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All review's by Jason Brown, unless stated by Mike Exley.
& 
& 
Sheffield Corp (UK) 7.12.09 
Having
Seen these 3 bands separately throughout the year, I was surprised to see them
all being put on the same tour…We have a Old Style Melodic Metal Band in Edens
Curse, A Brutal Death Punk Metal band in The Rotted and Headliners Alestorm, who
by the name you can guess are a bunch of beer drinking pirates. To put these 3
together may seem a little crazy at first but ended up being a surprisingly
great show.
First
up were Eden's Curse,
a Multinational band to say the least, with every member being from a different
country: Michael Eden (Vocals, USA), Paul Logue (Bass, Scotland), Thorsten
Koehne (Guitars, Germany) Pete New deck (Drums, England) and Newcomer Alessandro
Del Vecchio (Keys, Italy). Edens Curse play Melodic older style metal similar to
anything you would find in the 80’s, and on record they do it well, with their
Self titled debut album being one of my favourites of past years. Having seen
them at Bloodstock earlier in the year, I wasn’t too impressed with them but I
put this down to the tent set up as all the bands that played in it sounded
awful. Having seeing them again in a proper gig environment I cant say my
opinion of them has changed to greatly, The sound didn’t do them justice
for a start and I felt that Michael Eden at times seemed to lack enthusiasm in
his performance, sometimes full lines from songs were missing and he looked a
little uncomfortable when Instrumental solo’s were happening. The band
themselves seemed good at best , but Guitar Solo’s were Drowned out by
the rest of the band, again this maybe down to set up but the bands that
followed didn’t have this problem. Regardless of this the crowd that were
watching seemed to give them a warm response which they were grateful for. All
in all a little disappointing as on record Edens Curse are a great band to
listen to. Songs included: Eyes of the World, Fly Away, Don’t
Bring me Down, Masquerade Ball. Lost in Wonderland, Angels and Demons and a
cover of the Steelheart ballad We All Die Young.
Next up were The Rotted,
who were obviously known as Gorerotted in previous years. I have to say they are
quite a unique band to listen to, a mixture of Death Metal with a Punk attitude,
having enjoyed their set at the Leeds Deathfest earlier in the year I was quite
looking forward to seeing them again. The crowd seemed to double in size
when the Londoners hit the stage and a decent sized mosh pit erupted.
Mainman Ben McCrow is a great front man, getting the crowd hyped up and equally
thanking them after every song. Other Members Tim Carley (Guitar), Nate Gould
(Drums) and Reverend Trudgill (Bass) do an equally great job at backing him up,
with tormenting riffs and some impressive drumming to say the least. I think
like most bands of the Death Metal genre live, a lot of the songs can sound kind
of similar but when you see how the crowd reacts to songs like “Angel of Meth”
and “Nothin but a nosebleed” all is forgiven. Although the majority of the
crowd had obviously come for the Headliners tonight as the crowd looked like a
Pirate invasion, I think most enjoyed The Rotted without even knowing who they
were, a great support choice even if on paper it shouldn’t work together.
Songs included : Angel of Meth, 
Nothing
but a Nosebleed, Get Dead or Die Trying, Kissing you with my Fists, Its like
there’s a party in mouth (and everyone’s being sick) and Fear and loathing
in Old London Town
After The Rotted Left the stage, 'Alestorm'
a horde of fans dressed as pirates and wenches rushed to the front of stage in
waiting of Scotsmen. Say what you will about them, there’s no doubt their
popularity has somewhat skyrocketed over the past months, having seen them at
Olivers Bar in Newcastle in March to maybe 100 people at most and now here with
a few thousand. When Alestorm Eventually do hit the stage the crowd goes wild
with the whole club turning into a mass of mosh pits and pirate dancing, it
really is a sight to behold. The great thing about a band like this is that you
can tell in their performance they actually enjoy whet they do, and yes they
maybe a few notes missed and not always in time but when your part of a
crowd as mental as this, no one really cares. Vocalist/Keys Chris Bowes is a
perfect front man for a band like this, a little crazy and gets the crowd going
a right treat. Songs such as “Wenches and Mead” “Famous old Spice”
and even the mid paced “Nancy the Tavern Wench” have the crowd singing along
like their life depended on it, but the real gem of the night was latest single
“Keelhauled” opening with the foot tapping keyboard tune into a great almost
dance like song, they played it to perfection with both Crowd and Band smiling
from ear to ear. Guitarist Dani Evans is maybe a little underrated I feel,
some of the solos and guitar work I saw from him was of a greater standard then
I think people know and he was a Hugh part in how good the performance was. All
in all Alesorm’s Performance was second to none and they are definitely on the
Cards to get even bigger. A great end to the year and I think the rest of the
crowd thought so too. Songs they included were: The Quest, Famous old Spice,
Keelhauled, Nancy the Tavern Wench, Over Seas, Captain Morgan’s Revenge,
Wenches and Mead, Pirate Song, Wolves of the Sea, Hunt Master, Terror on
the High Seas, Leviathan, Set Sail and Conquer, Black Sails at
Midnight and No Quarter (Paul Brady)
& 
Leeds 02 Academy (UK) 10.11.09
Tonight was a special night not only for Saxon fans and Anvil fans but for me it was a re-union to meet Anvil after a 28 year wait, which I first met Anvil back in 83 when they supported Motorhead on the 'No Remorse' tour in my home city. To finally meet Anvil once again was a special moment and to see Lips & Robb's faces when showing them the picture of us together in 83 when I was 12 yrs old was just amazing!! So as you can tell I was pretty hyped to see Anvil after 28yrs. Not to forget about the mighty Saxon and I don't care what anybody says about this band, they fucking rule!! This band have stood the test of time and still keep going strong just like myself, you can try to put the bands like Saxon down but they will be around till the next of their dying days just like Priest and Anvil, Motorhead etc.... There were tonight plenty of Saxon and Anvil fans to give both bands the support and warm welcome they both deserve.
Canadian Heavy/
Power Metal act 'Anvil' hit the stage to a warm welcome from young and old fans
alike to show their support to one of the finest and most underrated acts of all
time. With the band releasing their debut album 'Hard & Heavy' in the early
80's was just 
the beginning to a long hard road for the
band and with such
classic albums such as 'Metal On Metal' and 'Forged In Fire' were the bands most
successful albums. The band continued on along the road to success and with the
DVD 'The Story Of Anvil' has certainly given the band the uplift the so rightly
deserve. With the thanks of Saxon taking the band on tour has also giving the
band more success. The band played a 45 minute set of pure Canadian Metal which
would capture the hearts of those old and new to their music. I myself was so
impressed to see the band once again since their appearance at Download festival
this year in the UK, that was the only reason I went to Download. Lips, Robb
& G5 hit the stage to a screaming audience who from the start to the end
wanted more, but only 45 minutes didn't really seem like a lot considering the
back catalogue this band have. I missed the 1st band so I only saw Anvil and of
course Saxon. Lips has this unusual way of playing his guitar, with the vibrator
like back in the 80's and also talking to the crowd through his guitar picks up,
strange but was funny to watch. Nevertheless, Anvil hit the stage and delivered
a 45 minute set of pure Canadian metal to the messes and I have to say there are
truly awesome live, very powerful and I can see why they have inspired and
influenced so many metal bands. Set list included: March of the crabs, 666,
School Love, Winged Assassins, Flying Blind, Forged In Fire, This Is Thirteen,
Mothra, White Rhino, drum solo and Metal on Metal. Awesome and a band you must
check out!! Next was of curse 'Saxon', one of England's finest bands, like Judas
Priest and Iron Maiden, Sabbath, Motorhead they are the top 5 bands that every
metal head must see before there too old or break up. Saxon have been around
since the 70's but only really broke it into the UK charts in the early 80's and
have continued to deliver quality British metal music ever since. There is no
doubt that Saxon are totally underrated and deserve more respect in the UK this
is something which I fully support. Classic albums such as 'Denim and Leather',
' Strong Arm of the Law', and later albums such as 'Crusader' , 'Metal Head',
& now their stunning new album 'Into The Labyrinth' which sees the band ever
moving forward. Still keep the traditional Saxon sound the band have moved
forwards to a more European Power Metal feel, something which really works well
for Saxon. Biff and the boys have my up most respect for been true to their
music and also for taking Anvil on tour and giving those guys the break they so
rightly deserve. I am sure Saxon fans alike will certainly agree with me on
this. Playing a set lasting about 1 hour and a half which included Lips from
Anvil performing 'Denim and Leather' on stage with Saxon was a great end to the
tour. As always Saxon perform to the highest standard and never let the fans
down, and you really need to check out Saxon if you have never seen them before.
The set included: Battalions Of Steel, Heavy Metal Thunder, Dogs of War, Dallas
1p.m., Strong Arm of The Law, Travelers In Time, Power & Glory, Solid Ball
of Rock, Backs To The Wall, Lion Heart, And The Bands Played on, Crusader,
Wheels Of Steel, Live To Rock, Denim & Leather, 747 Strangers In The Night,
Princess Of The Night. What an awesome show, a band you must see before it's too
late, these guys aren't getting any younger!! Saxon are the metal crusaders
that's for sure.
& 
- Sheffield Corporation (UK)
30.10.09
Well I really
haven't been to a Death Metal gig in years, especially since I haven't seen 
Cannibal Corpse in about 10 years, so tonight was something special for me to
catch up with old friend. I don't care what you say about Death metal, but the
old school bands rule, always have and always will! Along side Cannibal Corpse
are such classic bands like Death, Malevolent Creation, Morbid Angel, just to
name a few. Tonight was s special gig for me, as I haven't seen them live in
years, so I really had to check out 1 of my favourite Death metal bands and I
certainly wasn't disappointed to say the least. Cannibal Corpse have gone from
strength to strength and with several fine bloody cut albums behind them there
is no stopping these guys of gore/ death metal.
The first band I managed to catch live after interviewing Alex & Rob was 'Dying Fetus' from the U.S., another band who certainly are no strangers to the Death Metal scene. This 3 piece act play some pretty impressive and fine Death Metal which is technical and brutal with blast beats and also has some chuggy guitar riffs which makes their music pretty impressive. I have to admit I am not a great fan of blast beat death metal, and I do know how difficult is can be to play I much prefer the chugging riffs that C.C. do. Dying Fetus have released 5 albums to date and since their debut album 'Purification Through Violence' in 96 the band have concisely grown with each album, and if you listen too their current album 'Descend Into Depravity' you can see how much the band have become more of a technical Death Metal act. Tonight, saw both C.C. and Dying Fetus play to a hungry full packed crowd of die hard death metal fans from the old school to the new breed of death metal kids. Yes, Dying Fetus received a overwhelming response from the crowd. Playing a 45 minute set of hard hitting death metal which left the fans hungry for the headliners Cannibal Corpse. Songs played by Dying Fetus were: Retribution, Your Treachery Will Die With You, Grotesque Impalement, Intentional Manslaughter, Justifiable Homicide, One Shot One Kill, Shepherd's Commandment, Pissing In The Mainstream, Kill You Mother Rape Your Dog, Praise the Lord.
Now
it's time for the headliners, yes 'Cannibal Corpse', been 1 of the
godfathers of 
Death
Metal these guys just get better and better with each album and the band's
current album 'Evisceration Plague' has to be the bands finest release, no doubt
about it, it's just the perfect Death Metal album for 2009. I was really looking
forward to checking out the band, to see how much the band have progressed in
the last 10 yrs or so and I have to tell you they are certainly on top form.
Since the band were formed back in 88 out of the ashes of 3 bands 'Leviathan'
& 'Beyond Death' & 'Tirant Sin', only Leviathan were the only band to
really be known on the Metal Forces compilation LP 'Scream Your Brain Out',
which is extremely hard to find. Cannibal have had their fair share of line-up
changes, Chris Barnes now with Six Feet Under, Jack Owen with Deicide, and Rob
Barrett moving back and fourth from Malevolent Creation and Cannibal Corpse, the
band have now a steady and powerful line-up with George Corpsegrinder on vocals,
ex Monstrosity and former Nevermore guitarist Pat O'Brien to complete the bands
line-up. I was really looking forward to this gig and as always C.C. never let
the fans down with their heavy brand of Death Metal which not only carries speed
but also a powerful chugging guitar riffs that certainly get your head banging
too. I really can't fault C.C., there just amazing live, full of energy and
power & the music speaks for itself. An hour or so of brutal death metal
left everybody walking away in amazement. C.C. are 1 of the Death Metal Gods, no
doubt about that. Songs played were: Evisceration Plague, The Time To Kill Is
Now, Disfigured, Death Walks Terror, I Cum Blood, Fucked With A Knife, Sentenced
To Burn, Evidence In The Furnace, The Wretched Spawn, Scalding Hail, Make Them
Suffer, Pit Of Zombies, Vomit The Souls, Priests Of Sodom, Unleashing The
Bloodthirsty, A Skull Full Of Maggots, Hammer Smashed Face & Stripped, Raped
& Strangled. If you haven't seen C.C. live then your missing out on one of
the finest Death Metal bands around. Fucking shredding metal!!
The Lamp - Hull
(UK) 13th October 2009
Malefice
are a pretty new band and were formed back in 2003 in Reading, Berkshire (UK),
with the band forming whilst at college, Dale Butler, Alex Vuskans, Craig Thomas,
and later on met up with Tom Hynes and Ben Symons. The band played a show in
their home city were they began to build a strong local fan basis and soon
released a e.p. titled 'Relentless', which was soon released through 'Hangman's
Joke' records. As of this, the band were soon releasing their debut album
'Entities', which was released through Anticulture records. The band now are
signed to Metal Blade, the label who brought you Slayer back in the day, also
helped Metallica with the 'Metal Massacre' CD's, as well as more up to date
bands such as 'Cannibal Corpse', 'As I Lay Dying' etc... The band released their
new CD 'Dawn Of Reprisal' in 2009, which is doing remarkably well and of recent
the band are supporting Devil Driver within the UK in October/ November 2009.
Tonight, well this was a warm up gig for the forthcoming tour, a little taster
for Hull, a nice pleasant surprise. Last time we had a decent band in Hull was
'As I Lay Dying' in 2008. Anyway, the band played only a 35 minute set, as there
were 2 other support bands which I didn't get a chance to see, but I heard they
were pretty good local acts. Malefice however, play a mixture of Meshuggah, As I
Lay Dying, Strapping Young Lad, Soilwork, which really does work well for the
band. Ok, so the turn out wasn't great, but that's Hull for you!! Nevertheless,
the band played a head ripping set which included: AS I Bleed, Midas Effect,
Risen Through The Ashes, An Architect Of Your Demise, Sickened, Embers Ignite,
Hatred Justified, Dreams Without Courage. A promising band, I do hope they
return to Hull, as the word can only get out and hopefully more people will turn
out next time. Check out the bands new album. In the meantime, check out the
band on tour throughout the UK now as well as their Myspace page.
Catton Hall - Derby (UK)
14 - 16th August 2009
Yes another has past since the 2008 open air of Bloodstock, this festival has been going for the last 9 years now and I can remember going to the first one at the Assembly rooms also in Derby (UK). Over the years the festival has grown just like Friday 13th, and still supporting the underground metal scene. Well from what I can rather next year is their 10th anniversary, so expect to see a few bigger names, so far confirmed are: Rage, Obituary, Ross The Boss (ex Manowar). Well this year in 2009 saw a 3 day festival of good weather and very little rain which is an added bonus. Arriving Thursday it was time to set up the tents and get ready to party with karaoke metal and plenty of beer, well cider in my case. Next morning was a bright and early start so let the metal mayhem beginning, read on metal heads!!!
14th Friday:
Well the first
band to hit the stage and open the festival was 'Million $ Reload', a band that
have seemed to become rather popular of recent and as the crowd were pumped up
this band certainly got the crowd up and running playing a groovy style of Hard
Rock/
Sleaze which reminded me of across
between Thunder, The Black Crows, with
a hint of AC/DC a good combination to set the whole festival up and running.
They really did a great job I can't deny that, a good crowd pleaser to say the
least. Promoting their debut album ''Anthems of a Degeneration', which is a
album worth checking out. Songs that the band played were: Fire
your guns, Goodnight New York, Freeloader, Livin in the city, Give it all,
Killing Ghosts, Superslave. Phil's vocals remind me of across between Faster
Pussycat meets Bon Scott. If you haven't already seen the band live and you like
the hard rock/ southern feel then check out Million $ reload. Next up to hit the
stage after an impressive set me the above was
'Imsominium',
a band from Scandinavia playing a cross between Viking and Black/ Death Metal
seems to be a big thing right now with the kids of today. Hailing from Finland
the band signed to UK label Candlelight and released their debut album in 2001.
These 4 guys seem to be pretty well known and respected with the metal scene and
playing a head ripping set just showed the crowd what they were made of. High
energy Scandinavian metal seemed to go
down well which left the crowd wanting more in the form of such bands to follow
like Enslaved. Songs that this band played were:
The
Gale, Mortal Share, Where The Last Wave Broke, Daughter of the Moon, The
Killjoy, Drawn to Black, Devoid of Caring, Weighed Down With Sorrow. Some the
bands music has hints of such bands as Mercenary, In Flames, so if you're a fan
of these bands then I am sure this band would appeal to you. Next to hit the
stage was 'Blitzkrieg', a name that old school metal heads like myself should
really know about, been around since the early to mid 80's and releasing albums
through Neat records (Venom) saw the band influencing the likes of Metallica 'Blitzkrieg',
found on their 'Creeping Death' single. These boys from Newcastle
proved that
they still can play with the best,
playing old and new songs. The only
original member left is Brian Ross, who has continued to carry the flag for the
band. I know a lot of kids at the festival were so looking forward to see in the
band, especially with the band about to play the song 'Blitzkrieg',
it sort of give the kids an idea to what the original version is all about,
never mind the Metallica version. The band received a good response from the
crowd playing their old school metal mixed with hints of a modern power metal
feel to their music. Songs played were: The Phantom, Dark City, Theater Of The
Damned, My Life Is My Own, Escape From The Village, Blitzkrieg. All in all a
good old school band still playing what they do best. Next band I caught live
after a break was U.S. Thrashers 'Municipal Waste', signed to Earache Records,
these old school thrashers are really making a name for themselves within the
underground metal scene. I keep hearing about this band from kinds of metal
heads asking to check them out, so I guess it was about I did so and this was
the perfect place to see such a band. If like me, you're into the old school
Thrash scene then this band is pretty much what you would expect to hear and
like. There are two bands that come to mind when I hear this band, they been:
Evil Dead & Sacred Reich, musically S.R and for the vocals it has to be Evil
Dead. I think when I told the band who I thought they sounded like they were
very pleased and surprised. Yeah these crazy fuckers really got the crowd going
and turned the place into 1 shit storm. Plenty of moshing and thrashing as these
guys delivered 1 hell of a awesome set, ripping through the stage like a crazy
tornado, the crowd obviously loved their music. I was impressed to say the
least, so here's a set list of thrashing tunes the band played: Mind
Eraser, Head banging face rip, The thrashin of Christ, Thrashing is my business,
Terror shark, Wrong answer, Sadistic magician, Black ice, Beer Pressure (Broke
the Guinness World Record for largest number of crowd surfers during one song), I
Want to Kill the President (Lyrics changed to) "I Want To Chill With The
President" for Obama, Unleash the bastards, Blood drive, Acid sentence, The
Inebriator, Bangover. Well what can 1 say after the crazy munch of fuckers left
the stage? Next up was 'Katatonia', were next to hit the stage, with this band
playing their brand of Goth, Metal, Rock which in their case seems to work
pretty well. They remind me of across between Type O Negative, The Gathering,
and kind of vocals like Fear Factory when clean, and at 
times there pretty
mellow 
with their music and at other times they do manage to capture the Scandinavian
feel that so many bands out of that way sound. The crowd were very pleased with
their performance, and songs played were: Consternation, Soils Song, Teargas,
Dead house, Ghost Of The Sun, My Twin, July, Evidence, Murder. Not too bad, but
a little too slow for me at times. Next up was German Godfathers of Thrash 'Sodom', like Kreator and Destruction, these 3 bands have influenced so many
acts around the world and fans alike. Sodom career started in the early 80's
with Tom Angelripper been the only original member left. Sodom have seen line-up
come and go like so many bands but have also stood the test of time with their aggressive
form of Thrash Metal. Their label SPV have pretty much stood by the band
throughout their career. With a good career behind them, Tom and the boys still
manage to deliver hard edge Thrash Metal the way the German's intended it to be,
certainly not for the faint hearted. Playing a 45 minute
set of awesome Thrash, Sodom left the stage with the crowd wanting more. Shame
they didn't really, but here's the songs they played: Napalm In The Morning,
Surfin' Bird,
Outbreak Of Evil, City Of God, The Saw Is The Law, Agent Orange, Blasphemer,
Obsessed, M16 Play, Sodomy & Lust, Remember The Fallen. Sodom like Kreator
and Destruction are the 3 pioneers of the German Thrash movement, awesome Thrash
at it's best!! Next to hit the stage was the mighty 'Saxon', no introduction
here required, after all Saxon are like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Iron
Maiden up their hailing the flag for Britain. Starting out under the name of
'Son Of A Bitch' back in the 70's Biff and the boys have continued to up hold
the tradition of the N.W.O.B.H.M. that is second to none. Over the years Saxon
have updated their style mixing the classic Saxon sound with a modern European
Power Metal feel which comes close to that of Primal Fear etc.. and mixes
extremely well. Saxon for me are one of the finest and underrated bands to come
out of the UK and like myself been a fan there were plenty more fans out there
ready to watch Saxon at Bloodstock once again. As this is the 1st time the band
have played the open air version it was great to see them outdoors. Biff, Nibbs,
Paul, Doug and Nigel delivered one hell of an awesome 1hr set which really
should of been the head liners to be fair. Nevertheless, Saxon hit the stage,
delivered a powerful head banging set of their classic tunes as well as some new
songs too. Follow Saxon and become a crusader of real British Heavy Metal. Songs
played were: Battalions
Of Steel, Heavy Metal Thunder, Demon Sweeney Todd, 747 (Strangers In The Night),
Let Me Feel Your Power, Crusader, And The Bands Played On, Wheels Of Steel, Live
To Rock, Princess of The Night, Denim & Leather. Next to hit the stage
was Sweden's pretty much finest extreme metal act 'Arch Enemy', 
with
the band been around for a number of years and releasing several 
albums
and 2 live DVD's . There something about this band that appeal to me, I think it
has to be the unique twin guitar riffs and solo of bothers Chris and Mike Amott,
2 fine musicians. Not to forget about Angela's sick and insane voice, Daniel's
impressive drumming and Sharlee's ripping bass riffs make this band one of the
best Swedish extreme acts. Well Arch Enemy are no strangers to Bloodstock,
having played there 2 yrs ago the band are proving they still have what it
takes. Playing a 75 minute set the band played some of their finest material old
and new and set the stage alight. From start to finish the band ripped into some
heavy yet melodic tunes which included: Blood on Your Hands, Ravenous,
Taking Back My Soul,
Dead Eyes, See No Future, My Apocalypse, The Immortal, Revolution Begins,
Drums Solo, I Will Live Again, Burning Angel, Guitar Solos, Dead Bury Their
Dead, We Will Rise, Snowbound, Nemesis, Fields of Desolation. Great band with
some kick ass tunes, check them out!! Joining Arch Enemy as co-headliners, was
British Death Metal/ Grindcore act 'Carcass', formed by ext Napalm Death
guitarist Bill Steer, along with Jeff Walker (bass/ vocals) and drummer Ken
Owen. The band released 2 albums with this line-up before introducing now Arch
Enemy Mike Amott to the band and the band had risen to higher standards. With
the classic album 'Heart Work', still their finest release the band recorded
their final album 'Swan Song' in 96. Well how times have changed, the band have
returned for re-union shows thought out Europe and the rest of the world, a
chance for the youngsters to catch the band live at last. Yeah I was excited to
see the band since the 'Heart Work' tour, so tonight was a night of good old
memories. Joining
Jeff, Bill, Mike was Daniel from Arch Enemy on drums and also Ken Owen (original
drummer) to the set. Ken unfortunately isn't well after suffer illness for some
time but still he managed to get up on stage and play a drum solo (bless him).
Carcass are a fine band and I just wish the band would record a new album in the
very near future. Explosive set from a fine UK band playing a 75 minute set,
which included: Corporeal Jigosre Quandary, Buried Dreams, Carnal Forge, No Love
Lost, Empathological Necroticism, Incarnated Solvent Abuse, Edge Of Darkness,
This Mortal Coil, Embodiment, Embodiment, Keep On Rotten, Genital Grinder,
Rotten To The Gore, Death Certificate, Exhume To Consume, Ruptured In Purulence,
Heartwork, Carneous Cacoffiny. Kick ass fucking metal!! Well the show had ended
for the night, just a few beers before bed and another metal day ahead.
Saturday 15th:
Well
another day breaks and it's time to head to the main stage to check out my 1st
band of the day, this been 'Battlelore', this band hails from Finland, with the
band been based on J.R.R. Tolkien's ' Middle Earth'. Mixing female vocals with
harsh male vocals is across between beauty and the beast. Their music is a
mixture of Gothic, Folk, Power, and with hints of Death Metal seem to jell well.
These
guys are becoming rather popular and today the crowd 
loved
their set of the mixture of music that they play. Bloodstock seems to have a lot
of Folk/ Viking style of music, I just wish there was more Power Metal. Anyhow,
7 members in all in this band, which could be as almost as many as Slipknot
members but the band seemed to do an impressive set which is certainly loved by
the Bloodstock crowd. With 5 albums released this band certainly do mean
business. The set list was: Storm Of Blades, Third Immortal, We Are the
Legions, House Of Heroes, The Great Gathering, Sons Of Riddermark, Journey To
Undying Lands. Next to hit the stage was 'Wolf', a 3 piece band in the beginning
from Sweden who released 5 albums on Massacre records but are now signed to
Century Media. Formed in Örebro, Sweden. in 1995, and has has toured with
the likes of Saxon, Tankard, and Trivium. With original singer Niklas Stalvind
who also plays the guitar pushing the band ever forward. Wolf play the classic
Heavy Metal sound mixed with a modern Power Metal, across between Saxon, Accept,
Judas Priest, with the likes of Primal Fear which really does work for
the band. Throughout their career the band are now becoming a steady and
powerful unit. The band now consists of ex Tad Morose bassist Anders Modd, along
with Johannes Losback, Richard Holmgren. The band like Arch Enemy are no
strangers to Bloodstock, also playing 2 yrs ago. There set this time around
consisted of: Speed On, The Bite, Hail Caesar, Voodoo, Genocide, Evil
Star. Great Power Metal more at Bloodstock please!! With the band releasing 5
albums there is no stopping this band now, their current release 'Ravenous' is
hitting the charts and the band are making waves within the metal scene. Their
come back in October to the UK should see the band claiming more fans. Next
up was 'The Haunted', formed by ex At The Gates and ex Seance members. The
Haunted have been around now for a few years too and also hail from Sweden, 
maybe Bloodstock 
should be called 'Scandiestock' or 'Swedstock', only joking.
But here certainly are a few bands from Scandinavia who play this festival.
Formed in Gothenburg (Sweden) in 96 when brothers Jonas and Anders Bjorler met
formed Witchery guitarist Patrik Jensen to form what is now known as 'The
Haunted'. The band were soon signed to Earache records & their debut album
was the light in 98. The bands current line-up is Peter Dolving (vocals) Per
Moller Jensen (ex Invocator) as well as the 2 brother. Both Jonas and Anders
have played Bloodstock 08 with At The Gates, so like some of the previous bands
mentioned there no strangers to this festival. Playing a classic set which
included: Little
Cage, The Drowning, Trespass, The Flood, The Medication, Moronic Colossus, 99,
Trenches, Dark Int, Bury Your Dead. Next up was 'Entombed', another Swedish
metal act that like At The gates are the pioneers of the Swedish Death Metal
movement. These 2 acts have influenced so many bands like In Flames, Children Of
Bodom, The Haunted, and so many more. The such classic albums like 'The Left
Hand Path' which was released through Earache, saw the beginning of a new bred
of Swedish metal that still remains to this day. The only original members left
are Lars Goran Petrov (vocals) and Alex Hellid (guitar), whom have managed to
keep the spirit of the band alive. With the band promoting their current album
'Serpent Saint' which was released in 2007. Well today was pretty much owned to
Sweden, as like The Haunted, Entombed delivered a powerful hard hitting set of
pure Swedish Thrash/ Death Metal they way it was intended. 40 minutes set of
pure powerful metal, sorry I don't know their material so there's no set list
for these guys. Next up was 'Candlemass', one of the survives of Doom Metal,
along side Black Sabbath, Trouble and now Down, Candlemass they survived the
test of time. Formed in 85 in Sweden by bassist Leif Edling, who has managed to
keep the band going from strength to strength. Like all bands, especially
trouble, Candlemass have had their fare share of bad luck, slip ups and members
leaving the band. There line-up is almost the original line-up minus Messiah
Marcolin (vocals) 
who
is now replaced by Solitude Aeturnus singer Robert Lowe (Wolf). Robert is
a powerful singer and a good choice for the band, but it will be hard to
beat Messiah's vocals. These guys played a awesome set of heavy slow but very 
energetic
Doom Metal. Another 40 minute set of Sabbath feel of metal made the day break up
with a different feel to the day. With the band promoting 'Death Magic Doom',
the band are in fine spirit. Songs played were: Emperor
Of The Void, Samrathian, If I Ever Die, Hammer Of Doom, At The Gallows End,
Solitude, Kill the King (Rainbow Cover). Next up is 'Enslaved' Norwegian Viking/
Black Metal, another band who have inspired a lot of Black Metal band and kids
world-wide, I guess you could say their Progressive Black metal but they still
carry that Viking Metal feel. To be honest there not as bad as I thought they
would be, considering I am not a fan of Black Metal. They kind of remind me of
Opeth, Bathory. Formed in 91 by Ivar Bjornson & Grutle Kjellson who are
still within the band, and keeping the flame of the band alive. Their early
albums were released through French label Osmose, who were known for signing
extreme Black Metal acts. These guys were welcomed by the Bloodstock crowd and
they played the set of: Intro/ To the coast, Fusion of sense and earth, Ruun, As
fire swept clean the earth, Ground, The Watcher, ISA. German thrasher's 'Kreator'
were about the leash their fury of extreme Thrash Metal, a band that like Sodom
& Destruction have inspired fans and band wolrd-wide these guys really don't
take prisoners as if you saw them at Bloodstock then you would of seen why. If
you have seen them live then you will know what to expect, brutality!! Where do
you begin with such a band like Kreator? Well Mille and Ventor are the original
members left since the days when they formed back in 82 under the name of
'Tormentor', soon to change of course. Such albums as 'Pleasure To Kill',
'Endless Pain', 'Extreme Aggression' would change the world for ever!! The band
played a ripping head banging set of pure heaviness lasting 45 minutes. Sami
Yli-Sirno (guitar) ex Walteri and bassist Christian Giesler were on top form,
playing such a awesome set which included: Choir Of The Damnedintro, Hordes Of
Chaos (A Necrologue For The Elite), Phobia, Enemy f God, Pleasure To Kill, The
Patriarch, Violent Revolution, Extreme Aggression, Coma Of Souls. Next up was 'Apocalyp
tica',
playing their unique style of Metal with only Cello's, and drums. No 
vocals
mind you expect for 1 or 2 songs from their albums, mainly sung by guests. These
Finnish consist of 4 musicians playing covers by Metallica, Sepultura, David
Bowie, and a few other cover tunes. I have to admire these guys for playing
something different even though I don't think i could listen to a full album in
full. The crowd loved them and they went down a storm, great musicians to say
the least. Songs played were: Wherever I May Roam, Refuse/Resist, Grace, Fight
Fire With Fire, One, For Whom The Bell Tolls, Betrayal/Forgiveness, Bittersweet,
Last Hope, Seek & Destroy, Inquisition Symphony, Enter Sandman, Hall of the
Mountain King. Next up was 'Blind Guardian', German Power Metal act with hints
of Folk thrown in are very popular throughout Europe, and with a history going
back to mid 80s when the band were formed. The band released their debut album 'Battlions
Of Fear' in 88 through No Remorse records, the band recorded a further 2 more
albums with that label before signing to Virgin records. Later on with Nuclear
Blast. Their latest release A Twist Of Myth' is selling well and is also gather
new fans along the way. The 3 original members Hansi, Andre, Marcus have kept
the band alive and strong all these years. Blind Guardian are no strangers to
Bloodstock, playing here at the indoor festival many years ago it was certainly
time to have them back as co-headliners. Playing a set of 75 minutes they played
a awesome set of pure Power Metal which included: Time stands still, Another
holy war, Nightfall, The script for my requiem, Fly, The quest for Tanelorn,
Valhalla, Sacred, Lord of the rings, Imaginations from the other side, Bard´s
song, Mirror, mirror. Great band. Last but not least were 'Cradle Of Filth', one
of the premier Black Metal bands who have inspired many people world-wide within
the Black Metal scene. Having supported Cradle in 1 of my old bands many years
ago 1990, it was good to see how they have progressed. Many fans were excited to
see Dani and the boys play this festival, but for 1 narrow minded wanker they
set was cut short due to the fact that somebody decided to throw something at
the stage and injure guitarist Paul early on in the bands set and was rushed to
hospital. This was a disappointing night for the band and fans alike, I just
wonder if they caught the dick who did it and beat the shit out of him? before
this happened, the band hit the stage to a dark atmospheric stage and delivered
a pretty impressive set. I have to say Dani isn't by far my favorite singer, but
still manages to scream his little lungs out. Songs played were: Shat Out Of
Hell, Gilded C**t, Dusk & Her Embrace, The 13th Caesar, Nymphetamine, The
Principle Of Evil Made Flesh, Honey & Sulphur, Under Huntress Moon. Well
that was Saturday over.
Sunday 16th:
Another
day and any head banging full filled day of metal to the max. First band of the
day of me was 'Sabaton', these 5 guys from Sweden are starting to make a
name for themselves both here and in Europe. Formed back in 1999 the band have
recorded 5 CDs, most of 
which
were recorded by Hypocrisy 
guitarist
Peter Tagtgren. The band consist of Joakim Broden (vocals), Rikard Sunden
(guitar), Oskar Montellius (guitar), Par Sundstrom (bass), Daniel Mullback
(drums), and keyboardist Daniel Myhr. I really didn't know how popular these
guys really were until I saw them here in the UK. This style of Power Metal with
symphonic roots is extremely popular and to be honest I am not really into this
style of metal, it just all sounds the same, Stratovarius style metal, way too
many of them sounding the same and Sabaton are another band that fall into that category.
Great musicians don't get me wrong but the songs remain the same. The crowd love
and enjoyed them so they can't be that bad. Songs played were: Ghost
Division, The Art Of War, Cliffs Of Gallipoli, Primo Victoria, Metal Machine /
Metal Crüe. Next up was British female rocker's 'Girlschool', a band
that you really should know been if it's just the name and the fact that they
tour and have recorded with Motorhead. Kim McAuliffe (vocals/ guitar), Denise
Dufort (drums), and Enid Williams (bass/ vocals) are the only original members
left and with the death of Kelly Johnson took the band down a narrow and winding
road. The band have also recruited guitarist Jackie Chambers since 2000. These
girls really do deserve the respect for keeping the flame alive for female rock
and metal bands world-wide. Since the release of their debut album 'Demolition'
in 1980 the band have progressed and hit singles world-wide. The band are
currently promoting 'Legacy' which was released in 2008. Well for a early start
and a performance that had to be beaten after Sabaton was going to be pretty
hard, but was it? These girls hit the stage and played a ripping 40 minute set
playing some of their finest hits and some new tunes too. Set list included:
C'mon Let's Go, Not For Sale, Hit & Run, I Spy, Screaming Blue Murder,
Coming At You, Everything, Race With The Devil, Demolition Boys, Emergency. Next
up was yet another British band this been 'Anathema', Liverpool based
band have been around for a while now since the 90's and were signed to
Peaceville Records back in the day. Like My Dying Bride, Anathema were also put
into the category of the Doom style of Metal and were pretty popular back then.
Since then I really didn't even know the band were still around until I heard
they were playing Bloodstock. These guys recruited formed Cradle Of Filth
drummer Nick Barker to stand in for the 
drumming
position on the day and as also Nick came up 
trumps
filling in at last minute. Songs played were: Fragile Dreams, Empty, Deep, A
Natural Disaster, Sleepless, A Dying Wish, Phantom of the Opera (Iron Maiden).
Next up was 'Moon Spell', these guys from Portugal have been around since
the mid 90's mixing Black Metal with Gothic Metal seem to jelly well and after
17yrs and still going strong must be saying something for the band. The band
signed to Century Media and released their debut album 'Wolf Heart' in 1995.
This was just the beginning to what is still going strong. 8 albums later the
band return with their latest release 'Night Eternal'. It was good to see the
band again after the 'Wolf Heart' tour when they supported Morbid Angel, so I
was curious to see how the band had progressed. They certainly seem to have a
pretty good following here in the UK, and the Black/ Gothic Metal thing seems to
really mix well together. Fernando and the boys played an impressive set and
left the stage with the crowd been impressed and excited. Songs played were: At
Tragic Heights, Night Eternal, Finisterra, The Southern Deathstyle, Opium, Blood
Tells, Vampiria, Alma Mater, Full Moon Madness. Next up was 'Amon Amarth',
Swedish Viking/ Death Metal, a band who are extremely popular with the kids of
today and with the metal scene alike. Having supported the likes of Slayer the
band are becoming one of the new god of Swedish metal, and with 8 albums under
their belt does really say something about this band. I have never been a fan of
the Viking Metal thing but the kids of today really do enjoy this style of
music. Having seen the band at Wacken in 2006 they really did put on a great
show with a Viking battle on stage. Today at Bloodstock was not so battle influenced
but they played one hell of a storming set which lasted 1 hour. Since 92 the bad
have certainly come a long way building a popular fan base world-wide. Songs
played were: Twilight of the Thunder God, Free Will Sacrifice, Asator, Varyags
of Miklagaard, Runes To My Memory, Guardians of Asgaard, Live for the Kill,
Victorious March, The Pursuit of Vikings, Cry of the Black Birds, Death in Fire.
These guys meant business and they brewed up one hell of a storm, a storm which
I am sure Odin would be proud of. Next up was 'Satyricon', Norwegian
Black Metal, a band who are no strangers to the Black metal scene, having
supported Pantera in the past must of given the band a massive boost for their
fan bases. With the release of their debut album 'Dark Medieval Times' released
in 93 on Moonfog records the band have come along way and now signed to
Roadrunner records. With 7 albums released the band have like Enslaved, Cradle
Of Filth, Immortal, Bathory etc.. influenced so many new bands and fans alike.
This was the 1st time I had seen the band live and they are very popular here in
the UK and they went down a storm like Amon Amarth, yeah they were impressive
for a Black metal band. Songs played were: Commando, The Wolfpack, Now,
Diabolical, Black Crow On A Tombstone, The Pentagram Burns, Den Siste, K.I.N.G.,
Fuel For Hatred, Mother North. Next for me was 'Eden's Curse', who played
the Sophie Lancaster stage, these
melodic rockers hail from various parts of Europe, & the UK which also
feature U.S. singer Michael 
Eden.
