» Mörkaste Småland 2015

Mörkaste Småland 2015

The summer is over, days become shorter and the nights become colder. Alas, the scene is well set for a weekend of aural hellfire and damnation. Following last year's success, black and death metal-focused festival Mörkaste Småland is back in its second year. Albeit a less numerous line-up than 2014, this years' festival shows a more renowned set of acts primarily from Sweden and Norway.

To frame the sonic assaults the guests are also treated with a well-chosen set of record dealers, tattoo artists, designers and even a brewery. Looking at the total line-up the only thing that seems to be missing is a broader selection of food than the slim pub menu served. All of it nicely fitted at the well-fitted Rockcity venue in the small town of Hultsfred. Once home to the biggest mainstream festival in Sweden, this weekend is for those who do not shun the dark and for those alone.
//Tengan

|Friday| - |Saturday|

Reviews by Tengan

Friday - September 25

Band: Centinex
Main stage 19:10-19:50

Centinex never made it big amongst the early Swedish death metal bands back in the days. But like so many other, they have received their recognition in retrospect. Reforming last year and releasing a comeback album, the band has the honours to open the 2015 edition of Mörkaste Småland. Despite a rather low mixed guitar for the first song, the majority of the set shows an excellent sound that will prove to be the hallmark of the entire festival.

The band has a set of really enjoyable riffs and gets their brand of tempo-varied death metal through to the audience gathered. Vocalist Alexander Högbom might have a voice as smooth as Justin Bieber's between songs, but his deep growls gets necks banging and hair flying. Just the boot up the bum needed for the guests to forget a week's hard work and get in the proper mood.

Performance: 7 chalices of 10
Stage sound: 6 chalices of 10
Best: The crushing mid-tempo sections
Worst: ---

(sorry, no setlist)

Band: Khold
Main stage 20:20-21:00

The first Norwegian act of the weekend, Khold's rock 'n roll-infused black metal seems to have numerous fans present. The band is on edge, breaks more than a few sweats and gets a just response. Admittedly, my experience with the band is slim but their excellent riffwork is felt right down my spine much thanks to the crystal clear sound. Only the vocals seem to drop a bit in the mix at times.

The set has an almost ritualistic feel to it with long tunes and slower hypnotic sections. Had I been better acquainted with the bands compositions, this would undoubtedly have been one of the highlights of the weekend. Now it is just a really good show.

Performance: 7 chalices of 10
Stage sound: 7 chalices of 10
Best: ----
Worst: ---

(sorry, no setlist)

Band: 1349
Main stage 22:20-23:10

To an ominous intro accompanied by the traditional double burst of fire-eating, 1349 takes the stage to deliver 'Sculptor of Flesh'. From start to finish we are unfortunately treated with a rather poor sound. The heavy distortion and battering drums cut like a knife through the mix effectively drowning almost all of the guitar and bass work. The bands early work had a distinct lo-fi sound, but still kept clarity in the sound. Clarity that is all but lost this evening. The band on the other hand does their job with honours going through the motions to deliver a good show to a dedicated audience.

The performance is well-orchestrated despite few talks between songs and the sparse use of the smoke machine compared to the evening's earlier acts creates a more intimate feeling. The set is focused towards 1349's last album but contains songs from all other albums except the masterful debut. The latter along with the poor sound quality are the only complaints I can possibly have. 1349 knows how to deliver a blasting rain of hellfire and do not sit on a chance to tell the world!

Performance: 8 chalices of 10
Stage sound: 5 chalices of 10
Best: I Am Abomination
Worst: No songs played from Liberation.

Setlist:
Sculptor Of Flesh
Slaves
Chasing Dragons
Chained
I Am Abomination
Exorcism
Serpentine Sibliance
Atomic Chapel
Golem
Cauldron

Band: IXXI
Pub stage 23:40-00:30

IXXI's "catchy" black metal never managed to strike a proper nerve with me. Still I figured they deserve a proper chance in a live setting. The sound is generally excellent at the pub stage this weekend despite being hampered by an occasional feedback. This is particularly abundant during IXXI's gig. Giving a high stage presence the pub stage is intimate but small. Neglecting the tiny space on stage the band makes proper use of the space given and does an honest 50 minutes work in front of a rather small crowd. In all fairness, IXXI deserves better recognition for their live performance.

Performance: 6 chalices of 10
Stage sound: 6 chalices of 10
Best: ---
Worst: ---

(sorry, no setlist)

Band: Shining
Main stage 01:00-01:50

To make things clear from the very start, I have always found Shining's songs lukewarm at best and the lyrics as interesting as the generic whining tweet feed. The band has however a string of (in)famous live performances under their belt and a solid fan base that basically worship the expression of Shining. It is not difficult the objectively see why in a live setting. Main man Niklas Kvarforth delivers the lyrics with passion and devotion.

