Netherlands Deathfest Is Less Than Six Months Away!


neatherlands-deathfest-ii-final-lineup-ghostcultmag

With California Deathfest in the rearview, the team behind Maryland Deathfest turns its attention to already completed Netherlands Deathfest event next March, less than six months away. Details below: Continue reading


Neurotic Deathfest 12 Part II: Live at 013, Tilburg NL


eflyer-NDF2015

 

Sunday also started out very slowly, people were slow, I was slow, my friends were slow. This was hangover day and we were finding remedies for them. After trying milk, coffee and a good breakfast we were feeling more OK. And then we went up to see Internal Suffering. But once again we notice, this band was a victim of the bad sound. I hope this gets better when the 013 had its renovation. We left soon and spent more time waking up. It was hard to get on track this day and you noticed that the news that this was the last neurotic deathfest slightly put some sadness over some people. Imagine the old-school rockers that have been there all 12 editions. That must be a big loss for them. I have only been there four, and I even felt like I lost something.

All good things come to an end and we are going to listen to the last sounds of battering drums, shreiking guitars and grunts that almost make you sick in your stomach. The last few breaths of utter pain.

We went up to the smallest stage which is going to disappear after the renovation for the last time for Neuroma. These happy British guys know how to add in a good dose of humor. I still need to meet the singer’s grandma, he promised that from the stage. There we stood for a nice piece of brutal death, and we got a little bit of a comedy show too. This made this show even more enjoyable. The music was good! I think without the cunningness of their singer I wouldn’t have enjoyed them this much. It does count if you ask me.

Crowdsurfer at Neurotic Deathfest, by Susanne A. Maathuis

Crowdsurfer at Neurotic Deathfest, by Susanne A. Maathuis

 

So been there, done that, got a t-shirt. We were really looking forward to seeing Immolation. But that still took a while and because it was such good weather we decided to go away from the festival and search out a nice little terrace. Just 30 meters from the 013 there is a long street with only bars and clubs. People who have been to NDF or Roadburn before must know about this street. In the south of The Netherlands we are used to quite a burgondic life and with that nice food and nice beers and wines go along with it. We don’t deal with shit. That is why you seldom see Heineken in this area. We are keen to Belgian beers and definitely Belgian special beers. Speaking about special beers, on the end of the street where you almost enter the city center you have a café called the “buitenbeentje”, which simply means “outsider”. This is a café with the cheapest beer in whole of Tilburg, and they also have a great variety of special beers and whiskeys. And you can go cheap, or even expensive if you feel like it.

Immolation, by Susanne A. Maathuis

Immolation, by Susanne A. Maathuis


We went back and head for Immolation, this time they were only with 3 members. One guitarist had a family emergency back home and stayed home. It was a little bit empty when Robert Vigna started playing his virtuous solo’s. He is always so much fun to watch, it always looks like he is having a party on his own on the stage with his happy face: “look mom! I make death metal”. I love it. Immolation did show that even when a member short, they can still put up some good old death metal! It was tight, but it sounded different. But that is more than logical if you ask me.

And then we got Obituary. This actually was the first time I’ve seen this band, so I was pretty excited about what to come. These guys are legendary and one of the founders of this genre. I somehow needed to see this band and I don’t get why I haven’t done that before.

Obituary, by Susanne. A. Maathuis

Obituary, by Susanne. A. Maathuis


Obituary started to play and it immediately turned into a big pit of epileptic people in the front. It was notable that there were a lot of die-hard fans in the audience. They came with a sound that was unbreakable and the best sound I have heard on Neurotic up untill now! I enjoyed this. One song also got dedicated to the recently passed local “Fozz Bear” which gave me and a lot more Tilburgians quite some goosebumps. Obituary performed a great show with a lot of passion. And for that we thank them.

But now the unthinkable, Neurotic Deathfest was to an end, forever. The screens showed a huge “Thank you for 12 years of Death Metal” and all the posters of past editions. From the editions in the Baroeg in Rotterdam, to the Dynamo in Eindhoven, and the last years in the 013 in Tilburg.

Thank you Neurotic Deathfest for 4 years of death metal.