The band have recorded 2 albums to date and are 
signed
to AFM records. Bassist Paul Logan and Mike started the band and their debut
album which is self titled is a pretty
impressive album that the band were to soon record their follow up album 'The
Second Coming' which saw the band
supporting Firewind and Stratovarius earlier this year here
in the UK. I was looking forward to see in the band live and for s small stage
the band played an impressive set even though the sound wasn't great, it was too
loud for such a small stage. They deserved a better sound, something the sound
man didn't have a clue about. A strong message was given out by Michael about
the name of the stage, after Sophie Lancaster was killed because she looked
different and was set up upon by thugs and was killed. He really touched a lot
of people who were watching the band with his message. So that is why the stage
was named after her. A good band who will return to the UK soon. Songs played
were: Masquerade Ball, Just Like Judas, Fly Away, Lost In Wonderland,
Don't Bring Me Down, Sail On, Angels & Demons. Last but no least were
headliners 'Europe', a band that have had tons of success in the 80's and
with the song 'The Final Countdown' hitting the charts world-wide this song made
their trademark. These Swedish rocker's played a storming set and I was
concerned about the mix feeling I thought they would have at this festival with
them not been a heavy band like the previous acts that had played this year. In
fact Europe pretty much stole the show with Arch Enemy. I was really looking
forward to see in the band live and I tell you they were awesome and yeah the
crowd loved them, especially when they finished with 'The Final Countdown',
which saw the whole crowd jumping up and down and singing along, now that's what
I call a end to any party!! With the release of their new album 'Last Look At
Eden' just been released the band hit the stage to play a hour or so set which
included their hits and 1 new songs from the last album. Joey and the boys
played a spectacular set which left the crowd wanting more and with a encore
made the festival end with a bang. Great band which I highly recommend live and
would like to see back at Bloodstock. Songs played were: Last Look At Eden, Love
Is Not the Enemy, Superstitious (my favourite song), Scream of Anger, Sign of
the Times, Always The Pretenders, Girl From Lebanon, Sevens Doors Hotel, Let The
Good Times Rock, Optimus, Seventh Sign, Start From the Dark, Ready Or Not, Rock
The Night, The Gateway Plan and The Final Countdown. Well what a great festival
and a great year. Rock on next year!! Metal for ever!!!
, 
Bang Your Head Festival
- 26 - 27th June 2009
Well this was my first time at the famous 'Bang Your Head' festival in southern Germany, a place called Balingen close to Stuttgart. I was excited to be going to the festival and been the UK's ambassador was an honor. Traveling from the UK was a complete fucking nightmare, well KLM airlines really fucked my luggage up, leaving me to spent a further 60 Euros for a new rook sack, after they destroyed mine on the way to Germany (idiots!). Anyway I wasn't going to let them spoil my trip and on arrival I met some cool German metal heads along the way to made me feel welcome and we had a blast, Cheers Rene, Stefan and the crew!! After a long day of traveling I was glad to be at the camp site and ready for a good drink and that's what I did!! Arriving on the 25th and the Friday 26th was a day to remember. This is truly a great festival and I hope to be back in 2010, in the meantime please check out the review and support this cool festival!!
Friday 26th:
A warming Friday
morning was ahead and warming in the afternoon. Most people at 9am were still
asleep after a heavy 
nights partying at the 'Metal Camp', but I really wanted to
be there for the opening act who were 
'Hatstik',
a 3 piece act from Reutlingen (Germany), who won a band contest. The band
consist of Maroin (vocals and guitar), Sven (drums) and bassist Niko. Not heard
anything from this act before I wasn't sure what to expect, but with a
reasonable gather of people they seemed to get the attention of the few that
were out at 10am. The band seem to play a modern style of metal, more
directed towards the newer style, maybe not my cup of tea as they seemed to be
directed towards the shouting cross over style of metal. The band do however
have an album released titled 'The Way Beyond Help', which I am sure will do
good by the right sort of crowd. I am not convinced there were on the right
festival bill to be honest. Songs that they played were: Gone
Away, The Reason Why, Footsteps, GO!, Broken Hope, Deep Black Hole, Through My
Eyes Again, Watch Out. If you like the likes of Paradise Lost, Type O Negative
then I'm sure this band would be up your street. Next to hit the stage were
Scottish Metal act 'Alestorm',
a band whom seem to be making a name for themselves. I really didn't know
anything about this band until I saw them at Bloodstock festival last year. I
was surprised to see so many pirate flags within the crowd, and I was kind of
hoping the same would of happened in Germany. Unfortunately the German's didn't
seem to follow the footsteps of the English, shame really!! Anyway back to
Alestorm, this band have had some positive reviews world-wide and some decent
support acts with the likes of Grave Digger and many more.. I have to admit that
Alestorm do some wicked album covers, there just great!! Well these 4 guys are
now promoting their current album 'Black Sails At Midnight', which was released
in 2009 is a great album, nice melodic riffs and a great production. The band
consist of Chris Bowes (vocals & keyboards), Dani Evans (guitar), Ian Wilson
(drums) and bassist Gareth Murdock. Playing an impressive set of 40 minutes from
10.50 in the moring the band played the following songs: The Quest, Leviathan,
Famous Ol' Spiced, Nancy The 
Tavern Wench, Wenches and Mead,
Pirate Song,
Keelhauled, Capatain Morgans Revenge. Oh Orr me hearties!! Next to hit the stage
was a young band that I have never heard of until now, this been a young German
metal band with a average age of between 17-19 yrs old and I wasn't sure what to
expect from this lot, but I have to say I was really surprised with their
playing abilities and attitude. This band is called 'Kissin
Dynamite', a great up and
coming band playing classic metal with a singer who look so young but has an incredible
strong voice makes this band well worth listening too. Yeah there's a certain
degree of German heavy metal in their music, but there is the likes of Judas
Priest, The Scorpions, Dream Evil, Skidrow, Gamma Ray in their music and it all
seems to jell well together and I feel with the right push this band could
become pretty big. The band consist of Hannes (vocals), Andi (drums), Steffen
(bass), Ande (guitar), Jim (guitar). A great band well worth looking out for,
and here's the set list the band played: intro,
My Religion, I Hate Hip hop, Out in the Rain, Steel of Swabia, Zombie, Iron
Fist, Let's get freaky, Ready steady thunder, Addicted to metal, Welcome to the
Jungle
(R.I.P.), Dennis, Away and Blacky, the 
band also features new guitarist Dan
Mongrain (Martyr). With the band releasing their debut album on Roadrunner 'War
& Pain' in 84 the band soon received some excellent reviews for their debut
album and was soon followed up by 'Rrroooaaarrr' through Noise/ Modern Music,
were the band stayed for such albums as 'Killing Technology' 87 and later albums
were recorded such as 'Nothing Face' 89 and now 'Infini' in 2009. rest assure
the band are back and still going strong. The band played an impressive set to a
bunch of die hard Vio-Vod fans. Next up was Irish 'Primordial',
whom seem to be making a name for themselves with their Folk, Celtic, mixed with
Metal. According to their biography, the band started out in the late 80s, but
never really took it seriously until 91. You could say the band have some
elements to that of My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost and maybe Skyclad. The band
signed to Metal Blade records and released 'To The Nameless Dead'. The bands
current line-up consist of: Alan A Nemtheanga (vocals), Ciaran MacUilliam
(guitar), Simon O'Laoghaire (drums), Michael O'Floinn (guitars), Pol Macamlaigh
(bass). An interesting band to watch and made the festival have a variety of styles
of music.
Songs played were: Empire Falls, As Rome Burns, Gods To The Godless, The Coffin
Ships, Heathen Tribes, Sons Of The Morrigan. A band worth a listen and seemd to
go down well with the European crowds. Next up was 'Sacred
Reich', these U.S.
Thrasher's have made a name for them selves back in the 80's when the band
released their finest album, their debut 'Ignorance' back in 1987. The band were
formed back in Arizona in 85 with members Phil Rind (vocals/ bass), Wiley Arnett
(guitars), Jason Rainey (guitars) and Greg Hall (drums). The band went on to
record their mini CD 'Surf Nicaragua' in 88 and a European tour with Forbidden
was soon set. The band went onto record several more albums before the band
broke up in 2000. Seven years later the band reform to play several dates
including Wacken Open Air and more dates. The band however still claim they will
not record a new album which is a crying shame as these guys fucking rock!! See
in the band live again after a 12 grab 1997 Dynamo Open Air was the last time I
saw these guys live, so it was great to see and meet them once again! The crowd
at BYH were certainly hungry to see this band once again, like old fans the new
kids were also ego to see this band that have certainly made a new for
themselves in the 80's and 90's. Playing a 55 minute set of pure old school U.S.
Thrash was a exciting to see them again playing the bands 
hits
and classics once more. Some of the songs included in their set were: Surf 
Nicaragua,
Death Squad, Ignorance, Rest in Peace, No Believers, War Pigs, One Nation, The
American Way, Who's To Blame, and many more. Awesome band and I just wish they
would make another 'Ignorance' Pt.2. German thrashers 'Sodom'
were next to hit the stage, this is a band who should really need no
introductions, especially if you're into the underground scene. With main man
Tom Angelripper keeping the band alive, Tom and Bernd "Bernemann" Kost
(guitars) and Bobby Schottkowski have kept the band still going strong. Several
line-up changes have come and gone within the band and with the likes of Frank
Gosdzik (ex Kreator), Christian Dudek (ex Destruction) in the bands early
stages. Sodom hit the stage to a overwhelming reception from their home
country's metal heads and world-wide metal heads alike. For a power trio the
band play extremeely well like Motorhead, Rage and so many other trio acts.
Sodom are certainly influenced by the likes of Tank, Motorhead, Venom, Accept
and Saxon. back in the 80's Destruction, Kreator and Sodom were classed as the
big 3 German Thrash metal acts. Playing a 1 hr set the band played their finest
hits which included: Agent Orange, Sword Is The Law, Persecution Mania,
Blasphemer, Napalm In The Morning, Absence Of Evil, Wanted Dead, M16, Remember
The Fallen, Bombahagen and many more. Still going strong, Sodom is the law!!
Next up was the band I have been waiting for, the one and only 'Lita
Ford', yeah I've been
waiting 25yrs to see her live, and I was really looking forward to his as I
missed their in the 90's when she was suppose to of supported Bon Jovi but was
ill the night I went tot the show, so that really pissed me off. Along side
Doro, Lita and Lee Aaron were the big 3 female acts in the 80's, but only Doro
survived and now Lita has returned in the last couple of years and I was so
happy to hear of this news. I wasn't sure if she would be playing the UK but I
wasn't going to wait and find out so a trip to Germany was the answer. With the
weather been hot and sunny made the days good but over heated. Lita hit the
stage to a impressive and overwhelming crowd reception from fans from all over
the world. Still Lita is totally underrated as a guitarist and deserves more respect
to say the least, she certainly can play and that's a fact!! Her current line-up
is: Ron
Thal, Michael T Ross, PJ Farley, Dennis Leeflang, none of which are from her
previous line-ups. For me Lita's 2nd album 'Dancing On The Edge' is my all time
favourite album and for her to play some songs off that album made my day, well
almost!!! Lita played a great set but the poor keyboard half way through her set
didn't help and her mic which kept falling must of been frustrating for her. I'm
pleased I saw her live finally and thank's to Jim I finally 
got to meet my
female idiol!!, Thank's a lot 
an!! You rock Lita!! Songs played that day were:
Gotta Let Go, Dancin' on the Edge, Back To The Cave, Can't Catch Me, Kiss Me
Deadly, Falling in and Out of Love, Close My Eyes Forever, Broken Dreams, Under
the Gun, Hungry. I hope to see and meet her again soon!! Yet Another German act
was next, 'U.D.O.',
known for his work with Accept back in the later 70's early 80's this band made properly
1 of the finest songs ever, yes folks 'Fast As A Shark', and later on in 2008
their song 'Balls To The Wall' made it on the 'Guitar Hero' game. U.D.O. is no
stranger to the metal world as he has influenced so many singers and bands alike
and still going strong, he is a man and voice to be reckoned with. I missed
U.D.O. @ Wacken in I think 2000/01 so to finally see him at last was a great
feeling of excitement to see the man and myth at last!! The bands current
line-up is: Udo Dirkschneider (vocals), Stefan Kaukmann (guitars), Igor Gianola
(guitars), Fitty Wienhold (bass) and drummer Francesco Jovino. Like most bands
U.D.O. have had so many line-up changes but they still keep on going and with
the band recording several albums such as 'Animal House' 87, 'Timebomb' 91, 'Mastercutor'
2007 & new forthcoming album 'Dominator' in 2009 sees the band still going
strong. There is no doubt that this little German guy has one hell of a voice,
rough, distinct, and powerful is as good as Dio and Halford. Set list included:
Metal
Heart, Midnight Highway, They Want War, 24/7, Vendetta, Princess Of The Dawn,
Living For Tonight, Man And Machine, Thunderball, Animal House
Saturday 27th:
So
the first day had finished and an early start to the day, only to find the day
was a dull and wet start, yeah rain had it the camp site and stage hard, but
that wasn't going to stop us having a great time was it? Well it was 9.40am by
the time I arrived to see the first band on the stage at 10am, which was the
only band from the UK besides Scottish act Alestorm was 'Cloven
Hoof', a band that have been
around since the
early 80's and released albums through 
either
Neat Records (Venom) or Heavy Metal Records (Witchfinder General) who were
formed back in 1979 in Wolverhampton (UK) and were among the band classed in the
N.W.O.B.H.M. with the likes of Saxon, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and many more...
Cloven Hoof have inspired a lot of bands world-wide especially in Europe were
the band still have a strong fan basis. Relasing albums such as 'A Sultans
Ransom' in 89 saw the band at their peak of their career. The band also released
albums such as 'Cloven Hoof', 'Dominator', 'Throne Of Damnation' in 2009. Like
all bands from the 80's they too have had several line-up changes and the only
original member left is vocalist Russ North, once with 'Tredegar' & Lee
Payne. The bands current line-up is: Bed Read (guitar), Christian Horton
(guitar), Jon Brown (drums) and Lee Payne (bass). As the turn out for the band @
BYH wasn't great, the crowd that did turn up really did enjoy the band and give
the band a warm welcoming playing only a short 40 minute which included the
songs: Inquisitor, Nova Battlestar, Mutilator, Return Of The Passover, Road Of
Eagles, Gates Of Gehenna / Joined on stage by Kalli from Roxxcallibur. Great
opening band from the country that started Heavy Metal!! Next up was 'Laaz
Rockit', I've waited 21yrs
since I last saw them in Leeds (UK) Christmas On Earth gig, a great festival
which saw bands like Kreator, Over Kill, Megadeth and many on the bill. Well
Like other bands, Laaz Rockit broke up and Michael Coons and Aaron Jellum formed
'The Gack'. Laaz Rockit formed in 1982 in the Bay Area (San Francisco) were the
likes of Exodus, Testament, Forbidden and of course Metallica hail from. This
band have released some awesome albums back in the 80's such as 'Know Your
Enemy' (My favourite album), as well as 'Annihilation Principle', both released
on Enigma Records. The band reformed with only Mike & Aaron continuing to
carry the bands name on with the album 'Nothing Sacred' in 91, a great album.
Again breaking up and returning in 2008 with the album 'Left For Dead' released
on Massacre records. The band returned also with the original line-up putting
the band back on the heavy metal map. Playing this festival to a bigger crowd in
the slender of rain didn't stop the band having a good time getting themselves
soaked in the rain, why should the crowd only get wet was their motto. Playing a
45 minute set of the bands finest Thrash Metal hits such as 'City's Gonna Burn,
Caught in the Act, Forced to Fight, Leatherface, Last Breath, Shot to Hell, Self
Destruct, Fire in the Hole, Chasin' Charlie, The Omen, Holiday in Cambodia saw
the band deliver a powerful punch that left the crowd wanting more, sadly they
got 45 minutes. Next up was 'Powewolf',
formed by 2 brother in 2003 Charles 
and Matthew Greywolf, the two had a vision
to form a band what would give them their own identity and soon they found
Romanian vocalist Attila Dorn and later on Stéfane Funèbre (drums) and on
keyboards Falk Maria Schlegel. The band have released 3 album, their debut
'Return in Bloodred' through Metal Blade with the bands 2nd album 'Lupus Dei' in
2007 and now the bands latest release 'Bible of the Beast' 2009. This as far as
I am aware of is the bands 2nd time to Bang Your Head festival, proving that the
band still have the energy and power to bring the band back to the stage of BYH
festival. Playing a powerful 45 minute set of songs from various tunes from the
1st 3 albums. The fans alike enjoyed their music and set and I am sure they will
return to the festival in the near future. Dark Symphonic metal at its best.
Songs played were: We take it from the living, Prayer in the Dark, Raise your
fist Evangelist, Saturday Satan, We came to take your souls, Werewolves of Armenia, Ressurection
by Errection, Kiss of the cobra king. Next to hit the stage was 'Driver',
the band put together by Rob Rock, Tony Macalpine, Rudy Sarzo, Tommy Aldridge
back in the 80's with their only 1 album 'Project Driver' which was released
through Shrapnel Records. Shame the band never released a 2nd album with this
line-up. All band members went separate ways. Rob of course has worked with
Warrior, Impellitteri, and of course his solo career. Now that Driver return
with Roy Z on guitar, Reynold
Carlson (drums), Edward Roth (keyboards), Aaron Samson (bass). I knew that Rob
had a name for himself and what a great singer he is, I was just wondering if he
was as good as people made out and yeah he has a awesome voice!! A nice 50
minute set of pure hard rocking metal from start to finish. Rob really does put
100% into his voice and today he just that. The enter band played their hearts
out and was a joy to watch. The band are currently promoting their new album on
AFM titled 'Sons Of Thunder'. The band played trax of that album such as: Titans
Of Speed, I'm A Warrior, Fly Away, Hearts Of Fire, Sons Of Thunder, Winds Of
March, Tears That I Cry, just to name a few. Awesome band driven by one of the
finest metal singers Rob Rock!! Next to hit the stage was suppose to be 'Tesla',
but for some unknown reasons they couldn't play the festival, not that I was
that bothered as I had seen them at Download festival, but to everybody's surprise
German rockers 'Pink Cream 69'
replaced them and to my delight I was really looking forward to see in them live
once again. I've not seen them since WOA 2000 (I think). So to see them again
was a nice surprise. This band are no strangers to the metal world with Andi
Deris now with Helloween been the original front man, 
was
replaced by British singer David Readman, an excellent replacement who has 
an
incredible strong voice. Pink Cream 69 have been releasing albums since 89 with
their debut which was self titled. The band have released numerous outstanding
albums from 'One Size Fits All' to their current albums such as 'Thunderdome'
2004. The band are about to release their debut live DVD which I can't wait to
see. The abdns current line-up is Daivd Readman (vocals), Dennis Ward (bass),
Alfred Koffler (guitar), Kosta Zafiriou (drums), Uwe Reintenauer (guitar). A 50
minute set of some of the bands classics, a really awesome set and with David
giving all he had as a vocalist made the set impressive as well as the great
musicianship by the rest of the band. A great surprise to the festival, and a
band well worth checking out. Songs played were: Children, Do You Like it, Lost
In Illusion, Talk To The Moon, No Way Out, Welcome The Night, Livin' My Life For
You, Twisted, Shame. A band worth see in live!! The festival is pretty much old
school and that's the way I like it, so next up was 80's 'Warrior',
these L.A. rockers released a classic in the mid 80's titled 'Fighting For The
Earth' which was released on 10 Records I believe. This band was soon to become
very popular in the 80's but broke up after just 2 album, a crying shame. The
bands 2nd album 'Ancient Future' was a pretty good album but didn't stand the
test of time of their strong debut album. These guys kind of reminded me of
Malice for some reason. The only 2 original members left in the band is singer
Parramore McCarty (vocals) and Joe Floyd (guitars). The 2nd album also features
Roy Z who played as special guest spot on one of their songs and also features
drummer Dave Ducey from the 'Ancient Future' album. The 5 piece were overwhelmed
by the crowds reaction as this guys meant business and they certainly delivered
just that. The band don't have a new album yet but I am sure they will have in
the very near future. Songs the band played were: Intro/ PTM 1 (tape), Fight Or
Fall, Mind Over Matter, Ruler, Day of the Evil (Beware), Defenders of Creation,
Tonight We Ride, Cold Fire, Fighting For The Earth (feat. Roy Z). Great
performance, lets hope they make a new album soon!! Next up was 'Hardcore
Super Stars', the band who have also
played Download festival, but I missed them there. I wasn't sure what to expect
from this band, I was thinking they might be a L.A. Glam band but they came on
and did a really good set, kind of like Skidrow style meet The Poodles hard
hitting metal. These 5 guys from Sweden proved to be a band were you can't judge
a book by its cover. Signed to Nuclear Blast records the band seem to be
uplifting the 80's style of Sleeze/ Glam Metal, but with a twist and kind of
have a twist that Steel Panther also have. Yeah I really enjoyed watching these
guys believe it or not. Some songs played were: Beg For It, Into Debauchery, 
Shades
Of Grey, Dreamin In A Casket, Wild Boys, We Don't Celebrate Sundays.
Pretty good stuff!! Next up was Bay Area Thrasher's 'Exodus',
Exodus the band who caused choas around the world since the mid 80's with such
albums as 'Bonded By Blood' was the new breed of Bay Area Thrash which was to devastate
the world of metal and of course this band are no exceptions to taking no
prisoners. With several line-up changes within the singing department, with
Baloff, Souza and now Duke to the fold the band are stronger and heavy then ever
before and I tell you these guys get pissed off on stage and are fucking brutal
live. A band well worth see in if you already haven't. 8 albums released and a
new one in 2010 titled 'The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit B' is a follow up
this the 2007 release. Get ready for the Exodus Attack!! These guys played a
brutal hard thrashing set of 55 minutes of brutal Thrash with a mosh pit for
followed their music. Songs included were: Bonded By Blood, And Then There Were
None, A Lesson in Violence, Strike of the Beast, Exodus, Piranha, Brain Dead,
Seeds of Hate, Brain Dead, Toxic Waltz, Fabulous Disaster, Sealed with a Fist,
War Is My Shepherd, Blacklist and more... Awesome shit man!! Another Bay Area
band next, this time of the more mellow and hard rock era was 'Y&T',
a great hard Rock/ Blues band that certainly know how to play and have been
around since the 70's. Yeah after Exodus people needed to chill out and these
guys delivered an awesome set of their finest hits. Dave Meniketti & Phil
Kennemore are the only 2 original members left from the band formerly known as
'Yesterday & Today', now
'Y&T' who are now joined by John Nymann (guitar) and Mike VanderHule
(drums). This band have released soem classic albums such as 'Earthsharker' in
81, 'Black Tiger' in 82, 'Meanstreak' 83 and so many more... The band are
currently writing new material for the next album, their 1st since 'Endangered
Species' in 97. These guys are great musicians for any festival and
concert for that matter and having seen them 3 times in the UK before I know
these guys are superb musicians and Dave is a great guitarist and singer. They
really did pull it off at BYH festival and the crowd just loved them and wanted
more. Drummer Mike did an awesome job considering he was playing with 1 arm, he
broke his wrist so he really did pull it off, so hats off to Mike!! Songs played
were: Open Fire, Lipstick and Leather, Dirty
Girl, Wild If I Wanna, Meanstreak, Rescue Me, I'll Cry For You, Eyes of a
Stranger, Looks Like Trouble, Black Tiger, I Believe In You
Forever.
Next to hit the stage was ' W.A.S.P.',
led by Blackie Lawess,
formed in 82 by Blackie who is the only original member left was which also
feaured back in the day Chris Holmes (guitar) and Randy Piper (guitar) Steve
Riley (drums) released such classics as 'W.A.S.P' 84, 'The Last Command' 85,
'The Headless Children' 86 and more albums. Blackie has tried to keep the music
and band alive since the later 90's and so far s doing a pretty good job. With
the band promoting 'Dominator' 2007 release, they finally get to play BYH which
was good to see, as it's been a while since I last saw them live. The bands
current line-up is Doug Blair (guitar), Mike Duaa (bass ) and drummer Mike Dupke.
The band played an impressive set to a die hard audience, songs played were:
&
Sheffield 02 Academy (UK) 30.4.09
it
was nice to be back in Sheffield once again, the home of Def Leppard. I have
seen 
rather
quite a few shows in this city now, my last show at this venue was Saxon with
Motorhead in 08. Now it was time to see Yorkshire act Saxon return to the same
venue, but back in 08 it was named 'Carling Academy' as headliner's. A good turn
out of the crowd showed up for this show. Metal Heads of all ages, young, and
old were here to support both Saxon and the beautiful Doro. The first band on
the bill which I had no idea were playing was 'Sweet Savage', the band which
featured Def Leppard's Vivian Cambell. However, German Metal Queen 'Doro' was
about to hit the stage and this was one act I wasn't going to miss. Doro has
been around since the mid 80's with her old band 'Warlock', who released several
classic albums such as 'Burning The Witches', 'Hellbound' (still their finest
release), before the band broke up and Doro formed what we saw tonight as the
'Doro' band. Doro has been the Metal Queen and will always be the god mother of
Metal music, this is no doubt about that. She has made her mark on metal and
still continues to carry the flag for every female out their who is a singer in
a metal band. Doro has come along way since her early days with various line-up
changes but has now found the line-up that she needs to keep the line-up strong.
Doro is now promoting her new album 'Fear No Evil', which is a great album with
various hard hitting tunes as well as some nice ballads. OK, so Doro hit the
stage to play a roughly 45-1 hr set of pure hard hitting metal magic from songs
by Warlock and of course her now material. She really does know how to get the
crowd going, like Rob Halford, Doro raises the spirits of the crowd and likes
the crowd to get involved with her. She is a great front lady in metal. What an
explosive set by the one and only Doro!! Songs played were: Earthshaker Rock, I
Rule The Ruins, You're My Family, Burning The Witches, Night Of The Warlock,
Celebrate, True As Steel, Breaking The Law (Judas Priest cover), and All We Are.
Both Doro, Johnny Dee, Nick Douglas, Luca Princiotta and a new guitarist who I
didn't get his name did one hell of a awesome set. Make sure you check out the
Doro band in the near future!!
Next
up was the mighty 'Saxon', what can one say about Saxon? Rather a lot
to be honest, they have been around since the early 80's or the late 70's,
starting out as 'Son Of A Bitch', but changed their name to Saxon in the early
80's. Biff and the boys have carried the flag for England ever since and with
each album they continue to get stronger with each album. Since the band
released 'Dogs Of War', this was a turning point for the band which each album
ever since has become stronger. If you take such albums as 'Metal Head',
'Killing Ground' then you will see the band have adapted a more European Power
Metal approach, not forgetting their roots of course, the classic Saxon sound
which still remains. Re-recording the old tunes for 'Heavy Metal Thunder' was
just fucking awesome!! With the band just releasing their current album 'Into
The Labyrinth' which was released through SPV. Saxon are just one of those bands
that you can't dislike, kind of you take them in like a lost puppy and become
attached. Saxon's music is just pure British metal and they're proud of it, like
Judas Priest, there both 2 of the finest UK metal acts. Biff Byford, Paul Quinn,
Doug Scarratt, Nibbs Carter and Nigel Glockler are a very strong and powerful
unit that makes this band so unique. Every time I saw this band live since I was
15 or so they just keep on delivering some fucking great music and they even
come across better live. Like Doro and Rob Halford, Biff is a showman, who knows
how to get the crowd involved with their music, sing a longs are a good thing
for Biff and the boys. A powerful 1 hr and a half of pure head banging metal was
delivered with a powerful punch from Saxon tonight, with the band opening up
with 'Battalions Of Steel, a song from their new album, which is a hard hitting
heavy song, a great opener for the crowd to get stuck into. Other songs included
were: Heavy Metal Thunder, Demon Sweeney Todd, Ride Like The Wind, Witchfinder
General, Strong Arm Of The Law, The Letter, Valley Of The Kings, And The Bands
Played On.., Hellcat, Backs To The Wall, Come Rock Of Ages, Never Surrender,
Wheels Of Steel. What a great gig this was, one of the best and still one of the
best UK metal bands around, along with Doro. Are you a Crusader?
Leeds Rio's (UK) 28.3.09
It's
been a while since I last saw Kamelot live, the first time was the ProgPower 
UK
festival in 2007, a great festival sadly missed at the moment. So tonight was a
special time for me to catch the band live again upon our shores. This is the
bands 1st debut full length tour of the UK and I wasn't sure how well the turn
out with the crowd would be. To my amazement the turn out for the show was electrify
with a full house of scream die hard kamelot fans, waiting to cathc the band
live once again. Unfortunately the support band Serenity didn't play due to
illness within the band and so they had to return to Austria, shame really.
Kamelot were supported by a local band, who I didn't catch their name but the
band tried hard to win over a packed full house but didn't really win them over.
London had the best deal with Dream Evil supporting Kamelot, lucky bastards!!
Kamelot however, played an explosive set which left fans wanting more and with a
encore made this a special and enjoyable evening. Kamelot have come a long way
since their early days with such albums as 'Eternity' in 95, a great debut which
reminded me of Crimson Glory. further albums followed 'Dominion' in 97, Roy
Khan's debut 'Siege Perilous' in 98 to more successful albums such as 'The Black
Halo' & 'Ghost Opera'. Roy was once the front man for 'Conception' a great
band that I suggest you kids check out. Roy is one of the finest singers to come
out of Norway along side Jorn Lande and ex TNT front man Tony Harnell. Thomas
Youngblood made the right choice in having Roy in Kamelot, that's for sure!!
Back to the show, almost a 2 hour set of pure hard hitting metal which could be
described as Epic/ Symphonic Progressive Metal. Nevertheless, this is a great
band well worth checking out. Songs played that night were: Rule the World, When
The Lights Are Down, Soul Society, Center Of The Universe, The Pendulous Fall,
Anthem, Moonlight, instrumental, The Human Stain, EdenEcho, The Haunting,
(keyboard solo) Forever, Ghost Opera, Love You To Death, Karma, and March Of
Mephisto. A great night by a great band that should be playing Downlaod and
Bloodstock in 2009 or 2010, watch this space!!! The band promise to return to
the UK for their next album release and they said Leeds was going to be their
stop once more, how happy that made us all feel!!.
& 
& 
& 
London Islington Academy (UK) 20.2.09
What a great gig
is was, 2 legend Thrash Metal bands come head to head with 2 new Thrash Metal
bands joining them on the bill. Exodus from San Francisco, and Over Kill from
New York/ New Jersey came together top deliver one hell of a show and to show
the younger generation just what they 
missed back in the day they can now see
live in 2009. Exodus like Over Kill have released several album since the early
80's and have continued to carry on regardless of the stadium. These 2
bands deserve more respect than some bands out there and tonight was a good
night to see the two co-headlining along side 2 new and up and coming Thrash
bands which would appear to the younger generation. 'Torture Squad' hailing from
Brazil have come along way for this tour of Europe and recently signed to
Earache records. Formed back in 1990 in a line-up with founder Cristiano Fusco
on guitar, Wagner "Castor" on bass, Amilcar Christofaro on drums, and
Vitor Rodrigues as frontman and singer. They started touring in and around San
Paulo and soon recorded a demo, released in 1993, A Soul in Hell. Their first CD
was Shivering (1995); their break-through came with Asylum of Shadows (1999).
The band have recorded 7 albums to date, and the bands current album 'Hellbound'
was released in 2008. The bands current line-up is: Amilcar
Christofaro (drums), Castor (bass), Vitor Rodrigues (vocals) and Augusto Lopes
(guitar). Mixing classic style Thrash with hints of Death Metal coming across
between Exdous, Malevolent Creation, Kreator, Legion Of The Damned, makes a
great combination of music which mixes well. Songs played in their short set
were: Living For The Kill, The Beast Within, In The Cyber War, Pandemonium,
Chaos Corporation, Torture Squad. Next up was yet another Earache recording
artist, this time is was Irish Thrasher's 'Gama
Bomb', who were formed back in
2002 back in with members Philly Byrne: Vocals, Joe McGuigan: Bass, Luke Graham:
Guitar, Domo Dixon: Lead Guitar, Paul Caffrey: Drums of which the band have
recorded 2 albums and several demos. I wasn't sure what to expect from these
Irish Thrasher's but I have to admit they are impressive young Thrasher's. if
you like the likes of Over Kill, Exodus, Sacred Reich, Evil Dead, Re-Animator,
Acid Reign then I am sure this band would appeal to you, certainly I enjoyed
them!! Current Singer Philly Byrne, is a great front-man who certainly knows how
to get the crowd going and is rather comical. Songs played were: Zombie Blood
Nightmare, Steel Teeth, Final Fight, Time Crime, Atomizer, Hammer Slammer, OCP, Polterghost, In The Court Of General Zod, Bullet
Belt, Hell Trucker, Zombi Brew. Great band with a lot of energy, well worth
checking out!!
Next up was San Francisco's
'Exodus', another band that should not need any introduction. Once Kirk from
Metallica was once the original guitarist but was replaced by Gary Holt. Exodus
originated back in 1982 with Paul Baloff (R.I.P.), on vocals, Tom Hunting
(drums), Rick Hunolt’s (guitar), Rob McKillop (bass), and released their debut
album for Combat/ Torrid Records titled 'Bonded By Blood' in 86 and the debut
album shocked 
the Thrash Metal movement with
it's hard and heavy approach which
left a lot of fans in shock and hungry wanting more.. Later albums would follow
with new singer Steve “Zetro” Souza, ex Legacy (now Testament) and such
albums as 'Pleasures Of The Flesh' 87, 'Fabulous Disaster' 89, and Steve leaving
the band in 2004 with his last album 'Tempo Of The Damned' Since then the band
have recruited singer Rob Dukes. The band have also seen Paul Bostaph (ex
Slayer) on drums within the band but now Tom is back within the band, Also in
the band is bassist Jack Gibson and ex Heathen guitarist Lee Altus. For this
tour Tom didn't play but ex Cradle drummer Nick Barker stood in for the tour.
Playing an impressive 1 hour set roughly the band hit the stage to a
overwhelming response from the crowd, with a nice mosh pit and plenty of slam
diving. Hitting through a head banging, ear splitting set let the crowd hungry
and wanting more, but the night was still young as Over Kill were about to
unleash their power. Exodus played some classic from their debut right up to the
bands later releases. With the band's aggressive and brutal guitar riffs and Rob
Dukes attitude made a explosive combination of real Thrash Metal. Impressive set
list by 1 of the world's finest Thrash acts. Songs played were: Deranged,
Fabulous Disaster, And Then There Were None, Another Lesson In Violence, Brain
Dead, War Is My Shepard, Bonded By Blood, Toxic Waltz, Piranha. Can you handle
the toxic waltz? Last but not least was the mighty 'Over
Kill', New York's finest and
what a fucking kick ass band Over Kill are. These guys deserve more respect and
even deserve to be placed on such tours like 'Priest Feast', as they would of
been a great addition to the bill and even given Priest a run for their money.
Over Kill have released 14 albums to date and that defiantly says something
about this bands determination to carry on and with the band 1st appearing at
such clubs as L’Amours, which was renown for having some top acts in the day
of the 80's. Over Kill have carried the flag of true Thrash without selling out
and with the devastation bass guitar sound of D.D. Verni and Bobby “Blitz”
Ellsworth's ripping vocals is the bands trade mark. Formed with Rat Skates
(drums) and Bobby Gustafson (guitar) these guys recorded 2 albums with rat and a
further 2 albums with Bobby Gustafson before his departure. Over Kill however,
have had various guitar line-up changes but D.D. & Bobby have kept the flag
flying high for the band and still going stronger than ever!! With the bands
current album 'Immortalis' released in 2007, the band were once again ready to
play the UK after last years Bloodstock and 1 off London show in 2008. This was
a great night for all Thrash Metal fans alike. Ripping the stage and playing a
hour explosive set from start to finish left fans wanting more, it was just a
shame the night ended early for the club was open as a night clubs to dance shit
music!! Once again Over Kill came, saw and conquered the UK once again. Hitting
the stage with: Deny The Cross, Evil Never Dies, Hammer Head, Rotten To The
Core, Elimination, Skull & Bones, Feel The Fire, In Union We Stand, Over
Kill, Horrorscope, and of course their anthem 'Fuck You'!! In my opinion Over
Kill are and will always be the best Thrash band ever!! Are you rotten to the
core? You should be!!
& 
& 
Sheffield Arena (UK) 13.2.09
What a night to
remember, when 3 top names in metal came together to clash as one. I guess you
could say it was 'Clash Of 
The Titans' all over again, as in 90/91 the 3 played
together in the U.S.. Like myself, this was a gig for many who have never
seen Judas Priest, or Testament or Megadeth before until now and this was the
perfect gig to see all in one night. Sheffield area is a big place and in the
last 2 gigs I have attended there with Heaven & Hell and Judas Priest,
neither one has sold out, which is a shame. It certainly say's a lot for the big
Metal bands not been able to sell out big arena's. Look like boy/ girl band
rules the area's sadly. But hey this wasn't going to spoil a good night out was
it? With the turn out that did attend the atmosphere was electric!! Bay Area
Thrasher's 'Testament' were first to hit the stage and with the band once been
on Atlantic records and with such releases like 'The Legacy', 'Souls In Black',
'Low', 'The Gathering' the band have recorded several successful album to date.
With the band releasing their 2008 release 'The Formation Of Damnation' through
Nuclear Blast, this was one of the bands strongest releases to date. Hitting the
stage to play a rough set of about 40-50 minutes of high energy Thrash Metal at
it's best was going to be hard for Megadeth to beat!! As tension hits the
air the mighty 'Testament' were ready to hit the stage and to deliver one hell
of a powerful high energy filled set, that would leave both Megadeth & Judas
Priest wondering if you could ever beat such a powerful set.. Both guitarist
Alex and Eric played some heavy and impressive riffs just as the rythem section
of Greg and the awesome drummer of Paul certainly delivered the goods. Chuck
Billy also impressed and certainly got the crowd going from start to finish.
After a explosive set, from what I could gather a few people left and were only
there to witness Testament in their glory. Songs that Testament played
were: Over The Wall, Practice What You Preach, More Than Meets..., The Formation
Of Damnation, New Order, Disciples Of The Watch. Great band what shows how
Thrash should be played just like Over Kill and Slayer.
Next up was Dave
Mustain and 'Megadeth', featuring Chris Broderick (ex Jag Panzer/ Nevermore) on
guitar, along with James 
Lomenzo
(ex White Lion) on bass and drummer Shaun Drover (Eidolon). Chris replaced Glenn
Drover, Shaun's brother who was also with King Diamond & Eidolon last year.
