Its Inferno Festival 2008, my third in three years and this time I would be travelling there totally on my own! So here goes with my review. If you take the time to read this, then you have more time on your hands than any human should have!
Inferno Festival Day 1 (Wednesday)
The "Club" day and possibly the stupidest day anyone could ever imagine. Five gigs across Oslo all starting around the same time and all with bands at each gig that I wanted to see: Gallhammer, Negura Bunget, Sahg, Vreid, Urgehal.... All of those clashed so my mind was made up for me when the John Dee gig (Vreid) was expanded to include Red Harvest and Keep Of Kalessin.
Audrey Horne:
To be honest I had absolutely no interest in seeing this band, as I’m not into emo tripe. Yes I know King Ov Hell used to be in the band, and Ice Dale is still in the band but considering they are named after a character in Twin Peaks they really shouldn’t have been on the bill for this festival but as it was their record labels club night it couldn’t be helped. The only thing worth seeing about these was the fact the lead singer had dressed like Fred from Scooby Doo with his nice girly neckerchief....
Red Harvest:
Its time for some apocalyptic hellnoise as the industrial black metal masters on home turf begin to administer a barrage on your senses. This would be my sixth time seeing them and this time something was different, I’m not sure what but Ofu was even more determined than usual. His stage presence is always immense but more so on this occasion, he did have his usual problems regarding almost breaking his mic stand but that’s to be expected. The main difference though with this set and any other set I have seen them play is they didn’t play many of the well known older tracks it mostly contained stuff from the last couple of albums. I’m sure that if the world was about to end that this is what it would be like, Red Harvest provide the soundtrack to a disaster movie that nobody has written yet.
In Vain:
Having only heard a smattering of this band I was wondering what they would be like live with a strange mix of progressive death metal and black metal and the music was ok but the vocals were not that great. The keyboard player did the clean vocals that really didn’t sound very in tune, or in key or in general like clean vocals. They defiantly didn’t impress me, and to be honest they never would after a band such as Red Harvest had annihilated the stage.
Vreid:
I have always loved Windir (so much so I have a Windir Tattoo) and I love Vreid’s totally different style with their own Black ’n Roll. This would be my third time seeing the guys (should have been a fifth) and I knew exactly what to expect, this time however I had had the chance to listen to the I Krig album before having to purchase it so no song would be strange to me and Sture and co didn’t let me down. They pounded through a set encompassing all three albums (though no Windir cover this time) and played my personal favourites (Raped By Light & Pitch Black Attack) as their wrath reigned down upon everyone in the venue. It was defiantly their best performance that I have seen and I hope with a new album soon Ill get to see more of them.
Keep Of Kalessin:
Its time for the Armada to begin but unfortunately for me I was so tired both mentally and physically that I just couldn’t get into them this time around despite my love for the band and every album they have released. Maybe it was starting with three new songs that threw me, as Id never heard them before. They were awesome songs and show that the new album (Kollosus) will be as awesome as the last but despite the band being as tight and awesome as ever it was I who couldn’t get into it. There was one thing that I was rather disappointed in and that was the fact they didn’t play Come Damnation because with that being my favourite track that could have got me back into it, but alas it wasn’t to be. A great performance from them but unfortunately I just isn’t there mentally.
Inferno Festival Day 2... (Thursday)
Axegressor:
It’s the real start to the festival down in the John Dee and starting everything we get Finnish thrashers Axegressor. A very tongue in cheek band who have only a self released EP to their name but we get all of it and a couple of other tracks, they do "borrow" a few riffs from Sodom but that’s never a bad thing. There is a lot of banter from lead singer Johnny Nuclear Winter who is also clad in sunglasses for some reason, and the track Sister Whore is dedicated to all the nuns in the audience (cant say I saw any). These guys are defiantly worth looking out for in the future especially if you’re looking for a good laugh and good music!
