HELLBUTCHER! Fantastic gig and the best I´ve seen so far with these guys.
A couple of weeks still to go until the release of the debut album but they played the entire thingy and also added a couple of covers (Bathory & Venom ofc:))
Perra Karlsson replacing Devastator on stage at least for some time. In general there is a LOT to say about HELLBUTCHER but need to hurry up a bit with all the pics from Steelfest:) I may make some updates later in some posts.
Check the links for the latest news from the band!
[Live clips by GRONNENHELL & The Metal Crypt ]
“Wimps and posers beware. From the depths of the black metal underground, one of its most elite figures returns with a new band and an even more evil attitude. As frontman of legendary Swedish maniacs Nifelheim, Hellbutcher upheld the bad name of real black metal with an iron fist. Now with this eponymous new band, the frenzied mission continues: nothing less than total metal mania will do. “The core of Hellbutcher encapsulates the true essence of metal,” he declares. “We are METAL, striving to refine and evolve our music and image to become the purest and heaviest among all extreme metal bands throughout history. Disregarding predefined trends and fashions, we will persist in the authentic path that metal was meant to follow!“ “
– Metal Blade Records
Pics from the photo shoot in January -24. The first one from the very first HELLBUTCHER gig (Motala Oct -23)
COMMANDER AGARES a.k.a the Festival General Jani with band from Hyvinkää. Very good gig this year also! All hail Jani!!
I first saw (and got aware of) them when visiting my first Steelfest in -22. During the festival weekend COMMANDER AGARES released a split with GRAVELAND (who also played at the festival) and they sold it in the merch tent:) Cool stuff always happens at this fest.
This year the Commander released a split with The True Werwolf. One song each. Just found out about it myself and listening right now.
Released in January this year @ Inferna Profundus Records.
[Live clips by GRONNENHELL, sarvi & Desde las Catacumbas]
“By dyad spells of darkness dirge black metal triumph do two entities hailing from the darkest corners of the Finnish hinterlands conspire oaths of wolven shadow, these by herald of The True Werwolf and Commander Agares, their bloodstained black barbarism to shake even the immortality of the world tree itself. “
– Inferna Profundus Records
The last live gig with Nox. The next one (in July at Metal Theatre Festival in Kalmar) will be fronted by Mannevond (Koldbrann etc) who also will appear on the next CRAFT album. While Nox has his reasons to step back, he will still be a part of the band and involved in whatever they will be up to.
Yep, I´m a bit sad still:)
But it was great to see the gig and because they never made a bad song, there were only hits on the setlist xD
Hot and sunny ofc.
“The rawness of Nox vocal delievery has been essential to the sound of Craft since our inception and we would truly not be the band that we are without him. We want to make it very clear that Nox is still a part of Craft. It is however important for us to keep bringing forth new material and especially performing it live, and for now – this simply does not fit with Nox’s other commitments. Nox will be a part of the new album, however not as lead singer.” – statement from the band earlier this year
Finnish AEGRUS indoors this year (some pics from the sunny outdoor stage in 2022). Great gig!!
A bit more familiar with the songs this time. So much I´ve learned about Finnish black metal these past 3 years at Steelfest:))
“Once again, the band finds a nearly perfect way to present itself. The songs shine with musicality, maturity, coherence, atmosphere, aggression, high velocity, density and fervour. “Temple of Ardent Worship” is a piece that brings all these elements into full bloom. Some of its parts burn with apocalyptic intensity, while other sequences do not forget the melodic, immaculately flowing guitar lines.” – Album review 2023 by Felix 1666 @ metal-archives.com
DEATHCHAIN death/thrash from eastern Finland. With members from Ajattara, Horna etc. The latest album released back in 2013 so it´s been awhile.
“Ritual Death Metal succeeds on the strength of massive, lumbering midtempo riffs and super-grim, almost-black metal blastbeat sections. The band wisely breaks up the wall-to-wall brutality with some nice atmospheric touches. The harmonized intro to “Like Worms Upon the Lands” is a fine example of this, as is the clean guitar at the opening of “Tiamat’s Eyes of Death.” In the hands of a lesser band, details like this would detract from the heaviness of the music. In the case of Deathchain, it just creates a sinister vibe that cannot be conjured by riffs alone.” – Album review @ angrymetalguy.com 2013
[Live clip by GRONNENHELL]
Notes & links: – Kassara (Lauri Rytkönen,drummer) kept busy this weekend. At least 5 gigs with 3 different bands
The first band out @ this years edition of Steelfest. Originally from Poland but Just arrived to the place so not totally focused but it was really good. Not much I knew about these guys except they released a split with Ofermod & Acherontas last year and were supposed to tour with Ofermod but it didn´t happen. Ofermod were on the bill to Steelfest also but dropped out. Anyways, had a casual chat with Darius/Shadow at some point and he actually gifted me with the split. Great stuff from all the bands and I have also listened properly to everything from Black Altar since I got back home and they for sure are one of my best findings at this years festival.
Didn´t find any live clips yet but will add later if I do.
Edit June 16th: Backdated this post when I started to upload the full galleries…
Steelfest was amazing once again!!!
