- Special Feature- Festival Report.
- Hub & Heuy Metalfest VI
- 13 and 14 March, De Azijnfabriek, Roermond, The Netherlands
Despite it not being best practice, according to superstitious types, to travel on Friday the 13th, the Hierophant Nox Crew had the most uneventful of journeys to the Netherlands, and found ourselves in the sunny streets of the small town of Roermond scant hours after leaving our homes in England. A settlement of importance since the time of the Roman Empire, Roermond is set in beautiful surroundings, on the banks of the Meuse. Although it has a reputation for crime, visitors do not feel unsafe, and there’s a friendly aura of quiet and relaxation…
…Until Hub and Heuy hit town, that is! Now on their sixth event, these local promoters have a talent for kicking up a beer-fuelled storm in their venue of choice, De Azijnfabriek. Over two days, we saw superheroes, we saw blood, we saw bones, we saw soldiers, we saw spikes and we saw unholy amounts of alcohol. And what we heard whilst this visual feast was occurring was an excellent selection of bands from across the spectrum of extreme metal, truly offering something for everyone, including some exclusive appearances that will surely remain the talk of the town for months to come.
- DAY ONE
MURDER MANIFEST: As ever-increasing numbers of likely-looking metal fans emerge from Roermond rail station and fill the town with black t-shirts and a thirst for beer, the Netherlands’ Murder Manifest have the unenviable task of kicking proceedings off. Boasting a sound that is at once brutally thrashy and melodically modern, they have a good chance at catching the audience’s interest, and although the typically undemonstrative Dutch audience doesn’t exactly, well, do anything really, there’s a fair crowd and even some subtle headbanging going on, which is a triumph for this early time in the evening! Vocalist Rene is clearly determined to bring his enthusiasm and commitment to the crowds, and he does a good job, adopting a confrontational pose whilst pouring forth his harsh roars. The generous slots allowed by the organisers mean that many of the tracks from debut full-length "Mental Surgery" are aired, with the title track and "Final Bastion" sounding particularly vicious. It’s the kind of performance that makes you take a mental note to find out more later, even though it might not have been what you bought the ticket for.
- CUTTHROAT: Cutthroat might not be the most familiar name on the lips of the Roermond audience, but they instantly have the kind of impact that will make them difficult to forget… even if you have therapy to help you out! To the theme of ‘Superman’ they take to the stage in full hero costume, with singer Paul particularly striking as an Incredible Hulk. Their death metal approach is so relentlessly brutal that they sound a hundred per cent louder and faster than Murder Manifest, and I think the audience’s reluctance to participate can be attributed to shell shock rather than disappointment. Still, classic tracks such as "Born Dead and Mutilated" and "Face of Death" are not to be resisted, and the crowd is eventually caught up in the gargantuan chug of Cutthroat’s sound. With musicians from Dimension F3H and Trail of Tears in the band, it’s hardly surprising that the devastating sound they unleash is very controlled and tight, and "Coffin Sweet Coffin" ends up being a natural highlight. At this point, my Dutch friend walks past and asks me, so I think, if I’m "too inhibited". Not for you, sweetheart. But no, that wasn’t the question, it was "Do you like 2Unlimited"? We are in the Netherlands, after all. They love their dance music here. And so Cutthroat seem anxious to rub in our face, with a breakneck, terrifying grind version of that nasty Eurodance classic "No Limit", during which Paul loses most of his clothing (as well as his Hulk head) and the audience is left abused, confused and not just a little in love. I’m really glad to have seen this act in the flesh… just maybe not as much flesh as was eventually on display.
URGEHAL: I’d like to think Hierophant Nox can take some of the credit for Urgehal’s exclusive performance in Roermond, seeing as our photographer and myself found a rather lost Mr Nefas in the environs of the station, and used our mighty navigational skills to get him to the venue earlier on in the day. Do I recognise Norwegians without their corpse paint on? Do I hell. Does that make me look like a dick when I later realise who I’ve been talking to? I’ll leave that for you to guess… (IDIOT).
Anyway. It seems that much of the audience, of which it’s great to see a large proportion are young fans who are eager to see their heroes in the flesh and not sit in their bedrooms illegally downloading, have come to see Urgehal. These true black metallers have an extremely intense stage presence, which causes a chill to sweep through the venue as they step onstage to expectant hush. Enzifer looks so thoroughly unnatural, spreading his frozen glare amongst the gathered crowd through his studded mask, that it almost makes me feel nervous! Once they kick into their opener, however, the band become business-like and comfortable. They’re still an engaging band to watch, but it’s not all about high theatre and gimmicks with them- the thrashy, powerful surge of their misanthropic racket does all the talking. With quite an extensive back catalogue to pick and choose from, Urgehal are carefully selective, ensuring a coherent set which doesn’t let up, much to the delirious joy of the drunken young disciples at the front. "Goatcraft Torment"’s title track is a great, classic choice, but it’s a preview from forthcoming album "Ikonoklast" that’s of most interest to those of us not busy getting overexcited; the band’s talent for throwing in off-kilter leads, searing solos and unexpected turns seems much in evidence, a fact that is later confirmed by Nefas (now in corpse paint so I know who I’m talking to, see?) who says that the new material combines a multitude of influences to create the strongest, most mature Urgehal to date. Based on this performance, I can’t wait to hear it.
