18-05-2019 Dark Mental Festival

The Swedish Revenge Prevails is starting the last day of Dark Mental Festival. The band formed in 2008 and makes a combination of Death and Black. The band seems a bit mysterious at first, them feeding that feeling with the use of incense and imagery of darkness.

The style of their music seems quite laid back, relaxed and maybe that is contrary to what was expected from them. At some point we did have the feeling that (mainly) their vocalist has been in higher atmospheres. Was it the incense or some other substance? We won’t know but the distance between the audience and him seems far. Not really landing here tonight, too bad.

Thrash formation The Petulant got us back into the here and now. These guys seem eager to make an impression here and take an energetic approach to their time on the stage. Their debut came out about two years ago so they have some ammo to shoot with.

An interesting thing about them is that the bass is quite prominent here tonight, not a choice that many bands make, but seems to suit the guys well. The mix up with some Death is giving the music of the guys some body as well. It creates a solid base on which the band can built. The songs played are well thought, but here and there could be taken a step further even to define themselves even more. But, The Petulant is right on their way.

The youngsters of Wayward Dawn were making a good impression today. The band is founded in 2015 and makes Death Metal but despite that they have not released only one album the guys are giving is a very mature sound. The band has massive riffs and backs all up with a lot of vehemence. It results in a show that grabs your attention.

On stage they have a lot of energy as well, sometimes they seem to feel restricted by the small space they have, so channeling it is a bit more challenging, but nothing that can’t be fixed. They simply need a larger stage. They seem ready for it, time for the right people to pick them up and bring them further, the potential is there.

After a show of comedian Jason Rouse we got back to the music again with the formation Faithful Darkness. With three full length albums on their name the band has quite some songs to choose from and it seems the band chooses to mix it a bit. Some songs are more tending towards Melodic Death and others are more Thrash but eventually you get the connection with it all and see what the guys want to bring.

The Swedes are somewhat modest in their performance, but seem to enjoy their time here at the festival and the fact that a whole lot of people gathered to see them play simply says they have a solid fanbase around. Having a special eye for the drummer here, who becomes a bit invisible on the stage, but sets his mark on the music wildly. An interesting show of these guys.

Nonexist shared some bandmembers with Faithful Darkness, but has a more clear definition musically. The formation is around since 2001 and has three full lengths on their name although the last one dates back to 2015.

The set of this band is more in one line, the songs are logically put in order and together form a solid setlist. What is most interesting to observe is the band’s frontman/guitarist. He plays with a certain passion that is amazing to observe. He seem to be living his music right there on stage and that contributes to the performance in such a great way that it keeps you watching. Intense moments so to say.
From Nonexist to all right to exist, we surely would not mind to see this again.

Heidra was a band that got tipped by a Tempelores insider so when we heard they were standing in for Thyrgrim, who unfortunately had to cancel, we were quite pleased. In prepping we found them a bit folky, but we were promised there is more to them than that and we can say that this is absolutely true.

The band has the focus on their latest release called “The Blackening Tide” which came out last year. It has that melodic feel to it that embraces the voice of vocalist Morten. Yet it is not him alone that seeks the spotlight. The whole band is giving that same energy and somehow find a way of keeping it in balance, something that not all bands are capable of. But instead of watching a battle we were observing a team that performs the show with flair.

Certainly living up to the expectations, an energetic liveshow with well-thought songs, a joy to watch.

Norwegian formation Blodhemn has the honours to close the festival this year. The Black Metallers are promoting their new album called “Mot ein evig ruin” which got out just a few months ago. It is the band’s third full length release.

At the stage they are not immediately giving you the stereotypical idea of a Black Metal band. To hell with the clichés and having some fun while doing it seems more their attitude. We can improve as it works well for the guys. We hope that the guys will continue with that.

Musically they are a slightly more traditional. The songs are in Norwegian and get you into the right atmosphere without too much effort so it seems that the band is taking the best of both worlds. A nice mix and forming for the identity which we got to know.

Interesting to see, but some may prefer to go either all-in traditional or much more innovative than we saw tonight. Yet, we enjoyed their show as the guys seem to just do what works for them and enjoy it deeply. A good closure of the festival.