Slam death metal is probably the most extreme genre of music out there; the combination of low bassy, cookie monster vocals over walls of seismic distortion is a crushing experience made all the more brutal by the gory, surgical themes prevalent in the genre’s artwork and lyrics.
On that Saturday in September, the Temple of Boom showcased the European slam scene in all its grisly grandeur with bands from the UK, Germany, and even the Czech Republic gracing the stage for an afternoon of ruthlessly loud slam.
Sodomized Cadaver and Chainsaw Castration from the UK opened the festival with a blistering attack on the senses and give us a taster of the onslaught to come. Manically fast tremolo riffs are intertwined with monolithically heavy slam downs, tribal in rhythm.
Next up is OCD with their unique brand of grotesquely funny slam. Especially memorable is the moment when the entire room head bangs in unison to the torturous tones of ‘Tyrannosaurus bukkake Rex’ which plods along with satirical panache.
Visions of Disfigurement start their set with gusto but momentum is lost when the guitarist breaks his string. The confidence of the frontmen rescues the set from disaster though as he banters with the audience.
5 Stabbed, 4 corpses are a curious mixture of slam and folk metal, calling to mind a death metal version of Korpiklaani. They’re a lot of fun despite their name and the stage invasion that happens during their last song which becomes one of the highlights of the festival.
In contrast the next band, Party Cannon, are one of the most misanthropic outfits to perform at the festival. They are also one of the most technical bands to play, and whilst the complex riffs are awe-inspiring it is the slower, doomier bits that most impress and engender a larger audience reaction.
Pighead perform some solid slam with some unique atmospherics, but cannot quite surpass the quality of the previous band, Intravenous Contamination. Crepitation are next with their brand of light-hearted slam. They open up with some cheesy techno music before launching into a set that includes songs such as ‘Equine Phallic Impalement’ and ‘Incongruous Penilectomy’. The two vocalists have great onstage chemistry, complimenting each other in their songs as much as they do in their inter-song banter.
The most disappointing band of the evening are Engorgement. Whilst the musicianship was top class, the sound is extremely muddy and far too loud. The awkward deportment of the frontman doesn’t help either; he says repeatedly into the microphone “let’s get this started” MC style, but unfortunately for him and his band, it never does.
Finishing the evening off were Epicardiectomy from the Czech Republic with their first UK show. Ears already pummelled into submission by the previous bands, Epicardiectomy finish the job off with rambunctious fashion. Circle pits erupt and hammers are thrown down as the Czech band majestically power through their set.
Jake Leigh-Howarth