Text by Marcelo Gomes
The 15th edition of the Setembro Negro Festival took place on September 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th at the Carioca Club in São Paulo. The first day featured Voivod, Erasy and more – check out how it went here.
Since the second day was a Friday, a weekday, I ended up missing the performances of the bands Podridão, Parasital Existence, Pantáculo Místico, Mercyless, Torture Squad , and Pugatory. I spoke with some people who had been there since the beginning of the festival, and they said the shows were good but that they were playing to a small audience. Certainly, many people were working when the festival started at 2 PM.
With the venue packed, the Swedish band Defleshed showed they weren't messing around. The audience witnessed in disbelief the trio's musical prowess, delivering a show that felt like a merciless assault on the senses, leaving fans stunned and wanting more.
The Greek band Nightfall arrived in style for their Brazilian debut. Armed with a pedestal featuring a knife at the end and wearing a costume with a cape, hood, and part of his face covered, vocalist Efthimis Karadimas not only sang but also incorporated theatrical elements, lending a dramatic air to the performance.
The Mediterranean representatives based their performance on their latest album, At Night We Prey . From this album, they performed five tracks live, including "She Loved The Twilight" and "Killing Moon," which kicked off the show. The band's performance captivated the audience with songs that provided a true journey into the realm of darkness and melancholy.
The final part of the show featured “Ambassador Of Mass”, “The Sheer Misfit”, and “Ishtar”, songs from other phases of the band's career that had the audience headbanging. For a first impression, Nightfall managed to create a soundscape alongside Efthimis' haunting vocals, culminating in a mesmerizing performance.
Immolation was the most anticipated act of the night; the venue was packed, and the heat made it feel like hell. Taking center stage, Ross Dolan (vocals/bass), Robert Vigna (guitar), Alex Bouks (guitar), and Steve Shalaty (drums) kicked off with two songs from their most recent work, “Acts Of God” (2022), “An Act Of God” and “Age Of No Light.” All the bands up to that point had delivered great shows, but when the death metal legends took the stage with all their brutality, they unleashed pandemonium on earth.
The precision and consistency in such technical music is impressive. Guitarist Robert Vigna makes movements that suggest he's in a fight while playing killer riffs and sinister solos. Without much talking during the performance, the quartet took the opportunity to do what they do best: play death metal like few others. They included songs like "Blooded," "World Agony," and "Noose Of Thorns," which delighted the crowd. It didn't take long for them to receive a standing ovation.
They also played “Destructive Currents,” “Providence,” and finished with “Let The Darkness In.” The feeling was that a steamroller had passed through the Carioca Club, and it was clear that Immolation was there to destroy eardrums and souls.
During that intermission, some of the audience left and undoubtedly missed one of the great shows of the day. For those who enjoy more traditional metal, Picture was a masterclass. The powerful riffs of "Griffons Guard The Gold" kicked off the show, followed by the classic "Message From Hell".
The raw sound and captivating stage presence did not disappoint; it was heavy metal in its essence. Newly arrived Peter Strykes Len Ruygrok , replacing Jan Bechtum . The rhythm section is the classic one with drummer Laurens Bakker and bassist Rinus Vreugdenhil .
With a band like that and a setlist full of classics, it's impossible for it to go wrong. Songs like "Line Of Life," "Diamond Dreamer," and "Eternal Dark" were all there, taking fans on a journey through time. The band was so comfortable that in the middle of "Bombers," bassist Rinus came down from the stage and played the slower part of the song in the middle of the crowd.
The guys were overflowing with enthusiasm for Brazil; Laurens (drums) was wearing shorts and a Brazilian t-shirt, not to mention that on their last visit here, they recorded a DVD in São Paulo. To finish, they played “Heavy Metal Years”, “Lady Lightning” (which they did an extended version with a guitar duet), “The Hangman”, and said goodbye with “Unemployed”.
