Cork Winterfest | Live Review

Cork Winterfest, held in the Republic’s second city (ignoring the “real capital” malarky for a moment), has been an important event on the Irish metal calendar for 4 years now.

Having gone out on a high last year with what by all accounts was a very special show by Amon Amarth - and almost certainly one of the last which that band will play to a room holding a mere 250 or so metalheads - the challenge was set for the organisers from the outset this year to ensure that Winterfest ‘09 would live up to its by now well established reputation as one of the most important events of the Irish metal calendar.

The debate has ensued for quite some time as to whether this and similar events can justly claim to call themselves festivals or whether they are simply extended concerts with a lot of (mostly local) bands playing at them. It is largely irrelevant what you call the actual event. The main question which must be on most reader’s minds is did the bands play well, was the atmosphere good, and did the punters enjoy it?

Friday evening’s bill was opened by Tipperary band Na Damanta, followed by Kildare’s Red Enemy and Waterford metallers Orpheus, for whom this concert was to be their swansong. Unfortunately for all 3, the hands that have typed this review were elsewhere occupied in Fionnbarra’s pub just up the road from An Crúiscín Lán, with a freshly cooked pizza in one hand and a pint of that establishment’s home-brewn red ale in the other, both of which are highly recommended incidentally.

But back to the matter at hand. Apologies to the aforementioned bands, but one can only write of that which one has experienced, and these reviewers only made it to the venue in time for Old Season. Old Season are one of those bands who simply fail to set a foot wrong, be it when performing live or on their recorded output, most recently receiving rave reviews at home and abroad of their first full-length album “Archaic Creation”.

The band is recognised as the leading traditional heavy metal band in the country, famed at this stage for their powerful and epic live performances, and most notably for frontman Frank Brennan’s searing vocals, which as always were evident in spades tonight. However, if one is to be brutally honest, the band’s Winterfest performance seemed - for the first time ever in my memory of seeing them live it must be said - to be slightly lacking in something, a certain je ne sais quoi.

It’s one of the drawbacks of building up a fearsome reputation as a live band that on the few occasions when you don’t really and truly shine on stage, it just seems to the fans to not be as amazing as we’ve become accustomed to. That’s not necessarily a big criticism.

The band played well, mixing old favourites such as “The Claw” from their Vol.I EP with newbies like “Prowler” and “Meet Me on the Battlefield” from the recent Archaic Creation album, but somehow it just didn’t seem to blow me away. An enjoyable show all the same - this is Old Season after all, but perhaps the band should consider reinstating ‘And Sands She Turned For Time’ as the set opener; a tried and trusted attention grabber.

Next came Ulstermen Waylander - another Irish band who really require no introduction at this stage. It’s difficult (for me) to say much more about Waylander than “either you love ‘em or hate ‘em”… Following from that then, if you like them, then you probably would have loved their show on Friday night at Winterfest, and of course, if you don’t like ‘em, well… there’s an obvious conclusion there methinks.

At this point in the review it is probably worth mentioning that this particular writer just isn’t a fan of “folk metal” in general, having only come across a handful of bands who successfully combine elements of folk music with metal to produce an interesting result. You’re probably at this stage putting two and two together and realising that no, I don’t really like Waylander. That said, their performance was definitely professional - instruments played (or should that be wielded?) well and the music delivered with passion. The visual element of the performance was well covered too, the whole band decorated in their custom warpaint and basically looking the part, which is something I’ll refer to again later.

Latvian pagan metal legends Skyforger brought the evening nicely to a close on Friday. As someone who isn’t particularly familiar with their material, all I can say is that I’ll be checking them out on the basis of their performance at Winterfest.

Riff after high quality riff seemed to emanate continuously from the stage and one couldn’t help but tap one’s foot along/slap one’s thigh to the beat/bang the head a bit etc. From the back of the venue, the band members appeared to be thoroughly enjoying themselves onstage, and to use a vernacular parlance “gave it welly” for the full duration of their set.

