ROCK ALTITUDE FESTIVAL 5 – GOJIRA, EZ3KIEL, M.O.P.A., KRUGER, CAMION, NEXUS, YOG

Together with my wife we again spended vacation in Switzerland, in the small town Le Locle, in canton Neuchatel. The Le Locle is the small beautiful town laid on procerity over 900 meters in Jura mountains neighbouring with Northern Alps. Le Locle is the cradle of Swiss clock and watch-making but here I will be write about something other…

In this unusually calm and friendly town from five years Rock Altitude Festivals take place… The sport centre (in which cyclically various events take place) is laid pretty high – I think that over 1000 meters… Such stars like ENTOMBED, SAMAEL, NEUROSIS, THE OCEAN, THE HAUNTED and ELECTRIC WIZARD played there during previous editions of festival . Many local bands or less known bands also were there. However we had not possibility to be on the previous editions. But today I regret this…

However we decided to go to the concert in this time. Before the departure to the vacation I earlier wrote the mail to organizer of the festival – Fabien Zennaro – and I asked for accreditation. Unfortunately I did not receive an answer from him till the moment our departure. Despite all we decided to go to the festival as normal listeners – And the tickets were expensive for us, because 1 CH have cost 3 PLN in this period. For this reason we could choose only one of two (paid) days of the festival. The choice was simple obviously. The first (free) day the Swiss folk-pop vocalist – Charlou Nada as well as Swiss funk big band – TON SUR TON have presented their music. So at that time we preferred to visit neighbourhoods (the old places, the caves, the lakes, the chateaus and first of all the beautiful mountain views). The second day – NEXUS (Gothic Rock/Metal), French M.O.P.A. (Screamo, Classic Music), CAMION (Thrash/Southern Metal), French EZ3KIEL (Industrial, Ambient, Electro), KRUGER (Death Metal), French GOJIRA (Death Metal), YOG (Grindcore) as well as on the end English HOUSE OF FIX (Electro) played on the stage. And therefore this day seemed for us the most suitable. However in the third day mainly played Rock bands: DEEP KICK (Funk/Punk), THE WINGS OF LOVE (Glam Metal), KILLBODY TUNNING (Atmospheric Fast Rock/Metal), English TOM McRAE (Alternative Rock), STEVANS (Pop Rock), Belgian K'S CHOICE (Alternative Rock), French I'M UN CHIEN (Electro Rock) and LOCOON'S (Electro). Though I think that THE WINGS OF LOVE and KILLBODY TUNING also would make good impression on us. However GOJIRA decided about all…

The organization of festival was very professional. Near the entrance to terrain of the festival we received brochure with pretty detailed information about the bands, the schedule of time, the map of terrain, sponsors, etc. Obviously the bodyguards guarded the order. However any intervention wasn't to need to the end of festival. After entry on terrain of festival we saw various stands with a food, with the drinks (even alcoholic – beer, drinks, the legendary Absinthe) and with the concert gadgets. There also were several tables with umbrellas as well as the seats. A lot of different persons walked everywhere. They mainly were fans of heavy sound but the children or the older persons also appeared… We found out (from informative brochure) that M. O. P. A. plays on the main stage in this moment. So we came late, because we did not consider the Swiss precision of time – and we did not get to know NEXUS… Therefore quickly we penetrated under covered terrain (after ice rink) full of trees' bark (this prevented the rise of mud probably). “Beer bar” and the stall with gadgets also was there. And special prepared ash-trays for cigarette-end were in various places… This was weird – The people could smoke here. Helvetians smoke like dragons, so I think that this was good idea…

The sounds of M.O.P.A. (MY OWN PRIVATE ALASKA) induced my interest from the beginning… The three guys were on the scene – the vocalist, the drummer and the keyboards-player… And where are the rest of instruments? I think about the guitars? M.O.P.A. presented the very innovatory music, in which the melancholy and sometimes psychedelic motifs of the piano were intertwined by the complex rhythms of the drums, with the sharp, aggressive shouts and sometimes tearful vocals. The whole sounded very avant-garde…The vocalist often sat on something on the scene sideways to the public. This looked like he would close the musicians' hermetic circle. But the whole was very replete of the emotions, sometimes of fury and of melancholy… The keyboards-player sometimes underwent the emotions hysterically and he has hit in the keys without control. However these were the only short impulses of madness among the etudes, the suites, the passages and the motifs of the classic music…There was daylight and tens of listeners stood under the stage. The concert lights did not give such effect yet but despite all M.O.P.A. has produced the specific decadent climate. Today I know that they played songs from album “Amen”… This was interesting music, very impulsive. However on the beginning of concerts it's harder to rouse the audience…

Soon after the end of performance of M.O.P.A. we together with the persons' majority went under huge tarpaulin tent (with two bars near the walls). There the next band announced his performance. It was CAMION… They began pretty sharply, lively and heavily. The first association reminded RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE. Later their music was more Metal, sometimes even in style of Thrash Metal with the accents of Hard Rock or Southern Metal… Their music caused that several jumping persons appeared under the scene. It somewhat turned up the atmosphere… Unfortunately I completely didn't know their songs from the show, and I will admit that at that time I had mind unbroken by alcohol (I do not rank one beer – Urtrub which we sipped from plastic beer-mug during listening of CAMION)… Later I could listen their songs at MySpace.

