Though there has been no major change in the Lebanese metal scene with the anticipation, attendance, and aftermath of Back to the Roots III. Now in its third installment it was the BEST of the trilogy. Though attendance compared to last year was marginally less it was all around better organized concert it included; an improved sound system, more bands that play my personal taste in metal music, and more organized placement of attendees.

In retrospect the concert was one of the best of the past few years, cheer to the organizer RockRing. I personally feel sorry for those who were unable to make it, sorry guys you missed out on a damn good set covering a large majority of genres quenching almost any one’s thirst for metal.

Now let’s divulge in to the bands.

  • Overload

“Sound mix was very nice ; the drum set mics were well set ; guitar was a bit low : nu metal/groove influence ; Destroy… had a nice coordination; Pantera cover >> really nice intro; while the vocalist growled (respect). Chaotic last track- Thrash!. Territory started well but wasn’t good enough for Sepultura fans ” – Rami Rouhana

“We’ll start off with a Thrashy touch thanks to Overload, playing a Sepultura cover “Territory” (a favorite throughout Lebanon for obvious reasons). And most notable was the improvement of the vocals (from previous performances) most clearly portrayed in their cover of “Blood Fire War Hate” for Soulfly. Only thing bad to say about this band was the fact that the lyrics were being read off a piece of paper.” – Rishar

  • CommUNION

“Great start , really nice guitar sound. Manowar “Valey of the Kings” ! Well played clean solos , “Hail and Kill” and the crowd reaction… good vocs (Bassem). Bass player was amazingespecially in woman be my slave ; interresting bass solo” – Rami Rouhana

“Then in quick succession came Communion, with an expected solid performance from these veterans of metal. Playing classics we all know such as: “Pleasure Slave” and “Hail and Kill” both Manowar covers among numerous others. Soulful vocals provided by Mr.Deaibess made their performance all that better.” – Rishar

“Communion played a solid heavy/thrash metal performance covering Metallica , Maiden , Manowar.. I thought that the sound system didn’t give them justice, although the vocals were highly impressive as high pitches broke the glass of multiple ‘wine tasters’ up at the cozy Vip section. I have much respect for their bassist since he manages to fill the gap of a single guitarist in some songs. ” – Patrick

  • Kimaera

“What a strong performance from the veterans of the scene; songs that flow smoothly and gracefully from the powerful doomy riffs to the violin parts straight to some technical and headbanging parts as well (I might have noticed a bass lick there!). Jp’s vocals were powerful as always, passionate and diverse. An epic professional performance from the band, clearly appreciated by those who notice the band’s musical knowledge, mixing diverse styles and moods, to create an ambience which satisfies listeners of all kind “ – Patrick

“Kimaera with their ever so powerful stage presence did not disappoint. Another band that played a playlist consisting of just originals, Kimaera’s band members’ specific talents were blasted out through a sound-system not adequate for the range of their music. I very much enjoy their fusion of death/doom/and progressive elements. Also, two thumbs up for J.P’s deep vocals.” – Rishar

“Oriental intro , great violin play loudly mixed. 2nd guitar was low (goes up later ), key was low. Few drumming mistakes , 1st guitar had high treble and too much overdrive…Nice keys solo ! Lacrimas Profundere sound , Sins of thy Beloved > nice solo (not much heard ). Great vocals , they were really variant. Keys and violin had nice ins and outs. Great mix of subgenres.Marching drum rythm > long track but still had nice arrangement of all instruments , really coherent… !” – Rami Rouhana

  • PostMortem

“Death metal at its best ! I loved the drummer >Double pedal machine orgasmic < ! , the show was flawless > huge moshpits (requested by voc). Progressive intros ,tireless band with huge stamina!” – Rami Rouhana

“PostMortem is the best local technical death/thrash metal band. Does this need futher explanation? Their great sense of destructive riffs, death metal vocals, technical wizardry and overall energy did keep the mosh going in several places. The sound system was acceptable althought some minor guitarist-volume problems were spotted.Deadly performance by PostMortem. ” – Patrick

