Before I get to the bulk of the review, I would like to start off by saying that this is a special case and that the event won't get its own individual rating. However, what I will say is this: the organisation and the set up of the festival were first rate - the sound was good, the setting was excellent and the way in which the whole thing was run was just so brilliantly efficient that I couldn't help but just be hugely impressed. Needless to say, it has got itself permanently etched into my calendar and I will be giving strong consideration to attending again next year.
Now onto the festival itself. I arrived back in Antwerpen for the first time since 2003 for this. Here's who I saw and my thoughts on them. For the purposes of this review, as I have stated earlier, I'll be rating the bands on an individual basis as opposed to the festival as a whole. Here we go...
FRIDAY
Having successfully beaten Antwerpen's Friday afternoon rush hour traffic to get to the Trix on time (which I am sure I went to when it was simply known as the Hof Ter Lo back in 2003 to see Children of Bodom, Soilwork and Shadows Fall with a mate of mine), I got my wristband sorted and purchased a supply of food and drink tokens before getting ready to watch the bands.
First up are Athens' Planet of Zeus (8/10). The quartet launch into their set with ragged and raw enthusiasm, with their foot tapping Southern Metal owing a slight nod to Alabama Thunderpussy.
Over on the Canyon Stage, Psychonaut (7/10) take a slightly more angular, but equally as taut approach with their stop-start sludge rock. However, they are blown away by Swedish doomers Monolord (9/10), whose bass is so out and out heavy that it causes my own nostril hair to vibrate. Rotterdam's The Machine (7/10) provide the first of many psychedelic elements to the proceedings, with their own take on psych going over nicely with the crowd. Lengthy but enjoyable. Moon Duo (7/10), despite the obvious lack of bass player, add their own eccentricity and still make a pretty big sound in the process. Dresden quartet Wucan (8/10), despite being one of the more newly formed bands on the bill, put in a strong showing thanks to frontwoman Francis's electrifying presence on both rhythm guitar and flute, pitching the band's sound somewhere in between Blood Ceremony and Witchcraft. Stoned Jesus (9/10), hailing from Kiev, are one of the bands who have travelled that little bit further to be here in Antwerpen, but they still produce a set full of wonderfully spaced out progressive psychedelic blues. Rounding off proceedings for the evening, Sweden's Dozer (9/10) have a long established reputation as a reliable band, both live and on record, but tonight they go that extra step further and deliver a simply excellent set for the Desertfest crowd.
SATURDAY
Opening proceedings on the Desert stage, just as the unmistakable smell of something somewhat stronger than Benson & Hedges fills the air, Poland's BelzebonG (9/10) (yes, the last letter of their name is also capitalised for some reason) make no secret of the fact that they love the sweet leaf, turning their instruments over to reveal the message "SMOKE WEED NOW!" on a stage that is bathed solely in green light. Their bassy, weed addled instrumental riffs set the tone perfectly for the second day of bands. Deville (7/10) veer a little too close to the original stoner rock masters Kyuss for comfort, but what this Swedish quartet may lack in originality, they more than make up for in enthusiasm. Banda de la Muerte (8/10) give us some out and out sludge metal with a raging hardcore punk swagger and attitude, and come off as a faster paced, Spanish language version of Eyehategod in the process. Let's be honest, that's never a bad thing. Hailing from Lyon in France, Sunder (7/10) add a slightly different dimension to the strongly prevalent psychedelic vibe of this year's Antwerpen edition of Desertfest by being the only act of their kind with a mellotron in their sound, topped off with some excellent harmonies to give them a roundly authentic sound. Swedish supergroup Greenleaf (8/10), on the other hand, prefer to take the heavy blues route, mixing things up with a slew of killer riffs. Yes, you guessed it, Mars Red Sky (9/10) are another band with their feet firmly rooted in all things psyhedelic, only the Bordeaux trio take it in the spaced out stoner pop route, a la Torche. They come across as the musical equivalent of an erupting volcano, and by some coincidence, the background visual screen provides exactly that as they play. Orange Goblin (10/10) are always outstanding live, and tonight is no exception. They arrive on stage to AC/DC's "It's A Long Way To the Top If You Want To Rock and Roll", their gargantuan frontman Ben Ward salutes a mojito drinker in the front row, and they mix things up brilliantly with a superb blend of material from the last couple of albums alongside old favourites such as "Saruman's Wish" and set opener "Scorpionica". Causa Sui (8/10) pitch in their own unique blend of late 60s psychedelia with early 70s krautrock and meld both together in a way that never gets boring, no matter how drawn out it seems to be. Closing things out are drone masters Earth (7/10) with a good, but not outstanding set. Dylan Carlson's drone masters are solid, rather than spectacular, and end up being slightly underwhelming after Orange Goblin's masterclass. Nonetheless, the second day of Desertfest is just as amazing as the first.
SUNDAY
The final day of Desertfest is the most keenly anticipated one of the lot, and it all gets started over on the Desert Stage with Glowsun (8/10). Like their fellow countrymen in Mars Red Sky on the Saturday, Glowsun offer more of the same with more impressive backdrops projected onto the screens behind them. Fever Dog (6/10) are up next, offering much the same as Glowsun and Stoned Jesus before them, which again, is solid without doing enough to truly stand out. Local band Tangled Horns (7/10) change things up, however, with a sound that is pitched somewhere between that of early Clutch, the Melvins and Unsane, with elements of blues, hardcore, noise and even some grunge. Enjoyable, then, but not quite as enjoyable as Valient Thorr (8/10), who I last saw supporting Fu Manchu way back in 2007. The quintet are still off the wall, still bruisingly heavy, and still a lot of fun, with songs about aliens, conspiracy theories, getting rid of toxic people from your life and countless other subjects. Danish trio Papir (7/10) are up next with (yes, you've guessed it) more psychedelic krautrock that isn't afraid to change things up whenever they feel that an idea is getting stale. This leaves me completely unprepared, however, for the sheer genius that is Ufomammut (10/10) and their exquisitely blended combination of space and bass that is heavier than a tungsten brontosaurus. Siena Root (9/10) keep that roll going with a bad ass blend of 70s throwback hard rock with some great pyro, and despite the occasional technical problem, some fantastic guitar and Hammond organ trade offs, giving them a feel of Spiritual Beggars/Blood of the Sun/latter day Clutch. Bongzilla (9/10) are also in fine fettle, as the Desert Stage yet again becomes engulfed in swathes of green light, setting the tone perfectly for the Wisconsin quartet's weed addled sludge. As a result, this made up for having been unable to see their set at Temples. Fatso Jetson (7/10) give another solid, if unspectacular, showing, with some suitably meaty driving bass lines and dirty guitar riffs, but the trio do more than enough to set the stage perfectly for Goatsnake (10/10), another band that I was unable to see at Temples due to other commitments, to blow everyone off the stage with a simply fantastic set that drew nicely from their entire back catalogue and new album "Black Age Blues". Mission accomplished, and Desertfest Antwerpen is a wrap for another year.
In summary; fantastic organisation, awesome clientele, food, drink and stands. It's going to be another year before I will definitely be able to stomach another pint of Maes Pils, but I can't wait to go back home from home and do it all again.