Onto Saturday then. Given the name they’ve built up for themselves over the course of the last 6 months or so, it seemed strange that local doomsters This Weary Hour would be placed so low on the bill on Saturday, being the opening band for Saturday’s part of the fest (the main part).

It also seemed strange to find oneself watching the band deliver their heavy esoteric doom in broad daylight without so much as a sip of alcohol or any other mood altering drug having been consumed and in the presence of no more than a maximum of 20 onlookers - a real pity as this is one damn fine band and their opening set was better and more convincing by a long stretch than any of the performances by the next number of bands who came after them on Saturday.

One definite marker of a band being worth their weight in metal is the ability to play with ferocious energy and aggression to a room holding only the smallest fraction of its crowd capacity, especially so early on in the day. Their set consisted pretty much of the “No Hand to Comfort You” EP and the music sounded pretty much note for note as it does on CD, which, if you’ve heard it, you’ll realise is not the easiest thing to pull off.

Any criticism of their performance would really be directed towards the festival organisers as opposed to the band themselves, for giving them such an unfavourable time slot when they are clearly deserving of a lot better. Here’s hoping the band’s recent name change to “People of the Monolith” will usher in an era of increased recognition of their talent.

One of the greatest things about local mini-festivals is the occasional discovery of a hitherto unknown band who really blows your socks off. The downside, as we all know however, is that a lot of what’s on offer could at best be described as mediocre. No disrespect is intended here but being honest that seemed to be the case for a good portion of the bands on Saturday afternoon.

The first of those bands was Cork heavy metal outfit Saviours of Sin, whose straight forward brand of heavy metal was, eh, fine as Saturday afternoon background music, but not really sufficient to make any major impression, particularly on a mostly non-Cork crowd who if I were a betting man would wager hadn’t heard the band before.

Apart from a few pretty good guitar solos, there was little on display to hold one’s attention. The band would do well to work on their material, but also on their stage presence, which could do with some development. After Saviours of Sin came English folk metallers Ravenage, who again, to put it bluntly simply failed to impress. See previous reference to personal opinions on folk metal (although to be fair to Waylander, it’s not really fair to lump the Ulstermen in with Ravenage).

Unfortunately Ravenage fall into the category of the countless folk metal bands who fail to achieve anything of particular note with this style, or so it seemed from their delivery of their material at Winterfest. Snoozefest more like. The live delivery of their material just seemed bland, bland, bland. And if you are going to do the folk metal thing, as has already been pointed out by a number of commentators, either go all out or don’t do it at all.

Half of the members of the band wearing chainmail and assorted “olde” attire while the other half wear t-shirts and combats just reeks of laxity and/or a lack of self-assuredness as a band. To be fair to the Englishmen, they were apparently disappointed with their own performance and one member of the band was apparently suffering with swine flu, so all that can be said in good judgement is that perhaps it was an off day for them.

Corkonians Five Will Die were the next band on stage. For readers who haven’t heard them, think Crowbar meets Down, throw in some modern doom influences, and mix it all up with death metal grunts. Some promising elements there for sure. In theory. Unfortunately it just doesn’t work that well. They sounded to these ears like what one imagines is perceived by the ears of those people we’ve all come across who simply fail utterly to understand or “get” heavy metal in any way whatsoever - you know, the people who come out with the “it all just sounds like a load of noise” line.

Unfortunately, in this case, that’s exactly what Five Will Die sounded like at Winterfest. There’s just too many influences going through the music and they sound like they don’t know what they want to be: it’s all a bit of a mess really. Then again, maybe I “just don’t get it”… The mind boggles also as to how anyone from anywhere in Ireland, playing in an Irish metal band, would think it a good idea to wear an American confederate flag on stage in any capacity, least of all instead of trousers.