Megadeth have been one of the godfathers of Thrash along side Over Kill, Slayer,
Testament, Metallica and Dave as most of you will know was once with Metallica
before Kirk joined the band. Megadeth started out with 'Killing is My
Business...' which was released on Combat/ MFN's and were soon picked up my
Capital Records for 'Peace Sells..' which in my opinion is the bands best work.
This album was the band rise to fame and the door way for Dave and co was soon
open. Further albums were released such as 'So Far So Good', 'Rust In Peace',
'Countdown To Extinction', and later albums such as 'The System Has Failed' and
the band current album 'United Abominations' released through Roadrunner
Records. Megadeth have struggled over the years with the clashing of Metallica
and Dave Mustain, which has caused Dave some discomfort, a sad case but true. I
have to say that Megadeth have wrote some good songs, but live there seems to be
very little stage presence and Dave always looks so miserable. A brave Megadeth
hit the stage and played an impressive set that Megadeth fans loved from start
to finish. A hour set proved the band justice but it was going to be hard to
beat Testament, but Megadeth did pull off an impressive set from start to
finish. Songs that they played were: Sleepwalker, Washington Is Next, Hanger 18,
Holy Wars, Peace Sells, Symphony Of Destruction, Machanix, A Tout Le Prisoners,
Gears Of War & Wake Up Dead. It was good to see the band live as I haven't
seen them since 91.
Next up was of
course the mighty 'Judas
Priest' which features the Metal God himself 'Rob
Halford' once again back to the fold 
after Tim Owen's departed from the band.
The mighty 'Priest' have been around since the later 60's/ early 70's and have
been delivering powerful real Heavy Metal music since 73 with 'Rock &
Rolla', which was soon followed with 'Sad Wings Of Destiny' in 76, both albums
released on Gull Records and were soon picked
up by CBS Records and the
beginning of the bands success starts with 'Sin After Sin' in 77. Back in those
days the band shocked the world or Rock & Metal with their leather &
stud approach to the music scene, even when the band supported the likes of Reo
Speedwagon, the Amercians where shocked with the stage presence. Futher albums
such as 'Killing Machine', 'British Steel, 'Screaming For Vengeance',
'Painkiller', 'Angel Of Retribution' are all classic's in their own right and
now with the band releasing 'Nostradamus' in 2008, which is based on the man
himself, is a stranger album that takes you through different twist and turns
throughout the album. The bands last album 'Angel Of...' saw the return of Rob
and the crowd were hungry to see the Metal God back in the band. This time
around the crowd were also ego to see the band return with this concept album
based on Nostradamus. As the intro tape started the light went down and the
crowd cheered and screamed with excitement. Opening up with 'Dawn of Creation'
before going into 'Prophecy', a good song but it was and is a shame that the
band do not play 'Nostradamus', but they did play 'Death', I guess Rob can't
handle the heavy and fast stuff live these days (Bless him). Both K.K., Glenn
played some impressive twin guitar riffs as well as Ian & Scott's rythem
section played just as an important part of the band. Rob is still the finest
metal singer along side Dio, Bruce Dickinson, Geoff Tate, but the days of Rob's
over powering screams is pretty much over. Don't get me wrong he still rips like
a bitch at screaming but not as good as he use too. Playing a 2 hour set with
some awesome light show and stage presence made the whole show electrifying.
Songs that the band included in their set were: Breaking The Law, Painkiller,
Hell Patrol, Dissident Aggressor, Angel, Electric Eye, Rock Hard Ride Free,
Sinner, You've Got Another Thing Comin', A Touch Of Evil, Metal Gods, The Green
Manalishi, Hell Bent For Leather. just to name a few songs. Great night by 3
classic bands in Metal!!! (I'd
like to thank Glenn for the picture he proved for this review, you're a star!!) www.glennashley.co.uk
& 
Sheffield Carling Academy (UK)
8.11.08
This was a night
to remember thats for sure, as you really don't get to classic bands from the
80's on the same bill unless it's a festival. Last time I saw Saxon with a band
like Motorhead was with Judas Priest in London back in 2001. Having first seen
Motorhead at the tender age of 11 (see my pic on my site) I have seen the band
through their career along the winding road. Opening act for the show was Danko
Jones, but sadly I only caught the last half of the last song, so I really can't
review what I missed. This was the first time I had seen Motorhead and Saxon at
this venue and it seems to be a pretty good venue and as Lemmy said 'Fuck the
City Hall, You can all stand here - right??', a wise word from the man himself.
This venue seemed more suitable for Rock and Metal bands alike. Playing to a
full house both bands shined through and delivered a awesome show. Saxon,
however are one of the finest and underrated acts that have also influenced so
many bands along side Motorhead, Maiden, Priest, Sabbath they surely deserve the
right to be more honored and respected. Biff and the boys came out to deliver
the crowd a hard hitting set and that's what they did, gave the crowd what they
wanted. Playing a superb set for about 1 hour Biff, Nibbs, Paul, Doug and Nigel
hit the stage and played their hearts out to a full packed audience that knew exactly
what they wanted to hear and see. Playing songs from the bands early material,
just because the crowd love the classic stuff right up to 2 new songs from the
bands forthcoming album 'Into The Labyrinth' which is due to be released in
2009. The band did play 2 new songs from that album. There is no denying that
Saxon are a powerful set that take no prisoners, just like Motorhead. Biff is
certainly a great front man who knows how to get the crowd going and with Nibbs
been a total head banging manic made the show even more enjoyable. All 5
musician's certainly know how the deliver a powerful set. Songs that Saxon
played were: Motorcycle Man, And The Bands Played On.., Live To Rock, Heavy
Metal Thunder, Never Surrender, Witchfinder General, Denim & Leather,
Backs To The Wall, Hell Cat, Princess Of The Night and & 747 Stranger In The
Night. Truly a awesome set by one of the finest British Metal acts around.
Last
but not least was the mighty 'Motorhead', Lemmy, Phil and Mikkey were ready to
hit the stage. Motorhead have been around since the late 70's and Lemmy been the
godfather just keeps on going. Motorhead have pretty much been a 3 piece, but in
the mid 90's they became a 4 piece with Werzel been the 2nd guitarist. Phil
remained and still continues to be a major part of the band. Mikkey (ex King
Diamond) is still one of the finest drummers around and certainly the best
Motorhead have ever had is one hell of a awesome drummer, shame he left King
Diamond. Motorhead however, remain the same and will never change for
anybody, been the fans, press or any label and so you really have to admire
Lemmy and co for their determination to carry on playing what they do best,
playing 'Rock & Roll' as Lemmy will say. Call them Metal or Rock & Roll,
Motorhead is Lemmy, and Lemmy is Motorhead. If you take a look at the bands
history nothing has really changed, and they still manage to play, fast, loud
and heavy as ever with no care in the world. There most famous tunes are 'Ace Of
Spade', 'Bomber' & 'Over Kill', 3 songs that made the band what they are
today. Motorhead have also gathered new fans in their early 20's as well as the
aging metal heads out there. All of which makes one happy family of head banging
maniacs. Now the crowd were hot and sweaty and ready to hit the stage and
deliver a ear blistering set of hard hitting music from start to finish. A quick
sound check on the stage was soon opened with 'We Are Motorhead, & We Play
Rock & Roll' from the man himself saying out loud. This went straight into
the following songs: Iron Fist, Stay Clean, Be My Baby, Rock Out, Metropolis,
Another Perfect Day, Over The Top, I Got Mine, (guitar solo), Rosely (Thin Lizzy),
In The Name Of Tragedy, (drum solo), The Power, Going To Brazil, Kill By Death,
Gonna Raise Hell, Whorehouse Blues, Ramones, Ace Of Spade and Over Kill. Well
what can one say about Motorhead? If you haven't seen the band live then you
ain't no Metal head that's for sure!! The band are here to stay and are still
going strong.
As I Lay Dying - Hull University (UK) 24.10.08
Having
seen 'As I Lay Dying' in the UK earlier this year at Bloodstock festival, I
already knew what to expect, solid hard hitting mixture of Thrash, Hardcore.
These 5 guys from San Diego certainly know how to play their music and how to
get a crowd going. Of all places I really didn't expect to see the band live in
my home city, so I knew I had to turn out to give them support and of course
Metal Blade Records. These guys have been around now since the early 2000's and
their debut album was released back in 2003 titled 'Frail Words Collapse' for
Metal Blade, saw the ready making waves with the local scene and shortly within
the international scene as well. The band later on recorded their 2nd album for
Metal Blade 'Shadows are Security' in 2005 and their recent release 'An
Ocean Between Us' released in 2007. I wasn't expecting to see as many people
turn out for this show as I really didn't know just how many people there were
in Hull into this band. Seems like the younger generation certainly seem to be
into this band in a pretty big way. Playing to a pretty intense crowd in a small
but pretty decent venue, A.I.L.D. performed to a overwhelming crowd of screaming
young metal heads, ready to show the band that they were indeed hungry for some
real music in this city. 4 Other bands were also on the stage, a couple of U.S.
bands and a band from Japan, who like most Japanese bands seem to lack and keep
up with the times. Rather amusing to watch indeed. A.I.L.D., unfortunately only
played a very short set of 30 minutes which soon pasted and by the end of the
set the crowd wanted more, even if they were not the headlining act. Songs
played were: Through Struggle, Nothing Left. Forever, The Sound Of Truth, 94
Hours and Confined. A decent band well worth see in live that's for sure. I do
hope that the band reutnr to these shore soon and I hope I get to see them live
in my home city once again. I'll certainly spread the word for these guys, as
it's about time we had some decent bands playing in Hull once again. I'm sure
the band will be more than happy to come back and play a longer set just for us
die hard metal heads.
Beverly Memorial Hall
- 3rd & 4th October 2008
Friday 3.10.08
Yet
another year had past it it was time for another year of metal mayhem 
from local
and national acts from around the UK. It was good to see some new faces at this
years festival as well as the local supporters. This year saw more people
attending and I'm sure more people will attend next year with it's new location.
Saturday saw some interesting bands and of course Sunday also saw some
decent acts as well. I'm sure that next year will see more people attending and
with some bigger names on the bill I really can't see why this festival can't
keep on going with they get the support they need. Opening act for Saturday was
a local band to Hull called 'Divine
Oblivion',
a young band which features Hoff (vocals), Necromantis (vocals), Rayne
Stigmartyr (guitars), Duds (bass) and drummer Joey. The
band features a male and female joint vocals which can sometimes work, but in
this bands case, things really didn't happen too well for them. After listening
too them on their Myspace page I was didn't think much of their music. They
tried hard and some of the audience liked them but a lot were left disillusioned.
I very short set left the crowd waiting for the next act which were 'Annushka'
a band from Newcastle, featuring Skyclad singer Kevin Ridley, who also manages
the band. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this band, but I had to say
they tried hard but really didn't go down to well. The band consist of: Annushka-
piano, vocals, Reece Kerr - lead guitar, Josh - Bass player, Eoghan- Drummer. I
had to say that the singer Annushka has a very strange voice and reminds me of a
bad version of Kate Bush, Bjorn, and Rennies wife from 'Allo Allo', sorry to say
this but a lot of people couldn't help laugh at her voice. The band struggled on
and tried so hard, unfortunately today was not there best day I am sure of that.
I am surprised they are playing next years festival, I really do hope she gets
her voice sorted out otherwise it's going be yet another disastrous day for the
band yet again. Next up was 'Hear Ray', now this is more like it, now
that people were ready for some real metal music. Chunk and the boys are a good
set of lads and play well as ever playing some old school Thrash, mainly heading
towards Metallica, with hints of Saxon, Manowar. Chunk is a great front man and
he knows how to get the crowd going, this was the start of the day now becoming
an uplifting day now that Heat Ray had finally got the crowd up off their feet
and some pretty cool head banging start to take place. Songs that Heat Ray
played were: The Last Ride, Marshall Law, The Night Witch, The Devil Killer,
Razor Blade Screams, Heat-Ray. Great band and if they carry on I am sure
the band will get better support slots. Next up was 'Infernal Creation', I
wasn't too sure what to expect from these 5 guys, I knew they played Black Metal
with some Death Metal thrown in, but just how good could they actually play?
Another local Hull band consisting of such band names as: Sin (guitars), Bastard
(drums), 
Neiphrobous (vocals), Deimos (bass), Bard (guitar). I was very curious
to what I was about to hear and believe it or not I was pretty surprised and
impressed. Mixing the likes of Bathory, Venom, Amon Amarth, Cradle of Filfth,
and maybe hints of Cannibal Corpse I had to say these 5 guys pulled of an
impressive set and even the crowd loved their music, and even myself enjoyed
that I heard and saw. Songs played were: To
the gods of desolation, Storm,Upon the black wings of annihilation, Gehenna,
Soulless. Next band on the bill were 'Ravenage',
a band from Hull which are more directed towards the Pagan/ Viking style of
metal. At times they could have a hint of Black Metal like 'Infernal Creation'.
The band consist of: Heralder (vocals), Woodman (guitars), Lord Legion (bass),
Windrider (keyboards), and drummer Ulver. Where do they get these names from??
This band is lead by one of the organizers for the festival, so doing the
festival and playing in a band is pretty impressive stuff. The band have played
some pretty big festivals over in Europe and Scandinavia
and also have a CD out. Fans of Amon Amarth, Bathory, and many more fans of this
style would really enjoy their music. A good band and well worth hearing. Next
was the headliners for the Saturday, this was 'Skyclad', from newcastle these
Pagan/ Folk Rockers have been around for many years now, which were formed by ex
Sabbat front man Martin, and ex blind Fury guitarist Steve Ramsey.
Saturday 4.10.08
Saturday was
another day of head banging mayhem and another early start. 1st band which
was 'Fado
Rock', which features Mr Bob (vocals), Spike (guitar), Andy (bass), Prov
(Organ), Dave (drums), and these guys were pretty good for a local band. Mixing
the likes of Danzig style vocals (not my cup of tea), but the music made up for
it, across between Led Zepplin, Soundgarden, 
Trouble, not a bad little act to be
honest. 
Formed in Hull, these guys have released 6 releases, either as demos,
E.P.s but nevertheless, these guys are pretty good band. Songs played
were: Score
To Settle, Tables Have Turned,
Six Feet South, No Damn Difference, Medusa, Sleep In An Empty Bed,Falling Fifty
Floors.
Next was 'Soul Flame',
these guys had played the festival before, so there were no strangers to the
show. Current band line up is: Nikki Flamer - Lead guitar & Vocals Ronnie
Rocket - lead Guitar & backing Ashes - Bass Guitar & backing Dave T -
Drums & Backing vocals. These guys are yet another impressive addition to
the bill playing their style of Hard Rock with some guitar work which is a
little bit like Zack Wylde at time. I'm surprised these guys haven't released a
CD yet, but I am sure they will within the next year or so. Next to hit the
stage was 'Invey', hailing from the West Midlands, I wasn't to sure what to
expect from these guys, with the line-up been: Claire Natalie (vocals), Simon
(drums), Andy (bass) and Ed (guitars). The band brought some CD's to give away
which was a good promotion for the band. Playing a more modern style of Metal/
Rock with some industrial influences really didn't grab my attention that much.
Claire's vocals were pretty much all over the place unfortunately,
but I have to give her credit for have a stage presence despite the bands music
lacking in some way. Trying to be original doesn't always work and for this band
they tried hard but didn't win me over. Songs played were: Diamond, Release,
Easy, Precious, This Hurts, Grind You, Not Listening, Bring It On, Leave
Me. Next was 'Hayokee',
a strange band from the
North East of the UK, these guys were interesting to watch as a instrumental
band. I'm not sure if the band are all related, but for a 5 these guys were
probably 1 of the most interesting bands of the day. Not a Metal band but a psychedelic
Prog Rock act 4 musicians inspired by the likes of Dream Theater, Ozric
Tentacles, Frank Zappa, and other strange but weird acts that make this band
interesting and unique to watch. Certainly a band worth checkout out. Songs
played by these were: The Ride, Last Camel, Arid Land, Bear Dance, Bouree,
Heavens Smile. Next were
'Liquid Sky', hailing from Manchester (UK), this band are front by a female
singer known as Tiffeny Joyce, who has a perfectly tuned voice and I wasn't sure
what to expect from her, I was hoping she was a more powerful singer than the
other female fronted bands on the bill, and how surprised I was to hear such a
decent voice from her. She reminds me of the likes of Epica, Within Temptation,
Lacuna Coil. Tiffeny is joined by Jonathan Craven (guitars), Den Constable
(bass), Stuart Wright (drums), Rick Ogden (keyboards), Andy Midgley (guitars).
Their music is Progressive Metal, which could sound like Kamelot, Epica, and
seem to jell well. The band have released 1 album to date titled 'Identity'
which is worth checking out. The band played a great set and came across
professional enough. Certainly worth checking out, songs played: Titan,
Ghost In The Spell, Dreamstate, Beyond The Divine, Helpless, Love Labours Lost,
The Evil That Men Do. 
Next up was 'Awake', band who
use to go under the name of 'Humanity' released 1 album
before changing their
name and releasing their 2nd album 'Illumination', a band who supported Evergrey
on their last UK tour. I have to say they are a UK answer to Evergrey, obviously
not as good but, but still impressive live. The bands current line up is: Simon
Shedwell (vocals), Chris Le Motte (bass), Craig Burkitt (keyboards), Alex
Townsend (drums), Richard Hall (guitar), Steve Wallace (guitar), these guys like
Liquid Sky's came across as good solid musician's and certainly got the crowd
going. It seems as if the best bands were kept for the last few acts. Next up
was 'Talamasca', this
3 piece from Hull have been around for a few good years now, and recorded
several CD's, E.P.'s. With the line up been: Stig (vocals & guitar), Gordi
(bass), Garr (drums). This
was the last gig that the band were going to perform and only ever seen the band
once before today I was pretty impressed with their music abilities the way they
performed on stage. Even the music impressed me with the hard edge which
reminded me of across between Motorhead and at times Iron Maiden amongst other
acts. It was a sad day for the band and fans alike, who have supported the
band, but I guess they had their reasons to split up. The did the festival and
crowd proud and put on a great performance. Well what a way to go out with a
bang a? great live show, and I wish the band members the best of luck with their
future plans!!. next and last act was 'Blaze Bailey', once with Wolfs
Bane and Iron Maiden's front man, now has his own band which have been around
now since the early 2000's. Blaze has come a long way since his days with Wolfs
Bane and his downfall after Iron Maiden left his to pick up the pieces and form
his own band. Today was a special day for Blaze, who has just lost if wife and
certainly was a very emotional day for him, the band and the fans.
Throughout the show Blaze put a brave face on and and promised to do the show
for his fans and for his departed wife. You couldn't fault Blaze for trying and
for a good performance, so he gets my thumbs up. Great live set with some kick
ass attitude made this a great night and a powerful end o the festival which I a
am sure will grow with the right bands. Songs played by Blaze were: The Man Who
Would Not Die, Black Mailer, Smile Back At Death, Identity, Ghost In The
Machine, Tenth Dimension, 10 Seconds, Kill & Destroy, A Crack In The System,
Samurai, Robot, Futureal, The Launch, Lord Of The Flies, Speed Of Light, Man On
The Edge, Born As A Stranger, and While You Were Gone. I just hope next year
gives Skyclad a break, as it's been 2 years in a row with them as headliners and
it's time for them to step down, at least give somebody else a break... like
Marshall Law!!!
- Leeds Rio's (UK)
20.9.08
Greek
Power Metal act, Firewind are no strangers to the metal scene, with Gus G
(ex Dream Evil/ Night Rage) been for main guy who just came out of nowhere and
was picked up by Dave Chastain who introduced him to some musicians who were to
form the band Firewind. With the bands debut album 'Between Heaven and Hell'
released in 2002, which was released on the Leviathan Record label, saw the band
making promising waves within the metal community. The band soon released their
next album 'Burning Earth' in 2003. Later on the band found Petros Christo
(bass), Bob Katsionis (keyboards) and singer Chitty (ex Avalon) and Pagans
Mind's drummer Stain. The band signed to Century Media and released 'Forged By
Fire'. The band had some line up changes and soon Mark Cross (Ex Metalium)
played drums and new singer Apollo Papathanasio took the mic. This wasn't the
first time I had seen the band live, so I knew what to expect from these superb
musician's. It was however the first time I had seen them in Leeds, so I was
rather excited to see them playing the Rio's club. I would of much preferred to
see them in Bradford Rios but that club is no more. Support act for the tour was
Kiuas, but I missed them so I really can't do a write up on them, sorry metal
heads!! However, Firewind played an explosive set of pure power from start to
finish and as ever they are top musician's who play some excellent music. If
you're a fan of Dream Evil, Judas Priest, Saxon, Metalium, Primal Fear, then
this is the band for you. There really are awesome live and singer Apollo a
great addition to the band. Gus G as ever plays some impressive guitar work
which comes close to that of Yngwie, Vinnie Moore, and Mark's drumming is
awesome, pounding drums beats makes this 1 hell of a show. Lets not forget Bob
and Petros musical abilities as well. The crowd just loved the music and with a
good turn out made the night an even more enjoy show. Songs that the band played
were: Allegiance, Insanity, Into The Fire, Head Up High, Mercenary, Angel
Forgive Me, My Loneliness, The Silent Code, Destination Forever, The Fire &
The Fury, Dream Chaser, Deliverance, Between Heaven & Hell, I Am The Anger,
Falling Into Pieces, Tyranny. A top band with a great attitude towards music,
long live Firewind!!!
Catton Hall - Derby (UK) 15 - 17th August
2008
Thursday 14th:
Well another
year has pasted, last year saw some awesome bands with such acts as: Firewind,
Arch Enemy, In Flames, Testament, Dream Evil, Nevermore and many more....
Weather wise for 2007 wasn't too bad and we were all waiting to see what 2008
weather would bring. To be honest, 2008 
was pretty good weather wise, only
rained late on night. This year was bigger than last year and I am telling you
this is going to be a little Wacken festival very soon, forget Download, let's
leave that to the Nu-Metal stuff as we need a real Metal festival here in the
UK. Bloodstock has grown over the years from the indoor festival were Saxon
headlined the debut festival to the outdoor ones which are now been held. This
year saw yet another 3 days of pure mental head banging mayhem and what an
exciting time it was, especially with Over Kill playing, a band that would shred
the stage to bits. Anyway, the pre-party was about to take place on the Thursday
night, beer, music and karaoke!! 2 bands that I did catch live on the Thursday
were: 'Conquest Of Steel',
who played an impressive set and are always good to watch live. Mixing the likes
of Judas Priest, Manowar, Iron Maiden, Omen style of Pure Metal was a good start
to a powerful weekend of more metal bands to come. Conquest of Steel certainly
know how to get the crowd going and with the band about to record their latest
offering I feel that these guys are well worth checking out. Next band I saw
live but they were not announced were: 'Marshall
Law', as I was just walking
past the tent I heard what I thought was a Marshall Law record, turned out to be
the band themselves. I was impressed to see the band live again, as it has been
a while since I last saw them live. These guys from Birmingham (UK), are great musician's
and create some powerful Power Metal which comes across between Judas Priest and
Dokken. Andy Pykes vocals are still on top form and so is Dave Martin's guitar
playing, as these are the only 2 original members left. The bands current
line-up is: Andy Pyke - Vocals, Dave Martin - Guitar, Dave Rothan - Guitar, Tom
Dwyer - Bass, Steve Hauxwell - Drums. With the release of 5 studio releases and
1 live CD the time is right for the band to release their new album entitled
'Razor Head', which is soon to be released on Demolition Records. The new album
is really kicking ass (believe you me), and I just like the way they continue to
play traditional real metal music. Songs that the band played were: Razor Head,
Victory, God King, Head Trap, Empowerment, Screaming, Marshall Law, Night
Terror, Another Bullet, Twisted This, Leviathan. Great band, welcome back
guys!!!
Friday 15th:
As we woke up
early, the girlfriend and I we had a quick look around the site before heading
the the main stage to catch the 1st band of the day. Weather was fine so that
was a good start. Opening the main stage at 10.45am was 'Saint
Deamon',
a young band hailing from Sweden and Norway, these 4 guys have released their
debut album for Italian label Frontiers entitled 'In The Shadows Lost From The
Brave', which is an impressive release for a debut. 
Mixing the likes of Yngwie
Malmsteen, Glory, Beyond Twilight, Hammerfall, Dionysus. 
The band consist of
Jan-Thore Grefstad (vocals), Ronny Milianowicz (drums), Toya (guitars), Nobby
(bass). These guys hit the stage and with a reasonable crowd the audience loved
what the band delivered to them. Even I was impressed with their short 30 minute
set. Some nice vocals and melodic music here. Songs played were: My Judas, In
The Shadows Lost From The Brave, My heart, No Man's Land, Run For Your Life. I
suggest you check these guys out, they have some melodic and impressive metal to
offer. Next up was UK Thrasher's 'Evile',
these 4 guys have made quite an impact on the Thrash scene of recent. Now signed
to Earache records, their debut album 'Enter The Grave' released back in 2007
has been classed as 1 of the finest UK Thrash albums in years. These 4 Yorkshire
guys from Huddersfield play Thrash which can be compared to that of early
Metallica, Exodus, Testament and Onslaught. The bands current line-up is Mike
(bass), Matt (guitar/ vocals), Ben (drums) and Ol (guitars). Evile hit the stage
to a pretty large crowd who certainly enjoyed their performance as did the band
like playing their strong set which was: Thrasher,
Bathe In Blood, We Who Are About To Die, Man Against Machine, Enter The Grave. I
am sure the band will have a lot more to offer in the near future. Just watch
this space!!! Next to hit the stage were 'TYR',
these guys hail from Runavík, Faroe Islands, (I think from Scandinavia)
wherever that maybe. The band are a 4 piece which consist of the following
members: Heri Joensen (guitar and vocals), Terji Skibenæs (guitar), Gunnar H.
Thomsen (bass), and drummer Kári Streymoy. The band have recorded 7 released to
date and I really didn't know they had recorded so many releases. Now I can see
why they were popular at Bloodstock. Viking/ Pagan/ Celtic Metal is far becoming
very popular with today's metal scene. I for one am not a fan of this style of
music, but I do appreciate what they are doing. The crowd at the festival were
waiting for this act to hit the stage, lots of metal heads in Viking hats and
fur which was kind of funny but they were really into this band. These guys guys
put on a great show for they were pretty impressive live and certainly had the
crowd going. Songs they
played were: Gandkvaedi Tronddar, Sinklars Visa, Regin
Smidur, Dreams, Guta 
Rima, Hail To The Hammer, Wings Of Time, Lokka Tattur,
Ramund Hin Unge. Next up was 'Akercocke',
UK Death/ Black Metal act signed to Earache records, are certainly make a rather
big impact
on the extreme metal scene right now. Current line-up is: Jason
Mendonca - Guitar/Vocals, Matt Wilcock - Guitar, Peter Benjamin - Bass, David
Gray - Drums, Akercocke was formed in early 1997 by guitarist Jason Mendonca and
drummer David Gray. The band released their debut on their own titled 'Rape of
the Bastard Nazarene' in 1999. The band soon were signed to Peaceville and
released 'The Goat of Mendes'. In 2003 saw the release of 'Choronzon' was
released on Earache records, more albums were to follow. With some excellent
reviews in such magazines like Terrorizer the band were soon been recognized by
so many fans world-wide. Akercocke,
hit the stage and it almost seemed like an aerie
presence hit the stage, almost like Satan was with with them haha!! When the
band did get going, their music was fast, hard and brutal. Fans of such acts
like Napalm Death, Bathory, Autopsy, Voivod, Suffocation then you might like
these guys. It's interested to hear these influences in their music mixed with
electronic stuff like: Depeche Mode, Gentle Giant, Frank Zappa, a strange
combination I know, but for some it does work. This band seemed to pull a lot of
fans to the stage and I can see why really. Heavy shit here man, song they play
were: Becoming the Adversary, A Man Without Faith or Trust, Axiom,
Of Menstrual Blood and Semen, Verdelet, Summon the Antichrist, Eyes of the Dawn,
Enraptured by Eviled. next up was German Thrasher 'Destruction',
I had waited all day to see these guys been: Schmier - (Bass, Vocals), Mike
(guitars) and Marc (drums), they deliver a powerful hard hitting punch as a trio
act. Destruction have been around since the early 80's and have influenced so
many acts in the Thrash, Death and even the Black Metal scene. Their debut
release back in 1984 titled 'Sentence of Death' was the bands a debut mini CD
and was the start of more success for the band. The band later on went on to
record their debut full length album titled 'Infernal Overkill' back in 85, were
Destruction signed to SPV from their mini CD straight through
to 'Live without
Sense' in 89. Schmier 
left the band to form 'Headhunter'. Schmier later on
returned to the band when they released 'All Hell Breaks Loose' in 2000 for new
label Nuclear Blast. A further 4 albums were recorded for that label. Later on
the band signed to AFM Records (Doro) and released 'Inventor of Evil' in 2005,
which saw the band making a massive comeback and such an awesome album. The band
have recently released their new album 'D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N.'
through AFM records. See in Destruction once again was great, having seen them
at WOA it was nice to see them play a UK festival for once. There were so many
thrasher's at Bloodstock this year, anxiously waiting to see these 3 German
musicians hit the stage. 40 minutes of pure Thrash and yes they did cause total
devastation!! From start to finish it was going to be hard to beat these guys.
Truly an awesome act well worth checking out. Set list included: Curse Of The
Gods, Nailed To The Cross, Mad Butcher, Eternal Ban, Thrash Til Death, Soul
Collector, Total Disaster, Bestial Invasion, The Butcher Strikes Back.
Destruction play live to cause total devastation!! It was a nice day weather
wise and yet more was still to come. Next up was yet another German band, this
time around we have Power Metal act 'Primal
Fear'. Primal Fear are the band who
were formed by ex Gamma Ray/ Tyran' Pace front-man Ralf Scheepers, and Matt
Sinner (Sinner). Along the way the band have had a couple of line-up changes.
The band have had charges with Stefan Leibing (guitar), Klaus Sperling (drums),
Tom Naumann (guitar). The bands current line-up is: Randy Black - Annihilator
(drums), Magnus Karlsson - Last Tribe (guitar) , Henny Wolter -
Thunderhead (guitar) and of course Matt and Ralf. The band have had plenty of
success with their debut album 'Primal Fear' released in 98 and with later
albums such as 'Nuclear Fire' 2001, 'Black Sun' 2002, and now 'New Religion'
2007. I have had the pleasure of see in this band since their debut album and
this year at Bloodstock was nice to see them on an open air festival here in the
UK. Primal fear have played Bloodstock before at the indoor event, so to see
them here was a nice surprise. Playing to a packed crowd of die hard Power Metal
fans was also nice to see, the energy and power that this band gave was just
electrifying. Ralf's sheer powerful voice made all the difference, so I can see
why he was in the top list for the Judas Priest job when Rob first left the
band. With twin guitar assault and pounding drums made this band the talk of one
of the finest bands to the day. Songs played were: The intro, Sign Of Fear,
Battalions Of Hate, Running In the Dust, Nuclear Fire, Chain Breaker, Fighting
The Darkness, Final Embrace and Metal Is Forever. Next up was 'Soulfly',
formed by Max Cavalera, who was the front-man for 'Sepultura' along with his
brother Igor. Sepultura had a lot of success with Max as the front-man and today
the band continue without Max. Soulfly were formed 97/98 when Max left his
previous band and things were soon picking up for Max with this outfit. The band
released their 
self titled debut in 98 and the band have moved forward with a
lot of success. 
The debut album featured members of Fear Factory, Deftones, Dub
War, Limp Bizkit. This was the first time for Soulfly to play Bloodstock, and
even though the band have played Download before it was nice to see them at a up
and growing festival like this one. Max and the boys delivered a solid set
featuring songs old and new and of course some Sepultura songs too. Songs that
they played were: Eye For An Eye, Blood Fire War Hate, Prophecy, Babylon, Chaos
A.D., Ready Aim Fire, Beneath The Remains, Refuse/ Resist, just to name a few.
Fans of Sepultura, Nailbomb, were in for a treat that day. Max and the boys
delivered what they came to do, destroy!! Next up was 'Helloween',
what can one say about these guys? Helloween are probably the godfathers of
Speed Metal, hailing from Hamburg (Germany) these guys have been around since
the early 80's and with their debut mini CD self titled which was released back
in 1985 followed by their stunning debut and still a cult classic 'Walls Of
Jericho' released back in 1985 This album opened out the doorways to more
success and a bright future of this band. Originally fronted by Kai Hansen
(Gamma Ray) with Markus Grosskopf (bass), Michael Weikath (guitar), Ingo
Schwichtenberg (drums), the band went on to make lots of successful albums. Kai
stopped doing the vocals and recruited vocalist Michael Kiske. The band recorded
albums such as 'Keeper Of The Seven Keys -Pt.1 +2'. Kai left the band and was
replaced by Roland Grapow (Masterplan). The bands current line-up is: Andi Deris
- ex Pink Cream 69 (vocals), Markus Grosskopf (bass), Michael Weikath (guitar),
Sascha Gerstner (Guitar, Keyboards), and drummer Daniel Loble, ex Rawhead Rexx.
See in the band at Bloodstock was a great and as always Helloween always put on
a perfect performance. Andi's vocals are on top form and the band played well to
a packed crowd of old and new metal heads alike. Some impressive twin guitar
work here and double bass drumming make this band one of the finest acts around.
So many musicians owe it to this band as one of their top influences. Tracks
played were: March Of Time, As Long As I Fall, Eagle Fly Free, A Tale That
Wasn't Right, If I Could Fly, Dr. Stein, Medley, Future World and I Want Out.
Great band and well worth checking out!! Well the day was almost up, just 1 for
act, headliners 'Opeth',
a young but gifted act from Sweden, these 5 guys play a strange combination of
music that does seem to work. If you like the likes of Pink Floyd meets Cradle
Of Filth with hints of Dream Theather then you have Opeth. The band have
released 9 albums to date, and I am pretty shocked to even know they have so
many albums under their belt. The bands current line-up is: Mikael Akerfeldt
(vocals/ guitar), Fredrik Akesson - Talisman/ Arch Enemy (guitar), Martin Mendez
(Bass), Martin Axenrot (drums) and Per Wiberg (keyboards). These guys are great
musicians that really do mix the 70's hippy feel of rock and prog rock with the
darker side of such bands like Cradle and Bathory that does seem to mix well. By
the time Opeth hit the stage the crowd were really looking forward to see in
this act and I am not surprised to say the least. An impressive set to end a
great opening day on the main stage. Songs played were: Demon
of the Fall, The Baying Of The Hounds, Master's Apprentices, Serenity Painted Black, To Rid
The Disease, Wreath, Heir Apparent, The Drapery Falls.
Saturday: 16th
Another
nice day ahead, and the first band I caught on the main stage were Swedish
Progressive Metaller's 'Cloudscape'.
These 5 Swedish musician's have been around now since 2001 when the band rose
from the ashes of a band under the name of 'Doctor Weird'. With 3 stunning
studio albums under their 
belt as Cloudscape, these been 'Cloudscape', 'Under
The Crimson Skies' and their 
awesome new album 'Global Drama' which was released
in August 2008. The bands current line-up is: Mike Andersson (vocals), Bjorn
Eliasson (guitar), Patrik Svard (guitar), Haynes Pherson (bass) and Roger Landin
(drums), these 5 musician's have the perfect chemistry to make 1 hell of a great
band. I was excited to see Cloudscape once again, the first time was at the
ProgPower (UK) last year 2007 and to see them on an outdoor festival was
something else. Playing a 30 minute set at 10.55am was interesting and rather
early for a lot of drunken metal heads. Mike Andersson and the boys hit the
stage to deliver an impressive set of Progressive Metal which could be compared
to that of Queensryche, Pagans Mind, Fates Warning, Dream Theater and Yngwie
Malmsteen. Great performance which included the following songs: Mind Dairy, And
The The Rain, Will We Remain, Darkest Legacy, Breach In My Sanity, Under Fire.
next up was 'Communic',
these 3 guys from Norway, are very impressive, playing Progressive Thrash Metal
is something interesting to watch. Formed by former Scariot guitarist Oddleif
Stensland, now the guitarist and vocalist for Communic was joined by Tor Atle
Andersen (drums) and bassist Erik Mortensen. The band formed back in 2003 and
released their debut album for Nuclear Blast in 2004/5 titled 'Conspiracy In
Mind'. This debut album made rather a good impression within the metal scene
mixing the likes of Nevermore meets Psychotic Waltz was something interesting
and had to be heard. The question was, could they pull both bands off into 1?
Yes they could and the band later on recorded 'Waves
of Visual Decay' in 2006 which then led to the bands new album 'Payment of
Existence' in 2008. Well this was also the 2nd time that Communic had played in
the UK, like Cloudscape they were also at last years ProgPower UK and also
impressed many fans alike back then. Today was their debut 1st open air here in
the UK, and with fans watching on in anticipation the 3 really did pull of a
decent set which lasted 40 minutes. There are some really impressive trio's who
pull off live really well like Motorhead, Rage and so do Communic. Impressive
material by a really good band. Songs played were:
On
Ancient 
Ground. Payment Of Existence, Waves of Visual Decay, The Unpredictables
Of Life, 
Raven's Cry. Next to hit the stage were 'Shallow The Sun', these Scandinavian
Black Metal heads hit the stage to give the fans a real treat. Fast head
banging metal music here and with Black Metal been so popular right now these
guys added to the flavour. Songs they played were: Plague The Butterflies, Don't
Fall Asleep, Descending Winter, Eluveitie, and many more.
Next
to hit the stage were 'Moonsorrow',
who were formed back in 1995 in Finland by Ville Sorvali (vocals & bass) and
Henri Sorvali (guitar & keyboards). The 2 brothers later on found other
members and recorded several demos before their debut album was released. The
current line-up is: Maitja Harvilahti (guitar), Markus Euren (Keyboards) and
Marko Tarvonen (drums). 6 albums under their belts has to be said there no
strangers to the metal scene. Playing Black Metal/ Viking Metal, in the typical Scandinavian
style like Dimmu Borgir, Dissection, Cradle Of Filth, and so on.... Black Metal
is very popular right now and the kids of today seem to be very influenced by
this Black Metal (But hey kids its not real, all this Satan shit) so enjoy the
music. There were plenty of Black Metal fans here to see this band so they must
of been well known. They did however play an enjoyable set for 40 minutes, set
included: Tulimyrsky pt.1, Ukkosenjumalan Poika, Kylän Päässä, Unohduksen
Lapsi, Pakanajuhla, Sakaritarina(?), Tulimyrsky Pt.2.. Next up was 'Napalm
Death', what can 1 say about the godfathers of
Grindcore? if it wasn't for these guys then such bands like Terrorizer,
Outrageous Pigs etc... would never of recorded any albums. Napalm Death started
out in 1982 and released the album 'Scum' through Earache Records back in 1987
and the world changed for good. Napalm Death were the talk of the town and soon
where featured on BBC2 with live and interviews which made the band even more
popular. With 16 + releases under their belt does say a lot for this band.
