Samothrace, Nux Vomica, Nanda Devi – 05/11/08 – The Know – Portland

published on November 28, 2008 under show reviews. No Comments

Samothrace, Nux Vominca, Nanda Devi - 2008-11-05 - PortlandOne day after seeing the Corrupted, it was time for another down-tempo doom metal show. This time it was Samothrace from Kansas plus two local bands, Nux Vomica (originally from Baltimore) and Nanda Devi. The moment I arrived at the Know bar, I’ve heard Nux Vomica starting to play, so I hurried in. The show room is next to the bar room and although it’s just a small room with a few tables and chairs on the back and on the sides, it seems like a good place for small shows. A plus is that smoking and drinking inside the show space is allowed.

So as I entered the show room, about 40 or so people were there. Nux Vomica, had just started and as I was a little late, I thought I’ve missed the first band. The first thing I noticed on “stage” was the singer was pounding the percussions. I knew that these guys have a split 7” with Kakistocracy so I didn’t expect them to play that slow sludge/doom metal thing and they don’t. Amazing fast but depressing neocrust punk with lots of metal touches. Their set was so intense that I didn’t even feel like running to the next room to grab a beer! Truly amazing, please check them out, you won’t regret it.

After Nox Vomica it was Samothrace’s turn to play. Of course first we had to wait for the bands to change all the gear on stage, which I guess it’s after all a typical thing here and although it still seems strange to me, I’ll stop mentioning from now own and just take it for granted. So after the boring long break Samothrace start to play and that’s it.. welcome to yet another sorrowful nightmare. Dark, slow pace melodies and raw roaring vocals, all piling up inside you and by the end of the set you just want to scream to get rid the unbearable weight off your chest. Buy their album, simply as that!

The other band, Nanda Devi, apparently didn’t play in the beginning of the show, so I didn’t miss them and they played last. Unfortunately most of the people decided either to leave or to move to the bar room and stay there drinking. So Nanda Devi played for about 10-20 people that stayed to see them. Ok I don’t know what to write about this band. As far as I remember, on stage they sounded to me like, don’t laugh, fast hardcore or something that I didn’t really like. As I write these lines though, some weeks after the show, while listening their tracks on myspace they sound completely different, more down tempo and dark and also extremely interesting! Maybe they were in a bad night or maybe after Samothrace anything sounds ultra-fast or maybe I am just unable to write a simple review. Well the latter is for sure. I guess you should listen to them yourselves.

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Corrupted, Asunder, Trees, Aldebaran – 04/11/2008 – Satyricon, Portland

published on November 19, 2008 under show reviews. No Comments

Corrupted, Asunder, Trees, Aldebaran - 2008-11-04 - PortlandThis was the first show for me in this country and I have mixed feelings about it. I guess I’m not used of going to bars for shows (I don’t think there are any squats or social/free spaces to host shows) but that’s the rule here. So I went to the bar a bit after 8, paid the cover, got a stamp on my hand (oh this sucks) and got in. Guess what, this was an all-ages show.. which means that even if the venue doubles as a bar.. no smoking and no drinking is alowed in the show area! Fuck..

So the venue seems like a good place for a show: it’s not big, just enough to get full easily, it has a stage, it’s dark and there are a couple of pillars to block the view of the band from some spots. Just about right for a place that hosts punk and metal shows.. but it just doesn’t feel like a punk/metal show without the mix of smoke, spit beer and sweat in the atmosphere. Anyway. I didn’t know the first three bands that were to play so I didn’t know what to expect.

When I entered the venue Aldebaran had already started. They play a ultra-slow doom metal thing that I do like but not that slow! They had some faster parts, fast enough to slowly shake my head on the rythm and it was ok. Trees were the second band and I’m sorry but I just couldn’t like it. Again painfully-slow with some screaming vocals, sorry but it didn’t work for me. I was considering running to the bar in the other room for a quick beer but their set was very small. Next were Asunder from Oakland. They lit up some candles, turn most of the stage lights off, set the atmosphere just right for their very good set of.. yup, doom metal. I guess they’ve been around for a while because they sound really good. I need to listen more from them.

