10-06-2023 Into The Grave

The first band of this day is Necrotted. The guys have their homebase in Germany and make Modern Death Metal. Sets the tone for today. Where yesterday’s band were having a rather large focus on the visual part of the performance Necrotted is more into their Death across with a passion. Yet, the audience has just arrived, and many are still in the process of waking up so the response the Germans got was a bit timid. The band self seems to gasping for air straight after the first song, out of breath.

Later this year the guys will release a new album called “ Imperium”. In September it will be out for the audience, but the guys are already trying to hype it up a bit. Their eagerness makes that the band is interesting to watch, musically you don’t have to expect a very defined sound. The guys are not unique with what they are doing, but as an opening act they serve perfectly well here today.

Speaking about eager, Kryptos is here. They are from India and are showing an enormous drive to perform from the second they are entering the stage. A combination of Thrash and Heavy metal is played, and it seems like the guys have some fans along here today. Understandable because they skillfully entertain us with interesting riffs and energetic performance. A first moshpit was started and that is a good start of the day here on the mainstage.

Their latest release dates back to 2021 already and we cannot recall them mentioning something new being ahead, but it shall not surprise us to see these guys coming with new material later this year/early next year. As the sun became a bit too intense at this point we were seeking shadow and at this hour that means we had to move to the other stage a bit sooner than hoped. Kryptos we’ll definitely come to see again though.

Photographer Sabine was a bit bummed realizing that she had to miss Jungle Rot in her hometown during this weekend as Into The Grave was taking place. It has been a while. And then we realized they are also playing there. And the party just got a bit better as due to a traffic jam Cane Hill could not make it on time to play their show, which meant that Jungle Rot could move towards the main stage.

Opening with “ Worst Case Scenario” the guys start with something familiar, but then we also got to hear some material from the 2022 release “A Call To Arms”.

The Death Metal formation is leaving no time to waste and plays a steady set that showcases why they are still active after 30 years of existence. Maybe it was the time, and the burning sun but somehow the response to them was quite calm. A pity, but understandable. The band self is maybe not the most active onstage either. Let the music do the talking. And for us, it was a pleasant conversation.

Kryptos hanging around at the festival area.

The Swedish Orbit Culture seems to be one that we will come across more often this summer. The Melodic Death formation is having quite some shows booked. They have been around since 2013 and three full length releases have come out so far. The last one was from 2020.
Our first impression is that his band is a bit interchangeable. In fact, while typing this it is my notes that remind me most about their performance, there was not anything else that has sparked my memory. Does not mean I have been looking to a bad show, simply that it was not standing out very much. What was written down then, you would wonder. Decent guitarist, interactive vocalist. Those kind of terms.
The audience? Well they seem to simply observe it. Our next rendezvous will be at Tuska this summer and they time-clash with Brymir. Let’s see what our readers think. Are we to see Orbit Culture again to see if they made a better impression or are we to choose Brymir instead?

The Norwegian Vreid has been off our radar for many years. It is nice to see them return to that again, releasing two singles. And now they are on the main stage of Into The Grave. Perfect, the guys can attempt to cool us down a bit with their Melodic Black.
Now, that cooling down is mainly for the mind as the sun won’t be frozen by them obviously, but they guys surely bring a nice touch to the festival area. Some Vreid shirts here and there show us that this band has some people coming for them and although Black Metal is not quite a dominant genre for this festival, it still suits here today. Some new material was played, for example the single “ Flammen” which seems a quite nice track to introduce to the crowd here.
Calmly the guys go through their set, having a word with the audience sometimes and leave us with a good feeling. A good show to watch and listen to, the Norwegians have impressed us well.

On the reaper stage we continue with some Symphonic touch. It is the Dutch Haliphron that hits the stage. Quite a young formation as in, they formed in 2021. The members self we already know from various other Dutch formations. They dressed up the stage nicely, some decorations to bring a bit of atmosphere. It’s a full house but that does not mean they hold back at anything. It is clear that this band is formed with experienced musicians that have been working together before as it shows that they are a smooth team and have a good interaction going.
The field in front of the stage is more filled than we saw before today, the band surely draws a crowd. What we liked about their set is that it is quite varied, going with different tempo and heaviness creates a dynamic sound here today. We are certain we will come across them much more and that is pleasant piece of knowledge after their show today.

