Via MetalItalia.com : "After recording a resounding sold out in 2018, the Danish Kill-Town Death Fest has replicated this year, even going so far as to sell all the tickets available within hours of the presale opening. An exciting result, to say the least, especially considering that in its previous incarnation - the one held at the social center until 2014 - the Copenhagen festival had never even remotely enjoyed such interest from the public, remaining for a long time event for a few fans of the underground death metal circuit. Since then things have obviously changed and today it is before everyone's eyes how these sounds are close to the hearts of many more fans and that a festival like the one in question has a bright future in front of it.
Compared to the last edition, that 2019 therefore did not record any change in terms of structure: the event took place again in the excellent Pumpehuset, a restaurant located a few steps from the center of Copenhagen, and everything went according to programs. The arrangement on two stages (plus a small stage in the beergarden for the very first concerts of the day) was confirmed as ideal and well managed and the familiar and relaxed atmosphere typical of this festival was not lacking even this time, despite the presence of many new faces among the patrons and a crowd more accentuated than usual in some places of the club. In short, again we can only spend words of esteem for this great little event, increasingly important for the enhancement of a musical panorama that never ceases to amaze with bands and productions felt and sought after.
THURSDAY
The festival starts on tiptoe with KEVER, an interesting but certainly not well-known formation. We are in front of the Black Stage and the Israelis - in which a couple of ex and current members of the great Sonne Adam militate - propose a dark death metal that looks as much to the aforementioned compatriots as to immortal classics like the Morbid Angel. Good the overall impact of the performance and, indeed, some pieces are truly remarkable, but at this point it seems that most of the patrons are still making an inspection at the merchandise area or are simply waiting for one of the so-called big pieces of the billboard.
Soon we end up admiring the first show in Europe of the CHTHE'ILIST, Canadian reality that has enjoyed a lot of hype around the publication of his debut album "Le Dernier Crépuscule". The band performs on the main stage and seems anything but nervous. The boys become protagonists of a test that does not betray the high expectations and that in fact places them just below the Finnish masters in terms of verve and cohesion. When a very articulate and frenetic techno-death is proposed, it is easy to lose sight of the scenic side of the concert, but the group manages to make a good impression also in terms of presence and ease. Having never played too much live, this is a good result for the Canadians, who send a strong signal to those who considered them a meteor all too pumped by the media.
The writer is dealing with the aftermath of a bad back pain and unfortunately must take a break from the concerts. It is up to sacrifice the Dutch LUCIFERICON , but we do not miss the proof of the CORPSESSED, a band that live is a real guarantee. The Finns baste what is probably the best show of the day: their very dark death metal, tending to death-doom in the most grandiloquent episodes, in concert it takes on even more tetragonic and oppressive tones, also thanks to a frontman, Niko Matilainen, absolutely spirited throughout the exhibition. The icy melodies given to the material stand out more than on this very heavy base and the quintet on the stage ends up looking really impressive, confirming that it is now ready to perform even in wider contexts.
Great attention is needed to fully enjoy the ADVERSARIAL test , engaged on the small Black Stage with their alienating black-death metal, as rich in facets as it is with dissonances and crunches that seem to be styled at the heart. Their presence on the bill of the event is a real treat for many and the Canadians do nothing to disappoint expectations, indeed showing off a compactness that we did not expect, given their occasional live activity. We go from catacomb slowdowns to frenetic accelerations and from the hypnotic feeling with remarkable fluency, but obviously we must be careful connoisseurs of the repertoire to fully enjoy the concert.
Lovers of the purest old-school sound fall back on the legendary ABHORRENCE, here at the first concert outside Finland in their history. The fathers of Finnish death metal, from which the well-known Amorphis also originated, have been back to life for a few years and the EP "Megalohydrothalassophobic" released last year has received a welcome above expectations, This evening, however, the most part of the audience is here to listen to the classics of the demos of the early nineties and the band knows it well: we are thus invested by a largely old school lineup, in which even a cover of "Foetal Mush", hit by the same, can find space Seminal Xysma. Abhorrence definitely gives the idea of having fun on stage and the audience immediately takes a liking to them, giving them great applause. A few burrs here and there do not spoil a concert that tears more than a smile from many nostalgics.
Let's go back to bands of the new wave with SUFFERING HOUR , an interesting US reality that recently struck us with a proposal as elusive as melodic, which at times reminds us almost a death metal version of the Inquisition. The Minneapolis trio drops to Kill-Town on the wave of the success of the last EP "Dwell", which consists of a single track of about twenty minutes, and is presented in the best way with a very intense concert that comes to include even the entire last fatigue mentioned above. I like the way the group mixes more catchy dissonances and plots: a formula this evening supported by a great verve by the musicians, as well as by a felt participation by the audience. Transport that remains on high levels with the arrival of the headliners SERIOUS, who today decide to win easily by focusing exclusively on the material of "Into The Grave" and the demos. There is little to do: in front of songs like titletrack or "Annihilated Gods", even those who have stopped following these dinosaurs for some time melt and let themselves go to healthy headbanging. Moreover, Ola Lindgren and associates, unlike various colleagues, have aged quite well and their show never loses intensity, entertaining those present until the end. Time now to go home to recover, because tomorrow will be another long day.
