Fete Dela Musique 2009 Rock/Metal Bands

I spent my whole time in the rock/metal stage when I attended the Fete Dela Musique last Saturday so I would like to share my impressions.

Since I was not able to witness the beginning and the end of the show, I did not saw all the bands but anyways, here some of my comments regarding the bands whose performance I can still recall:

SIN (4.5 of 5 stars)

Sin was one the major reasons I went to the Fete. I’ve been digging their most famous song Amorphosis for quite some time now and it was my first time to see them live. They certainly kicked ass and I was not disappointed but of course, I still saw a little point for improvement.

The sound of the lead guitar when soloing was very warm which I think lacks some edge or sharpness or bite. When combined with their angry guitar riffs, I can’t help but visualize something like an angry man roaring while the other is responding with a mild-mannered speech.

COG (3 of 5 stars)

COG was heavy and they rumble…and they have a saxophone.

Okay so now that is a unique head-turning feature but somehow it obstructs the band from attaining ultimate “heaviness”. The sound of the saxophone is so clean I can compare it a clean-tone guitar trying to mix in a heavy metal riff. I would suggest giving it a distorted effect so that it can mix well with the guitars and not stand out like a sore thumb.

OREMUZ (3 of 5 stars)

It was my first time to hear the gothic metal band Oremuz and I was quite impressed with their over-all musically so I tuned in up to their last song, which is a gothic metal cover of Losing My Religion by R.E.M.

They have two female vocalists (one for singing clean gothic voice, one for growling), two guitarists, a bassist, a keyboardist, and a drummer. With this big line-up, you would think they have a full sound; but sadly, no. The guitars were drowned by the keyboard, the bass is barely heard, and the growls are sometimes ill-timed and lacks sustain. Little improvements in these areas can make a big difference.

INTOLERANT (4.5 of 5 stars)

When I first heard of Intolerant, I felt that I can relate more to their sound than to any other modern heavy metal bands. Later on, I realized that it was due to their thrash metal foundation.

They are one of the main bands I came to watch and I can say they made a great performance. My only comment is that the bassist can’t be heard, even when he had a little tapping solo. The lead guitarist also has great chops so longer guitar solos should be considered.

STILTH (1 of 5 stars)

Stilth is still a very young band which I think are not yet fit to perform at the Fete. Plus, they (or at least their vocalist) have a bad case of unoriginality.

Which band gets imitated? I won’t be saying names but here’s a clue: a 2008 Muziklaban finalist which were really close to winning the competition. ;)

FINAL VOW (3 of 5 stars)

I was not able to watch the whole Final Vow set but their vocalist just had me remember a favorite singer of mine: the vocalist of a wolf band that turned to villains. ;)

BADBURN (4 of 5 stars)

Badburn’s main style of riffs is what I and my bandmates call “breakdown-an” riffs which are characterized by heavy pounding on the guitar strings followed by a quick mute. It’s a common riff style but Badburn made their signature by approaching this style in a unique way.

Another good thing I would like to point out is that their vocalist can still give a great showmanship, considering his age and size.

An improvement that I can suggest is actually one I heard from kid in the crowd: “Mag-Tagalog ka naman! (Speak in Tagalog!)” I cannot help but agree. Badburn’s vocalist communicates with the crowd but remember, this event is for free so expect that the most of the crowd are not used in communicating in English.

HILERA (2 of 5 stars)

Hilera’s sound is just something I can’t quite get. Yeah, they that rock attitude in their sound, but still I think they are musically…lazy.

THE AMBASSADORS (3 of 5 stars)

The Ambassadors tries to do a lot of things in a single song, even trying to have it contain multiple genres. They sound “cool”, maybe “cooler” in record, but in a live setting like that, it was irritating.

Imagine starting from a punk sound followed by a metal breakdown then later on, reggae. Okay they have those metal riffs, but I think they still do not cut it to be called a metal band. I believe their sound will be much more appreciated if performed in the alternative rock stage.

APRIL MORNING SKIES (3.5 of 5 stars)

April Morning Skies (ASM) is a band that I had big expectations because I have not yet heard their music but I already heard a lot about how good they are. And they did not let me down.

ASM is heavy and energetic like other metal bands but they were able to add their own uniqueness that makes them stand out. I really like their uniformly colored guitars and how the samples were injected in their songs with taste.

What they need to improve on is their songs length. Yeah they are energetic and you can get carried away with it, but if you keep hearing a similar sound for a long time, it tends to get boring.

VALLEY OF CHROME (4 of 5 stars)

I read from an article in PULP Magazine that some bands consider VOC as “sellout”, but I think they are just insecure with Valley of Chrome’s (VOC) popularity.

How popular? Well, VOC is undeniably the crowd’s favorite; when they started setting up, the people just went closer to the stage and just went away after their set. When VOC performed, the audience went wild.

What can they improve on? Their looks. They look very young giving the impression of immaturity.

o0o

What do you think of them? Leave a comment or send it to riccaliolio@gmail.com.

More information:
http://www.rakista.com/viewtopic.php?f=981&t=36105
http://www.myspace.com/sincavite
http://www.myspace.com/cog
http://www.myspace.com/oremuz
http://www.myspace.com/intolerantmetal
http://www.myspace.com/stilth
http://www.myspace.com/finalvow
http://www.myspace.com/badburnmusic
http://www.myspace.com/hilera
http://www.myspace.com/theambassadors
http://www.myspace.com/aprilmorningskies
http://www.myspace.com/valleyofchrome