Rock Altitude Festival 11 – BEHEMOTH, MAYHEM, ENTOMBED A.D., STEVE’N’SEAGULLS

Rock Altitude Festival 2016, Wednesday, 10th August 2016, Le Locle, Switzerland

As usual in the first half of August, in the small Swiss town, every year from eleven years, the festival takes place through few days. On the stages of the festival are guests from around the world who present broadly understood Rock music. Always, at least one day is for Metal-Core bands. And of course, in every day there are stars among the less well-known and local performers.

This time the first day was impressive. Besides local RORCAL and SCHAMMASCH as well as the guests from abroad STEVE’N’SEAGULLS, there appeared ENTOMBED A.D. – the modified legend of the Swedish Death Metal, MAYHEM – the legend of Norwegian Black Metal and as headliner – Polish BEHEMOTH, whose a popularity has increased significantly in the current twenty-first century, in spite of the shortest existence in the Metal music world.

The duration of the XI edition of the festival has been extended from three to four days. In the following days, in my opinion the most important were American NEUROSIS, Canadian GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR and Japanese MONO. However, according to previous arrangements, we went to first day of the concert, which we began with the slipping, skipping performances of RORCAL and SCHAMMASCH… Because we had to wait patiently until our eight-month-old daughter will go to sleep peacefully with her grandparents and it will allow us to escape for a few hours to concert…

Several minutes before 08:30 p.m. we were already in the place. A little breathless, because we had a fairly steeply uphill, e.g. through the long stairs running along the dense city park… At the place, we observed that the numbers of fans are lesser on this day in compare to the previous edition of festivals. Perhaps because the aficionados of Metal-Core music were divided into two days. But the organization of non-musical part of the festival, like a gastronomy, “a drinking place” and merchandising was similar to the previous editions. There was so a lot of catering stalls that prepared various fast-foods and beverages (also with an alcohol). Besides merchandise (vinyls, CDs, clothes and other gadgets) containing logos of bands… As usual, you could buy T-shirts with the logo of the current edition of the festival. Of course, we took a festival T-shirt and went to a small stage, where the next performance of the evening was about to start…

To be honest, I wanted to see the Finnish group STEVE’N’SEAGULLS, because their music, and specifically the cover-songs of well-known Metal bands played in the style of Bluegrass enjoyed me (what I heard on Youtube)… The similar actions I met in the past by listening of album “A Hillbilly Tribute to AC / DC” HAYSEED DIXIE, so my expectations were quite a lot… The image of STEVE’N’SEAGULLS is consistent with the music style, which they perform. And the instruments used by musicians (e.g. the banjo, mandolin, accordion, double bass, acoustic guitar, drums or such whose names I do not know) as well as the clothes underline the atmosphere additionaly. The coolest hat belonged to a huge Hiltunen, which wore a fur of some animal, maybe a fox (?). But it was no doubt it was dead. Besides of all the only a different instrument was keyboard used in a piece to extract probably appropriate sound…

The band punched hard, of course in style of Country music 🙂 by the song “Wishmaster” of NIGHTWISH and immediately the band conquered the audience. The next song was a cover-song of RAMMSTEIN “Ich Will”, which made even greater delight for the audience. Then another songs flew, the cover-songs of hits such celebrities as METALLICA, IRON MAIDEN, MEGADETH, GUNS’N’ROSES and several other…

To be honest, that the around of the town Le Locle in the canton of Neuchâtel besides of watchmaking and small factories (of eg. medical equipment) there are mainly an agricultural lands (and roadside bars and restaurants), so the band ideally fits with the climate, which was confirmed by the shouts of the audience. Although even at the concert, where the sound is strong but I felt lack of an impact of distorted guitars. But after all, I liked the show…

… Before the playing of the first star of the evening – MAYHEM (THE TRUE MAYHEM) we decided to see the preparations for the show and we went to the main stage, where the special decoration announced the upcoming mood… In the middle of the stage was stand the altar – a table covered with a black cloth. The two candlesticks and the small red cemetery candles were stood in the sides of the table, and the human skull was layed at the center of the table. It looked like very well done prepared copy of human skull. And perhaps (knowing the history of the band) it might be real. But I have no idea how this skull could be transfered through international borders. And the large occult symbol was showed on the tablecloth hanging from the table. The other symbols were also in the scenography. The images of upside down crosses were placed on the sides of the stage and the graphics of unspecified form resembling the sculptures Greek or Roman…

