With the current drought of festivals and gigs around the globe, the European Metal Festival Alliance is a joint venture between many of the most loved festivals across Europe, one which will give us a glimmer of hope in this otherwise barren landscape.
The EMFA event is a fundraiser for the beleaguered independent metal festival sector, and for €6.66 (just under 6 quid) you get a ‘full weekend festival pass’ with which you can enjoy three days of exclusive entertainment from 35+ metal bands from various locations around the world, plus other special content, from the comfort of your own sofa.
Across the weekend, there was a “never broadcast before” set from Sabaton, and their 2019 Bloodstock headline show, and a set cultivated especially for our eyes only from the Greek gods, Rotting Christ
Friday 7th August
Venom Prison
My weekend started with a set from welsh death metal titans Venom Prison and as you would expect, they were brutality personified. The set was constructed of absolute crushing and pulverising tracks and they seemed to be delivered to the Metal Alliance with extra energy and devastation. Larissa Stupar Stalks the stage with real intent, and the rest of her comrades assembled behind her, utilising their chosen instrument in resemblance of a traditional weapon of war. ‘Corrode The Black Sun’ and ‘Self-Inflicted Violence’ seemed to invite Stupar et al to turn the intensity up a notch and the double barrelled shotgun wound of ‘Dukkha’ and Implementing The Metaphysics Of Morals’ rounded the set off in a fittingly violent and fierce style.
Kampfar
Kampfar, or an ancient Norse battle cry meaning Odin or Wotan, were here to inject all out raw, satanic and venomous black metal to the proceedings and they certainly did this with ferocity and hatred. The band introduced themselves by marching towards their venue, each accompanied by a single flame lit torch, winding their way through the dark and eerie forest setting. As the venue came into sight, it was majestic in its appearance and many will recognise it as the infamous Gildehallen, the Vikingsenter which hosts many a ritual as part of the much acclaimed Midgardsblot festival in Norway. The band were Brutal from the outset, Venomous and malevolent and straight out of hell. Vocals spat out by Dolk with spite and brutality and the Stage was adorned with candles and atmosphere overflowing.
‘Our Hounds, Our Legion’ launched a tirade of decadence and perfection, each band member intertwined with the other. The Set was built on absolute majestic giants, true Norwegian black metal, raw and crisp, enigmatic and powerful. Personal highlights from the set were the massive ‘Ophidian’ and ‘Tornekratt’, and the set was tied off with an absolute ferocious ‘Det Sorte’. The folklore and nature was the essence and soul of the makeup of each track on display, bringing with it real passion and vigour amongst the dark souls, shining through the flames and candle light with strength
A true powerhouse of a set delivered with passion and decadence, a set which will have left the disciples truly battered and bruised for a long time to come
Rotting Christ
One of the many jewels in the metal alliance crown is Hellenic black metal uber gods, and all round powerhouse Rotting Christ. The set saw the band housed on a minimalistic stage with just a back drop depicting the bands logo and a few monitors at the front to feedback the bands own dark arts to their even darker souls.
They launched their blistering set with the mighty ‘666’ and quickly followed this with a gargantuan ‘Kata Ton Demona Eautou’
The set was dotted with absolute classics and anthems from differing periods of their life span. ‘Fire, God And Fear’ was an absolute soul shredder and ‘Dies Irae’ leant right in and dragged your soul from your heaving carcass of a body. Latterly the band exposed us to an absolute dream of ‘In Yumen Xibalba’ and ‘Grandis Spiritus Diavolos’, both battering and absolutely anthemic in their stature. The strings of Foukarakis and Sakis were true lessons in perfection whilst Heliotis and Themis created the solid titanium backbone via the drums and bass strings. Sakis was the absolute maestro to the rest of the band, powerful and crushing vocals delivered with meaning and passion a plenty. The vocals were crisp and pinpoint with their accuracy and they acted almost as a summoning to Lucifer from the very bowels of the underworld. Rotting Christ do not disappoint with any display of their black arts, ever!! PERIOD!!
Saturday 8th August
Nytt Land
Some might say that Nytt Land are an anomaly in the otherwise metal dominated line up of the weekend. Nytt Land are a Nordic Folk and Ambient band from Siberia, the brain child of husband and wife duo, Anatoly and Natalya Pahlenko, back in 2013. The duo share the creative duties, both inputting and having shares in the vocals, throat singing and instrumental tasks. The Nordic hard folk and Siberian shamanic experience on display today was both primitive and ethereal in equal measures. The vocals were powerful and elemental and tracks such as ‘Black Raven’ and ‘Kanteletar’ were majestic and sweeping in their delivery and presentation, adding an element of sublime beauty to the whole package. A cover of Rammsteins ‘Ohne Dich’ was a pleasant surprise and nice to see a different interpretation of the Germanic beast. A pleasant surprise, I’m sure, for any one that decided to stick around for this one.
