The festival season starts early this year for me with second edition of NETHERLANDS DEATHFEST, held in the wonderful city of Tilburg. Wonderful city? I know you’re expecting breathtaking insights from your Death Metal travel guide as usual, but I have to disappoint you. We’re not staying in the city but about a 15 min drive outside, in a rural area with nothing around. Heavy rain has transformed the roads into muddy traps in which we get stuck on the first night. Kind of a stereotypical festival experience - I just didn’t expect it on an indoor event in Holland. 

Day I, 3 March 2017

The place we’re staying at is a little house in the middle of nothing, heated by only a wood stove, so we’re very happy to be able to get to the 013 on friday afternoon and get a very warm welcome by Gore Metal masters EXHUMED. When we arrive, the chainsaw enthusiasts have already started their set, blasting out one razor sharp riff after another to a decently filled main hall. The first thing I notice is the surprising size of the venue. It’s fun to see EXHUMED on such big stage but of course Matt Harvey and his sidekicks are experienced enough to use the extra space for best effect. Of course, the chainsaw guy isn’t missing either, ripping out his intestines before crowdsurfing at the end of the show. Great start for the weekend. 

After EXHUMED have finished their bloody business we head straight to the 2nd stage, where BRODEQUIN just started to blast the 013 to pieces. The room is the exact opposite of the main hall. A small, sweaty place so packed with people that it’s hard to even get inside. Once I manage to get in front of the stage, the US Brutal Death commando has me pummeled into oblivion within the blink of an eye. I wasn’t even aware that the band reunited in 2016 but it’s good to see some old school blasting brutality still works in this age of slamming nonsense bands calling themselves Death Metal. The musicianship is terrific and everyone in the room is happy to hear classics from „Instruments of Torture“ and „Methods of Execution“ live once again or - as in my case - for the first time.

Speaking of old school brutality, GORGASM is up next. „Masticate to Dominate“ i still one of the true benchmarks in brutal, technical Death Metal and seeing the fourpiece hammer through romantic ballads like „Fucking the viscera“ or „Lesbian stool orgy“ is always a heartwarming experience. Of course, the band is tight as a teenage virgin’s skirt. GORGASM take no prisoners and the audience starts the first circle pits I get to see today. A show like a boot in the face!

We collect our teeth and go look for something to eat. Most restaurants in the neighborhood offer special Deathfest Menus. Holland loves its metalheads!

We’re back just in time to see TERRORIZER sound checking forever. They’re already behind schedule but there’s no noticeable impression of hurry on stage. When Pete Sandoval finally announces his band, they are more than 30 minutes late. Not so great if the other stages run according to plan…

Seeing TERRORIZER perform a „special World Downfall Set“ feels like jerking off to a picture of your ex girlfriend. There are some nice memories but it just doesn’t feel the same. Honestly, though the material is as classic as it gets, I don’t get any feeling from this. So I leave the hall after four songs, just in time to see WORMROT fucking KILL SHIT on the 2nd stage. Hell, how can you create this amount of aggression and energy with just drums, guitars and vocals? The Singapore grinders remind me and everyone in the room of what Grindcore really is. Without gimmicks, just by the raw power of their music and performance they unleash an inferno of flying fists and flying people, the amount of stage dives is impressive, the pit never seems to cease. This is the real deal and when Arif thanks the audience and the organizers at the end of the show you can feel that it’s just as heartfelt as his music. Easily the band of the festival so far.

BLOODBATH is one of the big names on the festival’s billing so the main hall is quite full when the Swedish/English supergroup starts into their best-of set. The sound is crisp and clear, the band is motivated and active. There’s no doubt that BLOODBATH have written some really amazing songs and records and I even liked the much criticized performance of Nick Holmes on „Grand Morbid Funeral“. So, this show is a sure shot, good Death Metal entertainment in every way but: Is Holmes really reading the lyrics from a fucking teleprompter? 

After maybe 30 minutes of Swedish Death Metal I go to see a few songs of Crust masters MARTYRDØD (good sound, good performance, but I’ve only seen three songs or so) before heading to the second venue, the Patronaat, for the closing Svartidauði. Hidden in a wall of fog and red lights, the Icelandic Black Metal hooligans open the gates of hell. The way in which Svartidauði create a deep, trancelike atmosphere while at the same time remaining fucking violent is unmatched. There’s no pseudo occultism here, no ridiculous costumes, just the ugly, disfigured face of human existence turned back at the listener as the band sinks deep into there multi-layered compositions. So do I, and when Svartidauði leave the stage it’s like awaking from a bad, but strangely addictive dream. 

