Dominion Of Flesh: 10 Years Of Cloister Recordings
Three nights of very varied heavy electronics. The warm-up event on Thursday was in a night club boat. Lust Fist started as a replacement for Detonation Day, both acts unknown to me. It was pretty much "traditional pe": flanged vocals, synth mats, balaclavas etc. It actually sounded nice but the white blouse + commando mask looked a bit silly combination. XAL was Mollusk King, Am Not + third person. Am Not is more interesting project of these two but this was not my thing really. Ochu was amazing. It was even compared to Aube, as there was mainly one sound source: wood. Branches, logs, plywood. I was at the balcony with a clear view to the stage, and it was hypnotic to watch. Also some funny moments, like Love trying to beckon his assistance with a flashlight, to stop rubbing the logs. He was too invested and didn't notice it. Or the cellphone causing surprise disturbances. Interestingly some said that the volume dropped occasionally from the other side of speakers, but I didn't notice it from up there. If the technical difficulties started during Ochu, they were on full force during Survival Unit. As a fanboy, it was of course great to see them on stage, but it was a mess. Unbalanced vocals, glitches, one sample seemed to bleed into incorrect song, the lights even went out on stage at one point and finally everything ended abruptly. Treriksröset was the only proper harsh noise act of the festival. The assemblance of pedals and cables took a while. Many said it was a good gig, but to my ears it sounded like they were trying to get their gear working properly. Or maybe it was just like what was meant to be and I was too tired or something. Anyway, dirty samples were thrown in so I liked the atmosphere and hopefully I'm able to catch them again at some point. I might be spoiled with all the recent events in Finland, but the warm-up club felt like a disappointment. Lust Fist was only one selling merchandise, there were delays and the ship venue was not my favorite either. It was dark as fuck inside and too hot. Ochu's excellent performance saved Thursday though.
Change of club the next day when the main event started. I was mainly interested of Lille Roger on Friday, and it was fucking great! Dirty industrial loops and echoed vocals. Not aggressive, just miserable and oppressive. Looked like the same kind of canvas set up as in Tower Transmissions. Interesting choice that added the claustrophobic feeling. I need to get that CD box now. About the other acts on Friday, apparently Ex.Order was highly appreciated with their sharp electronics. I have not listened them much, but for me it feels like it's somewhere in the middle ground: not atmospheric enough like Inade, but not harsh enough either. There seems to be quite a lot of hype around African Imperial Wizard, but as he was wearing a cone hat costume, we can't say if the guy is really from Angola hah. Music is not industrial at all, but tribal IDM, something I don't listen. I think the venue was an upgrade now, but it got really crammed around the merch tables and bar counter. And why the fuck music has to be blasted at deafening volumes during the breaks...
Saturday was the winner. Although it started with Blitzkrieg Baby. The title didn't raise much interests and it turned out to be goth disco EBM. Wtf. The most bizarre booking of the festival but maybe there was enough mixed audience for it. Control, Inade and Alfarmania & Proiekt Hat were the most anticipated acts for me and they all delivered! Control was strong and charismatic performance and it sounded like you would expect from the albums. There were tracks from excellent This Death. I absolutely loved Inade set, the live sound is heavy and massive but it delivered the same kind of tranquilizing atmosphere I get from albums. Next up Alfarmania & Proiekt Hat was a complete opposite of this: sick and evil noise accompanied with the backing images you can expect from Kristian Olsson! The 2017 Mannheim gig felt exceptionally good at the time, and if my memory serves me right, there was a long and somewhat mournful rhythmic part. This time it was more harsh and crude. Unique and strong stage presence as well. The items at Kristian Olsson's merch table seemed to sell out lightning fast. Anenzephalia did the same set as in Turku and sounded really good. The rock club lights didn't fit for the music, so I think the industrial hall of Turku suited better. Anyway there were enough powerful sets to make a trip to Stockholm worthwhile. Speaking of Stockholm itself, it was a long time since I've been there and had already forgotten how good local museums are. For example seeing Carl Larsson's Midvinterblot at Nationalmuseum.
