PartySan Open Air Report Friday 09.08.2024

The morning sun gently wakes me up, casting a warm glow over everything. Outside, a lot of people already doing activities for the second day of PartySan. I decided to keep things simple for now—just a quick breakfast to fuel up and get some energy before the party starts.

On Friday, early in the midday, Goregrind, a Brutal Death Metal opener band, took the stage—it’s a PartySan tradition. Then came Stillbirth, a Brutal Death Metal/Grindcore band from Germany. Five Beach Boys in neon Hawaiian shirts seemed ready to kick off the morning party. The venue was packed with an energetic crowd, many dressed in colorful and eccentric costumes, all set for the festivities. The midday sun, while rarely shining on quirky toilet brushes or overly embarrassing outfits, still brought a lot of heat, which matched perfectly with the energy on stage. The band from Hagen stormed across the stage in their swim trunks, surrounded by surfboards, showing no signs of slowing down. Their infectious energy spread quickly to the tech death fans, sparking wild running and plenty of knee-bouncing. It was the perfect start to the day.

Continued with The Melodic Death Metal from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Obscurity. They offer melodic Viking stuff somewhere between death and black metal. And with German lyrics. There are now more fewer people in front of the stage than before. Great sound great live performance for early midday.

Enthroned, Enthroned, the Belgian black metal band, delivered a retrospective. The sun continues to darken over Schlotheim, and even though the corpse paint isn’t fully visible in the early afternoon, the Belgians bring an icy cold with them. Their stage presence is captivating, and singer Nornagest in particular guides those present “gracefully” through a predominantly modern set, while not shying away from delving into the early days of the band with a song like “Rites of the Northern Fullmoon,” a track from a time when none of the current musicians were yet in the group. All in all, it was a very intense concert that impressively brought the brutal yet quite playful music of the band into the present.

Afsky brought a certain depth to the set with their melancholic, atmospheric black metal, causing goosebumps moments, while the dark clouds over the grounds continued to gather. After that, things turned more classical: Sacramentum  unleashed their clashing melodies that echoed the second wave of black metal. Bewitched (SE) then hit with a wild mix of thrash, black, and heavy metal, delivering a show full of attitude and pure energy.

Sacramentum! Another semi-legendary name from the incredible Swedish mid-’90s Black/Death Metal scene that gave us so many fantastic bands! These veterans have released at least two classic albums, Far Away from the Sun and The Coming of Chaos, both of which were featured in their set. The sound was spot on, though the over-the-top stage antics of frontman Nisse raised a few eyebrows.

Bewitched, Black’n’Roll from Sweden. There is no other corpse paint, however. Musically, it sounds about as I had imagined. Well-made old-school thrash with a certain Venom influence would fit perfectly on a tour with Desaster. The band also seems pretty likable. Frontman Vargher is happy to finally be able to play at PartySan Open Air again after 17 years. The road to this was rocky, however, as all of their luggage, including instruments, was lost by the airline andtoday’s gig is being played with equipment borrowed from fellow countrymen Sacramentum. At least the black thrashers in attendance appreciate the persistent show and veritable mosh cells develop. A bit of sparks here, a few flames there and the stage set is already in the mood for an evening of really big show elements.

Now it’s time for a good portion of slam with Kraanium. To be honest, I was pretty surprised that Kraanium got such a late start. The space in front of the stage is still pretty empty at the beginning. But after the frontman asks people to come a little closer to the stage. The sound is also rather suboptimal at the very beginning. The microphone is generally too quiet and when there is a brief dropout during the first song, only the drums can be heard for a moment. Fortunately, the mixer adjusted to slam relatively quickly, so it soon sounds a lot better. The atmosphere also has some teething problems, but a larger pit quickly forms in the middle. Their intense, straight music entices even the lazy to nod their heads and do circle pits. Live singer Philipp Heckel, with his NAGLFAR shirt, does not fit in visually with the otherwise almost illegible logos on the shirts of his bandmates, but he cuts a very good figure on stage and gurgles. “Massive Piles Of Festering Remains” in the familiar guttural style. Great performance.

Incantation. Nasty, groovy riffs shake the Obermehler airfield. A grunting gnaws into your ear that only death metal bassist John McEntee can manage. It’s no surprise that dark clouds collide and the main stage is underwater in no time. In the end-time scenario that fits perfectly with the Incantation blasphemous death metal. Meanwhile, the last remaining spectators enjoy mosh pits, dances, and a water fight. But let’s not forget the rainbow of death, which is currently stretching across the Party. San in doubly evil splendor. It’s cute how the hard-boiled people suddenly let their romantic streak show. The glowing natural phenomenon is certainly the most photographed motif today and the secret (rock) star of the evening. If only we knew what really lurks at the end of the dazzlingly colorful spectral arcs …

There were years of court proceedings, but now the legal dispute over the name Batushka is over – and with it one of the most ridiculous stories in extreme metal. No matter, now, Batushka is on stage. Behind the mask: Krzysztof Drabikowski and his ensemble. In total, we count eight people standing between pictures, clothes, candles, and a coffin placed in the middle. The backdrop with trees and a church creates a nice visual depth that works, especially in red and orange light. The ceremonial prelude is already strong, even if twilight or darkness would support the mood. At least the rainbows have faded away, the unicorn atmosphere does not hinder the occult sounds. Maybe we can put the arguments aside and appreciate what is happening musically. Because the performance is convincing in its entirety from the stage design to the clear vocals. They were, very different from all other bands. Black Metal with orthodox liturgical lyrics reigned the stage. The show was a real gem and a kind of Black Metal Musical. Great indeed.

Sólstafir, The Icelandic Psychedelic Alternative Metalist delivered a great show with an emotional, atmospheric performance, a brilliant web of sound that lets you dream away into landscapes of ancient countries,

Behemoth, 9 years since their last PSOA performance the Polish Black Death Metal giants finally returned! In perfect sound with great light- and, of course, a fire effect show followed by a mystical Intro behind a white curtain, Nergal and crew blasted out classics like „Conquer All“, „Demigod“ or „Chant for Eschaton 2000“ as well as some new material from their 2022 opus „Opvs Contra Natvram“. A worthy Headliner on this Friday.

 The second day of PartySan Open Air was flying by, with many amazing bands performing on both the Main and Tent stages. Heading back to the camping ground to rest and save energy for tomorrow