With the knowledge of having witnessed an extraordinary first day, we drive back to our cold home to get some sleep for the next days. NETHERLANDS DEATHFEST has just started!

Day 2, 4 March 2017

The second day starts early with greek Death Metal overlords DEAD CONGREGATION. These guys are among the best Death Metal bands active today and Tilburg knows that. Thus, an impressive amount of people follows the call for battle in the early afternoon and witnesses nothing but a demonstration of supremacy. Deep rooted in the tradition of old school Death Metal, DEAD CONGREGATION unleash an apocalyptic storm of sound that swallows everything within reach. I’ve only seen them in smaller clubs so far, but surprisingly, the band loses nothing of their crushing intensity on the main stage. Day 2 couldn't have started better. Pray for Total Death!

Technical and brutal to the borderline of retardedness: MALIGNANCY is in the house. What these maniacs show on the 2nd stage this afternoon can be only be described as insane. With breaks every 2 seconds and riff so brain-warningly twisted you hardly believe your ears, MALIGNANCY fuck up the minds of a few hundred Tech Death enthusiasts. I really liked their „Eugenics“ record and the show is quite enjoyable from my point of view, even though I feel a little exhausted when the band closes their set with „Rotten Seed“.

I take a walk outside and return a little later to see TSJUDER enter the main stage. The Norwegian Black Metal stalwarts need no introduction, their early records are pure gold while their post-reunion stuff didn’t do much for me. The set is more than solid, yet I cant help the impression of looking at a piece of Norwegian Black Metal in the National History Museum. Everything is there: The corpsepaint, the spikes, the icy riffing and raspy vocals. Yet I miss the smell of death, the feeling of imminent danger so crucial for this kind of music. Anyway, TSJUDER do a good job and maybe it’s just me cause the audience seems to like what they’re getting. Extra bonus points to Nag, who, when his bass guitar doesn’t work anymore, just puts it aside and performs the rest of the show doing vocals only. Fun fact: You don’t notice any difference in the sound.

I’ve seen IMPALED NAZARENE play a few months ago and was very pleasantly surprised by the old Finnish bastards, so I’m looking forward to their set today. I’m not disappointed. Mika hasn’t lost  a bit of his diabolical charm, even joking around on stage he’s a lot more sinister than many of his evil-looking peers. The band’s back catalog contains some of the genre’s most mandatory classics anyway. Great to see the old men in such form.

DEFEATED SANITY have prepared something really special for today. Featuring Max Phelps (Death DTA) on vocals, the band performs „Dharmata“, the progressive technical side of their recent split album in its entirety. Having seen them a short time ago playing „Disposal of the Dead“ and some of their more brutal stuff, this feels like a totally different band. Still, this is a very interesting side of DEFEATED SANITY and though there are some insecurities during the more jazzy, jam-like parts, this is a very enjoyable set.

NIFELHEIM are the visual highlight of every festival they play. If there’s a contest how many spikes, nails and leather items you can fit on a human being, these crazy motherfuckers will always  win it. Fortunately, their raging Black/Thrash Metal is no bit less entertaining than their over the top stage attire so we witness a triumphant show at the main stage. Look at them, all you lame younger bands staring at your shows while playing. These old men will show you what putting on a wild Heavy Metal show means. Plus: You’ll never come up with song titles better than „Evil Blasphemies“ or „Unholy Death“.

Speaking of old men, GORGOROTH celebrate their 25th anniversary and singer Hœst (of Taake fame) doesn’t forget to remind the audience of that after each fucking song of their set. It’s just my personal opinion but for me, though I adore the old GORGOROTH classics, the band has been totally irrelevant for the last 15 years so I don't expect much of tonight. Basically, my expectations are met by a best-of show lacking highlights and atmosphere, suffering from a really bad, bass-heavy sound. The best thing about the show is watching Hœst get more and more drunk during the set and finally attacking people in the audience with his mic stand before falling on his ass and looking stupid. For a moment it seems like he might lose control and someone might get hurt, but a few raised middle fingers is everything we get. I could have lived without this show, but „Don’t forget: It’s GORGOROTH 25 year anniversary!“

After this embarrassing performance, I head to the Patronaat to see the mighty HORNA deliver a lesson in what Black Metal is, was and always will be. Rancid and fucked up like having crawled right out some stinky crypt, HORNA breathe pure dedication and possession. This is not just music, it’s a spiritual experience that shakes you to the bone, no matter what you believe in or not. A few bands of today’s billing should definitely have watched this show. When the Finnish horde leaves the stage at around 1 am, it’s clear that this was the show of the day. All hail HORNA!

00 Void