Music
Jacob Mendez
Jacob Mendez

Sepultura’s farewell at Spodek in Katowice. The band surprised fans (REPORT)

On November 21, Spodek resounded with the sounds of thrash, death metal, metalcore and even hardcore. A tour celebrating 40 years Sepultura on stage began on October 30 and is scheduled to end on November 24, 2024.

“Route”Celebrating Life Through Death ” gathered fans of metal sounds from all over Poland, the band swore that it was a farewell tour, so the most loyal listeners probably did not hesitate long to buy a ticket…

Jesus Piece in front of Sepultura in Spodek: Created for the big stage

The evening began with an American formation straight from Pennsylvania, Jesus Piece. The agile mix of metalcore and hardcore put the listeners in the right mood right from the start. The performance was mainly based on the last album “…So Unknown“, which sounded phenomenal live. However, there was also “Curse of the Serpenvol” and “Neuroprison“from the album”Only Self“, which perfectly reflected the rebellious energy of the group. Personally, when it comes to hardcore, I like intimate performances much more, but Jesus Piece? They were created to play on large stages, it was loud, intense and, above all… too short. After I was left very dissatisfied with the performance and I will be eagerly waiting for them to appear in Poland again.

Obituary – the legend of death metal in Katowice

Moments later, the scene took over Obituarieswhich came with the catchy “Redneck Stomp“. It was my third encounter with the legends of death metal and this time it didn’t captivate me so much. Obituary is like a cutlet with potatoes, it’s impossible not to like it. Heavy and simple riffs combined with John Tardy’s vocal make it the head moves on its own. The audience also seemed to be having a great time, as even the first circle pits appeared. My problem was the band’s very moderate energy and lackluster interactions with the fans.Chopped In Half“, “Deadly Intentions” Whether “Threatening Skies” saved the concert, played on one hoove. It is an ironic statement that the death metal show lacked life, because although everything was technically correct, I did not feel the energy that the band infected me with years ago, when I saw them for the first time. Still, it was nice was to refresh the classic in the form of “Slowly We Rot” and listen to impressive solos.

Then it was time for Jinjer. It started with promiseSit Stay Roll Over“, which initially caught my attention. The agile combination of metalcore and progressive playing, even though it doesn’t appeal to me on studio albums, had its charm here. A big plus goes to the band’s leader Tatiana Shmaylukwhose growls would intimidate many metal frontmen. However, problems appeared with the clean parts, where the sound was a bit out of key at times. There were also the band’s biggest hits, such as “Ape” Whether “Colossus“, but the setlist revolved mainly around songs from the upcoming album “Duel“like”Kafka” Whether “Someone’s Daughter” What impressed me the most was the band’s drummer Vladislav “Vladi” Ulasevich, who simply charmed me with his technical playing.

How did Sepultura fare at the farewell concert in Poland? A complete surprise

Finally, it was time for the big star of the evening, Sepultura. Before the musicians entered the stage, a punk song by a Brazilian band played TitasPolícia” and right after it, the group arrived with a phenomenal “Refuse/Resist“after which we heard”Territory” and “Slave New World“. This is how you do a real show! Derrick Green occasionally chatting with the audience, he moved around the stage as if he were at least 20 years younger. Sepultura’s 40 years on stage meant only one thing – a cross-sectional list of songs. During the concert lasting about an hour and 45 minutes, the musicians went through almost the entire discography from “Morbid Visions“until after”Quadra“.

By the way “Guardians of Earth“dedicated to those who fight for the good of our planet, the group slowed down the tempo a bit, offering acoustic and progressive metal-like music, and then returning to a sharp and lively ride”Choke“. By “Escape to the Void” the band took fans on a nostalgic journey, displaying archival posters from old concerts on the screens. Guitarist Andreas Kisser talking about how on the album “Chaos AD” Sepultura began to weave more and more influences of Brazilian culture into the music, he moved on to the song “Kaiowas“Then the bands performing before the main star appeared on stage and, hitting the drums on display, they played a classic song together. There was also a classic cover.”Orgasmatron” team Motörhead. The evening that was coming to an end was completed with a phenomenalArise“, after which the musicians took a farewell photo with the audience and served two hits from the beloved “Roots“that is, of course”Roots Bloody Roots” and “Ratamahatta“.

I was very impressed with how good the form the band was in after so many years, so I didn’t fully understand the decision to go on a farewell tour. What went wrong? Everything became clear when, after the concert, a large poster appeared on the screen announcing Sepultura’s appearance at next year’s edition. Mystic Festival. Looking through the comments under the band’s official announcement at the festival, it is clear that fans are upset with this turn of events. Under the post on the Mystic Festival Instagram profile we can read: “That was quite a ‘goodbye’ yesterday”, “How many goodbyes will they have? Embarrassing” or “Cringe”. It turns out that the musicians took an example from Scorpions and they will be saying goodbye to the stage for the next few years. Despite the questionable ploy to attract fans, everything worked here, from the phenomenal music, interaction with the audience, to the energy on stage. It will certainly be an event I will remember for a long time.

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