When it was officially announced that Metalmania Festival was to take place again, a lot of contrary emotions appeared. Some fans were of opinion that that the festival, after such a long break, would not, in fact, attract too many fans. And, too, plenty of fans were sceptical about the set of bands chosen by is promoters. What they meant were such bands as MOONSPELL and SAMAEL.

It is not possible to please all, but a mere fact that such a big event would happen again was pretty risky for its organizers who, against all odds, accepted the challenge and actually succeeded in their effort as the turnout was a pretty good one (4000 fans). Not too shabby, after a nine year break, huh. My old memories linked to the Spodek Music Hall became vivid again. Yes, the vibe there is really special and that’s why I love to see bands play live at this venue.

The venue itself was renovated but looked almost same to me. I was very pleased to see the way the festival was managed. All was properly dealt with and "buttoned" up, so to say. Beside music, there were two authorial exhibitions: Aga Krysiuk and her concert photos as vinyl portraits; Zbigniew Bielak and his art – absolutely amazing and stunning. Truly impressive!

 

Also, some important Polish labels had their stands present too, with plenty of interesting records and music books offered at good prices. All in all, Metalmania was a success. We ought to hope this cult festival will take place again to please us all. It also ort to be noted that this year it was 22 bands that participated. Not bad, as it was in fact a one-day event.

I didn’t get inside right away as I had to wait for Witold who brought me two vinyl gems I ordered: RAZOR Evil Invaders and HOBBS ANGEL OF DEATH`s debut album. And so, I wasn’t able to see the whole set of TYGERS OF PAN TANG. To my horror, I also discovered my photo camera won`t work and it wasn’t because of its batteries but due to some inner malfunction or something; all my plans were ruined in result. Well, there were some good people who helped me out. Thank you very much goes to Aneta and Piotr Kuhn who took some pictures; but for these, this report would be pointless, yup.

TYGERS OF PAN TANG

Got to admit, Tigers were a big enigma to me. I didn’t know what to expect. A legendary band with only one original band member in its present line-up is getting forgotten pretty quickly, these days. Yeah, you hefta admit I was right to be a bit anxious about that group. But no, that NWOBHM band did really kick ass. Vivid, energetic, class stuff with a classic set performed pleased everyone. It all worked perfectly, naturally and sharply. Some tracks from Wild Cat and Spellbound were played, of course! Sad they started their show so early that day, not too many people came to see them in result. But those who did, well, they surely enjoyed the perfect sound of their music and were happy about that. Festival`s dark horse, apparently.  

SINISTER

So, TIGERS were nice, but SINISTER disappointed totally. I have never been too keen on them, and haven’t paid too much attention to their doings after the Hate album. Anyhow, I gave em a chance. But it was hard to say what was worse – their music or theie sound. Their music, per se, was plain boring. Yeah, sure, they have some cool tracks here and there but, all in all, their stuff isn’t too special. They apparently weren’t too much into providing the fans with a real good show, just average tunes. And you know that terrible sound didn’t help. It all sounded like a wall of noise. Blurred guitars, illegible drum blasts and dimming "all there was" vocals. Nah, their music was weak and the sound rendered it even weaker.

ARCTURUS

Well, never been too deeply into their music. I do appreciate their skills, with such tycoons like Hellhammer (MAYHEM) in their ranks but they didn’t impress me too much that night, I must say. Sure, that’s my very subjective view, and many people did like them. They played some epic cuts in the beginning: Evacuation Code Deciphered, Painting My Horror, Shipwrecked Frontier Pioneer and finally Angst. Seven tracks in total. Including To Thou Who Dwellest in the Night from their debut album Aspera Hiems Symfonia which was the only track I actually enjoyed.

 

ENTOMBED A.D.

 

Together with SODOM, that band was my favourite that day. LG Petrov (who, according to Lukasz Orbitowski, he is death metal`s most important bum), is a legendary guy and ENTOMBED an amazing band. Man, I did look forward to their show. Yeah, they did really awesome, I tell you. Petrov`s amazingly sounding vocal proved again why this fella deserves all the praise there is. It is always nice to listen to live versions of Living Dead, Supposed to Rot, Left Hand Path or Wolverine Blues. Luckily, the set list of theirs consisted of band`s older tracks I mean from the era when the band didn’t have that AD added to their name. Ok, the guitarists weren’t as slick as Hellid but the gig, all in all, was a good one. Well, it is ENTOMBED, for fuck`s sake, so what else to expect. Good, straightforward music from beginning to end. And truly charming way LG talked to the audience (he was doing really all right that day and didn’t even puke once! Alas, the sound wasn’t perfect, that’s for sure.