The Swedish formation Scar Symmetry just dropped their new album the day before their performance. The Melodic Death band left us with a nine-year gap since their previous one, so it is nice to have some new material from them on hands. They don’t seem too lucky as they are struggling a bit with their sound, but eventually they keep it going. The band starts off with some older material and eases into the new album. An interesting touch as on the newer songs their seem heavier with a serious dose of progressive along. It suits them though and a must to mention is that in the end they don’t stray that far from what you are used to from them. We have the impression that the guys enjoy performing these tracks a lot as their enthusiasm rises quite a bit. When the set is at the end it seems that they convinced the audience well as they leave the stage with a well-deserved applause.

Psychonaut is one of these bands that could really split up an audience. If you like this Post metal thing, they do than this is a band that will interest you and captivate you deeply with their performance. But if you are more looking for an energetic act than this band may be a bit too boring to watch live. The guys take their time to climb into a climax into their sound if they get there at some point. They have a bunch of people interested, but also many who seem to be walking away again after a couple songs. We did not stay for the entire set either, at some point even we have to go and eat something, and they guys took a bit too long for us to grasp our attention.

Supergroup Bloodbath was at Into The Grave today. In the past the performances we have seen from them were either really bad, or really good. The number of good ones certainly increased when Nick Holmes joined in for the vocals, his approach seems to have done the band well. Latest addition to the band is Tomas Åkvik on guitars. The guys open their set today with “ So You Die”, a heavy start to show what they are about to give us today.
Soon we are heading into newer material with the track “ Zombie Inferno” which comes from their most recent album “Survival of the Sickest”. It comes to notice that this material is straight in line with what they have been doing before, so not really surprising us that much. The audience seem to appreciate it well. Some moshing, some crowd surfing, the party has really started! I think it is safe to say that this performance of Bloodbath would go towards the ‘ good ones’ category.

Last week we published an article about the new EP of Omnium Gatherum and it is releasing just the day before their show at Into The Grave. Good for those gathered to see the band. It seems at first the band was not getting the largest crowd, but it really came to notice that at the end of the set the field was rather full for Omnium Gatherum. The Finns obviously drew attention with their Melodic Death.
First, they serve us with some older tracks before we ease into the new EP. “Slasher” seems to make an impact, a good response where some movement started to happen. The guys are cheerful and interact well with the audience. A good party ends with a banger, so when “ Maniac” rolls out of the speakers the set is complete. Good business for Omnium Gatherum here tonight.

For many metalheads Cradle of Filth have formed a bridge into the metal scene. Nostalgia for many when Dani Filth and Co are starting their set. The British formation comes with high allure, the show is there but does not get overboard at all. A good balance is set between the music and the performance. Now Dani impresses with his vocals. Skillfully he draws a song to its highlight and leaves enough space for the rest to support that. Special notice for Zoe Marie Federoff on keys. Her vocals are giving the sound of Cradle of Filth a special edge here tonight. For example, “Nymphetamine”, which was originally a collaboration with Liv Kristine, comes out very nicely. Of course, her role is quite visible there but at many moments it is more modest, giving just that refinement needed. They were standing in for a band that had to cancel, but surely this was a good replacement.

On the Reaper stage it was The Vintage Caravan that was ending the day. The guys are no strangers to Leeuwarden. What they do is make some Rock music with a, you guessed it, vintage sound. The Icelandic trio has been successful with it the past couple years. They have many full lengths on their name, and they surely filled up the fields here today. A catchy sound comes from them right from the start, swinging rock that gets people moving from the start. In regard to what we have seen before today we can say the guys are having an advantage with their energetic live show. It is easy to like this band. Jumping out were tracks like “ Reflections” and “ Babylon” that they play with so much enthusiasm that it contagious.
Makes sense, having them here at this stage.

Testament, well… the jokes were there of course. Would they be on time? Guess what?! They started early. Maybe now we can move on have that in the past because we rather remember that the band was doing a show that brought countless crowd surfers over the fence.
In that way they guys are not really bringing a surprise. The stage décor, the lights, whole thing we have seen countless times before from them during the years. All the same, but that is ok. It is obvious that the audience likes them for what they do.
Interesting choice for the set then? Maybe not too many surprises there either. The band has much to choose from of course, so a nice mix of songs was chosen from their discography. Classics as “Into The Pit” and “Over The Wall” could not miss out. So simply, as expected, the quality you may expect from Testament. Still a decent closer of your festival day.