What had promised to be a different kind of event with an interesting mix of bands and genres did live up to expectations, but also proved once again that 6 bands is simply too much for a Nova gig. With the usual delays, the concert kicked off around 9:30 pm, a bit later than planned, and ended around 1 am. Attendance was good, with a peak of 150 attendees during the concert which drastically decreased to less than 30 people around the time the last band took the stage. Not much to speak of in terms of organization, which is usually not a hard task in such gigs anyway. Sound was good with minor glitches, but not as shitty as the sound we all have come to expect at Nova. Overall, one of the better metal events Nova has been hosting for the past couple of years.
Bands in order of appearance:
-Gray Anguish (Hardcore) : Not a bad kick-start to the concert, these guys have definitely shown some improvement from their previous (and only) gig last summer. With a bit more practice, this band shows potential for a good future, says my crystal ball. The only turn-off was crowd interaction as people had not yet been in the mood to shake their booties. We’re waiting for those originals!
-Anarchy (Heavy/Progressive Metal) : As expected, Anarchy once again pulled off a solid performance, playing some Iron Maiden favorites and once again expanding their playlist to include some more Dream Theater. It’s never an easy task to pull off the DT covers, but I’d say they did the job. Crowd interaction, however, was still in its shy phases, but there were definitely a bunch of people with dropped jaws and raised eyebrows there.
-Venemy (Deathcore) : The highlight of the night in my (and probably everyone else’s) eyes. Got the whole room jumping da fuck up with some epically brutal deathcore music, crowd interaction was amazing what with everyone banging their heads off and hardcore dancing to the breakdowns, and the band itself was going nuts up there. I think I saw a couple of moshpits break too. We’re waiting for that demo guys.
-The Umbrella Conspiracy (Postcore/Metalcore) : These guys promised a comeback and did not disappoint. This fresh new version of the band proved to be its best to date, delivering some various hardcore music ranging from Postcore to Metalcore and even a couple of Deathcore crowd favorites. Pray for plagues definitely got everyone going crazy. Let’s focus on keeping the band in one piece this time okay? Oh and we want to hear originals next time too.
-The Cocky Pubes (Punk rock) : It was pretty obvious none of these guys were sober as they took the stage. They kicked it off with a set of punk classics which then morphed into hardcore and street punk near the end of the set, crowd interaction was not bad with a bunch of people singing along. Obvious exhaustion showed as the singer’s voice was dying and the music was a mess, but what a fucking stage show that made everyone not even notice the music! (They even had a guest “trianglist” on one of the songs o.O)
-Zarscene (Hard rock/Heavy metal) : By the time they were on, Nova was practically empty, with barely some 30 people still waiting for them. Covered some classical Heavy Metal such as Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, and showed excellent musicianship while doing so. Every member of this band seems like a professional, especially the singer with his breath-taking vocal range. This band deserves better!