Uploading stuff to @ www.facebook.com/extremmetal right now. Will take a week or so more. [Approx one or 2 bands/day]
So go there if you want to see some.
The full galleries will be properly introduced here a bit later.
WHALE AHEAD! Det andra toppgiget för denna helg. AHAB (No.1 band i Nautik funeral doom!) från Heidelberg, Tyskland) har aldrig spelat i Stockholm (Sverige??) så hade extremt höga förväntningar.
Dom två andra banden för kvällen hamnade lite skymundan i väntan på det extraordinära, men nevertheless så gjorde dom riktigt bra ifrån sig. LOCH VOSTOK hade jag inte sett på evigheter (nästan total line up byte där) och URNA var helt ny för mig. Men som sagt AHAB var det enda som gällde nu och var definitivt värt den låååånga väntan (tack Boris!!:D). För 10 år sen såg jag dom på PSOA. Bra setlist i Sthlm med (givetvis) The Hunt som sista låt. Hoppas dom aldrig ändrar på det för det finns inget mäktigare avslut på ett gig och mitt absoluta favoritlåt i all Doom! Drostes avgrundsröst och all drama alltså…
Stör mig fortfarande på att The Hunt kombinerad med bästa scenen från den gamla Moby Dick filmen (50s, Gregory Peck = Ikonisk!!!! ) är borta från YouTube och ersatt med en snutt från TV serien med Patrik Stewart från -98:/
Btw så är alla AHAB album baserade på litteratur med nautisk tema och varje platta är en hel story. Bara en sån sak:)
Jävlar vad det dånade på bra på den lilla scenen:D Grymt bra band och super trevliga var dom också, Tyskarna. Hoppas det inte tar 10 år tills nästa gång.
Bandet: Daniel Droste – guitars, vocals, keyboards Christian Hector – guitars Cornelius Althammer – drums Stephan Wandernoth – bass
(Behöver få upp det här innan Steelfest så det blir nog påfyllning i gallerierna senare)
Ett av dom absolut bästa kvällarna! UNPURE & XALPEN på turné, HEDON från Göteborg supportade i Sthlm.
Halva Uppsala och den Chilenska delen av communityn givetvis på plats och det verkar som allehanda instaturister har minskat i antal på gigsen, så 10/10 till publiken. Inget joll & trams:D Hittade bröderna Åhman (<3) och Pelle Watain som precis lämnade UNPURE innan turnén supportade järnet i frontlinjen, och gästade bandet på scenen en kortis också. Matti J. från VORUM Hade lite värdig surr på Finska med mannen ifråga:D Lineupen med Kolgrim, Hampe Death, E. Forcas och Matti brutalkrossade! Jävligt fint att äntligen se Alvaros XALPEN live också. Han är riktigt grym även som frontman och som alltid min Favourite Son Of Satan. Det är sen gammalt.
Och om man nu vill köra Hänt I Veckan grejen (och i det här fallet vill jag:)) så kan man också nämna att Pelles flickvän Sharon (Toxic Vision) var också på besök. Dom 2 är ett superteam och den professionella delen kan ni kolla på Pandation Forge & Toxic Vision. Absoluta mästare i sina respektive hantverk! Även halva ENCRYPTMENT var på plats. Alltid ett nöje att springa på dom killarna. Bra folk, bra band.
Ytterst nöjsam kväll så tack som fan till Boris (Aeternum Concerts) & banden!! Fick campa hos bästa UNPURE & XALPEN så kunde sno åt mig av backstage kaffet vid behov:) Prima liv, oförglömlig röj!!
Bilderna på UNPURE & XALPEN direkt efter dom klev av scenen.
(Behöver få upp det här innan Steelfest så det blir nog påfyllning i gallerierna senare)
HELLBUTCHER! Fantastic gig and the best I´ve seen so far with these guys.
The last live gig with Nox. The next one (in July at Metal Theatre Festival in Kalmar) will be fronted by Mannevond (Koldbrann etc) who also will appear on the next CRAFT album. While Nox has his reasons to step back, he will still be a part of the band and involved in whatever they will be up to.
DEATHCHAIN death/thrash from eastern Finland. With members from Ajattara, Horna etc. The latest album released back in 2013 so it´s been awhile.
The first band out @ this years edition of Steelfest. Originally from Poland but Just arrived to the place so not totally focused but it was really good. Not much I knew about these guys except they released a split with Ofermod & Acherontas last year and were supposed to tour with Ofermod but it didn´t happen. Ofermod were on the bill to Steelfest also but dropped out. Anyways, had a casual chat with Darius/Shadow at some point and he actually gifted me with the split. Great stuff from all the bands and I have also listened properly to everything from Black Altar since I got back home and they for sure are one of my best findings at this years festival.
WHALE AHEAD! Det andra toppgiget för denna helg. AHAB (No.1 band i Nautik funeral doom!) från Heidelberg, Tyskland) har aldrig spelat i Stockholm (Sverige??) så hade extremt höga förväntningar.
Ett av dom absolut bästa kvällarna! UNPURE & XALPEN på turné, HEDON från Göteborg supportade i Sthlm.