 

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WORDS BY KAAT VAN DOREMALEN

PHOTOS BY SUSANNE A. MAATHUIS


Neurotic Deathfest 12 Part I: Live at 013, Tilburg NL


eflyer-NDF2015

It was that time of the year! It was time for the annual festival full of Death, Grind and Slam metal. It was time for Neurotic Deathfest again. We were blessed with another year with extremely good weather and after drinking some beers at a local bar we strutted to the 013 venue. We are going to talk about the atmosphere, why do I always want to go to Neurotic Deathfest so bad, and I will highlight some bands.


The reason I love to go to Neurotic Deathfest is at first my love of death metal off course, but what also counts is that the 013 is comfortable. I live in the city of Tilburg, which means that I can sleep in my own bed and my whole group of buddys is headbanging or somewhere else in the city.

But this year was different. This year it was clear the atmosphere was different, ther was a cloud of astonishment hanging in the air. There was something going on, we were soon to find out. We hadn’t gone up to get a festival program, but when we did, we knew what was going on. This will be the last Neurotic Deathfest ever!

Farewell message from the Neurotic Deathfest Program

Farewell message from the Neurotic Deathfest Program


After hearing this news it kind of hit me like a bomb, Neurotic Deathfest was a statement for the city of Tilburg. Even Non-metalheads knew what was going on when this festival was in town again.

Dutch bands always represent on this festival and Koprse was one of them, the first pit is a fact and this venue was filled up. This was blasting to the max! We still had to warm up but we were ready for a party and Korpse made you feel like you wanted to party. So you got back from the venue with five extra beers in your stomach to go on to the next show.

Morgoth, by Susanne A. Maathuis

Morgoth, by Susanne A. Maathuis

Morgoth was a band that had high expectations for us. The big venue was still a bit quiet. It was not crowded enough to get the party going and get the feeling of a crowded place. Morgoth started to play and we noticed that this is a band that means serious shit. Nice piece of death metal with a tight hard and a sound that filled up the whole place with a nagging feeling. This band made me think of Asphyx for a bit, not for all of the music but more about the kick this band gives in your nuts.

 

Entombed A.D., by Susanne A. Maathuis

Entombed A.D., by Susanne A. Maathuis

Strutting around the venues there was a swirling mass of people, it got more crowded The more we got to the headliner Entombed A.D. the more people got excited. 


Entombed A.D. for me the least interesting headliner. So I might have drifted away sometimes in the show. Though this band was dominant over the rest of the bands, they never stood on Neurotic Deathfest before but they rip this place apart. Front man LG Petrov shows that he enjoys doing this and isn’t afraid to show this to the audience. A golden shine rises from the stage and gets thrown upon the audience, they get wild. Entombed is a band from the first hour and the A.D. does add something to the name, but the music still stands tall. Good job guys, they definitely got me more interested into Entombed.

The Afterparty was headlined by the also Swedish band Tribulation. Tribulation and Entombed don’t have much in common though, but both bands do know how to show the audience some enthusiasm about their music.

 

Saturday

 

Day 2 started way more crowded than the Friday. We all had the idea that Friday was very low on visitors. We were still having fun but it did something with the overall atmosphere, the 013 is more built for crowded concerts but not that much for a calm party. Maybe it was time for the last edition, the line up was interesting though even I have seen most of these bands before. If you wanted to explore new bands, you had some chances but most of the bands everybody has seen multiple times. It were good bands, you wont hear me complain about that.

Talking about good bands, let’s start about Disavowed, there is no better wake up call than Disavowed. This dutch band is a band we have to keep in mind, it was amazing and this front man Robbe Kok really shows what enthusiasm is. You could see he was happy to open the Saturday of Neurotic Deathfest for bands as Benighted and Bloodbath. With a swing he drops himself in the audience and climbs in the barriers. This is energetic and a bulk of energy a lot of bands could learn from. This band does not fly on autopilot.

Disavowed almost had a full venue and they opened on the main stage, this was in great contrast with the Friday where the main stage wasn’t filled up until Entombed. This was good for the overall atmosphere and coziness amongst all metalheads. There was enough beer to give a 3rd world country and food your bowels got mad about. Today you knew you were at a festival.