Der Weg Einer Freiheit
The prize for the most complex band name of the weekend must go to this Germanic outfit, with the name translating to The Way Of Freedom. Der Weg Einer Freiheit celebrated their ten year anniversary last year and they are growing year on year into more of a household name with the more exposure they are receiving.
Kamprad was an absolute beast on the vocal duties, spitting each word out with malice and true demonic intent. ‘Der Stille Fluss’ really carved the set open to expose the philosophical black soul that lies beneath and the closer of ‘Letzte Sonne’ highlighted the bands beauty and intricacy in perfect form. The band choose to not sport any of the black metal face paint, blood or carcasses, instead choosing to concentrate on delivering true, unadulterated, technical and intricate black metal in the best possible light they can.
Legion of the Damned
Death Metal, and death metal delivered with vigour and attitude. Legion of the damned made the most of this opportunity and delivered a set full of ferocity and absolutely crunching riffs and beats. The band opened with ‘Slaughtering The Pigs’ which led into ‘Doom Priest’ with absolutely no time for respite.
It was hard to determine which were more pulverising, the crushing vocals or the technically brilliant string work and percussion which were being generated with ease and determination.
Legion Of The Damned are a band that I don’t seem to get the chance to catch live all too often, but this set has invigorated my need, and want, to grab a ticket to one of their shows the very next time they grace our shores.
Venom Inc
The set from Venom Inc looked a little forced from the opening bars to the closing chords, and the band were pretty much static throughout. The setting did nothing for the ambience and atmosphere; it resembled an empty room with no real character. The set was saved at the last bell toll, by the emergence of two absolute mammoth tracks in the guise of ‘Black Metal’ and ‘Witching Hour’. The band definitely bowed out on an absolute high in an otherwise mediocre and lack lustre outing.
Heidevolk
Heidevolk are going from strength to strength and its performances like this one that cement Heidevolk in the realms of the folk metal high flyers. Instantly recognisable with their brand of dual vocals, catchy songs and uncompromising attitude, their pagan pride shined out through every track they delivered in their own unique style.
The likes of ‘Dageraad’, ‘Britannia’ and ‘Sakensland’ were raging and captivating and exhibited an undying desire to perform. The set was intense and each member of the Heidevolk camp showed a professional eagerness to relay the tracks to the best of their abilities and this translated across into passion fuelled intensity and intricacy from start to finish
Sunday 9th August
Primordial
The Irish brigade brought the emerald isle to the party with their raging and ferocious brand of metal, their black folk metal and their own unique portrayal of the fairly niche Celtic metal.
‘Nemtheanga’ was a true front man, a vision of unclean perfection, draped in his ominous robe and his corpse/war paint adorned in a way to make him instantly recognisable as a unique vision amidst the world of fairly saturated corpse painted figures.
The pace was blistering and the technicality on show was awe inspiring. O’Floinn and MacUiliam absolutely obliterated with their detail and precision. The fret work on show was mesmerizing and inconceivable as to how it was even accomplishable with human phalanges.
‘Where Greater Men Have Fallen’ hit the ground running like a freight train at its peak. ‘Gods To The Godless’ was monumental and the set was closed with ‘Empire Falls’, truly colossal in its deliverance. This was potentially one of the sets of the weekend and a band which seemed to have been spawned specifically for the live environment in which they seem to thrive. An inspirational set and a true success of great magnitude.
Sabaton
These swedes need little or no introduction, and I’m sure that many of you who are reading this would have been witness, stood in the field on the hallow ground of Catton Hall, Derbyshire, to the set that has been chosen to be aired by EMFA, Sabaton, live at Bloodstock, 2019
Sabaton have gone from strength to strength and the set from Bloodstock is a pretty perfect collaboration of every iconic anthem that Sabaton are loved for, in each and every corner of the globe.
The usual culprits were featured, ‘Ghost Division’, ‘Great War’, ‘Lion From The North’, ‘Carolus Rex’ and ‘Swedish Pagans’ to name but a few. These were studded with other fan favourites and crowd pleasers and my personal favourite, ‘The Price Of A Mile’, all of which were delivered with passion and energy throughout.
The set was overflowing with vitality and power, and the crowd were obviously loving the swedes and singing each word back at the stage, even the pouring rain didn’t seem to dampen the party atmosphere being generated on the turf, and the momentum of the set increased tenfold with each track that was projected into the night sky.
A true success and a victory on all counts. Medium size metal festival headline slot completed, tick. Next on the agenda, bigger and better things, surely it must mean it won’t be long before we see these heroes headlining the main stage of the larger festivals that we all know and love.
(Review Phil Pountney)
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