Festival Del Diablo Presents Carcass in Colombia

Colombia certainly has a major tendency to gift metal fans with randomly selected musical numbers throughout the year, and such satirical attempt to delight them all has failed more often than it should. Still, the collective effort to generate revenue fails due to the duplication of such events, or namely, the bands chosen to perform. On certain occasions, International bands play twice in the same year, if not for a third time in a row. Apparently, promoters are limited in which regards to the bands they are willing present to the general public, and this evidence transpires quickly when we talk about the oversaturated Festival Del Diablo, the more I feel invited to concentrate my attention solely in the headliners, Carcass.

I am quite familiar with the British Carcass due to my earlier stages as a locator in an FM radio station, and makes me a bit uneasy to see them blending with other bands that in nothing, can sustain their grandeur in this particular event, especially when the promoter is putting them on stage alongside with new coming thrash metal outfits, metalcore, and lastly, a pitiful black metal duo.

My awareness is that one of the Inquisition members is Colombian, raised in Cali, but even so the love for such act remains, in some manner, appealing to the Colombian audience that are, indeed, lovers of badly executed, trendy avocational black metal that quickly comes down into the pits of boredom and monotony no matter how ‘Cult’ they might be, or venture to be. I couldn’t praise enough the fact that at least British old-school death metal act Carcass, will be opening the trenches, hopefully leaving Inquisition for the last so that I can skip the event even before they start playing.

Festival Del Diablo includes the presence of Mexican Brujería, which will be coming back with their classic extreme metal gunship cupped by a twisted dark humor. I have never payed much attention to Brujería mostly because their musical approach doesn’t appeal me much. Their sonority is something I tend to get obnoxious and tiresome, especially if I cannot visualize the concept behind the lyrics and sing along with it, to have a more honest insight of what they are singing about. However, Brujería does have a powerful sonority, perhaps a bit basic and often of a rhythmic stand out for some, but they definitely get the attention of the general public and have a good live entertaining approach.

Presently established in Los Angeles, United States, Dia De Los Muertos is a band I am not conversant with. They are a Colombian band with a Mexican singer residing in the United States, and if this wasn’t confusing enough, their sound resembles to metalcore, alternative metal with a group of thrash metal elements flowing along their personal orientation.

Colombian Reencarnacion are, possibly, the most representative act to share the stage alongside with Carcass, according to the press release. It is alleged that they exist for over thirty years and already released five albums, which honestly, isn’t much for a band with such a long-time of existence. Candidly speaking, I live in Colombia for two years already and never, ever in a conversation I started to hear about Reencarnacion, neither in a local bar. If it wasn’t for the press release, I wouldn’t even know such band ever existed, so I am not entirely sure why the Colombian press says that they are an institution regarding Colombian metal, if even Colombians don’t apparently know them…

Another Colombian band to accept the stage will be Random Revenge, a band that appeals to speedy thrash metal with a deep ink of Judas Priest, especially the vocals, but despite their whole thrash metal vibe and melodic melodies, they do not seem to be quite of a band to pass complete the fence. For Colombian thrash metal fans, they persist as one of the best routines of the genre, with a debut album already to be hailed as the best album put out in 2014 – solemnly in the land, that is. Apart from their evident thrash metal influences, occasionally slightly resounding to modern Kreator, and the great musicianship vibe on in their outstanding execution, Random Revenge at least for me seems to be just another thrash metal band from Colombia that unfortunately, brings absolutely nothing fresh to the scene besides musical professionalism.

Bogotanians Narcopsychotic (“narco” as in “narcotraffic”, which also makes reference to a psychotic episode related to drugs… like Colombia hasn’t been stigmatized neither stereotyped enough already), executes some kind of second-rate hardcore. I have read articles in which it mentions the fact that they are extremely energetic on stage and promise a killer performance, nevertheless, while browsing through YouTube videos, the bass player (which curiously is a female) demonstrates more will to destroy the stage other than the remaining band members put altogether.

The formation chosen by the promoters may please many in the audience, as the combination of divergent musical genre appeals to a more extensive scope of metal fans, although it may appear a beneficial means to kick out such event, I would instead give more opportunity to local Colombian musicians that are by far more suitable to shred the stage alongside Carcass.

