The first thing to say about this session is that it really does not quite fit Torba — throughout the entire performance the thought kept recurring: "If only there were a bigger club." Especially since the organisers had no complaints about lack of visitors. The club was packed — not exactly to the rafters, but you could only stand comfortably at the far end of the hall.
So then, 5 bands were announced, but only three actually appeared: DATURA EPICRISE MENTAL DEMISE
The long-awaited pornogrinders SPASM did not arrive, for reasons unknown to me, and SCORNAGE apparently refused to perform due to some equipment problems. However, the remaining bands were more than sufficient.
First to perform were DATURA. The guys once again demonstrated a high class — not for nothing are they called one of Ukraine's most promising brutal bands. Everything sounded quite tight, and the strong influence of DEEDS OF FLESH was clearly felt. The sound was fairly good, at least better than Torba usually manages, though some background hiss crept in toward the end of the set. Since I unfortunately don't know their track listing, I can only say that in addition to their own material several covers were played, including a SUFFOCATION cover, which was received with enthusiasm. The crowd near the stage was meanwhile starting to warm up and beginning to mosh — though the moshers were mostly somewhat... young, or something. The serious "veterans", meanwhile, were apparently fuelling up on beer.
Next came Lysychansk's EPICRISE, one of my current favourite domestic bands. Having first heard them at Metal Heads Mission, I can say simply: "This is grindcore." Their very appearance already provoked a stormy reaction in the hall. When they began performing their undeniable hits, which included, among others, "Pediky Na Velosipedike", "Analny Terror", and "Kapitan Orgazmo" — dedicated to the MENTAL DEMISE vocalist Stary — something resembling a mosh pit began near the stage. Why "resembling"? Very simply — so many people had packed into that space that however much they shoved each other, almost nobody fell. Separate respect to the vocalist and the guitarist handling backing vocals. They managed without difficulty on Torba's tiny stage to perform their signature jumps, hops, squats, leg swings, and other gymnastic exercises (one immediately recalls their song about sport, milk, and dumbbells). In general, even someone who didn't enjoy the music could quite well be inspired by the show. If only they had a bigger stage. The sound periodically began glitching, but for the most part one could even make out the song lyrics — and that, you'll agree, is quite something for grindcore. In short — total respect to the band, they pleased me once again.
And finally the organisers of this event took the stage — the brutalists MENTAL DEMISE, already well known beyond Ukraine. This performance, in my view, was one of the most successful. The crowd, already utterly exhausted before the end, fired up again. As a finale several SUFFOCATION covers were performed. And after the encore it was all over.
In closing I would like to say that this concert was unquestionably one of the most successful of this autumn so far.