March 6th, 2013 at The Filthy Grass Chamber/Hagen, GER
First off: that was a truly cozy evening with lots of heavy and nasty music! For one thing, this was due to the place where the concert took place. The Filthy Grass Chamber is the rehearsal room of Nightslug, Burial as well as Union Of Sleep, and it is located in an industrial building outside from the centre of Hagen. I really like this place, because it differs from the usual rehearsal rooms with only one room. There is enough space, not to mention the comfortable seating area, which invites everyone in order to justify the name Grass Chamber.
Another reason for this cool evening was of course the music. The agenda included BOTTOM FEEDER and MOONLESS, both from Demark, who are currently on tour through Europe. I enjoyed the debut album of MOONLESS, which led to an interview (click here) with the band, but also the BOTTOM FEEDER 7" (review here) made a particularly good impression on me. Therefore, I was looking forward to this gig.
Fortunately, a couple of people found their way to Hagen, so that the Chamber was filled quite well. The first to get going were BOTTOM FEEDER and what followed was definitely pretty impressive. Despite the obvious influences such as EyeHateGod, these five guys have been able to do their own sick thing. The songs didn't follow the same patterns and especially vocalist Joakim was in great shape. His harsh and aggressive vocal style added to the fervor of the music, while the other guys created a thick wall of sound. There have been slower parts, but BOTTOM FEEDER also played a lot of neck-breaking passages, so this abrasive trip never was going to be boring. Some nice hooklines also ensured that most of the tracks will remain for a long time in my thoughts. Overall, this was a great show. The band was on fire and full of enthusiasm.
After a short break MOONLESS entered the room. Guitarist Hasse didn't need to leave his place because he is also in the BOTTOM FEEDER line-up. He had probably the hardest job at this evening since both bands left behind a long way, or more precisely, they did drive the whole route from Bordeaux to Hagen and that's about 1200 kilometres. Not bad. Despite the double burden, Hasse as well as the other MOONLESS guys delivered a good performance. They played a lot of songs from 'Calling All Demons', and their blend of early Black Sabbath, 1970s heavy rock and traditional heavy metal was immediately convincing. MOONLESS laid down a tight groove without becoming too smooth. Moreover, they did not miss out on any variation either. Thus, MOONLESS stand out from other doom competitors which only deliver the stereotypical, trendy slow stuff. Just as with BOTTOM FEEDER, the band had a very good sound and it was much better as it is was the case with other gigs I've seen in the past 30 years. It was raw and unpolished yet balanced and differentiated. Even though I liked BOTTOM FEEDER more at that evening (I guess, I was in a sludgy mood), MOONLESS presented themselves very well in the Grass Chamber.
A great thanks goes out to Fabian (Burial, Nightslug) and Jens (Nightslug, Union Of Sleep) for organizing this great event in finest D.I.Y. tradition. I had a lot of fun and I really hope that there will be more gigs in this unique location.
(Photos by Fabian Dietz)
(KK)