Boltfest Live Review 2012

Bolt Thrower presents Boltfest, The Forum, London, April 7th

I don’t know if I should review this gig but counting that this was a charity gig to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust , organised by one of the most respected bands in the world metal scene to celebrate their 26^th anniversary and one the most anticipated gig of the year in London so far, so why not review it here on Insetu’s Zine blog.

The craziness started in the end of 2011, when in two weeks all 2000 tickets was sold out without any advertising and no support bands announced, to give an idea what kind of fans would be expected there. Then they announce the bands Vallenfyre, Benediction, Discharge and Autopsy, hell I was happy and I couldn’t wait for it.

The day arrives and after a busy Saturday few shots of an aged golden cachaça I had at home I met my good mates in front of the Kentish Town’s The Forum and for my surprise there was a large queue, it has been a while I don’t get in a queue for a gig, it was probably coz of the merch, as Bolt Thrower famously only sells their merch in their gigs nowhere else. After got inside the queue for the merch was even crazier, no fucking way I would join that queue, got my beer and straight to see Vallenfyre.

Vallenfyre, I’ve never heard about them before but apparently they are members from My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, At The Gates and Doom (UK band), they did a really sharp performance, doing  a Death Metal with parts of Doom and in a certain point they did a crust song, is was their second gig ever and they surely earned loads of new fans.

Benediction got to the stage and the crowd was eager for old school death metal and that is what they got, no bullshit just Dave Hunt talking a lot in-between the songs the rest was perfect, great public reaction and violent circle pits.

Discharge was probably the disappointment of the night, their sound wasn’t as good as it was for the bands before, there was also technical problems with the guitar with the last songs and there was a crowd maybe too metal for them, you could see Rat’s face of frustration but it didn’t stop Rat to give his best, he run, jumped and screamed like hell, unfortunately only few reciprocated it.

US death metal pioneers Autopsy hasn’t played in London for some while and as soon they get on stage and play their new song “Hand Of Darkness” and it is like the hordes of hell are bringing the apocalypse, then came a sequence of classics from Severed Survival and Mental Funeral to nearly break the necks of everyone around, just awesome.

Then come to stage the host, Bolt Thrower, by this time the adrenaline is hitting the skies and they conduct the crowd to a new level of exhilaration, only the fucking classics, in chronological order, starting with “ In Battle There Is No Law” and going past some favourites like  “World Eater”, “Rebirth Of Humanity”, “The IVth Crusade”, “No Guts, No Glory”, “Killchain” and so on. I hope they come with other birthday parties.

PICTURES CAN BE SEEN HERE

K.K.