Hard Blast - Rio Metal Battle

EDITOR´S NOTE:
Hello Rocker! Me and the Hard Blast team want to apologise for these weeks without any updates but I´ve been quite busy covering the summer festivals to give you great photos, reviews and news. We´ve been also working on new partnerships to upgrade the website and improve our work. In a couple of weeks everything will be back to normal and you can wait for great stuff! Besides Tuska Open Air and Hellfest, we were at Ruisrock, Sonisphere, will be at Ankkarock and have done great interviews which are coming soon. All this traveling will be over soon ´cause summer is unfortunatelly close to the end so, don´t give up on us! We´ll be back even better!!! Stay rock!
Maila

RIO METAL BATTLE – MACKENZIE – RIO DE JANEIRO – April 5th 2009

by: *Daemon Ross www.myspace.com/daemonsvaul
pictures: promo

Impressions of a metal battle...

Hotter than hell. This is what I thought as soon as I got to the club Mackenzie, carrying my amplifiers, guitars and all the stuff that was packing my band´s van.

The place was crowded, around 600 people were there overpassing the number of the last edition, one year ago... but it wasn´t the only explanation for all that sweating smell. I arrived right after the female thrash metal band SCATHA played and considering how things were there I´d say those girls did a great job.

The stage was prepared with a very good light designing system and comparing this year´s structure with the last year´s one I´d say it was much more professional. All the equipment was better than what we are used to seeing in regular patterns here and P.A. was also great. The production did a great job.
Congratulations on Rio Metal Works!

Getting to the backstage, the musicians of the band HYDRIA were getting ready to rock. I took some water, ate some snacks and got really proud of being part of such a professional event.

HYDRIA

Banda Hydria

HYDRIA on stage: Although the voice was low when it started and the volume varied a lot during the entire concert, the well made arrangements and soft melodies were clear even for those who were backstage. You can immediately notice WITHIN TEMPTATION and NIGHTWISH influences but all done with a great dozen of intelligence. Rachel Schuler has an amazing voice that impresses us even more when she sings high. It´s precise. Bass & drumming are also great and both guitarists play with punch. I have to say that I´m not a big fan of this style since I prefer vocals sung in more middle tunes but they are so good that I had to buy a CD. I became a fan.

DARK TOWER

Banda Dark Tower

DARK TOWER was the next. Their furious black metal took the entire place. It´s undeniable that everything was perfect during their presentation. Everything! Even though they are a band which has never taken itself seriously they had the chance to compete and did an excellent job. The audience was amazed, now we had to wait for the jury´s decision. Well, putting them next to UNEARTHLY I´d say they are the best black metal band I´ve seen.

HELLBREATH

Banda Hellbreath

HELLBREATH was one of my tips. Virtuous metal core, presence and punch. After each concert I see of this band they seem to be playing better! Great 2-guitar solos, furious arpeggio bases that vary between speed and thrash metal and vocals that could wake the dead up! The drummer gave me the impression of being a little tired during the show but in such hot place I was also almost fainting.

FARSCAPE

Banda Farscap

FARSCAPE was the closest band to my band's style but in type of playing their music is more backed to German thrash. It´s impossible not to have fun in their show. They play fast, raw and really heavy. I´d compare them to VIOLATOR but with a better vocalist.

PROPHECY

Show_ Banda Opeth em São Paulo

I was already sweating my balls out and run down because of the concert we had played the day before. We had only 2-hour-sleep and over 5 tripping. It was an honor and a pleasant obligation to be there but unfortunately it wasn´t one of our best performances – thank God we weren´t competing! - we had fun, though, and I thank all those who sang, banged the head and celebrated that great moment of the metal from Rio.

When the concert was over the results came out: DARK TOWER WON!!!! They will represent Rio de Janeiro in the finals that will happen here in Rio, bringing bands from all over the country to the SEC XXI club, in Campo Grande on the 25th of May. Just as last year, any band could have been selected and I get really proud to see the level our metal has been achieving. It´s fuckin´ great to have Rio on the run! Let´s support for the metal! HAIL DARK TOWER!

* Daemon Ross is the guitarist of the thrash metal band PROPHECY, from Rio de Janeiro, who won the Rio Metal Battle last year. In this year´s event the band was the headline after the competition which united some of the great promises of the '”Carioca” metal. Hard Blast invited Daemon to write about his impression as a musician and as a rock fan about the event.

Thanks, Daemon, for this honest and humble statement.

Untitled Document

Hard Blast 2010