Obscene Extreme 2010

Obscene Extreme Festival 2010

July 14 – 17, 2022 @ Trutnov, Czech Republic

Another edition of Obscene Extreme turned out to be very positive. The return to the old venue proved to be a great solution, and the festival once again destroyed with its disarmingly atmosphere. I’m a bit late in writing about this bombastic event, but maybe this way it won’t be overly long and will only include the most important points of this year’s Obscene Extreme. I have to say that I was really excited about going to Trutnov, because not only is the atmosphere at OEF hard to compare to any other festival, but this time I was going with a specific group by bus. There was a fear that with these guys from Chełm/Lublin/Puławy I would die laughing at one of their obsessive attacks hehe. The journey to the Czech Republic passed in a delightful atmosphere of consuming this and that, and annoyingly frequent stops, caused by the troublemaker Malarz. Some of them were quite interesting – in Lubawka, where we stopped around 6-7 in the morning between a barn and a shop or at one of the gas stations – there, on a large parking lot, we started playing gałę with full commitment. Exhausted, we reached our destination and headed to the friendly pub „Na cypelku” or something like that, where I personally recovered with black Kozel beer and fried cheese after the hardships of the journey. Luckily, I managed to get in some kind of shape and in a good mood we went to see the first bands of the festival. Purulent Jaccuzzi didn’t really stick in my memory, but the next Cerebral Bore really got me in a positive mood with their brutal death/grind with two vocals (one of them done by a girl). A really solid set, in my opinion this band would be better suited for a later hour, as they only played for 20 minutes and then it was time to shave. After Cerebral Bore, we went to a gas station, which (along with the previously mentioned pub) became one of our favorite spots. We only returned for Inevitable End. This band really disgusted me with their very weird, messy death/grind. Not only was the sound really bad, but the music itself didn’t really hold together. It was supposed to be experimental, with some jazzy elements, but it all seemed without concept and flair – it didn’t grab me at all. Later, we stumbled upon the Czech band Ingrowing. I saw them for the first time and my impressions from this performance are definitely positive. Their cool, bouncy, fast grind easily caught on, and Globus and Kevin from our merry crew were already jumping off the stage, under which quite a crowd of hungry fans of brutal sounds had gathered. The guitarists skillfully swung their guitars, and the bassist balanced his playing well with the vocals (low growls mixed with screams). You could say that this performance at OEF 2010 was really the beginning of the festival for us musically. The Arson Project are known as one of the heirs of Nasum and with their performance at Obscene, they definitely confirmed this. Their fast, Swedish grindcore really crushed bones and I can’t wait for the shows they have coming up in Poland soon. I already saw General Surgery for the third time and once again I was happy with what I heard and saw. The Swedes put on a great show – of course, related to their „medical” image. All the musicians traditionally jumped in white lab coats, while the vocalist poured a bucket of fake blood on the crazies in the crowd who were going crazy both on and off the stage. If someone loves the atmosphere of old Carcass, they were definitely in seventh heaven. For me, it was one of the best performances of this year’s edition. Next up were Cattle Decapitation. They played pretty decent death metal, it was listenable, but nothing too sensational. I went to the front for Martyrdod and it was a great show – dirty, aggressive crustcore to the max – the Swedes swept everything away with their music. Despite my exhaustion, I had to squat down and rest for a moment. Hell Show was more my thing and the presentation of extreme piercings, as usual ending the first day of Obscene, broke all taboos. The most schizophrenic moment for me was when two suspended guys were lifted up on chains, while Queen’s „We Are The Champions” played from the speakers. Madness hehe. Great theater, sometimes really exciting. And so ended the first day of the festival, we went back to the tents, or the bus, so we could wake up fresh and ready to go the next morning :).