Napalm Death are a force to be reckoned with and I haven't seen the band live
ina few years now, my 1st time at an open air festival and a UK 1 is even
more enjoyable on home soil!! With the band promoting 'Smear Campaign', released
last year the band took time out for the studio where the new album 
i
s been
recorded in Wales to attend this festival. Barney, Mitch, Shane, Danny all gave
their best shot and made an explosive set list that shook the stage and with the
crowd going nuts was was a sight to be seen. These guys still in their late 30s/
early 40's still manage to be the godfathers of Grindcore. Nothing will stop
these guys and I look forward to hearing more from these bunch of noisy
bastards!! Songs played were: Scum, The Kill, Suffer The Masses, and many
more... Next
up was Sweden's 'Soilwork',
with this 5 piece releasing over 5 albums under their belt these guys have been
around since 1997. The band have had a lot of success over the years and with
Rob Halford (Judas Priest) also been a fan must say a lot if the Metal God likes
these guys music. The band consist of: Speed (vocals), Ola Flink (bass), Sven
Karlsson (keyboards), Dirk Verbeuren (drums), Peter Wichers (guitar), Sylvain
Coudret (guitar). A 1 hour set of mind blowing Thrash/ Death Metal at it's best.
If you're a fan of Fear Factory/ In Flames, and bands of that nature then you
will like these guys. Songs played were: Nerve, Exile, Stabbing The Drama, and
many more. Impressive stuff by a cool Swedish band. Next
to hit the stage were U.S. Power Metal act 'Iced
Earth', these guys have been
around since the later 80's and went under the name of Purgatory, before
changing their name to Iced Earth. Jon Schaffer is the only original member to
date with several line-up changes over the years the band have had their fare
share of guitarist and bassists come and go as well as drummers and vocalist.
The band have had lots of success and they intend on having more success in the
very near future. With Tim Owens (Judas Priest) now with Yngwie Malmsteen, Matt
Barlow had returned to the ranks as the front man of Iced Earth. Joining Matt
and Jon are: Brent Smedley ex Oracle (drums), Troy Seele (lead guitar) and
bassist Freddie Vidales. I had the pleasure of see in the band at Graspop this
year so I knew what to expect, but I have seen the band back in the 90's and on
the Heaven & Hell tour last year. I think a lot of people wanted Matt back
into the band, so when they hit the stage the fans cheered the band on. Lights
hit the stage and so did the band and the crowd roared with joy and excitement.
Matt delivered a powerful voice to that of his previous work and try hard at
Tim's material, but didn't quiet hit the notes that Tim had hit. Both Jon and
Troy delivered some nice melodic twin guitar tunes whereas, Brent and Freddie
delivered a powerful rhythm section. Songs that they played were: Dark Saga,
Vengeance is Mine, Burning Times, Declaraton Day, Violate, Ten Thousand Strong,
The Coming Curse, Melancholy (Holy Martyr), My Own Savior, Iced Earth. Great
band still going strong. Next was 'Dimmu
Borgir',
Norway's
Black Metal premier act, who have influenced so many acts within the Black Metal
scene. 6 guys here playing atmospheric Black Metal at it's best, some might say
they are the Norwegian answer to Cradle Of Filth, but without less screaming
vocals. That is something to be desired. I have to admit I'm not really into
Black Metal, but there is something dark and sinister that appeals to me about
this band in the last coming months, could I be turning to the dark side? haha!!
Nevertheless, Dimmu Borgir are a good and very professional band. With 9 studio
albums, certainly does say a lot about a band such as Dimmu Borgir. 1 hr and 30
minutes of exploding Black Metal with lots of Pryo's included made the stage an
even more impressive sight to watch. Songs played were: Intro,
Spellbound,
In Death's Embrace, The Serpentine Offering, The Chosen Legacy, The Sinister
Awakening, The Maelstorm Mephisto, Fundamental & Nation, A Succubus In
Rapture, The Insight And The Catharsis, Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse,
Mourning Palace, Perfection Of vanity and outro. A great band well worth
checking out just for the stage presence if nothing else.
Sunday: 17th
Last
day of the festival, shame really as it was such a great year full of good
bands. Nice weather made a good start to the day. Opening the main stage were 'Heavens
Basement', these 5 guys from
the south of the UK hit the stage to play to a reasonable crowd attendance
considering it was 11am people were still rising out of their tents. I was
rather impressed with their music, having not heard them before and I think I was more impressed with them. Mixing the likes
of GNR's, Thunder, Led Zepplin was a pretty decent mix for a new up and coming
band. A band that would of been a good support act for the likes of The
Darkness. 30 minutes of hard rocking Hard Rock was here to set the whole day
off. Looking at their image was like looking at a 80's Glam/ Sleeze Rock act.
Songs they played were: Tear
Your Heart Out, Saint Routine, Fear Of Getting Off, No Pity, Reign On My Parade,
Executioners Day. next up yet another UK band form the south, this time it was a
harder edge band under the name of 'Crowning
Glory', formed in London
back in April 2005, these 4 guys made a pretty impressive reaction to this years
BOA. Playing Power Metal style metal with hints of old school metal too made
their music pretty strong 
stuff.
The bands line up is: Robert Alexander (Vocals), Tom Draper (Lead Guitar), 
Steve
Parkyn (2nd Guitar), Nick Smith (Bass), Grant Eskriett (Drums). Mixing the likes
of Judas Priest, Metallica, Primal Fear, WASP, Iron Maiden and so on seemed to
jelly well together. Musically they are a good band and pretty solid at that.
Songs they played were: intro,
dead man's paradise, sands of time, crime, the devourer, winter in our blood,
sea of dead dreams. Next up was 'Alestorm',
now here's a band that I have never heard of before. I wasn't sure what to
expect from this band. I wasn't sure what style of music they played, where're
it been Viking, Celtic, or Black Metal. I guess I was wrong, what I did see and
hear was Pirate Metal, oh my god its 'Running Wild' haha!! Under the jolly roger
all repeated once more. The band consists of Christopher Bowes (Vocals and
Keyboard), Tim Shaw (Lead & Rhythm Guitar), Dani Evans (Bass Guitar), Ian
Wilson (drums). I really didn't know that they are very popular with lots of
pirate flags within the crowd showed me just how popular these guys really are.
That was an impressive start to a band I've never heard of before, and like
myself Debs was also enjoying the show. Influenced by the likes of Manowar,
Grave Digger, Bal-Sagoth, Korpiklaani, Blind Guardian to name a few certainly
seemed to show through in their music. A decent and enjoyable band that played
the following songs: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (intro), Over the Seas,
Huntmaster, Death Before the Mast, Nancy the Tavern Wench, Set Sail and Conquer,
Drum solo / Drunken Sailor, Terror on the High Seas, Wenches and Mead, Captain
Morgan's Revenge. So check out these guys, and shiver me timbers me
hearties!! Next up was Sweden Doom Metal merchants 'Grand
Magus', these 3 guys have
been together now since the late 90s/ 2000 and released their debut album in
2001 which was self titled. The band have recorded a further 3 albums to date.
If you're a fan of Candlemass, Black Sabbath, Trouble, St. Vitus, Cathedral then
you will love their music. It pretty much sums up the Doom scene as these guys
performed a solid and pretty good set. With the band promoting their current
album 'Wolf's Return' on Rise Above records. Decent vocals here which remind me
of Candlemass meets St Vitus. Songs played were: Blood Oath, Like The Oar
Strikes The Water, The Shadow Knows, Ulvaskall, I Am The North, Iron Will, and
King Slayer. Nice to have a bit of Doom Metal on the stage for once. Next up was
'Mob Rules',
a German Power Metal band, who have been around since the later 90's. The band
consists of Arved Mannott (drums), Markus Brinkmann (bass), Sven Ludke (guitar),
Klaus Dirks (vocals), Sascha Onnen (keyboards) 
and Mattias Mineur (guitar). The
band released their debut back in 1999 with 
'Savage Land' through LMP Music. The
band continued to deliver more melodic True/ Power Metal with such albums as
'Temple Of Two Suns', 'Hollowed Be Thy Name' and the bands current album 'Ethnolution
A.D' which was released in 2006. The band have recorded 5 studio CDs and 1 live
DVD to date. See in the band live once again after WOA 2000 was good to see them
especially on UK shores. Playing to a packed crowd of die hard metal heads,
these guys played a 40 minute set of impressive metal music. The band are great
musicians and play well. Songs they played were: Ethnolution A.D, Unholy War,
Ashes to Ashes, Veil of Death, Fuel to the Fire, Last Farewell, Astral
Hands (from the fourthcoming album), Black Rain, Hollowed Be Thy Name. Great band.
Next up was 'Kataklysm',
these U.S./ Canadian Death Metal act really caused devastation, what a
performance of head banging mayhem from start to finish. Mixing the likes of
Cannibal Corpse, Vader style of Death Metal was really good to see. Formed back
in 1991 they released a now classic demo called Death Gate Cycle Of
Reincarnation in 1992 that got world attention. After releasing their demo the
world of metal took notice of this act and soon were signed to a metal label
that would give the band what they so rightly deserved. Signing with Nuclear
Blast the band released their mini CD titled 'The Mystical Gate Of
Reincarnation' back in 1993. The band have recorded 12 CDs to date and 1 live
DVD, so this band must be doing something right. Current line-up is: Maurizio
Iacono - Vocals, Max Duhamel - Drums, Jean-François Dagenais - Guitars, Stéphane
Barbe - Bass. Promoting their new album 'Prevail' is certainly topping the Death
Metal charts. As I didn't see the whole set because I was interviewing Over
Kill, I really can't tell you what the whole set was, but what I did see was
awesome. A great Death Metal band well worth checking out!! Next up was 'As
I Lay Dying'. 1 of Metal
Blades acts to hit the stage, these guys from the U.S. seem to be very popular
and as the day went on when they did hit the stage the crowd love their music
and went nuts. Although we were not sure if the band would make the show in time
due to problems at France customs, the band 
just made it in time to play their
set. if you like the likes of Killswitch Engage, Bullet
For My Valentine, and
heavier bands like Malevolent Creation then I am sure you will enjoy these guys.
I just found out there playing in my home city in 2wks so I'm gonna check that
out!! The bands line-up is: Nick Hipa: Guitar, Jordan Mancino: Drums, Phil
Sgrosso: Guitar, Tim Lambesis (vocals) also in Austrian Death Machine. These
guys played a heavy and fast set just like Kataklysm so having seen these guys
it was a good solid set. Some songs they played were: Confined, Forever, Through
Struggle, The Sound Of Truth, Nothing Left. Great band and more to come
from these guys soon here in the UK. Next up was the mighty 'Over
Kill', the band that I had
been waiting to see all weekend. What can 1 say about the finest Thrash Metal
band ever?? Since the early 80's they have influenced so many bands within the
Thrash movement. Bobby and D.D. are the nuclearous within the band that drive
them to a totally devastating effect on stage. With Bobby's hardcore edge voice
and D.D. heavy bass sound you certainly know that it is Over Kill been played.
Since the bands debut album 'Feel The Fire', the band have just gone from
strength to strength and with albums like 'Taking Over', 'Under The Influence',
'Years Of Decay' and newer albums like 'Horrorscope', 'Killbox 13' and now the
bands most recent album 'Immortalis' the strength of this band could never be
stronger. The crowd had never seen Over Kill play an open air festival here in
the UK and if I'm right the last festival they played was in 1988 at the
Christmas On Earth gig in Leeds with Megadeth and more... So to see such an
awesome act playing to an open air crowd was something else. The bands current
line-up is: Dave Linsk (guitar), Derek Tailer (guitar) and Ron Lipnicki (drums),
these guys cause total devastation to any stage. 1 hour of total Thrash attack
and the crowd just went total ape shit when they hit the stage. Every moment was
just amazing, playing some old hard hitting tunes with some newer tunes made
this 1 hell of a gig. There was one hell of a mosh pit when they hit the stage,
just 
amazing to see live!! Songs played were: Necroshine, Thanks For Nothing,
Rotten To The Core, Bastard Nation, Skull & Bones, Hello From The Gutter,
Wrecking Crew, Horroscope, (guitar solo), Let It Burn, Old School, Elimination,
Fuck You. These guys should of headlined the Sunday, no doubt about that and I
know other people also said the same. Over Kill don't give a fuck, they are and
will always be the best Thrash band ever!! Next up ' At
The Gates', these Swedish
Death Metaller's were 1 of the godfathers of the Swedish Death Metal movement
along side Entombed back in the 90's. After breaking up in 96 both brothers
Jonas Bjorler and Anders Bjorler formed The Haunted. Thomas Linberg vocalist
joined Lock Up with Napalm Death bassist. The band recorded their debut album in
92 'The Red In The Sky Is Ours' and later on recorded such albums as 'Terminal
Spirit Disease' in 94 and their last CD 'Slaughter The Souls' in 95. Now the
band reformed in 2007 playing festivals like Graspop, Sweden Rock, Gods Of Metal
and so on.... It was an honor to see the band hit the shores of the UK once
again and for so many young kids who have never seen the band but look up to
them finally see their idols. These guys put a great show on for their die hard
fans who had waited such a long time to see them once again. Another 1 hour set
here, song splayed were: Slaughter Of The Souls, Cold, Under A Serpents Sun,
Nausea, Terminal Sprit Disease, Need, Suicide Nation, and more more. Death Metal
at its best. Last band of the whole day was 'Nightwish'.
these Finnish Operatic Metal act have been around for so many years had have
built up a massive crowd following which were formed back in 96 by Tarot bassist
Marko Hietala, along side Tuomas Holopainen (keyboards), Erno Vuorinen (guitar),
Jukka Nevalainen (drums) and Tarja Turunen (vocals). Tarja left the band to go
on her solo career and was replaced by Anette Olzon. The band have recorded 7
albums, 3 DVDs to date. Their new album 'dark Passion Play' sees the band in a
new light with new singer Anette, who looks like Bjorg and dances like a cabaret
singer or somebody on a cruise ship. It all seems rather funny watching her on
stage. Having said that they are a good live band that appeal to the younger
generation of Metal and Goth style fans. The performance was good with lots of
pyros to give the band more of a impressive stage presence. 1 hour and 30
minutes here, which most were delighted with. I myself am not a great fan of
these female fronted band, I much prefer bands like Doro, a real Metal Queen!!!
Songs that they played were: Nemo, Bye Bye Beautiful, Amaranth, I Wish I Had an
Angel, Wish Master, Dark Chest Of Wonders, 7 Days Of The Wolves, The Poet &
The Pendulum, and many more played. What a great year this was and I hope to see
a strong line-up next year if not a stronger 1. The UK's best metal festival!!
Be there next year.
- Sheffield Academy (UK) 13.7.08
Well
it's been a few good years since I last saw the mighty Yngwie Malmsteen 
(guitar
god), to these shores. I must of been on the Magnum Opus tour with Mike Vescera
on vocals. I know that Yngwie has been to these shores since that tour, but
really never played on my neck of the woods until now. With Yngwies career
starting out with 'Steeler' feauring Ron Keel (Keel), not to be confused with
the German metal band, they released 1 album for Mike Varneys label (Shrapnel).
This was the start of a long and promising career for Yngwie Malmsteen from
Sweden. Moving on from Steeler came Alcaltraz featuring Graham Bonnet. Since his
days of his solo career, Yngwie started his solo career with 'Rising Force' back
in 1984, then later on front man Jeff Scott Soto (Talisman) for 'Marching Out'.
Yngwie has come along way since his early days, with various singers along the
ways such as Mark Boals, Edman Gorman, Joe Lynn Turner (Deep Purple/ Rainbow),
Mike Vescera, Doogie White (Corner Stone) and so on... Now Yngwie has the
awesome former Iced Earth and Judas Priest front man Tim (Ripper) Owens, who
also fronts Beyond Fear. There is no doubt about it that Tim is a perfect choice
for Yngwie, as he has such a varied vocal range, the best has come for Yngwie. I
can't wait to hear his next solo album with Tim on vocals, that's going be
something special. Sheffield Academy is where tonites show is been held, a new
place for concerts with some big names coming soon. I rather thought the venue
was pretty decent to be honest and tonites show had a good turn out. With no
support act and 1 hour and a half set of pure classic Yngwie material spanning
tunes from his debut right up to his later material (Mark Boals/ Edman/ Joe Lynn
Turner). Yngwie's guitar work is still incredibly awesome and as 1 of the
godfathers of guitar wizards along side Uli Jon Roth, Richie Blackmore, he
creates such music with passion and with a lot of classical elements. Joining
Yngwie and Tim are: Patrick Johnsson (Drums), Michael Troy (Keyboards), and
bassist Bjorn Englen. These 5 guys are a solid and tight unit. The crowd just
loved what was yet to be played and with Yngwie having a stage almost full of
Marshall amps, was truly a full of metal show. There is not anything that Tim
can't do and I feel that iced Earth have certainly lost out, and maybe even
Judas Priest for that matter. Tim is a force to be reckoned with and I advice
Yngwie to hang on to his very talented singer. He is the voice of the future!!
Tim showed us just how powerful a vocal range he has with such songs like 'I'll
See The Light Tonight', 'You Don't Remember- I'll Never Forget', and my all time
favourite song 'I Am A Viking'. Set list included: Rising
Force/Crown Of Thorns/Bandiniere/Rise Up/Pag/Adagio/Far Beyond The Sun/I Am A
Viking/Dreaming/Gates Of Babylon/Baroque & Roll/Demon Driver/Trilogy-Guitar
Solo/Cherokee Warrior/The Fugue/You Don't Remember (I'll Never Forget). Encores
included: Black Star/I See The Light Tonight.
A great night by still one of the top guitarist in the world!! Rock on man!!!
Graspop
Festival (Belgium) 27-28-29 June 2008
This year has had it's fair share of decent festivals, with Wacken, Bloodstock and now Graspop. I have to say that this years Graspop is by far the best line-up of any festival in Europe. This was my first time to the festival and I have to say I was very impressed with the line-up, and the whole layout of the festival as well as the organization of the whole thing. I can se why so many bands have played Graspop over the years with all types of Metal music including Slipknot, Dream Theater, and so on... It's just one big massive Heavy Metal family. I could not fault any of the bands that I saw live this year, even if I didn't like some of them, there were so many bands to see and choose from. At times it was very difficult to catch 2 bands playing the same time at different stages which is a pain in the ass, but sometimes this happens. The weather was fine, very warm and only rained for a couple of hours, so that made the festival a lot more enjoyable. Arriving on the Thursday just to get my tent up in fine weather was a bonus, so I was ready to get on and see some awesome bands.
Friday 27th:
After waking up early I proceeded to head for the main arena and check out the
first band on the main stage, this been 'Tesla',
a band from way back in the later 80's early 90's who released some impressive
albums for Geffen Records. These 5 guys
from the U.S. hit the stage and delivered a powerful
opening set of hard rocking Rock/ Metal which was an impressive set. Playing
songs from the debut and later on albums the band couldn't of been a most
perfect opening act for the main stage. Song thats Tesla played were: Comin
Atcha Live, Into The Now, Gettin Better, Little Suzi, Hang Tough, Heavens Trail
(No Way Out), Love Song, Signs, Modern Day Cowboy. Telsa are a great band and
well wroth check out!! Next
to hit the stage was 'Yngwie
Malmsteen', this Swedish
guitar hero has influenced so many bands and guitarist from around the world.
The man himself has released so many classic albums such as 'Trilogy', 'Marching
Out', 'Odyssey' , 'Fire & Ice, and later on such albums as 'War To End All
Wars', and 'Attack', 'Unleash The Fury'. Now the man is back with a new singer
Tim 'Ripper' Owens (Judas Priest/ Iced Earth/ Beyond Fear), who replaces Doogie
White (Cornerstone). I have to say I wasn't sure how well Tim would be suited to
Yngwie's music, especially if his guitar work and just how wrong was I. He
pulled it off so well, hats off to Tim. I really can't wait to hear the next
Yngwie album. With the new album to be released later this year titled
'Perpetual Flame', this album I am sure will kick you right in your balls with
force!! Joining Yngwie for the tour was Bjorn Englen (bass) and keyboard player
Michael Troy. As always Yngwie hits the stage and bursts into a full on guitar
swirling sound and twists and turns, which is all very well but at times he does
play too may guitar solo's and not enough songs. This set was impressive but
like I just said too much guitar wanking and not enough songs, which was a real
shame and I and many others would of loved to of seen at least 2 more songs in
his set. At one point Yngwie did smash his guitar up and throw it into the crowd
with was a added bonus and rather amusing. Songs that he did included
were: Rising
Force/Crown Of Thorns/Bandiniere/Rise Up/Pag/Adagio/Far Beyond The Sun/I
Am A Viking/Dreaming/Gates Of Babylon/Baroque & Roll/Demon Driver, The Fugue/You Don't Remember (I'll Never
Forget). Yngwie is a guitar god but need to calm down with his solos and concentrate
more on songs instead of guitar wanking on stage. Next to hit the stage
were one of the UK finest metal act's 'Saxon'.
Biff and the boys have been around since the late 70's/ early 80's releasing
some classic albums that have inspired so many bands and fans from around the
world. With the likes of 'Saxon' released back in 1979 and later albums such as
'Wheels Of Steel, 'Denim & Leather' , 'Dogs Of War', 'Metal Head', 'Killing
Ground' and the bands current album 'Inner Sanctum', which is a very successful
album with more albums to follow in the near future. Saxon hit the stage to
deliver a powerful set which saw fans from all around the world come together
and praise such a highly successful band. Playing for 1 hr the band delivered
some classic songs from the past as well as songs from their current album.
Biff, Nibbs, Nigel, Paul and Doug gave the crowd what they wanted and left the
stage with the fans crying out for me. Songs that the band played were:
The Bands Played On, 747 Strangers In The Night, Dogs Of War, Cut Out The
Disease, Unleash The Beast, Killing Ground, Dragon's Lair, Court
Of The Crimson King, Metal Head. A awesome and 1 of the finest UK bands
around!! Next up was 'Def Leppard',
another UK band, this time from Sheffield. Yorkshire has had 2 bands on today so
were doing really well haha!!! Def Leppard, are very successful and in their
early days were more of a metal band, but more so now a 
commercial
band which is a shame. I guess they feel a lot more comfortable playing
more commercial material these days. Nevertheless, they did hit the stage and
they received a warm and welcoming applause from the crowd. I have to say I am
not too familiar with a lot of the bands commercial work but from what I can
gather they played their classics such as: Photograph, Animal, Rocket, Pour Some
Sugar On Me, Armageddon It, Hysteria, Make Love Like A Man, Lets Get Rocked,
just to name a few. A god performance from a good hard working rock band. Next
up was yet another UK band, this time around it was 'Whitesnake'.
I have only had the pleasure of see in the band once at Wacken 2006, so it was
nice to see the band once again. Mr Coverdale and co were about to hit the stage
as it was beginning to become dusk and I was really looking forward to see in
them again. As ever Dave Coverdale and co did an excellent performance from
start to finish and playing songs from their latest album 'Good To Be Bad' was
yet another step forward in the history of Whitesnake's career. Whitesnake have
always appeared to a lot of Hard Rock fans and Metal fans world-wide. There
finest album has to be 1987, what an awesome release that was. We had 1hoiur and
15 minutes of hard hitting rock/ blues and metal here. some of the songs they
played were: Fool For Your Loving, Here I go Again, Is This Love, Ain't No Love
In The Heart Of The City, Bad Boys, Crying In The Rain, Judgement Day, Looking
For Love, Stormbringer, Walking In The Shadows Of The Blues, Good To Be Bad and
many more. A great band with still more to come in the future. Next up was the
mighty 'Judas Priest',
I had been waiting all day to see these guys, as they are my favourite band. Rob
Halford, K.K. Downing, Glen Tipton, Ian Hill & Scott Travis were ready to
give the crowd 1 hour and 30 minutes of hard hitting pure metal. I am sure there
would of been a lot of hungry die hard fans like myself waiting to see the band
and with the release of their new album 'Nostradamus', a fine concept album just
been released we were all looking forward to see in what songs they played live
from that album. I have to say they only played 2 songs from their current new
album, which was s shame but the band have so many songs to choose from. I have
to say that they did play songs that I was at least expecting and was a pleasant
surprise to say the least. This band have inspired so many bands and fans
world-wide for so many years now. Along side the likes of Iron Maiden, Black
Sabbath, Motorhead, Saxon, Priest are without doubt 1 of the finest, if not the
finest metal act ever. This was a great opening day and with a line-up like
today the rest of the weekend was just so perfect. Priest played such songs as:
Prophecy, Death, Revolution, Exciter, Dissident
Aggressor, The Ripper, Hell Bent For Leather, Sinner, Breaking The Law, Hell
Petrol, Angel, Electric Eye, Rock Hard Ride Free, Painkiller, The Green
Manalishi, You've Got Another Thing Coming. Still one of the great metal acts
around live, so if you haven't seen them yet I suggest you do so!! Long live the
Metal Gods!!! Other band I saw live on Friday was 'Symphony
X', hailing from New Jersey (U.S.A.), these guys
really don't need an introduction now do they? For those who don't know the band
well I will enlighten you. These 5 guys are excellent musicians playing some
very impressive Progressive Power Metal, which remind me of across between
Pantera, Yngwie Malmsteen, Dream Theater. So I think you get the picture.
Symphony X played an impressive and powerful set for 45 minutes, a shame they
really never played for 1 hour. Nevertheless, what the band did play in the
Marquee tent was 45 minutes of pure in your face metal and what an incredible
set they played. Songs that they did play were: Inferno (Unleash The Fire),
Wicked, Smoke and Mirrors, Pharaoh, The Eyes of Medusa, The Damnation Game, Set
the World on Fire (The Lie of Lies), The Serpent's Kiss & Domination. One
hell of a great band.
Saturday 28th:
First to hit the stage
for me was the bay area thrasher's 'Forbidden',
god I haven't seen these guys live since 1990 and it was so good to see the band
live. The line-up was almost the 5 original members, but with Paul now been in
Testament it was hard for him to also do the Forbidden set too. All Russ, Glenn,
Craig, Matt of the original line-up proved that they still could pull it off
after so many years. With a new drummer who is also in Vio-Lence, the band were
so strong and yet so powerful. The band played a 30-40 minute set of pure hard
hitting Thrash Metal they way it was intended to sound just like they did back
in the day. Hitting the stage and delivering a set of songs from the album
'Forbidden Evil' & 'Twisted Into Form' was such a great sight and sound to
see. Not to forget the songs from other album that were included in the set from
the 'Green' & 'Distortion'. Some songs that the band played that day were: 
Chalice Of Blood, Through Eyes of Glass, Off the Edge, March into Fire, Step by
Step, Infinite, Out of Body (Out Of Mind), just to name a few. They are and will
always be a fine Thrash band that I highly recommend. Next up was U.S. Sci-Fi
Thrasher's 'Agent Steel',
this is one band that I really love to hear and see live. There set was played
in the marquee tent, packed full of raging thrashers all from around the world.
Bruce, Bernie, Rigo, Robert and Juan hit the stage to deliver one of the finest
sets of today. These guys have been around since the early 80's and with Juan
been the only original member left he has managed to keep the band alive. Since
the debut album Bernie joined and the 2 of them kept the band alive for several
years. That was until the band broke up and Juan formed Evil Dead. Now there
back and a reunion show at Wacken 1999 saw the band back on form. Today was no
exception as they played a 50 minute set of hard hitting Thrash with Bruce's
high screaming vocals, Bernie and Juans twin guitar assault and the power of
Rigo and Robs rhythm section made all the difference. These guys are awesome
live and playing such songs as: Mad Locust Rising, Bleed For The Gods, Children
of the Sun, Guilty as Charged, Fashioned From Dust, Never Surrender, Unstoppable
Force, Know Your Master, Illuminati Is Machine, Ten Fists Of Nations, Wash the
Planet Clean. I would love to see them on tour with Forbidden and testament.
Great band, long live Agent Steel!! Next up was, 'Sonata
Arctica', hailing from
Finland, these Symphonic Power/ True Metal guys are pretty good at what they do.
They have continued to release several albums to date and toured the UK with
Pagans Mind earlier this year. If you're a fan of Stratovarius, Helloween,
Rhapsody Of Fire then I am sure this band will appeal to you. With the release
of 7 albums does suggest they have rather a cult following. I have to admit I
real am not a fan of this type of Symphonic Metal, all pretty much sounds the
same to me. Despite that they are excellent musicians. These guys played for 1
hour and 5 minutes. The crowd loved them and with the release of their new album
'Unia' released in 2007 the band hit the stage to play some melodic metal from
start to finish. Next up was 'Iced
Earth', with the band been
such a success since the early days when the band released their debut album
back in 1991, the band have never looked back. The band have released a few
successful album such as 'The Dark Saga', 'Burnt Offerings', ''The Glorious
Burden', 'Framing Armageddon' and now their current album 'The Crucible Of Man'.
Main man Jon Schaffer still carries the flag for the band. Without the help of
Tim Owens, Iced Earth would not be where they are today. It was also nice to see
Matt Barlow back to the front man status. Only thing was that Matt's voice is
not strong enough to handle Tim's material, but Tim could handle Matt's
material. Of course Iced Earth did a great job and the crowd really did enjoy
what the band played for them. Some songs that were included in the bands et
were: Iced Earth, The Path I Choose, Pure Evil, Dante's Inferno, I Died for You,
Vengeance is Mine, Melancholy, Blessed Are You, Dracula, Declaration Day, The
Reckoning and so on... A good band that still manages to keep the power of
Power/ Speed Metal alive. Next up was 'Kiss',
as we all know that Kiss have a history that spans for over 20yrs and have
influenced so many acts both in the Rock and Metal world. I have to admit I have
never been a fan of their work, I feel they are totally overrated to say the
least. Yes of course they are great performers and have an incredible live show
and set. I have to say the shows was amazing despite me not been a fan at all,
and I knew they did a great stage for the fans. Gene, Paul, Bruce, and Peter did
the crowd justice with their outstanding showmanship. Some of the songs that I
did recognize were: Deuce, Cold Gin, Black Diamond, Hotter Than Hell, Rock And
Roll All Nite, Detroit Rock City, Shout It Out Loud, God Of Thunder, Caling Dr.
Love, Love 'Em And Leave 'Em, Love Gun, I Love It Loud, Lick It Up, I've Had
Enough, Heaven's On Fire, Crazy Crazy Nights, jst to name a few. Kiss do what
they do best and that's entertain. What a great day that was.
Sunday 29th:
Yet another day
of mayhem and chaos with more head banging bands ahead. Today was not an early
rise, so I didn't get to the festival till about 1.40pm. So the first band I
caught live was 'Apocalyptica',
a band from Finland, who are 4 musician's who play the cello's and a drummer.
These guys I have seen before back at the Dynamo festival back in 1999 when they
played on the main stage just before Metallica hit the stage. Playing songs by
Metallica but with cello's was something different and rather funny to watch
even though they are impressive to watch. Now it was time to catch the band
almost 10yrs later at Graspop. With 7 releases under their belt this band
certainly mean business. Still the band play their classic style of metal with a
drummer of course. But you really have to admire what they do is very good.
Playing songs from most of their albums including Enter Sandman, Master Of
Puppets, and Sepultura's 'We Shall Arise' amongst other was very impressive for
me. Love their material. Next to hit the stage for me was Welsh metaller's 'Bullet
For My Valentine'. These 4
guys from the UK have really started to make it big with their current album
'Scream, Aim, Fire' which was released on Sony earlier this year. I have to
admit that I really wasn't a fan or really paid much attention to this style of
music, but I have become rather found of these guys in the last 8 
months.
I guess it's all down to my girlfriend, so it's her I have to thank (thanx
Debs). The band released a mini CD which was followed up by 'The Poison' which
saw the band been featured in Kerrang, Metal Hammer and so on.... Success is
what the band have now. Playing with the likes of Metallica and many other acts
the Welsh rockers were about to hit the stage at Graspop. I have to say I was
looking forward to see in this act and I have to say that they were impressive.
Playing songs from their mini CD, debut and latest album was a really good set
list of pure Nu-age Thrash Metal. At times the band remind me of across between
At The Gates, In Flames, Iced Earth, Iron Maiden and of course Metallica. Songs
that the band played were: 4 Words, Her Voice Resides, Tears Don't Fall, Room
409, Hit The Floor, Cries in Vain, Hand Of Blood, Scream Aim Fire, Eye Of The
Storm, Say Goodnight, Hearts Burst Into Fire and a few more. I have to admit
that these guys are good at what they do, so check them out!! Next up was 'Avenged
Sevenfold', these 5 guys
from the U.S.A. are becoming very popular with the kids of today with their
Misfit's image meets the L.A. Glam scene style, kind of like L.A. Guns, but
their music is melodic and hard at times. They remind me of Metallica, Misfits,
Killswitch Engaged and a bands of that nature. Playing with the likes of Iron
Maiden on their recent tour gave the band a bigger following and the same could
be said for Maiden having Avenged fans on board too. With the release of 4
albums under their belt and their recent album which is self titled released
back in 2007 they are becoming yet another band of the future. Their style is
not my kind of thing but there are some impressive guitar riffs and strong hard
hitting music too. I cant really say I no any of their songs so I can't inform
you to what they played live - sorry!! Still if this is you're type of metal
then check them out. Next up was 'In
Flames', these Swedish
Thrash/ Death metaller's have become more successful over the years playing with
the likes of Motorhead & Judas Priest gave the band a high step up the
ladder to success. With 10 studio albums under their belts you can see why the
band are becoming more successful now. In Flames are not the original Swedish
Death Metal band, but if you look at the likes of Entombed and At The Gates you
can see why In Flames have become a success today. With the release of the band
latest album 'A Sense Of Purpose', which was released through Nuclear Blast
things couldn't be brighter for the band. The band played an impressive 1hr and
10 minute set of exploding metal form start to finish. Some of the songs played
were: Disconnected, Delight and Angers, The Chosen Pessimist, Condemned, Dead
End, Leeches, Crawl Through Knives, Pacing Death's Trail, My Sweet Shadow, Evil
In A Closet, Drifter, and many more, some as old as tracks from their debut
album 'Jesters Race'. Next up was 'Arch
Enemy', these awesome musician's
is more my kind of cup of tea, fronted my Angela Gossow with her impressive and
brutal vocals, which at times is rather scary because if you didn't know it was
a woman you would think it was a male doing the vocals. Angela has a very
aggressive and brutal voice which is very powerful to say the least. With Mike
and Chris Amott handling the twin guitars with their awesome work makes all the
difference. Lets not forget Sharlee's bass and Daniels very impressive drum
work. These guys played the Marquee tent and it was packed, which didn't
surprise me at all!! they played a 1hr set of brutal in your face Death/ Thrash
Metal. I really have to say these guys have it made, their just fucking awesome
musicians. Some songs they played were: Bury Me An Angel, Let The Killing Begin,
Seed Of Hate, Burning Bridges, Burning Angel, Ravenous, Dead Bury Their Dead,
The First Deadly Sin, We Will Rise, Dead Eyes See No Future, My Apocalypse,
Nemesis, The Last Enemy, Rise of the Tyrant. One of the finest bands around for
this style of music, check them out. Next and last was the mighty 'Iron
Maiden', what can one say
about these 6 lads from London (UK). Since the early 80's Iron Maiden have
become one of the most influenced bands in Metal alike. Steve Harris and co
deliver a hard hitting set list of fine British Heavy Metal that so many people
like. You can certainly tell when you hear these guys by their unique style and
Steve's bass sound pretty much sums up Iron Maiden. With 14 studio albums and
several line CD's there is no stopping these guys, like Motorhead, Priest, these
guys will carry on till the end. Maiden have always had an impressive stage set
and really do give the crowd value for money. With night falling and an
impressive Egyptian stage and of course Eddie on board this was a night to
remember. 3 guitar players on stage too, but to be honest you really can't hear
the 3rd one really. The crowd loved the set list and I am sure the band also
loved playing in front of 1000's of screaming metal maniacs. Some of the songs
played were: 2 Minutes To Midnight, Run For The Hills, Aces High, The Trooper,
Wasted Years, Children of The Damned, The Number Of The Beast, Phantom of The
Opera, The Evil That Men Do, Wrathchild, Can I Play With Madness, Iron Maiden,
Hallowed Be Thy Name, and many more classics. There is no doubt that Iron Maiden
are 1 of the finest live acts around. All in all, this was properly the best
festival in Europe this year, what a fine weekend, full of hard hitting metal
acts all brought together for a festive weekend. Go to Graspop next year, it's
fucking awesome!!!!
- Manchester Academy (UK) 15.6.08
Well it's been a
long time 
since I last saw
Queensryche, for me it was
'The Promise Land' tour in Leeds back in the 90's. My first tour I saw the band
on was on 'The Warning' tour back in 84 as support to Dio,
now what a gig that was and at the age of 14!! I've also seen the band
on the 'Empire' tour, so see in the band this year was a night I had to check
them out!!! I remember the first Operation Mindcrime came out and it totally
blow my mind, not in a good way, but in 1 strange and fucked up way. This was an
album that I found hard to get into with all the talking in between all the
songs, it took me a long time to adjust to this album. Having said that, when I
finally got into the debut Operation... album it did grow on me. Now the time
was right to say the Ryche in all their glory and tonight was no exception!!
What you have here, is a 3 hour set of mind blowing pure wall street Operatic/ Prog metal straight from the hearts of Queensryche to their dedicated fans. Having seen the 'Mindcrime At The Moore' DVD, I was excited to see this awesome set and show for myself. The Ryche certainly did deliver the good with 100% full passion that they delivered to their loyal fans that night. Opening with the full set of Mindcrime 1, Tate, Rockenfield, Stone, Jackson & Wilton played their hearts out to a excited fun packed audience as well as Pamela Moore, who's talented vocals and stage performance made all the difference. Geoff Tate, is not only a awesome singer, but a great actor too, as you might of seen live or on the DVD. There's not denying that Geoff could be a great actor if given the chance. MIke Stone & Wilton delivered some awesome guitar work between them, whereas, Eddie Jackson & Scott Rockenfield delivered a powerful rhythm section. All the songs from the first Mindcrime album were delivered in the 1st 1.30 minute set, a superb first half. Next up was the Operation Mindcrime Pt.2, yet another heavy going album on the ears, but still enjoyable to say the least and features Dio on the album as guest vocalist. Still a little bit like the debut Mindcrime album, but with more of a different direction and I have to say this band are very political to say the least. They really do hate the U.S. government, are the ryche on the U.S. government hit list? Again a great 2nd half set with various costume changes and various actors made this a great live show. One of the best I've seen in a long time. The ryche are back and better than ever, only wish they would release 'The Warning' Pt.2, what a fucking awesome album that was!! Now Heavy metal has a new meaning with these boys delivering a Metal musical!!
- Yardbirds
Club Grimsby (UK) 4.12.07
Who would ever
think of Joey Belladonna (Anthrax) would tour here in the UK with his own band,
yet alone playing Grimsby of all places!! I was rather shocked to hear he was
playing in Grimsby. I had set myself on see in him in Leeds until I found out he
was playing nearer to home. 