… The bright lights of the stage were turned off and the smoke like a fog enveloped the scene, … there was dark and ominous intro… It is started… The satanic ceremony, during which the priest Attila Csihar clad in a black robe with a hood declaimed devilish texts. The corpse-paint on his face, the sepulchral voice and the play of light made him look like a real demon came straight from the abyss of hell. And the its choreography (motions and poses) emphasized the seriousness of the situation and the devilish mood. The other musicians also donned black “liturgical robes.” The only musician without a corpse-paint and who quickly threw off his hood was the bassist – Necrobutcher – co-founder of the band and the only current member of the band, which is from the very beginning (apart from a small break after the death of Dead – former vocalist). In turn, the current drummer – Hellhammer – is also associated with the band almost from the beginning (after the departure of Manheim in 1988). Of course, the vocalist – Attila Csihar – is also the legendary member of MAYHEM, who started the adventure with the band for briefly in the early 90s. And after 10 years he was back and took a job as frontman. Besides, the native band of Attila was the legendary Hungarian Black Metal band – TORMENTOR. The other musicians – the guitarists – are the shortest in the team – Teloch, he once played in GORGOROTH and Charles Hedger – former guitarist of CRADLE OF FILTH…

… The Black Metal madness mastered the stage and the audience. If one of you knows the music of MAYHEM then you know how the band produces the extreme sounds… The fast and furious guitar riffs, the murderous percussion blasts and the predatory vocals, which only occasionally go into the dark and predatory slowing downs. This wholeness can rip to shreds… Under the stage was a hell, and the dense smoke and the playing of bloody-red and blue lights reinforce the power of evil, which was radiated from the band… But, as it happens at festivals, which connects many species of widely understood Rock music, then the audience receives various emotions… As I mentioned, under the stage there were full of devils, who gave a tribute to their gods. And in turn, on the opposite end of the area (where you could easily drink a various liquor and look from afar for the satanic manifestation of the MAHEM), this performance caused a smile on faces of some dissenters. But you do not think that this place was quiet. The conversation was difficult… and very well… the music engulfed everything … The whole performance was lasted over an hour…

… There was a brief pause for the movement of the audience to the small stage…

… The Swedish group ENTOMBED A.D was another perfomer on the small stage.. The band appeared on the small stage, but it does not mean that the team was not a star. Perhaps such idea was part of arrangement for this day. To be honest, ENTOMBED with their first album “Left Hand Path” belonged to the group of bands that created the Swedish Death Metal and then Death’n’roll… And thus it is the legend of the cult of death… But ENTOMBED A.D. is just part of the legendary band – ENTOMBED. But in total it is paramount part. Because the frontman L.G. Petrov, together with other musicians (who in a certain period also played in ENTOMBED) stood on the stage with a modified band name, but with a well-known repertoire and they banged very powerful… as befits for good old Death Metal…

The keyboards intro announced the death-metal-rock’n’roll driving and the music banged from the stage by the dynamic and powerful guitar riffs, which with the distorted bass literally kicked on the ground. Especially I felt it under the scene, when I tried to catch the fast singer in the camera lens. The roar of Petrov filled the space over the heads of fans, and I think there were quite a lot of fans, because I saw many t-shirts with the logo. Between the songs, the vocalist often has integrated with the audience, he called them to action and shouts and headbanging. Once, he used his hair on his forearm as a measuring instrument (the measuring of shudders in ratio to the shouts of the audience). Generally Petrov seemed a friendly guy, who underlined that although the star of the evening is “fucking Polish BEHEMOTH” then in the next hour ENTOMBED A.D. will be a star… I it was… Especially since they played many well-known songs from the previous albums… And when they played the song “Left Hand Path” is a thrill of ecstasy flooded my body. To be honest it was my secret wish. Even I had planned to shout the title of the song from under the stage , but I did not have to… … The listening of the legendary song in live was unearthly experience, even for a veteran like me, whose emotions are already subdued and are not such as those of a young adept of Metal… Death Metal of this type is really great on concerts Besides, the audience gave expression to by their behavior… Under the scene – the mad headbanging, which severs of the head. And a few meters far away – the real twister… Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and after about an hour of heavy and killing rock’n’roll ‘ ENTOMBED A.D. ended their show…

… And in the meantime, we once again supplemented their batteries thanks to the liquids and we went into a large stage, where a team of technicians prepared an equipment and a stage for the star of the evening – BEHEMOTH… Taking advantage of the situation that technicians are Poles then I know they will be have a little surprise if they will hear Polish language abroad. During of testing of microphone they shouted a magic word “chuj” (it mean “dick” in Polish). I think they didn’t expect somebody will translate this word. So, I asked one of them to pass for Nergal the book to sign. I would add that the biographical book “The confession of heretic. Sacrum – Profanum” I brought from Polish specially for this occasion (and is not too thin, because it has more than 380 pages). But ok…. it was cool, because after a few moments, the technician brought me the book with the inscription inside “All the best – Nergal” autographed by Nergal. Then we talked a little… Mainly I got the guidelines for shooting the band during the concert, because as you know, in the moat (under the scene) you can only stay for the first three songs. Then the body-guards politely turn out… But sometimes is various with the time for reporters, but actually this is usually the during the performance of large stars… The first three songs or twenty minutes… Some bands do not wish to journalists at the scene. Just as it was during the show of DEFTONES a few years earlier. I think that in this case it was a matter of attitude of the band. But what happened later during the show of BEHEMOTH has justification of the absence of anyone in the moat (at the end of the show)…

