True Thrash Fest – Part 2: 2nd day (Feb 19, 2012)
Following Part 1, BEEAST presents Part 2 of our report on “True Thrash Fest” (TTF) to pursue actual ways to enjoy thrash metal music. More bands will be on stage for the second day, and their performance will be more aggressive. What will happen? Can we witness the “truth of thrash metal”?
When we arrived at the concert hall, the first band scheduled to be on stage had already started a sound check. That was the only sound we heard.
SACRIFICE (from Canada) and WHICHBURNER (from Germany) did not perform rehearsals. Positioned as headliners in this concert, they seemed to be confident in their performance. The first band who had a rehearsal was VAULT from Malaysia. Manager Matsuo was busy providing support to the band in rehearsal. Thanks to his sincere support, the band ended its rehearsal without troubles. Japanese bands attended rehearsals one after another. Manager Matsuo seemed to be relaxed because the rehearsal went smooth despite the number of the bands scheduled to be on stage increased. But, examining the day’s long schedule, he buckled down on his business again. It seemed that he was determined to be attentive so that he could enjoy this event.
1.IMPALER
IMPALER was from Kagawa in Shikoku area. The band’s members include Kazuhiko Takeda (vocal and guitar), Yasushi Nishizawa (vocal and bass), Teruki Ishikawa (drums). The band played at TTF in the past and performed overwhelmingly this time. A native band in Kagawa where thrash metal music or other music scenes are unidentifiable, the band was successful in smashing our concern. The band was faithful to the straight sounds of traditional thrash metal music. In addition, they had an insight to excite the audience in the floor. Creating effective rhythm changes commonly used for old-school thrash, the band further made the audience excited. No hesitation was observed in their performance. On the contrary, although the band has not been in active in the mainstream of thrash metal, they were enjoying their own sounds and good at entertaining the audience.
http://ip.tosp.co.jp/i.asp?i=impaler
Setlist
M01.AxPx
M02.JUNK BRAIN
M03.NIGHTMARE ATTACK
M04.I’M ALIVE
M05.DOZAEMON
M06.ASH
M07.THRASH GENOCIDE
M08.ETERNAL HATRED
M09.IMPALER
2.ABIGAIL
Following IMPALER, ABIGAIL appeared on stage. A veteran trio that was formed in 1992, its members include Yasuyuki (bass and vocal), Youhei (drums), and JERO (guitar). Their ceaseless rhythms caught the audience, synchronizing the rhythms with the audience’s feeling so that all listeners were attracted to the band’s performance. The band had secrets and techniques to manage sequences of simple sounds for the audience to enjoy those sounds. Their performance was a manifestation of the “truth of thrash metal” as being the theme of “True Thrash Fest”. Being pure in performing thrash metal and experienced performance based on their confidence contributed to further enhancing the audience’s excitement. We were impressed to see that after the band concluded its performance, WITCHBURNER members visited the dressing rooms to praise ABIGAIL.
http://www.myspace.com/666abigail
Setlist
M01.Satanik Metal Fucking Hell
M02.Hell’s Necromancer
M03.Metal Evil Metal
M04.Metal Bitch Inferno
M05.Teen Age Metal Fuck
M06.Rocking Metal Motherfuckers
M07.Prophecy of the Evening Star
M08.War 666
3.FASTKILL
FASTKILL appeared on stage. This band released a new album at the end of last year. The audience was expecting their wild performance at this year’s TTF. Toshio Komori (vocal), Jiro Mochizuki (guitar and vocal), Akihiro Itoh (guitar) performed at TTF three times in the past, so they looked very relaxed. Wearing no shirts and a wristband with sharp nails, Komori a real metaler reminded us of Kerry King (guitar) of Slayer, the king of thrash metal. The band performed very orthodox and fully impacting thrash metal music, generating a sense of climax among the audience in the floor.
http://www.myspace.com/fastkillofficial
Setlist
M01.Kill Fast
M02.In Thrash We Trust
M03.Die in the Pentagram
M04.Bloodbath
M05.Die in Pain
M06.Toxic Tormentor
M07.Merciless Onslaught
M08.Kill for Pleasure
4.RIVERGE
Following yesterday’s stage, RIVERGE appeared on stage. As the pioneer of thrash metal scene this Kansai area, the band created thrash metal sounds that deserve attention. Before the stage was set for the band, they suddenly started their performance in the corner of the floor. As the band’s performance heated up, NAKAMURA (vocal) plunged into a large circle pit formed in the center of the floor. Under the sparkling floor lightings, the band was unified with fans to boost the power of their performance. Finally, the audience started to toss NAKAMURA and NASU (guitar) in the air. Fans fell into raptures and became wild through the band’s performance to demonstrate the way to enjoy a thrash metal festival.
http://riverge.mad.buttobi.net
Setlist
M01.Slavish Charge
M02.Cutting Edge
M03.A&a
M04.Ready to Dive
M05.Stand in Fear of Nothing
M06.Hungry Child
M07.Damned World
M08.Thought Free
M09.Till I Die
5.WARGASMATRON
The final Japanese band that appeared on stage was WARGASMATRON, whose members include WATARU (vocal &and guitar), NAOYA (vocal and guitar), DAISUKE (bass), YOSHIKI (drums). Adopting traditional thrash metal music compositions, the band created a mysterious mood to drive everything forward. Trapped in a sense of intimidation, the audience grew urged and excited. The slapping basslines created unusual grooves, providing pleasant excitement.