VADER

Well, the story of shitty sound didn’t end with ENTOMBED. Yes, when it comes to sound issues VADER seems like a truly cursed band. Don’t matter how many times I seen them live, they never sounded good enough (well, maybe with an exception for the B90 gig where it was just ok) in contrast to INFERNAL WAR for instance who did sound marvelous. As for their performance, well it was just average. Seen them a couple of times, that Metalmania gig was just so-so. Worse than the one from Brutal Assault. Better than the one from B90. Sure, it was all professionally executed and stuff, but hey even if the set list was great (as it was a cult festival and some sort of sentimental return of the band to it), it all just lacked feeling. They could`ve done much better. Wasn’t bad, far from that, just nothing special. But they just cannot reach the level I once set them to achieve.

 

SODOM

 

I was looking forward to their performance. Seen them live 5 times before, but trust me on this: they always killed when playing live; so I knew what to expect. I was really interested in seeing their new tracks in live version (the Decision Day album); and their show was started with In Retribution from the said album. Yeah, it was clear they weren’t going to joke around. A straight punch, right in your filthy mug, the way thrash ought to sound!

Yes, SODOM is one of very few bands that still possess their initial, youthful impetus. Not like KREATOR or DESTRUCTION, alas. Next was In War and Peace (from their second to last album) which wasn’t bad but not as catchy as In Retribution. But when I heard the first seconds of Sodomy and Lust, my body shivered.

I wasn’t actually the only guy who was moved by their music. The mosh pit before the stage was cruel, with plenty of metal heads milling their heads like crazy, man. We were given this drunken Surfin Brid/The Saw Is the Law. Dude, I swear it was getting darker and darker at the stage! One could feel devilish reek of sulphur, that’s for sure. So we got Outbreak of Evil from this infernal album titled In the Sign of Evil. That track had so much energy! Some other tracks that night were: Sacred Warpath, Agent Orange, some track from their new album Caligula, Remember the Fallen and finally Bombenhagen. It wasn’t enough! Well, rules are rules and SODOM had to leave. Another legend was already waiting for their turn.

 

CORONER

 

Yes, I did know what to expect, but that particular performance was just beyond my expectations and among Metalmania`s best ones that very night. I had seen them play live four times already and I would say their Brutal Assault gig was their best. I was wrong. The Katowice gig was fucking A, wasn’t too sure if I was going to survive that inferno at all. The first track was Golden Cashmere Sleeper Part 1. Pure Swiss precision, combined with bulldozing sound just stomped everyone into the ground instantly. Next was Infernal Conflicts from the Grin album, and rhythmical whipping was what we got and enjoyed. A really catchy track, all right, it did work out perfectly in its live version! Which is an arduous a task indeed, as band`s music is damn complex, isn’t it. There were some other tracks from Grin too, that night (Status: Still thinking). What I heard next were the initial seconds of Mental Vortex – Divine Step – no joking around here. The music vibrated like samurai swords ready to cut through our ears and brains. It was all perfectly executed and sounded very well. Yes, no doubt about it, it was the best sounding band that night.

Next two tracks were taken from Mental Vortex. Metamorphosis was first. Tommy Baron`s guitar work was top class. Semtex Revolution was awesome too. I was absorbing those marvellous sounds blissfully, but still waiting for their older tracks.

I was pleased to hear Tunnel of Pain (No More Colour) and the best was yet to come. Next was Serpent Moves (Grin). Man, hard to believe those three guys were able to play such a complex tune live (and it sounded even better than its studio version). Yeah, the album Grin ruled supreme that night. Another track was Maid Hunt.

After that track CORONER left. What the hell? No tracks from their debut album at all? The audience was yelling for more tracks. CORONER didn’t let their fans wait for too long and got back to play Reborn through Hate and Die by My Hand. Man, I was just so impressed with that show that I could easily understand why Vlad quit interviewing SODOM to go over and see those Swiss guys. CORONER was the best band, no doubt. By comparison, all the other bands were just ok.

 

MOONSPELL

 

I barely watched their gig as I wasn’t too much into their music. Not my cup of tea. Ok, I was capable of swallowing some of their Under the Moonspell and Wolfheart, but I never treated this band seriously enough to get their albums and put them on my shelves. And their Brutal Assault show was much better, visually at least. So what? Their music didn’t move me in the least. So I went to see a band who`d already done a lot to glorify Satan himself.

