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elbriot2017publikum01Grossmarkt, Hamburg, Germany
19th August 2017
Elbriot Festival 2017 with Bury Tomorrow, Whitechapel, August Burns Red, Architects, Children Of Bodom, Hatebreed, Trivium, Bullet For My Valentine, Megadeth

For the fifth time the Elbriot festival takes place in Hamburg and the sold-out event allures all the black clothed folk. Although it's not even midday, the people are drinking beer, wine and hard liquor on their way from the central station to the festival entrance. They are looking forward to have a good day with BURY TOMORROW, WHITECHAPEL, AUGUST BURNS RED, ARCHITECTS, CHILDREN OF BODOM, HATEBREED, TRIVIUM, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and MEGADETH. So it is a day of core music with a little bit of melodic death and thrash metal. You can also say the day is filled with music from the USA and the UK with one Finnish exception. Let's pretend this was a little music battle between the States and the Kingdom.

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Bury Tomorrow

'Man On Fire' is clanging over the parking ground at a time no sane human being is awake. It's 12 o'clock and BURY TOMORROW are playing their melodic Metalcore into the constant drizzling rain. The audience already is surprisingly large. The last album of the English band around shouter Daniel Winter-Bates was 'Earthbound' in 2016. Always being a little bit better than the average seems to be enough, to be an acclaimed act at the Elbriot. BURY TOMORROW are really not bad and their music deserves to be listened to, but between breakdowns and sing-alongs there seems to be no noticeable spark of real genius. Furthermore the sound quality is mediocre at best due to the strong breeze. So BURY TOMORROW win 7 out of 10 points for the UK. // https://www.facebook.com/BuryTomorrow

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Whitechapel

Still core but they turn up the brutality a lot. Sadly the Deathcore of WHITECHAPEL sounds without contours or contrast, kind of mushy and carried away by the wind. But then this problem is getting better - slowly and partially. Nonetheless especially the drums battered by Ben Harclerode and Phil Bozeman's voice are pleasing the ear. The audience got even larger but also a little bit lazier than before until the songs 'I, Dementia' and 'Our Endless War' let the crowd explode. But only the real fans do experience an outstanding moment here. So the Tennessee guys also get 7 out of 10 points for their side. // https://www.whitechapelband.com / https://www.facebook.com/whitechapelmetal

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August Burns Red

Of course the sound's quality depends on your position to the stage (curiously it's better at the sides), but AUGUST BURNS RED are the first today who are delivering what their albums are promising. The technically high-class, sometimes progressive Metalcore is unerring, brutal and feisty without losing its precision and fun. Like BURY TOMORROW's front man Jake Luhrs is wearing a cap too, but you can't hear it in his attitude. They are playing a new song with even more playful and exigent guitars. This raises the pleasant anticipation for the new album 'Phantom Anthem' coming in October 2017. This was an astonishingly awesome concert, so I have to give these Pennsylvanians full 10 out of 10 points for the USA. // http://augustburnsred.com / https://www.facebook.com/augustburnsred

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Architects

Now the outrage and aggression are getting reduced, but some post-Hardcore desperation and aspiration come as replacement. ARCHITECTS are keeping the high level of musical quality, while slightly reducing the complexity in favour of more emotionality. Meanwhile the sun won the fight against the rain and the crowd surfers are sunbathing on their way to the stage. Almost hysterically Singer Samuel David Carter is demanding a wall of death with these words: “For the next f*cking 45 Minutes you belong to me and you do what I want!” The audience is gladly following his wishes. So the Englishmen get 9 out of 10 points for the UK. // http://www.architectsofficial.com / https://www.facebook.com/architectsuk

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Children Of Bodom

We are reaching the middle of the Elbriot festival regarding the number of bands. So we make a pause from our USA vs. UK battle and hear some Finnish non-core music. CHILDREN OF BODOM play some kind of hard to name metal between melodic death and thrash. Their last album 'I Worship Chaos' is from 2015. Alexi “Wildchild” Laiho and his men are bringing the first real metal feeling to this stage today – no offense to the Metalcore musicians! That's trve! 8 out of 10 points without participating in the competition. // http://www.cobhc.com / https://www.facebook.com/childrenofbodom

