Steelfest 2018 gathered yet again an impressive line-up with quite a few exclusive performances. This year it seems like there’s an even bigger focus on black metal than last time, which we definitely don’t regret looking at what we’re getting. So about halfway May, we geared up for what was going to be 2 days of black mass, heretics and pagan rituals…

First band of the festival was Finnish pagan metal outfit Havukruunu (***), returning from their show at SteelChaos last winter. They impressed me back then and again they played their Moonsorrow-esque music with great skill and passion. Even though they don’t necessarily dress up, they manage to bring across that pagan vibe just perfectly. And since this year’s edition seems to have quite an amount of pagan inspired bands on the line-up, they were the perfect band to kick off the weekend. What did get my attention, is that there were quite some people that already showed up this early, especially compared to last year.

The first band mounting the outdoor stage was Cohol (****). After the Chinese band Zuriaake last year, the organisation thought it to be a good idea to get another Asian black metal band booked. This time the guys came from Japan and were clearly excited to play for the first time ever in Finland. Much liked by many people I know who are into black metal, they put down an energetic show with their quality music, clearly trying to show that they are worthy of being on the Steelfest stage. Or any stage for that matter… their style, clothes and overall attitude felt different than most other black metal bands, which is something that makes me like them even more. I hope to see them and more Asian bands to make the long trip all the way to our European shores for sure!

When the American black metal band One Master (***1/2) started playing, at first I wasn’t sure if the gig now actually started or if they were still sound checking. Not that it was bad, but all the band members seemed so still that you could think that they weren’t interested. But that almost immovable way of being on stage matched perfectly with the repetitive & churning black metal and its wall of sound created by guitar riffage that slowly and steadily marched our way to envelop us in occult and darkness.

French Baise Ma Hache (***1/2) brought a whole lot of people to the outdoor stage. Much like their country mates of Peste Noire, they bring a whole different vibe and touch to black metal than you’d normally expect. With their angry more hardcore-styled vocals and aggressive vibe, the self-proclaimed tag of “black metal hooligans” seems to fit them like a glove. Latest addition to the band RMS Hreidmarr as second vocalist also brought quite the energy to the stage and many fists were raised in the crowd!

Finnish Archgoat (***1/2) is somewhat of a monument in the Finnish scene. Personally I’m not the biggest of their particular style of black metal infused with grindcore elements or in other words “war black metal”. I do have to say that every show they play is crushing and simply a showcase of how to destroy a stage. And admittedly so, their performance and especially their sound was way better than when I got to see them at SteelChaos in Helsinki last Winter.

During my research in preparation of my weekend at Steelfest, Malokarpatan (***) from Bratislava came across as an eccentric and weird black metal band infused with Slavic folk. I was very interested in hearing how their own take on black metal would come across live. And weirdly enough, to me it didn’t came across like on their albums. There was barely sign of the folk instrumentation and their music sounded basically sort of like a black metal version of Motörhead. A hard rock kind of black metal sound about which I’m definitely not complaining, it was just unexpected. That these guys really enjoy a drink (or more) and were having a lot of fun on stage, was clear and translated itself in a not too special but amusing performance with a lot of toasts.

At the indoor stage, a huge crowd gathered, eagerly awaiting the next band. Satanic Warmaster (***1/2) is a legendary and hugely popular one-man project that came into the scene like a whirlwind. That this show was being looked forward to by many was clear when a thousand mouths shouted their approval during the lengthy and bombastic intro after which musical brain Werwolf mounted the stage. Dressed up with enormous spikes and a cape, he and his live musicians brought a somewhat stereotypical black metal show, but definitely one for the books. They basically ripped the place apart with their fast and ferocious music and left the fans breathless by the end of their show.

If you weren’t blown away enough yet, returning champions Deströyer 666 (****) set up shop on the outdoor stage. The black thrashers are known for a nuclear assault of a show every time they play in good form and K.K. Warslut & his compadres definitely delivered again at Steelfest. They took and used every piece and corner of the stage, riled up the crowd with their expressive moves and simply destroyed. Middle fingers, fists, hair and shredding guitars flew all around and the wolf horde simply conquered yet again!

That Ukranian Nokturnal Mortum (****1/2) was yet another band that many festival visitor was looking forward to, was very clear if you looked at the huge crowd these guys managed to gather at the indoor stage. The whole band looked like they just came out of the deep, wild and desolate nature of the steppe of their home country or like they’re some creatures of the marches and swamps of Ukraine’s border. Dressed in fur, dried plants & grass, bones and skulls just the way they looked already set the tone for an hour of Slavic pagan folk/black metal to take us on a trip with them to those forests, swamps and wild nature where they come from. Combined with great use of the video screen backdrop they put down one of the shows of the weekend for me personally!

Last band on the outdoor stage, was a whole other beast… Swedish black metal outfit Watain (****1/2) is one of those bands that carries rumors and stories with them wherever they go. Their shows are always an impressive showcase of how to put down an evil, dark and dangerous feeling performance in worship of almighty Satan. This time we managed to avoid getting splattered by blood, but we got a whole bunch of metal crosses and their classic tridents on fire behind them. While they only just released a new album, the main focus seemed to be on their older work. Which was welcomed with ferocious energy and approval from the many fans gathered up in the darkening outside. Simply a great show by a solid band!

That the organisation of Steelfest dares to think more outside the box than plain black metal, is one of the things that I truly admire. Closing performer of the Friday was one that falls under this category. Norwegian artist Mortiis (****) has his roots in the black metal scene, but has walked the path of ambient, synth rock and industrial rock in the mean time. For Steelfest he came to bring an exclusive show during which he brought his second full-length Ånden Som Gjorde Opprør, part of the “Era I” dark ambient period or in his own words “dark dungeon music”. The performance itself was nothing special with Mortiis masked and all just standing behind a sort of DJ booth for the full 40 minutes. The music was entrancing, mesmerizing and an almost ritualistic experience that clearly divided the opinions of the festival visitors, ranging from going along for the ride and being completely on another world to not digging it and leaving early. Personally I would have preferred to see some of his synth rock and industrial rock work, but whatever anyone’s opinion was, one thing is sure: this was a very unique and special performance that you don’t get the chance to see very often!

For more pictures of the event go here and to read about day 2, go to the next page…