My proposition, nonetheless, if the event was put together by our team would be the following:

Quite of a well experienced and established band, Under Threat are Colombians residing in the United States. They are a singular, cutting-edge death metal band with some modern thrash metal elements and a professionalism on stage that leaves many dropping their chin. I grew to know them for close to four years ago and initially thought they were a European act, gladly and for my surprise, Under Threat stands out from the typical Colombian norm by playing in a fashion of their own, that often detaches them from the downfall tendency to copy everything else alike most bands from this nation tend to adopt in seeking to glorify their musical idols.

Colombian brutal death metal Goretrade would definitely impair Carcass on stage and blast the audience from their foundations with their technical, storming ravishing outburst of demolishing death metal. To yield you an overall estimation of their sound, Goretrade sounds as a mix between Brazilian Krisiun something with Canadian Kataklysm, Suffocation influences choked in an insane line of guitar riffing and double triggered drum playing, pounding bass and hellish, growling vocals.

Brutalized and extremist Colombian Mindly Rotten also come to heed as a more beneficial alternative when it comes to find a worthy replacement for Dia De Los Muertos for instance. I am not by any means saying that the Mexicans can’t throw a full show, personally I only checked some videos from them and found it far from my musical liking, but certainly Mindly Rotten would make us spin our head furiously while enjoying their furious death metal approach. Truth be told, I have never seen Mindly Rotten live, simply guessing by their videos, they are a war tank marching over human skulls.

Technical to progressive death metallers, Nonsense Premonition is a Colombian act with a very powerful boost for brutality and a stronghold for melodic, groundbreaking refuge. Just like Under Threat, Nonsense Premonition sonority stands out effectively and at the highest standards of a self-proclaimed professional scene, with a hellbound, yet uncommon grip for growling vocals that resonate to anything else I have heard before.

I accepted the chance to watch Colombian brutal death metal act Cancerbero play live at Rock For The Kids 2012, and the impression they left me with was nothing than a stark, devastating, well-oiled death metal machine ready to contract over the audience and meet them into slices! Cancerbero sound is one of the most brutally oriented bone-crushing, still progressive while combining modern elements of death metal into an outrageous furious range of vocalizations that could be enough to raise the dead.

Suggestions aside, and moving to other related Carcass news; They have published a new single entitled ‘The Granulating Dark Satanic Mills’, produced by Kazuaki Kimura and Glenn Maguire, taken from their latest effort released by Nuclear Blast Records, the returning masterpiece ‘Surgical Steel’.

A new EP, ‘Surgical Remission/Surplus Steel’ will be released in the United Kingdom on November 17th and a limited edition silver vinyl which can be only and exclusively ordered through the Nuclear Blast Records webshop.

Side A:

1. ‘A Wraith In The Apparatus’
2. ‘Intensive Battery Brooding’

Side B:

1. ‘Zochrot’
2. ‘Livestock Marketplace’
3. ‘1985 (Reprise)’

Regarding this release, Carcass had to say the following:

[blockquote cite=”Jeff Walker”]Well, let’s call this tying up loose ends. We thought we’d make all the tracks available from the ‘Surgical Steel’ album session available on an EP… just in case you bought the Jewel Case version, didn’t buy the Digipack, didn’t buy the Japanese Import, or maybe you never bought the Decibel Magazine issue with the flexi-disc? Well here you go; All the songs on one disc along with an previously unreleased track. Even Trevor Strnad’s arm makes a guest appearance! Enjoy.[/blockquote]

As for today, we can entirely expect to witness them live playing in Colombia on December 6th, 2014, at Teatro Metropol. Tickets are available via Independent – Sala De Ensayos, Carrera 16, Número 34-70 Bogotá. You can also reach for more information, directly thru the phone by dialing: (0057) 1 2458409. Alternative purchase locations includes Rolling Disc, Av. Cll 19 No. 4-38 (C.C. Vía Libre – Local 206), and El Templo De La Musica, Cl 6 Sur N 71D-29 Dg a C.C. Plaza de las Americas, both in Bogota.

As for prices, pre-sale tickets cost $82.000 COP ($32.00) and are available until November 8th, meanwhile ticket purchase on the day of the event cost $130.000 COP (roughly $50.00). Tickets have been available for sale since September 19th. You can either purchase the tickets locally, or online via PayPal.

Hopefully wish that incidents such as the chaos unleashed during the Kreator event, wouldn’t occur this time so that everyone can enjoy the festival in a peaceful manner.