Event:	A Night Of Pure Fucking Thrash
Written by:	Thryce, Marcel Hubregtse
Published:	19.04.2007

Written by Thryce and Marcel Hubregtse.
Photos by Thryce. All rights reserved, do not use without permission. Much more pictures can be found at this location.

Introduction

Thryce:
Sunday April 15th will probably go down in history as the day when the largest Metal Storm Meeting so far in the Lowlands took place. But more importantly, it was also the day of cutting the poser-ish crap and the day of some of the finest no-nonsense Metal. As the appealing event name clearly indicated and promised, it would be a night of pure fucking thrash. No more, no less. No commercial rubbish, just sweet pure music, as we like it, and as we want it.
And the few Metal Stormers were not the only pure thrash appreciators. A lot of metalheads from all ages came down to CC De Herbakker at Eeklo. Though, it was probably the beautiful weather (or is it the underrated-ness and unknowingness of this kind of music?) that made that the event hall was far from being packed. But the ones who were there, about 200 people at the height of the evening, were all there with the same intentions in mind: let's fucking thrash.
At 3pm sharp the doors finally opened. And with the realization that five Thrash pearls would play that day, everybody already knew from the beginning Eeklo City was going to burn! And you know what? We so highly enjoyed those flaming prospects.

Marcel:
One of those sparse hot days in April and I am submitting myself to the ordeals of a four hour long train journey all the way down to Leuven, Belgium where I will be picked up by car by Mathieu (Thryce) to go to Eeklo which is still about an hour and a half's drive away. So, yes, that's how much I wanted to see Destructor for the first time in my life and Lääz Rockit for the first time since May 1988.
After having consumed a nice Rodenbach and some food in the sun in Leuven, Thryce picks me up for the car ride down to Eeklo. Meeting us at De Herbakker will be Brecht (Thorein) and Rico (Hellish Star), so this turns out to be a Lowlands Metal Storm meeting, and Rico was so great as to provide me with a sleeping place at his house.
But, now back to the five bands. I wasn't familiar at all with the three Belgian bands, The Difference, Sanity's Rage, and After All. But all bands managed to capture my attention in some way or another.



The Difference

Thryce:
The first band kicking off the Thrash and Metal Matinee was The Difference. Somewhat the odd man out in the line up, because they didn't really play Thrash, but rather a self-willed sort of Heavy Metal, with apparently still some references to the Doom roots from their early days. The reason why they got the absolute honour to open this concert is that The Difference are a local band. And there's of course nothing wrong with supporting local bands that happen to be good.
The Difference were really not bad at all, and a more than decent opener of the day. Their sound was pretty strong and solid, and with the mid-tempo parts, they brought a lot of variation into their music, which made that their performance was quite enjoyable.
The right tone was definitely set, and from now on, things could only become better and better.

Marcel:
First up in an almost empty venue were The Difference. They played some nice doomy metal with some progressive undertones. What especially caught my attention, besides the long-legged blonde giving it her everything in the crowd, was the nice guitar work. I am sure to check this band out further and hopefully will hear more about them in the future. Musically The Difference was the odd man out in this line up with all the rest of the bands playing thrash metal. According to Alcatraz Concerts this band was added for they are a local band. Good move, exposing local bands to a wider audience in this way.






Sanity's Rage

Thryce:
Bay Area-like Thrash Metal from Belgium seems a bit strange and undoable at first sight, but it certainly does exist: Sanity's Rage is the name, pure fucking Thrash is the game. This sympathetic Flemish Brabant outfit is still relatively young, but already earned a lot of standing and appreciation inside the Belgian Metal Scene after the release of their magnificent Thrash EP "The Rage Of One". I'm sure these guys have a lot of potential to become one of Belgium's greatest Metal bands of these days, seriously! Sanity's Rage give the Belgian Metal Scene a new promising Thrash future, mark my words. And also live they sound very mature and professional. I mean, for a band that has only been around since 2002 and that has only released one EP so far, these guys sure know how to thrash in front of an audience. Live, Sanity's Rage perform very well and offer everything you need: intense vocals, tight drumming, excellent guitar work (great riffs and superb solo's), all this moulded together is a modern 80's inspired Thrash sound. The bulldozers of Sanity's Rage only played for half an hour, but that was more than enough to flatten the audience. Most of us were clearly impressed and amused by this outstanding performance.

