D-Day's Revenge...

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Reverend Scott reviews Killfest 2010!

April 9th, 2010

Killfest at The Metro, Chicago

Overkill, God Dethroned, Vader, Warbringer, Evile, Woe Of Tyrants

    I got on the wrong train in St. Louis, which luckily was also headed to Chicago, but I was almost two hours late, rendering my entire printed itinerary irrelevant. With only about three hours to go until Killfest, I had to take a taxi way out into the suburbs, check into my hotel and then figure out a combination of buses and subways back into Chicago and find the venue. Luckily for me, public transportation in Chicago is pretty well run. I arrived at The Metro as the second band, England's Evile, was taking the stage, missing only Woe Of Tyrant's set. Fortunately I had been able to catch Woe Of Tyrants only a few months earlier in Los Angeles opening for God Dethroned and Abigail Williams the last time God Dethroned swept through the U.S. They are GREAT live and not to be missed.

    Evile played a good fast short set, reminding me of a cross between Kreator and Carcass, with original elements; good, stripped-down British thrash metal. Not to be negative, but a little too "old-fashioned" for my personal taste. Still, they are well worth seeing live, and they had good stage presence.

    Next up was Warbringer, from Ventura, California. Being from Santa Barbara, California myself, I was pleased to discover this great band is from the next county south of my hometown. They played a fast and brutal style of metal, heavily influenced by late 1980's Bay Area Thrash and Crossover, with some subtle influences from the "'Nardcore" scene ( Ill Reptute, Stalag 13, etc.) filtered through in their own original way.Excellent stage presence, with all members in constant motion; a band NOT to miss.

    The Netherlands' God Dethroned took to the stage with their usual fury, an explosion of controlled brutality, honed to a razor-sharp edge after nearly two decades. They have had top billing at all the European festivals for years, but are just now starting to tour The United States on a regular basis. I have been lucky enough to see them twice in recent months, with slightly differnt line-ups and different set lists. Last time out in Los Angeles we got The Warcult, Under A Silver Moon and Loyal To The Crown of God Dethroned; ths time in Chicago we got Villa Vampiria, Poison Fog and Behind Enemy Lines, staying on the faster edge of their musical spectrum.

   I was pretty excited to see Poland's Vader for the first time, and they certainly did not disappoint me. Like God Dethroned, Vader stuck to their faster material, with the notable exceptions of Devilizer and Never Say My Name from the newest Necropolis album. It was great to hear such blistering classics such as Firebringer and This Is The War. There is a certain brutal fury inherent in the great Polish bands like Vader and Behemoth, which I think comes from grwing up behind the Iron Curtain under the boot heel of the Soviet Union. We in the West have no concept of what it must be like to have tanks on our strets enforcing the murderous rule of an enemy nation. Anyway, my point is that Vader kicked much ass and I look forward to seing them again.

   Finally the Headliners Overkill took took over the stage at The Metro and proved why they have survived 25 years as one of America's better metal bands. I have personally been a fan since the "Fuck You" album of 1987 with Rotten to the Core. Bobby Blitz and the Boys opened with newer material as I went to get my final Jack and Coke of the night, intending to leave soon, since I had been up since 5:00 a.m. and travelled a few hundred miles to get there. I had already been impressed with all four previous bands I saw, and loved the venue and the staff and wanted to get back to my hotel room and get some sleep before getting up the next afternoon to explore Chicago a little on my own and then drop by a friend's tattoo shop- Da Hot Zone, at the corner of Milwuake and Belmont. Well, Overkill impressed me so much that I ended up staying for about half of their set, even going back down in front to mosh and scream along when they played my favorite of theirs, Rotten To The Core. After that, as they drifted back into newer material I decided to call it a night and head out. My leaving by NO means implies that Overkill were anything less than perfect live- I was just tired; I don't do stimulant hard drugs anymore, lmao ;).

    I must have picked the perfect time to leave, for as I walked into the diner across the street to get a nice greasy burger and fries, I realized that Henri Satler of God Dethroned and a friend of his were in front of me in line. Having talked to Henri before, both in Chicago and Los Angeles, and being online friends, he graciously invited me to sit and eat and talk with them. After an hour an hour and a half of discussing world politics and legal differences between the U.S. and The Netherlands, I came away an even bigger fan of Henri Satler & God Dethroned.

    So, to sum it all up, Killfest at The Metro rocked!