Skitliv:
To open the main stage this year we get Skitliv, the new project of Maniac (Ex Mayhem). Musically they sound like a black metal Black Sabbath but as a live act they are totally unique. With the stage adorned with lampshades, a big armchair, altar and a cross made of light bulbs you know it’s going to be a strange one. Having seen them live in London I knew what to expect but on a bigger stage they were even better as they had a bit more room to do strange things with bassist Spacebrain rubbing his bass against the altar on stage. The guest appearance of Tore Moren (Arcturus) added to the guitarist count (moving it up to four) as the doom noise got louder. His appearance prompted Niklas to simulate oral sex on him as the strangeness continued. The only thing that stopped the performance being flawless was Niklas, he appeared pissed off at Ingvar and decided to break into some Mayhem and Shining riffs which to be honest appears rather petty. At the end only Space is left on stage making some random noises with his bass as the crushing blackened doom comes to an end. A definite slice of audio misery from the multinational band and I await the album with anticipation.
Cor Scorpii:
It’s another band that I had been looking forward to seeing and this would be just their third ever live performance (their second coming the night before). In fact most of the crowd were excited about this one thanks to it being only their third ever gig. Like Vreid Cor Scorpii were formed from the ashes of Windir but didn’t go the way of their former band mates, they have continued the mix of folk elements and black metal and I feel have carried on from where Windir left off. You really feel as though you could be watching Windir as the put on a floorless performance despite a little nervousness from lead singer Thomas S. Øvstedal but it all goes down well so he had nothing to worry about. A fantastic all round performance from a band that should scale the heights of black metal rather quickly, though it would be nice to have a European tour first ;)
Dead To This World:
Since Iscariah left Immortal I’ve been interested in what he would be doing next and this was it. Some good old black/thrash from Bergen and it was their first ever live performance and after promising to kill every other band at Inferno or leave a bloodstained audience I have to say they defiantly did that. For a first ever gig they were absolutely perfect thrashing their way through most of the material from their debut album and dedicating my personal favourite track (1942) to the freedom fighters in Norway during WWII. Hopefully they will be getting a few more gigs now and a new album ASAP! If you like thrash or black metal you have to love this band, If not then you should be shot in the face!!
Goat The Head:
From the depths of a swamp near Trondheim these Neanderthals some how got hold of some instruments and formed a band. What we get is stripped down death metal (Cave Man Metal); just imagine the likes of Cannibal Corpse singing about biting rocks and other such cave man activities. Adorned by the furs of animals they no doubt battered to death with clubs we see strange versions of the happy dance (see Baseketball) with Per (singer) also ending up standing on crowd members heads (mine included). The guitar and bass both end up being played using extension cables, as the band members appear confused by all of this technology. During the last song bassist Snoore gets the microphone cable wrapped around his hand and gets rather annoyed as he grunts at it to try and get it off. With the hilarity over it left me wanting more of this strangeness, Goat The Head should visit a cave near you soon!!
Gayhemoth:
I used to really like Behemoth back when they played black metal though I do like a couple of tracks from Satanica but to be honest since then it just seems a bit too generic for my liking. They have "evolved" from playing good old style black metal to this generic death metal wankery. They do usually put on a tight show with some entertainment but I just cant get past how average the music sounds now when they used to be leading the way. Their cover of Turbonegro’s I Got Erection was a good way of ending their set but in all honesty I felt nothing for this performance, they were distinctly average.
Gorgoroth:
The first night headliner this year is black metal kings Gorgoroth, fresh from the Inferno debacle with a new line-up and more determination than ever. I had unfortunatly missed them late last year but was informed their sound back then was rather bad but you get none of that here and we get a much bigger stage show with four people being crucified, candles and flames. The only thing missing was the barbed wire and the animal carcasses! Gaahl is his usual evil self as he keeps the stage banter to a minimum as the band just get to the point that Satan is somewhere among us tonight! Pretty much every song they played had some form of Satan in the title but they unfortunately don’t cover every album but why the hell should they when the last three are their best work? I would have been happy to hear my two favourite tracks (Incipit Satan/Unchain My Heart!!1) and that’s what I got though Carving A Giant was an awesome sight to behold with several pyro’s going off, in my opinion these guys should have been headlining the Friday instead of Satyricon.