Marcel:
Sanity's Rage was the big surprise for me today. Being a huge fan of Bay Area thrash this band managed to push all my right buttons. Nice Bay Area thrash with a vocalist who at times reminded me of Steve 'Zetro' Souza. Great Bay Area crunch in the guitar sound. Songs consisting of a head and tail with enough variation to capture the attention of the uninitiated like me. This band is a must for everyone who likes their thrash in the Bay Area vein. Hopefully a record deal can be acquired on the back of their quite excellent demo cd.
Somewhere in between Sanity's Rage and After All Rico showed up coming directly from Germany where he was at the Keep It True Festival for two days. So, completing the Metal Storm line-up with Thorein already being in Eeklo before the first band started.







After All

Thryce:
Next in line were After All. After All consist of a five-piece combo from Bruges (West of Belgium), formed in 1992. Often dubbed as Bruges' loudest, it was clear that these guys couldn't be missing on a Thrash Night. After All's sound is very fresh and powerful, and is at the same time melancholically winking at the good old old school Thrash days of the eighties.
They played really really tight, loud and amazing. Complex riffs and neat solos were rammed into our ears, which made our heads go bang like crazy. Their sound is melodic and fast, but not over-energetic or repetitive. Vocals are powerful, clean and in one word good, and far from aggressive but rather traditional inclined. After All's setlist was quite varied, playing songs from about all their six albums. Their last albums, "Mercury Rising", "The Vermin Breed" and "This Violent Decline", are the band's absolute killer albums by the way.
Once again I was impressed by the high quality Thrash sound that Belgium possesses. And also by their Flying V guitars of course.

Marcel:
Up next was a band who have been described in various magazines as Belgium's own Metallica. Not being familiar with After All I was wondering in what way they are considered by some as Belgium's Metallica. Mmm, the comparison is quite far-fetched albeit understandable. Musically they have a faint Metallica sound of the four couple of Metallica albums, so yes, another Bay Area inspired thrash band. After All are quite a big name in Belgium with a couple of full length releases under their belt and having supported quite a few thrash bands over the years. Their show was professional and tight with the songs being executed well, but what I did miss was some variation in the material. Where Sanity's Rage managed to captivate my attention After All failed. Maybe this is one of those bands that I first need to get into fully on cd in order fully appreciate them live. But judging from the crowd's reaction I was one of the few people with that problem.






Destructor

Thryce:
Now it was the old-guards-of-the-mighty-eighties' turn to show what they still got in store. And they didn't disappoint at all! Destructor is one of those bands who's sound just forces you to bang your head. Destructor still stands for catchiness, sturdiness and effectiveness in their special destructive way, just like their glory days in the eighties. The quartet, of course totally dressed in leather and chains, reformed a couple of years ago, and are still able to rock the place with classic hits such as 'Maximum Destruction', 'Sonic Bullet', 'Iron Curtain', 'Pounding Evil' and many more. They are even releasing a new album soon applicably called "Forever In Leather".
As said, also live these guys haven't lost the 80's Thrash spirit, and even with a broken guitar string, the show went on.

Marcel:
Now, one of the bands I had come down for. After having released a now classic cult debut in 1986 (Maximum Destruction) Destructor seemed to have vanished off the face of the earth for me, only to reappear out of nothing in the line-up of today and the Keep It True festival on the previous Friday and Saturday. So, this old man hurried on down to stand all the way up front against the barriers. Seeing old bands such as Destructor is visually a good thing for my ego for they showed that I am not the only older guy having gained a beer belly over the years. Dressed in leather (is that the reason for the title of the upcoming album? Forever In Leather) they blasted their furious brand of thrash into the crowd. Clearly enjoying themselves, not even a broken guitar string on Pat Rabid's guitar could stop this sonic bullet. Hell, when Dave Overkill blurts out Iron Curtain or Pounding Evil not even my neck can resist the headbanging tendencies surfacing. For Christ's sake with song titles such as the aforementioned two and also Storm Of Steel, Tear Down The Heavens, and Sonic Bullet, one knows what to expect? true US thrash. Destructor delivered the goods, already making it worth my long trip, and nice sympathetic guys to boot too.






