With a tour including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa, the Blackened / Thrash Metal fiends of MANZER took Israel from North to South with extreme prejudice, leaving a trail of absolute chaos behind them. The gig at the Levontin 7 in Tel Aviv only confirmed the rumors of their brutal performance and hellish nature. alongside with supporting bands HAR and PROMISCUITY, the small homey venue felt even grittier and darker than its usual self in ordinary days, less darkened ones. The crowd was made of beer loving hardcore fans and moshers and trust me that they weren't disappointed even for a bit what was about to hit them right in the face.

It was an hour before midnight, the board was set, stage was well shaped, the pieces were ready, it was carnage time. HAR blew eardrums like a war mastodon on meth. Meiden at the drums was battling with the burden of taming two wild guitars as Shay at the bass brought the roof down. Ofek (vocals) sounded like a man possessed by downward demons, filling the house with voices straight out of Dante's Inferno. I must admit I was too busy taking pictures to follow the lyrics, but the audible experience was simply massive. This is not the kind of music you would devour every day, it's something you experience as it shakes your body and hangs your soul to dry in a burning wretched hell.

I barely had a few minutes to recompose myself from HAR's performance when PROMISCUITY took the stage. Now you know how people claim you should match your wine to your food? If we're to call a speeding freight train a meal, PROMISCUITY were certainly the kind of beverage to fit. While the experience was by no means lesser, PROMISCUITY nicknamed members, Butcher (vocals & guitar), Grizzly (guitar), Werewolf (bass) and Steel (drums), brought a more mature sound with a greater technical emphasis. The band's frontal assault on the senses came with hinted melodies, deep rhythms and the feeling these guys have been playing together for quite some time to be able to deliver that level of musical precision. It's like tasting a cup of vintage, deep core lava and noticing subtle sulfur effects while you melt from the inside out.

I was done for, or so I thought. I mean, scrape me off the floor and send me home in a body bag. But no, "you can't leave yet", they said. "We saved the best for last", they said. Now, let me explain something. After the last two performances, the floor was littered with broken glass, the crowd was savage and out for blood. I was seriously thinking about cutting my losses and pulling a Houdini. I'm glad I didn't.

MANZER. Read the name, take a moment, chew on it hard. You're starting to get it, don't you? It's not often that a band has a name that fits. MANZER were the "pièce de résistance" of the night, and not because they are French. It's true in more than one way because they're from Pictavia, France. Before running off to make French jokes, remember they're hosting Hellfest. Nuff said. So, to sum up so far: Raged crowd? Check. Glass littered floor? Check. French bastards of a band ready to go nuclear? Hell yes! MANZER were in the house and they were ready to rip everybody a new one. Starting off with "The Death Lantern" this band of three, yes, 3 people: Drummer (+ vocals), Bass (+ vocals) and guitar, exploded on the stage, shattering eardrums and I think one pacemaker. Once the crowd got into it, they blasted through with "Underage Witch", reminding us all to drink responsibly, yeah! Ohh really? "The Metal Side" felt like having a machine gun pump you up with lead followed by "Prowler From Hell". "Le Boufe-Churai", "Terroir Squad", "Bite of the Beast", "Pictavia", "Toralle Mortale", "Hell Zheimer Pictavian Bastards", "Manzer", "Come To The Sabbath" and finally "Darkness and Evil" made sure nobody felt they didn't get what they paid for.

Nearly broken into pieces, I was almost far beyond into the other side after MANZER's savagery show. Actually, through the night, bursting flames of the Levontin club turning into dust before my eyes as I drove out of there, I felt that I got my good chunk of old school Metal, like doped up addict that was just overdosed. Special thanks to Werewolf of PROMISCUITY for providing me the chance to cover this one up.