Joey
Belladonna is and will always be the best singer Anthrax will ever have. Joining
the band for the 'Armed & Dangerous' mini CD which was released back in the
mid 80's, Joey's most successful album with Anthrax has to be either 'Spreading
The Disease' or 'Among The Living'. I prefer 'Spreading The Disease' in my
opinion. Joey has such a great range in his vocals and can perform a wide range
of vocals notes from low to high. Since the reformed Anthrax back in 2005/6 the
band toured last year with Beyond Fear here in the UK/ Europe and also played
Download festival amongst others. Rumors of the re-formed Anthrax were do record
an album with Nuclear Blast seem pretty unlikely right now, which is a shame.
Lets hope Joey and the boys record together in 2008. Either way Joey will
release a new album with Anthrax or with his own band. This 4 piece consists of
R.C Ciejek on Bass, Paul Marciano on drums, Robb Lotta on guitar and Joey
Belladonna on vocals. It is the 1st time I had visited the Yardbirds club in
Grimsby and I wasn't too sure what to expect and how many people would turn out.
I thought Hull might of got a shot at Belladonna playing too, but there you go.
I was pleasantly surprised on how many turned up and what sort of crowd reaction
the band would receive and I have to say I was shocked!! About 100 + crowd
turned up and who were hungry die hard metal heads and Anthrax fans alike. It
was also good to see that the band hung out with the crowd before and after the
show, not like rock stars and Joey and the boys were totally cool guys!! As this
was my last gig for 2008 I knew Joey would delivery an awesome set of his own
material as well as Anthrax classics. 100 screaming metal heads were hungry to
see the band live and what a great and awesome set the band played. Joey and the
boys were impressed with the crowds reaction that I am sure he will return to
Grimsby in the near future. AT one point I had the pleasure of sharing the stage
with the band when they played 'Madhouse', why? Well my name is Mr. Brown and as
the album version of that song as the intro 'Its time for your medication Mr.
Brown' followed by a laugh, I was invited to do the whole intro for the song,
how fucking cool haha!!! Thanx guys!!! What a great show, a band worth checking
out and I wish them the best of luck for 2008. Set list for the night included: Hard
Life, Can't Erase It, Live It Up To You, Rob U Blind, Mad House (Featuring me),
Medusa, Caught In A Mosh, Anti Social, Blunt Man, Helps On The Way, Injun, Got
The Time, N.F.L., I Am The Law, Indians, and Metal Thrashing Mad.
What a fucking cool night, great venue and awesome band too.
- Leeds Rio's 13.11.07 (UK)
Well
this was my 3rd time to the new Rios club which is now held in Leeds and I'm
still trying to get use to the venue and stage. I'm sure in time I will get to
grips with is, but I do feel that they do need more stage lighting because half
the time you really cant see the bands too well, especially the drummers. Anyway
getting on with the show..., it's been about 16 years since I last was 'Onslaught'
the first time around on the 'Search Of Sanity' tour until last year when I saw
the re-union tour at Bloodstocks festival, which the band took the crowd by
storm and what an awesome show that was!! Yeah this is one of the few old school
UK thrash bands along side Sabbat who can really get the crowd going. I was
really looking forward to this show and the crowd were really getting into this
show. This is a great line-up of 2 classic Thrash acts from the 80's. First up
was Onslaught, these 5 guys from Bristol were ready to kick ass like they did at
Bloodstock and tonight was yet another kick ass live performance. With the band
releasing their current album titled 'Killing Peace' is a great comeback album
which is full of hard hitting Thrash tunes. From the beginning of the bands set
to the end the crowd love them and plenty of head banging and thrashing was
certainly in place. Songs played that night were: Killing
Peace, Let There Be Death, Angels Of Death, Metal Forces, Twisted Jesus, Seeds
Of Hate, Demoniac, Burn & Power From Hell.
If you ever get to check out this band live I suggest you do so!!! These guys
certainly have some powers from hell!!
Now
was time for the mighty German Thrash act, this been 'Destruction',
these guys have been around since the mid 80's and have influenced so many bands
from around the world. Starting out as a 3 piece before coming a 4 piece the
band have had several line-up changes. With the band releasing 9 full length
albums and 4 mini CDs, 1 live CD and 1 DVD, you can certainly see just how
successful the band are. Ever since the band released their debut mini CD titled
'Sentence Of Death' which was released back in 1984 the band have not looked
back. Fronted by Schmier, who at one point left the band to form Head Hunter,
returned back to the band when the band reformed back in All Hell break Loose'
back in 2000. Since then the band released 'The Antichrist' in 01, 'Metal
Discharge' in 03 and 'Inventor Of Evil' in 05. The bands most recent album
'Thrash Anthems' released in 07 sees the bands classic tunes from the 80's
re-recorded which the bands current line-up been Schmier, Mike and Marc is a truly
awesome album of old tunes re-recorded with a more powerful and cleaner sound.
Some of the tunes of course may differ from that of the original versions.
Anyhow, getting on with the show, tonight was a great performance by 1 of the
greatest German Thrash bands along side Kreator and Sodom, these 3 bands are the
biggest Thrash bands out of Germany to influence so many bands from around the
world. Schmier and the boys hit the stage to 'Curse Of The Gods', 1 of the bands
best songs in my opinion was a great opening tune which really got the crowd
going. The night just got better and better with a great variation of old and
new songs by the band, mainly the classic. For a power trio, these guy are not
to be messed with, a truly kick fucking ass live band that I recommend to check
them out live. Songs that the band played were: Nailed
To The Cross, Eternal Devastation, Live Without Sense, Defiance/ Death Trap,
Thrash Till Death, Anti Christ/ Release From Agony, Soul Collector, Total Disaster,
Bestial Invasion, and The Butcher Strikes Back.
What a great live band, hail Destruction long may they reign!!! Support the band
before the butcher striker back!!!
& 
- Sheffield Arena
7.11.07 (UK)
Heaven
& Hell
Most of you out
there would already seen the might Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio back in
the day, unfortunately I didn't get the change for some unknown reason but I am
happy to say I have now, and it's always better later then never!!! Sabbath have
such a massive success rating with just to how many bands these guys have
influenced weather it been with Ozzy, Dio, or Tony Martin or Glenn Hughes, the
matter of the fact is that Sabbath like Priest, Maiden, Motorhead are the
pioneers of Metal. With the release of 'Heaven & Hell', 'The Mob Rules' been
the most successful Dio era albums it was only a matter of time 
before
the band would return with this classic line-up.
First band to
hit the stage with a very ego crowd was 'Iced
Earth', these Power Metaller'
s
have been around since the mid 80's under the name of 'Purgatory', before
changing their name to 'Iced Earth'. Lead
by founder member Jon
Schaffer, who has keep this band together for so many years you really have to
respect this guys attitude and determination. Joining Jon is former Winters
Bane/ Judas Priest frontman Tim (Ripper) Owens on vocals, and what an awesome
job Tim does for Iced Earth. With his soaring vocals and screams are well adapted
to iced Earth's music. Along with Tim & Jon is Brent Smedly back on the
drums, along with Dennis Hayes & Troy Seele who are a great addition to the
line-up. I really had to feel sorry for Iced Earth, because I really feel that
this band should of been on the bill as 2nd act and not Lamb Of God. OK, so Lamb
Of God have had success at Ozzfest, but Iced Earth have been around for years
and besides they also have former Priest frontman in the band. They really
should of been 2nd on the bill. Nevertheless, Iced Earth hit the stage playing a
30 minute set of ear splitting Power Metal with screaming vocals that would
leave shivers down you're spine. Mixing the likes of Iron Maiden, Metallica,
Judas Priest style of Power Metal, this band do it with style with plenty of
melodic riffs and catchy tunes Iced Earth are a band to be reckoned with. Tim
really got the crowd going, and with the power of the bands music made the night
even more enjoyable. Only bad point and this goes for all support acts, it was a
shame they didn't have enough lights on stage, which really does suck and I feel
for the support acts. Iced Earth played a head ripping set that soon finished
which was a dam shame but the band will be back to do their own tour very soon I
am sure of that. Songs the band played were: The Glorious Burden, Declaration
Day, Overture of the Wicked, Motivation Of Man, Greenface, just to name a
few. What an awesome band live and I suggest you check them out live and their
albums too!!
Next up was 'Lamb
Of God', and I have to say
I've only heard 1 song by these guys which is called 'Redneck'. So I cant really
so too much about these guys, but what I can say is that these 5 guys hit the
stage with a devastating sound which comes 
across
between Slayer, Pantera style of brutal metal music. I have to say that I
thought that they should of been the opening act, as I said before Iced Earth
have 
been
around a lot longer than these guys. But saying that I guess Lamb Of God have
more popularity with the kids of today because of their brutal heavy music that
so many younger's love to hear these days. They certainly took the stage by
storm and half way through the bands set they had a mosh pit going which didn't
surprise me at all!! Songs that they played were: Redneck, Walk With Me, More
Time To Kill, Now You've Got Something To Kill For, Black Label.
Next up was of course the Might 'Heaven & Hell', these guys really didn't need an introduction, but as the lights went down and the intro started, the crowd were screaming and shouting with an dark and fearless atmosphere, the crowd were ready for a night they would remember. With a stage set based on a church and a church yard, which reminded me of King Diamond (Now they would of been a great support act) with stained glass windows of a church and of course the crosses. So now its time for light , camera and action!!!! Opening up with the instrumental 'E5150' which went straight into 'Mob Rules', was a fine opening tune to set the night ahead, and with the crowd loving it the band were in for yet more classic Dio era Sabbath tunes. Mob Rules is a fine song and was played to perfection. Next up was 'Children Of The Sea', I just love this song, and I really enjoyed watching and hearing this song been played for the 1st time live for me, what a awesome song!! Next up was: Sign Of The Southern Cross', yet another fine Dio era tune, which again saw the crowd loving every minute of it. Tony Iommi, Geezer Bulter and Vinny Appice, are a force to be reckoned with. Ronnie maybe a pensioner, but like Rob Halford, these 2 guys are without doubt the greatest Metal singers of all time, no doubt about it!! Other songs the band played were: Lady Evil, I, Voodoo, The Devil Cried, Computer God, Dehumanizer, Falling On The Edge Of The World, Die Young, Heaven & Hell, Neon Knights, Lonely Is The World, Shadow In The Wind. No doubt about it, Heaven & Hell are without doubt an awesome live band. lets just hope the record a new album in 2008. If you get the chance to see them live then grab the bull by its horns and check them out!!! Check out the live DVD, it's worth it if you saw the band live on this tour, awesome stuff!! Question, do you wanna go to Heaven or hell? The choice is yours!!!
- Manchester
Appollo 12.10.07 (UK)
This
year has been pretty good for gigs, we've seen some great festivals and tours
come and go and this is yet another classic Progressive Metal tour of 2 very
classy acts. 'Symphony X'
have made a name for themselves over the last decade with such talented
musicians with 3 Michaels, 1 Jason and Russell Alan on vocals. The band have
recorded several classic heavy but yet melodic and technical albums that so many
of us have grown to love. With the band signed to Inside Out Records in Germany,
this band have gone from strength to strength with each album. If you like the
likes of Yngwie Malmsteens guitar work and prog elements of Dream Theater then
you get the prefect combination of what is Symphony X. Mike Romeo's guitar work
and Russell's vocals are a deadly combination like a pit viper who will strike
once and kill with its deadly toxics. Symphony X were about to hit the stage at
Manchester's Appollo, and I could see by the crowd that they were very excited
about see in this fine act. This is not the bands debut to the UK, their debut
hit the shores with Stratovarius almost 3 yrs ago and later on a 1 off headliner
in London with Shadowkeep. It's good to see the band back and on it's first full
length tour and what could not be better than a support to Dream Theater. This
band hit the stage to deliver a powerful and hard hitting set that would leave
people excited and wanting more. As with all support acts, they never got a
decent lighting set, which really sucks. Nevertheless, the band played a kick
ass set that the crowd wanted more and me for 1, I'd love to of seen a longer
set. The bands current album 'Paradise Lost' see's the band in a more darker and
heavier approach but still manages to keep the melodic sound and vocals that so
many love to hear. Symphony X set list was: Serpents
Kiss, Paradise Lost, Inferno, Instrumental, Invader, Babylon.
An awesome kick ass band that will certainly give Dream Theater a run for their
money, check these guys out, their 1 of the band & finest Prog Metal acts
about. Love to see them at ProPower UK in the near future!!
Next
up was the mighty 'Dream
Theater', who really
shouldn't need any introduction, but for those who don't know Dream Theater have
to be thanked for their contribution to starting Progressive Metal off. Although
Dream Theater are influenced by the likes of Rush, Genesis, Yes, Marillion to
name a few, this band have set trends for 1000's of up & coming Prog metal
acts from all over the world. If you like to the likes of Dreamscape, Ivanhoe,
Evergrey, Symphony X, Psychotic Waltz etc.. there all influenced by the likes of
Dream Theater. With the band releasing their debut album 'When Day Dream..' the
band have become more successful with each album and their biggest break in my
opinion has to be 'Images & Words', which was the band been played on MTV
with 'Pull Me Under'. The band were back in the day signed to East/ West Records
until they parted ways with them on their last album 'Octavarium'. Now the band
have returned with their recent release through Roadrunner Records titled
'Systematic Chaos', which is a good album and reminds me of 'Awake' album for
its heaviness. Who in the world would think that this band would of signed to
Roadrunner when you would of thought Inside Out would of been the most obvious
choice. The band played a outstanding set and with a great stage presence,
with big screens showing each member close up with camera's on their instruments
as well as a cartoon sketch which was rather funny to watch. This is a band that
not to be taken lightly, a serious musician's band really but if you also have
an open mind and can also adapt to technical music then you will surely love
their music. The future is certainly looking bright for this band. Trax that
they played were: Constant
Emotion, Panic Attack, Endless Sacrifice, The Dark Eternal Night, Home,
Misunderstood, Pull Me Under, Take The Time, In The Presence Of Enemies Pt.1
& 2, Trail Of Tears, The Ytse Jam, In The Name Of God.
What a great set, and if you haven't seen this band before then I suggest you
check them out, especially if you're a musician. Also check out the bands CDs.
Lets see what the next album will bring in the near future.
Beverly Memorial Hall 22.9.07 (UK)
It's good to see new festivals up & coming onto the scene, and this festival is yet another one which in time will grow with the help of the fans and journalist from around the country. Metieval is yet a new festival which in time will grow and with local acts and national/ international acts to follow in future years to come could see this festal become 1 of the biggest UK underground festivals with help and support. This years festival is from what I can gather be the 2nd year of the festivals success, the 1st one I missed and knew nothing about. I was however glad to be able to attend and give the festival my support. Most acts on the bill were local hard hitting Metal acts with 2 national acts added to pull more of a crowd to the show. As this was held in Beverly just outside of Hull (UK) in a small town the hall wasn't a bad choice of venue and hopefully next year will also see the festival return. There was however cheap beer but no food, good thing they allowed pass outs!! This festival was a 2 days event, the bigger acts were held on the Saturday, but the Sunday saw smaller acts from around the local scene. As Saturday had the biggest turn out and had the best acts.
Opening
act for the day was 'Face Of
Scars'. the 1st of many Hull
bands to hit the stage. 
This
band consist of 4 guys who play a style of metal that would be best described as
across between Thrash/ Grind/ Hard core all rolled into 1. For a opening act
they were pretty good and with 300 strong metal heads attending they certainly
showed what they had to offer. With Hardcore/ Grindcore grunts this band pretty
very intense and certainly got the crowd going with the brutal style of metal.
Some songs which were played were: Deathblow, Broken Bones, Meat Feast, Bring
The Fight. This band have been around for a couple of years now so they
certainly have a decent future ahead with the help of the local scene. Next up
was 'Systemyk',
this young and up and coming 5 piece were certainly different from what I can
gather, certainly not a full on metal band, but more a Goth/ Industrial act
which I wasn;t too sure how they would go down for this type of festival. OK, so
they weren't metal but they weren't bad for the style they were playing.
Although it isn't my cup of tea they were pretty good. This band had a few
people watching out of curiosity and seemed to win over a few more fans by the
end of their set. The bands current line-up is: Danny (vocals), Lee (guitar), Lu
(bass), Phil (Keyboards) and Mike (drums). Any fan of such acts like Sisters Of
Mercy, Nine Inch Nails, Type O Negative would certainly like this band. The band
have recorded 2 demos and have had some push by Paradise Lost member as producer
known as Greg Mackintoch. I am sure with his help the band could be signed up by
2008. Some songs played on the day were: Promises, Questions, Can't Carry On.
Next up was 'Heat Ray',
this was 1 of so little real metal acts that are pretty new to the metal scene
here in Hull and what a decent band they are. Front by Chunck 'Hail To England!!
- Yes Manowar rule' these 5 guys are godo at what they do and Chunck is a great
frontman, who certainly does get the crowd going. He could be the next Ozzy,
Hallford, Eric Adams just for stage presence. Musically this band play Thrash,
with some Power Metal elements and True Metal too, only because of Chunck's
influences. Mixing a style of Metallica, Manowar style metal
these guys are pretty decent and with the right direction and advice could soon
see them supporting more successful acts. If you want to see a local metal 
band
from 
around
here go see 'Heat Ray'. The current line -up is: Chunck (vocals), Neil (bass),
Mike (guitar), Dave (guitar), and Chris (drums). Songs the band played
were: The Devil Killer, Marshal Law, The Night Witch, The Last Ride, Welcome to
your Doom, Heat-Ray and Metallica's Seek & Destroy. A band well worth
checking out, so go and see them soon!!!! Next up was 'Sworn
Amongst', another local act
consisting of 4 young kids in their early 20's, this line up been Liam (vocals/
guitar), Harvey (guitar), Rob (bass), Jonny (drums). These guys are in the
process of having their debut album hopefully released soon. I have to say these
guys are pretty good at what they do just like Heat Ray and have some potential
going for them. Harvey si a right little poser but saying that he can play his
guitar, so hey if you can do both why not rock on bro!! Mixing Thrash style
metal somewhat across between Metallica, Testament, and the likes of UK acts
like Re-Animator, Slammer seem to jell well together. The band have also has
success with reviews in the likes of Kerrang and Terrorizer, so things are
certainly look up for these guys. I wish them well. Songs played by Sworn
Amongst were: Rules of engagement, Herodotus, Downtrodden, Lord of war, Blind
faith, Consumed, Drive. Next to hit the stage were 'Heathen
Foray', these guys consist
of the following members: Glyn (vocals), Sam (guitars), Lord Legion (bass), and
Stormsword (drums) and since the festival the band have added a 2nd guitarist
called Markoma. If you like you're metal based on Viking/ Pagan Metal with such
acts as, Amon Amarth, Falconer, Sabbat, Skyclad then I am sure this band is for
you. I have to say that I'm not a fan of this style of music but on the other
hand I have to give these guys some credit for trying and for been the 1st band
in Hull to be the 1st to play this type of music. They were one of the band who
seemed to get the crowd going just like Heat Ray. The band are in the process of
releasing their debut album in 2008 which should appeal to fans of Pagan/ Viking
Metal. Songs that the band played were: Nordic Horizons (Intro), A Summer's
Tale, Into Foray, Heralder, Path Of The Warrior, Unearther, Fortelling The Raven
Age, Heritage, Call To Arms. I guess their lord would be somebody like Odin, but
hey these guys are good at what they do so go and check them out!!. Next up was
'Soul Flame',
these 4 guys play some pretty decent Rock and kind of remind me of across
between Thunder, BLS, which seems to fix pretty well, 
although
these guys weren't the heaviest of bands on the bill it's good 
to
see some variation added to the festival. The current band line-up is: Nick
(vocals & guitar), Ron (lead guitar), Sam (bass) and drummer who stood in
for them, but a name wasn't given to me so I cant say who he was. It was good to
see a band playing something different to the day, which kind of broke the music
up and gave people the change to stop their necks from breaking after so many
heavier bands on the day. Next up was 'Avenger'
from Newcastle, these guys came to rock and they just that! I grew up with their
music having bought their 2nd album 'Killer Elite' in the mid 80's on Neat
Records and what a great album that was for a UK band. Now Ian Swift
(vocals) and Gary Young (drums) are the only 2 original members left who are now
joined by a couple of younger musicians these been Liam Thompson (guitar), Sean
Jefferies (guitar) and Huw Holding (bass). Now these guys are back and they
certainly mean business and today they did just that, although their set ws only
30 minutes the band hit the stage and delivered a powerful hard hitting Power
Metal set with some awesome music that just took me back to the day, God this
was such a blast from the past!!! Playing songs from their debut album 'Blood
Sports' and 'Killer Elite' as well as 2 new songs. Ian still has a great voice
which does at time like to sore with his high notes. A new album is to follow in
2008, so I am really looking forward to that. I am so glad I saw this band live
and I look forward to see in more of the band in 2008, check them out and
welcome back guys!! Next up was 'Talamasca',
another local Hull band, and not to be confused with the U.S. band (RIP), sadly
missed. These guys have been around for a few years now and I have to admit I
have heard the name before but never heard their music till recently and I
thought some of their music was pretty enjoyable. For a 3 piece these guys do
what they do best and it certainly does the band justice. The band have released
a couple of mini CDs in the past so they have been around for a number of years
now but really haven't made it into the scene as much as I would of expected,
which is a shame really. I am sure there break will come with lots of hard work
and continue to play what they do best. Songs that the band played were: The
Skeleton key, We Are Not, The eye of war, End of Days, Rage of the northern
seas, Bonefinger, Stormcrows, Awakened & Serial Killer. Now for the
headlining act, this can only mean another band from Newcastle thus been 'Skyclad'.
Skyclad's career started out by ex Sabbat front man Martin and former Blind Fury
guitarist Steve Ramsey, of both members teamed up to form Skyclad in the 90's
and the biggest showcases was in 95 for Dynamo festival in Holland. Since then
the band have recorded several albums for Noise records and Massacre records
too, but Martin left the band and was replaced by Kevin Ridley (vocals &
guitar), also joining Kevin is Steve Ramsey (guitar), George Biddle (Fiddle,
keyboards, Piano), Graeme English (bass), and Arron Walton (drums). Skyclad have
a history that has kept the band alive and well for over a decade and the future
is still strong for these jordies from newcastle. 300 strong people stayed to
witness Skyclads live performance and if you haven't seen the band before then
you are surely going to enjoy this bands music, especially if you're a fan of
Pagan and Folk Metal. Ideally Heathen Foray would be a great support act for
these guys in the near future as a support act. I'm not sure how many albums
Skyclad have recorded but I do know that there is no stopping these guys, so
best of luck to them. The crowd at the festival loved them and really got
involved with plenty of dancing and headbanging. Either way you love um or hate
um Skyclad are here to stay. Songs performed were: A Great blow for a day job,
Anti-Body Politic, Mr Malalprope Co, A well besides the river, A song for no-involvement,
The widdershins jig, The parliament of fools, Helium, Another drinking song,
Another fine mess, Lightning the load, Wickedest Man, Roman wall blues, What
nobody wanted, Jig a jig, Still small beer, Spinning jenny, Inequality street,
Penny dreadful, Bury me, Swords of a 1000 men, and Emerald. A great festival
which will grow in time with the support of the bands, fans and journalist
alike. Look out for next years festival in 2008 when Balze Bailey will headline.
So be there and spread the word!!!!
Catton Hall Derbyshire - 16th - 18th August 2007 (UK)
Well this year saw yet another exploding year full of excitement from various styles of metal music. This festival has grown over the years from a small crowd to a larger crowd and it will become larger in years to come. This is the 3rd year for the open air, the 1st one I missed but last year was a great year, with the likes of Metal Church, Atheist, and many more.... Unfortunately this years indoor was cancelled, which left a few fans disappointed but I am sure there will be another indoor 1 next year. This year saw some great acts, some of which were not all Power Metal and as some people thought the festival should stay Power/ Thrash has now become more mainstream. I guess that's a matter of opinion. Either way the organizers have to pull the crowds in. As long as this festival doesn't become another Download, then things will be fine. This year also saw some decent weather, only 1 day of rain, but other than that it was fine. I tell you that this festival is going to grow, and next year sees 2 stages, so there going to be more acts I am sure. As always you cant get to see all the acts live or even know half the bands songs, but what I did c was awesome and I am sure the fans agree.
Thursday
16th: Well day
one, was a exciting day, I think most people were there to
see Testament
and Firewind. Well I arrived mid afternoon, got my passes (thanx Bloostock) and
proceeded to put up my tent before any rain came my way. Luckily we didn't see
any rain so that was a good start!! Well there were plenty of metal heads from
the UK & Europe for this years metal bash. There were also some cool metal
stores, selling CD's, t shirt and more!! First band of the day was former
AC/DC's drummer 'Chris Slade',
with his band playing some of AC/DC's classic tunes. They seemed to go down
pretty well and seemed a good opening act to build this years festival up. The
only bad point about this band was the singer, where the hell did they get him
from? His vocal's were pretty bad and really couldn't hit the notes that Bon
Scott could do or Brian Johnson does now. I've heard better singers in other
AC/DC tribute acts. I really didn't see much of the band but of course they did
play 'Whole Lotta Rosie', which went down well besides the vocals of course.
Next up was' Sight Of
Emptiness', a band from
Costa Rica - South America. This band won a competition
from some magazine and were asked to play at this years Bloodstock, this was
there only show here in the UK. It was a shame that nobody booked the band to
support anther act over here. Sight Of Emptiness are a 5 piece Death Metal band,
which seemed pretty impressive considering nobody had heard of them over here.
Mixing their style of Death Metal which seemed to come close to that of Cannibal
Corpse, Suffocation, style of metal and for a 5 piece they went down pretty
well. I am sure this band will be back over here supporting a decent Death Metal
act soon. Songs the band played were: Truth Of A Lie ,In Death State, Chapter Of
Hatred, Visions, Witness Of Your Murder, Desolation Whispers, Death In Fire (Amon
Amarth Cover). Next up was
'Kiuas',
another hard hitting Thrash/ Death Metal act.
Next up was London case act
'Head-On',
a new band to me which I thought where from the USA, but they surprised me to
know that they are a London based act. This 4 piece have released 1 album which
was released in 2006 and by the looks of it is doing rather well. Head-On play a
Southern Hard Rock/ Stoner Rock sound mixed with some elements of Metal. If I
had to say who this band comes across I'd say between: Black Label Society,
Down, COC, Trouble, Sabbath, Pantera & so that gives you some kind of hint
to their musical direction. Been the 4th band on the bill saw the band hit the
stage
and deliver an impressive sound which 
certainly got the crowd moving and
was a delight to hear something different. Songs that the band played were:
XXL,
Break the walls, Wrecking Ball, Stronger, Sunrise, Meat Wagon, The Stomp, Here
comes the hammer. If you haven't seen the band before go and see them when there
near a city near you. In the meantime check out their debut album I'm sure its
pretty cool stuff. Next up was Greek Power Metal act, 'Firewind', having seen
the band live in London supporting Nevermore a few years ago I knew what to
expect. This band features former Dream Evil guitarist Gus G, who left Dream
Evil to concentrate on Fire wind. Firewind have recorded a few albums to date,
and the bands current release 'Allegiance' is doing pretty well today and see
the band touring on all 4 continents so far. The band played this years
Bloodstock with force and energy which really saw a great response from the
crowd. Joining Gus was temporary front man Henning from Metalium, which was a
pleasant surprise. Henning did a awesome job and if you have seen Metalium then
you will know just how powerful his voice is. Also in Firewind is also ex
Metalium drummer Mark Cross, another awesome drummer and a great addition to the
band. This band are a awesome Power Metal act and they certainly have a great
future ahead on them. They have a lot of energy and power live and with Henning
on vocals as a temp front man they kicked some serious ass!!! Firewind remind me
of such acts as Yngwie for their guitar work, and musically they come across
between the likes of Metalium, Vicious Rumors, Dream Evil, just to name a
few acts. Firewind are a really awesome act live and also have done some
outstanding albums. The future for this band is very promising. Some of the
tracks that the band performed live were: Are You Ready To Strike, Fire &
Fury, End Of Time, Tyranny. What a great
band and look out for more from Firewind in the near future. Next up was the
mighty 'Testament', what can 1 say about this act. Hailing from the Bay Area in
the U.S.A. who have been around since the early 80's under the name of 'The
Legacy', before changing their name to Testament. Along side the likes of
Metallica, Forbidden, Death Angel, Vicious Rumors, Exodus and many more
Testament are 1 of the greatest acts that have stayed true to themselves without
selling out. With the band 1st recording albums for Atlantic Records with such
albums as 'The Legacy' 'Souls In Black' and later albums such as 'Low', 'The
Gathering' the band are ready to release their next masterpiece. it's been a
while since the band played the UK with this line-up, not since they live show
in London, but the band are back and stronger than ever. Their newest member is
ex Cradle Of Filth drummer Nick Barker. For the younger kids who attended
Bloodstock this was a real treat and for us oldies, a blast from the past!!
Chuck Billy and co really did devastate the stage with their powerful and hard
hitting performance. Thrash at its best and the new legacy awaits Testament.
Some songs that they played were: Practice What You Preach, Souls In Black, Into
The Pit, Low, Over The Wall, Disciples Of The Watch, The Legacy, Legions Of The
Dead. Testament are a force to be reckoned with and I suggest you check them out
if you already haven't!!
Friday 17th:
Well the first
day had past and what a great start to a up and growing festival that is surely
going to be as big as the rest 1 day. Weather wise was good with a little bit of
cloud but it didn't stop us metal heads at all!! The first band I managed to
catch live was 'Scar
Symmetry'
from Sweden who
was formed back in 2004. This 5 piece Death Metal act who remind me of the likes
of Soilwork, At The Gates, have released 2 for Nuclear Blast and are becoming
rather popular like 
so many acts out there playing this style of music. With
their melodic riffs and also brutal vocals mixed with melodic vocals makes this
band pretty interesting. Saying that, I would have to say that frontman has his
faults when it comes to doing the death metal vocals, as he does clean and death
metal vocals, he just cant seem to handle the brutal side as much as the melodic
side. I was kind of looking forward to see in this band but was disappointed by
the vocals which really did let the band down. Songs that the band played were:
Slaves To The Subliminal, Pitch Black Progress, Mind Machine, The Kaleidoscopic
God, Carved In Stone, Reborn, Seeds Of Rebellion, & Dominion. All can
say is that the band do have the energy and power but lack in the vocal
department, something which needs working on. Next up was 'Wolf', a great
melodic Swedish metal act that consider themselves as a true heavy metal act,
but to me they do come close to Power Metal/ Speed if anything. Influenced by
the likes of Judas Priest, Saxon, Accept, Anvil, Iron Angel, Destruction, Saxon
just to name a few. Wolf are certainly a decent 4 piece that have released 3-4
albums to date. I wouldn't say that Wolf are the most exciting band, but what
they do is good old fashioned Metal from the 80's and I love my 80's metal , so
they get my respect. Playing bass guitar for them as a stand in was Andres
from Tad Morose, my old mates who I've know for some time now. It was good to
see Andres again, shame Tad Morose couldn't of played this year too. Now signed
to Century Media, the band took to the stage to deliver what could be described
as a powerful set, until.... the band had a power cut. This was a real shame for
the band, and even though the band suffered the crowd still stayed and waited
for the power to come back on. Wolf did however, manage to keep the crowd
entertained by throwing beer into the crowd which was funny. When the power did
return the the band were on top form and delivered a powerful set. A decent band
well worth checking out. Songs played were: Steelwinged Savage reaper, The Bite,
I will kill again, Electric raga, Wolf's blood, Children of the black
flame, Genocide, Evil star. Next up was 'Memfis', another band from Sweden which
were formed back 2003 by Mattias Engstorm (guitar & vocals), who is also
joined by Johan Boqvist (guitar & vocals), Carl Johan Lindbad (drums),
Christian Ohberg (bass). The band have released 2 demos back in 2004 and their
debut album titled 'The Wind-Up'. The band have toured with the likes of
Entombed, The Haunted, & Satyricon. Now the band play the Bloodstock
festival in front of a pleased crowd of die hard metal heads. Mixing a style of
Thrash with a hard hitting edge made this band well noticed by the crowd who's
reaction was very overwhelming. I am sure the band will be back to out shores
very soon. A decent band who a good future if given the chance. Trax played
were: The Wind-up, Dead Ends, The Game, Stop Those Waves, Save the day,
Breathless, Forever Discounted, Eternal Failure, The Judgement, The Burden,
Breakdown. Next up was 'Korpiklaani',
who seem to have a pretty big following from what I can gather. Playing a style
of Celtic/ Folk Metal in the same vain as Skyclad, just to name 1 of them, this
band to me are new but to a lot of people are a band who are becoming rather
popular and big now. Hailing from Finland these 6 guys have a lot to deliver if
this is you're style of music, not me it's not my cup of tea, but nevertheless,
Korpiklaani are a good band at what they do. The consist of Bag Pipes, harpsichord,
bass, guitars, drums and I believe keyboards. This folk metal thing is becoming
rather big these days and with the like of In Extremo helping along the way as
well as many others Folk, Pagan, Celtic metal is now more popular than Bla
ck
Metal. With the band releasing 4 albums to date I can see why people are
starting to enjoy this band and their style there playing. I'm not sure what the
songs were played, but like Is aid a decent band if 
you like that sort of music.
Next was 'Epica',
fronted by Sexy Simone Simons, a beautiful red head with loads of sexy appeal
lol!! She also has a decent voice, very operatic at times, and like a lot of
female fronted bands these days sounds a lot like Nightwish, Lacuna Coil, and
more... Simone has also worked with the likes of Kamelot, and Primal Fear which
has certainly given her band Epica a real boost. Epica, playing in the vain as
Nightwish and have released 6 albums to date so the band are certainly doing
something right. Hailing from Holland, this band have also played the ProgPower
festival in the USA and also in their home country. The bands latest album 'The
Divine Conspiracy' sees the band now signed to Nuclear Blast and a bright future
ahead. Mixing a style of Epic, Symphonic and Death Metal style vocals by
guitarist Mark Jansen gives the band a slightly different approach that most
fans can notice. A decent band which played the following songs: Indigo, The
Obsessive Devotion, Menace of Vanity, Quietus, Seif al Din, Facade of Reality,
Consign to Oblivion. Next to hit the stage was the mighty 'Nevermore',
Seattle's very own hard hitting Power/ Thrash act. Nevermore formed by ex
Sanctuary members Warrel Dane and Jim Sheppard were joined by Jeff Loomis and
Van Williams and released their debut album for Century Media back in 95. Since
then the band haven't looked back and with each album the band have become
stronger and heavier. If you take a look at the bands last album 'This Godless Endeavor'
this album saw the band at their strongest and heaviest. The band have had a few
added guitarist but now with Jag Panzer's guitarist Chris helping out the band
are ready for an even more promising future. Well the band hit the stage and delivered
a hard hitting set from start to finish. I also enjoy watching this band because
they have a awesome singer and some excellent musicians that create some top
quality music from start to finish. The band also got an impressive mosh pit
going which was an added bonus. Songs that the band played were: Four Walls,
Final Product, Born, Deconstruction, Enemies Of Reality, just to name a few.
Next up was yet another Century Media act, this time it was Sweden's only
Thrash/ Death Metal act 'Dark
Tranquility' who had there
hands tired after the mighty Nevermore had finished their set. Dark Tranquility
have been around for a number of years and have become a major success for many
Death Metal acts from around the world. Like At The Gates, Dark Tranquility are
yet another band who have influenced so many acts from around the world. This
band are a force to be reckoned with and they don't take prisoners likely. These
6 guys deliver a hard hitting punch and plenty of kids were there to help them
along the way. Again I am not familiar with their songs, but all I can say is
that the kids loved them and I have to respect them for keeping the scene alive.
Headliner's 'Lacuna Coil'
were next, yet again another Century Media act, does Bloodstock have a deal with
this label? Anyhow, this band is fronted by Cristina Scabia, another female in
the metal scene who is respected alongside Tanya formed Nightwish, and Simone
Simon from Epic. Lacuna Coil are yet another very influenced band that are
making waves in the Gothic/ Symphonic Metal scene. This 6 piece act from Italy
have played such festivals as Download, Wacken, Ozzfest just to name a few and
are now becoming bigger with every release. Century Media seem to be drawn to
these female fronted acts. Lacuna Coil ready did a great job and certainly got
the crowd going. The band certainly have a lot to offer and are a great live
band for what they do. Gothic Metal at 1 of its very best.
Saturday 18th:
Saturday saw
some rain, but we still managed to stay alive and watch the show with excitement
as ever. With everybody waking up and getting there shit together it was going
to be a long but fun packed day. First band of the day I saw were 'Rise
To Addiction', which were
formed out of the ashes of Blaze band, both guitarist's Steve Wray & John
Slater, who are also joined by Joel Graham (bass), Leigh Oates (vocals), Aynsley
Dickinson (drums). This band have been getting some really good support slots
with the likes of Trouble been 1 of them. The band have released their debut
album A New Shade Of Black For The Soul', which was released 2007 on Mausoleum
Records. If you liked the Blaze bands material then you're surely going to like
Rise To Addiction who have a lot more to offer and more variation to their
sound. This band are a great band which hail from the UK and have a decent
future ahead of them. Set list for R.T.A was: Cold Season, I Follow, Low, To A
God Unknown, One Sweet Minute, Falling As One. Check out this band, there
heading for a promising future. Next up were German Power/ True metaller's 'Freedom
Call', which is formed by
Gamma Ray's drummer Daniel Zimmermann, joined by Chris Bay (guitar/ vocals),
Armin Donderer (bass), Lars RettKowitz (guitar). Freedom Call have released
several album for SPV and seem to be getting stronger with each release. If
True/ Power Metal is you're thing then you will love this band. The bands
current release 'Dimensions' is a very powerful and strong album which has
plenty of twists and turns for all metalheads alike!! The band played a powerful
40 minute set which really got the crowd going and left the stage with 
a strong
urge to return to our shores in 
the very near future. Next to hit the stage was
the UK's 'Benadiction',
who released a few albums through Nuclear Blast. This Birmingham 5 piece Death
Metal act started out with Mark 'Barney' Greenway on vocals back in the day who
now front Napalm Death. Back in the late 80's this band were pretty close to
that of Napalm Death mixed with Cerebral Fix and still to this date the band
have managed to capture their unique sound. The bands current line-up to date
is: Dave Hunt (vocals), Darren Brookes (guitar), Peter Rew (guitars), Frank
Healy (bass), Neil Hutton (drums). With the release of 'Subconscious Terror'
which was released back in 1990 the band have carried on with numerous release
and soon to release their current 2007 release 'Killing Music'. Benediction
certainly got a few peoples heads shaking at this years festival with their
grind sounding Death Metal. More mayhem was to follow!! Next up was Dutch
Thrash/ Death Metal act 'Legion
of The Damned', this 4 piece
really did devastate the stage at this years festival, when they ripped the
stage apart. With the release of 2 albums under their belt for Massacre Records,
this former 'The Occult' members started a powerful & head splitting set.
