Hellfest (Friday) - Day 1 @ Clisson, France

Hellfest

Day 1 - Friday

18.06.2010

@

Clisson, France

Despite being such a well organized festival in most respects, having bands on so early in the morning can have its negatives. SWALLOW THE SUN, play to a miniscule crowd, as queues to enter the arena are full of anticipating doom death fans. Their sound is strong regardless of the indecisive weather, which seems to affect bands later in the day, yet suits their gloomy presence. [LR]

Billed earlier than expected, FINNTROLL play to a burgeoning crowd as they magnetise people to them in a pied piper folk fashion. Unfortunately the band seem to blossom more in smaller venues, therefore the sound is a little weak compared to usual. Luckily specialities such as ‘Nattfödd’ and ‘Trollhammeren’ keep drinking horns raised as the crowd are officially warmed up for their first full day of metal. [LR]

While initially billed as main stage headliners, DEFTONES are moved to a mid-afternoon slot and continue on their path of energized rejuvenation on the back of their excellent new 'Diamond Eyes' LP. Chino in particular is on top form as he shimmies back and forth across the stage, his trademark croons and screams quite literally sending shivers down the spine. A welcome return to form.

The only interesting thing about Mike Muir’s funk metal side project INFECTIOUS GROOVES narcolepsy-inducing set is the mass stage invasion at the climax. Mike Muir has always been an engaging front man, but his backing band with their sub-par Chili Peppers display, sound nothing more than tired and hopelessly dated. Stick to the Suicidal day job, Mike!

SEPULTURA provide a solid and dependable performance comprised of old classics like 'Troops Of Doom' as well as more recent cuts from their 'A-Lex' LP. They may have no original members left and still receive the occasional drubbing from the die-hards, but the Seps are still more than capable of holding their own in the live department.

Over on the Terrorizer stage, Swiss industrialists THE YOUNG GODS start their set with a relentlessly danceable vibe and never let up for a moment. Frontman Franz Treichler is a shamanistic presence amongst the strobes and dry ice and everything is going superbly until the phoenix-like rise to euphoria comes crashing down like Icarus as the power generator blows four songs in. A crushingly disappointing end to a storming performance.

Captivating the masses over in The Hard Rock tent, ULVER are an affirmation of just how diverse the Hellfest bill can be. Their tasteful blend of icy electronica, soaring guitars and avant-garde dynamics provide a welcome respite from the more Black Metal based savagery of the rest of the tent's bill and quite literally leave the crowd spellbound.

Back to the Terrorizer tent and nerves are frayed and nails bitten as GODFLESH's return to the live arena looks set to be hampered by the earlier generator failure. After what seems like an age, 'Like Rats' starts off proceedings sounding neutered and limp which paves the way for yet more technical doctoring. 'Christbait Rising' eventually brings mass relief as it completely floors everyone with it's massive bass-heavy kick. After barely more than half an hour, Justin Broadrick apologises and announces that the set has to finish due to time constraints, leaving the assembled mass to pick their jaws up from the floor. Here's hoping the band has a hassle free set at the Supersonic festival in October.

After the initial novelty of seeing Dino Cazares back on stage with FEAR FACTORY wears off, it's noticeable how lacklustre the band are. Burton C Bell struggles to stay in tune during the cleanly sung sections of their set list and and the rest of the band seem to go through the motions at various points. On the plus side, cyber metal classic such as 'Demanufacture', 'Martyr' and 'Replica' are thrashed out with brutal precision and it's always a pleasure watching Gene Hoglan doing his thing behind the kit. All in all then, not a total disaster, but not exactly a world destroying performance either.

Reviewed by Lily Randall [LR] & Clive Boddy
Photography by Frédéric Schadle (www.moocher.fr)
Special Thanks to MetalStorm (www.metalstorm.net)