Obscura, Revocation, Beyond Creation, Rivers Of Nihil // Feierwerk (Kranhalle), Munich, Germany // 20.10.2016
What a great Thursday’s evening that was! I had to travel some kilometres to reach Munich, but this concert was not to be missed. I would never regret it, although I had to spend the weekend after at home being ill. The memories of such a great concert will always follow me. I was about to witness the very first gig of the Akroasis Tour in Europe.
Everything seemed in order and I was chilling in the bar, at a room right next to the main hall where the concert was taking place. It was a couple minutes before 8 pm when I heard the first notes blasting the speakers of Kranhalle right next to me. RIVERS OF NIHIL have already taken their positions on stage and they were launching their technical death metal rockets to us. I thought it was a bit early to start and I was totally surprised to see them play only two songs. The position of the opening act is always awkward. The quintet from Pennsylvania executed their 10 minutes long setlist exceptionally, but that wasn’t enough. My neck was about to get warm when they bid us farewell. It was a pity. Yet it was the very beginning of the tour and things may have not worked out on time.
The preparations for the next band have been also with few technical problems. It was obvious that this was the start of the tour. Of course that was not to discourage me or the audience, which was starting to get bigger in numbers. BEYOND CREATION appeared on stage with their headless instruments-weapons and gave us a great set of approximately 30 minutes. It was like a lesson on how to play progressive death metal technically flawless and with full strength. Oh my god yes, I mean full power and throttle. Mr. Boucher, the drummer of the band, had lost a tom drum while he was murdering the drum kit with his blasts. Tracks like “Coexistence”, “Earthborn Evolution” and “Theatrical Delirium” were for me a dream coming true to listen to them live from Simon Girard and his companions. At times I didn’t know if I should bang my head or just watch those Canadians virtuosos shredding on the strings. Though they too had not had to play one more song as the time seemed to be not enough, I was absolutely ecstatic. And that was not even the half of the concert.
REVOCATION were next. And as I missed their entrance, I was just taking some fresh air outside the venue, I found myself stuck somewhere on the back. The place was packed with people; and who can blame them? It would be just one hour break from the technical death metal. Did I say a break? No not really, we would not get to rest as the US thrashers would give us absolute hell with their thrash/death metal. Again I couldn’t believe my eyes. What a band! There are no words that I can find to describe the performance of the Bostonians quartet, but I will try to. You have to see David Davidson screaming at us to bang our heads, while Mr. Bamberger did obey without missing tone on his bass guitar. Their new album is great and that is their sin. Songs like “Crumbling Imperium”, Arbiters of the Apocalypse” and “Profanum Vulgus” reveal its greatness. Melodic and aggressive riffs were spited out from the amplifiers and our heads were drifting to everlasting banging. The band is counting not more that 10 years of existence and most of members were not there from the start, however that could not be evident as they play. I feel totally blessed to have watch them live. I find it to be futile to resist their songs, as we try to “Dismantle the Dictator” and it seemed I was witnessing some kind of “Witch Trials”. Well this “Madness Opus” finished leaving me to wonder how I should carry on.
A pause for about 15 minutes and everything was ready for the headlining band. Despite of their short existence and their just 4 albums, OBSCURA deserve the place of headliners. And they definitely enjoyed it. How can I start this report on Obscura’s live performance? I think if you could imagine “Ten Sepiroth” just explodes your speakers, then you will have just a tiny idea of what is to listen to it live. This was a great beginning and the sequel with “Akroasis” was even better. The third track that we heard was “The Anticosmic Overload” and by the time my jaws couldn’t close and they remained wide open. I had seen Obscura some years ago as opening act for Kreator, but what I saw that night was different. Steffen Kummerer kept on smiling all the time as he and Linus Klausenitzer were more in motion, swapping places, than Rafael Trujillo. Quoting the mastermind of the band they were playing home and that was a great feeling, though they haven’t played in Munich since a long time ago. The atmosphere was more than satisfying and the smile on the faces of all of us made it evident. “Sermon of the Seven Suns”, “The Monist” and “Perpetual Infinity” took us on a trip to the latest release of Steffen’s band and in between the songs he had the chance to introduce us to his co-members and to apologise for the short appearance of Rivers of Nihil as well. “Centric Flow” and “Incarnated” made me worried that this evening was about to come to an end. Unfortunately it was time that the German death metalers told us goodnight and with the proper ritual they come back on stage for their last piece called “Ocean Getaways” as encore.
I was so disappointed that such an evening came to end, as I am almost always when good things end. I am getting really greedy when it comes to concerts and I apologise for that. Are this line up visit your town? Do you still have not bought a ticket? If you can take about three hours of great music, then do yourself a favour. Just do it and you will not regret it.