There’s something about going to a Grindcore friendly gig which just encourages madness. Whether it is the energy of the music and the edge and aggression to it, or whenever you hear that initial snare before the blastbeat starts you feel the urge to be like Barney Greenway and fight off the invisible wasps which are chasing you around, there’s no real definitive answer… Usually there would be two or three bands on a grind friendly gig with some heavier and slower ones just to break up the day… Doc, the mastermind behind Facemelting Entertainment however decided that 13 grind bands was just the right amount.
Picking 1847Even, a basement art gallery/venue just off the back of Bold Street in Liverpool, we got a strange place which I’d never been to before when it came to a gig and that was just the tip of the iceberg for what would ultimately go down as one of the best all dayer’s Liverpool has seen in a long time.
The day started off like most All Dayer’s do – only a handful of people there whilst things are set up and the promoter frantically rushing round waiting for the bands to turn up, giving us ample time to look at some of the ‘expressive’ and odd art on display. After what seemed like forever, the bands started to roll in, overcoming the problematic M6 and other traffic problems in the area, something which could only have been explained by the fact there was football on and people were making it awkward to get to. Once everything finally started to come together, the show began… Or so we thought.
BlancomicrozoophobiA from Birmingham were first up. Comprised of members from Kataleptic, Fucknuckles, Last Chance At Rampton and Yamakunt, these nasty sounding Brummie Bastards really brought the noise. The solid sounding bass and drum section of the band laid the foundations for that tight and nasty vocal and guitar onslaught which got everyone’s attention, proving that a silly sounding name doesn’t mean a band is going to be terrible. The guys made it to their fifth song in when they had to pull the plug on the set. At first we were all confused, believing it to be gear troubles but then the promoter informed us that unfortunately, some prick of a neighbour to the venue who ran a hairdressing salon decided they couldn’t hear themselves think over the noise and threatened to call the police on the event! Dramatic!!!
After much back and forth, mobile phones checking legislations, suggestions ranging from playing the gig in his salon to offering his patrons free entry if he pays us in beer for giving us downtime, we reached a compromise. With the new start time penned in for 4pm instead of 1pm, everyone did what they usually do when there is nothing else to do – drank. After several trips to the nearby Tesco to stock up on beer, everyone in attendance was happily drinking in the street in what was a rare warm and sunny day for Liverpool before we were finally called in to kick proceedings off once again… Back to where we left off then!
The guys from BlancomicrozoophobiA took to the stage once more and as mentioned earlier, that terrifying and intense wall of noise just hit right away, this time to a far bigger crowd. As the pounding low end battered the crowd into submission, small parts of the ceiling began to fall down near the drummer and paintings and photographs on the wall were rattling so much one actually fell off… Maybe there may have been a slight justification from the threat of calling the police, but as we were informed by the venue staff, the guy is a prick anyway and complains about everything and everything so we just shrugged it off and continued to enjoy the set. The bombardment of fast riffs, harsh vocal screams and powerfully storming bass and drums all rolled into one frantic twenty minute set was more than enough to satisfy everyone in attendance and as the opening act, they set the bar high!
Up next were Chinsniffer, one of the local based bands on the bill. Consisting of a collaboration between members of Horsebastard and Sloth Hammer, the best way to describe them is mental grind meets Mr. Bungle. Harshly distorted bass, breakneck pace drums, tortured screams and insane sample abuse made for a furious onslaught which at times bordered on insane with the sheer noise it generated. Slipping in and out of grind spurts and slam sections with a total nonsensical sound, it was a real fantastic experience, especially in a small venue.
Nothing Clean were up next and the first thing about this band which caught my attention was the guitarist’s use of a Telecaster… Yeah, that instrument usually associated with blues, those washed up bastards the stones and virtuoso John5 was actually in a grind set! After recoiling from the initial shock of seeing such an ‘out of place’ instrument, I was quickly brought back to full attention by the furious grind on offer. The lads played a relentless set, not stopping for anything, mixing the groove and heaviness which you’d find in Napalm Death with some full on intense and horrific sounding raw noise. It was angry, it was fast and a case of blink and you will miss it. It seemed with each band, it would only get heavier and heavier.
Gorehead provided the second slight shift musically of the day. Whilst Chinsniffer earlier on provided some weirdness, Gorehead brought the thrash and in my book, you can rarely go wrong with some thrash! The aggressive grind styling’s with the thrash influenced riffing and dual vocal approach made for an interesting mix and it worked great. There was a fantastic extreme crossover styled sound, like someone had injected a bucket load of meth into DRI and this blistering pace really upped the energy of the crowd. With wilder lead work and plenty of attitude, the guys really brought a new edge to the day and things could only get heavier from here on out.
Burden Of The Noose were up next and this was another total swing in musical style whilst still possessing some elements of the grindcore theme which was prevalent throughout the line up, there was a very big sludge quality to their sound. Oozing buckets of filthy groove and violently hard hitting fast sections, the Brummie five piece really brought something else to do the day. With a huge sound and at times, a rather laid back feel and some real intensity throughout the set which started with the ominous build up and ended with just raw chaotic power, the five piece took no prisoners and were one of the real highlights of the day!
