2023-10-17 13:02:53
Even though I’m a big fan of the Backstage in Munich and therefore regularly make pilgrimages to this location for concerts, the Keep It Low Festival, which went into its ninth round this year, somehow always passed me by in recent years. But since ZEAL & ARDOR’s performance at Summer Breeze impressed us so much, we pulled out all the stops again to at least be able to attend the festival on Saturday. MANTAR and EYEHATEGOD were also announced for this day. So reasons enough. And it worked and we were standing at the entrance to the backstage in the early evening.
Both the large factory, the slightly smaller hall and the cozy club were played at the festival, which is why there were subtle overlaps. Unfortunately, we had to take a detour to get the photo pass when we arrived, which is why we had to deal with the more than skillful rumble EYEHATEGOD only noticed in passing. But the American sludge monster gave it their all, the sound was overwhelming and fat and the band was highly motivated.
After that we went straight over HEAVY TEMPLE, who already brought the hall to a boil with their fuzzy rock. Early on, guitarist and self-proclaimed Riff Priest of Psychedelic Dreams bathed in the crowd’s applause and shortly afterwards also bathed in it with his ax for an entire song. Meanwhile, singer and last founding member High Priestess Nighthawk warmed up the crowd vocally and you could feel from the first to the last second of the brilliant performance that the trio consists exclusively of thoroughbred musicians. But the audience obviously had just as much fun as the three fuzz/psych/doom rockers on stage. The sound wavered, it was sometimes psychedelic or even doomy, but the material on offer was definitely heavy too. And so the question in the middle part was: “Are you ready to party with us?!” more than unnecessary.
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Back at the factory the stage was already set MUSHROOM prepared. The two German musicians have a huge reputation as a live band. Unfortunately, I’ve never managed to catch the band live anywhere, which I now somewhat regret, because what the duo achieved with only two instruments, the guitar and the drum kit as well as two voices, was incredible.
A massive wall of sound, dense atmosphere and raucous hatred were omnipresent in the Germans’ set, but there was also variety. The drum kit and microphone were set up so that Hanno and Erinc could face each other and look at each other instead of looking at the audience. And so they played the first tracks stoically, highly concentrated and precisely, blasting out highlight after highlight. Sometimes sludgy, sometimes with wild post-black metal attacks, sometimes in the direction of a groove, but always pretty heavy on the face. It was surprising that at some point you suddenly felt like joking on stage and briefly played a different song than planned, only to then play the other one, chat about football or call yourself Sexy MANTAR. So there was laughter too.
Otherwise, the aforementioned wall of sound, hypnotizing instrumental parts and a lot of groove ruled alongside the brilliant lighting atmosphere and the violent and raucous vocals from Hanno, who was also repeatedly supported by Erinc’s voice. The audience thanked him with loud cheers, raised fists and lots of headbanging. A performance that we won’t soon forget and that definitely calls for a repeat performance.
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Afterwards we tried our luck in the club in vain, where audible GODSLEEP made people sweat. But sweat or not, There was simply not an inch of space left in there and so we could only peek around the corner to catch a glimpse of Amie Markis and her boys.
Luckily, we were soon playing in the hall as well THRONEHAMMER their epic doom metal for the audience. With the album only released in November, of which only the title track “Kingslayer” is known, the Americans already had a big trump card and filled the hall quite well, although not as noticeably as in the club next door. Nevertheless, many of the band’s fans enjoyed fat riffs, epic song structures and the drawn-out vocals of Kat Shevil Gillham, who lends her voice to various doom/crust/death bands.
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The rhythms immediately made you nod, the sound was good and the atmosphere was even better. At times things were quicker, but primarily they worked with dark doom in mid-tempo, with one song even announcing that a handkerchief wouldn’t be a bad idea and that the heaviness and tempo were taken down a bit here. Here, too, I can definitely emphasize the band’s enthusiasm again before we tried our luck again with GODSLEEP.
And lo and behold, there was suddenly a little more space and we were able to play two more stoner rockers GODSLEEP attend. There was a party mood here. There was a lot of movement on stage and in the audience and it was getting hotter in the club. With a lot of enthusiasm and motivation, Amie heated up the fans and gave them a really good time towards the end of the Keep It Low Festival.
Now was for ZEAL & ARDOR Time to position yourself in the work, although the work initially didn’t seem quite as full as expected, because this particular band also has a brilliant live reputation. Thanks to Summer Breeze, I can definitely confirm this this year. And the Swiss around Manuel Gagneux also delivered on Keep It Low, who had Munich firmly under control from the first second.
Who dare utter the word again?
Who can only be washed in rain
When the holy will cry in pain?Death To The Holy
With a fat sound and an extremely dense atmosphere, the avant-garde post black metal tracks with gospel elements were fired into the audience and the audience immediately went crazy and really celebrated the songs. With their firework of hits consisting of favorites like the quieter “Devil Is Fine”, the newer “Death To The Holy” and “Götterdämmerung” they already had enough trump cards in their hand, but somehow the mood seemed to keep changing as the set progressed to increase. With “Row” there was also a successful shout-along number.
Show the gods whose will floats in the hellfireTwilight of the Gods
The band seemed highly motivated and happy on stage, as the boys were usually grinning from ear to ear between songs. And so the mood was always cheerful in contrast to the heavy songs that Manuel and his colleagues sang perfectly vocally. The man is just as familiar with his 2-micro setup, which he quickly switches back and forth depending on his singing style, as he is with his guitar. Rough BM vocals alternated with quieter gospel interludes and numerous polyphonic vocals. Delicate guitar and piano melodies alternated with wild but targeted outbursts, which were also perfectly reflected in the lyrics. And here too, the strong lighting atmosphere in the backstage underlined this magnificent performance and a more than worthy finale to the Keep It Low Festival.
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Setlist ZEAL & ARDOR:
Intro
Church Burns
Twilight of the Gods
Come On Down
Row Row
Ship On Fire
Blood In The River
Gravedigger’s Chant
We Can’t Be Found
Tuskegee
Erase
Golden Liar
Death To The Holy
Trust No One
Don’t You Dare
Devil Is Fine
J-M-B
Feed The Machine
Built On Ashes
Baphomet
Keep It Low is a festival for fans of deep, hard sounds – whether stoner, doom, sludge or even post black metal – which absolutely impressed with a strong atmosphere, a great line-up and the cozy flair of the backstage.
Gladly again in the future!
Band-Links:
The post Keep It Low: ZEAL & ARDOR, MANTAR, THRONEHAMMER, GODSLEEP, HEAVY TEMPLE, EYEHATEGOD appeared first on earshot.at.
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