had ever a good condition, so nothing strange, that watching of this band reasoned these kinds of feelings, anyway not only by me!

A small change of geographic region and as the next participant – ENDEZZMA from Norway. And again with the one of our good friends – Trondr Nefas of URGEHAL. I don’t know, or inviting the bands with so much of personal connections is done sometimes reasons of economy, but no matter which situation would to happen, it’s not so wrong idea, cause standard of the undertakings stays very high, even in spite of status of the third league. The fact is, that Norwegians had always a knack for playing black metal, so the most of their bands can surely to satisfy efficient everyone, who loves the raw and primitive sounds. Perhaps there were among the gathered people the persons, who weren’t especially ravished by ENDEZZMA, of course I would disappoint, saying that I was, but the one, that I can without a lie to admit, is the statement, that those band has done his task very correct. OK, so now the another change of region, but this one a movement into south. Serbia. A small Balkan country, destroyed once upon a time by war, but now living by his own life and having even a few of metal bands, like for example THE STONE. The horde under the charge Jörg of Folter Records has performed in this place two years ago, but as I wasn’t privilege to see them in those time, I have made up the arrears now with positive impressions in every of inches. A spirit and atmosphere of Balkan ethnicity is not only visible in this band by the image of musicians (the Cyrillic alphabet on singer’s t-shirt), but hearable in self music too, cause the tracks from albums “Zakon Velesa” or “Magla” have this specific “something” within, what lets to imagine oneself the south Slavonic rituals, somewhere in Serbian forest or in the circle of megalithic stones. Like in my opinion, that’s very curious and original horde, this I can only to say… Continuing the marathon of Folter Records band’s, now something from the same label, but representing the other and a some higher located European country – HELLSAW. Last time I had to do with this band in December last year, when the Austrians played in Berlin as the support of SHINING. I have remembered them then as the solid black metal band and nothing in this question had changed itself to this day, cause the quartet, presenting among other things the tracks from very successful “Phantasm” album once again has reasoned by me the positive emotions. But with double curiosity I have awaited the performance of very exotic band, which appeared this year as festival’s participant. Black metal from Thailand? Firstly I was some surprised of course, but as the matter of fact – why not? The most curious acts of extreme can to find exactly very often in untypical like for metal music parts of the world, so that’s why the horde from country, where even for the drugs possession can to be punished for death was the one from most awaited those evening. When I have heard yet, that the guys personally have pleased earlier Jörg about the possibility of performance on his festival and for their own money paid the costs of flight to Europe, the one and only what I have felt was very, very big respect. Finally, when the time of gig has come and three Thailand devils have possessed the stage under their domination, I had the occasion to convince myself about supposed originality and of course about the strength of this horde. The truth is, that after her show I wasn’t in any case disappointed, but absolutely not enraptured too.

SURRENDER OF DIVINITY, cause this is exactly the name of band, has presented about one hour of brutal and fast black metal inspired mainly by IMPIETY, but my impressions weren’t rather so spontaneous. Of course, that’s a piece of very good extreme music, don’t think however, that their art has thrown me into the ground. Yeah, we had to do not only with spikes, bullets, chains, make-ups and with barbarism in purest form, but if you would like to know my own opinion, I admit very, very true, that like for me that’s a little bit too few and SURRENDER OF DIVINITY appeared to me rather as very average band. Maybe my expectations were simply too high? I don’t know… So, let’s to start the hell on earth, cause the time has come and finally as the last participant and simultaneously headliner of festival must to welcome URGEHAL! The big respect for Trondr Nefas, who totally drunken after ENDEZZMA show had a time to get sober and played faultlessly the gig of his main band! About one hour (and maybe even more) of URGEHAL gig was like the true wet dream for all loving the quintessence of black metal – fast, raw, without sweeties, that’s exactly it! I can’t even to describe with rightful words the power and strength of those show, during which we had occasion to hear a lot of unholy hymns, without meaning or was it something from “Arma Christi”, “Massive Terrestrial Strike”, “Atom Kinder”, “Through Thick Fog Till Death” (a beeeeautiful “Raise The Symbols Of Satan”!) or “Goatcraft Torment” (“Antireligiøs” rules!) . No mercy, no questions! The one hour has passed, so the end of gig and festival of course, became flesh. Now we should only wait to the next year and have a hope for the positive decision of Jörg, who discouraged by low attendance, probably said, that “never more”. Hmmm, of course life and time shall tell everything, although personally I would wish myself to be there once again, being probably not only one…