Last to play was ofcourse Corrupted, coming from Osaka, Japan. The place was full by the time they started and they managed to make everyone in the room to hung and stare in amazement. Their set was based on their latest sound and they didn’t play any of the raw stuff of their first releases. They gave and amazing set of slow, depressing, haunted sludge. Very well done! I like the fact that although they’ve playing for so long and have numerous releases, they keep a low profile, just perfect.

To make a last point: what the hell is that thing that in between the bands, the stage is cleared and different sets of drums and amps are brought on stage! Everyone has to play with their on gear? This caused big brakes between the bands and the show ended at 1.30. I didn’t keep track of the time to leave a little earlier and the result was to miss the last bus back home. So I had to walk, in the rain and cold for more than an hour (4.5miles~7km) to get back! that sucked…

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Leftover Crack, Vodka Juniors, 63 High, Bad Trip, Ass’s 9 Days – 24/08/2008 – Asteroskopeio, Thessaloniki

published on September 29, 2008 under show reviews. No Comments

Leftover Crack, Vodka Juniors, 63 High, Bad Trip, Ass's 9 Days - 24/08/2008 - Asteroskopeio, ThessalonikiLeftover Crack playing in Greece, that is big news. Unfortunately the gig was in Thessaloniki (that’s 500km from Athens) so I didn’t know if I was going but some friends were going so I decided to tag along. I’m glad I did, not just because it was a really good show but also because it was a good punk rock weekend. It involved us 10 kids taking the train and making a big mess in it, hanging around in a really kick ass city, going to a terrific show, crashing at some girl’s house that most of us didn’t even know (at 5am), looking for the local punk record shops (and find nothing) the morning after and falling apart on our way back on the train again. But anyway, let’s talk about the show.

The show was taking place inside the campus of the city’s university at an open air space with trees and lots of grass to lay down and rest. We went early so we had time to hang around. The show started around 11pm (tradition has it that all shows in Thessaloniki start after midnight so it took me by surprise that it started so early). First band to play, Ass’s 9 Days: I’m not sure what’s going on with this band, I knew that they shared some members with 63 High (they also shared a split cd) but I thought they were disbanded. It seems that they’re back. They played a small set of good and fun punk rock songs with some ska touches. Good start to get people moving.

Next to play were 63 High, a ska (with horns) band from Thessaloniki. Last time I saw them live was more than a year ago and although I’m not into ska-punk anymore I remember that their shows are really good but I wasn’t prepared for this! The band is up to standards with many well known (diy and major label) ska bands. They have songs with complicated compositions, fun and uplifting, played really well and the band’s performance skills are seriously high. If you are into that music, check them out! Oh and they played a Morning Glory cover.

Next band, Vodka Juniors. They are playing for a many years now and they are one of the most active greek bands. They recently released a double cd with mostly acoustic stuff but their show was based on their older fast punk/thrash style. They are known for their adrenaline driven performances and this one was no exception. The crowd went crazy since the majority of the kids that showed up are into the skateboard and new-school punk lifestyle and VJ are known to have a strong affect on them.
[now that I think of it, Vodka Juniors might have played before 63 High but I can't rememeber and it doens't really matter]

After VJ it was time for the main act, Leftover Crack of course, which I guess need no introduction and as soon as they started (already wasted) the place went crazy. All the favorite tunes were squeezed in their hour (or so) long show. They seemed to enjoy it, the people enjoyed it for sure: good tunes, lots of dancing, small (and some times longer) talks in between the songs by their frontman Stza, some slogans against the police from everybody and before we knew it they finished their set. At this point unfortunately lots of people started leaving although there was one more band on the bill to play. I know it was late, 3am maybe, can’t remember but still, stay till the end people!

Anyway, the next band to play was one of the main reasons I decided to drag my ass to Thessaloniki for the show. Bad Trip is a magnificent band from Thessaloniki and their music is closer to what I’m listening lately than any of the bands that played that night. It’s hard to describe their music. Here are some tags that will come close to what they play: Post-rock, post-hardcore, post-metal, Neurosis or Pelican like music, dark, doomy, emotional and much more. Just google “badtr1p”, go to their myspace page and listen to them. So when they started playing most of the people had either already left or were laying down on the grass and only a few people were in front of the band. But as they kept playing more and more were approaching. Stza (Lectover’s Crack singer, totally wasted by that time) went up on the “stage”, took the mic and did some screaming vocals for their instrumental music. I don’t know for how long they played but they did play most of their songs I think, which are pretty long anyway. Their music was the perfect soundtrack for the closing of the night which left 1 or 2 hundred kids, that stayed till the end at 4am, strolling around the university campus.

