Dödsmässa #2
“A requiem accomplished in the season of rebirth.”
- Cold is the wind.
I´m on my way back home after a particularly eventful 24 hours when this phrase catches my soar ears. The words is spoken with a tortured voice, almost comparable to the animated screams of anguish and despair that I´ve been listening to the whole night before, only this time the moaning comes from an elderly woman talking to a friend. And I feel her pain, I really do. This spring has been as freezing as Pelle Ohlins moon ever was. A circumstance that strikes me as a kind of suitable setting to such an event as Dödsmässa #2.
Text and image:
Hinsides Magazine 2022
Seagull city
I arrive at the uncanny streets of Uddevalla not knowing what to expect from the happening that I´m about to witness within just a few hours. All necessary preparations has been made with impeccable accuracy, but there are so many other things that has to be in place in order to fully enjoy an evening like this. Especially when you travel by yourself. I´ve been going two hours by train from Karlstad and before I check in at the hotel I take a look around this strange city.
To me, some of the sleepy cities of the west coast in Sweden has a vibe that´s hard to pin point and align to, and Uddevalla is most definitely such a place. We´re not yet friends but to explore the different areas and sides of this town is a way of getting there, I reckon. Anyhow, the city has a lot of seagulls and rocks to offer, that I can tell you for sure.
After a quick check in at the hotel and a proper dinner it´s time to head on to Bastionen. The venue is find in an industrial area near the water, just a 15 minute walk from the city center. A really good location for arranging events that evolves around live music. It´s run by different associations in a non-profit fashion, and Dödsmässa is realized this way too as a collaboration with Musikföreningen Adrian. Total D.I.Y spirit, and total support! Get in touch with them if you want to arrange something.
Just a tip.
The first version of Dödsmässa took place in the middle of November 2021, and this quite early follow-up feels like a natural continuation of that initial ceremony. Four different band logos are displayed on the poster, and in addition to this there´s also two art exhibitions and a small record fair to engage in during the evening.
The doors opens at 6:30 PM and before the first band hit the stage there´s some time to examine the merch tables, art exhibitions and the record bins that the distro and label Growls from the Underground has put up. Before I get too busy with what´s on the walls, and what the bar offers, I´m approached by the singer in Gravkväde who introduces himself with a firm handshake. We´ve been in touch through mail before but never met in person so it´s nice to finally get a face connected to this man. (The most of our previous correspondence is available to take part of here at the blog if you´re interested to know more about this grieving orchestra, and the whole interview will be published in the next physical release of H. M.)
We talk a bit and I also get the opportunity to exchange a few words with the guitarist of the band in question. Both proves to be as kind and openminded as one could ever wish for, so I´m glad to have made friends with them and beyond grateful to not miss out on their first ever live performance. I also get to chat a bit with the guys in Obolus before they go on stage as the opening act. Very likable dudes as well that seem to enjoy themselves in the arms of Bastionen.
It´s great that this event also has invited two visual artist. It makes sense to incorporate such an important part of underground culture this way, and both Catharina Linnéa Artworks and @elegyphotography has been serving bands with their skills. On this occasion they shows some of this work but also art that´s not made on commission. Both talented artists worth your following and support.
Obolus
Then, at a given signal, Obolus enters the stage to do justice to their own blend of harsh and heavy riff-based music. Relaxed and focused, they open the set with a newly written song. A move that requires a good portion of self-confident as a band, and Obolus does it with the honor. Three more songs is served in the same fashion which makes the music come to life in the best possible way. The interaction between band and audience appears to come naturally and Obolus are not shy to invite it´s listeners closer to the stage when the last song is about to take off. It´s a beautiful thing to be a part of and right there and then I get the realisation that I´ve missed this more than I thought during the pandemic years. As an opening act, Obolus does the job more than well, and it´s the sense of purpose and unity that these guys embodies that I bear with me as the strongest impressions from their set. If you like a bit peculiar and heavy music you most definitely have a friend in this collective, and if you need a good live act you know where to go.