Friday I spoke about looking for new bands, and this was one of the perfect examples of one of these bands that I didn’t know and got completely siked about! PerfeCitizen is the loudest, hardest most brutal stuff I heard in years! This got in my ears that it was pure sweet ear-rapement. Already after hitting the first chord, if it even was one this band shows its hardness, but also their tightness and know how to play. This is one of the bands where the drummer will make it or break it, but he definitely made it. You don’t hear it often that you hear a drummer go this fast and tight like him. Jarda Haž shows what drumming is all about and it gets clear why this is called “Blastcore”. Missed this band? To bad, for me they were one of the best bands of Neurotic Deathfest.

Dead Congregation, by Susanne A. Maathuis

Dead Congregation, by Susanne A. Maathuis

 

One of my favorite genres is Deathdoom. Imagine a candle dripping slowly and oozing all over your table and drips on your toe to sometimes break open the gloomy feeling that came over you. One of these bands that perfectly know how to do this is Dead Congregation, it was time to throw some good old darkness into the audience. If it wasn’t for the soundguy, this band normally knows how to bring this feeling and make you feel naggy. This was just a shame, they became a victim of their own sound and this is why it didn’t really got to me this time. 

 

Origin, by Susanne A. Maathuis

Origin, by Susanne A. Maathuis

 

As we already discussed there is a big amount of old friends we have seen on Neurotic already. Origin is one of these bands. And I understand why they ask them back all the time. This is just an awesome tight Techdeath band brought with a great bunch of humor from the singer. Straight from Origin we started waiting for Bloodbath, we wanted a good spot we were siked for this show. There were a lot of chatter going on: is this a new singer for Bloodbath? Is this going to work? Doesn’t it affect the sound? How will this affect the audience because this Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost) is a completely different kind of person than Mikael Akerfeldt.

Bloodbath, by Susanne A. Maathuis

Bloodbath, by Susanne A. Maathuis


We were waiting for what was going to come at us. The venue filled up. We had our beers already paid in front of our nose. You could hear the tension in the air. Bloodbath, not on an open-air festival and in such a setting. Then the venue went dark and we knew Bloodbath was gong to enter the stage and we would soon hear the first chords. This band is theatrical and sometimes maybe a bit plastic. It started as a tribute to old school Death Metal. The vocals were good. Actually very good! They went back to a more old-school sound. Though I am a big fan of Opeth and Mikael, and it is hard to admit for me, but I think I like Nick Holmes more in Bloodbath.

 

WORDS BY KAAT VAN DOREMALEN

PHOTOS BY SUSANNE A. MAATHUIS

 


FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Neurotic Deathfest


eflyer-NDF2015

The biggest and certainly best indoor death metal extravaganza of the festival season kicks off today as Neurotic Deathfest gets underway at 013 Club in Tilburg, NL. Now in its 12th year and still going strong, the 2015 NDF will feature 42 bands on three stages in total from all manner of death metal, grindcore and black metal greatness. Ghost Cult’s Dutch team will once again be on hand to bring our fans the review.

Friday has the benefit of a top band of the moment and a legendary name as the main headliners. Tribulation and Entombed A.D. will surely have the heads banging and drinks flowing. Tech death grind champs Devourment, the avant-garde minded Nader Sadek, and the back from the dead Morgoth are other can’t miss acts on Day 1. Soulburn and Sinister are two other choice names among others too.

Saturday reigns over nearly every fest in 2015 for the sheer murderers row of death metal royalty in a row with Obituary, Immolation, Broken Hope and Pyrexia. Whoa! Other good choices to get your brutal fix on for Day 2 include Internal Bleeding, Incinerate, Mass Infection and Bleeding Utopia. Stay hydrated my friends, this day will be a bumpy ride for the moshers!

To close the fest on Day 3 we are presented with a bit of old and a bit of new in the form of Bloodbath, Origin, Benighted, Dead Congregation and Gorod. Other worthy acts on this day also included Ingested, Jig-Al, Kronos, Acranius, and Slaughter to Prevail.


