Kampfar - Finally.. Kampfar!
Mondvolland opened this afternoon, which was supposed to start around four, but didn’t start before six. So unfortunately, after only being able to listen to one song, my stomach started roaring for food. All I can tell you about Mondvolland is that they play a combination of folk and metal and the lyrics focus on local sagas. The vocalist kind of looked like Britney Spears with his microphone attached to his head, but the energy this band brought about made up for that association.
When returning from an excuse for dinner, Cutthroat was on stage. I was kind of surprised by the appearance of the frontman; he was dressed in a kilt with his big belly hanging over it and long white socks. His throat wasn’t disappointing though! I’m not a death metal kind of girl, but I could understand why some people in the crowd were going wild. Up speed tempos took turns with slow and heavy riffs. Cutthroat definitely has received some extra appreciation by covering Two Unlimited. For most people present, who were allowed to drink alcohol, it was probably a walk down memory lane.
After surviving (with all due respect; it’s just not my cup of tea) the two mentioned bands, it was time for some black metal. Koldbrann certainly was alive and kicking! Everything seemed to be in place during their gig: Mannevond’s voice raspy and spitting out every bit of dedication he seemed to have within him; Fordervelse speeding up his drums and slowing down his beats in a tight manner; the melodic, yet mournful guitar parts. From the first riff until the last riff they played, Koldbrann sucked me into their darkness and showed me no remorse. The straight forward yet in depth band definitely demonstrated to have the capacity to transform the atmosphere, as found on the albums, into a live experience.
Finally.. Kampfar! The moment I, at least, was waiting for. After grading their latest album Heimgang with 9.5 out of 10, I was anxious to find out if they could prove themselves on stage. Hell, they did! Fortunately it wasn’t too crowded, because everyone present seemed to need the space around him or her to go completely mad. Dolk’s vocals were flawless and I’m still surprised about the fact such a small man is able to produce such screams. Of course Kampfar played some older songs, but most of the tracks played were Heimgang tracks. If you like the atmosphere on that album; at De Azijnfabriek it was even better! The sound was pretty good, so it was easy to isolate the catchy, melodic riffs and absorb the energy Kampfar’s performance spread through the audience. If you weren’t there, you missed out!