http://www.myspace.com/wargasmatron666
Setlist
M01.DARKER RED NECESSARY
M02.RE-RISING PAIN
M03.STRANGE PRIEST
M04.LINE OF SATAN
M05.STAY THRASHER
M06.SCREAM OF SACRIFICE
6.VAULT
The later half of the concert started. A Malaysian “bravo” VAULT appeared on stage. The band’s member Fizan (vocal), Ayen (rhythm guitar), A ‘it (lead guitar), Sen (bass), Ebi (drums) have been friends with manager Matsuo for years. Especially, Sen (Bass) once played at TTF. Because of their tie with manager Matsuo, their performance was very friendly. It was like our friends’ live performance. Their earnest performance established a sympathetic relationship with the audience who wanted to enjoy this festival. In a sense, their performance was a manifestation of an ideal form of thrash metal.
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Setlist
M01.Raging Force
M02.Bastard!
M03.Black Leather Cult
M04.Ripping Noise Terror
M05.Victim of Pain
M06.Fuck Off and Die!
M07.Onslaught of Death
M08.Heavy Metal Attack
(encore)
E01.War Fucking War!
7.WITCHBURNER (GER)
The end of the concert was approaching. Following yesterday’s stage, WITCHBURNER appeared on stage. The band’s roaring sound flooded the audience, and the band fully demonstrated its presence in the thrash metal music scene that continues to develop in various forms. We noticed a sense of being “genuine” or “traditional”, which is seldom found in thrash metal performance. “Watashitachiga, WITCHBURNER desu!!” Pino shouted to unify the band and the audience. They were wild. Many people refuse to accept thrash metal music because of its sound. WITCHBURNER demonstrated that thrash metal music is friendly and can unify performers and audiences easily. More fun for you! The band’s roaring sound continued to raise the blood-pressure levels of the audience. The band’s final, friendly message from the stage was dedicated to manager Matsuo. “Last tune is for you, Miki (manager Matsuo)!” The excitement of the audience reached its maximum with the message to reveal the band’s pride of having manager Matsuo as their friend.
http://www.witchburner.de/
Setlist
M01.German Thrashing War
M02.Kill
M03.Blasphemic Assault
M04.Final Detonation
M05.Hexenhammer
M06.Steel Triumphator
M07.Demons
M08.Ultra Violence
M09.Blood of Witches
M10.Nightbreed
M11.Seeds of Evil
M12.Deamonc War Machine
M13.Possessed by Hellfire
M14.Witchburner
M15.Grave Desecrator
M16.Thrashing Rage
M17.Bonded by Blood (EXODUS)
8.SACRIFICE (CAN)
The final band that appeared on stage was SACRIFICE, following its yesterday’s stage. The band’s originality and outstanding technique was demonstrated throughout their performance development and arrangement. Fully spirited, the band communicated with the audience. Sometimes bluesy, their music displays the essence of traditional thrash metal sounds. Even a simple phrase successfully communicated their originality to indicate that the band members are not wild metalers but sophisticated players to the core who strive to play exactly. The band’s performance was worthy to end the concert. No one could perform as they did. The members seemed to be enjoying their performance. They were relaxed and full of dignity.
http://www.myspace.com/sacrificecanada
http://www.spiritual-beast.com/sacrifice/
Setlist
M01.We Will Prevail
～ The Ones I Condemn
M02.Hiroshima
M03.Lost Through Time
M04.A Storm In The Silence
M05.As The World Burns
M06.Atrocity
M07.The Great Wall
M08.Tetragrammaton
M09.Soldiers of Misfortune
M10.Forward to Termination ～ Terror Strikes
M11.In Defiance
M12.Sacrifice
(encore)
E01.Re-Animation
Manager Matsuo‘s greetings concluded the concert. He was dignified and satisfied. It was clear that the organizer himself enjoyed this event. When the concert was over, many fans and band members started conversations in various places. BEEAST’s observer Akira Sugiuchi (Spiritual Beast representative for SACRIFICE; SOLITUDE/ex.SACRIFICE vocalist) was among the audience, and he attended a photo session. New communications started among the concert participants, praising each other to demonstrate how we can enjoy a festival.
This column provides some ideas to enjoy TTF.
As described in the previous chapter, thrash metal music is different from classic music in terms of classic music theories. In Japan, a concept of music includes activities to enjoy music. For this reason, thrash metal music shares some elements with classic music. During this concert, the hall was filled with thrash metal fans and band members who wanted to communicate with each other, set up the stage and create an event. They did not spare energy in enjoying music or making efforts. The way they enjoyed TTF of this time typically indicates a thrash metal identity and delight that thrash metal music can provide. This two-day festival was indicative of testifying thrash metal achievements to satisfy hungry thrash metal fans. This is just an opportunity to enjoy music. We strongly hope that this wonderful festival led by manger Matsuo will continue.
To Part 1
http://www.beeast69.com/feature/23162
