BEHEMOTH + EXODUS + DECAPITATED + EX DEO 06.25.10

There are more and more tours where several groups of different musical styles come together that, in general, belong to the same record company and thus bring together the largest possible audience. This tour is an example, being able to enjoy Thrash, Death and Black Metal.

At 7pm sharp, EX DEO, a new group made up of members of KATAKLYSM, came out on stage, presenting their debut album 'Romulus'. They have been one of the revelation groups of the past year for their Roman Death Metal. What is Roman is because this conceptual album talks about the formation of the city of Rome, and therefore they acted dressed like Romans. They have a very coordinated live show, with Maurizio Iacono (singer and leader of the group) very dedicated. Songs like 'The Final War', 'Storm the Gates of Alesia', 'Cry Havoc' or the one that gives the album its name were the most cheered. We will have to follow the steps because they promise to continue surprising us.

The following were DECAPITATED. Although they have not released a new album since 2006 and that their previous drummer passed away last year, they have signed up for this tour. They were my main reason for attending the event and they did not disappoint. Although the new singer has been criticized by fans, they offered a sublime show by shutting up more than one mouth. The Poles delighted us with pure technical Death Metal to the sound of 'Day 69', 'Post Organic', 'Visual Delusion' or the final apotheosis with 'Spheres of Madness'. Let's see if now that they have a more stable line-up, they delight us with a new album, it's about time!

Throughout the tour both EXODUS and BEHEMOTH alternated headlining positions and in Barcelona it was EXODUS's turn.

The sex symbols of Black Metal BEHEMOTH decorated the stage with the symbols that characterize them, and characterized themselves with their leather clothing and spikes. His performance focused on reviewing his musical career, although they put aside his first three albums and focused on his new album 'Evangelion'. Their staging is spectacular, and not only because of how they decorate the stage but also because of the coordination between them at all times. They started with 'Ov Fire And The Void' and continued with 'Demigod', 'Conquer All', and 'Shemhamforash', in which bassist Tomasz 'Orion' Wróblewsk tripped over so much cable falling down and taking a good hit. Despite having a very good live show, the only drawback they have is that between song and song the group rests behind the scenes making themselves wait like rockstars. In and of itself that is the feeling I had of them: a distant group that believes itself superior to its audience, but after these pauses between song and song, the leader Nergal interacted with the public and appreciated the massive attendance. Of course, a BEHEMOTH concert would not be the same without the encore 'Lucifer' with Nergal wearing the group's symbol mask. Personally, I think it's a shame that they focus so much on their most death metal albums leaving aside the black metal sound with which they started, thank goodness than with the good direct they have and that thanks to the amount of sampled they have they make the direct sounds like the album, they are forgiven everything.

It's time for EXODUS. There are several times that I have enjoyed his live and this time it was not going to be less. The new stage of the group (well, exactly since 2004) seems to be going from strength to strength, working hard, touring and editing works. Despite always having an impressive live show with many circle pits and walls of death, their live shows are based on reviewing the records of this new stage, such as 'Beyond the Pale'. 'Downfall', 'Iconoclasm' or 'War Is My Shepherd'. Halfway through the concert Gary Holt's amp (guitar) and drums stopped working. The 15 minutes that the sound technicians needed to fix it were enlivened with some EXODUS pending for their audience, making them enjoy and distributing beer and picks everywhere to quench the thirst and fatigue of 4 hours of non-stop music. Once the problem was solved, they continued with their spectacular live show, despite the fact that, as I mentioned before, the set-list could contain some more classic (they only played 'A Lesson In Violence' and 'Strike of the Beast'). These new EXODUS transmit speed and brutality, just as the best Thrash demands.

As a final point to add that it was a good night enjoying extreme sounds for five hours, with a devoted audience and the room almost to the brim, although there were times when fatigue was noticeable. That week there were concerts every day in Barcelona and there will be a lot of crisis or whatever they say, but it seems that on tours of this style, with key groups, the masses move and the concerted metallic health is maintained.

Photographs: Ester Pérez

Text: Xènia Senserrich