Why two members of Five Will Die would choose to wear flags around their boxer shorts for the show really is difficult to understand. Maybe it’s a Cork thing… I’ll give them one thing though - they did move quite energetically on stage and off it (amongst the crowd on the floor to the front of the stage, a move performed earlier in the day by This Weary Hour frontman Eamonn O’Neill). This did at least give something interesting to look at after the relative visual inertia of the previous two bands, but apart from providing us with a bit of a giggle, the “snoozefest” tag seemed appropriate again.

Donegal Doom trio Decayor were next on stage, and the rise in quality of the music coming from the stage from here on in was welcome. As mentioned in a previous live review of Decayor, this is one band who, if you haven’t seen them at this stage, you must either have a) been hiding under a rock for the past year or so, b) don’t live in Ireland or c) just don’t go to underground metal gigs.

The band’s live performances are well-known at this stage for all the right reasons and Winterfest was no exception. If one criticism of the performance had to be made, the drums seemed slightly out of step with the strings on a number of occasions, and while the term “sloppy” would be excessive, the performance was not perhaps the tightest the band has been.

One further suggestion would perhaps be to focus on writing new material at this stage as most punters are quite familiar with what tends to be the same setlist (comprising the 3 tracks from the “Re-Ocurring Times of Grief” demo) from gig to gig and the best has maybe been gotten out of that setlist at this stage. It is however, a minimal complaint.

Dublin Sludgesters Two Tales of Woe were next to grace the stage and they were again very well received by the crowd. What can be said of Two Tales of Woe that hasn’t already been said? Much like Decayor, they are a band who have truly served their time on the live circuit this past year or so in particular, and it shows.

Again, if you haven’t seen them, where have you been? “The Woe” are one of the tightest units on the live scene in Ireland and their groovy and weighty metal was delivered as always with equal doses of enthusiasm and energy. Theirs is not the metal of the “troos” (no matter how many times they play that Where The Slime Live riff as a closer) and indeed one or two well-known members of the band might even have been referred to with that most loathed of insults “brodude” on these fora on more than one occasion, but TTOW are entertaining as hell, and as stated, the Cork crowd seemed to lap it up.

Having not previously seen Overoth I was informed by a fellow attendee as they were setting up on stage that “it’s complete Morbid Angel worship”. They weren’t too far off the mark. They weren’t wrong either with the rest of that sentence, which ended with “and that’s not necessarily a bad thing”. Recognised for some time now as one of Northern Ireland’s leading death metal bands, Overoth are perhaps somewhat less known in the Republic, but their Winterfest performance has surely gained them a new legion of Southern fans.

The two words “Morbid” and “Angel” were mentioned more times than one can count by various onlookers who I spoke to both during and after their set (originality is over-rated anyway), and most eyes in the venue seemed firmly fixed on the stage throughout their set of pummelling old school death metal. Frontman Andy knows how to front a death metal band. You see, it’s not simply about mastering your instrument or vocal style.

It’s just as much about the look. And I mean the look on a frontman’s face when mid-growl he casts his eyes up to the god that most of us don’t believe in, with a scowl that is almost a visual representation of the frustration - nay - hatred - with which the same entity is viewed by any self-respecting death metaller. It makes you believe in the music. And that is death metal delivered at its finest. Confident, technically agile, with a hint of insanity (if only for theatrical purposes). With a full-length album due out in 2010, Overoth are definitely a band to keep your eyes on.

Fellow Northern Ireland death metallers Sorrowfall brought a bit more melody to the proceedings after Overoth. The foursome have been traversing a slightly different path for a while now since the departure of previous frontman Sleeve and his replacement by Sam Best (Chambercraft). The jury is still out on whether this new direction is an improvement on what came before it or not, although edging towards a vote for the former.