Tribulation Announce European Tour


tribulation

Tribulation has an extensive schedule of live dates coming up.

The Children Of The Night release shows:
Apr 17: Neurotic Deathfest – Tilburg (NL)
Apr 18: Schlachtfest XV – Aurich (DE)
Apr 23: Debaser Strand – Stockholm (SE) (w/Morbus Chron & Vampire)
Apr 24: Truckstop Alaska – Göteborg (SE) (w/ Morbus Chron & Vampire)

Tribulation live in Europe 2015:
May 01: Ritz – Örebro (SE) (w/At The Gates & Vampire)
May 02: Pipeline – Sundsvall (SE) (w/At The Gates)
May 30: Muskelrock – Alvesta (SE)
May 31: Temples Festival – Bristol (UK)
Jun 18: Tons Of Rock – Halden (NO)
Jun 20: Hellfest Open Air – Clisson (FR)
Jun 31: Voodoo Lounge / The Fires Of Samhain: Initium – Dublin (IR)

European tour with Melechesh, Keep Of Kalessin and Embryo:
May 03: NAXTstage – Almelo (NL)
May 04: Goldgrube – Kassel (DE)
May 06: Willemeen – Arnhem (NL)
May 07: Muziekodroom – Hasselt (BE)
May 08: Druckerei – Bad Oeynhausen (DE)
May 09: Incineration Fest – London (UK)
May 10: Turock – Essen (DE)
May 12: Z7 – Pratteln (SI)
May 13: Caves du Manoir – Martigny (SI)
May 15: Sonora – Bilbao (ES)
May 16: Hard Club – Porto (PO)
May 17: RCA Club – Lisbon (PO)
May 18: Caracol – Madrid (ES)
May 19: Garaje – Murcia (ES)
May 21: Razz3 – Barcelona (ES)
May 22: Secret Place – Montpellier (FR)
May 23: Work in Progress – Padova (IT)
May 24: Cerbero Club – Milan (IT)
May 26: Café Central – Weinheim (DE)
May 27: Backstage – Munich (DE)
May 28: Channel Zero – Ljubljana (SL)
May 29: Escape – Wien (AT)


Nader Sadek Streaming “Descent”


nader sadek

Multi-media artist Nader Sadek is streaming “Descent”, off The Malefic: Chapter III here, here and here.

nader sadek the malefic

In other news, NADER SADEK will be performing at Neurotic Deathfest in Tillburg, Holland (April 17-19, 2015).

NADER SADEK’s new four-song EP The Malefic: Chapter III was released as a free CD insert in November and December via Decibel Magazine (#122), Terrorizer Magazine in the UK (#254) and Legacy Magazine in Germany (#94). The Decibel release has a different mix and master from the UK and German versions. .The album will be available digitally in the coming months.

Deformation by Incision
Carrion Whispers
Entropy Eternal
Decent

nader sadek in studio

Returning to the fold are main songwriters Flo Mounier of CRYPTOPSY fame, master composer and guitarist Rune Eriksen of black thrashers AURA NOIR and ever-rising, multi-voiced growler Travis Ryan of CATTLE DECAPITATION. Bobby Koelble, whose jazz-influenced technique mixed with tinges of Eastern passion, brings a fresh flare into the sound. Depending mostly on what sounds like millions of notes being touched at ungraspable speed, Koelble is best known for his work with genre creating band DEATH, as he collaborated in creating their most revered record, Symbolic. Lastly, the solos of Brazilian guitarist Andreas Kisser from yet another genre defining band, SEPULTURA bring an emotion that is both chaotic and yet full of feeling, and whose whammy-bar twisting and dragged notes introduce a wicked counterpoint to Koelble’s style. Shimmering on the surface are the angelic sirens of Carmen Simoes formerly of the AVA INFERI and current MOONSPELL backing vocalist, who conjures a sense of depth to the song “Descent”.

The EP was recorded in various location and with multiple engineers. Most notably are Christian Donaldson, who recorded guitars and Drums in his Montreal Studio, the Grid. Vocals were recorded by Casey Smith and Jay Newman in New York, with additional vocals recorded by Sam Lathrem and Martin Rygiel in San Diego.

