06-06-2015, HELVETE, Oberhausen, Germany

Another fine event curated by the mighty IRON BONEHEAD Productions is the record release show by Belgian Satanic Black Thrashers POSSESSION’s new MLP „1585 - 1646“ held at one of the true underground cult locations in the Ruhr Area, Oberhausen’s HELVETE.

Charging no more than 10 Euros as an entrance fee, the organizers have put together an absolutely stunning package of underground Black/Death Metal. 

The mysterious German entity KHTHONIIK CERVIIKS opens the show at 8 pm. It’s my second time seeing the three maniacs on stage and though the first time, then opening for the almighty Dead Congregation, was a blast already, I enjoy them even more today. Maybe I’ve grown more familiar with their murky, chaotic Black/Death sound over the months, having spun their debut LP „Heptaedrone“ quite some times in my crypt. The highly unusual guitar and bass playing combines for a sound that’s just as hard to decipher as the band’s logo (or name, for that matter), at the same time maintaining an absolutely old school vibe. Plus, it’s always fun to see the men unleashing such unrelenting sonic fury acting almost shy on stage.

DEATHCULT from Switzerland are next and of course they are most known for featuring Bölzer’s KzR (here: O. Ketzer) on guitars and vocals. Soundwise, DEATHCULT are far more traditional than KzR’s other band. Rotten, fast and aggressive Death Metal that makes your head bang almost instantly. The performance is motivated and raw, still the band doesn’t really hit a nerve in me. Not bad, but we’ve heard that before.

I’ve only known RITUALIZATION for having released a split with their awesome fellow frenchmen Temple Of Baal - but I didn’t realize they actually fucking SLAY! The five-piece delivers excellent, technically challenging blackened Death Metal with an incredibly violent and merciless atmosphere. Riffs beyond riffs, blasts beyond blasts, RITUALIZATION punish the audience with every note of their music. The psychotic gazes of fronter „Warchangel" (Amazing stage name, paralleled only by drummer „Blastum“ (!)) add to the intensity of the show and when the man at the mixing desk turns down the microphones at the end of the band’s playing time, they just keep hacking through the last song without vocals. Funny: Ritualization place their relatively small backdrop banner right on the headliner’s much bigger one, revealing the striking similarities between the two Chris-Moyen-drawn band logo’s.

For the change over to the POSSESSION show, everybody has to leave the room, giving the visitor the opportunity to pick up some goodies at the merch table or a few beers at the bar. It’s midnight before the crowd is granted entrance to the concert room again, finding the stage decorated with candles, animal skulls and burning incense. Following a lengthy intro, the band hammers through an hour of primitive Black/Thrash, putting the listener easily 30 years back in time. It’s awesome to see young bands perform this kind of music with the same kind of energy and passion as it was done back in the days and POSSESSION are definitely among the head of the pack today. Everything from their stage appearance to their sound and record artworks is just incredibly tasteful (if you, like me, suffer from a severe deviation of taste, that is) and I’m not the only one predicting a bright (or dark?) future for this band. Nevertheless, this remains a pure retro kind of thing, though a damn cool one.

Leaving the club with bleeding ears and an aching neck, there can not be given enough praise to IRON BONEHEAD for putting together events like this. There’s no better way to spend a Saturday night than seeing four excellent bands for the price of 10 Euros. All Hail!

Vernichtungsschmerz