Mixing the likes of Slayer, Destruction, Kreator and Sodom style metal was
brutal enough for all that came to see and hear. Is aw this band live when they
supported Celtic Frost & Kreator early this year. The bands set list
was: Legion of
the damned. Werewolf corpse, Sons of the jackal, diabolist, malevolent rapture,
undead stillborn, death's head march, taste of the whip, Infernal wrath
Dream Of Nightmares, The Clerical 
Conspiracy,
The Best Of Enemies, For Those Who Died, A Cautionary Tale, How the mighty have
fallen, just to name a few. next up was Sweden's 'Arch
Enemy',
which was formed by ex Carcass guitarist Mike Amott, along side Sharlee
D'Aangelo (bass) Mercyful Fate, and Angela Gossow (vocals), Daniel Erlandsson
and Chris Amott (guitar). This band have come a long way since the bands early
days, but have managed to maintain a true and powerful hard hitting Thrash/
Death Metal sound since the bands early material right up to the bands most
recent work. 'Black Earth' was released back in 1997, with a follow up with 'Stigmato'
in 98 saw the band ready to release such albums as 'Wages Of Sin', 'Anthems Of
Rebellion', & 'Doomsday Machine' along with the bands current album 'Rise Of
The Tyrant'. These guys are fucking awesome musicians, not because they play
powerful Thrash/ Death Metal, but at the same time of playing brutal they have a
lot of melodic parts as well. As for the guitar work by Mike & Chris, well
its just amazing and reminds me of Carcass and King Diamond. Angels vocals are
sick for a very sexy female, who would ever believe it was a female singing?
Daniels drumming gives that extra power and Sharlee's bass gives it that added
punch. Fucking killer band and In Flames had their work cut out for them. Arch
Enemy played: I Am Legend/Out For Blood, Ravenous, Blood On Your Hands, My
Apocalypse, Dead Eyes See No Future, Burning Angel, Enemy Within, Revolution
Begins, Dead Bury Their Dead, We Will Rise, Bridge Of Destiny Solo
Well
another year has past, just another year till 2008 outdoor and also indoor
festival. If you missed this year then you missed a great line-up, and I hope
that you will make it to next years and support a great festival. Metal on
Bloodstock. Thanx for you're support guys!!! Review
and Pictures By Jason Brown © 2007
& 
Leeds Rio's 29.5.07 - UK
What can one say
about this might and awesome Doom metal act
? Along side Black
Sabbath, Trouble
have influenced so many acts around the world, not as well as tons of Doom metal
bands like C.O.C, Metallica are even influenced by this gods of Doom, yes that
right folks even the mighty Metallica are influenced by Trouble. Trouble have
been around since the late 70's and hailing from Chicago the band recorded their
1st demo and it was sent to Metal Blade were they appeared on the 'Metal
Massacre' series along with Metallica in their early days of their careers. The
band released their debut awesome album title 'Trouble', or some would say 'Psalm
9', call it what you will, but that album had such in impact on the Metal scene
alone. Following that album the band released 'The Skull', probably the bands
heaviest album to date, what an awesome album that is. The band also have
released some interesting and very powerful later albums such as 'Trouble',
'Plastic Green head' and now the band have returned with their new awesome album
'Simple Mind Condition', which is a great comeback album. It's been 12yrs since
I last saw the band live at Dynamo festival and tonight was a night I was really
looking forward to. These 5 guys are so underrated and deserve more respect that
they should be a much bigger band. I hope that the bands new label Escapi take
more care with the band than the bands previous labels ever did and give them
the push they so rightly deserve.
Support at for
tonight was ex Blaze members John Slater & Steve Wray, who have formed 'Rise
To Addiction', who have recently released their debut album titled 'A New Shade
Of Black For The 
Soul'
through Mausoleum Records. Rise To Addiction are slight different from that of
Blaze, still managing to keep a heavy sound approach with a new style of Metal,
sort of across between Metallica and one of the newer acts out there. They came
across as a good solid live act with plenty of potential and with the right
attitude they will claim more fans in the very near future. A decent support act
for such a godly band to follow. Trouble were about to hit the stage in front of
a full house, this was something I knew was going to happen as I knew Leeds
& Bradford had a big Trouble following. Light went down and the intro
started, how excited were we all!!! Opening up to R.I.P. which was a great
opening song and really got the crowd going. The sound and performance from this
awesome act was just incredible and the crowd were certainly hungry to see
Trouble doing their 1st full headlining tour for the 1st time. The rest list
wasn't too long and I really thought the band could of played a lot longer
considering it's been 15yrs or so since they last hit the shores of the UK. I do
hope that they come back soon this year and play a much long set, they have
enough material to play a 2hr set easily. Better still they should be supporting
Metallica, but saying that I'm sure they will give Metallica a run for their
money!! Other songs that the band played live were: Sleeper, Touch The Sky,
Plastic Green head, Assassin, Pray For The Dead/ End Time, Mindbender, Going
Home, End Of My Daze, Memories Garden, Fear, Psychotic Reaction, All Is
Forgiven, The Tempter, Bastards Will Pay and for an encore they played Misery
Shows. What a great gig by the Doom Gods, welcome back guys!! Check out the new
album and an exclusive interview on my website!!
& 
Nottingham Rock City 16.5. 07 - UK
Well
tonight was a great nice of classic British Metal with a great support act, this
been
'Masterplan', which was formed by ex Helloween guitarist Roland Grapow.
Joining Roland is ex Rage drummer Mike Terrana, who is also still with Axel Rudi
Pell, and what an awesome drummer he is. Joining Mike and Roland is Jan S Eckert
and Axel Mackenrott and new front man Mike DiMeo known for his work with The
Lizards and Riot. This was a gig I was really looking forward to, to see a
classic Metal band such as Saxon with a fine support act was a night to
remember. Masterplan have released 3 albums to date, the bands 1st 2 albums
featured Jorn Lande as front man and ex Helloween drummer Uli. Its been a while
since I last saw Masterplan, something like the 2nd Bloodstock, which was some
time ago but I'm glad to see the band are back and stronger than ever. I wasn't
too sure how Mikes vocals would be with the new and old material but he is a
talented singer and he did really pull it off. It's been a while also since I
last visited Nottingham Rock City and tonight was a full house of die hard
metalheads like myself. Masterplan only did a really sort set which was a shame
and with a drummer solo which really wasn't necessary and a waste of time
really as there could of been 1 more song in their set. Not to say that Mike's
solo was boring, far from it just wasn't needed as a support act. With a 40
minute set the band hit the stage and played some new and classic Masterplan
material which was a great sight to hear and see. Mike really did pull off the
old stuff and I'm sure many of the fans would agree with me. Saxon fans also
alike were surprised with the material that Masterplan pulled off. A great band
which I highly recommened, just check out the bands new album released on AFM
titled 'MK 11'. The bands set list was as follows: Spirit Never Die, Enlighten
Me , Lost and Gone, Crystal Night, Soulburn, Guitar solo, Drum solo, Back
for My Life, Kind Hearted Light.
'Saxon' were a band that I and so many more grew up on, a cult classic band and in the top acts with Judas Priest, Motorhead, Iron Maiden & Black Sabbath, these bands took the world by storm and still continue to do so to this date. Biff & Paul Quinn are the only 2 original members to date. Joining Biff is Nigel Glockler, Nibbs Carter, & Doug Scarratt. The band have gone from strength to strength and I must say that ever since the band released 'Metal Head' the band are now on top form. Even the album 'Heavy Metal Thunder' was fucking awesome!! Well enough of the crap talking, Saxon hit the stage to play roughly about a 2hr set of pure head banging metal with such classics and also some new material from the bands new album 'The Inner Sanctum', which is an awesome hard hitting album. Some of the songs that Saxon played were: State Of Grace, Need The Speed, Let Me Feel Your Power, Red Star Failing, If I Was You, Ashes To Ashes, 747 Stranger In The Night, Crusader, The Bands Played On, Searching For Atlantis, Power & The Glory, Dogs Of War, Princess Of The Night, Wheels Of Steel, Heavy Metal Thunder, just to name a few. A great gig by 2 awesome bands. Long live Saxon and Masterplan.
&
Bradford
Rio's 14.3.07 - UK
It's been a while
since I saw these to acts play together, it was 1988 when they toured together
at Nottingham's Rock City. I have seen the bands several times in the past since
that 1988 tour, but tonight was a special night for some fans who have never
even seen either Kreator or Celtic Frost. What you have hear with a mixture of
classic German Thrash mixed with Swizz Avangard Death/ Black Metal. Both bands
have had plenty of success in the 80's and still continue to this date. Even so,
both bands have 
influenced
so many acts you couldn't image just how many bands they have influenced. As
this was my last gig at the famous Bradford Rio's, I was sad to see the venue
go, as I have met and taken so many cool pictures 
from
this venue and I have to say the sound was amazing!! Since then Rio's has now
moved to Leeds (UK) and I had the pleasure of attending that venue when i saw
Trouble. More about that review soon.
Anyway, 1st band to hit the stage was 'Celtic Frost' and as this was a double head lining show both bands proved that metal is still a way of life. With Celtic Frost been 1 of those strange and unique bands that mix a form of Black/ Death and Avangard Metal all into 1 really does work. Tom G. Warrior and Co, proved that they still have what it takes after a decade of been apart from the scene. I saw the band at last years Wacken and then they proved to be a band that still have captured the imagination of so many. With the band releasing so classic album such as Morbid Tales, and Into The Pandemonium tonight was a special night for those who haven't seen the band before and are influenced by this act. Old fans this was also a trip down memory lane. The Frost are 1 of those bands who have an enquired taste and you really need to have an open mind when listening to their music. This trio are still as cult classic which were formed out of the ashes of 'Hellhammer'. The Frost are back and about time too. Some of the bands songs are pretty slow but then again its not all about speed. Songs the band played were: Totengott, Procreation (of The Wicked), Visions of Mortality, Circle Of The Tyrants, The Usurper, Ain Elohim, Necromantical Screams, Dethroned Emperor, Into The Crypts Of Rays, & Synagoga Satanae. Long live the Frost!!!
Next up was 'Kreator', one of German's pioneers of Thrash right from the early 80's, along with Destruction & Sodom these bands have been around for so many years and like the Frost have also influenced so many acts. Millie, has been the godfather for this band right from the word go, and with various line-up changes over the years, Millie is now joined by original drummer Ventor once again. With such classic albums as 'Pleasure To Kill', 'Extreme Aggression', 'Enemy Of God', this 4 piece act are now stronger than ever. Millie still proves that his extreme vocals mix well with the heavy riffs of his guitar work and Ventors pounding drums. With each album the band have done the band have gone from strength to strength and with the future looking very promising for this act things could not be better. Now that the Frost had departed from the stage the crowd were ready for some ripping and brutal Thrash the way it was meant to be. The crowd loved their set with plenty of thrashing and a mosh pit was a great night for all. Kreator deserve a lot of respect and I look forward to plenty more albums in the future. Their set list for the show was: Into The Patriach, Violent Revolution, Pleasure To Kill, Enemy Of God, People Of A Lie, Suicide Terrorist, Extreme Aggression, Phobia, Betrayer, Voices Of The Dead, Reconquering The Throne, & Flag Of Hate. What a great show!!
31.3.07 Cheltenham Race Course - UK
This was 1 festival I really wanted to check out in the 1st year of 2006, but unfortunately I missed it for some strange reason, but I did manage to tour with Pagans Minds around the UK, which was awesome, thanx guys!! ProgPower has been going now in the U.S. for a number of years and is now part of Europe as the Dutch have now got involved. Since then the UK have got involved and now Sweden are now part of the ProgPower movement. This however is the 2nd annual year for the UK and I have to say it was a stronger line-up than that of the debut UK event. The line-up for this years event was varied and strong, which had a strong blend variety anything from Neon Classical Prog Metal to Folk and even Goth/ Death Prog. I have to say I did missed the warm up show which featured Civilization One (former Firewind vocalist Chitty). Also on the same stage that night were: Soliloquy & Son Of Science.
Opening
act for the main day was Sweden's act 'Heed', who have released their
debut album 
titled
'The Call'. I have to admit that I have never heard the band before until Is aw
them at this festival and I wasn't sure what to expect. I was rather surprised
and happy with what I heard. What I heard was a pleasant sound of you're typical
Swedish melodic metal/ with some elements of prog metal and strong and powerful
vocals by Daniel Heiman, who has a very powerful and interesting vocal range.
This band certainly seemed to get the crowd going for the opening act and more
stronger acts were yet to come. This 5 piece act are a strong force to listen
too and be heard. Songs that the band played were: I Am Alive, Ashes, Faith And
Blood, Salvation, Running From The Shadows, Enemy, Corona, & Last Drop Of
Blood. I suggest if you have not heard the bands debut album and seem interested
in hear this band who seem to come across between Yngwie, Nocturnal Rites, then
check out this band for sure. Next up was yet another Swedish act, this time it
was 'Cloudscape', a very awesome act, who have released 2 albums to date.
The bands debut album 'self titled' to me a an awesome and very impressive
debut. This album reminds me of Section A, Minds Eye, Beyond Twilight, Yngwie
and many more. Front man Mike Andersson is a great vocalist and is almost
perfect as he is on CD. Joining Mike in the band are: Bjorn Eliasson and Patrik
Svard (guitars), Haynnes Pherson (bass) and Roger Landin (drums). These guys are
great musicians, there is no doubt about it. Their music is top notch live and
they are a force to be heard. The bands 2nd album 'Crimson Skies' is yet another
awesome 2nd album and sees the band progressive in yet another every moving and
yet strong push forward. I was really looking forward to see in this act live as
I knew Mike but never had the chance to see yet along meet them until now. The
band have come along way and I do hope they come back really soon to our shores.
Sadly the band had to cut 1 song sort, this been 'In These Walls', which was a
shame. Songs that the band did play were: Breach In My Sanity, Shapeshifter,
Everyday Is Up To You, Demon Tears, Aqua 275, Will We Remain, In These Walls,
Under Fire. Lets hope that these guys come up with yet another classic Swedish
Metal album, rock on guys!!!
Next
up was 'Dreamscape', the 1st German act to the bill. Again Dreamscape are
another band
I wanted to see live. This 5 piece act have released 3 previous album, the bands
1st 2 albums featured 2 former singers. The band released an album this year
which was the 1st 2 albums re-mastered and reworked with newest front man Roland
Stoll who has a very powerful and more suitable voice for this type of band. If
you have not heard Dreamscape before then they are very close to that of Dream
Theater with hints of Fates Warning, Psychotic Waltz and Queensryche. Mainly
their sound is close to that of Dream Theater. saying that there is nothing
wrong with that as this act do it very well and with style. The band are to
release their latest album in mid 2007 for Massacre Records, so keep an eye open
for that, I certainly will!! The band played a 40 minute set of pure technical
and complex Prog Metal which I really enjoyed just like Cloudscape. it was funny
to see 2 bands on the same bill with the 'Scape' in the bands name, and with
both acts following 1 another I guess some people got the bands times wrong.
This bands line-up stands as: Jan Vacik (keyboards), Wolfgang Kerinnid (guitar),
Benno Schidtler (bass) & Bernhard Huber (drums). I have to say that
Dreamscape were another band I was rather looking forward to see in and to see
just how well they perform live. I have to say there were awesome, and could the
next band follow in their footsteps? Dreamscape set list was: Clockwork,
Fed Up With, The End Of Light, Thorn In My Mind, Somebody, When Shadows Are
Gone. Well the answer was yes. This was 'Communic', a 3
piece band from Norway, and what an incredible act they were, there are not too
many acts out there with only 3 members who can pull such strong ad technical
music like these guys can. If you're a fan of Nevermore, Psychotic Waltz, then
you don't need to look any further, as this 3 piece act are just what I have
mentioned. 2 awesome acts, 1 of which are no longer with us. Musically this band
have a lot of Psychotic Waltz in them with hints of Nevermore, especially with
the vocals by Oddleif Stensland, who are very influenced by Warrel Dane
(Nevermore) with hints of Buddy Lackey (Psychotic Waltz) in there as well makes
this act a truly outstanding. If you heard them you would think there a 4-5
piece act, but surprisingly this 3 piece act deliver the goods that a lot of
bands cant do. 1 band point for the band, was the fact that they had to switch
their time slots, which did confuse a lot of fans, don't you just hate it when
festivals do this?? This band have released 2 albums for Nuclear Blast and I
highly recommend both albums. Set list was: Communication Sublime, Frozen Asleep
In The Park, Waves Of Visual Decay, Under A Luminous Sky, They Feed On Our Fear.
Kick ass Metal from Norway!!
Next
up was 'Haggard', an unusual band for this type of bill, but nevertheless
I guess there were
there for a reason. Bloody hell it took them long enough to get their stuff on
stage, I think this band had something like 30 members lol!!! Besides the
guitarist, vocalist, drummer the band also brought a folk orchestra with them.
At one point I thought I was in the Royal Albert Hall. I really didn't get to
see the band as I was busy elsewhere, but I did manage to capture the last song
before the band went off stage. I can say 1 thing, they managed to keep the
crowd in the hall listening to their blend of Folk, Celtic and somewhat Prog
element'ed Metal. Songs that they played were: Per Aspera Ad Astra/Eppur Si
Muove, Awakening The Centuries. Next up was former Atrocity and Theater Of
Tragedy members. Mainly Alex Krull and his wife Liv Kristine along with 3
members of Atrocity and a drummer who I have no idea from what band he was once
in (sorry). I really use to like Atrocity back in the day. 'Leave's Eyes',
however play a mixture of soft and beautiful neon classical/ folk metal whilst
on the other hand they have a darker side with the Death Metal elements mixed
with prog Metal, and it all seems to fit well together. I have to admit that
this type of music doesn't appeal to me, but at the same time they do what they
do well and it seemed to go down well with the fans from the festival. There
seems to be a lot of female front bands out there right now and to me they seem
to bore me, some are good and some are not so good. At least Theater Of Tragedy
were playing this type of music 10yrs or so go so there not a new band. If
anything Nightwish and Theater Of Tragedy have been around about the same time.
Leave's Eyes have several albums under their belt and continue to grow with
strength on each album. I guess Haggard and Leave's Eyes would be a cool tour
together, what you reckon? Leave's Eyes set was as follows: Vinland Saga,
Farewell Proud Men, Ocean’s Way, The Crossing, Into Your Light, Temptation,
Lyset, Legend Land ,Solemn Sea, Elegy. Next up was Florida's very own 'Kamelot',
a band I am friends with, yeah Thom!! I have waited many years to see this act,
I missed them at Wacken, as Exciter were playing the time, but I have finally
got to see them at long last. What a great band they are, and if you're a fan of
Queensyche, Crimson Glory, Conception then you are sure to enjoy this act.
Kamelot have been around for at least 14yrs now and with each album the band
have gone from strength to strength. Since the early days with Mark on vocals
and with 2 albums with the same singer the band have progressed from the debut
to the bands 2nd album. Since the departure of Mark, Thom recruited ex
Conception front man Khan to the ranks and ever since the band have moved on
with giant leaps. Kamelot are a band to take notice of and with the band about
to release their new album for SPV the future could not be any brighter than it
is now. Thom and the boys delivered a powerful punched packed set from start to
finish and even included a track from their forthcoming album 'Ghost Opera',
which is yet to see the band ever moving forward. Joining Thom and Khan are:
Glenn Barry, Casey Grillo and Oliver Palotai (Doro's keyboardist) to the ranks.
This outfit could not be any stronger, they have the perfect line-up to date.
Songs that they played were: When The Lights Are Down, Soul Society, Mourning
Star, Nights Of Arabia, Abandoned, Descent Of The Archangel, Forever, Ghost
Opera, Karma, March Of Mephisto. A great set by a great band. Check them out
live this year!!
Well
it's been a long day and people were starting to get tired, but they managed to
keep the faith and hang it out for the main act. This been Savatage's
keyboardist/ vocalist Jon Oliva, with his new project under the name of 'Jon
Oliv'a Pain'. Savatage don't need no introduction, so I really shouldn't
need to give Jon an intro either, but in case you have not hear Savatage well,
they are 1 of the biggest Rock/ Metal Operatic acts around. Formed in the early
80's this act have gone from strength to strength. Jon did a side project in the
90's under the name of 'Doctor Butcher', but they really didn't kick off. Now he
is back with this new project that seems to be making more of an impact.
Savatage haven't done anything new for a while so this is the right timing for
Jon to unleash his down beast. Releasing their debut for AFM Records which is
doing very well so far. Jon and the 4 boys played a great set of Jon Oliva's
material as well as some classic Savatage material. This was a real treat for
fans of old and new of Savatage and Jon Oliva's Pain. Jon has a very distinct
voice and musically they remind of me Queen in certain places, something my fiancée
would be pleased about, with her been a massive Queen fan. The band played a
ripping set from start to finish, just check out the set list: Warriors, Sirens,
Maniacal Renderings, The Evil Beside You/Streets, Jesus Saves, Tonight He Grins
Again, Strange Reality, New York City Don’t Mean Nothing, Ghost In The Ruins,
If I Go Away, Agony And Ecstas, Somewhere In Time, Believe, Through The Eyes Of
The King, End Times/Edge Of Thorns, Gutter Ballet , Hall Of The Mountain
King.
This was without a great year for a great up & coming UK festival. I wish the promoters well and I hope they have many more successful years to come. Fans of real Metal & Progressive Metal should support this and Bloodstock!! I look forward to next years festival.
9.11.06 Bradford Rio's - UK
This
week was a busy week for my girlfriend & I, after been to 3 gigs in 3 days
was pretty tiring, but have to finish on a high note was something else. I've
seen a lot of Progressive Metal acts in the past, Dream Theater, Fates Warning,
Psychotic Waltz, Symphony X and more... but Evergrey was 1 of the best and what
a gig to end the year off too. I've been waiting for a long time to see this
band and they say the best things come to those who wait, and how right they
are! I missed the band when they played Bloodstock and in London a few months
ago, but I finally had the pleasure of catching them live at long last. Their
debut DVD is awesome and I wanted to see how good they were live, and how
professional they are live. They are 1 of the best band's I've seen in the Prog
Metal scene, and I'd like to see them tour with an Inside Out tour, with the
likes of Symphony X, Enchant, Deadsoul Tribe, Vanden Plas, Pain Of Salvation,
now that would be a great package tour!! Thomas & the boys were awesome
tonight and the sound was awesome too, even the light show was electrifying
because of the dark blues and orange lights made this a 1 hell of a show.
Playing for 1hr and 20 minutes or so was a awesome show. Watching the band was
almost like hearing the CD and they looked like they were miming to the music,
but they weren't!! The band played 1 hell of a show and if you like Evegrey or
Prog Metal then I suggest you catch them live next time around. One of the best
Prog Metal acts around live, hail Evergrey!! Trax played were: Blinded, End Of
Your Days, In remembrance, More Than Ever, Rules Of The Mind, Blackened Dawn,
Waking Up Blind, As I Lie Here Bleeding, Mislead, Mark Of The Triangle, Monday
Morning Apocalypse, Unspeakable, At Loss For Words, Still In The Water, When The
Walls Go Down, Solitude Within, Recreation Day, The Masterplan, Touch Of
Blessing. What an awesome show and what a gig to remember for 2006. A band what
will go a long and will certainly be remembered in a chapter of the Progressive
Metal scene.
& 
8.11.06 Sheffield -
UK
One
of the UK Legends of Heavy Metal/ Rock has to be 'Motorhead', with
Lemmy been the front man for over 2 decades and still going strong he has
maintained the unique sound that so many of us have become to love. With so many
line-up changes in the past Motorhead have now got a steady line-up been Mikkey
Dee (ex King Dimaond) and Phil Cambell (ex Persian Risk), this trio is here to
stay right until the bitter end. With such classic albums under their belt such
as 'Ace Of Spades', 'Over Kill' , 'Bomber' and such newer albums such as
'Inferno', and their current album 'Kiss Of Death', their sound and style are a
league of it kind. I've seen Motorhead 3 times now in a row, with such
support acts such as 'Sepultura' & 'In Flames', and now with
'Crucified Barbara' a female all girl rock act (pretty foxy girls too) and
'Clutch'. Opening act 'Crucified Barbara', are pretty well unknown over there in
the UK, but if you managed to see them at Sweden Rock then I'm sure you will
know just who they are. They remind me of a kind of cross between 'Cycle Slut
From Hell' and 'L7' when it comes to female rock act's, and of course the dirty
edge of that by Girlschool & Motorhead. Playing a 30 minute set roughly they
seemed to go down pretty well with the crowd. Some of the trax played that I
remember were: In Distortion We Trust (is that meant to be 'In Rock We Trust' by
Y&T?), Play Me Hard, I Need A Cowboy From Hell, My Heart Is Black,
Motorfucker, Going Down. As far as I remember the crowd took to them and went
down pretty well and I'm sure they will pick up more of a fan bases over here.
As for the main opening act 'Clutch', they to me were pretty average, nothing
outstanding, but fans of Led Zepplin or Rage Against The Machine or early Black
Sabbath might find these rather appealing. Playing a set for 45 minutes some of
the crowd enjoyed their set, others found them like me the wrong choice for a
Motorhead support act. Don't get me wrong, they are good at what they do but I
don't feel like they were the best choice of support act. Now
for the main act, of course it has to be 'Motorhead', playing a awesome set of
classic songs as well as more recent material from the bands latest offering
'Kiss of Death', as always their loyal fans loved every minute of the show. As
always the band just come on stage to no intro and Lemmy would say 'We are
Motorhead, we play Rock & Roll' then the band are off to a flying start.
Loud & proud is what Motorhead are good for and tonight was no exception.
Blasting through a set of powerful and sheer ear splitting music everybody had
nowhere to hide, as Motorhead shook the stage and venue. Trax played were: Dr.
Rock, Metropolis, Over The Top, Traveling Man, I Got Mine, In The Name Of
tragedy, Soldier of Glory, Rock & Roll, Sacrifice / Drum Solo, You Got The
Power, U Ain't Got The Right, Roseale (Thin Lizzy), Going To Brazil, Kill By
Death, Iron Fist, Whore House Blues, Ace of Spades & Over Kill. An awesome night that I'm sure many won't forget, especially
my girlfriend who met Lemmy and got his autograph tattooed on her arm, thanx
Lemmy!!. Long live Motorhead!!
&
7.12.06 Bradford Rios -
UK
Yet
another gig at the legendary Bradford Rios (one of the UK's Finest). I seemed to
of done a few gigs in less than a week during the 1st week of December, yet 2
more were to following in the next 2 days. it was good to see Doro return to
Bradford and with style her loyals fans turned up and gave her their support.
Like Exodus, this was yet another bad night for crowd attendance, as Motorhead
were playing in Bradford the same night, which kind of spoilt things a little,
but with Motorhead playing down the road it did not dampen the spirit of the
show. Support act came for the legendary UK act 'Blitzkrieg , who seemed to of
influenced Metallica back in the day. This band seemed to be ok, but with an
ageing rocker on vocals, who looked across between Alice Cooper & Abandom
from Venom, he left me and others laughing and in shock. Musically they were
pretty good, but the vocalist just looked out of place, which was a shame.
Playing a kind of across between old NWOBHM and a fresh powerful sound the band
had something going for them and I wish them well. Doro, on the other hand, well
what can 1 say about the 'Metal Queen', she is and will always be #1 and with
her career starting out with Warlock back in the 80's this German beauty just
keeps getting stronger. Still Doro has managed to keep the same line-up for a
number of years now, this been ex members of Johnny Dee (ex Waysted), Oliver (Kamelot),
Nick Douglas (Deadly Blessing) and Jon (ex Lita Ford) to the ranks. With Doro
supporting her latest album 'Metal Warrior', which is released through AFM
Records, her popularity is becoming stronger than ever. As ever Doro and co are
on top form and the sound was superb. Playing a set for just over 1hr 30
minutes, this was a great gig with some classic Warlock and Doro trax which
everybody enjoyed. Trax played were: Fight, Earthshaker Rock, Hellbound, All We
Are, I Rule The Ruins, Always Live To Win, Fight, East Meets West, Fur Immer,
White Wedding, Burning The Witches, Breaking The Law (Judas Priest), True As
Steel, Above The Ashes, Dance Demons, Strangers Yesterday, Love Me In Black,
just to name a few. One all of a show by the Metal Queen herself. Check out the
new DVD just been released this month (Dec 06). I look forward to see in her
again, stay true as steel!!
Biochemical
& 
3.11.06 Bradford Rios - UK
Well it's been a
while since I last saw the band, see in the band on their last UK tour for the
'Tempo Of The Damned' tour was pretty impressive, but now the band are back,
this time with a new line-up, featuring Heathen guitarist Lee Altus , Paul Bostoph (ex
Forbidden/ Slayer) and new front man Rob Dukes, along with Gary Holt and Jack Gibson.
Exodus have come a long way over the last 2 decades and their new album is yet
another shining example of what the band still have to offer. Catching up with
the band after a year or so was a great show and playing new and old classics
made this a truly awesome show. Bad thing about the gig was, the fact that
Slayer were playing in Manchester the same night, so that kind of put a dampener
on the night. Support act for the evening came from Biochemical, a band from the
UK who are signed to Earache and have released 2 albums. Mixing their style of
Thrash with powerful vocals by vocalist John who once sang for Balance Of Power.
They reminded me of Forbidden in some way and playing a cover of Judas Priest's
'Painkiller' was a great choice of songs and well played & sang. Not knowing
Biochemical's music it is hard for me to tell you what songs they played, but
their 45 minute set was a good and powerful with plenty of thrashing but melodic
riffs. Exodus did deliver a powerful and head splitting set even if the crowd
attendance wasn't great the true fans supported the band and even got a mosh pit
going. Songs that Exodus played were: Bonded By Blood, A Lesson In Violence,
Piranha, Exodus, Seeds Of Hate, The Toxic Waltz, Objection Overruled, Blacklist,
Tempo Of The Damned, Forward march, Magnum Opus, Sealed With A Fist, I Am
Abomination, just to name a few. Awesome gig by 1 of the Bay Area's
finest. I hope to see the band again in the near futur and if you haven't
had the chance to see them yet then I suggest you do next time around!!
29 - 30.9.06
Derby Assembly Rooms - UK
It
was good to be back at this indoor festival in the UK known as 'Bloodstock',
it's been a while since I attended the indoor 1. This festival has been going
now for the last 4-5yrs now. Over the last 2yrs the festival has taken it's self
to the outdoors and like the indoor 1 will become just as successful in years to
come, and with the backing of Wacken behind them the future is looking bright. I
managed to check out the outdoor 1 earlier this year and I have to say Friday's
line-up on the main stage was awesome. This year's indoor festival saw 2 days of
pure headbanging Metal from some new acts and some reformed acts which is also
good to see. Having arrived Friday lunch time I made it in time for the first
act, some friends of mine that I haven't seen in a few years, and it was good to
see them return with a new album in the works. This been 'Marshall
Law', hailing from
Birmingham (land of the mighty Judas Priest), these guys were ready to hit the
stage and playing for a mere 30-45 minute set I was really looking forward to
see in live. Andy and Dave are the only 2 original members playing their unique
style of Power Metal with a edge of Judas Priest thrown in. Since the mid 80's
to the mid 90's Marshall Law were making a name for themselves, and all of a
sudden the band went quiet for some years until now. The band were a good and
strong opening act playing songs from the debut album up to their last studio
album. Set list was: Foregathering, Twisted This, Victory At Last, God King,
Marshall Law, Under The Hammer & Leviathan. A truly awesome opening act to
set off a perfect festival. Next up was 'Majesty'
from G
ermany,
who are building a pretty big reputation at the moment, especially in Europe.
The band have started to build a following here in the UK too, with their
Manowar/ Priest style of Power Metal. The band have released a few albums for
Massacre Records & are continuing to grow with each album. The band have
released 4 studio albums and 1 live CD/DVD, which I recently bought and think is
pretty cool stuff. The band however, look like a typical old school German band
which is cool and their music does have elements of some of the older German
Power Metal acts such as Grave Digger & Accept, as well as newer bands such
as Paragon. Playing a 45 minute set the band played a spectacular set of sheer
melodic but yet powerful Power Metal. The crowd loved the band are the songs
went from strength to strength. Vocalist Tarek
"MS" Maghary is a powerful singer indeed and is well suited to the
bands music. Listening to the band and watching them was a delight and by the
time the band had finished their set the crowd were hungry for more. Some of the
trax I noticed that they played were: Metal Law, Keep It True, Hail To Majesty,
Heavy Metal Battlecry, Sword & Sorcery, Fields Of War, Keep It True. This is
a band well worth checking out, lets hope they come back in the near future.
Next up was 'Savage Circus',
a band that I don't know that much about, but what I do know is that this
band also hail from Germany and features ex Blind Guardian member and Iron
Savior, Persuader. Formed in 2004 the band have released their debut album
titled 'Dreamland Manor'. The band play a similar music to that of Blind
Guardian, Persuader & Iron Savior as well as the likes of Helloween/ Gamma
Ray. I wasn't sure what to expect from this band, but I knew it would be
something along the lines of the bands already mentioned. I have to say I wasn't
that impressed with the bands music at all, and live they sounded ok but not
much of a stage presence. Trax that the band played were: Evil Eyes, Between The
Devil & The Seas, Waltz With The Demon, Ghost Story, When Hell Awakes,
Beyond Reality. I would of much rather seen a band with more of a stage
presence and more drive in their music, such as Paragon.
Next up
was 'Axel Rudi Pell',
which I'm sure most of you will already be aware of. Axle use to be the
guitarist for 'Steeler', the German act, who released 2 albums in the 80's
through SPV, which were pretty good album and were directed towards the Accept,
Priest style of metal. Now that Axel has formed his own band under his own
name, this band have released several album with various line-ups, and included
Jeff Scott Soto. Now that Axel has a steady line-up over the last few albums his
band are a strong and solid unit. With the new release titled 'Mystica', the
band are stronger than ever before and to nights performance proved just that.
Joining Axel is Mike Terrana (Rage), Johnny Gioeli (Hardline), Ferdy Doernberg
(Rough Silk) & Volker Krawczak on bass. The band played an hour set roughly,
which the crowd were excited to see as this band have never really played in the
UK before, so it was a treat for both the band and the fans. I have to admit
that the band were excellent live, very tight and very professional to say the
least. I would have to say that this band are more directed towards a Rainbow,
Deep Purple and maybe The Scorpions sound than that of Axel's previous act 'Steeler'.
Playing trax from the bands new album as well as some of the back catalogue was
yet a treat for fans new and old. Some of the songs played were: Mystica,
Haunted Castle, Temple Of The King, Drum Solo, Rock The Nation, Fool Fool,
amongst others. A tight and excellent set by 1 of Germany's top Metal acts. Last
act for the evening was yet another German act, this time it was 'Primal
Fear',
a band that is now taking the world by storm as these German hopefuls are
becoming a force to be reckoned with. Formed by ex Gamma Ray front man 'Ralf
Scheepers' and long time bassist 'Matt Sinner' of the Sinner band. With the
release of 6 albums under their belts, these German meteller's are going from
strength to strength. The bands latest album 'Seven Seal' is the bands last
album for Nuclear Blast, which is a shame, but the band are now signed to
Frontier's Records from Italy. This si not the 1st time Primal Fear have played
Bloodstock, if I am right in saying their 3rd time around. The crowd certainly
want them back otherwise these Power Metaller's wouldn't be playing here again.
Mixing a Judas Priest, Saxon, Accept sound and also that of Sinner & Gamma
Ray to their sound really does the band justice and as Ralf's vocals remind me
of Rob Halford, I can see why so many people like this band. This band are as
tight as ever and the sheer power that this band give off live is well worth
checking out as they are have influenced so many up & coming bands, even if
they are not the most original band, there is no mistake about it that these
guys mean business. Set list that the band played was: Demons & Angels,
Rollercoaster, Nuclear Fire, 7 Seals, Angel In Black, Under Your Spell, Chain
Breaker, Battalions Of Hate, Evil Spell, Diabolus, Final Embrace, Metal Is
Forever, Running In The Dust, & Suicide & Mania. What a awesome
performance by these guys, just wish you had of been there if you weren't!!
Saturday 30.9.06:
Having
had a great day before it was time to do a write up on Saturday's acts, also
getting up later didn't help, but as you know it's about rock & roll!! First
act of the days 
for
me was 'Machine Men',
hailing from Finland, these guys have released 2 albums to date and are singed
to Century Media Records. This was the bands debut live performance and to be
able to play a festival such as Bloodstock had to be an honour for the band.
These 5 guys are better than I thought, and their current album 'Elegies' is a
pretty impressive album, considering I was expecting to sound like their
Stratovarius or some Black metal band. But I have to say that this band have a
little more to offer than you would expect. OK, so there not the most original
band, but what this band do have to offering is enjoyable on the ears. Not sure
who they sound like but they are a great Power Metal act that do have a
promising future. Playing a 45 minute set some of the bands material included:
Falling, Dream & Religion, Back From The Days, Apathy, Power Of The Real
World. A future album is in the works right now, so lets see what that will
bring. Next up was 'Brainstorm',
which I shouldn't need any introduction to these guys, but just in case you
don't know them I will enlighten you. Hailing from Germany, these guys are
becoming very popular in Europe right now, which doesn't surprise me at all.
Playing a mixture of U.S. style Power Metal in the vain of Vicious Rumors, who
spring to mind a lot. other acts they remind me of are Metal Church, as well as
German acts like Grave Digger. Having several albums, and now signed to Metal
Blade the band are becoming more popular with each and every album that they
release. Promoting their latest album 'Liquid Monster', the band really got the
crowd going as they performed an outstanding set of sheer power & 
strength
from start to finish. These 5 guys are great live and I've seen them form the
debut album right up to their current release and they are a mind blowing and
powerful act to see live. Trax they played were: Inside The Monster, Invisible
Enemy, Highs Without Lows, Shiva's Tears, Doorway To Survive, Blind Suffering,
Coming Closer, Tear Down The 
Walls,
just to name a few. Awesome show by a great German act!!! Next was 'Onslaught',
a band from the past, now reformed. These guys from Bristol (UK) are now back
and are about to release a new album in 2007 with producer Andy Sneap. I
remember see in these guys in the early 90's so it was good to see them back
together, and I didn't get to see the original line-up back in the day, so it
was good to see them back together. Releasing 2 albums with the original line-up
such as 'Powers From Hell' and ' The Force' and their most commercial album 'In
Search Of Sanity' the band went separate ways, till now. As this was the only
Thrash band on this year Bloodstock bill the crowd went ape shit, and even
started a pit, which was good to see. They were on top form and the sound was
awesome!! Some Trax played were: Metal Forces, Burn, Demonic, Killing Peace,
Power From Hell. A great band and welcome back, I reckon they do have the powers
from hell!! Last band I saw was 'Vanden
Plas', I have waited a
long time to see this act and as they only ever played 1 show in the UK in the
90's supporting Dream Theater I really had to see them live. Vanden Plas have
been around since the mind 90's are a highly recommended band that I suggest you
check out. If you like the likes of Dokken, Queensryche and Dream Theater, Fates
Warning then this is a band for you. I really expected to see this band in the
main hall but they played on the Dawin stage, which was a shame, but saying that
we did get closer to the stage. Playing a set for 1hr and 15 minutes roughly,
the band were to be 1 of the best acts of the day, and as a few 100 fans watched
on I would say they would agree with me. These guys deserve more respect and
they are a top act to watch, especially if you're a musician and like the above
bands, and as a Progressive Metal act I'd like tos ee them do more touring here
in the UK. Pity the band haven't release a live DVD yet, but I hope the do
shortly. Playing a bunch of songs from the
bands early albums to the bands current album 'Christ O'. Some of the songs
played were: Postcard To God, Somewhere Alone In The Dark, Wish You Were Here,
Into The Sun, Far Off Grace, Inside Of Your Head, End Of All Days among
others.
