True Thrash Fest 2012 – Part 1: 1st day (Feb 18, 2012)
The “Stage 7 ★ second-hand and import records“, part of “Rock social studies” planned as a BEEAST series featured Mr. Mikinori Matsuo (manager Matsuo), the owner of a record shop “Rock Stakk Records” in Osaka. In the interview, we learned that manager Matsuo and RIVERGE co-sponsored to hold “True Thrash Fest” (TTF). RIVERGE is a band belonging to manager Matsuo‘s label.
Much interested in TTF’s aim and contents, BEEAST decided to cover the event. TTF reflects manager Matsuo‘s DIY concepts. This event was unique in that a person’s concepts governed everything, and this event style was rarely found in recent years. We know it is difficult to invite overseas bands to organize a concert. In this sense, manager Matsuo‘s power was astonishing. He gathered active underground bands in Japan for the two-day concert. Here, we present a report for the concert, exploring the real fun of thrash metal.
Sound checks were fanfares for the rehearsal. SACRIFICE (from Canada) was the first to start and the last to appear on stage. Equipment troubles suspended their rehearsal, and WITCHBURNER (from Germany) appeared on stage for the rehearsal. Interaction with bands regarding PA is important, and manager Matsuo played a focal role for communication with overseas bands. He was always close to the band on stage to communicate to the members’ requirements to the PA. “Raise the monitor volume levels for the guitar!”
SACRIFICE and WITCHBURNER kept looking at the stage after their rehearsal ended. They looked serious, paying attention to other bands’ performance. BEEAST was impressed with SACRIFICE players observing the rehearsal of JURASSIC JADE, a unique performer in the concert. “WITCHBURNER is closed to NUCLEAR ASSAULT. They may come to the concert tomorrow”, manager Matsuo said. NUCLEAR ASSAULT is a veteran thrash metal band in the US and was staying in Osaka for their March 20th concert. We were not sure if they came to the concert but convinced that overseas bands were closely associated.
After JURASSIC JADE, REMAINS from Thailand appeared on stage. Only Ekkachai (vocal) of REMAINS participated in TTF, supported by Japanese players. Everyone tried to provide moderate care for him. The rehearsal proceeded. All bands looked relaxed, and Japanese bands DORAID and RIVERGE started the rehearsal. As native participants in this concert, they were cool in the rehearsal.
The rehearsals were busy and all preparations were complete. We were ready to open the doors. The doors opened. Soon, the floor was filled with high-spirited slash junkies. Good metal music from the DJ booth drove us to excitement. “Hi, did you come from Tokyo?”, asked some girls. We know them because BEEAST interviewed them in the past. They are G∀LMET members. They also came to the concert.
It was surprising that fans in the floor were very relaxed. They were not frantic, as often they were in thrash metal concerts, but rather easy as if they came to enjoy recreations. Patch Jean jackets, arms wristband with rivets, and metal T-shirts were metalers’ trademarks. They looked spirited but the way they talked to each other was casual.
1.DORAID
“Black hat” DORAID first appeared on stage. k.k.Doraid (vocal), hAe (guitar), Oshino (bass), Takuya (drums) did not try to incite the audience. Their message was not something like “You guys, shake your head!” but their style faithful to their own sounds, cool performance, and excited music. k.k.Doraid‘s mysterious and intimidating make-up demonstrated their message. “Show me all of the thrash!”, shouted hAe. When they started to play the second tune, circle-pits were formed in the floor. It was a typical opening for a thrash metal concert.
http://ip.tosp.co.jp/i.asp?i=doraid666/
setlist
M01.Demon Revival
M02.Liberation Song
M03.The Killdozer Insane Assault
M04.人間アレルギー
M05.D.O.R.A.I.D
M06.Black Hole
M07.邪神狂
M08.Battle Axe
2.RIVERGE
RIVERGE was the only Osaka native band that participated in this Osaka concert. Shoji Nakamura (vocal), Yukiteru Takeshita (guitar and vocal), Yasuyuki Nasu (guitar and vocal), Momoko Ishikawa (bass and vocal), Shogo Tamaki (drums) are key members of the band. They belong to Rock Stakk Records that organized this event. This band was first formed in 1985 and reunited in 2007 after 19-year blanks. A band of active veterans, RIVERGE performs thrash metal music that is straight. The band kept thrashing and driving powerfully. Being simple to the core, their music was impressive in that they tried everything they had. Nakamura‘s dive to the floor finalized their performance. The audience was very excited. RIVERGE‘s performance was a great success.
http://riverge.mad.buttobi.net/
Setlist
M01.A&a
M02.Over the Justice
M03.Stand in Fear of Nothing
M04.Ready to Dive
M05.Look
M06.Back Bitter
M07.Do a Threat for Eye
M08.Dual Attack
M09.Slavish Charge
M10.I～Till I
M11.Die
3.REMAINS
A third World metal thrash group REMAINS came from Thailand. Because of the exit regulations, REMAINS‘ members other than Ekkachai were not allowed to visit Japan. When Ekkachai appeared on stage, the curtain remained down. He was accompanied by manager Matsuo and Japanese players. “Thanks to Miki, I can sing for you today, although we had a trouble!” said Ekkachai, appreciating Matsuo and fans. Ekkachai‘s greeting was polite but his performance was powerful. Following an orthodox performance style, Ekkachai performed vigorously. If there is a basic thrash metal style, what he showed was a typical metal performance faithful to the basics. Ekkachai looked attractive, and Japanese thrash metal fans were much excited.
