Articles : Metal Obsession @ Hellfest 2016, Clisson – Day 2

The second day dawned and after literally two hours of sleep it was time to leave the comforts of my bed in the middle of a horse farm, to catch an early train to Hell. Thy Art is Murder were on at 10.30 in the bloody morning but that didn’t stop me from leaping off a moving train and running down the streets of Clisson armed with a dark chocolate tart and sparkling water. As cinematic as that may sound, I was not going to miss seeing the Aussie lads tearing it up at Hellfest, on the Mainstage no less! As luck would have it, I got there in the nick of time, managing to catch the last two songs of the set and current vocalist Lochlan Watt leaping into the photo pit. A sense of pride consumed me as I saw Thy Art play at one of the biggest (if not the biggest) metal festivals in the world – Australia’s music scene is something we should all be severely proud of.

Having  run like the wind across the site, I decided to wander around for a bit, treat myself to some merch and draw up a plan of action for the day. I eventually found myself standing (no surprise there) in front of Otargos. They took to the Temple stage without any warning and absolutely killed it. Having never heard them before, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect but sometimes that’s a good thing. At first they reminded me instantly of Septicflesh with those epic crescendos and rhythms that are much too captivating to be true but were much darker and certainly heavily placed in the realms of black metal.  One track that really struck me was “Apex Terror” followed by “Human Terminate” Their stage presence was rather intriguing too, the vocalist proudly standing in front of his intensely grim skull clad mic stand. Drowned were nearby so it was cool to watch them as I ate breakfast on the beer-soaked mud grounds at the Altar. I wasn’t going to venture far so that I could capture, admire and get lost in the astounding presence of Myrkur.

‘M’, Amalie Brunn’s debut release last year was a much-discussed topic in the metal world. Commonly known as Myrkur, there is in fact nothing common about this majestic artist. From the moment she walked on stage in the simplest of manners to the soothing tones of ‘Vølvens Spådom’, I was instantly taken by the aura she possessed. Her voice is capable of many stunning things from crystal clear operatic vocals to absolutely fierce, powerful screams and growls, that at times were quite frankly terrifying. The paradox she creates with her music and on her own is quite astounding when you see her live but the transitions from heavy to soft and vice-versa make it absolutely worthwhile. Myrkur’s music comes from the heart – with powerful emotions and a heavily cryptic message if you pay attention. At first, there was silence at the end of her set for a couple of minutes, none of us knowing how to react to what we had just seen and heard but that didn’t last long as the crowd roared in awe and appreciation for what was easily one of the stand out sets of Hellfest this year.

Entrails were circled on my list and while still in a trance courtesy of Ms Brunn’s musical prowess, I sailed through the ever-populating grounds of the festival and headed over to see this death metal  band from Sweden. That’s the beautiful thing about festivals like Hellfest – you take a walk and chance up on, possibly one of the best bands you’ve ever seen. However, I didn’t stay too long given that US rockers Crobot were on at the same time and I was certainly not going to miss them. Reminding me ever so much of my favourites Closure in Moscow from back home, these guys seemed to have the biggest crowd I had seen all day. Vocalist Brandon Yeagley  is basically eccentricity on legs and legs that can move rather quickly. The man got the crowd psyched busting some weirdly catchy moves while he flipped the mic stand in all directions before actually using it to sing. It really did get the party started but the hard rock way. Groove-laden tracks filled their set with riffs that will activate the headbanger in you. Chris Bishop the guitarist, and bassist Jake Figueroa the bassist, were also taking their turns in psyching up the crowd, climbing on their amps and on to each others shoulders. I even saw a couple of guys in the crowd wearing tutus and rocking out. Freedom of expression folks! 