Nader Sadek on Facebook


Neurotic Deathfest Announce 2015 Initial line up


ndf2015_eflyer

Neurotic Deathfest has added even more names to its 2015 bash. Floridian Death Metal legends Obituary have joined the bill along with Death Metal supergroup Bloodbath who will also be taking to the stage at the annual festival in Tilburg Netherlands from the 17th to the 19th April 2015. Tickets are available now.
Press Release: Neurotic Deathfest 2015 announces Obituary and more

Europe’s premier indoor extreme metal festival, Neurotic Deathfest, has announced new names for the 2015 instalment, set to take place at 013 venue in Tilburg, The Netherlands on April 17-19, 2015. Four new acts are confirmed: headliner Obituary and Gorod, Kronos and Holocausto Canibal. The organization earlier confirmed heavyweight acts such as Bloodbath and Immolation. Tickets are available through neuroticdeatfest.com.

With the confirmation of Obituary, Neurotic Deathfest adds yet another headliner to the already massive line-up of this year’s festival. Originally formed in 1984 in Boston, this United States-based band is considered one of the pioneering bands of the death metal genre. The album ‘The End Complete’ is the bestselling pure death metal album ever in the genre, selling over 100.000 copies in the US and more than a quarter million copies worldwide. Their last album ‘Inked In Blood’ came out in 2014 and is the first album in 5 years. The French bands Kronos and Gorod and Holocausto Canibal from Portugal are also confirmed for Neurotic Deathfest 2015. Despite the already impressive running order, the organization still has to announce more than 15 acts.

These names have all been confirmed for Neurotic Deathfest 2015: Bloodbath (SWE)
Obituary (US)
Immolation (US)
Hate Eternal (US)
Devourment (US)
Nader Sadek (US)
Broken Hope (US)
Pyrexia (US)
Tribulation (SWE)
Internal Suffering (COL)
Benighted (FRA)
Dead Congregation (GRE)
Disavowed (NL)
Soulburn (NL)
Liquid Graveyard (UK)
Mass Infection (GRE)
Gorod (FRA)
Kronos (FRA)
Holocausto Canibal (POR)
Jig-Ai (CHZ)
Nominon (SWE)
Unfathomable Ruination (UK)
Acranius (GER)
Cardiac Arrest (US)
Incinerate (US)
Neuroma (UK)
Slaughter To Prevail (RUS)

Eleven years ago the organization behind Neurotic Deathfest started with the desire to create the ideal festival for fans of extreme metal. Initially started as an event with 250 visitors and only 8 artists, the Neurotic Deathfest has grown into the biggest extreme metal festival of Europe, with more than 45 acts per edition. The festival will be held for the 12th successive year, of which the coming edition will be the 8th at the 013 venue. This makes Neurotic Deathfest not only the biggest indoor festival in Europe aimed at extreme metal, but also the longest running.

Tickets for Neurotic Deathfest 2015 are currently on sale through www.neuroticdeathfest.com, www.ticketmaster.nl and the 013 box office. Ticket options: 1-day tickets for Friday (€ 45.00) and Saturday or Sunday (€ 50.00), 2-day tickets for Friday and Saturday (€ 85.00) and Saturday and Sunday (€ 90.00) and 3-day tickets (€ 95.00). All prices are exclusive of service charges.

Neurotic DeathFest On Facebook

Neurotic Deathfest On Twitter


Neurotic Deathfest: Day 3 – Live At 013, Tilburg NL


neurotic deathfest flyer

 

The Sunday started a little bit late due some technical problems with my mode of transportation. But luckily enough Grave was there to cheer me up. Grave gives you a full force band with the strength of a bulldozer. The filled up room might have given them that little bit of extra energy, to give us a hell of a show. Although Grave can sometimes disappoint you because of the typical show they put on, they pumped you up with their well known classics, they didn’t live up to their reputation at all. It was the best show in ages, according to the voices all around me.

