Female Metal Fest V – Prix libre 2019
Venue: Geneva, Villa Tacchini
Date: November 30th, 2019
By Rainer Kerber
It was a small anniversary. The Female Metal Fest in Geneva took place for the fifth time. Like last year, the Villa Tacchini in Lancy was the venue. Four bands from France, Malta and Germany were announced for this evening. Since the beginning of the event was 18:00, we had the opportunity in the morning to look around the city, especially on Lake Geneva. The pictures of the evening can be seen on Flickr.
Elfika is a French-Belgian Symphonic Metal band. The Belgian part is the Brussels-born singer Laure Ali-Khodja. In addition to the bassist Manu, she is obviously founding member of the band (2013/2014). As role models are called bands such as Nigtwish, Delain, Iron Maiden or Kamelot. These influences could also be heard during the show. Elfika used these for the presentation of their new studio album “Secretum Secretorum”, which will be released in December in France and in January 2020 worldwide. So, five songs came from this album. The French really rocked and made for a good mood.
Setlist Elfika:
- Intro The Chamber Of Secrets
- So Human
- Angel
- Broken Wings
- Starlight
- Inferno
Also, Inhepsie had arrived from the French capital Paris. The band already existed a few years longer. Singer / keyboarder Cathy Bontant and guitarist Jean Suire founded Inhepsie in 2001. Musically, the musicians are also much calmer – atmospheric Rock / Metal with a touch of gothic. And one difference could be heard, Cathy sang all the songs in their native language French. In May the fourth studio album “Onirique” was released, which they presented impressively on this evening. Despite the extensive stage experience, the singer seemed very impressed by the positive response of the fans in front of the stage.
Setlist Inhepsie:
- Ode À La Nuit
- L’autre Réalité
- L’indifference
- Est-ce Important
- Ce Sentiment
- Oublier Qui Je Suis
- Funambule
- Onirique
- Regrets
They are fans of the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke. So they have named themselves after an early poetry book. And just as dark as the poems of Rilke are the lyrics of the band Mir zur Feier. And these are paired with sometimes brutal Death Metal. The musicians from Bielefeld invented their own genre – Lyrical Death Metal. On the Facebook page, the date of birth is December 4, 1875, which is the birthday of the master. The band itself exists since 2011. Singer Mara screams her soul out and offers a sweaty stage performance. But she also masters the soft tones and sings in parts very melodically. And to celebrate the third are in the league, which present their current album. The self-titled debut album was released a week earlier and was played completely that night.
Setlist Mir zur Feier:
- Vorgefühl
- Mir Zur Feier
- Totentanz
- Sappho
- Fragmente
- Ein jeder Engel ist schrecklich
- Städte
- Zwischenspiel
- Der Gefangene
- Du Dunkelheit
- Sterbebetten
Originally Saatus were announced for this festival. After the cancellation of the band but was quickly found replacement, Martyrium from Malta. So, there was a reunion with friends. We were warmly welcomed by the musicians. Martyrium are well known for an extremely intense show. This was impressively demonstrated even in Geneva. Even if you’re not usually a fan of Industrial Black / Death Metal, you’ve been captivated by the quartet’s performance. Here brute elemental force is paired with great musicality. Above all frontal belter Mikaela. Also problems with the monitoring could not slow the red-haired singer. There was a lot of fog and a sophisticated light show.
Setlist Martyrium:
- Venom Divine
- Betrothed To Damnation
- Vital
- Lamia Satanica
- Order Of The Fly
- Betrayal
- Dear Death
- Outro
That was a nice evening, organized with much love. Sound and light conditions were good. The only downside was the bad visit. The space in front of the stage was not even half full. It remains to be hoped that Katia and her colleagues have enough staying power and organize the festival again next year.
MHF Magazine/Rainer Kerber
