„You may sing along, bounce and clap!” That’s how the subhead of this metallic theme night in the Salzhaus/Winterthur could sound. And never mind if the performing band was out the States or Italy, if the stage was rocked by ambitious musicians or well-nigh living fossils, never mind it the band was called EXILIA, GOD FORBID or ILL NINO, the chemistry between bands and crowd fits at every moment. But for it the Salzhaus had to open its gates right in the Suisse-clockwork-manner punctually at half past seven for 450 guys and gals hungry for Metal.

One hour was left for attending crowd to scratch along the fair-priced merch, the fish & chips hut or right through diverse drinks before the Italians :: EXILIA :: entered stage at nearly half past eight just to fire the crowd and planks up in the following 30 minutes. A short scanning and a “good to be back in Switzerland” shouted by front-lady Masha were enough to actuate the first pit this evening when playing their second track. Constantly high-fived by the fans, the fun they had this evening was literally chiseled in their faces. As the leading one axeman Elio Alien is to mention. However, the question coming up in the audience were to answer, if he was on drugs or if the Salzhaus was his own personal drug when having a look at his permanent smile. Ok, seriously, the spirit spread by EXILIA combined with the audience reacting was pretty cool. Anyway, besides the singles of the past the new tracks taken from the new album My Own Army inserted well into the NuMetal-setlist. A satisfying evening for EXILIA!
Setlist: Intro, Phoenix, Coincidence, Kill Me, Stop Playing God, Are You Breathing, The Hunter

One was allowed to be anxious whether the live-impression of the new songs presented by :: GOD FORBID ::. Earthsblood pushed itself right into the stores also in February, and this evening more powerful out of the speakers! But first I was amazed by the immense stage presence of the colossus behind the microphone. With the lights in his back Byron Davis appearance and his dreadlocks was evocative of the gigantic Predator, instead of being armed having an enormous volume in his voice. Right from the first second he had the crowd under control quite easily. Every animation was realized by the audience directly. Accompanied by cool riff-fusillades created by Dallas and Doc Coyle the New Jersey guys placed a crushing gig on the parquet in which the groove as well as the melody and the penetrating power didn’t fell by the wayside. Besides To The Fallen Hero, dedicated to Dimebag Darrell, GOD FORBID focused on (no, not on the man behind the mic) on Earthsblood. And this was exactly a good thing, a track like the ballpark figure Bat The Angels as a real hit takes part of yourself through and through. Each song detonated in its cool complexity, a tip for all of you thinking out of the box. 50 minutes pure intensity!
Setlist: Intro, Better Days, Under This Flag, Empire Of The Gun, AntiHero, War Of Attrition, Judge The Blood, Bat The Angels, To The Fallen Hero, The End Of The World

Hefty 40 minutes to carry out modifications where nearly no modification was to carry out and a line check are too much running idle for my taste. I’m sure, the Fish & Chips man felt happy about this! But right at the moment :: ILL NINO :: started, the lightshow was to gaze at first. The Salzhaus was dipped in crossfire of different colors, accompanied by Finger Painting and the smashers taken from their first record God Save Us. Or different: as colored the lightshow was, as colored are the influences of the band settled in the US. If it is the steady gleaming Korn flavor, the analogy “Sepultura of NuMetal” or the melodies paired with clean vocals and tribal drumming, all songs speak a clear and constant ILL NINO speech. As done by Exilia or God Forbid, the crowd felt free to bounce assiduously, clapped hands and did pit-sports. After an hour of Evergreens this evening’s highlight was played (ok, maybe just my personal highlight). The extra time was herald by a drum solo. Classic drums and typical ILL NINO tribal-drums complemented one another really perfect and should had more time of exclusive stage presence. Awesome! Thereto Raining Blood and Refuse/Resist were sampled before the outspent fans were sent home after When It Cuts and What Comes Around. So far so good, but I have to pass criticism: even if ILL NINO works live quite good, the certain something a headliner needs was missing this evening. Furthermore every audience is glad to hear that they are the best crowd. But when telling it than with more enthusiasm and more authenticity please!
Setlist: Intro, Finger Painting, God Save Us, This Is War, Lifeless Life, Resurrection, Still Hate Me, I Am Loco, Compulsion Of Virus And Fever, Corazon Of Mine, Te Amo… I Hate You, How Can I Live, Alibi Of Tyrants, Liar, Drum Solo, When It Cuts, What Comes Around

Right at midnight the lights were switched on in the Salzhaus and lots of sweaty fans looked forward to the shower after. A special thank you goes out to the Salzhaus: as a matter of course the sound was awesome again this evening! And another one goes out the security, who towed the crowdsurfer quite straight but without any excessive action.

story © the.wangacopta