 Grave01

Misery Index is a known force at the Neurotic Deathfest and didn’t surprise me at any point. But they did interest me and this is a very good live act! For those who don’t know this band, they are pretty versatile with their sound and play with different styles in the death metal genre. The biggest mistake for me was to stand in front of the pit, that hurt.

 

Misery Index02

Just like Misery Index, Severe Torture is a name that you can find often on the bills from previous years. I am proud we have these kind of bands from the Dutch grounds and we see that we do take part in the death metal scene. I am not proud that the following band named Pestilence comes from the same land. I heard of their bad live reputation but I wouldn’t believe it. I have to admit they were right. I am sorry for being so negative, but I cant find a single positive thing about this band. They sucked, and this needs to be said. If you read this and you are in a band, don’t follow Pestilence’s example. This band was known for their awesome shows and good songwriting, but with this new lineup, they are on the edge of extinction. They only float along on their former pride.

Once again the national memorial of casualties of the second world war fell on the same date as the Neurotic Deathfest. Strange enough this was one of the most epic moments of the whole festival, all death metal fans were quiet for a moment of silence (exceptions for some nitwits that just can’t keep their mouth shut). It gave me shivers. This is the example that it doesn’t matter how brutal you can look, you can still have some decency. The bands also took part of it and that is why Pentagram Chile started a little bit later than they should have. They gave us a whirlwind of a show with a guitar sound that was beyond recognition. Their debut album came out last year which is pretty late for a band started from the 80s. They played a nice mix of thrash/death with a sound that clearly evolved since the early days of this band.

Dark Angel04

Pentagram were a pretty good lead in to the final band of the Neurotic Deathfest, which is not a death metal band at all, Dark Angel. They gave us some much needed thrash metal. The band around Gene Hoglan seemed to be a welcome guest at this death metal festival, unfortunately the drums were pretty loud in contrast with the guitars which was a bit of a downer for this show. Luckily after a few songs the sound guy woke up and set things straight. After that we were happily surprised by some nice high quality thrash metal. All hell broke loose when the front man Ron Rinehart turned the venue into a party zone where beer was flowing richly. After this we left the festival with a smile on our faces.

 Dark Angel03

 

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Neurotic Deathfest on Facebook

WORDS: KAAT VAN DORMALEN

PHOTOS: SUSANNE A. MAATHUIS

 

 

 


Neurotic Deathfest: Day 1 & 2 – Live At 013, Tilburg NL


 

neurotic deathfest flyer

 

Neurotic Deathfest is held in the south of the Netherlands in the city of Tilburg, for the people who don’t know; it brings you the loudest, goriest and most brutal shit in a whole weekend drowned in beer, piss and puke. A few days before on Wednesday you already saw some long haired blokes with the most gory t-shirts walking around in the city, scattered around the many bars, benches, hotels and coffee shops found here. The amount of metalheads in Tilburg rose significantly every day towards the Festival. Everyone knows they will be shitfaced and totally smashed during this festival, people were preparing by eating the local (Kebaps) food and a wide variety of special beers found in different kinds of bars. It does set the atmosphere for the rest of the weekend, where this festival is known for. Everyone is relaxed and willing to socialize with people all around the world. We were looking very much forward to this festival, and finally it was there! Travel with us to Tilburg, close your eyes, imagine a light stench of old beer and man sweat as we go trough some of the highlights of this festival.

Deceased01

After a delightful dinner to set the mood the first band we saw was Deceased, normally an opener should be giving you a shot of major energy, but this band failed to deliver a good start. We were stoked for the festival to start, the first beers were already drank and was a bit of a downer to see this happen. It was a little bit too straight ahead and moreover, they didn’t really have the balls to get you in the flow. It was one of the bands I would really wanted to see, and musically this is a no nonsense band that usually would deliver you some harsh neck cramps after. Some props for the lyrics I found majorly interesting (I did my research before), reliving tales of Edgar Allan Poe. Maybe the fact that the audience wasn’t that overly energetic while this band was playing might have affected the overall mood of this band what directly affected me and a bunch of other people. Maybe this band should have opened the smaller stage, it might have worked there.