… The many followers were near the stage, who want to see and lodge tribute to the beast from Poland. In the crowd often were visible the t-shirts with the logo of the team… The sinister intro heralded the arrival of this mythical creature…

… On the stage in the sides of the drum kit were proudly stood the musicians – Orion and Seth, who introduced the sounds of the song “Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel” … The music and play of light created a gloomy mood… Nergal appeared in special costume, holding in his hands torches and he performed symbolic gestures… And then he rejecting the torches on the stage he joined to the music and the song sounded complete… I immediately want to point out that the musicians had a corpse-paint and the specially prepared for the concerts costumes. They looked like the characters of science fiction movies, in style of Mad Max, etc. All of this affected for the deepening of climate, full of ferocity and gloom with a dose of madness… And the audience was mad… Somewhere in the center of the tornado (outside loud shouts – “Behemoth! Behemoth!”) there were also the shouts of Polish fans -” Napierdalać! Napierdalać! ” (it mean “Go fuck loud! Go fuck loud!”). But these words didn’t made an impression on the musicians. On the other hand, Polish fans could have more rhetorical imagination…

… At some moment, an intro was appeared between the songs – like a sacral singing, dark and mysterious – and Nergal was appeared with an incensory and he ceremoniously incensed a piece of the stage… And soon the song “Messe Noire ” was sounded, which was the continuation of the intro… The powerful sound filled the entire space… The guitarists often changed their position, especially Nergal with Orion changed places, smoothly moving around the stage, coming to the shores of the stage and standing like at a precipice they performed ominous poses and gestures for fans… While a one of such actions Nergal threw his guitar pick in the audience… And a fate wanted to I would have noticed the lying black guitar pick in the moat. The none of the fans could not reach it… I took it and I saw the pleading faces of the fans in the first lines. They stretched out their hands for the guitar pick, with cries of “Pour moi!, Pour moi!” (in French: “For me! For me!”) … Then I felt that the guitar pick should not hit to me (as a journalist) but for to one of the fans, so relying on fate I told the magic words “La chance” (in French: “Chance”) and I threw the guitar pick over heads of the few fans… Then I turned to the stage and I didn’t watch who has caught… Of course I felt regret a little, that I did not get the guitar pick for me but the ethical impulse was stronger…

… Soon we had (the journalists) to leave the moat, so in the crowd I got to my wife, who had a place at the balustrade (where she also took photos) and then from there we saw the show on the stage… And BEHEMOTH still continued his crusade on the scene… fans in amok and with hellish rapture got up their hands to showing the horned gestures… And the team played, among others, “Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer,” “Amen,” “Ben Sahar”, as well as a piece “In the Absence Ov Light,” which was ended by climatic declamation to the music in Polish (the quote from the drama “Wedding” by Witold Gombrowicz). It is a pity that so few people understood this message…

… Then was began the majestic song “O Father O Satan O Sun!”… About the middle of the song the lights went out for the moment, and when the lights were turned in then the musicians stood on the stage with horned masks and hoods (like statues of ancient gods) and they played the trance part of the song (these masks someone of you may associate with BEHEMOTH music videos for songs from the album “the Satanist”)…

… Show was going on… Then sounded the songs “Ov Fire And The Void”, “Conquer All”… I did not even noticed, at which point the musicians anointed own faces fake blood. They looked very bloodthirsty, like zombies after a fresh feast, but rather more majestically, the term “vampire” more to fit for this…

… At some point of the song “At The Left Hand Ov God” the bassist Orion came to the fore of scene and he vigorously spat out a swig of liquid forming a cold geyser (perhaps it was a water), which accented some phrase of the music…

… After a short while, the first sounds of “Chant For Eschaton 2000” were sounded, during which Nergal spat vigorously (an imitation of) blood into the audience, and then the track went on very well… Unfortunately it was the last song…

… At the end, the musicians bowed toward the fans, throwing the guitar picks… and traditionally they stood for the front of the drums (fans were behind them) to the photo of show (the photo was placed on FB profile of the band). On the photo, at the right-side of the first line of the audience we are visible… And BEHEMOTH disappeared behind the scene… Unfortunately, despite shouts of fans “Behemoth! Behemoth! Behemoth” they did not returned…

… It should be commented that the performance of BEHEMOTH was like a dark theater art. Each stage movement of musicians, each change of place, each posture and gestures were planned. It isn’t important, how much was spontaneity in this, and how much was actor’s craft. This looked great and I would be happy if again I could be see such show…

… The concert ended about 1:00 am. As always, the weather was quite cold, so the sooner vigorously we marched to the house. This time we were over the hill, so the brisk walking to down did not caused us a problem…