Incineration Fest 2015

Heil Endstille

I did attend the "Incineration fest" in Camden on 9 May 2015. First up were Jotnarr at the Black Heart, a couple of men in white with good rhythm which would be the base of a good band, but need of development. Otagos over at the Underworld sounded remarkably like Behemoth, and looking the part played to a largely passive crowd but not for want of trying, with many gloriously anthemic numbers featuring guitar leads though subdued in the mix. The big advantage of the Camden festivals is that one can nip for cans of Special Brew from Sainsbury's in the breaks (or, as I did, Coke Zero). But those preferring a little Prostitute Disfigurement would have found a sound quite similar to Cannibal Corpse but without the mighty windmilling Corpsegrinder. I cannot imagine what they were singing about.

Finnish Nazarene

I caught the end of a storming set from the Keep of Kalessin, and will have to look into them some more. Then to Endstille with a more mellow metalcore compared to the Impaled Nazarene who were not unlike Napalm Death.

I also saw Funeral Throne but could not make much of them. Shining managed a superb mixture of the somewhat brutal with the epic, though the endless spitting of Jack Daniels at the crowd seemed a waste (unless it was the honey flavoured sort). Godseed were curiously static and uninvolved.

Last time I saw Alcest they sounded worryingly murky, and I was surprised they were headlining this rather heavy assemblage. But here they were much less dopey, moulding Celtic-style harmonies that would not be out of place in a Lord of the Rings soundtrack with crushing and epic climaxes, and even neat lighting effects to make a super end to the day!