Still trying to process and remember at least half of what I had experienced so far, the unstoppable force that is Dark Fortress took over my senses, the band as black and grim as my soul, once again. The German extreme metallers were enticing the crowds with their evil demeanor  but once the clock  hit 2 pm,  it was time to make a rather swift run for the barrier at The Altar. I remember the very first time I came across Cattle Decapitation a few years ago and wondered why a band would have such a name. But curious as always, I listened to a couple of their old albums and instantly grew to love the band. Travis Ryan is such a powerful front-man and commanding in a way that is unmatched, walking on stage and screeching into the mic in greeting the crowds that had amassed for what promised to be my favourite set of the day – and rightly so. No less than five minutes into the forty minute set and things got extremely wild with people crowd-surfing, moshing and losing their shit. Playing brain-rattlers from their latest album ‘The Anthropocene Extinction’, their sound was absolutely deafening and performance – flawless; it was as good as listening to the audio version but much, much better. ‘Manufactured Extinct’ is one of the band’s most varied songs till date, with the vocals shifting constantly and hearing this live was pure bliss. Other tracks included, ‘Forced Gender Reassignment’ and ‘Your Disposal’. A facemelting set to say the least, Cattle Decap don’t bullshit. They get on stage, do exactly what their known for – obliterating the masses and get off. The chemistry between the band members was something else I noticed that made me respect this band so much more. Easily the best set that day, in retrospect.

With a cricked neck from Cattle Decap, I needed somewhere to stand still for a bit and Heidevolk’s stage was definitely the wrong choice. The band emerged like a folk metal hurricane of sorts and were a lot of fun to watch as well, powerful yet entertaining. Vocalists paced the stage getting the crowd all amped up and people were clearly enjoying their little folk jigs and chug session while watching the Dutch pagan metallers forge through their set which included a couple of songs from their latest album ‘Velua’. On the other side of Hell,  Agoraphobic Nosebleed were churning out some crushing grindcore goodness much to the delight of many punters who took a detour when they heard the band kick things off (myself included). The band packs in an abundance of energy into every track they play and both vocalists absolutely destroyed The Altar stage and everyone who had gathered to witness said destruction. An aural assault of epic proportions, I moved on to see a couple of tracks from Torche After watching a couple of tracks from  Torche bringing people their doses of sludgey stoner rock. However, food was the need of the hour, and once again I sat down to enjoy a nice, hot Indian meal along with a few other people who seemed to share a similar taste in cuisine. But not as much as this beautiful elderly couple I met. They had come hand in hand from a town near by to enjoy the sounds of Sabbath, Dark Funeral and Enslaved. Easily in their 60’s, I asked them if they come here often to which they replied, “This is our third time! We love it here!”. Creepily enough, it was like peeking into the future.

Back at the Temple, familiar symphonies filled the air as I saw Veronica gracefully enter the stage with an eerie air while, dressed like zombie orchestra, Fleshgod Apocalypse were welcomed with deafening cheers from the fans and non-fans alike. The sheer presence of these Italians on stage is enough to make chills slither down your spine in time with the relentless blast beats of Francesco Paoli. Melodies and harmonies are a plenty in a Fleshgod track, so an entire set that featured songs such as ‘Pathfinder’, ‘Cold as Perfection’ and of course ‘The Violation’ gives you the feeling that you are in fact watching a death metal orchestra. Elegantly brutal, they way the band conduct themselves on stage itself is rather amazing – not all metal bands can melt your face off with the level of sophistication that Fleshgod does it with, I’ll tell you that. One of my favourite tracks ‘The Fool’ from their latest album ‘King’ was a bloody good way to finish things off – such a mad song!

Lars from Entombed AD was stirring up a few circle pits on the other side of the tent, one of which I almost got caught in. The band has such a powerful, raw tone to their sound, one that they’ve maintained despite the line-up changes, having to re-christen and reform the band. Playing a mixed set with old material and some new tracks from their release this year ‘Dead Dawn’, the band was incredibly energetic, and delivered an insanely good set. The Swedish death metal outfit seemed to be everyone’s wake up call at 6 pm, preparing the troops for another 8 hours of heavy metal. Rushing back to the endless stretch of the Mainstage ground, I managed to catch Joe Satriani effortlessly playing some of my favourite songs.  A childhood love for the man, he is  easily one of the most charismatic, fun and insane guitar players to ever walk the Earth and his live show was everything I thought it would be and more. ‘Crystal Planet’, ‘Satch Boogie’ and of course ‘Surfing with the Aliens’ sent the entire place into an air-guitaring frenzy.