In the morning, of course, the first thing was a mandatory shower somewhere in town. Great thing, especially in the heat that prevailed those days. Then a walk to a cafe where we spent all afternoon drinking Kozels, admiring the shapes of a lovely Czech waitress. I wasn’t really interested in the bands playing at the beginning (except Archagathus and Exhale), so we arrived at the festival relatively late, around 5 pm, and nothing really interesting was playing at that time, because bands like Funerus are not really my thing. I wanted to see how the guy from Insidious Decrepancy performed live, but unfortunately I could skip this show. Mainly because of the sound, or rather its lack. Too bad, because the technical death/grind he plays on recordings is really promising. Rompeprop turned out to be the first highlight of the day. The great, cheerful and bouncy gore grind got the crowd going, and the intro ripped off from some Bavarian folk tunes was a hit. The masterful crowd, dressed up as bananas, spidermen, pigs, in lab coats, etc. went crazy in front of the stage and on it. The applause for Rompeprop was huge, and the band members showed themselves in their outfits between songs in the best light. The bassist in a skeleton costume caught my attention, as well as the original customization of his bass. Overall, the performance was a grotesque goregrind feast, where laughing people danced carelessly to the rhythm of slashing, heavily downtuned guitars and gurgling from pitch-shifters, a priceless sight haha. Next up was the Swedish band Deranged, who despite being „legendary,” didn’t really impress me with anything special. The same went for Master, who I could listen to for 2-3 songs, but no more. In short – I didn’t come for this kind of music. But it was cool to see the legendary beard of Speckmann hehe. Cripple Bastards delivered a really solid concert and although I don’t really listen to them on albums, I enjoyed watching them live once again. The show was full of energy and aggression, even the guys from the sound booth got caught up in the grindcore mixed with hardcore/punk feeling. Next, Doom was one of the main stars of the festival, and in front of the stage there was a crowd of guys in leather jackets full of old-school patches and studs. The crust legend from the British Isles swept perfectly and it was not only the best concert of the day, but also in the top of the festival lineup. There was atmosphere, there was maximum heaviness, and total mayhem in front of the stage (from time to time they carried out some unconscious unlucky guys from the mosh pit). It was clear that a large number of people had come to the festival mainly for them. The sound was quite good, fully sufficient for this type of music. Then a small change – instead of Haemorrhage, Malignant Tumour took the stage first. It turned out to be a nail in the coffin for our friend Kevin, who came to OEF mainly for Haemo. This friendly guy held his own during the Czechs’ performance, but during the break he laid down on the benches and there was no way to wake him up during Haemorrhage’s set. The Malignants as always won the audience over with a good sense of humor, great costumes, but above all with their great rock’n’roll. The relaxed guys in wigs, glasses, and old-school metal outfits played with such gusto and determination that everyone was happy. The guys from the Iberian Peninsula, Haemorrhage, played a good concert, but there was something missing. I liked their show more last year in Wrocław at „Madness”. But of course, it wasn’t bad, with the flashy gore grind and the crazy Fernando Errazquin, better known as „Lugubrious”, on vocals. The musicians were, of course, in white lab coats, while the aforementioned master of ceremonies was drenched in fake blood. They played hits like „Furtive Dissection,” „Nekromantik,” „Posthumous Predation,” „Necrotic Garbage,” and of course probably their biggest hit – „Mortuary Riot.” I jumped around the stage, getting my white t-shirt dirty with dust, fake blood, and sweat (but I somehow cleaned it hehe). And that was it for the bands on Friday. I kind of regret not sticking around for Social Chaos and Passiv Dodshjalp (apparently the latter really killed it).

The last day of the festival and of course another repeat of the morning routine (shower and breakfast at the cafe dragged on until the afternoon, because we were on the festival grounds around 4 pm, and the first band I saw was Wasteform. I was very pleasantly surprised by this band, powerful death/grind with a vocalist of considerable size. Good sound and full brutality emanating from those sounds. Next up was the Spanish band Nashgul, who showed really great, energetic grindcore. You could expect this, the guys rule on their albums too. The only thing missing for the full „Spanish” happy ending was Looking For An Answer, who ultimately didn’t make it, just like Instinct Of Survival who were scheduled after Nashgul. Such a shame. I think I missed Japanishe Kamphorspiele, I believe I was circulating among the merch stands. In the meantime, it started raining pretty heavily and the pathways at the amphitheatre turned into red mud. Needful Things is apparently one of the best Czech grind bands live – I saw them for the first time, but I can confirm those words. Great fast slaughterhouse, obsessive screaming vocals, and straightforward fast tracks, no beating around the bush. Unfortunately, I didn’t see Bloody Phoenix and I really regret it. We returned from the campsite just in time for Avulsed, which didn’t really move me much. Although the old-school metalheads were really excited about this performance. A bit of a bash, with no fireworks. It was nice at times, but mostly felt pretty dull. Immediately after their performance, one of my priorities came on stage – the Swedish band Victims. I was incredibly excited about their d-beat hardcore/punk and this performance was definitely the highlight of this year’s Obscene. Fantastic, fresh and catchy melodies combined with the typical Scandinavian drive really captivated the audience and myself. Hits like „We Are Fucked,” „Lies, Lies, Lies,” „Victims In Blood,” „Breaking Out,” or my favorite „Killing” really got people moving. You could say that this year Victims played the same role at the festival as Disfear or Wolfbrigade did the year before. I hope to see more bands like them. During the concert of the Swedes, it started drizzling from the sky, and during the following Misery Index set, the rain intensified to a maximum, and behind the stage you could see lightning. I have to say I liked this atmosphere combined with the genius, for me unquestionably the best performance of the festival, and also the best Misery Index I have ever seen. The finely-tuned sound (one guitar!), the perfectly executed incredibly technical songs, the killer Travis on drums… I love the way these guys combine brutal death metal with grind/hardcore elements – it was my little musical orgasm hehe. Of course, the setlist was quite eclectic – including „Conquistadores,” „Traitors,” „Manufacturing Greed,” „We Never Come in Peace,” „Theocracy,” „Occupation,” and of course the new album tracks like „The Carrion Call” and „Embracing Extinction” leading the way. It was simply annihilation. The legendary D.R.I. unfortunately performed with a very stripped-down lineup, with hastily recruited substitutes. The inevitable result was a rather short set. I wouldn’t call this performance brilliant, but despite the heavy downpour, people were having a blast dancing to songs like „Violent Pacification” or „Commuter Game.” It was cool to see a thrash legend, but a shame it was in such conditions. Unfortunately, mainly due to the shitty weather, we skipped the rest of the Saturday lineup, especially Catheter, which I wouldn’t have minded seeing. Departing from Trutnov, or rather from the station where we bid farewell to our friends, took some time – a little „Heil” (haha), a little joke at the end, very homely in general. The trip back really killed us.

In conclusion, Obscene reigns – an over-the-top festival, an amazing company, Trutnov is a very beautiful town, I really hope they don’t change the festival venue – the Trutnov amphitheatre rocks 100%. The only thing that annoyed me was the food prices, which were neither plentiful nor overly good – it was better to eat a decent meal in town for the same amount and drink cheaper and better beer (Gambrinus is crap at 10). But despite everything, these are just details. See you next year!