Suomi Darkness: Turmion Kätilöt / Kinetik Control / Beati Mortui / Silent Scream / Cold Cold Ground / Black Light Discipline / Hellcity Punks
For the first time in Berlin, for the first time at K17 Club – and well, surely I lack the experience to compare with other clubs in town, but for me this location ranks among the top on my personal “coolest locations” list. Beer garden with campfire, Curry-sausage (YUM!), chill-out clubrooms near the concert hall, friendly crew – that surely made the trip worth the effort. Besides such a brilliant line up…
Have to mention here that although one or the other act did not quite cater to my musical taste that night, you hardly ever get to see such a tight package of excellent live performers. Therefore all who missed out on it should indeed kick themselves – and put all the bands on their “must-check-out” lists.
Naturally when 7 bands play on one night, there were just 30-40min sets, and kudos to the crew who managed to pull off quick changeovers, so that inevitable delays could be contained.
Hellcity Punks
entertained quite a big audience for this early evening – and as it turned out, the crowd wasn´t to grow much later. However, in the aftermath of PopKom I had expected a bit more, admittedly. Hellcity Punks – obviously nervous in the beginning – were probably the only band nobody in the audience had ever heard of, therefore it was nice to watch how they got the crowd into party mood pretty much instantly. Their new single “Angelina Cries” was presented live for the first time – and if this gives an impression of the upcoming album, you can expect much more British Old School Punk than US-style – which means tougher stuff – from those guys in the near future. Check them out! www.hellcitypunks.com
Black Light Discipline
rocked and posed as if their life depended on it, and I don´t need to bet that they won over some new fans (because I know that it´s indeed the case). Well, this band was praised many times before by STALKER, therefore not much to add here. Their setlist featured old hits as well as the more recent “Aggressor”, and also the brand new digi-single “Walls Inside Us” premiered live. And because there was no “only the first 3 songs” limitation for taking photos, I finally managed to capture some better snapshots of lively and charismatic singer Toni. Thumbs up! PS: Finnish fans can see the guys warming up for PAIN soon. www.bld.fi
Silent Scream
were totally unknown to me, although I had heard of the previous formation Varjo (which lost 2 band members under tragic circumstances). Silent Scream impressed with classic Electro Goth Rock – sort-of a “sinister version of Depeche Mode” or something. Their stage show played with the tension between total-control – passionate outbursts. You could claim that thus they had transformed the musical theme of their recent record “In The Cinema” – inspired by old horror movies and silent movie classics – also on a visual level. www.myspace.com/silentscrm
Cold Cold Ground
and their stomping Industrial Metal naturally appealed to the crowd. Singer Hauptmann D behaved like a maniac – as usual, and Mr Bunny gave his best to look creepy when he tortured his guitar. Sometimes it´s difficult to decide which band member to keep an eye on, as also those 2 percussionists draw some attention. Drummer Kunt, by the way, premiered as official new band member. Cold Cold Ground heated up the vibe with e.g. Pigs, You Will Break, Model Citizen and their new digi-single Disintegrating. The only thing to criticize is the overdose of red lights, so it was difficult to capture those guys on film… www.coldcoldground.com
Beati Mortui
were the positive surprise for me that night – not only because of front woman Maria Mortifera and her great versatile voice. She can do it all, from clean to rough-dirty, and without tech-electronic support/tricks (as I could find out during the soundcheck). Industrial-based, danceable, rather in the classic Electro-Goth genre – this charismatic trio kept me under their spell throughout their whole set, e.g. with ear candy like “Prey”. You really got to give this act some attention! www.myspace.com/beatimortui
Kinetik Control
sounded – so to say – like Sunrise Avenue on Goth, featuring a versatile singer (Sauli Vuoti). I like them better when they rather go Punk than melancholic, and although it was nice to get some rest before the headliner, the slot seemed a bit wrong. And the music too calm and Alternative for this time of day (and my taste). However, songs like Loving the Animal or All Fours do kick ass, but only the front rows of the crowd got into party mood. www.kinetikcontrol.com
Turmion Kätilöt
had once again full attention and attendance – although it seemed the crowd was not as big as in the beginning of that evening. Well, it was a Wednesday, so perhaps some had to leave earlier? Anyway, everybody who was still able to stand, did so right in front of the stage, and freaked out. It was quite funny to witness Germans enthusiastically shouting “Verta ja Liha” – do they know that they celebrate Blood and Meat? MC Rakaa Pee and Spellgoth kept the Finnish Metal-meat grinder running and only those announcements with stand-up-comedy character gave some time to breathe and relax. Finally there was also a flash of flesh for the fans (which I unfortunately missed, due to some delays… in an unknown city I preferred to catch the last option of a direct ride to my hostel). As those guys will soon be touring with PAIN (well, the first 12 shows), they are very likely to widen their fan base outside Finland. www.turmion-katilot.info
Summary: Great experience, surely wanna come back again!