On a spree of watching bands that I’ve always wanted to see live, I trudged back through the now slimy ground of Hellfest, watching a young bunch of blokes who were courageous enough to wear thongs on a day that was constantly damp and wet. If you’re doing any European festivals in the Summer – keep in mind that Summer could mean any kind of weather. As it started pouring once again, I headed back into one of the tents to watch the mighty Asphyx melt faces and own the Altar. It was amazing to finally see this band live, given that they were among one of the first death metal bands I heard and are one of the most underrated death metal bands there is. Punishing guitar riffs that were reminiscent of the old school death metal vibe coupled with menacing growls instantly brought forth a surge of energy from all the headbangers.  I also managed to catch a song or two from Greg Anderson’s alter ego Goatsnake, a band that believes in the powers of doom and obscurity. Ending an 11-year hiatus with a brilliant album ‘Black Age Blues’, the doom metal veterans put up a stellar perfromance, seemingly casting a spell on the audience with their music. This is one of my favourite things about Hellfest – the three stages where all the extreme, death and obscure bands are so close together so if you have enough stamina and drive, you could listen to and see quite a few bands.

Festival goers were present in large numbers to welcome with a roaring applause, Disturbed, a band that I was keen to see live.  Draiman was there in all his dark, chin-pierced glory performing crowd-pleasers such as ‘Ten Thousand Fists’, ‘The Vengeful One’ from their latest album and one of my favourites ‘Stupify’, his very recognizable vocals booming through the gathering of thousands. They did a few covers, a standout one being Simon & Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence which live, is actually quite beautiful. Although not a diehard fan of Disturbed, it’s obvious what has kept them going all these years and one of those things is their live shows.  It was back to my turf to see Finland’s Moonsorrow were also a major highlight of the day proving once again that there is, undoubtedly something in the waters of the country that seems to be the birthplace of some of the most amazing metal bands in the world. The band has an outstanding stage presence drawing in the fans and creating an atmosphere that is pure madness. They even seemed much darker on stage as compared to the last time I saw them.

Terrorizer a band that consists of were not a band that I would ever see again – one their songs sounded like it was the same three chords over and over again and it was just a very dry performance. This is not to say that every band has to have that kind of persona on stage where they absolutely blow you away but I guess it just wasn’t for me.  Bring Me The Horizon were making their presence felt throughout the festival from the Mainstage, the sound absolutely mental from where I was standing especially but I didn’t spare too much time to watch, for my priority at that very moment was seeing Ireland’s Primordial. Nemtheanga has got to be one of the most charismatic, powerful and brilliant vocalists of his time. The band’s take on metal is extremely unorthodox. Primordial is a strange but unique band as their music lingers in the borders between pagan and black metal. Celebrating their set with a group of very sweet Irish people wrapped comfortably in their flag, the band’s dynamism and energy kept people going into the night. Their hard-hitting anthems, and passionate performance was definitely worthwhile.

With the crowd seeping out of the Altar tent and spread all over the site, it was clear how loved Napalm Death was in France. There’s no doubt that these veterans from Birmingham, quite literally live up to their name. At this point, I was knackered beyond belief, so I took my seat among other punters who also looked like they were done for the day, and sat back to watch Napalm Death rip the stage apart. Not to be mislead by how simple Barney Greenway looks, the man destroyed the set, going batshit crazy on stage. Running about on stage as if taken over by the Devil himself, he delivered the set with so much intensity, it was amazing. Shane Embury, one of my favourite bassists, churned out some tasty basslines while drummer Danny Herrera pretty much exhibited why Napalm Death are an extreme metal band.

As I walked out, I saw Dee Schneider parading around the main stage in very tight pants and exposing his very concerningly tight abs to Clisson so I thought I might as well. it was Twisted Sister who set the stage on fire playing famous songs like “Burn In Hell”, “Believe In Rock n’ Roll” and “You Can’t Stop Rock n’ Roll”. You can’t help but smile when you see these glam metal veterans take to the stage like a fish to water, doing what they do for decades and still acing the shit out of it. At that point, dragging myself out so I don’t miss the trams back to my horse farm, I smiled to myself and thought that nothing in the world can compare to the pure goodness of music, especially heavy metal.

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