deathcrusher_tour

» Deathcrusher Tour 2015

Reviewed by Blidmark
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City: Gothenburg, Sweden
Venue: Trädgårn
Date: November 08, 2015
Carcass set length: 70 minutes
Obituary set length: 40 minutes
Napalm Death set length: 40 minutes
Voivod set length: 40 minutes

Voivod

What really impressed me while seeing Voivod live this evening was their duality. On the one hand, they perform this incredibly technical and complex music that has me dumbstruck trying to understand the rhythms and melodies. On the other hand, they do it all with such ease and aloof playfulness - it's hard not to get impressed by how relaxed they all are. They quickly got the crowd dancing, moshing and singing. 40 minutes is rather short for such a diverse band but what we got was a really solid gig, while it lasted.

Performance: 7 chalices of 10
Stage sound: 7 chalices of 10
Best: Michel "Away" Langevin's performance on the drums.
Worst: Astronomy Domine should always be played, even on the Deathcrusher tour.

Setlist:
Ripping Headaches
Tribal Convictions
Kluskap O'Kom
Chaosmöngers
The Prow
Overreaction
Forever Mountain
Voivod

Napalm Death

"Yes indeed, we are Napalm Death from Birmingham, England". Having seen Napalm Death live at open air festivals three times before, this was my first time seeing them at a smaller indoor venue. I can only say that this is the way that you're supposed to witness a show of theirs. The crowd seemed to agree with me and got really worked up during their gig - it got sweaty in the front, to say the least.

Of course, it's hard not to go along with Barney's insanity onstage, not standing still for a single second except while speaking some well chosen words in between some of the songs. Also, while some frontmen learn the Swedish translations to "Thank you very much" and "Cheers", Barney went for another approach and splurted out things like "Flodhäst" (hippopotamus) and "Borsta tänderna!" (brush your teeth) at random occasions.

Very cool, as well, that Tompa from At The Gates got up on stage and sang along during Nazi Punks Fuck Off. I hadn't expected to be so blown away by their gig but, to me, Napalm Death was definitely the highlight of the entire evening.

Performance: 8 chalices of 10
Stage sound: 7 chalices of 10
Best: You Suffer, of course
Worst: ---

(sorry, no setlist)

Obituary

Next up were Obituary, with a lot of hair and a lot of beards. To me, the best moments from their gig came from their first and their last album - in the form of the monumental Slowly We Rot and the insanely heavy Visions In My Head. In contrast, some parts of the gig were less captivating. With such a dire collection of phenomenal songs, the instrumental Redneck Stomp (which they opened the gig with) and the almost instrumental Dying both seemed to kill the momentum slightly. Perhaps the contrast from Napalm Death's insanely intense gig left me underwhelmed - I definitely enjoyed the gig but it left me with the feeling that it could have been so much better.

Performance: 6 chalices of 10
Stage sound: 8 chalices of 10
Best: Visions In My Head and Slowly We Rot
Worst: The long, instrumental parts.

Setlist:
Redneck Stomp
Centuries Of Lies
Visions In My Head
Intoxicated
Bloodsoaked
Dying
Find The Arise
Don't Care
Slowly We Rot

Carcass

Last out this evening was Carcass. Holding the audience in a firm grip from the first second to the last, Jeff Walker is a natural born frontman - something along the likes of a Lemmy of death metal. It was however Bill Steer who impressed me the most, with his guitar playing being nothing short of perfect. This was highlighted even further by the flawless harmony between him and and co-guitarist Ben Ash.

I like the fact that they have confidence in their latest album, as shown by their decision to play five songs from it this evening. Overall they did a great gig, playing songs from all stages of the band's history. I was annoyed, however, that they played only the intro of Black Star (before Keep On Rotting In The Free World), which actually was the song that made me discover Carcass once upon a time, in my early teens.

With such a strong new album as Surgical Steel behind them, it's obvious that Carcass is a force to be reckoned with and a lot more than the nostalgia act that reformed in 2007. A worthy headliner for the Deathcrusher tour, although like Jeff said onstage: Voivod deserved to headline the bill, as did Napalm Death and Obituary. A fantastic evening all in all and I was happy to see such a large crowd attending.

Performance: 8 chalices of 10
Stage sound: 8 chalices of 10
Best: Corporal Jigsore Quandary and Mount Of Execution
Worst: ---

Setlist:
1985
Unfit For Human Consumption
Buried Dreams
Incarnated Solvent Abuse
Cadaver Pouch Conveyor System
This Mortal Coil
The Granulating Dark Satanic Mills
Captive Bolt Pistol/Genital Grinder
Exhume To Consume
Reek Of Putrefaction
Keep On Rotting In The Free World
Corporal Jigsore Quandary
Mount Of Execution
Heartwork