“This next band is quite essential to setting a serious mood to the concert. Blasting out their great originals they received great acclaim from the crowd. Bring together two of metal’s most aggressive genres (Death and Thrash, for those who didn’t notice) Postmortem are a highly unique band with the ability to capture the interest of the crowd. Each band member has more than average skill on their instruments come together to pull off a highly energetic performance.” – Rishar

  • Weeping Willow

“Weak melody > actually none due to the weak sound mixing. Unique vocals, not expressive enough, kind of monotone as the drums fills it all.
“The third band out of the complete set was Weeping Willow. Now what can be said about this band that hasn’t been said before? Brutality, Brutality, and yes you guess it Brutality. One of their best performances to date and for those who were unable to attend, you guys missed out.” – Rishar

“Weeping Willow is still delivering their well-known powerful riffs, blast beats and extreme-grind songs, aided by the vocalist’s remarkable growls! Elias Njeim surely adds a new dimension to the band’s playing which elevates the band to a higher level, performance wise, since spectators like to see some decent virtuoso solos from the veteran. As usual, moshpits were highly preferable at this time, as the air became… mad” – Patrick

  • Kaoteon

“I got to say that the sound system clearly deteriorated when this band came on ! I even asked my friend if they planned a fade out with the sound guy since the sound was clearly… not so voluminous… Even so , Kaoteon never fail to please their fans , as blast beats roared alongside Walid’s vocals and continuous riffing from Anthony and the ‘small’ contribution of the bassist who indeed wasnt heard at all in the midst of all the chaos. Extreme show from an extreme band.” – Patrick

“Next in the list comes Kaoteon (and my personal favorite performance). Their set was started with their single “Anthem of the Dead” complete with a provocative gas mask worn by front man Walid “Wolflust” Shougary. We witnessed the new addition to the band a bassist. He brings a new dynamic to the band completing the line-up and giving the performance a sense of unity. Now on to the drums, Ziad Alam blast beat-ed all their songs along to perfection. Last but not least we have Anthony “Kaos” Assaker who’s a fundamental part of the performance his emotion escaping through fingers unto his guitar strings. Extreme Metal anyone?” –
Rishar

  • Saint Vicious

“Last in the order of performances was St. Vicious. Predominantly a melodic-death cover outfit. They most memorably played some decent covers for Arch Enemy. Great things can be expect from this band in near future. Keep up the good work guys. “ – Rishar

“It’s the first time I watch these guys playing and hell yea they got the talent! Lovely energy these guys have, although the sound was noisy at first , and later on developed into this melodic atmosphere with both guitarists sharing melodies, the bassist providing the lovely fills and the vocals…hmm impressive vocals that’s all 😛 Looking forward to seeing the band working on some originals , preferably within the melodic death metal genre. ” – Patrick

“Arch Enemy…. dont know… I’m tired by now! Hit me with  redbull…” – Rami Rouhana

  • Serouj’s review
  • Good things about BTTR3

-The bands performed very nice, especially Kaoteon, they were sick.

-Moshpits were sick one of the best I’ve ever seen in my life.

-New faces in the scene (ignoring the kids).

-The announcer is really good at what he was doing.

-The organization and the work each staff/stage crew member did was great.

  • Bad things about BTTR3

-The misfitting accessories stand.

-Too many kids in between the new faces.

-The sound system could have been better.

-Too many fights.

-The crowd can be seriously disrespectful especially when Etienne (vocals from St vicious) spoke on the mic telling that the people coming by bus from Beirut had to get out after 5 minutes when St vicious still haven’t started yet.

  • Mike’s Review

Unfortunately every time I attend a metal concert I notice the disrespectful metal scene increasing by time. Understand something a metal concert equals a Christian ceremony for metal heads, in fact it’s being considered a place for complete deterioration and fights. Lebanese metal heads the so called “metal heads” immerge in an obscure idea of total chaos that is being totally misunderstood. I have nothing to add about the excellent performance, music-wise and sound system.

We should unite and never cause problems, we have been silenced for long here in Lebanon and still we don’t understand that. Hope that some of you people stop pretending to be anarchists rebellion, and start thinking how to improve our metal scene and prove to all Lebanese people we are as normal as they could be.