There is something tremendously difficult about appreciating metal, especially when it’s on the margins of extreme metal, in a live setting when you haven’t previously been exposed to the material, an observation which one of the members of Sorrowfall made himself in the aftermath analysis of Winterfest, and one which many bands would do well to remember. This seemed to hold true for a number of bands playing material which the audience was largely unfamiliar with at Winterfest and Sorrowfall definitely suffered as a result of this. In short, get the new recordings out lads, so we can fully appreciate the live stuff!

There comes a time at every all-dayer when one must sucede to the pangs of hunger and sacrifice some of the live music in order to line the stomach. Having been let down by the last few performances by blackened death n’ rollers Geasa and particularly wanting to see the final three bands of the night in full, I took the opportunity to pop out for a cheap takeaway as soon as Sorrowfall finished their set.

Burger and chips having been consumed, I was quietly and pleasantly surprised to find Geasa sounding rather good upon re-entering the venue, and apart from the absence of former-guitarist Steve Maher and the presence of his replacement Cory Sloan - oh, and frontman Draighean’s lack of hair - one could almost be forgiven for thinking that you were watching late 90s or early noughties era Geasa.

This was certainly the most convincing performance that I’ve seen by the band for the last year or two, and it was noticeable that they seemed to focus heavily on their older (and better) material to flesh out the setlist, perhaps realising that the newer material falls short of the mark, other recent performances of said material generally meeting with poor reaction from fans of the band’s “Starside” and “Fate’s Lost Son” releases. Back in the setlist were old favourites “Seas”, “Éire” and “Crawl Into The Sun”. Geasa are a band however, who seem destined to continue to tread the middleground in the Irish metal scene.

Though one of the first Irish bands to sign to a major European label, they’ve never really reached the levels of popularity of fellow Irishmen of the same vintage: Primordial, Mourning Beloveth, Abaddon Incarnate, Mael Mórdha etc. They will always garner a certain respect, coupled with gig placements that reflect that respect, for their relative seniority as a band that has been around the block, and undoubtedly one that carved out a path for many more to follow, but Geasa seem to be a band that will always be placed a few down from the top of the bill at a gig or festival like this in Ireland.

Mael Mórdha, despite having formed several years after Geasa, proceeded to utterly blow them off the stage. Following the Waylander way of the woad visually, they looked striking in their onstage gaelic battle gear. Launching directly into a perfectly balanced set of old favourites and newer offerings, it’s fair to say, without too much hyperbole, that they completely blew the roof off the Crúiscín. The crowd were very much aware of this too, heads banging and hair flying through out. Let’s be honest: can anyone who was there say in truth that the hair on the back of their necks didn’t stand on end when Roibéard sang “Far better to be of faith, black and barbarous, than one of a flock…faceless” off the stormer ‘Pauper Of Souls’?

Hearing such a large section of the crowd bellow lyrics back at them must have been extremely gratifying for the band, and this was most certainly shown in their captivating stage presence, which reflected the crowd’s reaction – constantly moving, rocking out, and only pausing for breath at the end of each song. With news that a new album is planned for a 2010 release, and having heard a couple of upcoming tracks off it, this performance was one of the absolute highlights of Winterfest. It was epic and rousing in the truest sense, and went a huge way into proving to the masses that Mael Mórdha richly deserve to call themselves one of the Big Three of Irish metal.

Now, despite the positive reviews that any of the homegrown talent mentioned up to this point have received, let’s be honest here. Bar one or two of the more advanced Irish bands, most people in attendance at Winterfest would not have been there were it not for the drawing power of Skyforger, Grand Magus and Hail of Bullets. Or so you would think… After Mael Mórdha’s quite frankly phenomenal performance, one could understand people resigning themselves to the probability that no-one who would come after them could out-do them.

However, it is difficult to comprehend how such a sizeable proportion of the crowd seemed uninterested in sticking around to check out the two main headliners. Their loss is all I can say. Despite what seemed like an age setting up and sound checking, the end result was predictably satisfying when Grand Magus finally struck the first chords of “Like The Oar Strikes The Water”.