This is music purely from the soul. A disturbed soul however, giving his best to taunt and spite his audience at every given chance. Most of the time it is just juvenile, but eventually some lines are crossed that effectively turn all but the hardcore fans against the band and many guests bid them adieu much to Kvarforth's happiness. Albeit blessed with a crystal clear, although too low, sound this incident along with the generally uninteresting compositions makes me stick around to the very end out of courtesy alone.

Performance: 6 chalices of 10
Stage sound: 8 chalices of 10
Best: The passionate performance
Worst: Some lines should not be crossed; however provocative one seeks to be.

(sorry, no setlist)

Saturday - September 26

Band: Infested
Pub stage 15:05-15:45

Locals Infested get the honour to open the second day of the festival to a somewhat hung over audience. Once again the pub stage delivers an excellent sound with a well balanced mix. Despite a very small crowd to start off with, Infested's no frills, no thrills-approach attracts a righteous attention and an ever-flowing stream of red-eyed headbangers. The band is technically skilled and delivers a fairly solid technical death metal with clear Meshuggah-influences here and there. It does however become somewhat schizophrenic at times and Infested could benefit from more experience mixing the influences together to churn out solid compositions.

Performance: 6 chalices of 10
Stage sound: 7 chalices of 10
Best: ---
Worst: ---

(sorry, no setlist)

Band: Firespawn
Main stage 16:00-16:40

Let's face it, all-star bands are generally horrible and mostly an excuse for seasoned musicians to become teenagers again every other weekend. There are some notable exceptions though like Bloodbath and Vallenfyre that also delivers high quality music. With experience from Entombed, Unleashed, Necrophobic and Defleshed I can't help but expect something out of Firespawn akin to the aforementioned two acts. Thus witnessing the bands first ever gig this afternoon I feel disappointed.

Sure, the band has the experience and knows how to perform live but it never really takes off properly despite most of the audience being of a contrary belief. Could it be because of the quite generic compositions, with a few exceptions such as 'Lucifer Has Spoken'? Could it be due to the poorest sound at the festival where the bass basically push the guitars and vocals out of the picture? Or could it be that the jolliness of the happiest extreme metal musician in Sweden, drummer Matte Modin, spreads to vocalist L-G Petrov? It is difficult to say and even though I will check out their studio work eventually, this gig shows nothing more than a generic all-star band.

Performance: 5 chalices of 10
Stage sound: 4 chalices of 10
Best: ---
Worst: ---

(sorry, no setlist)

Band: Azarath
Pub stage 17:00-17:40

Following the disappointment of Firespawn it is an absolute delight to be totally floored by the black/death assault that is Poland's Azarath! From start to finish the band blasts forth their spite of the holy one in praise of the not so holy one. The sound is excellent; both guitars are clearly distinguishable without the audience even having to focus. The performance is excellent; the band convinces with small means and charmingly poorly pronounced talk between songs. The setlist is excellent; variation and dynamics being the key word. All in all, the biggest surprise of the festival well deserved of at least three times the audience present.

Performance: 8 chalices of 10
Stage sound: 8 chalices of 10
Best: Beast Inside
Worst: A crowd that small is nothing short of a disgrace.

(sorry, no setlist)

Band: Valkyrja
Main stage 18:00-18:45

When Valkyrja opened for Marduk some years ago I noticed two things in particular; the band is heavily influenced by Watain in its sound and stage performance bordering on being copy cats and they really know how to put on a good show. Since then the band has gained even more confidence and are truly ready to take to the big stages. From start to finish the band owns both the stage and the audience and gives us one of the best shows of the weekend and perhaps the most intense.

The atmosphere could sharpen a knife despite suffering from a poor sound with inaudible guitars and a constant murmur in the background. Towards the end it goes completely bonkers when the kettle-drums start to sound like plastic bottles. Being able to get their message through under these circumstances is a true testament to Valkyrja's abilities as a live band. Never mind that you have heard Watain perform these songs in the past, this show could serve as a blueprint for a black metal performance.

Performance: 8 chalices of 10
Stage sound: 5 chalices of 10
Best: Madness Redeemer
Worst: The poor sound quality.

Setlist:
Betrayal Incarnate
Laments Of The Destroyed
Yearn To Burn
Frostland
Madness Redeemer
Oceans To Dust
The Womb Of Disease

Band: Thyrfing
Main stage 20:00-21:00

I first saw Thyrfing live back in 2001 which brings out a fair bit of nostalgia when the band takes the stage, despite never being that fond of the band's studio efforts. Immediately I am reminded of why; the excess use of keyboards. I don't mind the occasional keyboard lines to spice my extreme metal, but when it becomes the focus in the sound it stops to tickle my fancy. Like on 'In the Nightside Eclipse' and on Thyrfing's gig this evening.

