In Spring we got the opportunity to experience one of the top underground festivals of Europe, namely Steelfest Open Air in Hyvinkää, Finland (read our report here). When we figured out there was a smaller inside Autumn/Winter edition called SteelChaos, we knew we had to be there. On one specific day near the end of Summer they released the line-up of the 2-day festival, which confirmed to us that this was a not to be missed event. So on November 10th and 11th we geared up to dive into the dark cave of evil and the Devil that Nosturi in Helsinki became…

Day 1

SteelChaos got properly started with the Finnish black metal band Sawhill Sacrifice (***) for who it kind of was a release show since their 3rd full-length Pimeyteen ja kuolemaan was released a good week before. The guys from Hyvinkää blasted us relentlessly with some proper Finnish black metal. The music itself was pretty decent, but nothing remarkably special to be honest. The thing that everyone there probably will remember the best of this gig is when a second vocalist showed up making quite the entrance by tearing apart a bible. Nothing too crazy until he pulled down his pants to give us a good look at a full moon after which he seemed to ram a cross up his ass to consequently drop a bloody mess on it. I presume he had some container with blood, otherwise he probably walked around with a very sore asshole for the rest of the weekend… Quite a nice bit of theater and the tone was immediately set: nothing is sacred at SteelChaos!

Up next the almighty Urn (***), a black/thrash band that has been around since the early nineties. Last summer they’ve released their first full-length in 9 years and were ready to take the room by storm. And what a storm it was… their fast thrashy black metal went on at a blistering speed with a high amount of catchiness. Vocalist/bassist and original member Sulphur took the stage clad in monk robes and donning a pair of sunglasses and seemed to have the time of his life. On regular occasions he was reaching out to the crowd, held out his guitar for the front rows to touch and was clearly bathing in the love of his fans. For me it was maybe a touch too catchy and “clean” in between all the filth of the festival, but entertaining nevertheless.

Originally formed in the United States, the now fully to Germany relocated band Crimson Moon (***1/2) was a bit more my cup of tea. The hooded figures brought a more occult style of black metal with obscure mythologies used as inspiration for their lyrics and a truly evil touch to the overall vibe. Their show itself didn’t rely on theatrics or showmanship, just good old quality music and playing. That clearly rubbed off on the filling up venue since fists and shouts were starting to be commonplace. Still nothing very memorable for me maybe, but definitely going in the right direction here…

For me personally the night really got in full gear when the Dutch outfit Heretic (****1/2) mounted the stage. These guys originally played full-fledged black metal but soon infused their dark music with a healthy dose of rock ‘n’ roll and rockabilly attitude. The truly bluesy black’n’roll was a welcome change from the purely black metal blasting we’ve endured before and Heretic was the first band that felt like they really belonged on that stage. Vocalist/guitarist Thomas Goat riled up the crowd and had complete control over everyone. They were also the band that had the honor to get the first proper moshpit started at SteelChaos. I have to admit that I had a hard time standing still myself and it didn’t took long for everyone (myself included) to shout along to I Bring Chaos and Gods over Humans, Slaves under Satan. Their logo looks like a demonic version of Motörhead‘s Snaggletooth and with the head of one of Misfits‘ members (including the iconic hair drooping down the face) and their music was very much the same… highly recommended!

Heretic definitely was placed at a good spot of the night, because they proved to be the perfect warm-up for the blaze of destruction that was coming next. The black/thrash metal of Deströyer 666 (****) wasn’t planning to leave anything whole and standing. Main man K.K. Warslut immediately set the tone by a very welcoming “You’re still as ugly as ever, you fuckers!” followed by a big grin on his face while he and the band turned up the volume beyond 11 and unleashed a full-on wave of power, heaviness, shredding and utter destruction on all of us. They hate this world and everything it stands for and K.K. doesn’t shy away from cursing on government and any other shit that goes around. The wolves gathered to howl, snarl and ravage and if you weren’t part of the pack, beware for your life…

Like I mentioned earlier, Bölzer had to cancel so we weren’t getting the wall of sound they’re so known for. The organisation was luckily fast enough to get the Finnish black metal legends of Archgoat (***1/2) to fill in as the sub-headliner. Being around since the early days of Finnish black metal, they’re one of those firmaments that hasn’t changed one bit since their start. A relentless and vicious mix of rumbling grindcore and death metal with the darkness and satanic aesthetics of black metal is what you get served here. Not my personal flavor, but undeniably a force to be reckoned with and for the time frame in which they had to get ready, a flawlessly executed snarling performance.

Headliner of the day was the Swedish Nifelheim (*****) and they definitely left a lasting mark. They were the third band of the night bringing a mix of black and thrash metal that works so damn well to get people completely riled up. The old school sound and vibe of the legendary band was near flawless and the brothers Tyrant (bass) and Hellbutcher (vocals) ran around the stage like madmen. Complete with demonic facial expressions and an almost corny show of love and appreciation for their fans made the energy of the whole performance rise beyond heated.

Even when Tyrant‘s bass strap snapped they went on like nothing happened. Clearly they were THE band of the night with between every single song the whole crowd shouting “Nifel-heim! Nifel-heim!” and simply going bonkers. Hands down the show of the night, if not of the whole SteelChaos weekend… With The Final Slaughter still ringing in my ears, I went homewards for some well-deserved rest before the second day of extreme metal onslaught took off…

For our photo coverage of day 1 go here.