Batschkapp, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
7th March 2011
European Killfest: Overkill, Destruction, Heathen, After All
It was a nice evening in early spring, and shortly before the doors would open, many fans had already gathered in front of the Batschkapp wearing typical 80s style vests or OVERKILL shirts. At around twenty minutes before the actual beginning, the first act of the evening hit the stage.
After All
The history of the Belgian Thrash quintet AFTER ALL is shaped by line-up as well as name changes. Yet, they have been making music ever since the year of 1987 and have so far released nine full-length records. http://www.myspace.com/afterallmetal / www.afterall.be
Music & Performance
As soon as AFTER ALL started their set, the venue was only slowly starting to get filled. In the front row, some people were enjoying and celebrating the band, whilst most of the audience remained sceptically in the back. Musically, the band provided a mixture between Thrash Metal and Heavy Metal, underlined by some Core-orientated riffs and Power Metal vocals. Thus, they did not gain that much acceptance although the musicians surely engaged themselves and put lots of effort into their performance.
Setlist
01. My Own Sacrifice
02. Devastation Done
03. End of your World
04. Becoming the Martyr
05. Demolition Course
06. Betrayed by the Gods
07. Timeless Machine
Rating
Music: 6
Performance: 7
Sound: 8
Light: 6
Total: 6.6 / 10
Heathen
This American Thrash / Speed Metal band was already founded in 1984, but dissolved in 1992 shortly after the release of their second record, ‘Victims of Deception’. The band reassembled in 2001 and released their most recent album ‘The Evolution of Chaos’ in 2010. HEATHEN are told to be one of the most underrated bands in Thrash Metal since none of their albums achieved any commercial success. www.myspace.com/heathenmetal
Music & Performance
Having known HEATHEN for quite a while, I was really looking forward to their show - and so were obviously quite an amount of other people, since the place in front of the stage got really crowded. Consequently, the band received well deserved cheers. Unfortunately, the sound appeared to be rather poor at times, so that the vocals seemed to drown a bit. Furthermore, the setlist was, at least in my opinion, rather poor - no songs of the cult album ‘Victims of Deception’ were played. Obviously a set of maybe half an hour does not allow many songs, but still ‘Morbid Curiosity’ could have very well been played. Yet it was very enjoyable seeing the band perform.
Setlist
01. Dying Season
02. Control by Chaos
03. Arrows of Agony
04. No Stone Unturned
Rating
Music: 8
Performance:8
Sound: 7
Light: 7
Total: 7.7 / 10
Destruction
Established in 1982, DESTRUCTION are one of the most famous and successful German Thrash Metal bands, together with SODOM and KREATOR being entitled the kings of Teutonic Thrash Metal. So far, eleven studio records were put out, among them the well-known ‘Eternal Devastation’ (1986) or the most recent one ‘Day of Reckoning’ (2011). www.myspace.com/heathenmetal / www.destruction.de
Music & Performance
Shortly before the German Thrash legends would enter the stage, the front rows got more and more packed. Right from the very first riffs onwards, DESTRUCTION had the audience under their control - in contrast to HEATHEN, they had chosen their setlist very suitably, with old classics as well as new, energetic songs. The members played together flawlessly and also the interaction with the crowd was very convenient - they remembered their very first shows in Frankfurt, which took place when some concert attendees were not even born. Furthermore, the song ‘D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N.’ was dedicated to a German political party with regard to the most recent banner headlines. Their set of over 45 minutes did not get boring, lots of mashing could be witnessed and especially the front of the audience seemed to enjoy themselves.
Setlist
01. Curse the Gods
02. Mad Butcher
03. Armageddonizer
04. Tears of Blood
05. Thrash Till Death
06. D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N.
07. Bestial Invasion
08. Soul Collector
09. Hate is my Fuel
10. Nailed to the Cross
11. The Butcher Strikes Back
Rating
Music: 9
Performance: 9
Sound: 7
Light: 8
Total: 8.6 / 10
Overkill
Ever since the year of 1980, OVERKILL have managed to establish themselves as a one of the milestones of American Thrash Metal. They have undergone many line-up changes and released 15 studio records, the first one being entitled ‘Feel the Fire’ (1985) and the most recent one ‘Ironbound’ (2010, via Nuclear Blast Records). OVERKILL is known for their energetic and powerful live shows. www.myspace.com/overkill / www.wreckingcrew.com
Music & Performance
At about a few minutes before half past ten, the stage was altered to the headliner’s purposes: a huge drum kit was revealed and a remarkable backdrop with OVERKILL’s most recent album artwork was released. The fans were already a bit exhausted but nevertheless anxious to see the highlight for many attendees. OVERKILL put on a great show, although the light effects were at times rather annoying for photographers. Moshing and crowd surfing could again be seen and the band was cheered and greeted with lots of enthusiasm. The Setlist contained of older as well as newer songs and left almost no one unpleased. The Batschkapp was at that time packed with people and if you wanted to get a drink at the bar in the back, you had to invest lots of force to get back to the front. 
Yet, the show was very intense so young and old metal heads could be seen head banging together. Few minutes before midnight, the band left the stage after three songs as an encore - OVERKILL are always a pleasure to watch live.
Setlist
01. The Green and Black
02. Rotten to the Core
03. Wrecking Crew
04. Infectious
05. Bring me the Night
06. Bastard Nation
07. Hammerhead
08. Ironbound
09. Blood Money
10. Endless War
11. Hello From The Gutter
12. Give A Little
13. Necroshine
14. Old School
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15. Deny the Cross
16. Elimination
17. Fuck You
Rating
Music: 9
Performance: 10
Sound: 8
Light: 8
Total: 9 / 10
All pictures by Ricarda Menn
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