At first the band does what is expected of them but not much more and takes too long between songs. Admittedly the band goes the extra mile with 20 minutes left of the set firing on the growing audience and dusting off an old demo song in honour of the band's 20th anniversary. By that time however I feel my focus has started to drift somewhat despite the sound at the main stage being back in order.

Performance: 5 chalices of 10
Stage sound: 6 chalices of 10
Best: ---
Worst: ---

Setlist:
Mjölner
The Voyager
Raven Eyes
Mot Helgrind
Veners Förfall
Sweoland Conqueror
Far Åt Helvete
Från Stormens Öga
…Ty Mörkret Skall Falla
Digerdöden
Storms Of Asgard

Band: Dark Funeral
Main stage 22:15-23:15

Last year's line-up changes and general frictions within the Dark Funeral camp caused me to seriously doubt what would become of the once behemoth of Swedish black metal. A finally solid line-up and the release of a new single showed some light at the end of the tunnel, but I still had my doubts. When the band finally takes the stage all doubts are totally blown away!

The sound is excellent, the setlist is chosen with utmost care and the light show and pyro are top notch in providing the most satanic of atmospheres. Despite his modest size charismatic vocalist Heljarmadr is the biggest man in the room if not the entire festival. Replacing such an integral member of a band as Emperor Magus Caligula should be difficult, outshining him in every aspect should be impossible. Well, Heljarmadr does the impossible and meanwhile convinces me why '666 Voices Inside' should be mandatory in the set list.

As a testament to Dark Funeral's status as an institution within the Swedish black metal scene the band is rightfully treated with the biggest audience of the festival. Blasphemic pieces old and new are met with the same frantic enthusiasm. The crowd is on fire, the band is more vital than ever and seems to be headed straight into a second golden age of aural praise of the unholy one. Easily the highlight of the festival if not the entire year so far!

Performance: 9 chalices of 10
Stage sound: 8 chalices of 10
Best: Open The Gates
Worst: Searching for flaws would be futile.

Setlist:
Stigmata
The Arrival Of Satan's Empire
Open The Gates
Temple Of Ahriman
The Dawn No More Rises
Atrum Regina
Nail Them To The Cross
Goddess Of Sodomy
666 Voices Inside
Hail Murder
Vobiscum Satanas
My Funeral

Band: Vanhelgd
Pub stage 23:30-00:10

Following Dark Funeral's discharge Vanhelgd has perhaps the worst possible basis of the entire festival. Their reply? The second best gig of the festival! Vanhelgd's doom-fused death metal is ideal for such an environment as the intimate pub stage for sure but the sheer energy of the band is what makes the small pub truly claustrophobic. With the feedback finally gone from the pub stage, Vanhelgd is set with the best sound of the festival.

The band fully embraces the opportunity and performs with a combination of madness and adrenaline. The entire room is on edge and everyone seems to love it. No one is left untouched. As the room grows smaller, the band and their tunes grow bigger. A true underground gem for the masses to find and I pity the fools who sat this one out.

Performance: 8 chalices of 10
Stage sound: 9 chalices of 10
Best: Ett Liv I Träldom
Worst: Finishing abruptly with another ten minutes to go.

(sorry, no setlist)

Band: Taake
Main stage 00:50-02:00

Despite closing the festival grandeur does not become the Norwegians in Taake. The stage is stripped of everything unnecessary and the band members settle for the standard corpse paint. Bearded main man Hoest apparently decided that upper body clothing was in excess as well and in the process becomes something of a hipster Iggy Pop. With a stiff bunch of live musicians Hoest compensates thoroughly by screaming, barking and kicking his way through the entire set.

Competent for sure, but it leaves most of the listener's experience to the music. Surely excellent music, that is heavily reliant on its riffs and guitar lines. With said guitars somewhat drowned in the mix the entire experience becomes, well, not what it had potential to be. Still, a good performance for the weary spectator and a worthy closer of the festival.

Performance: 7 chalices of 10
Stage sound: 6 chalices of 10
Best: ---
Worst: ---

(sorry, no setlist)

The quality of a festival is first and foremost defined by the quality of the participating acts. In this respect, Mörkaste Småland anno 2015 has been very good. But that is not the full story. What makes it truly excellent are all the little details; the overall brilliant stage sound, the intimate feeling of the pub stage, the well-designed main stage complete with rails at different levels, the well-oiled organization, the nice selection of vendors and the general atmosphere. All of these factors give an experience greater than the individual pieces combined. Hultsfred was once home to the biggest festival in Sweden, now it is home to one of the very best. Mörkaste Småland 2016 cannot come soon enough!