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Thomas
Most positive experience
To see and hear that Danish metal in terms of quality is fully on par with the international scene.
Most negative experience
The big twat in the audience who had misunderstood the concept of a mosh pit and thus took too much attention away from the first couple of Carcass tunes from too many of us. No, the point is exactly NOT to actually hurt each other – it is to have fun. Idiot.
Biggest surprise
Lars Ulrich had taken the time to make a couple of video clips for the award show. Nice one, methinks.
Worst surprise
The power cut during Dawn of Demise’s first song. Luckily the power came back quickly, but missing half a song was a real bummer.
Also, the audience was not as enthusiastic as I’d expected.
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Amager Bio is not as crowded as I had expected on this Saturday evening, but the metal celebrity factor is certainly high and so are my expectations for Carcass.
After an intro video featuring A Kid Hereafter In The Grinding Light’s Frederik and tonight’s host, Carsten Holm from the Danish national radio, the first live feature turns out to be one Peter Skov Larsen from the local singer’s guild who sings a socialist children’s song from the seventies (?!). This is getting more and more interesting…
When the fellow is about the launch into another tune, he’s interrupted by Frederik and A Kid Hereafter In The Grinding Light blow the sound systems. Although it was a bit of a relief on top of Peter Skov, I’m still not a fan of the AKHITGL. They’re as frantic and annoying live as I think their CD is – however more entertaining.
Bjorn and Scott from Dawn of Demise present the first award of the evening: Best cover artwork. Old-school as I am in terms of covers, I would probably have preferred to have seen Dan Seagrave’s cover for Thorium’s ‘Feral Creation’ as the winner, but I have to admit that Last Mile is a deserving winner with the photo of the worn geezer on the cover of their debut.
Oddly enough, I never heard of any of the nominees, but fair enough, Crocell who walk away with the award sound like a reasonable bunch of death metallers. Their debut will be out in a few days.
Svartsot take to the stage to throw a few tunes of folk metal at us. Apart from Skønne Møer and Gravøllet, the new tune Holmgang is aired by the axe-wielding Vikings. A promising piece that doesn’t deviate much from the style brought forth from Svartsot until now, yet with a hint of something that most of all reminds me of Metallica. Can’t wait to hear a new disc from these guys!
Next award is for best video. I don’t have much time for MySpace and YouTube so I have only seen a couple of the nominated videos. The winner is the video for Shake-A-Feather by Pilgrimz. Honestly, I’m not hugely impressed as the clip is showed. What are those people doing with those pig snouts, anyway?
Next award is presented by none other than Bill Steer who, by the way, almost screws up the whole suspense concept by beginning to read aloud the reasons why the particular winner has been chosen and almost falls over in confusion. The debut album of the year award goes to Scamp for their ‘Mirror Faded Mentality’.
As usual, Dawn of Demise convince from first second. They have become a true force on the stage. Laid back as they appear, as tight and heavy are their death metal bursts. Unfortunately, the power is for some reason cut during their first song, so their set is cut by half a song. Things are mended quickly, and a track from the forthcoming EP, ‘Lacerated’ is aired, followed by the stunning title track from their debut album.
Nominated no less than four times in the category, it obvious to everyone that Jacob Hansen is one of the defining factors in Danish metal. And the award for best metal production (very vividly presented by Mnemic’s Obeast) quite naturally goes to Hansen for Volbeat’s phenomenal ‘Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood’.
The next award goes out to someone the DMeA committee thinks has done an outstanding job for Danish metal over the past year. This year, the honour goes to Steffen Jungersen, who over the past twenty or more years has been one of the few journalists from the (established) Danish press who have taken metal seriously (I remember his review of Priest/Annihilator/Pantera in K.B. Hallen 1991 – I was impressed by this journalist!).
The Arcane Order and I don’t go well together. For all the virtuosity that lies in this band, and despite the fact that this is now the third or fourth time I see them live, I still cannot come to terms with their compositions. Their sound just doesn’t capture me.
The crowd is more warmed up at this point, though, and shows more signs of life than earlier in the evening. That, at least, is good.
Johnny Haven from The Burning is a happy man, and the award earned as the best live band 2008 doesn’t make him less happy. As he raises his arms in joy, he forgets the draught beer in his hand and sends it flying into the audience. Thanks for the beer-soaked t-shirt and hair, Johnny, nice one, buddy! And I’m sure that Maria from Gaffa/Danishmetal.dk agrees with me…
Lars Ulrich appears on video as he thanks everyone for making ‘Death Magnetic’ a hit and the DMeA’s international album of the year. I’d say in tight competition with Testament, but there you go.