 

Aborted02

More than an hour later Aborted, one of the bands I really had to see, started on the main stage having seen them live before and owning some of their albums. I was totally stoked to see this band play again. It was the second band starting on the main stage and the third band playing on this festival. The venue was packed with people, what surprised me because it was still pretty early, but then I got it, this band played way too early! The whole venue was in for a neck-breaking party with Aborted and was pumped for the first pit to start. The energy was radiating all over the place. Even some barmaids (that definitely weren’t into metal) seemed to like this vibe and were nodding their head on a uncomfortable but soothing way. Aborted definitely was one of the best live bands on this festival, and though I had seen them better than this (they were a bit flaky and not as tight as I was used to seeing them), it slapped in my face with killing death metal madness. Awesome riffery and blasting drums were flying all over the place. I felt like I was standing on a ship that was attacked by cannonballs, that was slightly off beat. But hey Aborted was in their natural habitat, and they were ready for blood.

 

I only have to laugh when I look back at the performance of Spasm. Yep, the band with that singer with the man-kini and a dildo on his head. I think I have said enough.

Shirenc plays Pungeant Stench01

I was asking myself why this next band was called Shirenc Plays Pungent Stench, it confused me. But then it became totally clear: band-drama. Yeah, lets call it that. Martin Shirenc, the singer/guitarist of this band did choose a pretty good rhythm section around him, and I didn’t notice that there were some different members than before. It sounded exactly the same and the classics of this band were pushed through like they would normally had. They are with only three band members, but still, they bring forth a wall of sound that blasts you out of your socks. The interesting part of this band, leaning on the edge of thrash and death metal and bringing it in such a specific way that it isn’t like the other modern death metal. The nice groove and a bit of a garish sound they got me by my throat, and lets make clear that is in a good way.

 Terrorizer02

I almost started to feel pretty young with the old-timers that stood on the stage, and Terrorizer didn’t make this any better. This band is coarse and pretty tight and made me enjoy them. I almost forgot about this band until I saw them on the bill a few weeks before Neurotic Deathfest. And I got what I expected, a full show that sounds exactly like a wood-chopping device. Which is kind of fun for half an hour, not really for a full hour if you ask me. These guys really have a heroic status amongst the death metal fans and that my friends, is a thing I totally understand. It feels real and steady, the grooving riffing fits completely with the overall rhythm (that is exactly the same, all the time). If I would have lived my teen years in the 80s I think I would have endured the whole show and probably would have stand in front of the stage.

Saturday started with the band formed by Incantation’s frontman John McEntee named Funerus. That I knew, but the fact that the grunts and bass guitar came from his wife came as a total surprise for me. I was enjoying this concert behind some 2 meter tall blokes and didn’t see the stage at all, some good old death metal riffery flew forwards. The next song got announced, and I heard a woman’s voice. I couldn’t believe it that these guterral sounds came from this woman and raced towards the stage to see this with my own eyes. I am so happy that Jill is one of those female singers that isn’t a gimmick, the sound was mature and straight to the point and swept you away while the well placed doom parts fell in. After the show, I was totally in for some more Funerus, they left me wanting more.

The intro of the following band already was pretty omnious, and when the band started I knew that Cytotoxin is one of the most promising young death metal bands out there. Their singer Grimo was ready to kill, and with his monstrous expressions he knows how to get the whole audience to their knees (most of them because of falling in the moshpit). What an excellent stage performance, and guterral sounds perfectly exchanged with pigsqueals at the right moments. The only thing that bothered me is that the band around him wasn’t that overly tight and had troubles to keep up with the energy that radiated from Grimo.

 

Brutal Truth01

Then it was time for some other veterans named Brutal Truth. Unfortunately this is their very last show in the Netherlands and I was happy that I could experience this band before it was too late. But I have to say this too is one of the bands that would be better painted in a smaller venue, they even looked a bit uncomfortable on the main stage. This entwined in the following reactions of the audience, one part was overly fond to see this band and were already drenched in sweat after the first song, and the other part were looking like how the fuck they ended up here. But still everyone seemed to sort of like it. The band their obvious death sound mixed with some punk vibes create a chaotic sphere of noise and unwieldy violence.

