It's that time of the year again. Summer in Europe is the place to be if you're into alternative and heavy music. Now you need to ask yourself, how deep down the genre and sub-genre rabbit hole are you willing to go?
I've been trying my luck for the last three years by attending different festivals around Europe. The majority of these didn't really cater for my needs from a sub-culture or music fulfillment point of view. Well, that's until I decided to make it over to a little town called Trutnov in Czech Republic for Obscene Extreme Festival in 2013. It had everything one could ever want from a festival. Cheap food, incredible people and amazing bands. So sure, I'm back here for the 2014 installment of Obscene Extreme and it looks to be a good one.
Ever hear the phrase " Fast music for slow people"? Well this is exactly that. With over 69 bands on this years line up, it isn't hard to understand why I made my way back. There are bands from various genres, some well known and some not so well know. But just as good as their better known counterparts. Genre and sub-genre distinction is the name of the game with bands from grindcore, hardcore, punk, crust punk, d-beat, death metal and even some sludge thrown in the mix for this years addition of Obscene Extreme.
Obscene Extreme is the brainchild of Curby, who started with fanzines before he got Onscene Productions up and running in order to bring grindcore to the masses. Now, he's been successfully organising Obscene Extreme for about 16 years in Trutnov, Czech Republic, but has since also taken it global in the last 2 years, with fests in North America, Asia and Australia. This is all been done without losing the D.I.Y ethics and attitude combined with the punk ethos - an incredible feet he should be commended for. Most of us would have never been able to see these bands nor heard of them in the first place.
I arrived in Trutnov yesterday and I've managed to get my backstage pass and I am looking forward to getting to know some bands better through interviews and just basic shop talking. So this is basically a guide for those of you attending later today or just at home, because you could't get time off work. We all know the big names attending, such as Possessed, Eyehategod, Cripple Bastards
and Immolation. So I'll dig more into bands to look out for on the day.
Thursday, 17th of July.
This is probably my favorite day of the entire fest. Proceedings kick off at 13:00. If you're a grindcore manic or speed freak, you'd want to be front and center for the following bands:
Livstid from Norway, who I was thoroughly impressed with in Europe earlier this summer. They're followed by immediately by France's Chiens from Nancy. Abrasive, fast, grindcore, with some powerviolence influences along the way, together with some of the best musical showmanship on display. Their front man is an absolute maniac and can get any crowd going. Chiens are closely followed by their partners in grind, Whoresnation, who are just as brutal from start to finish, with some incredible riffs, drumming and all together tightness throughout their set, which is a whirlwind of destruction.
Later on in the evening you're in for a treat. All the way from Tokyo, Final Exit, the noise boys from Japan have an incredible sense of humor and stage presence. But don't be fooled - they're not here to fuck around by any means and they play some of the fastest, shortest, most intense music on the planet. This is also their first time touring outside of Japan. So do yourself a favor - don't miss them.
Other bands to look out for on the day include The Kill, ACxDC and death metal legends, Master! That's a killer first day. Most of you probably won't make it through, but that's the price you pay to grind.
Friday, 18th of July.
Kicking off a lot sooner, with more bands to see, Friday is going to be an absolute ripper. Basically there are bands from all corners of the globe. I am particularly excited to see Brazilian d-beat new comers Deaf Kids. They release a record last year, titled "I am the sickness", which absolutely blew me away. I was in a very fortunate position to review this record and managed to get my hands on a tape as well.
Another band to look out for is Masochist from Thailand, which I am pretty excited about. Yet I am not entirely sure what to expect; but if you're invited to play Obscene, there must be something going for you.
Warcollapse from Sweden is another band to check out. If you're not familiar with their legendary music hailing from the southern part of Sweden, I would highly recommend you get on that immediately. VitaminX and Nunslaughter are back to back, which promises to bring together an interesting mix of people as the dutch fast and furious hardcore punks from Amsterdam will be followed by another incredible death metal act in the form of Nunslaughter.
The day keeps getting better and better as Brutal Truth are set to rip it up on their last Obscene appearance ever, as sadly the band intend to call it quits later this year. And this is only the start of three incredible acts to follow one another. After Brutal Truth, we are blessed with the myth and the legend that is Possessed. To quote Lock-up,"SEVEN CHURCHES ON VINYL OR FUCK OFF", should basically say all you need to know about Possessed.
Then, there is probably one of the most anticipated acts of the fest. Eyehategod are going to bring everything to a grinding halt with some sludgy goodness we can all band our heads too.
Saturday, 19th of July.
Hung over? Tired? Probably. But the festivities continue on the final day you get to grind at this installment of Obscene Extreme 2014. I am pretty keen for Saturday as I have yet to sample all the bands on offer. You must check out Nuclear from Chile, who are set to tear us all a new one with some explosive, fast-as fuck-thrash metal.
There will be various local acts from the Czech Republic who also look pretty promising. Later in the afternoon, ultra core maniacs Turbokrieg from Houston take ot the stage to deliver their own brand of grindcore, with some incredible music showmanship on display, a line-up which includes members from Pretty Little Flower, Mindboil, Insect warfare and death metal masters Warmaster. If that doesn't get yer motor going, I doubt that anything will.
The night is young as the bastards are back. Cripple Bastards to take the stage and destroy everything in their path with their own brand of old school grindcore. The list seems never ending as Doom, Wermacht
and Immolation are set to give it their best in destroying Trutnov. Corrupt Moral Altar is another act to watch out for - the lads from the UK know what's up when it comes to slowing it down a notch.
So if all of that has happened and you're still not satisfied, you could always stay for the after party on Sunday, which includes Masochist, Turbokrieg and The Kill among others.
Have a good one maniacs!
