Live Review @ Bloodshed Fest 12, Eindhoven - October 2011.
Reviewed by Brent on Metal Rage Web Site
(metalrage.com).

The annual Bloodshed fest marks its 12th edition this year, with possibly the best and most diverse bill up ‘till now. Besides some great headliners such as Doom, Yacopsae and Victims the fest also features a goldmine of fresh and new bands within the grind, crust and hardcore scene. Of course Metalrage was present for the full two days of grinding madness!

Day 2: Back to something completely different; After the Last Sky on the mainstage, playing grinding black metal. Ultra fast blasting, short songs and some longer ones with slower riffs in between. The drumming kind of reminded me of Liturgy, but the music itself is way more hateful, dirtier and disgusting. Unfortunately a string broke in the middle of the set, so they took the time for a speech on how fucked up humanity is and the fact that people need to start using their minds more. Couldn’t agree more! Quite a surprise in the early afternoon, but unfortunately it didn’t seem like everyone was enjoying it that much.

With the little choice that a crucifying divorce brings I discharged my easter bunny parental duties and looked for some other way of celebrating a good nailing. This was provided by a timely opportunity to visit Preston again for the first time since last year and my mate Neil’s "Metal wedding" reception, gatecrashed by all the Radio 1 DJ’s… Many a good time had up there previously, it is only about 1 ½ away, giving me plenty of time to find a car park right outside the venue and a multitude of local takeaways for some beer absorbents and a good chuckle about crying Scousers.

For all its relative scale to home Preston seems to go through similar cycles of venue openings and opportunities, with things on the up at the moment. I hadn’t been to this place before but it seemed a pretty good refurbishment, orientated to alternative music with a heavy jukebox and an upstairs live space. This was certainly quite rammed full in no time at all which was pleasing to see (even for the locals), as I’d been dubious if a wintry Sunday evening would being anyone out. Obviously part of the draw was a selection of good extreme bands that get about themselves and build a reputation through hard work gigging. I get about a bit myself too so had in fact seen 4 of the 5 in random locations already.

Strangely, it was a previous Good Friday when I last saw Staffordshire’s After The Last Sky in Liverpool and they remained a striking proposition. Self described as crust blackcore there’s a fair element of progressive grind in there as well as their building structures of riffs gave them a more early Neurosis feel, much more variety in the vocal patterns as well. That said they could blast with the rest and some tracks demonstrated a raw relentlessness which certainly did fit in with black metal stylings. For their innovation I’d say they were my pick of the bunch tonight and look forward to their forthcoming album.

An excellent evening of bands going from strength to strength, in a place well worth a future visit.

The show is broadcast in the area of Namur, leading city of the french part of Belgium.
TOXIK WALTZ takes place every Thursday (from 20.00 to 22.00).
(Toxik Waltz Homepage: http://www.toxikwaltz.be.tf)
(Run 106.4 Homepage : http://www.run.be)

Click the thumnail below to see the nights playlist. After The Last Sky are shown in red.

'Whilst still extraordinarily fast, After the Last Sky provided their own contrast, often changing tempo. The music itself was a little more complex than FHP’s despite its slightly slower pace; giving it a somewhat bleaker edge. ATLS’s fusion of metal hardcore, black metal and death metal with some doom/dark overtones thrown in is one of the most original I have heard'