Click here for over 200 photos from Inferno Festival!
This being my first trip ever to Switzerland, coupled with the awesome task of covering my very first Swiss Inferno, (the smaller scale, but no less crushing sister festival to Inferno, Norway) I had high hopes about this being an incredible journey, and I was not remotely disappointed.
Held in the beautiful city of Lausanne, Switzerland, at Les Docks (main stage) and Base Bar (second stage), two adjacent warehouses in an industrial part of the city which boasts a modern/minimalist architectural charm during the day, and quickly turns into a hotbed for hookers peddling their wares after nightfall; the neighborhood was just right for all things gritty and metal.
And metal it was, particularly Les Dock itself, which itself is literally a giant, corrugated steel box, and offers three separate levels for hanging out and mingling, with many bars tucked into every nook, and some of the friendliest bartenders you’ll ever meet, who proceeded to rock out the entire time the bands were playing, all the while slinging good, strong drinks with utmost precision and a smile. With all the drink stands available, you pretty much never had to wait in line for a beverage. The upper levels offered plenty of cushy seating and atmosphere. It was by far one of the coolest venues I have ever visited.
Visual/stylish aesthetics aside, the sound was great as well, and the bands really seemed to enjoy playing there. The fans were unabashedly enthusiastic, and fully into the performances. There was a wide variety of metal styles being showcased, and no matter whom the audience members might have been there to see, they graciously respected all the performers, and heartily applauded every act. True metal fans, one and all – all having a kick ass time, and showing it. It was truly the “feel good event” of the year for me thus far.
The main stage was opened on night one by Switzerland’s own Borgne, an ambient black metal band whom I had never seen before, but thought put on an impressive show, with a suitably dark stage presence and menacing energy. Performing mostly under dark red lighting, the photographic possibilities were limited, but the sound and vibe were quite pleasing. They offered a great kick off to this long awaited event.
Following Borgne were Benighted hailing from Saint-Etienne, France. Benighted are a straightforward death metal band with some grindcore elements, capable of delivering that pugnacious, in-your-face, “sucker-punch” style sound often heard with this type of band. The audience transitioned nicely from their black metal trance into some frenzied, fist-pumping brutality. Well done!
Third up, were Norway’s 1349. It never ceases to amaze me how certain bands still induce that euphoric feeling of jittery anticipation and life threatening tachy-arrhythmia at the first note of their ominous intro, no matter how many times you see them live. Unlike most drugs where the first high is the “never-to-be -felt-again” best, and subsequent hits leave you lacking, the powerful effect provided by their unrelenting wall of sound and chaotic darkness never loses its exultant luster.
Typical of this group, they hit the stage spewing “Aural Hellfire” and cacophonous, earsplitting heaviness at first note, and at no point did they let up. While I’d like to report the audience’s reaction to them, I was far too busy hoping nobody would notice the stream of urine coursing down my leg, due to the sheer overwhelm I felt at the punishing auditory payload that was busily ripping the skin off my face. I must remind myself to pack incontinence briefs for Inferno, Norway, where 1349 have been added last minute to the bill! Double Inferno? Yes, please.
In all seriousness, I did peripherally observe a rabid response from the crowd and was saved from spontaneous, overexcited combustion all over the photo pit by the aggressive and non-stop windmilling of all the long-haired heads in the front row, blessedly fanning my feverish vigor.
Catching up with Ravn and Frost after the show, I asked them how they felt about how the show went, to which they replied, “We were EXTREMELY pleased…which means something must be wrong.” ;)
I believe that’s a sound indicator that it was indeed as awesome as it appeared to the impartial observer. If the band is happy, chances are, the crowd is too.
Closing out the first night of Inferno, Switzerland, and providing NO reprieve from the onslaught, were another band that never fails to bring down the house, Umea, Sweden’s Meshuggah.
A band that defies any real genre, and can most aptly be described as true “extreme metal”, Meshuggah incorporate various elements of death, thrash, and prog, and offer an incredibly complex sound that is short on neither intensity, nor sophistication.
As expected, the masses went ballistic, and threw themselves full-bore into the incredibly hard-hitting performance. Having only been my second time to see Meshuggah live, I was again reminded of why this incredibly talented band has so much universal appeal – they kick ass on SO many levels.
Totally satiated by the first night of this great festival, I had a rather challenging time falling asleep after the event. I finally succumbed to crushing exhaustion at about 0630 the next morning and awoke in the early evening, camera locked and loaded, ready for round two.
