Hammer Open Air – Lieto Finland

SATURDAY – THE SECOND DAY

The Swedish Morbid Insulter is known for having quite controversial and nasty image and act on the stage. The four piece didn’t make any exceptional in this case at the festival. The band was truly fucked up and messed up by some stronger liquid than the traditional Finnish beer. They indeed sounded a new formed cellar band and obviously the playing didn’t go as planned cos the guys remembered to punch each other every now and then. Morbid Insulter’s set was more amusing and hilarious. Apparently they tried to be evil nasty and nihilistic because of blood, bones, hooded player, etc.. Being evil and nasty got a little bit different meaning when the band got thrown out of the hotel and even the local police were interesting on finding out more about these Swedes.

The dark clouds started gathering around the festival area when the dark blackish metallers TotalSelfHatred got on the stage. The dark and grim sounding melodies cleaved the festival area when dark hymns by three guitars and four singers got spread out. No worthless communication needed, instead the outfit let the dismal hymns float in the area. The suffering and agonizing vocal styles with the intensive soundworld with the different singers sounded tormenting convincing. This type of darker grim sounding stuff would have needed more atmospheric and dark surrounded venue with excellent lights creating the certain atmosphere. Playing in the daylight didn’t give the needed fairness for a band like TotalSelfHatred where the emotional depression and neverending hopeless and darkness prevail eternally.

Rumoured Morbud Chron featured Nicke Andersson’s cousin or then brother on the guitar, therefore the interest toward the band increased for sure. Another point was the band’s uncompromising and brutal death metal with the raw approach drawing more interest. The four dirty looking fellows sounded extreme furious and nothing like the Entombed or any other Nicke Andersson stuff, instead the rotting flesh and blood and death could be smelled in the air when Morbus Chron tormented the audience at Hammer.

Black Metal from France. Well Merrimack presented the stereotypical black metal approach. Somehow the frontman reminded slightly of the former Marduk growler Legion in the stage manners. Covered in blood and typical corpse paints were the used gimmicks and so to say the typical black metal armament in the Merrimack camp. The band mostly stood for the more than standard black metal outfit.

The Swedish doomesters Isole was a welcomed exception on the roster of the Hammer Open Air festival. As most of bands were basically extreme stuff, but Isole’s dark, heavy and doom was pleased to hear in the indoor venue. Even though the band is four piece, but the bassist was forced to stay at home because of illness, however the whole show was played as a three piece. The epic heavy metal echoed in the indoor venue convincing several skeptical metals. It is obvious the stuff of Isole needs to be checked closer out as the gig at Hammer sounded tremendous doomy and interesting. Obviously the old Candlemass fans may have got some vibes.

All right this Finnish black metal combo Satanic Warmaster got denied to enter the Hellfest, but instead they were more than welcomed to Hammer Open Air. The field was totally packed when warmasters unleashed the satanic terrorizing. The black metal squad offered not so offensive gig or provoking anyone, just keeping more mellow attitude by focusing on the playing. To conclude the set Satanic Warmaster had picked up rather an unexpected cover tune to declare the brotherhood of metal by doing “Fighting The World” by Manowar. The special guest doing the vocals was the Stormheit frontman.

Not everything was black metal. Interment presented the old school Swedish death metal. The old school death metal seemed not to appeal to the most fanatical audience. The four piece feat. the former Centinex members mauled the audience riff after the riff. The old school death metal didn’t reach the justified level as hoped.

InSolitude being the part of the scene of Uppsala metal has been on the turbulence of the increasing success and attention. during the whole year. The five piece has been gigging a lot at various festivals. The stuff of In Solitude can be easily labeled and described as influenced by NWOBHM meets Mercyful Fate. Despite the young ages the InSolitude guys have pounded awesome songs with catchy metallic songs. The InSolitude frontman apparently wants to have one kind of mystical halo. Having the face masked alluded to one known Danish metaller. InSolitude and other young Swedish metal forces are the future of traditional heavy metal, accept that fact or not. But why the heck does the singer wear the foxmuff around his neck ? Too cold or too extreme ? Well too hilarious

The German black metallers Darkened Nocturn Slaughter fronted by the long haired female literally slaughtred the audience by doing an uncompromising and nihilistic set of the total black metal. The blood was spilled toward the audience, only the fire breathing was missing from the total black metal maelstrom. The sounds were quite insane brutal giving b it chaotic feeling.

Finally these legends had been waited for ages and the long waited day arrived, when the legendary gore death metallers got on the stage. The Autopsy set was kicked off by Twisted Mess Of Burnt Decay and followed by a number of songs from the mighty SEVERED SURVIVAL album. Even though the new titled MACABRE ETERNAL just saw the light of day, but the set was based to concentrate on the classic Autopsy gorehymns especially from the first album. Just take a glance at the set : “Ridden With Disease, Pagan Saviour, Gasping For Air, Critical Madness”. That was nothing, but a pure wet dream for every old school death metal worshipper. The whole crowd had waited for Autopsy during the whole weekend, but the waiting was awarded by Autopsy offering a real severed survival kit. Chris Reifert’s inhuman rotten putrid sounding vocals were pure top high death metal growling. Kids of death metal bands of nowadays, go and get a lesson from Autopsy and Christ Reifert how to create the mauling and humiliating death metal with such a death growling before launching any c-class death metal combo. The whole band was on fire literally, not growing roots in one spot. The passion, death, gore and above all killer tunes. Fuck yeah it is death metal with the big D letter.

Twisted Mess Of Burnt Decay

Severed Survival

Ridden With Disease

Pagan Saviour

Embalmed

Tomb Within

Fiend For Blood

Gasping For Air

Critical Madness

Born Undead

Always About To Die

Voices

Disembowel

Dead

Slaughter Day

Service For A Vacant Coffin

Charred Remains