It’s odd: I don’t even particularly like Bathory, but there seemed to be something incredibly pure - in the metal sense - about GM frontman JB Christofferson venturing onto the stage clad in typically faded black jeans, an almost rusty-looking bullet belt draped around his waist and a Bathory t-shirt. It somehow speaks volumes about the attitude and purity behind the music.

Ad a classic ebony coloured flying V and a confident heavy metal swagger to the man and that’s your perfect heavy metal frontman right there. Perhaps we shouldn’t be swayed by the “look” of a particular band, but for better of for worse many of us are… Three piece bands are a tricky thing. Or even four pieces, if you’ve only got one guitar in there (refer to the recent Entombed live performances on these shores). Grand Magus nail it though. Unlike certain other 3-piece bands, or rather one-guitar bands, they don’t sound for one second tonight like they’re missing a huge part of what would otherwise be their full sound.

Rather, they sound as close to perfect as you get live. As I scan my brain for the phraseology to describe their setlist, the phrase “hit after hit” comes to mind. I immediately realise the inherent contradiction - I’m talking about an underground doom/heavy metal band from Sweden for Christ’s sake. It somehow seems to fit though: “Like The Oar Strikes The Water”, “Iron Will”, “Wolf’s Return”, “Kingslayer” - all could have in their own time been written by Priest or Maiden, albeit with what would no doubt be a very different delivery.

The point is, these are epic heavy metal songs, perfect for punching your fists in the air and singing along to the chorus of each. Like Skyforger on Friday night, Grand Magus truly seemed to be enjoying themselves on stage, and they delivered a thoroughly enjoyable performance.

By the time Winterfest headliners Hail of Bullets finally took to the stage on Saturday night, it seemed that even more of the crowd had vacated the premises. Again, the mind boggles. There were probably a number of factors at play here - the long delay in the changeover after Grand Magus and 10+ hours of alcohol consumption being two that spring immediately to mind. Not every metalhead is a death metal head either, something forgotten sometimes.

However, once the changeover had been successfully completed, you could feel the tension building in the air. The crowd seemed to be like a disconcerted community somewhere mid-Europe circa 1942, awaiting an invasion of panzer tanks which they knew was almost upon them and which they could do nothing about, even if they could not yet hear the crunching cogs approaching. (The WWII metaphors are inevitable I’m afraid).

It’s not usually necessary to refer at any length to a band’s sound check, but the visceral roars and screams of Martin van Drunen’s mic check let you know that you were probably about to witness something pretty crushing. And that, as far as this alcohol-infused brain can recall with any accuracy is exactly what happened.

Hail of Bullets ripped through their setlist with predictably militaristic and machine-like precision, with album tracks such as “Advancing Once More” going down particularly well with those in the crowd who knew the material/were sober enough to pay attention. Van Drunen’s address to the crowd at the end of the night where he almost emotionally thanked them for their reaction hit a chord with the home fans when he said that “In 20 years of playing metal I can honestly say that this has been one of the best gigs” - humbling words for sure, and an indication of the simply fantastic atmosphere that pervaded Winterfest 2009 from beginning to end.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Winterfest and for its ilk in Ireland. The financial viability of such events on such a small island on the periphery of mainland Europe has proven to be a great challenge. Despite this, I was as surprised as many punters who attended Winterfest when the news broke that the organisers had incurred a significant loss.

For while the venue was not uncomfortably crowded at any stage throughout the weekend, the turnout was by no means meager. Far be it from an outsider looking in to make assumptions, but there must be a way to operate at this level without incurring a loss. While it is evident from the debate that has taken place since the festival drew to a close that many of the Cork metal community chose for one reason or another not to attend Winterfest it is clear that there are issues surrounding the timing of the event - having taken place a mere week before Christmas.

I, like many of the active metal community in Ireland would urge the organisers of this and other events not to completely throw in the towel just yet (easy for me to say, I know). I would equally urge Irish metal fans to support their local scene - this doesn’t mean going to gigs of bands that you plainly don’t like, but just simply to support the effort of those who stick their necks on the line to bring over the bands that you do like, and hey, what about even checking out a band you haven’t heard before?

