Same atmosphere before we got in, than the day before. A lot of people were there around 4 pm. A lot more than on Wednesday, and you can already feel the mess. Same process, same gesture from the security agents, and here we are in the theatre. Unfortunately, many persons stayed outside the theatre because it was sold out, and it couldn't contain more people.

Enough of the details, let's move on to the most important part of that night. Dead Stone already were on stage. They got in at the same moment : the guitarist immediately grasped his guitar, as he was eager to play, Hamza holding his mic waiting for his buddies, the drummer slipped behind his kit, and the bassist...errr, well I forgot.

Hamza started speaking, asking the audience to take care of the seats and not to smoke, and then he had those little words that meant so much " tonight we'd like to pay a tribute to Dimabeg Darrell ". it really moved me, and it was really great to hear that.

Since the very first second, the show was killer. The audience was hysterical, some were moshing, others were headbanging, and you could see that it was the best gig of the last two years (at the very least)

The first track of the setlist was a Six Feet Under Cover, same song that Dead Stone played during their last show, at the Ibn Zeydoun Theatre, on 09/30/2004, which is quite normal. This time they added a couple of covers : Zero the Hero, the very famous Black Sabbath song; which was pretty well performed, with a death metal feel to it that kicked ass (cheers!), that made the crowd go crazy. The second one was Entombed's Wolverine Blues. Even though I can't really judge it since I don't know the original version, it was well delivered.

Next track is an original of the band, " Bloody Legion ", a death metal song with a heavy guitar sound and an aggressive rythm section, along with a great drumming, but most of us couldn't hear the double-bass that would have added a real death metal touch. Awesome performance for Hamza, the vocalist, that everybody compares to Georges Fisher (Cannibal Corpse), and it's a huge compliment.
Polarized, was probably the track everybody was waiting for, and it was worth waiting ! then they concluded with another original song, and it was over for them. It was a great time for both the audience and the musicians, judging from the atmosphere.
Then came the break, same ritual than the day before for the metalheads : cigarettes, coffee, a little shower at the changing-room (j/k), chat…

We're already called in, but it wasn't for Litham. It was 2 guitar-heroes who got on stage for a little exhibition, and there : no comment, it was just awesome !

It was Litham's turn to play. Redouane got on stage, facing the audience, and as usual he asked us to take care of the seats and not to smoke (a good thing), then it was Yacine, very reserved and shy, and finally Sabri who directly walked towards his drum kit. After the last adjustments, Redouane announces the first track, " Madness Gate " (track from the official compilation : Lelahel metal vol.1 ) pure US death metal, and a huge mess in the pit, since the moshing was more aggressive than ever, and that perfectly suited Litham's sound. Nice one! 2nd track was another death metal Litham's song with brutal and sharp passages that blew the audience away, judging from the huge rush in the moshpit. It was really beautiful, highly enjoyable and crazy. Thanks to the musicians

Actually, the band was only going to play their own songs, which was great. The 3rd track was a new song that has never been played live, "Flesh Made Sin", a powerful death metal track. Everybody is attentive, and thus remain quiet in order to listen to and appreciate the song as it should.
Then came the famous " El Djamra ", which video exists since 1999 in a brutal live version,but that remains as good as the previous one.
It was followed by "The fall" and another new track, " Obsession ", always in the same death metal vein, with some vocal passages in a high-pitched and contained tone that sounded like the pig vocals used in grindcore.

After that came the moment everybody was looking fowards to : the famous " El Meknine Ezzine " (well-known Shaabi song from El Badji, covered in a death metal way), that was modified with more technical bass lines, a much better vocal performance and a more agressive drumming. I have to admit that I eally enjoyed it, especially as it was followed by " Winter Tales ", which has too been slightly altered.

The coup de grâce of the show- and nobody expected that- was a jam between the two bands (Dead Stone and Litham), who covered Sepultura's " Territory " with a special line-up :

* Guitar : Yacine (Litham)
* Bass : Zoubir (Dead Stone)
* Drums : Sabri (Litham)
* Vocals : Hamza (Dead Stone), Redouane (Litham).

Probably the most unexpected part of the gig…of the festival, actually. A mix between the two bands' members to play a Sepultura track, with a vocals duet : Redouane with his death/grind touch and Hamza that was filling the void with his brutal voice à la Georges Fisher. Add to this the brilliant drumming of Sabri and the awesome guitar playing of Yacine, which gave the whole song a more agressive feel…it's too bad that the bassist was so reserved.

Highlights :
* At the end of the show, Redouane dedided to do a stage-diving. He hesitated for a moment, then jumped and everyone was there to carry him. It was really nice, especially since we're not used to that kind of things.

* The two bands' jam was rather unexpected, but it was successfully achieved

* Unfortunately, some fights went off during the gig, because of some stupid moshers who, instead of having fun, were trying to fuck things up, unaware of the fact that they were ruining the image of metal gigs in Algeria (it was a disappointing moment).

* the few amusing (and of course, failing) attempts from the security agents to try and stop the audience's hysteria.

There we are. Two days passed in a fantastic metal festival, actually the only 100% metal one, 'Lelahel Festival 2004', and the least we could say is that it was the best of these two past years. It was successfully carried out, with an exemplary organization where everything was included : lights, data show presentation, and rather friendly security agents.

For that, we all want to thank Redouane for the efforts that he did for the Algerian metalheads, and for the trouble that he took to have a concert hall, sponsors, organizers and all what it takes to make a great festival.

THANK YOU LELAHEL.

Gig's Rank :9/10

Live report by: Carcass English Translation: Raders

back <<