The return to the main scene … With curiosity we waited for the performance of EZ3KIEL, because I had not idea – what will present this French team with mysterious name?… It was 9.00 p.m…. so the darkness wrapped the terrain of concert, which was lit by artificial light near the bars and the stands… The cold went. The strong wind invading to the terrain with the main stage heightened the feeling of the cold…

EZ3KIEL started play… The dark-industrial electronic bars filled the space… I watched the scene and I looked for the musicians… The drummer sat near the doubly complex drums. The bass-player and the keyboards-player as well as the musician with the sampler and with vibraphone there were too(!)… But there weren't the guitarist… And who will sing?… I thought, that the electronic beginning is intro… However during the second track I guessed that EZ3KIEL does not play Metal… But this music overthrew me completely… The music was very dark, dynamic and massive with the peculiar melodious and very melancholy arrangements. All was unearthly and rhythmically complex. Their sound strongly affected for my receptors of senses too… And whilst the keyboard-player began play on the guitar (pretty often even the heavy riffs) and the climatic sounds of vibraphone appeared then I was spell-bound. As well as whilst the two percussive sets went in movement then I melted away entirely myself (obviously in musical ecstasy)… The whole synchronized with the lighting of the stage as well as with the multimedia insertions. The whole made totally dark and very avant-garde psychedelic climate… I had great the admiration for the multi-instrumental skills and the team-work of this quartet. Every sound with film was well-fitting ideally… However some vocals very seldom appeared there… Alternatively these were rather the whispers, the individual words… Though in one track (extremely aggressive in Grindcore style) frightful screams were… The audience rather stood during the listening. But I think the people were rather shocked by the music… Somebody nodded rhythmically… During some track, the keyboard-player deeply felt his music so emotionally that he jumped on tripod with the keys… and something felled out… However the rest of musicians still played… he tried to connect the element… probably it was damaged… When the rest of the musicians reached to the end of the track then one of musicians has told this was the last track… Was the event intentional? After one hour playing?… After my vacation I read that was Battlefield Tour 2010 of EZ3KIEL. They mainly played the tracks from the album “Battlefield” but I also guess that the pieces from album “Naphtaline” appeared… I am under impression the show. I have never seen such show before…

EZ3KIEL:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR9FHI2MIHI
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BelIZ5dpQXM

Time has came for KRUGER. The band has prepared itself in the small scene during the end of performance of EZ3KIEL. But despite that the distance between the stages was over 100 meters with the thin walls then the sound did not push through… If I remember well that KRUGER began with climatic intro, which suddenly stopped and passed to brutal music… Aggressive and heavy Death Metal with wheezing vocal came out from the loudspeakers. Their sounds put in the public in mad dance under the scene… The large part of participants of the concert appeared here… And we together with several listeners were chilled then we found good place near gas radiator and we calmly listened intently these brutal sounds. This was strange but the vocalist often sat on the stage's floor and he has produced the aggressive screams from this position… However I guess that the engineer of sound put the sound wrongly, because all was faintly clear… Later (in my house) during the listening of KRUGER at MySpace – I did better hear the music… as more Progressive Death Metal…

The time came for the star of the evening. Before they began play the change of decoration of main stage happened. Almost all the participants of the concert filled the terrain close to the scene. It was after midnight. The aroma of Absinth was everywhere. Despite frosty air the majority was hot by high-grade alcohol and the majority came near to the scene and the minority (and we) has concentrated around the gas radiators, which gave beneficial warmth. Despite late time and the efficacy of alcohol – the culture still reigned. We felt friendly atmosphere there. I do not think, that we were only foreigners there, although the all spoke in French. And our Polish language aroused rather temporary curiosity. I had hope, that we will meet someone from Poland. However despite my t-shirt with Polish band – KAT, nobody recognized well-known climates from my t-shirt, which I put for this opportunity especially. And we did not also perceive native Polish logo… GOJIRA entered on the stage… The many of you know their works… Technical, sometimes progressive – Death Metal flew from the loudspeakers. The public under the scene went mad, have chanted. And people from the back have moved their body rhythmically. GOJIRA has hit hotly despite the coldness. The emotions grew in every moment. Every new song heated up the atmosphere… Even I did hold back my headbanging hardly… I and Agatha went close to the lighting console. I could observe from there the splendid work of engineer of lighting. He knew the repertoire of band very well and he was able to ideally to play away the sound with the light. GOJIRA produced the excellent show – the connection of music, lights and the multimedia films… GOJIRA played songs from albums “The Way of All Flesh”, “From Mars To Sirius”, “The Link” and “Terra Incognita”… Obviously the public have persuaded band to play a bis on the end… GOJIRA again went out on the stage and they played two songs yet. To be honest I earlier did not follow their works but the music of GOJIRA restored my faith in Death Metal (although not classic)…

Set-list (not in order):
Oroborus, Toxic Garbage Island, The Art of Dying, A Sight To Behold, Esoteric Surgery, The Way of All Flesh, Lizard Skin, Backbone, Indians, The Heaviest Matter of Universe, Clone, Ocean Planet.

GOJIRA:
http://superglued.com/show/index/247051-Gojira___VNV_ROCK_ALTITUDE_FESTIVAL,_Le_Locle,_Switzerland_on_Aug_13,_2010
www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4vxmCIUhVA&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEPKN78G6J8&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEPKN78G6J8&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu47l3fjKko&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZwNRsvU9Z0&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL0lZl4D2LM&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyNuYf2mgic&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOJhEQ2ayEg
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rh7gbr6tHg&feature=related

GOJIRA went down from the stage… And we decided to come back because Agatha badly suffered reigning coldness, and we had long way to the house (on foot)… By the way we heard rumbling play of YOG (in Grindcore style) on the small stage… What was later? I do not know. Supposedly English DJ's from HOUSE OF FIX played some compositions in Electro style…

Several days later, already in Poland I received overdue e-mails… Fabien Zennaro gave us accreditation unproblematically… hahaha… I'm fool – I did not seek the access to Internet during my vacation…