By Andrew Bansal
October 14th 2015, White Oak Music & Arts, Van Nuys CA: Swiss death metal duo Bölzer have only been in existence for the past seven years but have already gained a solid reputation in the metal underground through their 2012 ‘Roman Acupuncture’ demo and EP releases ‘Aura’ (2013) and ‘Soma’ (2014). To tie in with their appearance at this year’s California Deathfest in Oakland, Bölzer announced a US West Coast tour, and visited the Los Angeles area for a gig at White Oak Music & Arts in Van Nuys on Wednesday October 14 2015. Presented by Church Of The 8th Day, The Elegy Ensemble, Thee Static Age and Maryland Deathfest, this event was booked seven months in advance, and suffered through two venue changes, moving from its original location at Los Globos to the Black Castle, and finally ending up at White Oak. Since the demise of the famous and historic Country Club in Resada which used to play host to high-profile metal events on a regular basis, Los Angeles metalheads have had no reason to venture out to the San Fernando Valley in recent years, but Bölzer enjoys a dedicated fan-base in LA, and all of them turned up for a show they had been eagerly anticipating for several months.
Doors opened at 7, and at 7:30, the best band from outer space Morbid Eclipse took the stage as part of one of their rare excursions on planet earth. As expected, they were visually the most spectacular band in this lineup and sonically on par at the very least with all other bands, and if this show wasn’t booked so far in advance, at a time when Morbid Eclipse was a little known extra-terrestrial entity, they would have been higher on this bill, as they certainly proved that they deserved to be. It also warrants mentioning that despite carrying what was by far the most elaborate and complex stage setup out of all bands at this show, Morbid Eclipse were the fastest in getting on and off stage, and they need to start imparting the secrets behind their supreme levels of energy, speed and professionalism to some of the less gifted earthlings. It was a travesty that they played so early, as most attendees missed their set, either getting out of work too late to be able to make it by 7:30, or simply not caring to take interest in an opening act they were unfamiliar with. But those that were here early enough to watch this band did not regret doing so. Complete with uniforms, lasers, strobes, cult inductions, brainwashing rituals, scientists and creatures from outer space, to go with the excellence and precision of the group’s brand of extreme metal delivered through immaculate gear, a Morbid Eclipse live ritual invariably converts 100 per cent of the first-timers in attendance into lifelong fans, as was the case here.
Set List:
01. Storm Grinder
02. Black Abyss
03. Poison Winds
04. Relics
05. Atomic Cult
06. MTMACD
07. Green Jewel
For reasons beyond comprehension, death/black/extreme metal musicians (except Morbid Eclipse), specially those in bands based in and around Los Angeles, tend to take an unnecessary long time to set up on stage, and out-and-out extreme metal shows like this end up becoming a drag as a result. Some of these legends even prepare pieces of their drum kit on the stage and make no effort in having their kit ready in advance. After what seemed like an eternity, although it was a mere 37 minutes of setup time, LA black metal trio Highland were the next band on stage, playing a set that was 12 minutes shorter in duration than their setup. But musically they were right up the alley for the Bölzer crowd, and brought out many of their own fans to the show too, as evident from the response they received after every song.
Next up, thankfully not taking as long to set up, Icon Of Phobos hit the stage for a typically bleak, ritualistic and captivating exhibition of extreme music. The lighting on stage was kept dark and limited to red, and further enhanced the vibe created by the band. Formed in 2010, Icon Of Phobos have delivered great performances every time they’ve played, and this was no different, proving that if any LA band deserved to open for Bölzer, it was Icon Of Phobos.
Touring support for Bölzer on this run, Ritual Necromancy from Portland, Oregon, were the penultimate act of the evening, presenting a righteous slab of death metal with elements of doom which stood out not only in their music but also amongst that of the other bands on this lineup.
And finally at around 11:15, Bölzer took the stage amidst massive roars from the audience and played a brutal 45-minute set. Through their studio releases, Bölzer have exhibited a degree of sonic enormity that defies the fact that they’re a mere two-piece, but what’s really commendable is them clearly being able to replicate the exact sound on stage. It is easy to add layers to studio material but it is unimpressive to witness the same music played on stage with either a weaker sound or with the aid of backing tracks. Bölzer did no such thing, and met all expectations here with a monstrous performance. Guitarist/vocalist KzR was very disturbed by the strange usage of brightly colored flickering lighting patterns during the set, and let his frustrations be known. After repeated requests from him, the flickering lights were finally killed half-way through the set, and the second half was far more expressive as a result, with KzR in his element. Respecting the curfew, Bölzer ended their set before the clock struck midnight, and despite loud demands, could not oblige fans with an encore. All the hype surrounding this appearance by Bölzer seemed to be justified, as they played a great set of unabated no-frills extreme metal.
Talking of White Oak Music & Arts as a venue, it turned out to be an appropriate setting for this show, with an aptly sized stage, decent lighting rig, and most importantly, good-quality sound. There was no alcohol being sold, but by the looks of it, everyone respected the neighborhood and did not drink outdoors. One did not know what to expect from the dreaded trip to the San Fernando Valley, but it was far better than expected, and most attendees probably wouldn’t complain if more upcoming shows were to be booked here by these promoters. All in all, a worthwhile death metal adventure in the SFV.
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