Inferno Festival Day 3... (Friday)
The Batallion:
The opening act on the main stage is Bergens very own The Batallion (shame about the band name) with ex/members of Old Funeral, Taake, Borknagar and Grimfist playing old school thrash metal, think of a mix between Venom, Celtic Frost and Motorhead and your almost there. Fronted by Stud Bronson (an Abbath clone with a smaller chin and also in Motorhead tribute Bombers) they power through a set made up of songs from their debut album which is pretty much all about battle and warfare which obviously gets the crowd riled up with the thought of some war and pillaging! They may not be a very original band buts its all good fun and that’s what it should be about!
Obsidian Throne:
I had previously not heard anything from this outfit but I had met the drummer and lead singer back at Inferno 2006 when I was informed of their black metal outfit Krigsgrav so two years down the line these Texans are back at Inferno but this time playing the John Dee. Thankfully despite being from Texas they aren’t the usual Pantera clone’s instead they play melodic death metal which I normally do not enjoy at all but they do have black metal style riffs in many songs. This being their first appearance outside the states and having supported the likes of Destruction back home they knew what they were doing and played a crisp, tight set with the closing song sounding very much like Amon Amarths Victorious March (just a coincidence I was informed) but it was all good. They got a reception benefiting a more known band and a more known European band at that. Anyone reading this should look out for these guys.
Krux:
Up next was Krux who had only ever released one album but considering the people who form the band they are really a Swedish doom super group. With a sound that is almost like Candlemass but with more strange keyboard type elements they are the only true doom band on the bill and the crowd seems to be a bit weirded out by it. There are some fans of them and I can now be included in that group. I had personally never heard the band but as soon as they started the first track I knew they were going to kick arse (despite having an Opeth member on stage). They were the most different band on the bill (including Goat The Head) but as legends of the scene they knew exactly what to do. Here’s hoping for either a bigger tour or maybe even another album.
Obliteration:
After Ramesses had to pull out its Norways Obliteration who had to replace them at very short notice (the day before) so its some death metal for everyone and its a welcome thing as I’ve been wanting to see Obliteration since they got signed to Tyrant Records (Nocturno Cultos label). They play old school death metal the way it should be played, relentlessly and fast! Only stopping for some random banter in Norwegian they obliterate the crowd with a none stop barrage of death as they take the John Dee by storm. Some people say death metal is dead but with these guys, it’s far from it.
Tulus:
After seeing Khold perform for the last time at Inferno 2006 I’ve been waiting for the chance to see Tulus since then and luckily I get to see their first gig back on the scene. They were never a band to stick to trends and were very different from the other Norwegian black metal bands back in the day as they were one of the first to bring in progressive elements and other instruments and clean/polished album production. They promised to play all of the old favourites and that they did, including bringing out a cellist and violinist to accompany them during the last few songs. It’s a strange thing to see that sort of thing at Inferno but you can never accused Sverre of being normal. A very different band that wasn’t out of place, roll on more gigs for these boys and may Khold be on hold for a while so we can enjoy some more of this!
Gorefest:
Gorefest hadn’t played in Norway for some time though they were on hiatus for around seven years during that time but it didn’t stop the fans going mad for them. I had personally only heard the one album and that was the last album they released but I knew just what to expect. Some good old death metal on the main stage and they fitted the bill just right as many of the crowd were singing along to track such as False and Erase. Unfortunately I had to skip the last few songs thanks to the next band being about to go on in the John Dee but Gorefest are defiantly on my radar if they come over to the UK.
Den Saakaldte:
Its time for a Norwegian super group this time, well with a Swedish guy singing as Den Saakaldte take the headlining slot in the John Dee. With ex/members of 1349, Dodheimsgard and Gehenna you know it’s going to be black metal on show tonight. I’d heard of this band way before Kvarforth joined their ranks as they had a very strange sound including trumpets and even an accordion at times and we get all that tonight. Despite their album not being released yet they put on a fantastic show for the masses who squashed into the John Dee. Kvarforth is on form tonight in his second appearance at this year’s festival with a mirror on stage, which he looks into like the egomaniac he is. Midway through the set this mirror gets a punching and it shatters into oblivion before Kvarforth slices his arms open with the shards. He continues while bleeding over the stage before smashing the remaining shards of mirror into the photo pit and then hitting himself with the remnants of the mirror’s frame. This is exactly what you expect to see from Kvarforth when he’s in a live setting as he really gets into a groove during the music. Everyone should buy their album when its eventually released into the grubby hands of the public as this will blow your mind!
