Sacred Reich / Contradiction
29 July 2007
The Scala, London
German thrashers Contradiction have been putting out records since 1993, but have been completely off my radar until this support slot was announced. Frontman Oliver Lux confirmed this was the band`s first appearance on UK shores and seemed delighted with the final reception.
The reception wasn`t quite so ecstatic early, with many folded arms in the crowd waiting to be impressed. The lack of Lux`s barked vocals in the mix didn`t help and it was not until the more restrained Nation Of Fear that the sound achieved balance. Contradiction play what you would describe as typical German thrash. The relentless nature and aforementioned barking vocals initially did not pay dividends, until a turning point during Hate Patrol when bassist Andreas Westphal leapt into the crowd to start a pit. Wales was out in force, as when Westphal returned to the stage it was resplendent with a small Welsh flag. Suddenly Lux had a larger version draped around his shoulders as the band plough through Voice Of Hatred and the crowd react.
The last Sacred Reich visit to the UK was as support to Sepultura on the Arise tour, hence Contradiction`s cover of Dead Embryonic Cells, "When they were good about 50 years ago", was fitting and well received.
Break The Oath from the band`s 2005 album The Voice Of Hatred closed a set which Contradiction managed to turn around to triumph.
Contradiction set list:
Your God / Warchitect / Nation Of Fear / What I Am / Hate Patrol / Voice Of Hatred / Dead Embryonic Cells / Break The Oath
"If we put out a new record you guys would want to hear it right?" questioned Sacred Reich frontman Phil Rind. Drawing a parallel to his own experience at a Heaven & Hell show, where the band opened with a new song, Rind explained he realised he wanted to hear the classics. It`s the same tonight he explained that we wanted to remember how it felt 20 years ago and hear the old Sacred Reich material. Rind was spot on, this tour is billed as 20 Years of Ignorance and was a celebration of a past era. So don`t expect anything from Sacred Reich after this foray, though we have heard that from other bands before!
With arms outstretched Rind announced "These words are no truer than today: no truth, no justice…" and the crowd responded with a unified "The American Way". Picking up the pace Administrative Decisions from Ignorance sped by, whipping up the pit.
Rind explained his wife is a nurse and "When you fall down at 20 you get up, at 40 you go to the hospital so be careful out there!" Ignoring the advice, the pit picked up momentum for Violent Solutions and the first crowd surfer of the night disappeared over the precipice into the photo pit - ouch!
For a band that hadn`t played together for 8 years, or "about 56 dog years", calculated Rind, and with only a couple of warm up shows under their belt, Sacred Reich were on fire. Guitarist Wiley Arnett has continued to play post Reich, with his own band Human Condition, who`s t-shirt he was sporting. Probably as I was too busy flying round in the pit at past Reich gigs, I`d missed just how good his soloing was and the continued playing in bands has obviously served him well.
Greg Hall had obviously quickly blown the cobwebs of his drumming. Considered one of the tightest thrash drummers of the day, he pulled things together through a monstrous Ignorance. Hall then took the limelight beating out the intro to Crimes Against Humanity with the crowd joining in with cries of "hey, hey!".
The band rightly appeared to love every minute of the show. Rind confessed "If you`d told me 20 years ago people would show up I wouldn`t have believed you." His nodding head and Cheshire Cat grin whilst surveying the crowd carnage during State Of Emergency said it all.
The newest track of the evening was a one stop trip to 1992`s Independent for the catchy title track. Then it`s time for Sacred Reich`s staple cover. "Have you guy`s heard of Dexy`s Midnight Runners?", joked Rind, before the grind of War Pigs. Sacred Reich`s version tonight blew the version Ozzy played at Wembley recently clean out of the water and the response was immense. Rind didn`t have to sing on most of the verses.
The band have two trump cards left of their own, with Death Squad`s familiar intro stirring up the movement in front of the stage again and, of course, Surf Nicaragua finishing things in fine style. This was an awesome trip down memory lane and whilst it seems the reunion won`t be ongoing, I`m voting for the The American Way to be reissued in 2010 and a 20 Years Of American Way tour!
Sacred Reich set list:
American Way / Administrative Decisions / Violent Solutions / Love…Hate / Ignorance / Crimes Against Humanity / Who`s to Blame / State of Emergency / One Nation / Independent / War Pigs / Death Squad / Surf Nicaragua
LINKS:
Sacred Reich
Contradiction
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