Salzsiede, Schönebeck, Germany7th February 2009
Schwertklingenfest: Strydegor, Asenblut, Fimbulvet, Andras
We were pretty excited when we got to the Salzsiede. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty bad and I was sick but we were still looking forward to see all the great bands and they didn't disappoint us. A great night of awesome music was ahead of us and we couldn't wait to finally get in to get the party started.
Strydegor
Founded as THE ALPHES in 2005, STRYDEGOR came some way from playing various styles of hard music to modern Viking metal in the tradition of AMON AMARTH and ENSIFERUM by the present day. Named after an ancient god who preserved the mead from all enemies, they found their home in this kind of style with two outputs so far: after a demo called ‘Legends of Midgard’, the EP ‘Midwinter's Eve’ was released in fall 2008 under CCP-Records with 4 brand new songs; you probably can listen to at this night.
Music & Performance
Soon after we arrived at the Salzsiede, the first band STRYDEGOR started playing. The room they played at was pretty crowded and you could barely breathe because of all the smoke. The lights were awful but the sound was pretty ok. All in all they had a firm performance. Unfortunately, the audience's mood was kind of lousy which didn't come up to the band's performance.
Rating
Music 8
Performance 7
Light 3
Sound 8
Total 7 / 10
Asenblut
ASENBLUT - German Blackened Thrash Metal - first came up with the thought of founding a band in the year 2006 when Jan (bass), Schlecki (drums) and Tetzel (guitar and vocals) got together to play their first sessions. But unfortunately this constellation didn't last and soon, the band broke up. In October/November 2007 Tetzel and Claus were looking for a new drummer. Soon, they began playing their first songs and the new band was founded. Their music can be seen as a mix of almost every style of metal, with influences of thrash, death and also black metal.
Music & Performance
ASENBLUT played delayed because of some technical problems. But that did not affect the great feedback of the audience. They were the only band with a trigger and so, they had the best drum sound. Tetzel (rhythm guitar) showed some nice vocals although he had problems with his voice caused by a cold. After all, they had a great performance and showed some fun playing on the stage. It was a pleasure listening to them.
Rating
Music 9
Performance 8
Light 3
Sound 9
Total 8 / 10
Fimbulvet
Starting as a one-man project, FIMBULVET soon became a well-known pagan / black metal band in Thuringia, Germany. In 2004, they released their first demo CD ‘Gjallarhorn’. Soon, they started playing their first shows and now they are producing their second album.
Music & Performance
Despite their minimal cast in the band (drums, guitar and bass), FIMBULVET had an awesome gig with a great atmosphere. Their clear vocals remind of MENHIR even though their songs are not quite as epic as the ones from MENHIR. In spite of everything, their songs are independent and have some recognition value. It was a nice show.
Rating
Music 9
Performance 8
Light 3
Sound 7
Total 7.8 / 10
Andras
It was in March 1990 when Lord Asmoday (vocals), Occulti-is (drums) and Count Damien Nightsky (guitar) founded the death metal band PURULENT OBDUCTION which became the satanic band DEMONIAC later on. After Lord Asmoday and C.D. Nightsky left the band, they founded the band ANDRAS four years later. During the time of some break-ups and many line-up changes, they recorded their first demos and LPs and started playing their first concerts. Last year, they released their current full-length album ‘Iron Way’.
Music & Performance
ANDRAS were the complete opposite to FIMBULVET with a 5-member band. Although they had a lot of people standing on the band, a bass was missing. The keyboarder tried to play the bass line but went down in the whole guitar sound which was rather bad and kind of undifferentiated. The vocals remind of the old VINTERSORG times. All in all, they showed a great performance. Unfortunately, their sound was pretty bad which lead to a false impression of the actual sound of the band.
Setlist
01. Miasma Track
02. Across Those Highlands
03. Spellbreaker
04. Warrior's Hills
05. Infested
06. Dunkelwald
07. The Pillory
08. Pagan Path
09. Heavy Metal Breakdown
10. Haamit
Rating
Music 9
Performance 8
Light 3
Sound 4
Total 7.5 / 10
All pictures by Anne Kuhfuß
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