The award we’ve all been waiting for is of course album of the year. The nominees formed a strong unit with the fairly diverse bands Dawn of Demise, Mercenary, Raunchy, Scamp and Volbeat, but in the end, Volbeat, I think deservedly, took the prize. They not only made one hell of a record, they also paved a lot of way for more Danish bands in Europe.
And now it’s finally time for the real reason that I’m here tonight: Carcass.
Although some idiot bodybuilder character with an attitude problem in the pit manages to take some of the focus away from the band during first song or two, the gig is first class and quite naturally a much more intimate affair than at Wacken earlier this year.
The sound is good, although the acoustics are slightly odd in Amager Bio and have created a tendency to muddy guitars throughout the evening.
If I am to put the finger on one thing during the Carcass show, it would have to be that Amott and Steer are not as ultra-precise during the entire session as I thought they’d be. In a couple (and I mean a couple!) of instances they simply miss notes, but this is a mere detail – otherwise the band is as arse-tight as anticipated. I can even forgive Jeff Walker for constantly saying ‘Danke’ after the songs. No, we’re not Germans, Jeff…
Inpropagation, Mortal Coil, No Love Lost, Ruptured in Purulence, Incarnated Solvent Abuse, Keep on Rotting, the list of grind rockers goes on for a way too short hour as my neck gets plenty of exercise and bizarre clips of post mortems and other macabre visualizations grace the big screens at both end of the venue.
The end comes too soon, that’s all I can say. Hats off to Danish Metal Awards for bringing in one of the best metal bands ever.
These cool pictures were taken by Jacob Dinesen.
The pictures can be seen on www.dmea.dk.
Visit also Jacob Dinesen's site www.jacobdinesen.net.
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Schjönning
Most positive experience
The winner of the Special Honorary Award (see below). The winner really deserved a huge “thank you” from the community of metalheads.
Most negative experience
Stage security, beer prices, sound quality, hosts, etc. (see below)…
Biggest Surprise
How great Dawn of Demise is live. I’ll be there the next time they play in my vicinity, that’s for sure!
Worst Surprise
The sudden shortening of the Carcass show. I could have used another half hour or so…
Warning: Critic is not in a forgiving mode!
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In the beginning…
It’s almost time, but I’m in a line outside the venue. I’m not afraid to miss anything, though, as I have yet to witness a metal show in Denmark that actually kicks off, when it is supposed to. I’m not disappointed. The show is a bit late, but it gives everybody time to get beer and loose some of the below-zero overcoats in the wardrobe. People gather in the moshing area, between the music stage, and the so-called “command bridge”, a balcony where the awards are presented. On the two sides with no stages: large screens of a rather fussy picture quality. All in all, something to look at, no matter what way you’re turning.
At this point it should be said, that Amager Bio, the host venue of DMeA can’t exactly boast the best sound in Copenhagen (or anywhere else). All interior walls are plated with thin metal (oh, the irony!) which throws back sound, and the room is almost cubic, because the ceiling is so high.
So… Caught in a dice of noise with four sides to look at the fans start to look a little impatient. There is no nepenthe in the over-prized watered down tab-beer, and not even a program to read (unless you have a Bluetooth connection!).
Play ball!
A grainy video suddenly pops into view on the large screens. Some fellow with a huge beard acting like everybody was supposed to know him. He’s acting like he can’t find someone. The someone is Carsten Holm, a radio host from P3 (something like a public service version of a dull pop/soft-rock station for juvenile imbeciles). Carsten Holm – in the video – is finally located underneath a sofa, apparently still sleeping off the after-party from last year’s DMeA. After some more slapstick comedy, in which the two goofs teach everyone of a new low in character acting, Holm at long last appears live on stage to kick off the event. Obviously there is a gigantic difference between rousing Sunday afternoon radio-listeners and getting a battalion of half-drunken, confused metalheads into party-mode. In my opinion the latter should be fairly easy. Not so for Holm. He never got the audience on his side, and we’ll leave him here, talking about how fat he himself is (why!!?) - leave him, although he dominated the event, throughout the evening.
