Aggresive Agricultor had a rabid fanbase at the show to support them. I loved their combination of heavy grindcore and hilarious lyrics. The fact that the singer was wearing a swimming suit and suspenders while singing about his broken tractor only made it better. The band had a nice stage presence and I really liked the interplay between the lead singer and the backup vocalist (and bassist). Overall, I'd love to see these guys again, their music is fun and heavy and they know how to get metalheads geared up for some truly maniacal moshing.
Mercyless saw the real start of the mosh pits. With a classic death metal sound in the vein of Morbid Angel or even Cannibal Corpse it was easy to understand why the crowd started to get brutal. The dark energy present in the singers growls was really fantastic. It set up a very powerful atmosphere that was kept up through the night. Their fast riffing and explosive sound is not one I will soon forget. Also, they ended their set on the Death classic Evil Dead. Not only did this get a huge mosh pit going but it furthered the classic death metal ambiance of the evening.
No Return added on to the death metal magic of the night. With a few classic heavy metal elements and lots of big flashy solos it was nice to have such a fun band after the raw brutality of Mercyless. I loved the vocalists apparent bloodthirstiness, his headbanging betrayed a furious passion for the music. The pit stayed at a nice level here and some people started stage diving. The band had a very solid stage presence and their songs were very tight and fast. I started to get the feeling that the next two bands would have some relentless aggression and bloodlust.
Agressor had all of the ferocity that they must have held back in their days of majesty. Asides from a few technical issues related to stage divers their site was high powered and violent. They had a bit more of a doomy Asphyx vibe at times and a lot of the older guys their seemed to adore them. I really liked this bands stage presence, their bassist was whirlwind headbanging in time and an electric fan made the vocalists hair fly about in crazy ways. It added to the overall madness in the air. It made me realize that the final act, Loudblast, would see some truly insane moshing.
And boy was I right! Not only did Loudblast have the biggest pit going, they also had the most guests and played a handful of absolutely stellar covers. They started their set with original material, mostly classics with a few newer songs mixed in. Then, with 3 guests (2 singers and another guitarist) they started to play covers of classic songs. At this the pit went crazy with everyone singing and moshing. The notable ones were Motorheads Orgasmatron, Slayers Mandatory Suicide and Ozzys Bark at the Moon. It was a wonderful way to end the night!
To finish, the first night of Paris Metal France was extremely promising and I am very much looking forward to the next two days. As for now I need to go to sleep to re-charge my batteries and get ready for 10 full hours of classic NWOBHM style metal from some of the best french bands. I'm also prepared to receive a heavy dose of power metal from the likes of Headline. Tonight saw the gods of French death metal and some of the pioneers of the European scene walking the earth and showing that they are no where near done. What will tomorrows shows hold?
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