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Hatebreed

HATEBREED are bringing back the battle and the core. Their current album is called 'The Concrete Confessional' and their metallic Hardcore may be the most brutal stuff Hamburg has heard today. From a metal heads point of view Hardcore always is some kind of raw and blunt, but the New Yorkers put enough metal into their sound to please the crowd even when the rain returns. Vocalist Jamey Jasta doesn't get tired to prompt everyone to shout with him: “And tomorrow you wake up and sound like me!” 8 out of 10 points for this Hardcore from the US of A. // https://www.hatebreed.com / https://www.facebook.com/hatebreed

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Trivium

Just two weeks ago TRIVIUM played a strong show at the Wacken Open Air near Hamburg. Today the people of northern Germany are getting inflamed by 'Watch the World Burn' again: “It sets the air on fire. […] We are the arson.” The sun and some beer are joining TRIVIUM's sound between Metalcore, Thrash Metal, Death Metal and Groove Metal. Their last album was 'Silence in the Snow' from 2015, but it's said that there will be a new one soon – maybe even in 2017. If you are listening to these guys from Florida a lot you may get the impression that their music might be some kind of mundane or even a little too banal. Being a little mainstream-ish is no sin, but some might say it was not that interesting. And then there is Matt Heavy's kind of pressed voice. I really liked it two weeks ago, but I'm not so sure, if it pleases my ears so soon again. Heavy rain makes many visitors seek shelter, so they hear one of TRIVIUMS best songs 'In Waves' only from the inside of a pavilion. 7 out of 10 points for the States' team. // http://www.trivium.org / https://www.facebook.com/Trivium

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Bullet For My Valentine

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE play metal influenced rock - they say. But let's call it more correctly Metalcore with many Heavy Metal elements. The musicians from Wales are famous for not moving very much on stage, but maybe they want to let their music speak for itself. Their sound is precise and technically very pleasant. The voice of Matthew Tuck is unique - regardless if you like it or not. The best part of the concert is the songs 'Tears Don't Fall' and 'You Want a Battle (Here's a War)' played back-to-back near the gig's end. Hamburg trembles! Since 'Venom' in 2015 the fans are waiting for a new album. Today the UK are getting 9 out of 10 points for their awesome BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE. // http://www.bulletformyvalentine.com / https://www.facebook.com/BulletForMyValentine

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Megadeth

With ten minutes delay MEGADETH are starting a self-staging a little bit too egomaniac for my taste. Besides the band doesn't really fit into today's line-up. Their old-school Thrash Metal with many influences from heavy metal has kind of withered since the early 2000ers. Most guests here are too young to really remember MEGADETH's zenith. Of course they are legend, of course they are the top headliners today and of course they are one of the “Big Four” of Thrash Metal, but they seem rather tired. I have to praise their guitars, but I'm not willing to call it singing, what Dave Mustaine is doing with the microphone. But the crowd is cheering, so my opinion seems to be very subjective. Still I can't give them more than tight 6 out of 10 points for 'Murica. Sorry! // https://www.megadeth.com / https://www.facebook.com/Megadeth

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Conclusion

The alert reader noticed that there have been not as many bands from the United Kingdom than there have been bands from the United States. So we have to find the arithmetic mean of their points. The five American bands have average 7.6 points, while their British colleges reached 8.33 points. So it's a tight win for the UK, even though the overall best act were AUGUST BURNS RED from Pennsylvania. The ARCHITECTS and BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE from Great Britain evened it out with their also great concerts, so that not even the good show of the Hardcore guys HATEBREED could save the States. Finally let me mention CHILDREN OF BODOM. While being Switzerland in this imaginative music battle the Finnish melodic thrashers brought a very notable show to the stage. Thanks to all bands, audience and everyone else who made the Elbriot festival a good day!

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Pictures by Jan Termath (http://www.profound-passion.com/)

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