Some last things. I know that it cost alot of money to fly Leftover Crack from Germany and back and since it was a free show and there was no box for contributions I hope that the money from the drinks were enough to cover it. Unfortunately there was no distro around, just the LoC merch table. No riots broke out (another tradition at gigs taking place at the university of Thessaloniki). And overcrowded trains with closed windows and no a/c are no fun.

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Teenheat, Χατ Τρικ [Hat Trick], Oldschool Rednex – 24/05/2008 – Halandri square, Athens

published on May 25, 2008 under show reviews. No Comments

Teenheat, Hat Trick, Oldschool Rednex - 2008-05-24 - AthensTwo shows were taking place in Athens on this warm, early summer Saturday night. One was a grindcore show at the basement of Kallidromiou social center and the other one was an outdoor rock n roll show in a public square. I choose to go to the latest since I didn’t want to put myself in the hot basement on this weather and also because I needed some old fashion punk rock fun. When I arrived at the main square of Halandri, Teenheat had already started. A few hundreds of people had arrived but they were mostly talking and hanging out, not paying much attention to the band. Teenheat are well known for their Ramones like rock n roll which in my opinion they play really good but unfortunately the crowd didn’t seem too enthusiastic about it. Teenheat was the only Athenian band on the list and the next two bands to follow are from Thessalonica and I’d never seen them live before. So the following band to play was Χατ Τρικ [Hat Trick] and as they started it was made clear that it was going to be a hell of a night. Get-off-your-ass-and-start-dancing punk n roll and immediately the area in front of the band was set on fire. Kids were dancing and singing along, beers were flying around and kick ass tunes filled the air. The band has lots of energy and it’s passed on to the crowd. After an amazing set it was time for the last band Oldschool Rednex to start since there wasn’t much time left. They play the same kind of catchy punk rock as Hat Trick, with also catchy lyrics in greek (again just like Hat Trick) and very fun songs. The crowd didn’t go as crazy as before but still there was much dancing and crowd surfing. The gig ended just a little after midnight, since it was taking place in a public space and there is a midnight curfew for such events. Here are some last points: The gig took place in front of a branch of the national bank of greece and it was the background, behind the band. Since it was in the main square and around there are many bars and cafes, many people just stood and stare for a while but unfortunately they left quickly, let’s hope that next time they’ll stay more. Unfortunately the small “distro” didn’t carry the Hat Trick’s cd but I’ll have to get it on the first chance. The show was diy, without an entrance fee and to pay for the equipment and the bands’ transport costs, beers were sold by the organizers (as always) but unfortunately, there were still people going and buy their beers from the nearby shops (again as always). Let’s hope that someday soon this will stop. Overall, it was a night of great fun.

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Sapilla #7/Μελωδία της οργής [Melody of rage]

published on May 23, 2008 under zine reviews. No Comments

Sapilla #7, Melodia tis orgis, Μελωδία της οργήςAfter a yearly delay, the new issue of Sapilla zine is finally out. This is a “split” zine but both parts are created by the same person. The first half is the known punk comic “Sapilla”. Black and white comics dealing with modern life issues suck as alienation, disaffection, hypocrisy, the cruelty on animals and more. Compared to the comics on previous issues the subjects and the comic style are deeper, rawer and are touching darker parts of the soul. The second part, “Melodia tis Orgis” is a music zine, featuring strictly diy bands. You will find interviews of Straightjacket Fit, Kalashnikov, Μεθυσμένα Ξωτικά [Methismena Ksotika, Drunk Gremlins] and Tug. Also articles on Kill the Cat and Ανατέλλων Τρόμος [Anatellon Tromos, Raising Terror] and some reviews. The layout and the quality of the zine is the extremely good, the best so far, on glossy thick paper, very “professional”. And it’s not just that, it comes with many extras. Each copy contains five cards and a 6-track cd (not cd-r, in a beautiful case) with songs of the bands on Melody of Rage. Overall a great work.
http://www.sapilla.gr/
http://www.sapilla.gr/melodyofrage
sapilla_zine@yahoo.com

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