• Emperor - Masters Hammer - Revenge - Toxic Holocaust - Anaal Nathrakh - Dead Congregation - Unanimated - Gruesome - Our Survival Depends On Us
• Tent • Endseeker - Crescent - Evil Warriors - Gutrectomy - Grim Van Doom

:: Pics ::

Festival beauty treatment: a whole body peeling for free

[Dajana] So far, our ride towards “the desert” went very well, with a new, bigger, air-conditioned and more comfortable car. It did not broke ;) Unfortunately, we had a car crash ahead with the highway closed for an hour. And since the first band already started at 2.30pm we missed : OUR SURVIVAL DEPENDS ON US :: and :: GRUESOME ::. Fuck! Especially for the first one. GRUESOME I already have seen playing PSOA two years ago.
[Öko] I especially wanted to see GRUESOME. Damn. So they still remain on my “to-do-list”. Too bad that we missed them.
[Dajana] We could hear them from afar anyway… ;)

[Dajana] So we started with :: UNANIMATED ::. The Swedes return after 8 years of silence with a new EP called Annihilation, which was just released the next day. Seems like the guys haven’t mentally arrived yet as they played a quite unanimated and grim show. Hm.
[Öko] I like to see old school Death Metal bands playing live. Actually. The word "unanimated" does not mean stiff or standstill. The guys obviously did not know. Otherwise I cannot explain the boredom pouring down from the stage. Having released a good album in the 90s (In The Forest Of The Dreaming Dead) is for sure not enough to keep party going on.
But I meanwhile listend to the Annihilation EP and this one is a great piece of music!

[Öko] Following band :: DEAD CONGREGATION :: did not really show more action. At least, the Greeks had the better songs and were the better musicians. Though, really exciting this show was not. And then the world went down for one hour…
[Dajana] Nah, I say, it was much better with DEAD CONGREGATION. Finally some ultra-brutal Death Metal grimness and frowning faces. But yes, I agree, the Greeks could not make the spark jump over either.
My approach: to cool down and pimp up my mood with some brewski. Well, before I could do so, wind picked up to serve us a whole-body peeling for free. 10 minutes before their set should have come to an end, DEAD CONGREGATION had to knock it off. The area got evacuated to let the sandstorm whirl.
On my way to my car I heard a guy screaming: “This is the vengeance of God for this unholy music” Hahahaha… Priceless. Nevertheless, the situation was quite dangerous.

[Dajana] One hour later the festival area was opened again, accentuated with two cannon shots to make people aware. At 7:40 pm :: ANAAL NATHRAKH :: entered the stage and had to struggle through some technical issues. The stage crew missed to put the band’s backdrop up and especially the micro of singer Dave Hunt denied its service. A little bummer due to the epic singing. It took a while to get all solved. Though, the Brits delivered us a great show and even a premiere. ANAAL NATHRAKH opened with a brand new song, Obscene As Cancer, from the upcoming album, A New Kind Of Horror, played live for the first time ever. Awesome! Watch out for the new record in September. Finally I have arrived at PARTY SAN OPEN AIR 2018. Great show!
[Öko] Blimey! There were people moving on stage! Since In The Constellation Of The Black Widow, ANAAL NATHRAKH are one of my all-time faves. Unfortunately, the sound was really bad. Guitars were hardly to hear. As for that, we got a skilled live drummer to watch instead if a drum computer ;) The first real good show at PSOA 2018.

[Öko] Well, it is always difficult to rock a big stage with only three people. :: TOXIC HOLOCAUST :: did a great job anyway (but how to do it perfect, Exciter showcased the next day). Though, it was kind of 08/15 Thrash Metal to me and did not catch me at all. Passed me by without any impression.
[Dajana] I say, TOXIC HOLOCAUST stepped it up a notch. They had a much better sound and delivered a hell of a high energy performance. I had fun and enjoyed the show!

[[Öko] :: REVENGE :: were well received by many, not by me. Again, we got the problem with the three-man-cast, plus uninspired and dull Black Metal with a gargling voice. This kind of singing is often neither evil, nor aggressive. But it can be much worse (as RazorRape prove on Saturday, but more about it later). Well, there is one (positive) thing I can say: James Read (drums) and his mates are skilled musicians.
Dajana] Um… Well… Dull. That’s it. The Canadian Black Metal commando was fast and brutal but utterly boring. The stage was bathed in deep blue lights and a lot of smoke so that there was hardly anything to see. Ok, let’s finally have a beer! My first and last one on this festival day.

[Dajana] Right after the slots were exchanged as :: EMPEROR :: preferred to play at their original time. Well, why not. Anticipations were high, almost palpable, since there were many fans, which have never seen EMPEROR playing live before. Yes, yes, yes, get off the grid!
EMPEROR did, with full force and majestically! EMPEROR completely played Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk to celebrate its 20th anniversary and added three classics without a break as an encore. The Norwegians masters of progressive Black Metal delivered an awe-inspiring 70 Minutes show. An epic excursion of excellent musicianship at a bombastic sound with a band living up to their name. Absolut stunning!
[Öko] I know, so far I was nagging a lot. But EMPEROR did not give me any reason to do so. I actually was only looking forward them right from the beginning of the festival. And that is what I heard from many other fans and friends alike. Well, they could not do anything wrong with their masterpiece Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk. Ihsahn had visibly fun on stage (which is said to be not always the case). To talk about their musicianship is like to carry coals to Newcastle. A stunning performance! I just missed the über-song I Am the Black Wizards.
[Dajana] Which they played at other festivals… grrr.
Setlist: Alsvartr (The Oath), Ye Entrancemperium, Thus Spake The Nightspirit, Ensorcelled By Khaos, The Loss And Curse Of Reverence, The Acclamation Of Bonds, With Strength I Burn, The Wanderer, Curse You All Men!, nno A Satana

[Dajana] At this point, the first festival day should have ended. But the storm gave us an extra turn and a surprising new “headliner” - :: MASTER’S HAMMER ::. Prague-based occult black metallers are often named a legend, which has influenced many of other bands. I, for my part, have never dealt with them any closer, and have never heard one their records. A hooded bass player entered the stage and singer Franta Štorm looked like a priest. And I liked their light show. MASTER’S HAMMER were refreshingly original and funny due to their dialect and the song titles (which probably was not intended). It made me smile anyway ;)
[Öko] To enter the stage and to finish a festival day after Emperor is an invidious task. It was late and the fans tired and exhausted. But MASTER’S HAMMER did their best and delivered an entertaining show. The band’s importance and influence on the first wave of Nordic Black Metal is unquestioned. It is just... after Emperor you cannot win. But yes, the cute accent was funny.
I think I should try to catch them again one day, under normal conditions. As for now I say thank you to MASTER’S HAMMER for changing the slot. Otherwise at least one band would have been cancelled.

[Dajana] That was a late but nice final for the first festival day. Off to the tent to finally find some sleep at bearable temperatures.

story Dajana & Öko • pics © Dajana & Dajana Winkel • Photography