No Mercy Festival 2007
10 April 2007
Koko, London
With a 5pm door time, but a 5.30pm finishing work time for me, it was something of a surprise to find Root still on stage when I arrived in the Koko - apparently Hades Lab had been added as openers. Knowing nothing about this band from the Czech Republic, both what was on stage and coming from the speakers was somewhat intriguing. Centre stage, singing from a music stand, was Root`s frontman "Big Boss". Dressed in occult robes, on closer inspection I noticed that the bald headed, long bearded singer`s face was covered in a maze of black lines - assumed to be tattoos.
Categorising the band would be very difficult. Clearly from a black metal background, the heavy riffing was slow and regimented with Big Boss delivering tenor vocals. The band wrapped up with 666 which set off at a speedy pace, with Big Boss repeating a mantra, until the whole thing took a pause, then was off again. Root are clearly unique and presented an interesting start to the evening.
Germany`s Dew Scented were up next playing seemingly exactly the same set I`ve seen them play a few times before. Their thrash attack is relentless to the point of faceless with each song sounding pretty much the same as the previous one. All seven Dew Scented albums begin with the letter I for whatever reason. They may as well go one step further and call them the same name. Indistinguishable perhaps? New track, That`s Why I Despise You of course fits their blue print of brutal thrash with shouted vocals and it`s difficult to see how Dew Scented`s profile will rise with this album which doesn`t really change anything. I for Indifference.
Dew Scented set list:
Never To Return / Cities Of The Dead / Turn To Ash / That`s Why I Despise You / Soul Poison / Acts Of Rage
Thank God for the arrival of Behemoth then. Though that`s hardly appropriate praise, as Nergal point`s out, any God worshipers are f**ked tonight as he leads the Polish troop into Christians To The Lions. Behemoth ooze class and their hunger is clear for all to see. Opener Demigod ripped through the venue with Nergal looking like he`s taken a trip down the laundrette due to the in synch spiralling barnets either side of him. An immediate chant of "BE-HE-MOTH" follows the song, then chaos as Antichristian Phenomenon churns up the pit.
Nergal tells us Behemoth are here to Conquer All and they deliver on their promise. The hotly anticipated new album The Apostasy is due on 3rd July this year and we`re treated to a sneak preview with Christ Grinding Avenue. The song is a sonic vicious assault, until it melts into a fist pumping middle section.
As Above So Below eases up the pace, dragging us along with its guttural riffing, before Slaves Shall Serve once again whips up the crowd. Chant For Eschaton 2000 is left to bring the curtain down. Behemoth have deservedly booked themselves a place on Ozzfest this summer and with performances like tonight they`ll be a difficult act to follow.
Behemoth set list:
Demigod / Antichristian Phenomenon / Conquer All / Christians To Lions / Summoning Of The Ancient Ones / Christ Grinding Avenue / Decade Of Therion / As Above So Below / Slaves Shall Serve / Chant For Eschaton 2000
Over Easter I`d had the Hits Channel on in the background as they had a metal special on. During this one of the forthcoming programme commercials was for Disney fictional pop star Hannah Montana playing at the Koko two weeks ago. I mention this as it sprung to mind and amused me during Napalm Death`s set on the very same stage, as the most polar opposite thing imaginable to what I was watching.
Napalm Death, whether they like it or not, are a British Institution. A friend had noted he wanted to attend this show as it was his duty to see them before he died. On the fringes of the ferocious pit there`s a collection of bemused faces with a similar expression to those I saw when Motorhead were playing at Hyde Park supporting Foo Fighters last summer. It`s almost a cabaret to them when Napalm hit the section of short songs at the tail end of the set. Particular when Barney Greenway quips "Pay attention for f**ks sake" following the 2 seconds of Dead.
Whilst Scum may be 20 years old, Napalm Death have been in one of the richest veins of form of their career over the last few albums. It`s just a shame Mitch Harris` guitar wasn`t loud enough to demonstrate this through the first half of the set, as we strain to pick out Sink Fast, Let Go and Silence Is Deafening. Mid way through however, the enveloping wall of noise suddenly beat you into submission, as Continuing War On Stupidity and particularly When All Is Said & Done shone through the distorted mire.
Barney commenced the set by informing us "In the interests of courtesy, we are Napalm Death from Birmingham". He closed with equally polite thanks, before the band hit us with the brick bats of Persona Non Grata and the off kilter Smear Campaign, leaving no doubt who we had just witnessed. Top stuff.
Napalm Death set list:
Weltschmerz (Intro) / Sink Fast, Let Go / Unchallenged Hate / Suffer The Children / Silence Is Deafening / Fatalist / Continuing War On Stupidity / Breed To Breathe / Control / When All Is Said And Done / The Code Is Red... Long Live The Code / Scum / Life? / The Kill / Deceiver / Dead / Nazi Punks Fuck Off / Mass Appeal Madness / Persona Non Grata / Smear Campaign
Heading back the bar after Napalm Death, an apparent crowd change was evident. There were certainly more ladies heading down towards the front, whilst some of the more extreme fans were making their exit.
With the intensity that had preceded them this evening, Moonspell choice of opening with two cuts from their most recent album, Memorial, helped ease the transition to their gothic metal. Memorial saw the band heading into heavier and faster territories and Fernando Ribeiro applied a more course vocal delivery as the band open with the blast beats of Finisterra and shrieking keyboards of Memento Mori.
Brakes are then applied as the Portuguese band head back to the Irreligious album for back to back renditions of Opium, Awake and Ruin & Misery. The catchy goth-pop nature of the latter invoking a bounce along stage front, rather than the violent moshes of earlier in the evening.
The Jekyll & Hyde nature of Moonspell`s set however, means after a short introduction, with the crowd responding to calls to show their horns, the sinister Blood Tells takes us in a darker direction. Again, sticking with their latest album, the staccato riffing of Upon The Blood Of Men, draws the first mosh of Moonspell`s set, with Ribeiro holding his mic stand aloft arms outstretched.
Having built the pressure up again, Moonspell then head back to more goth territories. I have to say the line "You`re a beast, evil one" and the huffing and puffing on Vampiria has me in stitches rather than being spooked, but Alma Mater and Full Moon Madness bring things back on track.
The line-up choice for No Mercy this year lead to a rather disjointed feeling to the gig as a whole, but Moonspell`s professionalism meant that, taken in isolation, their set was highly entertaining.
Moonspell set list:
Finisterra / Memento Mori / Opium / Awake / Ruin & Misery / Blood Tells / Upon The Blood Of Men / Nocturna / Vampiria / Alma Mater / Full Moon Madness
LINKS:
Moonspell
Napalm Death
Behemoth
Dew Scented
Root |
