Halloween Party
(Review @ MetalFront)

When else should all Belarusian extremes and youngs gather as on the notorious American fest Halloween?! On October 31, 2005 in the evening a crowd of diverse non-formal evil spirits started to approach Reactor from all Minsk ends. There were more and more of painted and not very young people, the atmosphere of the fest was grasping the crowd.

To tell you the truth I expected to see a suitably dressed for the event club, but the organizers did not justify my hopes, and the interior inside looked very much like casual. The only decoration of the evening were the guests. The blackers from Minsk Nightside Glance started the gig; they played the role of the warming up band. Nightside Glance made everything possible to support their image of an average black metal band: black leather, without fail the more pins the better and redoubtable paintcorpse.

Aeon Noctis came as the second on the stage. The audience was bucked up. The band did what it usually does and didn't surprise anyone with their performance. Having played a couple of their things, being satisfied, the guys gave way to the mature guys from Articulo Mortis.

What was happening with the mob! A moment ago the extremes were shaking their heads very calmly, and after the guys started the crowd became brutal and headed to the stage pushing their way through the crazy audience. It looked like these were not  Belarusian black-doomers playing, though a Norwegian black legend performing on stage.

After playing several things they made people scream like beasts and the audience could not calm down up to Nasha Vajna. I guess everyone would like to get know what is it – Nasha Vajna – that consists of the musicians from Kamaedzitsa, and what was  the reason for Kamaedzitsa themselves not to take part in the Halloween action. It seemed to me that Vajna was created by the musicians that got sick and tired of long shirts and glorifying of Vjales”. They may have wished to play easy what they like with no peacockery.

After they have finished “the real Belarusian heavy metal” Soulsides climbed the stage. The music looked like a tranquil one, so the extremes did not get mad like before. A part of the guests have even left the hall when this young and perspective band were performing. It's a pity, the guys should have been listened to. Their music is not like that heavy that the brutal-lovers hate so much. Two distortions and a well-regulated bass add that heaviness to the band that the modern heavy lacks so much.

The band З.Ь.М.Я.Я. (Zmjaja) decided to make a surprise for the admirers, and the surprise went as tremendous. Besides from the point that the female vocalist went on stage in a dress not very much in line with the band style (hardcore), this dress should better suit the soloist of the gothic or, at the worst, black metal band, she has also started to sing something from the Chukchi motets together with the bassist.

It was fun to look at this stuff and to listen to it. But at the end of the performance the band have finally played their pet song from the album of the same name “Usjo Dzelja Vas” (Everything's for you).

Mogiljov band Asguard could be treated as a guest of the session and the admirers tried impatiently to see the band as close as possible, and that was no pleasure for the guards of Reactor. They have demonstrated their things from the newly released album called “Dreamslave”. And did demonstrate them in such a way that even those that treated their works badly made very positive comments regarding the gig. The crowd waited for the kings of Belarusian folk-metal and finally they have come! The most tasty thing from Znich was left for the end. The band presented their two new songs to the masses and played several old things (two of them were included into Hard Life Heavy Music compilations).

During the breaks in music various contests with the prizes from the sponsor of the gig “Alko Company” were held. Sure the main contest was the costume one. Five female and five male costumes received the prizes. One more “witch” was given a small package for the longest nails.

On the whole the fest was a good one, and the selection of the bands could satisfy different tastes. Thus there should be an extremely small number of the dissatisfied.

Lexx