IMPALED NAZARENE

 

As far as I am concerned that was Metalmania`s last performance. What a difference when compared to CORONER! Shortly after leaving CORONER`s world of magic, easy-flowing and perfectly executed music, IMPALED NAZARENE said hi by punching us right in our mugs. Just to politely remind us where we were. Thank you guys for that! Simplicity, rock n roll attitude and total aggression. Live gig from these guys are always damn crass, catchy and awesome! And so it was that night. I did like their show. Why did they have to perform at the small stage? It fucked up acoustics, for sure and there was no room for all the people who wanted to see them. Impossible to get closer to see them, it was. I will put it like this: it was a pleasure to listen to IM but I actually didn’t see them! Alas! Hope, I will be able to do so next time, the fest promoters will need to rethink the location of both stages at Spodek, methinks.

 

SAMAEL

Similar to MOONSPELL, this new SAMAEL`s music doesn’t quite work out for me, that’s what I think. Well, I just still can remember their live shows in Ciechanow when Worship Him was out. Or some later gigs promoting their Ceremony of Opposites. I am not talking about their latest tour here in Poland when XY was operating some sort of electronic device instead of a proper, analog drum-kit. Yeah, I was not too keen on seeing them again, especially as it`d been announced they`d be playing tracks from their first two albums. Bollocks. So, after a couple of tracks I just sodded off to see CETI.

 

CETI

 

There’s no need to convince anyone that Grzegorz Kupczyk has done a lot for Polish metal music, as well he is a guy who`s been through a lot of ups and downs; yet still he`s remained truly faithful to heavy sounds, hasn’t he. CETI, formed in 1989, is a piece of heavy music history, and their two latest materials: Brutus Syndrome and amazing Snakes of Eden are just pure, certified gold. That’s why I fucking quit that embarrassing SAMAEL`s show and got to the small stage as close as possible. Their performance was pure heavy metal energy; the musicians milled around the stage like they were in fact 20 years old dudes. Grzegorz is like wine, the older he gets, the more powerful his voice grows. He becomes a bit similar to Bruce Dickinson, which is nothing to be ashamed of, right? As for CETI`s music, it follows the path trodden by other NWOBHM`s pioneers; especially when it comes to their Piece Of Mind album. I do mean it, I don’t say it’s bad. The swow was really energetic, Tomasz Targosz was truly wild! So impressive. Apart from CETI`s tracks, some TURBO`s cuts were performed too? Dorosłe dzieci or this amazing Już nie z tobą – they matched other tracks so well!

Some about STILLBORN and destructive INFERNAL WAR performances; (small stage).

STILLBORN

The first band my eyes saw at Metalmania 2017 was STILLBORN. Ok, the small scene was rather controversial, so to say, right from the beginning. Its acoustics and small capacity were indeed questionable. Also, some bands ought to have really played at the main scene, oughtn’t they? And yes, all those feared disadvantages turned out to be real. The way STILLBORN sounded was really bad. It was so crappy that one couldn’t make out what exactly the band played. Ok, one could say STILLBORN were definitely happy to be able to take part in Metalmania and stuff; they did have fun, all right. Impressive. But the way they sounded…nothing to be proud of. Yup, the acoustics that night was that fest`s weakest point.

INFERNAL WAR

Hats off. These guys are top-class. Fast, aggressive blast with no fucking around. Yes, these guys never fail. They were the first band to attract some small crowd before the small stage. And, as far as the small stage was concerned, the acoustics was just amazing! They were the only band that sounded awesome! One of Metalmania`s best performances, for sure.

 

FURIA

I was pleasantly surprised, nonetheless the band were not too fortunate to have had to start their show at 1.15 am. It could’ve been better if they`d showed up before MOONSPELL and SAMAEL as the audience started to leave the moment those two bands had been done. The FURIA show itself was excellent, due to a proper set-list, which can sometimes be tricky, right? When focusing on guitars I could hear some distant similarities to BATHORY which was weird (this is FURIA after all) but nice. The stage lighting was also properly taken care of. I got to say the way the lighting was operated was truly impressive. Swietlik did a real good job, yes.

I would say this year`s Metalmania was a success. Hope next year there`ll be even more people!

Written by: Leszek Woinicz-Sianożęcki and Wojciech Michalak

Photos by: Aneta and Piotr Kuhny

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