Bloodstock is
now becoming a festival to be reckoned with and I wish them well. If you missed
this years line-up try to make it to next years out door and indoor festival's.
What a great years, pity I didn't get to see more bands, but then again it was a
long weekend!!
Bradford Rios Club 26.9.06 - UK
This
is one band I grew up with and have never had the chance to see back in the day,
and I certainly wish I had. I had the pleasure of hearing them on the radio live
from Reading & Donnington back in the 80's but that was as far as I got to
hearing them live. Now I had the chance to see them live after been a fan for
almost 20yrs, this show took place at 1 of the best clubs in the UK, Bradford
Rio's. if you ever get the change to visit this venue then please do the sound
is awesome and you can get really close to those of you're fabvourite stars. Has
Y&T only have 2 original members left those been Dave Meniketti & Phil
Kennemore, both are awesome musicians and Dave is without doubt 1 hell or a
guitarist and singer. Singing heavy style Blues with a Hard Rock edge makes this
band the best of this style of music around. Joining Phil & Dave are: John
Nymann (guitar) and drummer Mike Vandererhule, both of which are great additions
to the band. I would never of thought for 1 minute that these guys would be
playing such a small venue considering they were 1 of the biggest bands in the
80's. As this was the 1st time for the band to play this venue the turn out of
crowd was good and they showed the band that they were there for a truly worthy
band. Playing a set for almost 2hrs the band went through a storming set of old
classic right up to the bands last few releases. Dave's vocals were spot on and
the same could be said for his guitar work, a pure genius!! The set list was as
follows: Hang Em High, Don't Stop Believing, Dirt Girl, Surrender, Don't Be
Afraid Of The Dark, Rescue Me, Eyes Of A Stranger, I'll Cry, Forever, I Believe
In You, Roc & Roll Gonna Save The World, Sail On By, Black Tiger, Midnight
In Tokyo, Hurricane, Barroom Boogie, & Wings Of Change. This was a
great show by an incredible band that I am so glad I saw live and also met, rock
on Y&T!!! I await the next studio album, I'm pretty sure it will be a kick
ass release, just watch this space!!
3rd to 5th August 2006 - Germany
Well it's been a while since I last visited Wacken, 2001 so been able to return this was a delight and a great pleasure, so firstly I want to thank the promoters for their hospitality. It was also a pleasure to be there with only 1 hr of rain throughout the whole festival, what a delight that was!! Leaving the UK on the 2nd of August to have my 1st day on the streets of Hamburg was a exciting warm up to an event that the whole metal community knows about world-wide. Having a few beers and heading down the the Headbanger's Ball room to meet some cool people and also meeting Mortal Sin (G-Day guys) was cool!! Heading down to the festival on Thursday was cool meeting loads of real die hard metal heads along the way and finally picking my backstage pass up in what can call a long wait and to be caught in the 1hr of rain -damn!! Finally making my way to the festival to put my tent up and head for the main festival site was a buzz in itself. Thursday was of course the warm up day with a handful of bands getting the crowd nicely warmed up.
Thursday -
3rd:
Opening the
festival was 'Faster Inferno', which features Rudolf Schenker's son,
Tyson Schenker, with his act playing a classic sound of early 80's Metal
somewhere across between The Scorpions meets Thunder and various other acts. I
only caught about 2 songs of their set and the crowd seemed to adapt their sound
and their performance was good enough to grab the attention of the crowd and for
what was yet to come. Next to hit the stage were 'Victory', which
features ex Accept guitarist Hermann Frank, along side ex Saxon drummer Fritz
Randow. Joining Fritz and Hermann are, Charlie Huhn (vocals), Tommy Newton
(guitar) and bassist Fargo Pedda Knorrn. Playing a classic style of old school
German Metal with hints of Judas Priest and Saxon, this band hit the stage to
perform some of the bands classics as well as some of their latest material.
Vocalist Charlie has a strong voice the shook the stage and opened a lot of
peoples minds up, a great performance by 1 of the 80's classic metal acts.
Playing a set of 45 minutes it was time to rock and that is what Victory did,
victory at last for this German act!! Next up was yet another family member of
the Schenker clan, this time it was Michael Schenker, with 'MSG' group,
playing some classic such as 'Doctor, Doctor', the classic UFO track as well as
'Only You Can Rock me', Michael still has what it takes and MSG are a force to
be reckoned with. 
Damn they called this night, 'A Night To Remember' how right
they were, its a full on Schenker family party and were all invited!! Next was
Australian Thrash metal act 'Mortal
Sin', been around since
the late 80's who would ever think that this lot would re-appear after all this
time? Having been on a major label back in the day these guys went from strength
to strength and then all of a sudden they split up!! It was sad to see them
disappear without trace till only a few years ago they slowly returned. Only
original members left are Mat & Andy (G-Day guys), but joining them are
Mick, Nathan & Luke. Mick was formely with Addictive, another Aussie band
who released 2 albums. For those who don't know much about Mortal Sin, well if
you like early Metallica and Testament then these guys are right up you're
street. Playing on the W.E.T. Stage, these guys started up a hornets nest just
before The Scorpions hit the main stage and what a great performance they put
on. They certainly got a great mosh pit going and any old school Thrasher would
of loved to of seen this band. Only playing for 1hr and 15 minutes, these Aussie
guys took no prisoners, just bloody awesome stuff. Playing such songs are: I Am
Immortal, Lebanon, Voyage
of the Disturbed, Out Of The Darkness, Tears Of Redemption, Say Your Prayers,
Mayhemic Destruction. Aussie Metal is back!!!
Next up
was a mind blowing experience, the one and only mighty 'The Scorpions',
damn I've seen this band 4 times now, but this was without doubt their best
performance, no questions asked!! To see the Uli Jon Roth, Herrmann Rareball
playing some of the bands old classics, as well as Michael Schenker and son of
Michael also on guitar made this 1 hell of a performance. Playing an 2hr 15 mins
set was just awesome!!! To top it all the band even had a mechanical Scorpion
which came out of the drum raiser towards the end of the set. When you hear Uli
Jon's guitar playing you can certainly hear why Yngwie is such a big influences
of his. I really hope that the band release this set as a DVD, I'm pretty sure
they will and if they don't then they really are been fools to themselves. The
set is was: Bad Boys Running Wild, The Zoo, Loving You On Sunday Morning, Make
It Real, Pictured Life, Speedy's Coming, Dark Lady, We Burn The Sky, Love Em Or
Leave Em, Don't Believe Her, Tease Me Please Me, Holiday, Love Drive, Another
Piece Of Meat, Blackout, There's No One Like You, Big City Nights, Still Loving
You, In Trance, He's A Woman She A Man, Dynamite, Rock You Like A Hurricane.
Wow, what a superb performance by a legend Metal band.
Friday - 4th:
Saw some really good acts and after a stunning performance from The Scorpions, I
think everybody was ready for yet another kick ass day!! First band of the band
for me was Six Feet Under, formed by ex members of Cannibal Corpse and Death/
Massacre the band took to the stage at 3pm to deliver a 
brutal assault on the
Black Metal stage. Playing a mixture of Cannibal Corpse, 
Obituary & Celtic
Frost type of Death Metal, Chris Barnes and Co took the crowd by storm. Playing
trax from the bands current album as well as their back catalogue the crowd
loved what they did. Not forgetting the cover of AC/DC's 'TNT'. a nice melodic
but at the same time brutal vocal approach to such a classic trax. Playing an
hour set was a great start for me and with yet more to come from other acts on
the Black Metal stage was only the beginning of the day. Next up was the Mighty
'Nevermore',
now how could I not see this act, there fucking awesome live and good friends of
mine so there was no way I was going to miss their set. its a pity that Steve
wasn't in the band, but I wish him a speedy recovery. Standing in for the band
on 2nd guitar was Jag Panzer guitarist Chris who did an awesome fill in for
Steve. As we all know that Nevermore rose from the ashes from Sanctuary, a
classic late 80's metal act who only released 2 albums. Now that Nevermore have
risen from their ashes this band deliver a mighty punch that not so many bands
can do. Playing an outstanding set for an hour saw this band take on 1000's of
die hard metal heads, and with Warrel getting the crowd to bodysurf to one of
their songs was amazing to see, I'd never seen so many body's floating to the
front of the stage in 1 song, how awesome was that??? There are & will
always be a force to be reckoned with, not for the faint hearted. Trax they
played were: The River Dragon, I Voyager, We Disintegrate, Dead Heart In A Dead
World, Enemies Of Reality, Narcosynthesis, This Godless Endeavor, Born, just to
name a few... Long may Nevermore reign supreme!! Next up for me was a quick
moment of 'Opeth',
I only managed to see the last 2 songs. I have to be honest I have not heard
that much by this act, but I always thought they were a Black metal act, but
from what I heard they were more like a Progressive Metal act with of course
some elements of Death Metal or maybe Black Metal. Having clean vocals to their
music and some interesting riffs and music that reminded me of some elements of
Dream Theater & maybe COC made me rather enjoy what I heard. Only thing is I
just wish I had heard more... Maybe next time!! Next was ' Carnivore',
and if you happen to be as old as I am then you will remember this band the 1st
time around, yes folks this was Pete Steele's 1st band before forming 'Type O
Negative'. The band also features Primal Scream's guitarist (Not the Indie
band). Carnivore released 2 albums for Roadrunner Records back in the 80's which
seemed to receive excellent reviews from the press from around the world.
Carnivore are a band that certainly are not to be compared to the likes of Type
O Negative, as they were more directed towards the more New York Hardcore scene,
a more aggressive act then that of Type O. Pete and the boys delivered a good
set of all their classic trax that so many of us missed back in the day and at
last was finally good to see and watch. The band played an impressive set for
1hr & 15 minutes on the Black Metal stage.
Next up was 'Children
Of Bodom', these guys
hailing from Finland are becoming a massive band that so 
many people are
starting to take notice of. Playing on the True Metal stage for 1hr and 15
minutes these guys were very impressive. Most people would say that they come
across between Power Metal and a darker 
side of Thrash, bordering on Death
Metal. it doesn't matter to me, as these guys are very talented musicians and
come cross between the likes of Iron Maiden meets At The Gates as well as some
and a kind of Mille (Kreator) style of vocals. Playing songs from the early
career and their newer album they were a force to be taken notice of. Not surprising
that the are playing with Slayer this year, check them out if you can!! next up
was the mighty 'Celtic
Frost', Playing on the
Black Metal stage for 1hr 15 minutes & having seen them in the 80's and 90's
it was a good feeling to see them return after such a long time away. After the
split with C.F., Tom G Warrior moved on with his new act 'Apollo Sun', who were
across between C.F with an Industrial feel to the music. I think they only
released 1 album, but C.F. formed out of the ashes of Hellhammer. Tom &
Martin are back with yet another killer show of classic Frost tunes that we all
loved. As a 4 piece the band delivered an powerful and heavy Doom Metal sound
meets Avangard elements to their music. Playing trax such as Circle Of The
Tyrants, Procreation (Of The Wicked), Jewel Throne, as well as trax from their
latest release 'Monotheist', the band seemed to pull over some new fans. As
Celtic Frost are for an queried taste fans of Doom Metal would love their music,
especially if you're a fan of either Obituary or Six Feet Under. It was good to
see the band return, pity they never played Mexican Radio, love that song!! Last
band of the night for me was 'Primal
Fear', one of Germany's
finest Power Metal act's along side Gamma Ray, these guys were awesome. Having
released several albums this band just seem to go from strength to strength and
with their current release 'Seven Seals' which is released on Nuclear Blast and
have recently signed to Frontiers Records. The band however played a powerful
and melodic set on the Party stage which lasted 1hr, well it was 2am in the
morning, but like any real Metal Head we stayed awake to see this truly powerful
act. Mixing a sound that comes across between Judas Priest, Saxon, Accept and of
course Gamma Ray. Primal Fear are a powerful act that deliver to the heart of
any real fan of this music. Trax played were Demons & Angels, Roller
Coaster, Nuclear Fire, Seven Seals, Angel In Black, Running In The Dust,
Diabolus, Battalions Of Hate, Final Embrace, Metal Is Forever, Chainbreaker.
Primal Fear are and will always be one of the best German Power Metal acts of
all time, you better believe it!!
Saturday - 5th: Yet another sunny day which made Wacken a great
year, up bright and early to catch the 1st band of the day, which happened to be
'Metal Church',
starting the day off at 12pm till 12.45. I know it was a short set for these
Seattle Power Metaller's, but Metal Church did however deliver the goods from
start to finish. Vocalist Ronny does however, sound a lot like the late departed
Dave Wayne (R.I.P.) so picking
Ronny was the perfect choice for the band.
With
the band releasing their current album for SPV titled 'A Light In The Dark',
which is a superb album and shows that the band still can move on but keep their
identity that we all know them by. 45 minutes of sheer powerful head banging
Power Metal for was a great start to the day. Trak list was as follows: A Light
In The Dark, Ton Of Bricks, Start The Fire, Watch The Children Pray, Mirror Of
Lies, Gods Of Wrath, Beyond The Black, Metal Church, and yet again Mirror Of
Lies, why they played it twice I will never know but the crowd loved it. Next up
was 'Arch Enemy',
what can one say about these Swedish Thrash/ Death metallers, what with their
catchy riffs and brutal vocals by Angela Gossow makes this band a force to be
reckoned with. If you think of such bands as Death & Carcass then this is
what Arch Enemy are a about with some melodic hooks of Maiden and Priest thrown
in. Playing on the Black Metal stage Arch Enemy played a 45 minutes set of sheer
ear bleeding Thrash/ Death Metal and these guys are so professional at what they
do and if you have ever seen them live then you will know what I mean. Both
guitarist Mike Amott & Fredick Akesson (also in Talisman) were a team that
no one could stop. Sharlee's punch like bass and Daniel poundings drums
added to an awesome set from start to finish. Angela's vocals are so scary at
times to think that she can sing with such a brutal voice is another stp
forward. I think she should team up with Holy Moses 
singer for a duet!!! Anyway
the band played such songs as Dead Eyes See No Future, Savage Messiah, Burn Me
An Angel, Silent Wars, Arise, just to name a few. Next up was 'Morbid
Angel', again on the
Black
Metal stage. Its been a few years since I last was these Florida Death
Metal warriors and especially with Dave Vincent return to the fold along with
Eric Rutan, these 4 guys delivered a powerful punch. For those who haven't seen
the band before with Dave it was certainly a treat for all. Playing their
technical style of Death Metal these guys are one of the pioneers of the Florida
Death Metal scene. Playing at set of 1 hour, these guys tore the stage apart
from start to finish just like Arch Enemy. Now that would be a killer double
headliner tour wouldn't it?? Playing such classic songs from the Dave Vicent era
such as: Maze Of Torment, Lord Of All Fevers & Plague, Pain Divine, Sworn To
The Black, Immortal Rites, Chapel Of Ghouls, Blessed Are The Sick, Where The
Slime Live, Rapture, God Of Emptiness. What can one say about Morbid Angel,
there are and will always be one of the best Death Metal bands around. Later on
I managed to catch 'Gamma
Ray', who were playing
on the 'True Metal' stage, and these German Power Metaller's played an awesome
and incredible set too for 1 hr and 15 minutes. Kai Hansen & co took to the
stage in their glory to deliver a powerful set. Mixing a classic style of music
which comes close to that of Judas Priest, Accept, Iron Maiden style and
turning them into powerful sound which is mixed with that of Kai's old band
Helloween makes these guys an awesome outfit. It has been a few years since I
last saw these guys, which happened to be Bloodstock here in the UK. As the band
are about to release their latest DVD this was a great opportunity for them to
show the world just how good they really are. Kai is an awesome singer and
guitarist and the rest of the band are equally as good and very tight live which
makes them even more enjoyable to watch. Playing songs from the band latest
album titled 'Majestic' as well as the bands classic tunes which also included
the song 'I Want Out'. Playing such trax as: Gardens Of The Sinner, New World
Order, Fight, Blood Religion, Land Of The Free, Somewhere Out In Space, among
others. Gamma Ray 
were electrifying and what a performance. Next
up was the mighty 'Whitesnake',
you really hard for me to believe that I've never seen the band before, but have
managed to see most of the classic bands back in the day, expect for Sabbath and
Whitesnake. Well the time had come 
and
I was really looking forward to see in Dave Coverdale and co at long last. To me
the line-up was excellent, Doug Aldridge (Dio/ Bad Moon Rising), Reb Beach
(Winger/ Dokken), Tommy Aldrich (Ozzy) and a new bass player who I had never
seen as well as the current keyboard player was a superb line-up. Dave and co
delivered an awesome set, but with only 1hr 15 min set was short and sweet. Only
bad thing about their set was the fact that they had to have a drum and guitar
solo in this short set which was disappointing to say the least. There could of
been 2 extra songs thrown in the set if they didn't have the solos. Oh well
never mind!! Play some of the bands heavier songs and cult classic made this a
top form performance and with 1 new track, which shows that the band are in preparation
for a new studio album. opening track was 'Burn' a classic Deep Purple song,
which certainly got the crowd in the mood. As ever Dave pulled it off perfectly,
almost as good as Glenn Hughes. Doug & Reb are great guitarist, no doubt
about it. Since the opening track ever song was superb. Their set was:
Stormbringer, Fool For You're Lovin, Love Ain't No Stranger, Ready &
Willing, Is This Love, Ready To Rock (new song), Crying In The Rain, Give Me All
Your Loving, Here I Go Again, Still Of The Night, Bad Boys. What a set and I
look forward to see in the band again and I'm looking forward to hearing the new
album soon. Last but not least for me was yet another UK band, the 1 & only
'Motorhead',
what can one say about Lemmy? he is a legend in hsi own right and what a super
cool guy he is too. The rest can be said for Mikkey & Phil. Playing for yet
again 1hr 15 mins, Lemmy and the boys showed the crowd just how they can still
rock and make you're ears bleed in 20yrs or so... Loud and proud is their saying
and Motorhead just did that. I'm glad they weren't playing indoors to some level
as ever Lemmy & co like to turn their volume up after a few songs, it's
their trade mark!! As the band were about to release their new album 'Kiss Of
Death' so it seemed to be titled the band set out to annihilate the stage and
they just did that. Unfortunately I missed the 1st song, so I have to go on what
the rest of the set included. For many years Lemmy has sustained and maintained
the sound that so many of us love to hear. It was only a short but sweet set,
which was a shame but it doesn't matter as Motorhead kick ass live anyway. The
set list included: Metroplis, Over The Top, No Class, I Got Mine, Tragedy,
Dancing On Your Grave, Fast & Loose, Sacrifice, You Got The Right, Going To
Brazil, Ramones, Kill By Death, Iron Fist, Ace of Spades, Overkill. Check out
the band on their forthcoming European tour later in the year.
Other bands on
the bill I didn't manage to see, like any festival you can't see them all were:
Fear Factory, Caliban, Subway To Sally, Aborted, Soulfly, Emperor, Finntroll,
Bloodthorn, Orphaned Land, Atheist, Rose Tattoo, Soilwork, Ektomorf, Born From
Pain, Despairs Ray, Ministry, In Extremo, Darko Jones, Wintersun, Amon Amarth,
Six Feet Under, Mystic Circle, just to name a few. Yet again this was
another great year and I look forward to be there next year!! Long live Wacken!!!
Catton Hall - Derby 14-15th July 2006
(UK)
This
year has seen some outstanding festival either been or 
are
about to take place, such as B.Y.H, Sweden Rock, Wacken and now Bloodstock Open
Air. This is the 2nd out door festival for Bloodstock, and the 1st one I missed unfortunately!
Since Bloodstock started a few years ago in doors this festival is now becoming
a little brother of Wacken & B.Y.H, and will soon be as big as
Download in the very near future. I have to say that this years line-up was
pretty impressive, especially the Friday 14th, which every band on the main
stage were outstanding, none were faultless. A perfect day day some kick ass
metal acts from the USA, Germany, Sweden & Denmark made a awesome line-up
and with the weather for the 2 days of the festival been sunny made it even
better. I didn't get to see any of the bands on the 2nd stage on Friday because
of the line-up on the main stage which mainly consisted of Power or Progressive
Metal. Opening band on Friday were danish act 'Pyramaze',
which features ex Balance Of Power front man. Lance King who certainly does this
band a lot of justice with his powerful high but yet melodic voice and with the
band playing some powerful but yet melodic Progressive Power Metal, they were
the perfect opening act. Mixing Queensryche, Fates Warning and Dream Theater
Prog Metal with the likes of Iron Maiden, Helstar Power Metal side was
impressive enough even for anybody who hasn't even heard the band before. Set
list for Pyramaze was: The Birth, What Lies Beyond, Sleepy Hollow, Melancholy
Beast, Souls In Pain, Legend, The Bone Carver, Ancient Words Within, & Power
Of Imagination. Check out the 
bands
2 CDs, out on Nightmare & Massacre Records. 
Next
up was Sweden Power Metaller's 'Nocturnal
Rites', having released
several album for Century Media Records, they certainly were having to work hard
to beat Pyramaze awesome set. Mixing their Power Metal sound which to me comes
across between Riot, Yngwie & Gamma Ray is a good mixture for any fans of
the Power Metal era. I've seen this band before at Dynamo so I knew what to
expect from this lot, powerful and melodic and heavy Power Metal which has that
typical Scandinavian sound that so many of us love to hear. Jonny lindkvist is a
awesome vocalist, very powerful and he reminds me of the singer from Riot, that
way I get the hint of Riot in their music. The played an impressive set which
left a lot of people hungry and wanting more. Tracks from their set list were:
Shadowland, Deliverance, Iron Force, God On My Shoulder, Afterlife, just to name
a few... Following Nocturnal Rites were Progressive Death Metal act, 'Atheist',
who back in the day released 3 awesome album through Music For Nations here in
the UK. Their debut album 'Piece Of Time', was so impressive that everybody back
in the day were talking about it for months on end, a great debut which featured
the departed ways of Roger Patterson, who pasted away before the band recorded
their 2nd album 'Unquestionable Presence', this album featured Tony Choy who
later on went on to join Dutch Death Metal act 'Pestilence'. Atheist, on the
other hand, offer an impressive Death Metal sound mixing the likes of Nasty
Savage & Death along with the technical sounds of Watchtower, which made
this band an impressive act back in the day. As this was a re-union tour, it was
good to finally see them live after all the years of been a fan. It's such a
pity that they 
wont
record a new album, why I don't know but I'm 
sure
if enough fans email them that they would release a new album. Set list for
Atheist was: Unquestionable Presence', On They Slay, Unholy War, Retribution, I
Deny, Incarnation Dream, Mother Man & Piece Of Time .Next to hit the stage
was German Power Metal act 'Rage',
which really I shouldn't need an introduction, but if you're new to the name I
will, Rage have been around since the mid 80's or even the early 80' s starting
under the name of 'Avenger', who released 2 albums before changing their name to
'Rage'. Peavy has always been the forefront of the band since the day they were
born, having several line-up changes I'm now sure that Peavy has the perfect
line-up. Joining him is ex Yngwie drummer Mike Terrana and the impressive
guitarist from Russia Victor Smolsky, who is without doubt the best guitarist
I've heard to come out of Russia. Now signed to Nuclear Blast these 3 guys have
what it takes to make a perfect album and line-up. If you've seen their DVD then
you will know what I mean!! Playing what could be a great set from the bands
early material right up to their new material from their latest album 'Speak Of
The Dead'. Songs which the band played were: Down, War Of Worlds, Firestorm,
Innocent, No Regrets. One of Germany's finest trios, check them out!! Next up
was a band I've waited years to see, pity I never got the change back in the
80's, this is Seattle's Power Metal act 'Metal
Church'. This band have been
around for many years now and have also had some bad luck like Atheist, were
this band lost their original front man Dave Wayne in a freak accident. The band
have released some classic albums in the past such as 'Metal Church', 'The
Dark', which both albums put the band on the heavy Metal map. The band have had
some not so good releases in the past but their latest album 'A Light In The
Dark' is an impressive album in my mind. Even the band's last album 'Weight Of
The World' was a great album. The band now features ex Malice guitarist Jay
Reynolds & Savatage drummer Jeff Plate to the fold. 
Front man Ronny Munroe
is a great addition to the band, who sounds a lot 
like Dave Wayne (R.I.P.) and
I'm sure Dave would be proud of his performance. They were without doubt the
band of the festival in my opinion. Tracks played were: Badlands, Ton Of Bricks,
Start The Fire, Leave Them Behind, Watch The Children Pray, Mirror Of Lies, The
Dark, Gods Of Wrath, Beyond The Black, Metal Church. What can one say about this
band, unique!!
Last band for Friday were head liners 'Edguy', who proved yet again they can deliver the goods and with several albums under their belt the crowd still cheered them on. With the release of the bands latest album 'Rocket Ride' this album still proves that these German Power Metaller's are still on top form. Playing songs from their latest album as well as their classics was a great sight to see, even if singer Toby said 'Here another crap song from us' that didn't do the band much justice as people seemed disillusioned by his attitude. Songs that the band performed were: Babylon, Hysteria, Trinidad, Anastasia, King Of Fools, Vain Glory Opera, Lavatory Love Machine & Super Heroes. Other acts that played the Saturday which I really didn't know much about expect for Stratovarious were: 19th Century, who reminded me of Thunder and Free/ Zeppelin. Next up was Gorilla Monsoon, mixing a Nu Metal sound with hints of Doom Metal, Ensiferum, who seemed to be close to yet another Pagan/ Viking Metal band. Callenish Circle, who remind me of across between Fear Factory, In Flames, and the did an excellent job, well performance which the crowd seemed to enjoy. Other acts were: Seasons End, yet another female front band, who mix the likes of Night Wish meets L Coil. Ashtar, yet another female front band who went down pretty well. Bal-Sagoth, were next playing a mixture of Death Metal meets Manowar, which seemed ok. Turisas were next, they seemed to steal the show on the Saturday playing a mixture of Viking / Pagan Metal which came across between Skyclad meets Amon Amorath. Headliner's for Saturday were Stratovarious, who did an excellent performance but they looked rather bored on stage, as if they didn't want to be there, which was a shame really. If you're a fan of Yngwie and Helloween then this band is certainly up for street. Track list for Stratovarious were: Hunting High.., Speed Of Light, Infinity, Kiss Of Judas, Will My Soul Ever rest.., Star In The ..., Million Light Years..., Black Diamond, just to name a few. This year was a great year and I'm sure this will become the UK version of Wacken in yars to come. Support a real Metal festival and c u next year!!
& 
& 
- 12.6.06 London
Well it's been
13yrs wait for me to see King Diamond band, and I have to say the wait was well
worth waiting for. I've seen tons of bands live, but King Diamond is 1 of the
best gigs I've seen. So much professional attitude on stage really made this gig
well worth see in after a long period of wait. Support acts for King 
Diamond
were Belguim Power Metal act 'After All', who have released 2 albums to date, 1
for Mausoleum Records. The band seemed to be a decent opening act which a lot of
people took the time out to watch and take notice of their music. I have to say
some of their music wasn't too bad, but the fact that they covered Slayer's
'Reign In Blood' seemed pretty pointless to me, even thought the crowd seemed to
enjoy it. It was just a poor cop out which they could of added another 1 of
their own songs. When it came to their style of Power Metal I have to say there
were some U.S. influences in there, maybe a hint of Agent Steel, Forbidden
etc... Still they seemed pretty impressive and I rather enjoyed them.
Second act was Mercenary from Denmark, and if you saw them live last year supporting Nevermore then you will know what to expect. Yet again the band played an impressive set which included songs from both album the band have released through Century Media. Playing for about 40 minutes the band mixing an impressive blend of Progressive Metal and Death Metal seems to go down very well. it's like mixing Fates Warning with Death/ In Flames which went down well with both the crowd and the band. Playing such song as: World Hate Center, II Dreams, Fire Soul to name a few made the fans enjoy every minute of the bands set. This is a band that I recommend you check out.
Now comes the
moment that I have waited 13yrs to see live, the infamous King Diamond band.
I've interviewed King on the phone so many times, but still haven't had the
pleasure of meeting him in person, 1 day I will catch him!! I did manage however
to meet 
the
rest of the band, and I have to say Andy La Rocque is without doubt the best
guitarist I've seen live. He's also a down to earth guy, than guys you made 2006
for me!!! Having not seen King before I had heard about his horror show stage
presence which I was looking forward too. I could imagine Alice Cooper, King
Diamond and Halloween all on the same bill, a Horrow show from hell or what!!!
First comes the coven of Abigail, and then the intro starts up, seemed to go on
for ever whilst symmetry gates were placed across the stage. Looked impressive,
but the band and manager didn't realize that it was a stupid idea since the
press had to take pictures through the bars on the gates, seemed rather stupid
and should of let the press in once they and removed the gates. Maybe they will
learn from this mistake for the next tour. Other than that the whole show was
just awesome. Playing trax from the early days and also including some Mercyful
Fate material made this 1 hell of a show!! Trax that were played were: A Mansion
In Darkness, Abigail, Eye Of The Witch, Sleepless Nights, Mansion In Sorrow, The
Family Ghost, Halloween, Black Horsemen, Welcome Home, and many more King
classics. I cant wait to see the band live again I just wish they play more than
1 show in the UK next time. Us up north really suffer from 1 off shows, so King
if you're reading this play in the North next time please, thanx. King is 1 of
the best live performers I've ever seen, its a Metal Horror Show with a story!!
Long live the King Diamond band!!
11.6.06 Mean Fiddler - London
It's
been a while since I last saw Florida Death Metal merchants 'Obituary' playing
these shores. I just managed to capture them live this time around just as a
extra show as I was only planning on see in King Diamond, but I arrived in
London on the 11th, so I thought I'd check out the show. It was good to see the
band once again as the last time I saw them live was on the 'World Demise' tour,
and that was some years ago. As it was also Download week, the turn out was
pretty good but not as many as I would of thought of. Still the crowd turn out
made it a kick ass night to remember. Obituary are 1 of the few bands that have
remained true to their own identity since the days of 'Executioner' and have survived
the test of time along side the likes of Morbid Angel, Malevolent Creation,
Cannibal Corpse etc... Playing a set for about 1 hour 20 minutes each and every
song was head splitting metal from start to finish. Set list was as followed:
Redneck Stomp, On The Floor, Insane, Chopped In Half, Turned Inside Out, Threatening
Skies, By The Light, Solid State, Back Inside, Find The Arise, Dieing, Stand
Alone, Lockjaw, Til Death, Slow Death & Slowly We Rot. A great night of pure
head banging metal, welcome back guys!!
& 
Sheffield Corporation 8.4.06
Well what can
one say about this gig, it's been a long time coming, especially for those
Anthrax fan's who have either not seen them before or like myself haven't seen
them live for a number of years. I know a lot of you who have or will see this
tour will be very excited to see one of the kings of Thrash return with their
classic line-up. I remember see in Anthrax back in 86 when they supported
Metallica, on their 'Master Of Puppets' tour, damn now I'm showing my age!! 
Have
only seen Anthrax also at Monsters Of Rock in 86 as well and in 87 was the last
time with Testament as support act. I was surely excited to see them live again.
I know I'd like to see the band doing a 3 line-up tour, the 'Fistful of Metal'
line-up, followed by the current classic line-up and then the John Bush line-up
all on the same bill. Now that would be a killer tour. Well the opening act was
'Only Hell Remains', which features Charlie from Anthrax nephew in this band.
The only played a short 20 minute set of pretty brutal Hardcore meets Death
Metal, which really went down really well. Playing songs from their debut mini
CD the crowd certainly took to their music and I'm sure the crowd were ready for
the next act, this was of Tim 'Ripper' Owen's, ex Judas Priest and currently Iced Earth front man who's
new act 'Beyond Fear' was the support act. Having known Tim since the days of
Winters Bane, it was also good to meet Winters Bane's former bassist Dennis for
the first time, as well as a another friend of mine, guitarist John from the
band '13 Faces'. I was really looking forward to see in what Tim and his new
band could deliver and I was very impressed. I knew that there would be some
killer screaming vocals, that's the way I like them and Tim and co certainly
delivered that to the crowd. To hear their music on their live performance I
would say they come across between Judas Priest, Iced Earth and Pantera, so I'm
sure you get a perfect picture. They certainly were impressive to what and to
hear a melody of 2 Priest trax and
1 Iced Earth onto 1 song was surely impressive to say the least. I managed to
get a live set list from Tim so here are the songs that they played live were:
Scream Machine, And... You Will Die, Save Me, Coming At You, Words Of Wisdom, My
Last Words, The Human Race, I Don't Need This.
Great performance by a great bunch of musicians, with heavy yet powerful Power
Metal, they way I like it!!
Next
was the mighty Anthrax, and as both opening acts had pumped the crowd but by now
we were ready for an assault of pure 80's hard hitting Thrash Metal. As the
crowd shouted 'Anthrax' there was a certain atmosphere that was about to be
unleashed and as soon as the mighty Anthrax hit the stage, all hell broke
loose!! As the intro started the the 1st song was unleashed the crowd went ape
shit!! Playing some fine songs the band just went from strength to strength that
nite and playing some classic Anthrax certainly got the crowd going, especially
when Scott Ian told the crowd they had to either mosh or head bang to
'Indians' made this a nite to remember. This really did take me back to 86 when
I first saw them live, the atmosphere was just electric and the band just
had so much energy and power they pretty much just blow everybody away. They
played an impressive set, but failed to played one of their classic and most
popular song from the 80's.this was 'Mad House', I think we were all waiting for
this classic trax, but unfortunately it never came, pity really. Song that they
did play among other's were: Among
The Living, Metal Thrashing Mad, got The Time, Caught In A Mosh, AIR, Skeletons
In The Closet, Anti Social, NFL, Medusa, Indians, I'm The Man, I Am The Law. A
great gig by one of the Thrash Kings, let's see what the next album brings, it's
only a matter of time. In the mantime if you manage to see them in Europe right
now please check them out, both band's were awesome!!
&
Sheffield City Hall - England 4.11.05
It
was a night to remember as far as plenty of Metalheads were considered. It has
been 14yrs since I last came to Sheffield's City Hall to see Judas Priest on
their 'Painkiller' tour and before that Metallica's 'Master Of Puppets' tour
back in 86. Damn I remember this place been much bigger than I thought it was,
but having seen it once again it seemed to be a lot smaller. Motorhead are still
touring the UK till the 23rd November, and the tour has been within the UK since
30th October 05. It is also good to see that Motorhead are finally getting
decent support acts, last year we saw 'Sepultura' and now 'In Flames' from
Sweden. Unfortunately we didn't get to see 'Girlschool', so can't review their
performance. 'In Flames' are now becoming a very popular band within the Thrash/
Death Metal scene were new and old fans are taking the bands music as a breath
of fresh air. The band also had the pleasure of playing with 'Judas Priest'
earlier this year in Sweden, which must of been a buzz for the band. Tonight 'In
Flames' did a superb performance, but the crowd didn't really support the band
for some unknown reason which I don't understand as they kicked some serious ass
that night. Fans of the band who did support them really did cheer them on, but
Motorhead fans seemed reluctant to support the band, which was a damn shame. The
track listing for their set was: Quiet
Place, Pinball Map, System, Epidsode 666, Clayman, Trigger, Cloud Connected,
Touch Of red, Colony, My Sweet Shadow. I was impressed and I'm sure
any 'In Flames' fans their were too.
Next
up was of course the mighty 'Motorhead', which certainly don't need any
introduction by far, but for those of you out their who do need 1 then I will
enlighten you. This 3 piece were formed back in the 70's and still to this date
Lemmy and the boys are still kicked ass and splitting ears apart!! Motorhead
have had a couple of line-up changes over the years but the main 2 well known
line-ups has to be filthy Phil, Fast Eddie and the recent line-up Mikkey, Phil
and Lemmy. As ever Motorhead to what they is best, by splitting you're ears
apart and delivering hard hitting Rock/ metal whatever you want to call it to
their die hard fans. This band are still one of the pioneers of Metal along side
Priest, Maiden, Sabbath, and there is no doubt that Lemmy and co still deliver
the goods at 150%. It's not hard to see why so many people love Motorhead's
music, its just pure Rock & Roll with attitude and that's the way Lemmy and
the boys like to deliver their music. The band had a impressive light set which
certainly made the show a lot more exciting and with a backdrop to also follow
the band just came on the stage kicked some serious ass and then left their fans
in deafness and amazement. Like Motorhead their is no intro they just hit the
stage and rip from one song to another. The trax that they played were: Dr
Rock, Stay Clean, Love Me Like A Reptile, Killers, Metropolis, Over The Top, No
Class, I Got Mine, Tragedy, Dancing On Your Grave, Fast & Loose, Ramones,
Sacrifice, Power, Brazil, Killed By Death, Iron Fist, Whore House Blues, Ace of
Spiders & Overkill. An
impressive and exploding set by one the the UK's greatest and best loved Rock/
Metal acts around.
- Bradford Rio's -
England 23.9.05
Once
again Bradford Rio's comes up on top with yet another kick ass gig, this time
around it was the turn of Nevermore, Dew Sense & Mercenary, of which all 3
bands delivered a kick ass show. Nevermore were suppose of played the UK earlier
this year but cancelled for some strange reason, but I'm glad to say they
finally made it outside of London. This show had a great turn out & the
crowd were ready for the mighty Nevermore. With the band touring for their
successful album 'This Godless Endeavor', which was released a few months ago is
really taking the metal world by storm. The band have also toured in the U.S.
with Symphony X, Megedeth, Dream Theater, and I reckon that must of been a
killer tour from hell!!. The opening band for tonite was Danish Thrash/ Death
act 'Mercenary',
who despite only have a handle full of people watching them really did give it
their best shot and they certainly won the hearts of a few out there, they
certainly warmed my heart. Playing songs from their latest album 'II Dreams',
also on Century Media seemed to go down well enough. I'm not sure of some of the
bands earlier material, but some songs from the latest album they played were: World
hate Center, II Dreams, Times Without Changes,
just to name a few. I like the way they mix clean vocals and Death Metal vocals,
and frontman Mikkel has a great clean vocal voice and I'm sure he would be great
in a Power Metal or Prog Metal act. The band mix a nice blend of Prog, Power,
Thrash & Death Metal all into one. Give them a chance, pity they only played
a 20 minute set. Next up was German Thrash/ Death Metal act 'Dew
Scented', and this was not
the 1st time the band had played Rio's, so people at the club would be already
familiar to the bands presence. This 5 piece, hit the stage and brutally
annihilated the stage with their brutal and intense music from start to finish.
