Usipian Kulisselageret
is a small venue with a maximum capacity of 150. And even though this
is the hometown of Mnemic’s front shouter Michael Břgballe, the
place is not even a quarter full when I arrive. The crowd situation
improves, however, and when support act Usipian enter the stage, the
place is approximately a little more than half full. It
soon becomes apparent that Usipian’s music doesn’t match the style
of Mnemic, and it makes you wonder who put this gig together and if
they’d listened to any of the bands before. This is a shame because
the five musicians that make up Usipian clearly have something to
offer. Obviously
inspired by Morbid Angel among others, the band has put together a set
of eight songs that represent a great extent of variety plus
interesting and at times curious ideas. Apparently
these lads have supported Vader in the past which makes a lot more
sense than this evening’s gig. They’ll have an album out in the
near future and I have a feeling that this could be well worth a
listen if you like venomous but intelligently played death metal. 80 Mnemic During
the break, Mnemic drummer Brylle sits down next to where I stand,
holding his right foot, obviously in pain. He explains that he just
took a wrong step down the backstage flight of stairs and twisted his
foot. Not a promising start. Nevertheless,
when Mnemic enter the tiny stage a couple of minutes before midnight,
the band seems professionally relaxed and comfortable, ready to go,
relying on a year and a half of extensive touring with big names and a
strong second album in the suitcase. From
opening hammer “Deathbox” to the last notes of a crushing version
of Fear Factory’s “Self Bias Resistor”, Mnemic display
appropriate confidence in their own capabilities as a band, and they
treat the small but enthusiastic crowd with delicacies such as “Ghost”,
“Blood Stained” and “DB ‘XX’ D” from the debut album as
well as, most notably, “Door 2.12” from “The Audio Injected
Soul” – this song could easily turn into a sing-along favourite
for metal crowds across Europe. To
me this evening showed Mnemic in a nutshell: screaming and sweating in
front of any crowd, no matter the size, and keeping the professional
front with big smiles and the horns constantly flying in the air –
even with a twisted foot. Very
metal! Thumbs up! 90 Attending: Thomas |