From Iceland — Sódóma

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Led by Icelandic folk star Þórir (of My Summer as a Salvation Soldier,
Gavin Portland, Deathmetal Supersquad) , melancholic trio Bummer
started the night, striking some intensively sentimental tones. In some
ways, the band bore a rather righteously coined moniker, ‘cause what
they boasted tonight was a slight bummer opposed to anything else. It
was kind of a hybrid between an Elliot Smith-ish depressive guitar
music and a bad version of a 90s rock band, where the intensive
instrumental guitar verses didn’t have a build-up at all, and the
meant-to-be climaxes never hit their stride.
The eagerly enthusiastic Cynic Guru was next on stage and
believe me, they sure delivered a show! To begin with, I must state
that every single member of this peculiar band had apparently really
great groundings with their instruments of choice – stating repeatedly
that they were member of the Icelandic Symphony really underlined that
fact – but what they offered to the crowd was lame. Put together
Metallica, Apocalypta, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, decrease the quality
by a bunch – you’ve got some Cynic Guru. It might serve a nostalgic
dose to a soccer mom in her forties, having long ago forgotten her wild
years, as well as a balding middle age geezer who wants to restore his
or her mojo, but to the rest; it’s lame. Sorry. But it is.
The youngsters in Retro Stefson have definitely evolved to the
better over that last two years, mainly as musicians but also as
performers. The few awkward moments they quaffed on stage before have
turned into social triumphs – resulting in their crowd engagement being
really awesome. Their new tunes, alongside with their fierce attitude
humped up the night’s atmosphere, which certainly cleared the way for Dynamo Fog.
Although Dynamo Fog might have a few rough edged to trim, their 90s
synth rock, is a dynamic one, with quality scuttles. However, they
could no doubt lose some of the Blink 182 like singing – it gives them
a less enchanting verve.
The flamboyant performers of the Norwegian
band 22 play a pop-rock version, with the smell of prog-metal bands
such as Tool and A Perfect Circle, and are rather dense and valid. They
still have their errors. Their absurd attire is on par with their
guitars, and reminds you more of Wham than Metallica. This should be
abandoned immediately. If you want to be rock stars: do not consult
with Hollywood publicists.
Now, everyone had expected Hoffman to seal the night, as per the program, but they unexpectedly cancelled. So Æla were
so kind to replace the goobers. One thing you can say about Æla is that
they’re always a genuine crowd-pleasers – always with different
exhilarating costumes, stage diving and rumbling with the crowd – but
it still gets kinda boring after a while. Although the music they
performed tonight, all crude and raw, was a well-spun web, they should
reconsider their performances – otherwise people will stop showing up
eventually.