FRIDAY
On Friday, the small outdoor stage is also inaugurated, located in the beergarden which gives access to the Pumpehuset building. In all honesty, attending a concert in this context is not always the best, since it is an area of passage, where people pass by or stop to drink and chat. A group like the young CHAOTIAN , a local reality that recently appeared on the scene, is all in all ignored by most, also because of a still immature sound that seems to definitely need a second guitar live. The ghastly, shortly after, they suffer less from the location, but we wonder why such a valid band was relegated to an objectively Serie B stage. The Finns offer a death metal full of melodic weaves and prog influences, practically a middle ground between Demigod and the last Morbus Chron, and their atmospheric component is almost completely dispersed between shouts, toasts and people who come and go. A shame for us that we really appreciated the latest "Death Velor"; we hope to see them again soon in a context more suited to their sound. For the usual back problems, we decide to take a break during the DROWNED show: we appreciate the Teutonic group, but in recent years we have had the opportunity to see it on various occasions.
We cannot miss the BLACK CURSE concert on the Black Stage, a new US reality with members of Spectral Voice, Blood Incantation and Primitive Man. The group has recently signed up for Sepulchral Voice and today is its absolute debut on a stage. Apart from a song released a few weeks ago, the quartet's repertoire is completely unpublished, but the audience immediately manages to tune in to the band and the proposal, even if the singer / guitarist Eli Wendler (singer / drummer of the aforementioned Spectral Voice) seems to be doing everything to break the rhythm of the show, excessively breaking out and repeatedly disconnecting the guitar and microphone cables. In any case, a promising preview for a group that fans of certain death-black-thrash hybrids at Degial, Vorum or Lvcifyre should keep an eye on.
From an absolute novelty we then move on to the recovery of an old name with TRANSGRESSOR , Japanese authors of only one album back in 1992, "Ether for Scapegoat". The drummer Takashi Tanaka in recent years has stood out with his Anatomy, while his first project has remained a name for true lovers of the genre. Classic and primitive ninety death metal, between Autopsy and Cianide, is what the group offers us, which, despite the intermittent activity, appears well-established and with an extra gear represented by the enthusiasm of being for the first time in such an important European festival.
There is a need for another break and consequently the writer loses the MALTHUSIAN show(seen several times in recent years), while we are well positioned for that of RITUAL NECROMANCY , massive disciples of the best Incantations, called here to promote their latest effort "Disinterred Horror". Obviously, if you are not a fan of the John McEntee band it is practically impossible to tune in to the Portland quartet, but beyond this, the boys must be recognized with an absolutely authoritarian attitude and the presence in the repertoire of a handful of songs remarkable. The imposing sound of the main stage completes the picture and makes the concert more than pleasant.
A real surprise is instead represented by MORTUOUS, an American reality less talked about than others, but to say the least lethal on the boards of a stage. The quartet - in which members of Acephalix, Vastum, Evulse and Necrot militate - literally puts the Black Stage to fire, unleashing the most violent pogo of the day. We didn't expect such an impact from the band, also because the debut album "Through Wilderness" also leverages a more doom and atmospheric component, but in the live venue the most barbaric side of the formation comes out with arrogance. Amazing the harmony of these musicians, who start off very strong and manage to impose themselves on the attention of the entire audience as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Promoted across the board.
We remain on high levels with the arrival of the TOMB MOLDs, acclaimed loudly by a very large audience flocked to the main stage. The excellent impression aroused by the last album, "Planetary Clairvoyance", is confirmed by a precision and a mastery of the stage worthy of a group of veterans. Among our stands out the drummer / singer Max Klebanoff, author of an incredible performance from every point of view; we believe there are very few musicians in this role capable of performing with such accuracy on such an aggressive and articulated sound. Just like the Chthe'ilist the night before, the Canadians almost overshadow the virtuous side of the matter, managing to appear fluid and impetuous even on the most articulated plots. After taking a decisive step forward in the studio with the aforementioned last work.
After this beautiful test made in Canada, our attention therefore turns to the Black Stage, on which NECROVATION is arriving , one of the first bands capable of rekindling the flame of the real old school death metal in the early 2000s. The Swedish combo has definitely been on the sidelines for the last few years, but the quality of works such as "Breed Deadness Blood" and "Necrovation" is still there for all to see. Certainly we find some rust in their performance and, unfortunately, even the sounds do not seem to be the best, however a break characterized by less monolithic sounds, with thrash and Celtic-Frostian influencesmore evident, it is well appreciated within a bill that today has focused all or almost all on scores of another type. For our part, thanks to the organizers for having resurrected a name of this caliber.
It then closes with the monstrous FUNEBRARUM, among the founders of that old school revival that has involved the whole underground scene since the beginning of the millennium. Daryl Kahan's band has been working on a new album for some time, but tonight there is only room for record hits like "Beneath the Columns of Abandoned Gods" or "The Sleep of Morbid Dreams", which has long been at the top of the preferences of lovers of this sound rooted in the death metal tradition. The current line-up has not undergone major upheavals for a couple of years and the Americans are also fresh veterans from a dozen dates in Europe, so we find particularly compact Funebrarum and now at ease in the role of headliner. After all, a large group of fans is here also and above all for them and considers them now as important as certain masters of the nineties. So we attend a vehement concert, interpreted with conviction by an increasingly expert and concrete band." Originally written by Luca Pessina for MetalItalia.com
