It’s already Wednesday and I still haven’t been to a show. That explains the itch and the cold sweats. Withdrawal symptoms are a regular thing whenever I go more than two days without a concert. But whaddayaknow? I have one tonight. A grindcore gig no less. The bill’s sporting two of my all time favorite bands: Implore and Rotten Sound. This is a date I have been waiting for with bated breath. And it was well worth the wait.

Haïxkick (***1/2)

We kick (lol) off the night with local crusty grinders Haïxkick. I’d seen these guys before when they opened for Cannabis Corpse in March last year, coincidentally also at this venue. It wasn’t much to write home about though. The sloppiness of the – back then – duo’s set was even kinda funny. This time was different. They now have a second vocalist who somewhat relieves the drummer’s from the raspy bellowing duty. He still does take on a large part in the vocal duties, but it clearly shows that he can now focus more on his drum skills, I noticed his licks were much tighter and a lot more varied. Guitarist Robin still shreds as hard and fast as before, but sounds less messy than last time. It’s funny what you can accomplish in a year. Should the trio improve their stage presence a little, the set would be even better. The sound they bring us is like a series of consecutive explosions as crusty blasting bits are alternated with simplistic sounding breakdowns. Song length is short but that’s good. I fear the show may otherwise quickly become dull. Fortunately it is explosive enough to keep us interested until the end. If one morning you should run out of espresso, just listen to a few spins of Haïxkick. It’ll have the same effect.

FFO: Doom, Silence Means Death, Raw Peace

Setlist:
Intro
Darkside
Beat Down
?
Hasta La Vista
Bas Morning
Fucking Go
Blood Sport
?
Haïxkick
Piss?

Implore (****1/2)

Implore are one of my favorite things to come out of Germany (among others), after the castles and the motorways. I wasn’t gonna say sausages or beer, come on. This is the third time I see them perform, and they just keep getting better and better. The drummer is still a machine, the shredders are still grinding their fingers into parmesan flakes and vocals are still as pissed off as ever. The deathgrind quartet is heavy as hell. A menacing stage presence and its combination with a louder than life sound and message make for an unforgettable experience. These guys don’t get tired as they flawlessly execute song after song, one more energetic than the other. I’m already looking forward to their gig at Obscene Extreme. Who’s joining me?

Rotten Sound (*****)

Finland’s Rotten Sound are one of the things that are best in grindcore. Amid the usual chaos that is rather synonymous to the genre, they have managed to created an instantly recognizable sound, just as much on their recordings as during live sets. Their lure you into a false sense of security with slower, kinda sludgy bits, right before pummeling it right into your face. As always, solid stage presence from each band member: headbanging, pumping up the audience, guitar acrobatics, etc. It sure seems as though they were having just as good a time as we were. A couple of mosh pits erupted on our side. Just a small token of our appreciation for the Fins’ incredibly violent)-sounding set.

FFO: Napalm Death, Teethgrinder, Wormrot

Well, well. Coming out on a Wednesday night is well worth it when you have such good bands playing. More so even when the line up consists of two of your personal favorites. Believe when I tell you there’s no better way to cut the week in half. I hope I get my next fix real soon!