Lääz Rockit

Thryce:
Eeklo City's gonna burn. And Lääz Rockit sure kept that promise! Conducted by Michael Coons, these play devils were the highlight of the evening as the last band in the Thrash row.
Lääz Rockit are a Bay Area Thrash band from the eighties, which recently reunited in their original line up in May 2005 to play on Dynamo Open Air. The days before A Night Of Pure Fucking Thrash, they played an exlusice set at Eindhoven, The Netherlands, and on the Keep It True festival in Germany and now came to Belgium for another exclusive show. And it was clear the guys are still having a lot of fun on stage! Back in the day, Lääz Rockit's stage performance had a reputation of being full with raw energy and explosiveness. Especially the charismatic Michael Coons and bassist Willy Lange, who is a real wild man on stage, keep the atmosphere of those days alive and well.
Lääz Rockit performed songs from their 5 full lengths, and it was just thrilling to see what these guys still can do after all these years. Their sound and play was flawless and just pure magic, and for a moment the typical thrash sound of the eighties was more present than ever, as if we were attending a concert in those days. I know I haven't consciously experienced those days, but after seeing Destructor and Lääz Rockit live, I now understand why everybody is saying that it was so much better in the eighties.

Marcel:
Anyone worth their salt metal-wise in The Netherlands and Belgium is of course familiar with Lääz Rockit. In the late eighties this band was huge in the Lowlands having played at notable festivals such as the Aardschokdag in February 1987 opening the day for Celtic Frost, Crimson Glory, Metal Church, Anthrax and Metallica and Dynamo Open Air in May 1988 with notable acts such as Sabbat, Toxik, Exodus, and Candlemass. But also having played the Dynamo Club that often that they were more or less considered the in-house band. Having disbanded around 1992 they reformed again for a couple of live dates in 2005, first for the Thrash Against Cancer festival in San Francisco and then for Dynamo Open Air that same year in The Netherlands and also for the Thrash Domination festival in Japan (songs from these three festivals and two from Dynamo Open Air 1988 are featured on Lääz Rockit's 2006 Live Untold dvd). So what is it that makes this band so special in the Lowlands? You really wanna know? They never ever gave a less than great performance live, always giving it their full 120%, great double guitar work by Phil Kettner (lost his long manes and skinny looks) and Aaron Jellum (losing some hair and gaining a bit of weight too) great showmanship by vocalist Michael Coons who's still as interactive with the crowd and talkative as ever. And of course bass monster extraordinaire Willy Lange (originally Langehuizen), still running and stomping across the stage as in the old days. Unfortunately Victor Agnello of the original line-up was missing due to work obligations as a doctor and just having gotten a new child.
Yes, Lääz Rockit once again delivered the goods. But can you go wrong when you play classic songs such as Euroshima, Fire In The Hole, Forced To Fight, Chasin' Charlie (my personal favourite), In The Name Of The Father And The Gun, City's Gonna Burn, Say Goodbye, Last Breath, and the semi-ballad Spared From The Fire amongst others.






Conclusion

Thryce:
I will be very short in my conclusion: this was a great night, period. I really had a great time, and it was an awesome experience to see so many talented Thrash bands playing their stuff at their best, in the last two cases maybe even for the one and only time. I cannot say which band I enjoyed the most, since they were all very good in their own way.
If you took the time to read this concert review through, but you never heard of these bands before, do me, but especially yourself a favour and go discover them. You won't be disappointed, since Destructor and Lääz Rockit are about "Le Crème de la Crème" (as the French would say), when it comes to pure solid old school Thrash Metal.
Also our little Metal Storm Meeting was very companionable, and we certainly need to meet again.
A Night Of Pure fucking Thrash ruled big time. You've missed truly something "true" if you weren't there!

Marcel:
Damn, this was back down memory lane again for me making me feel like the fanboy I once was. Yes, I got the Destructor guys to sign a band picture and getting four of the original Lääz boys to sign some old Aardschokdag pictures from 1987. Great concert by Lääz Rockit as well. But not watched by too many. Only around 160 paying visitors attended this concert. The great warm weather must have been a factor and this being staged in Belgium another factor was probably the Paris - Roubaix cycling race. But the people who stayed at home were proven wrong by all the bands.




Acknowledgements

Thryce:
Thankz and cheerz to the guys from Sanity's Rage (we'll be keeping an eye on you. Hope to see you guys again soon!), Destructor and Lääz Rockit for the nice chats and autographs. We really appreciate it.

Special thanks to Filip and the other chaps of Alcatraz Concerts and the Club Klunen organization for making this concert review possible. See you all at Meetjesland Metalfest IV!

Marcel:
Thanks go out to Filip of Alcatraz Concerts, Mathieu for driving me from Leuven to Eeklo, Brecht for meeting yet another Metal Stormer, and of course Rico for giving me a place to sleep and driving me to Gent train station on Monday.