The following evening started off with a thunderous bang, and was opened up by another French band, Svart Crown. A blackened death metal band with a sound characterized by a mixture of typical black metal unholiness, with some good old fashioned, rumbling, death metal growls tossed in the mix, they shook off any last traces of slumber I might have been bogged down by. Boasting versatile tempo changes, vacillating between melodic doom, and rapid-fire vehemence, they started the night off right, and successfully got the place moving and moshing.
By the time Norway’s Tsjuder took the stage, I was more than ready to throw down. Having never seen this band live, but having watched their “Norwegian Apocalypse” DVD so many times at home that my poor, harried DVD player was in danger of refusing to accept it any longer, I was ecstatic about FINALLY seeing them up close, and in person. This moment alone would have been well worth the trip to Switzerland, even if I DIDN’T have a job to do over there, besides gorge myself to the point of rupture on metal, chocolate, and fondue.
They were utterly brilliant. Chilling, fierce, and possessing a pure, undiluted black resonance that was truly metallic; they brought the pain, and with a bullet. I don’t mean “metallic” just in the “heavy metal” sense of the word as it is so typically used, but a truly jarring dissonance that is reminiscent of the sounds that I would hear when I would visit my dad at work in his machine shop. This was the ACTUAL sound of metal being ground down, and molded into something shiny and functional – sparks flying, molten hot, scalding. You could smell it. A genuinely good act can readily and violently assault every one of your senses, not just the tympanic membranes. Listening to Tsjuder is somewhat akin to chewing eagerly on tin foil, and I mean this in the most complimentary way.
SO. DAMN. GOOD.
Tjsuder will be doing a Double Inferno as well. My cup runneth over.
For safety’s sake, things took a turn from the dangerously visceral to the exceptionally cerebral when Norway’s Shining appeared next in the line-up.
Definitely the “odd man out” as far as musical stylings at this festival, the unique mixture of jazz, extreme/experimental metal, and prog rock worked in a way I would have never expected it might. Mating heavy electric guitar and drum sounds with the sonorous wail of the saxophone, I was stunned at how simultaneously heavy and harmonious their sound was. Initially, I wasn’t certain what I was going to think of this band, as I tend to often repeat my own patterns and harbor a little bit of tunnel vision when it comes to what I want to listen to. I’m not elitist or narrow-minded, per se, but I do tend to be a creature of habit.
Shining were surprisingly incredible, and the crowd seamlessly transitioned from Tsjuder’s panzer like attack, to the very different, but no less impressive offerings doled out by Jørgen Munkerby & Co.
Pairing these versatile acts together on the same bill was a truly sagacious move. It succeeded in providing a little “something for everyone” and opened up all present to some new musical elements they might not have previously welcomed into their sphere. Once you leave an event feeling enriched, you definitely want to go back. I can see myself absolutely wanting to cover Inferno, Switzerland again next year, and looking forward to it.
The headliner of the entire festival is an act I’ve had the pleasure of seeing a time or two before, and regardless of how rigid you may be in your stance on the issues of musical purity and formality, if you don’t enjoy an Immortal show, despite your “kvlt” leanings…you’re made of stone, and as the late, great Hunter S. Thompson would so aptly say, you “shit on the chest of fun.”
After a roller coaster ride of musical styles and emotions, Immortal arrived to deliver their usual brand of gloriously entertaining moves, riffs, and choreography, and ended the night – and the festival itself – on a climactic note that made you want to smoke something, and bask in post Immortal bliss.
They were truly in top form, sounding and looking great, and treating the photographers and fans to their usual barrage of visually pleasing antics. There aren’t too many (if any) bands that can pull of this sort of schtick with such panache, and that alone puts them in their very own class – they do what they do, and they do it oh, so right. Underneath their theatrics and showmanship, they craft some damn clever riffs, however, and are tight as fuck-all onstage. Horgh is one hell of a capable and heavy-hitting drummer. Where Abbath and Apollyon provide a devilish dose of humor with their performances, Horgh is no fucking joke. They might have a sweet coating, but Immortal have a jaw-breakingly hard center, and a solidity to their performance which rattles you to your very core, and makes you wonder how in the hell you are both laughing joyously, yet shitting your pants uncontrollably, at the same time while watching them.
Overall, my first Swiss Inferno experience was one for the books, and a weekend I won’t soon come down from the high of. I am now ridiculously pumped for Inferno, Norway, and chewing my nails to the quick, unable to contain myself any longer. My Depend Undergarments are packed. Jeg er klar!
Stay tuned!
Extra special thanks to everyone who helped make this event truly awesome for me: Rachel Strickland, Carolin Steinert, Therese Asker, 1349, Immortal, Inferno Norway, everyone at Les Docks and Base Bar, and Headstrong, CH – you are all much appreciated.