Hour of Penace is one of the bands I have always liked but haven’t had the chance to see them live, this was my que to finally see them. As a big fan of Fleshgod Apocalypse I found this band a version of them, but without the orchestra. They pull the throttle as far as it can get without losing grip, you can find their bombastic sound in a melodramatic sound. I liked this, but halftime I got a bit bored because it didn’t gave me as much variety as I had expected to see in a live show.

Skinless02

Skinless started throwing onions(?) into the audience with the ultimate hillbilly intro. Which made me want to get beer immediately and as soon as I turned away from the bar they throw in some no nonsense bashing ass kicking noise that gets you, but doesn’t shock you. This band is about smashing your skull in with heavy riffery and drums that make your eardrums pop, and they mean this shit! Their singer Sherwood Webber bounces hyperactively over the stage what makes this band fun to watch and listen to. I was left with a good feeling in my stomach after this show or was it the beer?

Suffocation02

And of course, between the New York bands represented on the stages this day only, one can be the winner and that is Suffocation. Their front man Frank Mullen was found on the stage with his one and only priority, the death metal jazz hand while the blastbeats were knocking your head off. I would love to spend hours to the one-way conversations of Mullen, but I was here for some good old Suffocation, and that is something I definitely got. Their playing live and on album are astonishingly good and always seem to get me. They really showed the other bands some real whoopass as they combine really technical riffery with being absolutely brutal, and for that we thank them.

 Suffocation03

 

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Neurotic Deathfest on Facebook

WORDS: KAAT VAN DORMALEN

PHOTOS: SUSANNE A. MAATHUIS

 


Neurotic Deathfest 2014 First Announcement!


NDF14 admat 1While we have festivals on the brain, we are so stoked to bring you coverage of Neurotic Deathfest 2014, this May! The Pre-Sale starts tomorrow, 1/18/14! Here is the official first press release and more bands will be announced soon!

 

NEUROTIC DEATHFEST 2014 announces first bands
Pre-sale starts January 18 – Early Bird tickets available

NEUROTIC DEATHFEST
Date: 2, 3 and 4 May 2014
Location: 013, Tilburg, the Netherlands
www.013.nl | www.neuroticdeathfest.com

 

 

 

 

 

Friends of Neurotic Deathfest, we are happy to announce the first bands for this years festival. Neurotic Deathfest will again be host to the most extreme metal bands and dedicated fans from all over the world, representing the best extreme metal has to offer in 2014.

Confirmed bands for the 2014 festival:

SUFFOCATION
GORGUTS
THE CHURCH OF PUNGENT STENCH
MISERY INDEX
MASSACRE
SKINLESS
CEPHALIC CARNAGE
DECEASED
ABORTED
PESTILENCE
MALIGNANCY
SEVERE TORTURE
PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT
SPASM
CYTOTOXIN
ANTROPOMORPHIA
BENEATH
ABNORMALITY
+ more to be announced!!

Suffocation will be performing with original vocalist Frank Mullen, around 45 bands in total will play at the 11th edition of the festival, again held at the 013 venue in Tilburg, the Netherlands. The Neurotic Deathfest is the biggest indoor festival for extreme metal in Europe with visitors from more than 40 countries.
TICKETS AND PRESALE

Presale incl. special early bird tickets starts on Saturday January 18 (FYI The early bird tickets for the 2013 festival sold out in less than a day).

Early Bird tickets (available here):

– 3-day ticket (Friday, Saturday & Sunday) € 75,00

Regular tickets (available here):

– 3-day ticket (Friday, Saturday & Sunday): € 90,00
– 2-day ticket (Saturday and Sunday): € 80,00
– 1-day Friday (May 2) ticket: € 40,00
– 1-day Saturday (May 3) ticket: € 45,00
– 1-day Sunday (May 4) ticket: € 45,00

Ticket prices are the same as in 2013. Tickets are available here via Ticketmaster.nl (prices above are ex additional servicecosts at Ticketmaster).

Check the Neurotic Deathfest website, facebook or twitter for the latest news, band info, general info, accomodation info etc. Info about the venue is available at www.013.nl