http://www.myspace.com/remainsattack
Setlist
M01.Among the shower of bullets
M02.Remains of the unborns
M03.Troops of doom (SEPULTURA)
M04.Kill yourself (SOD)
4.JURRASIC JADE
A Japanese band JURASSIC JADE has been active for 27 years and its players include HIZUMI (vocal), NOB (guitar), GEORGE (bass), HAYA (drums), and charismatic HIZUMI (vocal). When HIZUMI appeared on stage, the scene became mysterious. Their performance was overwhelming. It was not their power but charm that attracted the audience in the floor. They did not perform head-banging but surprised the audience through their charm. HIZUMI sang, ejecting words, performing like a dancer, as if to prove Japanese metal spirit while the audience was seeking more excitement, enjoying the band’s performance. An encore was a surprise, which further excited the metal fans in Osaka.
http://www2.odn.ne.jp/~cdt27630/
Setlist
M01.G.D.G
M02.Brother of Mine
M03.ドクユメスペルマ
M04.触れてはいけない
M05.Let’s Go
M06.Heroes
M07.The Individual D-Day
M08.精神病質
M09.Hemiplegia
M10.紅の女王
(encore)
E01.鏡よ鏡
5.WITCHBURNER (from Germany)
The day’s climax was approaching. WITCHBURNER from Germany was a highlight in this concert. Pino (vocal), Seegel (guitar), Mache (guitar), Andy (bass), and Felix (drums) kept weaving a tapestry of ceaselessly roaring guitar sounds and beats. Against this backdrop, Pino sang as if he was spitting out. Their performance was monotonous but simple. The band maximized its power and beat to keep overwhelming the thrash metal fans, prompting them to start moshing. Their performance is not a “sound science” but a piece of “music” for thrash metal to survive.
http://www.witchburner.de/
Setlist
M01.Possessed by Hellfire
M02.Blasphemic Assault
M03.Invisible Violence
M04.Savage
M05.Intruder
M06.Hexenhammer
M07.Seeds of Evil
M08.Nightbreed
M09.Witchburner
M10.Grave
M11.Desecrator
M12.Blood of Witches
M13.Bloody Countess
M14.Demons
M15.Ultra Violence
M16.Final Detonation
M17.Execute Them All
M18.Agent Orange (SODOM)
6.SACRIFICE (from Canada)
Finally SACRIFICE appeared on stage, the main feature of this concert. The band’s players include Rob Urbinati (vocal and guitar), Joe Rico (lead guitar), Scott Watts (bass), Gus Pynn (drums). The highest-profile band in this concert, SACRIFICE‘s sounds and rhythms were rich in imagination. Their performance demonstrated a wide range of their repertoires. For instance, a tune started from a drum solo, or another tune featured a refrain to highlight a guitar solo. In a sense, their performance was difficult. This, however, must have been a dignity of this band, whose appearance on stage was the day’s highlight.
Scott was a sophisticated player. He played effective obligatos or basslines when necessary. Contributing to adding a variety to the band’s repertoires, he supported the band’s performance through passionate grooves. They followed traditional styles of thrash metal music while incorporating unique ideas to fully demonstrate music potentials that surpass a thrash metal territory. The audience was mesmerized. “It’s so quiet! Make loud!!” Scott shouted as their performance developed. The audience was further attracted to their performance.
http://www.myspace.com/sacrificecanada
http://www.spiritual-beast.com/sacrifice/
Setlist
M01.Forward to Termination ～ Terror Strikes
M02.Turn in Your Grave
M03.Pyrokinesis
M04.Forever Enslaved
M05.Burned at the Stake
M06.Infernal Visions
M07.Flames of
M08.Armageddon
M09.Homicidal Breath
M10.The Entity
M11.Afterlife
M12.The Great Wall
M13.Sacrifice
(encore)
E01.Necronomicon
E02.Re-Animation
Fans rushed into the sales area after enthusiastic performances ended. The mood in the floor changed. Fans were relaxed here and there, engaging in casual conversations with some artists. These scenes were rarely found in big events and unique in certain events only.
Below is an interview with manager Matsuo, the organizer of this concert. BEEAST asked the background of this concert and current trends in the thrash metal field across the world with reference to the bands who appeared in this concert.
—Could you tell us why you invited the bands to this concert?Manager Matsuo: My co-organizer RIVERGE was helpful in inviting Japanese bands to this concert using their network connections. Of course, I’m a frequent concert goer and know there are good bands. RIVERGE‘s support was to invite Japanese bands I do not know. In a sense, this concert was organized by inviting overseas bands through Rock Stakk Records and Japanese bands through RIVERGE support.
—Could you tell us why you invited SACRIFICE to this concert?