The music is about to begin. Everyone can feel it. Muscles tense, smiles widen, feet starts burning. Then a hippie folk singer is announced and appears at the “bridge”. Eyes are rolling (or popping out). Disbelieving faces stare with every sign of reproach carved into them. And he starts to sing and play his acoustic guitar, asking people to join in. This could have been funny. The only thing missing was the lead singer of Dawn of Demise slaughtering that peace-loving idiot with an axe. It just didn’t happen. He just stood there (the folk singer, that is) singing and playing away, until his song was over. At that point half of the audience had left the hall. Perhaps I have a very violent or very sophisticated taste in humor – whatever it is, I didn’t get it at all. When the folk singer is about to start a new anti-war song the bearded slapstick guy from the video stops him and sends him packing. This leads to the first and only well-choreographed happening at DMeA 2008…
At this point I would like to point out, that the description of this event-opening is far too long, but that I’m aware of it. I think openings are very important. They define how you feel about the entire show, because they are nothing but last-minute mood-changers. If people are in a bad mood, a good opening can save the show for everyone. That didn’t happen, and now I have described why.
The music starts
All Hell breaks loose. About fucking time. The bearded man on the bridge starts screaming. The stage curtains are drawn, and A Kid Hereafter in the Grinding Light starts pouring boiling grindcore down on the pit-people. It’s so sudden that it takes about half a minute for everyone to appreciate what’s happening. Then a hardcore group of fans starts to mosh. The bearded guy – Frederik Thaae – is spewing lyrics from one end of the hall, while his band is playing in the other. Completely bewildering, but it suits the grindcore genre just fine. During their short visit AKHITGL shows a good deal of versatility that is uncommon in the genre, but on the negative side they are un-tight as hell. Sarcasm thrives in merry old Denmark, and Thaae keeps that tradition alive by spreading his message of universal love and harmony, between pissed-off songs. As a whole this was a blast of a warm-up, straitening the fans up for more, and delivering the shortest Pantera-tribute I’ve ever heard.
Now comes the time for the first award – the reason we’re all here. It’s a nice no-bullshit fade-over from the brutality of AKHITGL to the completely down-to-earth presentation of the award and nominees. The brotherly backbone of Dawn of Demise – Bjørn and Scott Jensen – are rednecks and proud of it, and at this back-rubbing ass-kissing gathering of the who’s-who in Danish metal, everyone that acts unpretentious is my friend! Horns up for not giving a shit! The award for “Best Album Cover” went to Christof Kather and the band Last Mile – check it out here: http://www.lastmilehardcore.com/disco.php - which I think was ok. The magnus opus of legendary Pantera, Vulgar Display of Power, was mentioned as a reference source, and I agree.
Interludium: Carsten Holm yapping away about himself…
The next award – “Talent of the Year” – is given to fairly unknown bands as a push up the ladder. I knew only one of the bands, and it didn’t win, so I can’t say if it’s a good choice. It’s an effective way to ensure that a promising band get’s more listeners. I, for one, am going to visit Crocell at http://www.myspace.com/crocelldk and give them a chance, and I guess that is what this category is all about.
Viking invasion
Enter Svartsot, the Danish Viking metal sextet. These guys have played loads of concerts in the last couple of years, and obviously feels right at home on a stage. They play some neo-classics that we all know – Svartsot has made only one full-length album so far – and then, as the first band at DMeA 08 presents some new stuff. That’s a very welcome surprise, and it shows the size of the bands collected balls, that they play untested material for an audience of label-employees, critics and radio-hosts. “Holmgang”, as the new track is called, has a more doom-like feel than the songs from the Ravnenes Saga album, but it suits Svartsot. Of course it still has huge folk influences, but the pace has slowed down. It’s a solid headbanging song. Svartsot’s performance ends in a complete catastrophe, though, as they play their hit “Gravøllet”. The flutist Steward Lewis apparently had one too many “gravøl” (it means “wake beer”). He’s completely off and plays like a novice. That’s just not good enough, since the flute is what makes Svartsot stand out.
Time for more awards. Some woman from another P3-show, famous for playing outrageously tough music like (gasp!) Slipknot and Rammstein presents the prize Best Metal Video. It goes to the metalcore band Pilgrimz and Andreas Krohn, for the visual piece of the song “Shake-a-Feather”. The video was played in full length, and was actually not bad at all. The music was kind of monotonous during the last minute or so, but the video is very dynamic, filmed by good pro’s and contains some valuable ironic pictures. Watch it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nD7Q5pFG9w
Bill Steer, strings of Carcass, presented the award for Best Debut, and was in a hurry or badly briefed. He almost gave away the winner before the nominees where mentioned. The award went to a band called Scamp. Guess I better check them out.
The dawn is dark
Dawn of Demise hits the stage and the audience is blown three steps backwards. This is brutal death metal from somewhere in the vicinity of Illdisposed and Exmortem, both musically and geographically speaking. Jutland is the death metal kingdom of Denmark, and DoD proves the point. Fast, heavy and furiously vile. This was, by far, the best and most tightly played concert at DMeA 08. Bjørn Jensen controls his audience with provincial Danish jokes and popular truisms like: “Let’s get drunk… What the fuck is metal without beer!?”. I would like to spend a day just watching these guys rehearse.
