After a long day of work, 6 cups of coffee and too many thoughts of “just let me rot” to keep track of, I manage to shine my boots and attend the QM Nights event: Rotheads/Mercy’s Dirge/Slicer/ FuckYouDracu and their special guest Iorgu Aggressor, that I wouldn’t have missed for anything.
This event was hosted by HCxRO and took place this Saturday in the Motiv club. It’s a really small but nice and clean venue, with a really kind bartender that knows his alcohol and can recommend you a decent rum (loved that I got mine in a glass with The Pogues’ logo on it). Because of its dimensions, it comes off as cozy and intimate, which fits this kind of shows – bringing it back to the days when underground shows were held in small basements. However, as much as I enjoy the idea, at the same time I don’t feel very comfortable ( I guess neither does my ear doctor) with the acoustics or the poor sound and talking about it, this gig had two sides that I want to clear it out from the beginning: on one side is the sound system that was terrible and on the other side are the bands’ performances that kicked ass.
Around 21:30 the show began and FuckYouDracu were the first to play. They were introduced by Iorgu Aggressor – a local wrestler with a Braun Strowman-like persona, who smashes heads.
FuckYouDracu is an old school hardcore punk band consisting of 4 John Does (their identity isn’t disclosed, or at least only themselves and the KGB know it). Wearing black hoods, they played with a level of GG Allin that there’s no secret that they’re fans of (if one would still doubt it – they also covered Bite it you scum). Watching their show is like reading Tom Hardy’s dialogues: cynicism, hate for the real bullshit that society offers day by day and anger, all under the FOAD attitude. The fast riffs announced their first track to be played. After it, they covered Alucarda (Satan Satyr’s). 
They’ve also touched through their tracks, subjects as politics, and here it’s related to a particular Romanian politic character (clue: he’s still not dead or in prison). In the middle of their show, they asked to be joined on the stage, a strategy that involved a welcomed wrestling act. After one of the guys that got on the stage refused to leave, Iorgu Aggressor had to help him get down by lifting him and throw him out in the public (Note: he was a professional wrestler – or as professional as a wrestler can be here – so don’t try this at home, kids). Their show ended up featuring Iorgu Aggressor on vocals.
After a brief pause, Slicer walked on stage. This is the second time when I see them on a show, first happened at Old grave last year edition, when they kicked off. I was writing back then about their original style of mixing two concepts in one. They were wearing their characteristic Misfits-inspired corpse paint and their collarbones necklaces. The public seemed to be very familiar with their setlist and their work, which frankly is not my cup of tea, but seeing as how the crowd was really engaged with their act, one could say they did their duty well.
Mercy’s Dirge followed up after another pause. Mercy’s Dirge is an old (formed in the nineteens) black/death metal band from Suceava – Romania. As they started playing, people seemed to really like it. They were very natural on the stage and constantly interacted with the public which made for a friendly atmosphere (or as friendly as it gets in Black Metal). They play in a more classic – dutiful manner, very organized and hard -worked. What particularly got my attention was the bassist who seemed very technical and also the overall fact that all of the guys seemed very comfortable on the stage; making it clear that they belong there, knowing exactly their thing and what they have to say. They played almost a full hour. An encore was asked but because of the time issues, it couldn’t be accommodated.
After another well-deserved pause between bands, Iorgu Aggressor got on stage to announce the central band of the evening: Rotheads.
The main point of their show was to promote and celebrate the release of their album: “Sewer fiends”.Rotheads are one of the few local bands that know exactly what they want to play, and that is, my friend, an old-school, by-the-book Death Metal. The surprise was that they played as a 5 piece, having a special guest vocalist: Vitamaria ( Lurking Terror ). I for one think they fit together as a glove. Everyone seemed to be enthusiastic about the surprise growler. As one could already guess, Rotheads played from their newly released album. Kudos to them for making it work despite the sound issues mentioned at the beginning.
Blast beats, fast riffs and a guttural voice all worthy of a true old school death metal gig. All in a maniacally-insane dark atmosphere. Their performance was a live proof that they are determined and have the know-how to play Death Metal at its best. The crowd enjoyed their show. One could not just stand and watch without moving, no matter if it’s moshpit or headbanging until the neck gets stiff. Listening to their live performance was like a roller coaster, only much cooler and with less kid puke.
Naturally, an encore was demanded and we got one. Overall their performance was a total blast.
Talking about the crowd, we also had two unexpected characters that wagged their tails at me right after I entered the venue. Two lovely dogs, free to walk in the room, that have been petted by everyone that passed them by.They were friendly and willing to get all the attention they could get. On the other hand I have to admit I wondered myself if it’s the best place for them to be at, but somehow it is; their owner was there and they were (as far as I could tell in a dark room) hunting dog cross-breeds, which makes them able and genetically trained to be fine around the typical loud noises you’d expect at a metal gig. Also, they seemed genuinely happy, well-cared for and comfortable.
The merch was a little poor in my opinion, placed on the left of the entrance. I must admit that I passed by it 3 times before noticing the few t-shirts hung on the wall. I was only interested in buying Rotheads’s album, which I finally found and did.
Kudos to HCxRO for making this possible!
You can support or drop them a line as follows: FuckYouDracu / Slicer / Mercy’s Dirge / Rotheads, you can also give it a spin here: Rotheads Bandcamp, Mercy’s Dirge Bandcamp, Slicer Bandcamp,
And If you want to see more of Iorgu Aggressor do not miss RWA: Fighting The World – Live Pro Wrestling – 10/03/2018 or you can drop him a line Here.
All pics featured in this review were taken by our friend and fellow member Gheorghe Paraschiv. Here you can find more.