Manager Matsuo: I was attracted to SACRIFICE when their first album was released in the 80s. In the spring of last year, they were invited to a thrash metal concert “KEEP IT TRUE” in Germany. I was there when it was announced that they would play in the concert, so I went to see their performance. It was great anyway, so I decided to invite the band to play in Japan. I was lucky to obtain a guest pass so that I was introduced to the band after their Germany concert and directly asked to the members to play at this event I was planning to organize. I said, “A great number of fans may not come to my concert, but it will be wonderful.” They gave me a verbal promise. Through repeated negotiations with them, they agreed to play for Osaka fans at TTF.
—Wonderful. Could you tell us why you invited WITCHBURNER to this concert?
Manager Matsuo: I have been friends with them. TTF was organized three times in the past, and I started to negotiate with them when the second TTF was organized. Because of their schedule, I could not have them play at TTF. They finally agreed to play at the forth TTF.
—Your personal connections must make this event attractive. We are more interested in Southeast Asian bands. Could you tell us why you invited VAULT to TTF?
Manager Matsuo: I have been friends with VAULT for a long period. Especially, I have been exchanging e-mail with the band’s bassist Sen for five years or longer. He participated in the previous TTF as a member of LOBOTOMY. When he came to Japan to play at the third TTF, he agreed to play at the fourth TTF (laughs).
—Only Ekkachai of REMAINS came to Japan to play at this concert.
Manager Matsuo: They have not been performing for a long period. I happened to obtain their demonstration cassettes and was attracted to their sound, so I planned to invite the band to TTF. They were glad to participate in this event. Because of some troubles, only Ekkachai came to Japan. I really wanted him to play at this concert, so I invited other players to support him.
—Could you describe current thrash metal music scenes in Southeast Asia? Compared with bands such as WITCHBURNER or SACRIFICE whose titles are available from labels, bands in Southeast Asia remain minor because contacting them is very difficult.
Manager Matsuo: In a sense, you are correct. Contacting bands in that area seems to be difficult. To our surprise, the underground music scene in Southeast Asia is robust. Major markets include those in Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. They are adjacent to each other, and horizontal connections have been established. If you can catch a thread of their connections, you can find someone in their connections because they have close connections with each other (laughs). If you want to contact someone you find interesting and if you have a friend who is also that person’s friend, he or she will help you. I visited that area for my business, so I preferred to establish direct contacts.
—What is your standard to select a band?
Manager Matsuo: I listen to sound sources I purchase in local markets. If I find a band whose performance is cool or will attract concert goers, I will try to contact the band. I apply this way to find bands in the US or Europe. SACRIFICE or WITCHBURNER does not have their regular agents for management, so I directly ask their members when I want to invite them. In a sense, my standard is my preference, and I rather selected the bands that participated in this event because I love them. I should say I did not think much for fans (laughs).
—In general, markets abound in straight thrash metal music. We suspect the number of recent releases from major labels is decreasing.
Manager Matsuo: Yes. In the underground scenes overseas, minor labels are active in thrash metal releases while Japanese markets are less active in providing thrash metal distributions. Only imported titles are available and no distribution channels are available, so we cannot obtain thrash metal titles in a general CD shop in our neighborhood.
—Considering the current situation, are you more interested in continuing TTF than making it popular?
Manager Matsuo: Yes. I believe in “continuity is power”. Organizing the fourth TTF, I feel more fans have recognized its value. While checking SNS or Twitter messages, I often found messages like “I’ve just arrived at Osaka” or “I’ve come to see the concert” before this concert started. Checking those messages made me happy. The best thing is to entertain the audience. First, I wanted to organize an event to invite my favorite bands. Now I strongly feel that I want to share my experience with the audience.
—If you have any plan in the future, could you tell it to us?
Manager Matsuo: I really want to continue this event. In recent years, the music industry has been exposed to severe business conditions in terms of record or CD sales. Accordingly, it is difficult to obtain necessary budgets for this event. But, this is another matter. If I have a chance to organize a larger event, I intend to organize future TTF in wider places. Personally, I aim to make TTF another “KEEP IT TRUE” in Germany mentioned before.
—Could you explain something about “KEEP IT TRUE”?
Manager Matsuo: “KEEP IT TRUE” is organized in a large gymnasium for 1,000 to 1,500 audiences. Many bands in various countries come to play at the concert. European countries are adjacent to each other, so it is easy to have many fans from other countries. In that respect, it is not easy to encourage fans to come to TTF in Japan. However, the fact that Japan is an island nation can be beneficial to me when I invite bands in the US or Europe, or Southeast Asia to play at TTF because they think it is worthy to hold a live concert in Japan. That is why I intend to invite many bands and continue TTF. Hopefully, I want to develop it.
The history of thrash metal music is very short and it is not a formal type of music. Unlike classic music that has a long history and is taught in conservatories, thrash metal music cannot be traditional and solemn. Because of this, we can create many ways to enjoy it. Today’s TTF demonstrated thrash metal essences in various sections of the concert hall. Following this report, BEEAST presents its report the second day’s stage. Our excitement reaches its maximum level. Check it by all means!!
To Part2
http://www.beeast69.com/feature/23165
