Ezekiel02:24:81 is back, you may have noticed my absence, or not, from Records With History And Future the previous weeks/months. But now i return with some more hardcore madness brought to you from the infamous H8000 area.
A lot has changed for me personally since i got married in august, took a honeymoon and just days ago moved into my own house near Kortrijk, epicenter of the mighty H8000. That all explaining my absence from RWHAF.

And this time it’s not vinyl that i want to share with you but a show that recently happened in Kortrijk city, home of H8000. And this show was the resurrection of the once legendary GOODLIFE FEST.
Edward ( owner and creator ) of GOODLIFE RECORDINGS decided it was time to show modern day hardcore kids what’s it all about. So GOODLIFE FEST 2012 was held on october 27 in Kortrijk at a local youth centre in Kortrijk. This time showing a display of the present bands signed under the GOODLIFE label and to back that up also the comeback of the mighty H8000 warriors CONGRESS.

Scan of flyer and (unused) ticket (Scan by Willem T.)

This event had a bit of a low profile and many may have not been aware of this gathering since most of the publicity happened through social media sites.
With a capacity of 500 persons for this particular venue it was for the best that they went for the low profile approach.

First bands in the afternoon were  xViciousx and Headshot, Belgium’s next generation. Which David didn’t see because he was still in the way to the fest and apologizes for that. (FF)

Headshot (Photo by Vincent K.)

When arriving at the venue UK’s finest NO SECOND CHANCE were playing their set of brutal UKHC. These young bloods have the fire within and deliver a nifty set of beatdown hardcore that already got some local moshers to rule the pit at this early hour.

Following that, we got the pleasure to witness BALBOA, these crazy Belgians hail from the same area as NASTY and also play a hefty style of beatdown hardcore influenced by metal and sometimes taking a sidestep to grindcore. The audience loved it and these guys have a bright future ahead.

Balboa (Photo by Vincent K.)

Next in line were the French madmen of ALEA JACTA EST. Well executed hardcore with metal influences that take you back to that legendary H8000 sound. Balanced songs with lots of tempo changes and a great vocalist make this band a pleasure to watch. If i may give one tip of the many bands that played the fest than i would recommend these guys. The dice has been thrown!

CRAWLSPACE were up next and these Belgians sure play a hard set of hardcore. Metal influenced hardcore with heavy guitar licks filled the room and forced the kids to move their arms and legs everywhere.
Their new album Carved Into Flesh only appeared a week earlier on GOODLIFE RECORDINGS so this was sort of a release show for them. Check them out and support the Limburg hardcore scene.

Crawlspace (Photo by Vincent K.)

Before all hell breaks loose with Congress the UK based band SIX FT DITCH display their raw talent. Ofcourse with vocalist Peachey screaming his lungs out on their last euro tour. The crowd devoured their murder core and some crazy ass moves were executed on the dancefloor.

Six Feet Ditch (Photo by Vincent K.)

Six Feet Ditch (Photo by Vincent K.)

But the reason that almost 500 people gathered in this venue, some taking hour-long rides from as far as US, Australia, Germany, Spain, UK,… was and is CONGRESS. With the original line-up on stage -minus vocalist Pierre who cancelled last minute- it was imminent that hell was about to break loose.
At first the idea of CONGRESS without the throat of Pierre scared me but a decent replacement was found in Jeroen from former H8000 band SEKTOR. And a decent replacement indeed. Pierre was forgotten very soon when Jeroen took the mike. CONGRESS came, took and destroyed the place. With classic tracks as Blackened Persistance and Lifting The Ban Jeroen, UJ, Josh and Michael proved that the H8000 still has a heartbeat. With tracks from albums such as Euridium, The Other Cheek and Resurrection the band took the audience back to those wild H8000 days. Even some of the original crew members came to witness this madness so former members of H8000 bands such as LIAR, VITALITY and SEKTOR were spotted in the crowd.

Congress (Photo by Vincent K.)

GOODLIFE fest 2012 was a blast and a great way to show the current roster of GOODLIFE RECORDINGS.
A new edition in 2013 is almost sure to happen and rumors are running wild that maybe even LIAR may come back to show their demonic powers once more. Keep an eye out on Edward and his label cause the shit is about to hit the fan. And you better be there when it does hit.
Also i want to give a big shootout for all the hard work performed by Edward for putting up this show and the help of the bar staff ( Kortrijk’s very own Pit’s crew, the place for a nice hardcore show in Kortrijk) and the delicious veggie/vegan catering by the Ferm ‘n Fameus crew ( Ieperfest’s official catering team). A job well done and hope to see you all next year at GOODLIFE FEST 2013.

Ezekiel02:24:81 (words)
Flanders Fury (layout and editing)
Vincent K. (photos)