Gravkväde
After a long enough break from stage action it´s time for Gravkväde to do their thing. A exciting happening for all involved as it in fact is their very first appearance as a live act. And it´s obvious that they approach their set with due seriousness. When all preparations has been made, two grave candles is being lit in front of the stage, and within a few minutes the band shows up on a stage that´s bathing in a cold blue light. They open up with the song ”Själadöd”, taken from their second album ”Grav/Ruin”. A suitable opening as it is one of their most appreciated tracks according to digital streams. It shows right from start that the audience knows the material and has been waiting for a moment like this. If you´re not familiar with this band from before but enjoys a steady meal of Funeral-Doom every now and then, then you´re in for a treat! It should also be added that Gravkväde has the good taste to serve this dish with some crisp Black-Metal entrements. So, what´s not to like? It´s impressive music on recording, and the live performance is nothing but equally impressive. The three tracks that´s being bled on stage affects the ambience in the room expediently, and you can tell that there´s something in the air tonight, to quote another prominent artist. Lots of emotions and focus on how to canalize the musics heavy topics cogently. No distractions allowed, just pure sonic meditation. A seance that Gravkväde dictates flawlessly until the very last notes have faded. Afterwards, many of us sense that we have experienced something very special..
Voodus
Next up is Voodus with their heavy-metal fused slab of satanic old-school worship. Their latest full-length Lp ”Into the Wild” has been spinning once or twice in the headquarters of Hinsides but this is the first time they´re experienced live and dangerous. And it´s a once again a really professional performance that we get to witness at this pleasant evening at Bastionen. The band is tight and makes a convincing visual presentation of their devilish hymns. Their take on melody driven Black-Metal is reminiscent of a lot other similar music, yet Voodoos manage to find an angle of their own among their peers. Which is a kind of achievement in itself. Nothing to complain about, except that they might need a few more recognisable hooks in their material to make their set more engaging. The stagepresense is well executed, and it shows that Voodus knows their craft, but in order to reach the next level there has to be something more intense added to the equation. Overall a cool gig nontheless with extra points given to their stage props.
Kill
Last band on the bill is Kill. (Kill Bill, anyone?) A local band that´s been around since the river were on fire, as the saying goes. I've met the guys briefly on different gigs but are not sure what to expect as this is the first time that I´m allowed to experience the band live on a stage. Preconceptions might have been there though, and some of them might have shown to be true during Kills chaotic performance. Chaotic in more of one meaning of the word, that is. At first; chaotic in the meaning of misscommunication and poor prepatation. The first songs do suffer a slightly bit from this sense of the word, to say the least. And secondly; chaotic in the meaning of a totally harsh and primitive expression that actually becomes more animated by the sloppy attitude that Kill more or less intentionally shows at first. It´s a thin thread to balance on, but the three-piece slowly grows with it´s task and manage to steer the lethal machine in a somewhat cordinated direction after one or two songs has been thrown in the ditch. (Or sacrificed on the altar of alcohol, if you like.) When properly coordinated, Kill really Kills, and their level of forceful noice is nothing but plain war-metal, if you ask Hinsides. A term that wasn´t around the way it is today when Kill made their first demo back in the end of the 90íes, but that´s the most suitable tag to use on their uncompromising wall of sound. A wall that´s actually quite entertaining to take part of. And all of a sudden it´s quiet. Without any interaction with the audience whatsoever, except from shouting out the songtitles, the band just stops playing and starts to collect their gears.
At that point, the clock is past midnight and the venue is starting to empty on people. I´m not ready to go just yet so I get involved in discussions with a guy that I've been exchanging different tip on exquisite music with on Instagram. He goes by the name @analogcvlt and proves to be an easygoing fellow with some interesting points about what the night had offered so far.
The lights goes on, eventually, and before we hit the streets there is plans made for further adventures. Adventures that has to remain unspoken in order to mantain the image of this publication.
Last but not least a big salute goes out to everyone involved in the organisation of this arrangement. Everything from sound, light, wardrobe and what not were done very proffessional and in a cool and inclusive manner. There´s already be a third bash of Dödsmässa in the making so make yourself a favour and keep your ears and eyes open.
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