In short, while Cork Winterfest 2009 may have lost money, as far as the overall quality of live music on offer throughout the weekend goes, coupled with the sheer craic had by most festival-goers, it was a resounding success. Here’s hoping we see more of the Cork Winterfest in future. And a sincere thanks to the organisers for a great Winterfest 2009!

- Muiris O’Fiannachta ::: 22/01/10

WINTERFEST AFTERMATH

Ten bands for a tenner is how the Winterfest Aftermath is billed, and as the last Fibbers gig of the year, a big blowout was always inevitable (particularly for Overoth, but more on that later). Due to flight constraints from Cork airport (sympathy goes to the stranded Hail Of Bullets), Dead Label, By Any Means and Brigantia are missed.

Due to listening to imbecilic advice from a certain metaller obsessed with the Force and flatulence, the bus from Dublin airport takes almost an hour to come into the arse end of Parnell Square, and as a result the lovely bellydancers from The Orchids are missed. By all means they apparently go down a treat, and the ladies involved are to be seen down the front confidently out-rocking much of the tired post-festival crowd throughout the night.

So instead of 4 seductively hot bellydancing girls wiggling their bellies at the crowd, we’re faced with 4 big sweaty hairy dudes wobbling their bellies at the crowd. But when it’s Devilmakesthree, one doesn’t mind so much. Having progressed in leaps and bounds since their demo days to the excellent “The Subservient” album, DM3 simply can’t seem to put a foot wrong lately.

Blasting out a short, tight as hell and heavy as fuck set certainly cements that opinion too. They proceed to crush all around them, playing a good selection off the album, and also some (much better) new tunes off the forthcoming album, particularly ‘Dead Room’ which goes down extremely well. Great stuff all round, and compensates nicely for missing out on a 30-minute perv.

Eyesclosed come up next and certainly get a good proportion of the crowd right down the front to bang along to their Meshuggah-esque metal. It’s not particularly what I’m into, and the singer is dressed like how I’d imagine a member of Al Qaeda that listened to metal to look, but they certainly appeal to the crowd, and are extremely well appreciated.

Up next is Condemned, who proceed to remind the crowd exactly why they have a reputation for being one of the most aggressive and fierce death metal bands in Ireland. Pounding out a bastardingly heavy and complicated set, it’s a series of classics topped off by an extremely welcome brand new track, which bodes well for the future. About time we got some new Condemned songs!

Two Tales Of Woe take the stage next and much like their performance last night, it’s a Jager and Jack fuelled sludgey riff-focused chuggy set. They manage to get one of the largest crowds of the night, and although it’s more wifebeater than denim vest, they get a really enthusiastic response from the crowd.

And now to Overoth. What more needs to be said? Best death metal band in Ireland bar none (yes Abaddon Incarnate, you’ve been usurped), and completely wired from a potentially lethal car tyre blowout on the drive up, they’re exhilarating to watch. Full of energy, massive stage presence and unbelievably good songs, Overoth are untouchable, and easily the band of the night.

More manic and oppressive than the previous night’s performance, they tear through a technical and brilliant set that ignites a fury of headbanging down the front. Great stuff all round, and it leaves the crowd looking and feeling completely spent.

But for some, not too wrecked to stay on and catch Spitknot, the world’s only Slipknot tribute band. It has to be said, the lads look the business on stage in the costumes, and they are particularly lucky to have the phenomenal Andy from Dwell In Sun on vocals.

Sounding absolutely identical to Corey Taylor, his vocals and stage mannerisms are completely spot on, and lend a real sense of authenticity to the performance, which goes down a storm with the few that are left. All in all, a great laugh of a night, and a most agreeable way to wind down after Winterfest.

- Dónal McBrien ::: 22/01/10