Inferno Festival Day 4... The Final Day
Desecration:
Anybody who lives in Great Britain will have seen Desecration a few hundred times as they do happen to play as many gigs as they can and its nice for once to see them playing a big European festival instead of a pub, and it shows they do allow Welsh people out of the country! Pretty much the entire front of the crowd is English so there is plenty of banter aimed at them during the set, which included songs from controversial album, Gore and Perversion. The stage and crowd are mercilessly desecrated by these butchers with such force that everyone was happy, especially me. They are always damn fine when playing live and this is no exception and hopefully on this performance they can get some bigger gigs!
Unleashed:
I saw these guys back on the masters of death tour and despite not actually owning an album by them I’ve always enjoyed a nice bit of Viking death metal. With the bass sound being a little bit too high, but that’s always the same with them Its a fantastic performance form these Swedish gods as they cover pretty much their entire back catalogue and have the usual crowd screaming during Death Metal Victory. The drinking horn is also bought out by a rather large breasted woman before half of the ale within gets thrown over the crowd. The Viking gods were well and truly Unleashed upon all those in attendance tonight and it left me wanting more!
1349:
One of the bands I was defiantly looking forward too, and not just because I missed them on tour late last year. I first saw them on the Aeternus/Red Harvest tour back in 2003 and that was totally empty but since then the bands progression through the ranks has been startling. Personally don’t give arat’ss arse what they play just as long as I get to hear Riders of the Apocalypse but they start off with the obligatory fire breathing but that’s the only fire we get to see, despite Ravn being a trained pyrotechnics expert. Finally being on the main stage puts them in their true place as the hellfire flows from the stage as they cover all three albums and I did infact get my Riders!!! With Tom G. Warrior (Celtic Frost) being in town I had a feeling that he may make an appearance as at the London gig with Gorgoroth Attila joined for Buried By Time And Dust and this time we got Tom singing The Usurper. Before the vocal had properly started he launched into a couple of patented death grunt and we knew we had all been torn a new arsehole! The crowd had been taken Beyond The Apocalypse and thrown into the Hellfire, and I want to go back there as soon as possible!!!
Shining:
It was Kvarforth’s third and final appearance of the festival (that must be some kind of record) and I was expecting a hell of a lot from his own band but it was sadly lacking. He had promised a big surprise, which he didn’t actually go through with. The band was tight and sounded fine but it was definantly Niklas who let the side down. Yes he did his usual slicing of his arms, so he was pouring blood through most of the set but he kept picking and choosing when and what he would sing from each song. He did bring out a fat cunt and a dominatrix so some whipping occurred during my personal favourite track (Claws Of Perdition). Maybe it was the earlier incident at the hotel that affected him (he discovered the incident had occurred) but I will give them another chance to see if they can fulfil my expectations next time around.
Destruction:
With this it means I’ve now seen all three of the German thrash legends (Kreator and Sodom being the others) within a year. Unfortunatly due to having only had around 16 hours sleep in a week I was feeling a little worse for wear so I didn’t go up front like I had originally planned so I sat at the side and watched from afar. Most others had given in so Destruction only have a half filled venue to play too but they didn’t let them phase them as they put on a great performance despite more sound problems regarding the guitars. They had promised a great show after having to cancel their last planned appearance in the Norwegian capital and they were their thrashy best as they reeled off all their old hits but nothing got me going more than Nailed To A Cross but I love a bit of anti religious music. After a good set lasting 1 hour 30 minutes it’s all over for another year.
The line-up this year didn’t have anything that stood out for me but there were some stellar performances from the likes of Dead To This World, Cor Scorpii, Vreid and 1349 and some very nice surprises such as Krux. I will be back in 2009 no matter who is on the bill as Ill get to see some good friends that I’ve made (yes Dave that means you) and well Easter wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t spend it freezing my nuts off in Norway and getting angry at Ryan Air!!!
If you’ve read this then you must have been bloody bored. If you are thinking of going to next years Inferno I hope this sways you in the right direction.