Up next were one of my anticipated bands of the day. Horsebastard play what they like to call “Equestrian Blastcore” which is another way for saying really fucking fast and intense. Having seen them several times already, I knew exactly what to expect and from the off, the intensity was there. Angry and relentless, there were no punches pulled during this set. The riffs were loud, the drumming intense, the bass hit like a sledgehammer and the vocal work was spot on. It was a real wakeup call and whilst Gorehead and Burden Of The Noose may have brought some more varied styles to the day, Horsebastard reminded us all why we were here – full on grindcore which kicks you until you’re down and doesn’t let up in the slightest.
Nihilism Incarnate were up next with a big task ahead of them in following on from the mighty Horsebastard, and in all honesty, they did not disappoint. Incorporating more Death Metal elements into their music, the DM/Grind approach really worked, bringing an added edge of technicality and precision to their extremely intense and heavy sound. With requests for filming and footage of their set for an upcoming video, there were a few cameras out to capture the action and as their set went on, more and more people got into it which in turn led to the band giving out more. A great way to start what you could call the second half of the festival and definitely one to watch out for!
Keeping with the intense death metal/grind approach, Black Skies Burn continued the sonic assault with some real venom in their delivery. With a tight sound, a brutal edge to their tracks and to their humour, dedicating a song to the [alleged] ‘right honourable pig fucker David Cameron’ and another to WWE icon gone insane and deceased, Chris Benoit, they threw any manner of good taste out of the window and welcomed in the evil. The relentless approach, blending death metal, grind and power violence really paid off giving some real angry music for angry people and the bass… Jesus, the low end was one of the most overpowering things of the night!
It was at this point I needed to take a breather so I missed the start of Magpyes but even outside when having a smoke you could hear and feel the intensity. Like a maelstrom of chaos engulfing everything in its path, it was a full on heavy and intense rapid paced experience. I could throw out the clichés here, like it was ‘faster than a cheetah mainlining methamphetamines’ or something equally ridiculous as a comparison, but that was literally how it came across. A blitzkrieg of intense grind which was straight to the point, no bullshit and with a lot of people interested in seeing these, they certainly lived up to the expectations of the crowd.
Masochist saw what Magpyes had thrown down and went with it. Matching the intensity, the three piece who are usually a four piece laid waste to 1847Even and even with no bassist, they were still monumentally heavy. Coming across rather like Wormrot, the no bullshit, full on angry and chaotic assault hit hard. With some seriously powerful vocals and an incredible rhythm section, the crowd loved every second as they teased between massive slam sounds and some full on intense grinds. The long day was starting to take its toll on everyone, punter and band alike but with three bands left, everyone dug in deep.
Winds Of Genocide were up next and the first thing which stood out was the fact they had a female vocalist. Granted, in more mainstream genres and scenes, female fronted metal bands do tend to be more of the symphonic variety but in the underground and emerging scenes, there are a growing number, particularly in the extreme genres and Winds Of Genocide certainly haven’t made a name for themselves through a band mates gender. With some vocal chops which put a lot of extreme metal male vocalists to shame, Winds smashed through their set with sheer ferocity and power, almost like they were delivering a big ‘Fuck You’ to everyone. The power behind the vocals combined with an incredible bassist really made for a heavy and intense display and the sheer venom in the delivery brought everyone to life for the final two bands.
Foetal Juice were up next and as always, they were a pleasure to watch. With plenty of dirty grind and slam riffs mixed in with rather amusing and disturbing (in equal amounts) song themes, the Bury blasting outfit turned Fastival into their own personal Brutal Grind party where everyone was invited. Playing old favourites like “Service Station Masturbation” to the brand new “Dutch Oven”, everything went down a storm and as expected, the closing opus, “Albert Grindstein” really got everyone moving and invigorated for the final assault of the night.
After delays, threats of the police, things falling down around the venue, the venue staff having to make several more beer runs than anticipated and a stand off between a few grind bands and traffic wardens over vehicle parking, it was finally time to bring the curtain down on Fastival, and who better than local sludgy grind monsters, Corrupt Moral Altar. With some of the band members already having performed earlier on in the set and having been there for a good portion of the day, any sign of fatigue wasn’t evident as their merciless approach just grabbed you and beat you into submission before continuing to do so after there was no fight left. The five piece were just full on, smashing their way through the last half hour of the night with what seemed like the combined intensity of every band which had played before them rolled into one set. The pounding riffs, crushing bass, insanely harsh and powerful vocals were spot on and the highlight of the set was “Die Glocke” from Mechanical Tides, sadly Jeff Walker (Carcass, Smeg and the heads) wasn’t there to contribute to it live like he did in the studio.
By the end of the day/night/event, everyone was worn out. A long and eventful one dayer which had plenty of incidents along with plenty more action from bands really got everyone together and it proved just how vibrant the extreme metal scene is in the UK with bands from up and down the country laying waste to 1847Even. It also proved that the saying “Less is More” can ring true. Shorter sets, shorter songs, more intensity and a hell of a lot of music being thrown at a more than willing crowd who were grateful to receive it.
The next time Facemelting Entertainment throw a grind all-dayer, consider me there again!
(Review by Fraggle)
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