The award for Best Production went to Volbeat – no big surprise since their popularity (read: budget) reflects a sort of mainstream success they have enjoyed lately. The surprising thing at this point was how mind-numbingly infuriatingly annoying one man can be. The Colonel, in civilian life known as Tomas Koefod, is the bass player of Mnemic, and knows everybody. He stood there, while everybody was waiting for the prize to be presented, and just kept talking bullshit. I think he managed to get the audience to applaud six or seven times, by trying to rouse them. Of course the applause grew constantly lower and less enthusiastic. That just felt wrong…
Finally, the prize I personally have been looking forward to the most. The Special Honorary Award, given to someone – a band, a person, even a company – that deserves it. Someone that has made Denmark more metal, in other words. The award was delivered with an extensive video-show, showing band-members of Merciful Fate, Metallica, Volbeat, Mnemic and Mercenary giving praise to this – so far – unknown recipient. This was very exciting. Everybody tried to figure out who they were talking about. Given more time, I’m sure we would have started placing bets.
The winner was Steffen Jungersen, a man completely unheard of outside of Denmark, but “world famous” within the Danish metal scene. He’s one of the very few critics that gets metal reviews printed in mainstream media, and has been doing so for a lifetime. I like his style of writing, and think that this award was the best deserved at all this year.
Interludium: I went outside to smoke. In the meantime I missed a lot, but the programmers hadn’t put a single pause into the schedule. Not good… While I’m ranting I would also like to mention the lack of seating facilities. A five-six hour awards show with no chairs!!?
The end is near
I watch the last half song of The Arcane Order. It sounds ok, but I will not comment when I don’t know anymore. The final awards have to go, and everybody knows what that means. That means that Carcass are going to play soon. Play their first live gig in Denmark for 15 years! This makes everybody kind of impatient.
Live Band of the Year = The Burning.
International Album of the Year = Metallica – Death Magnetic. Sure, we would never choose a band with no Danes in it! This is so lame. This year has seen some very very good releases, and although I don’t hate Death Magnetic it’s not nearly the best.
Danish Metal Album = Volbeat – Guitar Gangsters and Cadillac Blood. Whatever. This is the most prestigious Danish Metal Award of them all, and it’s given to a band that plays hard rock. I don’t get it.
The End
Carcass is late, and while they are late we get to see a Slipknot video and a Machine Head video. Wow… What a warm-up! It’s a bad compensation and people want music. Nobody tells us what is wrong behind the theatric curtains on-stage.
At last the music starts, and Amager Bio gives us a very good example of very bad stage security. Within minutes some drunk bozo from the audience has climbed onto the stage, and is karaoke’ing away with the less impressive growl technique I’ve ever heard. That’s one thing. One mishap. Forgivable, if it weren’t for the fact that the security guys just ignore him. I don’t know for how long he stayed up their. I didn’t watch. 15 years of waiting, and some clown ruins it. In the back of the moshpit a real fight is breaking out between a group of men – about a girl of course. The security ignores it. I’m considering leaving before I get killed and then ignored.
Geoffrey Walker has forgotten where he is, and speaks to us in broken German. Yeah, we missed you too, Jeff… Carcass plays the good old stuff, though, and in a straight-forward way. They give us the music we want, and earn their status as pioneers in the Goregrind sub-genre, by way of video-installments. War-atrocities, close-ups of surgery and pictures of rotten cocks all over the place. I want to laugh and puke at the same time, and that’s not entirely a bad thing at a death metal show, I think. The warty and evidently very sick pricks make me concentrate on the stage.
Walker is informed that Danish people speak Danish. He apologizes his liberal use of the word “Danke”, saying he got confused because of World War II. No comment…
Carcass breaks off, and I never really understood why. Walker said that their set had been cut down. That is not a good way to end this non-too-good evening. Carcass leaves the stage even before the moshing audience understand what’s going on.
Carsten Holm reappears – that guy is starting to sicken me – and I finally decide to laugh (not puke) when Holm starts talking about how lovely we all are, how wonderful everything is, and how swell everything went this night, while an extremely nauseating vivisection of a young woman’s breasts is projected on the big screens. Apparently someone forgot to turn off Carcass’ stage show.
That was the end of DMeA 2008. An award show concerning metal and metal fans, but managed by mainstream people, trying to blend in or something. Too much went wrong this night. |
