Translation Live-Review Berlin Deathfest 2013 / Photo Gallery by Laura Vanselow

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Kategorie: Unvergessene Events

The Berlin Deathfest 2013 held at H.O.F. 23! People, what I can say a genuine festival of superlatives. Over two consecutive days, our ears were treated to the finest brutal and slam death metal around. Bands including Katalepsy (RUS), Carnivorous Voracity (ES), Carnal Decay (CH), Acranius (GER), Cytotoxin (GER), Pighead (GER), Cerebral Incubation (U.S.) or Ingested (UK), just to name a few of the 16 bands who together trashed the H.O.F. 23.

The festival indirectly started on Thursday evening as the ‘Pissing in the mainstream P.A.R.T.Y’ at the U5 Club where a hard core group of death metal lovers were invited to a pre-party Deathfest. Going on its first year and successfully hand reared by Berlin-based duo, I was very happy to see PITMSPARTY crowded that night like never before! As we walked through the doors we were greeted with brutal sounds pumping through the sound system. I thought this was the perfect setting to fuel our anticipation for the upcoming Berlin based indoor Brutal Deathfest which was the first of its kind. Since I wanted to take pictures on both days and wanted to be punctual andclear headed, I felt everything was organised except I needed to pay close attention to my alcohol consumption. I left the pre party and headed for the festival. The First band on my list was Slowly Rotten which had already been welcomed by some slamtastic warm up bands and boy did they look ready. The mood of the devout Death metal fans rose from one band to the next. I was looking out over a sea head banging and finger pointing, the mosh pit looked like a carefully choreographed death metal ballet and surely this was a first at the venue H.O.F. 23! It was incredible that the atmosphere particularly at a death metal concert was so extremely playful. I loved this fact and I think many others did as well. Even though the hardest sounds were popping from the not so silent speakers, the music had a calming effect; everyone looked happy, satisfied, and entertained! The first evening ended with the Russian band Katalepsy, which was my personal highlight. Katalepsy gave their blood sweat and tears performing their distinctive Grind/Death in the Moscow way. As the last notes were fading we began exchanging our thoughts about this brilliant evening. Our only conclusion was happiness because it was only the first of two days. With the evening over the majority of people warped home to get some rest because everyone wanted to return tomorrow at 2pm sharp.

On Saturday it really wasn´t easy to get up, but the festival feeling had grabbed everyone and I wanted to return to the hallowed halls as quickly as possible. Immediately upon my arrival, I was brutally welcomed by Maximize Beastiality from Bremen. Jeez, what a thrashing and a much more brutal voice! Day Two was therefore to start with high spirits and a touch of class. Still feeling a little tired I slowly drank my coffee and watched band number two. Time up for the Brazilians from Incarceration, they were finishing their European Tour with an earth shattering performance at the Berlin Deathfest. They seemed very grateful for a rapturous welcome as well as a brilliant end of their tour on the BDF.

As the second evening drew to a close and the last two bands were on the line it was getting crazy. After Cytotoxin, Cerebral Incubation, who originated from Las Vegas, continued to heat the masses. At the end of their performance, a huge mosh pit was created on stage, which included crowd surfing fo sure. That was awesome! No one wanted it to end. The frenzied and ecstatic mob was requesting an encore. Unfortunately for technical reasons this wasn’t possible. However, that wasn’t so bad, because Ingested finished the evening just as great. By the end of the evening at least half of the metal mass must have been on stage… you could only make out the hoard of metalheads celebrating on stage, it was moving too fast to make out individuals. It was a fitting end for a really great and well organized festival. I had the feeling that no one really wanted to face the end but the end broke upon us and it felt just as brutal as the whole essence of the previous two days of death metal music. Although I was completely done after Eleven hours of Live-photography, I still wanted to keep this great atmosphere around me but as they say, when it is at its best, you should stop! Ughh well….then…after a few cigarette lengths and euphoric chatter, one after another people started their way home knowing tomorrow starts the cruel reality of work again… until the next time please!

The festival was awesome and I want again to say a big kudos to the three organizers David, Leif and Denny and of course to all the wonderful helpers. You were all great and have made the festival what it was, namely a brutal, well-organized and fun festival in a great location, with good food and amazing people.

Thanks! 

Laura

Translation: Sandra Frei / George