It's rather hard to describe who they actually sound like, but if I had to say
any bands I would say Malevolent Creation, Testament, Kreator, just to name a
few. Savagery was certainly on the menu for this act tonite. I'm sorry but I'm
not familiar with the bands song titles, but they were a brutal head ripping
act, worth checking out!!
Finally
'Nevermore',
the headliners were about to demolish the stage with their devastating mixture
of Power, Thrash and hints of Death Metal to be unleashed into the stage. it was
also a sad tour for the band as guitarist and friend of mine Steve Symth had to
depart early through the tour due to his father's sudden death, so I wan t wish
Steve well and send my condolences to him. As Steve was not playing with the
band for a few days, the band however played a brutal and powerful set as a 4
piece and they totally trashed the stage from start to finish with their awesome
set, which really had the crowd going for it, the crowd loved what they heard
and the set list could not of been better. Saying that I would of loved them to
of played 'The Psalm Of Lydia', as this is a killer track. Warrel and co are one
of the greatest and finest Metal act's around and if like me you managed to see
Sanctuary in the day then you will know just how good both bands are. I really
can not fault this band because they are afterall a awesome live act and all the
bands albums kick ass. It's a pity this band can't get on the bill for the likes
of Download, or Bloodstock, maybe these festivals should get them on next year!!
The Kids in the UK need to hear and learn about this powerful metal act. Like
any band, when they release the next albm it becomes more difficult for the band
to choose a perfect set list for any show and I'm sure it was the same case for
Nevermore. Despite the bands downfall of Steve not been with them for a few
days, the band however are still 1 of the kings of real Metal music, even if you
love or hate what they do, there here to stay and good on them!! Some of the
songs the band played were: Born,
My Acid Words
Enemies Of Reality
Bradford Rio's 16.10.05 - England.
Yes
the mighty Saxon return to the shores of the UK, the bands homeland. It was good
to see the band finally back on our shores after been in Europe for a while.
Saxon like Judas Priest are awesome bands, but still people find something funny
and don't take them serious enough, which I find insulting to 2 legends of
Metal, I don't know why it is but these 2 bands take more shit then any other
legendary bands out there, and Saxon and Judas priest have influenced so many
bands I think they deserve more respect especially in this country. So kids stop
taking the piss out of this 2 awesome bands and show some respect, because if it
wasn't for them there wouldn't be the likes of Slipknot etc.... Enough of that,
I think you kids get the message. It was a pity that support act Brainstorm from
Germany didn't play here as they were suppose too, I wonder what happened??
Saxon have released some kick ass albums over
the years with the likes of 'Wheels Of Steel', 'Power & The Glory, '
Crusader' and later albums such as 'Killing Ground' 'Metal Head' and the awesome
remake of 'Heavy Metal Thunder' sees the band soaring to the top once more.
Let's not forget the latest album 'Lion Heart' which is yet another chapter in
the Metal Crusaders life. Biff and the boys were back and ready to kick some ass
as usual and this tour also saw the return of long time drummer Nigel back
within the band. The band were playing to a full house in their home county of
Yorkshire (UK) and a warm welcome they received too!! Play a complete classic
80's set with only 1 song from the latest album, which was the title track, the
band played some classic, some of the trax were: Motorcycle
Man, Frozen Rainbow, Wheels Of Steel, Crusader, 747, Heavy Metal Thunder, The
Eagle As Landed, Never Surrender, To Hell & Back Again, Redline, Princess Of
The Night, Lion Heart, Strangers In The Night, Denim and Leather, just
to name a few. Saxon are and will always be one of the finest metal acts to come
out of the UK, don't let the crusader die with out a fight. After all, Saxon
have the hearts of a Lion Heart and continue to uphold the British flag for
Metal along side Motorhead, Priest, Maiden, Sabbath etc... Respect them or face
the wheels of steel!!! (Jason
Brown)
The Bang Your Head Festival – Messegelande, Balingen, Germany.
Oh,
how the Germans love festivals. And it’s none other than top magazine Heavy
Oder Was who are celebrating 10 years on the festival circuit by taking over the
town of Balingen near Stuttgart and producing rock festivities which are both
singularly Germanic but great fun for all those concerned…..! Sad then that no
one thought to tell us that finding the actual parking place takes hours and the
traffic in the area has become the very same car park the venue’s been
transformed from. When we arrive Destruction
have already plied their trade in support of new album “Inventor Of Evil”
due in August and Exciter
and Kamelot
are a distant dream.
It’s
blisteringly hot but Amon Amarth
seem totally unconcerned. The only really heavy band on 
the bill over the two
days, their Swedish Death Metal attack is largely lost to the PA. but ‘The
Victorious March’ seems convincing enough and although it’s not my bag, the
boys seem to be putting enough heart into it to get a few punters down the front
trying to jump around without cracking their heads open on the concrete. No such
problems for German rock diva Doro
Pesch and it’s during her set that
the festival really starts to settle. Admittedly, this is a home-grown, die hard
audience but when Doro works them with such beautiful anthems as
‘Hellraiser’ and ‘True As Steel’ you know that it’s gonna be very
difficult to fault her. With a great sound and a driving groove Doro is to music
what absinth is to drinking. You feel calm – there’s even a crisp a cappella
version of ‘Breaking The Law’ to get you in the mood – but with
‘All We Are’ you know you’ve been totally rocked to the foundations. Less
so with Udo Dirkschneider
and his Udo beasties. I accept that the guy has probably the best guitarist of
the afternoon in Stefan Kaufmann and starts well with the new album title
‘Thunderball’ but today Udo seems split between trying to convince with his
own power metal anthems and the last part of the set where the band throw in the
huge crowd sing-a-long ‘Balls To The Wall’, ‘Princess Of The Dawn’ and
the brilliant ‘Burning’, all songs by the band Accept who’ve been playing
to audiences at home for the very last time this year. It’s a masterstroke,
but one that undoubtedly takes the edge off their own material.
Gamma
Ray
come to this festival as yet another home-grown star playing new material –
the
album “Majesty” – but that they’re then unlucky with sound and a
little too slack is both disappointing and surprising. Kai Hansen is cheery and
the rendition of ‘Land Of The Free’ superb, as is new track ‘Blood
Religion’, but ‘I Want Out’ and ‘Armageddon’ are just simply too
sloppy to really be convincing and you’re left feeling that the guys have
missed an opportunity rather than seized the moment. Something next band Saxon
know all too well. Germany is virtually a second home for this lot and as they
start their set with ‘Lionheart’ you just know that this is going to be a
set high on technical precision and greatest hits. There’s no eagle of course
today, only Mikki Dee guesting on ‘747 (Strangers In The Night)’ is
different to the norm but as the seconds pass you realise that this crowd is
suddenly more alive and wonderfully together. ‘Motorcycle Man’ and very
early anthem ‘Backs To The Wall’ are tracks the UK. may not have heard for a
while, Biff almost tearful as he sings a track that closed the very first
Carrere album in 1979, but my favourite of all, ‘Princess Of The Night’ and
the wonderful ‘Never Surrender’ are the real crowd pleasers as excellent
sound and a great light show prove that real rock music lives on here even when
Nu –Metal threatens to dominate at home. ‘Denim & Leather’ closes and
the crowd would have gone home happy. Except of course, this isn’t Saxon’s
gig, this is Motorhead’s
and they’re on the tour that will thoroughly celebrate that 30th
Anniversary. Sad then, that Lemmy has sound problems for most of the early
numbers and the crowd seems somewhat subdued despite a thorough work out from
Phil and Mikki Dee circa ‘Love Me Like A Reptile’, a blistering and very
loud version of ‘Killers’ from the excellent “Inferno”, a brutal ‘I
Got Mine’ and a wonderful ‘Sacrifice’. Motorhead are once again getting
recognition for the music only they create – their headlining appearance at
Download is probably more important to them than this - but they get in
‘Dancing On Your Grave’ and the aforementioned ‘I Got Mine’ from
“Another Perfect Day” (which they don’t play in the UK, because
“everyone hates it”), and they send everyone home once again with the
familiar duo of ‘Killed By Death’, and ‘Ace Of Spades’. Tremendous.
Day
two and apparently someone forgot to tell God that a lot of people would be
unhappy if it r
ained – about 20,000 to be exact. During the night God has
pissed on Balingen, the monitors are half full of water and the stage has taken
on more than the Ark itself. So we start at nearly 1pm and the first five bands
are all playing twenty-minute sets. Not that that makes much of a difference to Demon.
This band only had one good song – ‘Don’t Break The Circle’ from “The
Unexpected Guest” album in 1982 – and they played that. Much more relevant
are US gritty thrashers Vicious Rumors
who lost their original vocalist Carl Albert in 1995 but have, since, pressed on
with the excellent Brian O’Connor building quite a reputation here which
guarantees them a big roar as their devious but scything thrash attack led them
quickly through ‘Minute To Kill’, ‘Abandoned’ and the crushing ‘Six
Step Sisters’ with a great sound and big stage presence from O’Connor and
guitar giant Geoff Thorpe. Only then for the festival to take an even more
dramatic step backwards with the power of Nasty
Savage. Now, I hadn’t seen Nasty
Ronnie and Co. since the early 90’s when they’d been one of the first
Western bands to take part in Metal Battle, Poland but “Psycho, Psycho”
(2004) has been out for a while and the comeback is well and truly complete. You
‘d never know it. Basically NS is a trip back in time to thrash when solos
were ‘essential’ and bands cracked at songs like geldings. Ben Meyer is
still as sharp on ‘XXX’ whilst Ronnie? Well, he’s like a demented Mike
Muir. All TV sets in Balingen were safe, there wasn’t time for Ronnie to break
any of them today, but it was lovely to hear the old school fighting back.
Jag
Panzer
have never been my kettle of fish; power metal with little finesse on record
didn’t look too inspiring as this lot took to the Balingen stage but then
I’d discounted Harry Conklin. Man, the band were having a few problems and the
fifteen minute set certainly didn’t help but by ‘Iron Eagle’ in particular
he’d just about covered every section of the stage and with such a great voice
he’d convinced even the most sceptical. Not a problem German bruisers Tankard
put on their CV. Some of the beer and age in general may have taken it’s toll,
but when these guys rip into ‘Empty Tankard’ and ‘Chemical Invasion’ you
realise that this country is probably one of the most ‘liberal’ in Europe
for accepting types of music. Which is why the next band are so loved. Nevermore
are quite simply the only up and coming band on this bill. Sure, they’ve
already had a huge history and the “Dreaming Neon Black” and “Dead
Heart…” releases built the success that lies at their heart today, but
“Enemies Of Reality” is still fresh to many and they’ve already got “The
Godless Endeavour” warming up nicely in the racks all ready to fill in the
hole made by that one. Do they rock as well! Singer Warrel Dane is quite simply
the tallest man here and the crowd lap up his words on ‘Enemies Of Reality’
and ‘Sound Of Silence’ as if at the altar. Sad that the band only has a
short set, no song here is under five minutes, but when they up the ante the odd
notch with the heavier angle now adopted, you can see the reaction out front.
Germany loves them.
Germany
also worships it’s own, so it’s with no surprise that almost as soon as
Nevermore have finished Axel Rudi Pell
is being
announced like a long lost pal. And it rains. He may write songs called
‘Strong As A Rock’ and turn the stage into party mode mimicking the work of
great frontmen like Dio and guitar heroes like Yngwie Malmsteen but sadly Pell
is neither. You can’t argue with his pulling power, just his lack of
international appeal. A thing next artist Sebastian
Bach knows all too much about and has
lost once too many times. He thrusts his crotch, swings the mic stand around his
barnet Coverdale style and plays ‘Slave To The Grind’, ‘Monkey Business’
and even ‘Youth Gone Wild’ but sadly he’s about as relevant now as the
Deutschmark. Yes, the old voice comes through once or twice, a new song
‘America’ is convincing enough to suggest that the man might have a future,
but all too often “party-mode” takes over and it sounds as though the old
guy’s trading on lost pastures. Which is not something you could accuse the
next band of. Put simply, Candlemass
produced one of the come back records of the decade and they’ve come to take
the crown back. Balingen has seen this lot before, they played on the very same
bill after the first reformation in 2002, but ‘Black Dwarf’ is a whole new
box of tricks and as Messiah launches into the vocals BYH comes alive and rocks
its little socks off. ‘Solitude’ sees Doom Dancing returned to Germany,
‘Bearer Of Pain’ from “Ancient Dreams” keeps the pulse flowing and ‘At
The Gallows End’ brings it all to a close with a huge Lasse guitar work out
and big smiles all around. If they needed any further spur to keep on producing
the goods then there’s none better than 20,000 Germans roaring you to your
final notes as you leave them crushed into dust.
Not
something I’d recommend doing during the so-called special guests of the day
though. BYH has had wonderful moments in years gone by when Bruce Dickinson
guested, and more had been mooted, but the appearance of Hanoi
Rocks and
then Tramps White Lion
will endear few if any to the cause in future. Mike Monroe of Hanoi Rocks is and
always was an embarrassment as a singer – no change there, and Mike Tramp is
only just slightly better having reconstituted his band in Denmark and tried to
write a few songs whilst still peddling tracks from ‘Pride’ (‘Hungry’)
and feeding little power into a flaccid collection of old stuff that makes Bon
Jovi sound like Power Metal? The bar staff were suddenly very busy!
Not
a problem you’re going to encounter wit
h a
Dio
set. Quite simply BYH goes up a notch when this old
pro gets to the stage and as ‘Holy Diver’ and ‘Stand Up And Shout’ take
their bows you know that you’re in the presence of someone to whom the words
‘bad show’ simply don’t exist, even if you are ravaged by the passages of
time still listening to Rainbow favourites ‘Long Live Rock And Roll’ and the
ubiquitous ‘Heaven And Hell’. Ronnie James Dio is Mr Consistent – ‘Gates
Of Babylon’ being a nice oldie not heard for a few years and ‘Sunset
Superman’ from ‘Dream Evil’ a track I hadn’t heard before; Craig Goldy
once again makes ‘Egypt’ his own although I’m sure he plays the songs
slower now, but for me Dio is and always be, ‘Holy Diver’ – look out for
his “Night With…” series in October. Then there’s Twisted
Sister. If one band could be capable of
headlining a festival like this, then it is them – the same band that returned
to the fray with ‘Still Hungry’ (which they then play in full) and closes
with ‘It’s Only Rock And Roll, But I Like It’ the first time they’ve
played the song in twenty years. For a moment, I forgot time itself. Sure, JJ
and Dee are all a bit older and certainly a bit fatter but moving around the
stage like a whirling dervish, Snider is still as convincing with his call of
‘We’re Not Going To Take It’ as in the old days when the band graced the
stage of the Marquee “Under The Blade”, with more swagger and “Street
Justice” than many could have imagined. Germany sang out as one ‘I Wanna
Rock’ and Balingen went home happy. Great sound and a great party for all. (Mike
Exley)
Strapping Young Lad. Astoria, London.
5th June 2005
Some
of the promoters in this crazy country must think that our metal community has
very deep pockets? Not only are System Of A Down playing just down the road but
Zakk Wylde is only just two days out of this venue and the ridiculously priced
Download Fest. is five days away? All the harder to explain to Devin Townsend
and Co. when they’re coming to London with arguably their most important album
and producing a set list that is more vibrant than both their major counterparts
put together? Not that those who do come go home disappointed. Put simply,
Strapping Young Lad rock and when the band does let up to play something off the
stomping new album ‘Alien’ (‘Love’), it’s as though the new material
has been fitted into the same glove as the huge ‘All Hail The New Flesh’ and
the inevitable crushing workout that is ‘Detox’ with the same ease as even
the mighty King, Araya, Hanneman axis employ. This is one city where Strapping
seem to rise to the occasion. Devin’s dreds lash out wildly during
‘Aftermath’, the crushing ‘Shitstorm’ takes few if any prisoners left
who might not be convinced, and what strikes you more than anything is that even
though this band is raging on all cylinders with only really ‘Shine’
breaking the almost endless roaring cycle of venom emitting from Messrs. Hoglan
and “new” Fear Factory member Byron Stroud, the sound is not only clear but
brutally effective. Keyboards are given room to breath and not just when
they’re roaring through your ears like a Stukka bomber diving into the venue,
guitars swirl but still embrace the music wonderfully and the voice of Townsend
is heard blissfully loud as he criss-crosses his now accepted line between
madness and genius. A gorgeous evening for all those that could. (Mike Exley)
– The Astoria, London. 7th May 2005
Regular
gig goers will already know the name Rich Ward, the maestro behind the mighty
Stuck Mojo and the trailblazer that persuaded world WWE grand champion Chris
Jericho to use his voice for more purposeful pursuits than slanging matches with
opponents. Then, it’s still a brave move to book the Astoria for a show that
is at best only their second major appearance in this country, and it’s by no
means full? Rich has already been on stage earlier in the evening with his solo
project – The Duke – a kind of acoustic and electric sing-a-long lounge
music session with fellow Mojo and Fozzy members that is at best forgettable,
but nothing can prepare us for the truly abysmal noise that accompanies
tonight’s main support – The Suffrajets. Fine, many of the audience are
scarcely out of their teens and the sight of four very spirited young girls
blasting out L7 and Joan Jett inspired ‘Ramones and Roll’ is fine, but then,
that it’s so poor and unimaginative really must demand the question as to why
anyone thinks they can actually write songs. They certainly can’t play them.
Fozzy
are infinitely better. Breaking a ghetto blaster with a sledgehammer isn’t
exactly Nasty Ronnie, Jericho doesn’t even use his chest, but when Rich is on
form you know that Fozzy is going to be about much more than a smash and grab
raid. The crowd is in fine voice despite its size and ‘Enemy’ and ‘Crucify
Yourself’ are fine with some really big chords dashing themselves against the
stage. But, a ‘Death Metal Polka’ after only three songs? Come on, guys! If
you’ve earned your chance to do that with people’s money then fine, but this
band still have a lot of work to go through and the new material (and dedication
to ‘own brand’ material particularly) is barely out of nappies. Jericho also
seems to be suffering tonight; admittedly putting all into the show, the vocals
nevertheless slip all too often. He’s been talking to people all day and is
probably hoarse – the queue at the signing session was very impressive – but
that’s your instrument. To add further insult to injury, you have the curse of
the cover version to contend with too. Fozzy started that way and when ‘Eat
The Rich’ (Motorhead) hits you know that it’ll probably be the death of them
as well. Stick to the original material and build on the force generated by
“All That Remains”. Anything else and this will be one short last song
saloon! (Mike Exley)
Sheffield Arena (England)
28.3.05
One
can only describe Judas Priest as the God's Of Metal, and how true the band
lives up to their name. Probably the must influenced metal band on the planet,
the band return's with the Metal God, yes folks Rob Halford. This was a night
that all Priest and metalheads alike were waiting for, the return of the
'Painkiller' era as the 5 musicians took to the stage to deliver one hell of a
mind blowing set. Its' been almost 15yrs since Rob left the band to record with
the likes of 'Fight' and 'Halford', which I believe Halford are going to record
another album together. Something which will be interesting to see!! Ripper,
however was without doubt an excellent replacement for Rob, even something the
guys in Priest would not disagree with and gave Judas Priest the lift they were
looking for for the last 5yrs or so. Now with the new album 'Angel Of Retribution',
which sees the band return to a more classic Priest sound (British Steel meet's
Painkiller) era this album is faultless, even if Lochness seems to be over
looked as disappointing song I think it's not bad, I've heard worse!!! After an
superb performance by The Scorpions the crowd were ready for the Gods
themselves, light went down and the intro started. The crowd went apeshit as the
band opened p with 'The Hellion/ Electric Eye, which was absolutely electrifying.
The stage presence and stage set really made this a night to remember, with Rob
coming out of the electric eye behind the drum riser in full leather and studs!!
A great 2hr set of classic Priest with 4 new songs thrown in too. Track listing
for the night was: Metal
Gods, Riding On The Wind, The Ripper, Touch Of Evil, Judas Is Rising,
Revolution, Hot Rockin, Breaking The Law, I'm A Rocker, Diamonds & Rust,
Deal With The Devil, Beyond The Realms Of Death, Turbo, Hellrider, Victim Of
Changes, Green Manlishi, Painkiller, Hell Bent For Leather, Living After
Midnight, and You've Got Another Thing Comin. Bow
before the metal masters, the angel of retribution is upon us. A superb night
and long live the Priest!!!
Sheffield Arena (England)
28.3.05
Well what can one
say about this band and of course the main act 'Judas Priest' and the same stage
together? I have only ever seen this band ocne and that was about 4 yrs ago in
Nottingham (Rock City) UK and they were a awesome live band. I also saw the band
a week before this show, but I only got to see about 3 of the last songs as we
arrived late. Well I did manage to see them this time in their full glory. The
band have 3 original members left, Klaus, Rudolf & Matthias are now joined
forces with ex Kingdom Come drummer James Kottak and new bass player Pawel
Maciwoda, also from Germany. The band are at the moment promoting their new
album titled ' Unbreakable', which is doing really well. The band played for
about 1 hour and they really got the crowd going and ready for the main
act with their superb performance I really couldn't fault their set, only bad
thing was the sound, but other than that it was a great set. Trax they played
that nite were: Rock You Like Hurricane, Winds Of Change, Bad Boys Of Rock
& Roll, Love Bites, Rhythm Of Love, Dynamite, Hit Between The Eyes, Still In
Love With You, and some new songs which I haven't heard yet. A great set by
Germany's biggest Metal act.
& Dark Tranquility
The Electric Ballroom, London. 16th
February 2005.
When
Kreator come to town you always know you’re in for an unpredictable evening.
There’s been times when Mille and crew couldn’t even play this venue and
their last visit to these shores was very much diminished by the fact that
co-headliners Destruction had pulled out and Mille’s voice nearly collapsed
under the strain? Now though, Ventor and the boys are surely “Senior
Consistency” to a tee, certainly in their studio output, so it’s their
support line up that is at best the unpredictable crew here. I mean, Dark
Tranquility come here on the back of a great musical adventure. “Character”
is as it hints at, a great character builder displaying some fine musical
forays, but live singer Mikael Stanne’s lack of ability is even more graphic
than on the CD and you’re left feeling that the band are pulling in two very
different directions. Not a problem Ventor or Mille are going to have –
tonight the only problem that presents itself is a relatively quiet audience
(Mastodon are also in town) and just how many classic tracks they can pack into
the set before it bursts. Guitarist Sami Yli-Sirnio now seems capable of
handling any old tearjerker thrown at him, so the result is a brilliant night
rippling with such great 80’s thrash classics as ‘Pleasure To Kill’ and
‘Extreme Aggression’. Of course, tonight is also about the last two great
albums, particularly the wonderful ‘Enemy Of God’ which is pilfered
liberally and its beautiful and no less caustic cousin ‘Violent Revolution’
whose title is now fast becoming as much a crowd favourite as older moments like
‘Flag Of Hate’ and the closer ‘Tormentor’. What Kreator do most subtly
though, is to give their audience a trip down memory lane whilst also battering
them into submission so that the buying of the new album is virtually a
guaranteed cert.. Mille is his usual laid back self – the lack of an obvious
big personality in this band has often lead to criticisms that they had become a
little faceless in the melee that is the heavier side of Heavy Metal in the
‘Naughties’ – but the red and darker colours of the stage lighting merely
make the power of songs like ‘Renewal’ and ‘Riot Of Violence’ pick up
all the greater, so what the heck? It’s almost certainly kept the band
together for as long as this, so mission accomplished.
(Mike Exley)
Sebastian Bach - Sheffield Corporation Club - UK 4.12.04
It's
been a long time since Sebastian Bach came to these shores since he departed
ways with his former band 'Skidrow' back in the 90's. Since then Sebastian has
recorded 2-3 solo albums and recently released his debut DVD which was on sale
on his recent European tour. We here in the UK thought that Sebastian had
disappeared until he returned with his new line-up, which when I first heard I
was quite shocked to discover the line-up he now has. The current line-up
consists of former Ice d Earth members, Ralf & Mark, long side them are Johnny
on 2nd guitar and Testament/ Sadus bassist Steve. It was nice to meet up with an
old friend been Steve from Testamant and have a beer or too, so that made the
night for me even more enjoyable. The crowd were hungry for this band to appear
and like the support act who were very poor nobody seemed too interested in the
local band that appeared that night. 5 guys ready to kick ass and that's what
they did, opening up with 'Slave To The Grind', which the crowd loved, a nice
heavy opening track and a classic Skidrow track. Most of the songs played on
this tour were old Skidrow trax, something I think the crowd wanted to hear. The
trax went on as followed: Big Guns, The Threat, Frozen,
Piece Of Me, Bring Me Down (a new track), Here I Am, 18 & Live, In A Dark Room,
Monkey Business, Time Warp (Rocky Horror...), I Remember You, & Youth Gone Wild.
I also saw the band at Bradford (UK), in which they played a tribute song of
Pantera's 'Walk' dedicated to the death of Dimeabg, which really did shock
Sebastian. So that was really cool for them to play that as a sign of respect. A
good night, but rather short , only played for about 1 hour or so. Lets see what
the band can come up with for their 2005 release.
& Sheffield
University - UK 11.11.04
What
a night to remember, one of the Godfathers of Rock & Roll along side
Brazil's biggest export 'Sepultura' as support act. It was a good night to
see 2 godly bands, 1 of the godfathers of Metal and also 1 of the top Thrash
act's, the biggest act to come out of Brazil 'Sepultura'. This was a night that
was packed and sold out at Sheffield's University. Speultura hit the stage and
the crowd went ballistic as the band hit the stage, plenty of stage diving and
as the night went on the crowd wanted more by these Brazilian thrasher's. The
band played for roughly 45 Minutes. This was the first time I had seen the band
with frontman Derek Green, and I was pretty impressed to say the least, and it
does prove that some bands can carry on without the original frontman. The band
played some really excellent classic trax that night such as:
Desperate Cries, Escape To The Void, Troops Of Doom, Territory, Resist/ Refuse,
Roots Bloody Roots, and Beneath The Remain's.
Other trax the band played were also impressive but I didn't know the songs for
the rest of the set, sorry. All in all these boys an still pull it off just like
they did in the 80's.
Next up was of
course the mighty Motorhead, Lemmy, Phil and Mikkey are and will always be the
tightest outfit the band has ever had. Motorhead never use intro tapes they just
come on stage and and Lemmy been Lemmy tells the crowd 'We Are Motorhead' and
off they go into a brain crushing set that leaves everybody deaf and num for a
short spell. Playing for over a hour and a half the band really are what dirty
Rock & Roll should be all about. Opening up with 'Dr. Rock', a typical classic
Motorhead sound, which the crowd went ape shit over. The followed onto the
following trax: I Got Mine, Shoot You In The Back, Love Me Like A Reptile, No
Class, ect... Lemmy is without doubt a excellent frontman just as Halford & Ozzy
are as well. This guy certainly knows how to get the crowd going, but then again
he's had plenty of experience to win the crowd over and that is what Lemmy does
best!! Other trax included were: Killers, Over Kill, Ace Of Spades, Killed By
Death, Orgasmatron, Civil War, Iron Fist, Overnight Sensation, Sacrifice, just
to name a few. Motorhead are a band not to be missed, and if you have not seen
them before I suggest you do so next time around. Awesome night that will be
remembered for a long time.
Obituary
/ Mortiis
Rodon Club, Athens. 24th October 2004
The
old saying goes, “never mix business with pleasure”, but even when on
holiday, as happens to be the case when the reformed Obituary’s European tour
makes landfall, I’d have to have been barmy to have missed this. So, with
several hundred Athenians, the partner and I are packed into an old cinema in
one of the areas of Athens the tourist would never want to see, to witness the
fresh faced thirty odd year olds who make up the original Obituary line up now
roar back out of the blocks and kick some proverbial ass. Before curtain up
though, we have the gimp industrial wrigglings of the new Mortiis and all I can
say, is, come back Marilyn Manson, all is forgiven. I know it’s unfair to lump
the work of one musician so blatantly into the camp of another, but really there
is so little difference that you’d be forgiven for thinking that Manson
himself had penned much of the Mortiis set. The darker more sublime side to the
Scandinavian is abandoned in a headlong rush to the line and a creaky,
industrial beat admittedly brought on by drums and guitars instead of samplers
and keyboards, does little to raise my spirits. Mortiis runs around the stage
like a 
demented chicken, but the Athenian roar for the intro to Sepultura’s
‘Refuse Resist’ on the in-house PA is louder than for him, and that says a
lot.
No
point shouting when the curtain goes up on Florida’s finest though! Holy shit.
Singer John Tardy has been telling me that all the shows on this tour have been
well received in the break, but tonight Athens surely can’t shout any louder.
And as Trevor Peres and Allen West rip into the opening chords my mind is torn
back some eight or nine years to times when this band ruled the Death Metal
roost. I mean, I remember Peres’ guitar sound like a child remembers a
dentists drill, but here it’s even more vicious than before tearing huge slabs
of sound from tracks like ‘Turned Inside Out’ and ‘Cause Of Death’ and
flinging them out to the baying hordes like the trophies of a battlefield.
It’s true that some of the ‘mystery’ of Obituary has gone – you know
that John Tardy’s vocals are largely spur of the moment and not the language
of hells teeth itself ripping up from the ground - but Frank Watkins and Donald
Tardy keep a furious pace on the rhythm section and songs such as newie
‘Insanity’ and the classic ‘Slowly We Rot’ prove that this band will be
welcome anytime down Athens way. There’s a drum solo from Tardy – surely
something borrowed from his time playing with Andrew AK. and not really ideal in
an Obituary format – but these guys obviously just love being up there again
despite the intervening years, the marriages and the children. A great sound
inside the venue caps it all and everyone goes home knowing that Obituary are
back from the dead – again!! (Mike Exley)
The Garage, 15th
July 2004.
I don’t know about you, but Death
Angel were probably one of the most unlikely bands I thought I would ever see in
the UK. again. Fine, they had been a brilliant part on the No Mercy tour with
Testament and had produced a superb come back album in ‘The Art Of Dying’,
but to actually see them on a UK. stage is something else. Strange, that I’m
then in a half full venue with a strangely placid audience. Never mind. Mark
Osegueda and crew aren’t going to worry – they just hammer away to the front
couple of rows and give a show that is as powerful as I’ve seen and as honest.
Recent addition to the line up Ted Aguilar has few nerves, in fact Rob Cavestany
appears to have more early on, but with a set that mixes the new album –
‘Thrown To The Wolves’ – ‘Land Of Blood’, with classic cuts like
‘Kill As One’ and ‘Mistress Of Pain / ‘Bored’, you know that this lot
aim to have the maximum amount of fun possible in one hour. Andy Galleon,
Cavestany, Dennis Pepa and Osegueda all get in on the vocal act – Galleon a
little lost by the sound system from behind the kit – but a Death Angel live
set is all about ‘the family’ and the band grip the more ‘punky’ feel of
the new material and fuse it wonderfully with the old. Aficionados like me
wanted an extra half an hour – ‘Thrashers’ and ‘The Ultraviolence’ –
but, really, that’s just selfish and you have to let the band dictate. This
band has set out to really make a big statement on it’s come back and tonight
is as good as I’ve seen them. (Mike
Exley) Pic by Jason Brown © 1990
My
review of this band’s new album may have been somewhat short, but for me
tonight, this is the real test of the new Nightwish. Marco Hietala (b) and I
have been chatting earlier (read it here in the interview section), but you know
that if these Finns are to be truly appreciated for their risk taking
capabilities, the songs from ‘Once’ have to rip off the stage and crash over
the audience like a tidal wave. And, my God, by ‘Planet Hell’ they’re
bloody well doing it. The most striking thing about ‘Once’ is that the band
never let’s the driving rhythm be weakened by the operatic nature undoubtedly
present. Thomas Holopainen is fused to his keyboard like a Keith Emerson clone,
shaking back and forth as if possessed by the keys themselves, guitarist
Vuorinen rampant as the chords batter the crowd; but really, it’s vocalist
Tarja that takes the plaudits tonight. The crowd is huge, testimony to the
tremendous job done throughout Europe by Nuclear Blast, but she handles it with
aplomb, even avoiding the obvious jokes when someone throws a huge inflatable
Nemo fish on stage during the single, which we all know has nothing to do with
that silly beast but means ‘nothing’ in Finnish. Tarja doesn’t have to do
all the work, Hietala takes over for a rather rough version of Megadeth’s
‘Symphony Of Destruction’, but the night is led beautifully from the front
by the siren who lifts material from ‘Wishmaster’ to latest single ‘Wish I
Had An Angel’ up into the top tier of the Astoria and involves all in the
storming story that is currently the Nightwish trip up the European metal
league. The biggest roar of the night is possibly reserved for ‘Over The Hills
And Far Away’, the old Gary Moore singalong, but I guarantee everyone goes
home from this happy, and you can’t say that that often these days! (Mike
Exley)
Hull City Hall (England) - 2004
It's
been a while since we have seen any concerts in my home city, Hull and tonight
was all set for a exciting because this night was a night of cover tunes from
the 70's right through to the 90's, which featured 3 members of (TRF - The Royal
Family) a Queen tribute band and Tony Martin ex Black Sabbath on voclas along
side Carl Sentance ex Persian Risk & Krokus. I was really looking forward to
this show as I had never seen Tony Martin with Sabbath (God I wish I had) but
tonight was the first time I had seen this outstand vocalist, playing not only
Sabbath covers but also other cover as well. Te other vocals for the show is
Matt Moreton, who is also the vocalist for TRF and also Phenomena, the band I
believe which featured Cozy Powell. Many people was unsure if this tour would be
a success and tonight proved everybody wrong by playing some really classic trax.
A good turn out made all the difference and the crowd really did get into the
sprit of the show by singing along with the likes of Karl, Tony and Matt, all of
which delivered a storming performance. The rest of the band also played their
part extremely well, been tight and very professional. 6 musicians and 3 singers
really did make a night to remember. Some of the trax that they played were: Rainbow
(Long Live Rock & Roll) feat Tony Martin, Iron Maiden (Run To The Hills)
feat Carl Sentence, Judas Priest (Living After Midnight) feat Matt Moreton &
Carl Sentence, Guns & Roses (Sweet Child Of Mine) feat Matt Moreton, Black
Sabbath (The Headless Cross & Paranoid) feat Tony Martin, Free (Alright
Now), Ozzy (Mr. Crowley), Whitesnake (Here Ago Again), Metallica (Enter
Sandman), Motorhead (Ace Of Spades), just
to name a few. This was surely a great gig and well worth checking out. I do
hope they come back and do another tour in 2005, watch this space!!!! Maybe they
should record an album with their own material with this line-up.
Live @ Hammersmith Apollo London
17.2.04
This
was a night to remember to say the least, and with the band's stunning new album
'Train Of Thoughts' is certainly making waves throughout the world by fans and
the media. it's been a few years since I last saw the band 'Falling Into
Infinity' actually and this was one of 2 only UK dates planned for this year or
for at least this leg of the world tour. This was after all an evening with
Dream Theater, the masters of Prog Metal, and with a 3 hour set was certainly
going to be a night that everybody would remember. Playing trax from the bands
debut album right up to the new album was certainly a good choice and a mix bag
of goodies for al Dream Theater fans out there. Been a fan of the bands debut I
was really looking forward to hearing those classic, even though the production
on 'When Dream &..." wasn't up to scratch the songs are still to this
date a masterpiece!! The stage settings were above average with large screens
and one hell of a massive drum kit, could it be Alex Van Halen's? Yes folks 3
bass drums, basically 2 drum kits in one and yes Mike Portnoy did actually play
all of it. With a full house the band hook to the stage and delivered the goods
as pro as you can get. Trax included were: Another Day, As
I Am, Endless Sacrifice, Fortune In Lies, Stream Of Consciousness, Learning
To Live, along with many more classics. A great night by one of the
finest bands around, if you missing out this time, don't next time!!
Hughes - Turner Project - Bradford
Rio's - UK 6.4.04
Well what can one say when you
experienced something like a classic Rock gig like this, yes folks Glenn Hughes
(the voice of Rock) and Joe Lynn Turner both together on the same bill. I've
seen Glenn many times has he still rocks and this is the first time I had seen
Joe Lynn Turner and what a good this turned out to be. Bradford (UK) always gets
a good crowd for Glenn and tonight was no exception. Support came from ex Napalm
Death/ Carcass guitarist Bill.S, who's band 'Firebird' proved to be an eye open
catch playing 70's style rock in the vain of Free etc... They certainly went
down pretty well for a support act. Well Hughes & Turner delivered a
excellent gig although Joe's vocals were a little too low in the mix, which was
a shame. The songs that night were a mixture of Deep Purple classics and Rainbow
as well as the bands own material. Line up also included JJ Marsh on guitar, ex
Electric Boys drummer and a keyboard player who I had not heard of before. If
you get to see this experience on this tour I suggest you do so, classic
material all the way!! Trax listing for the night was as follows: Hold
On, Cant Stop Rock & Roll, Losing My Head, Alone I Breathe, Mistreated, I
Surrender, Streets Of Dreams, Getting Tighter, You Keep On Moving, Death Valley
Driver, Stormbringer - (Encore) Devils Road, Spotlight Kid, Burn.
Live in London 30.9.03
Well
what a night this was, two incredible bands playing on the same stage, this was
one gig that would certainly stay in a lot of people minds for a long time.
Having seen Nevermore a few times in Europe and also been friends of the band I
just knew I had to be here to support one of Century Media's finest metal acts.
Nevermore is the band which was formed out of the ashes of 'Sanctuary', Jim
Sheppard & Warrel Dane's old band. This band are no stranger to the shores
of the UK, having played in London last year people certainly knew what to
expect, heavy bone crushing Thrash Metal at it's best. The gig also saw an old
friend of mine helping Nevermore out as 2nd guitarist - Steve Symth (Testament)
which came a s pleasant surprise to see him once again. This crowd were hungry
for a brutal gig and this is what they got. Nevermore aimed to please and that's
what they did from the start to the finish. Playing trax from the bands debut to
the latest release. I have always been a fan of this band right from the demo
days and also Sanctuary so I really can't say they were disappointing because I
would be lying!! The set list for Nevermore included: Inside
4 Walls, Narcosynthesis, Ambivalent, Never Purify, The River Dragon Has Come, Enemies Of
Reality, Sound Of Silence.
This is a great band well worth a listen and check them out live if you can -
they rule!!
Arch Enemy
were the headliners, which are a great band not to say the least. I have not
been a fan of the band but the bands latest offering Anthems Of Rebellion's is
one hell of a great album. Packed with some heavy and punchy riffs and melody
hooks this band are extremely awesome live, and I mean brutal too!! There
very professional
at what they do and they do it with style. If you didn't know that the singer
Angelia Gossow, was a female then you wouldn't know, as she comes across between
Doro and Barney from Napalm Death, strange mixture but shit this girl has one of
the most if not the most brutal female voice around. Arch Enemy features ex
Carcass guitarist Mike Amott, ex Armageddon guitarist Chris Amott, brother of
Mike, also Sharlee D'Angelo (Mercyful fate) and drummer Daniel Erlandsson
(brother of Cradle's drummer). As a band there awesome musicians and I have a
lot of respect for them. The crowd that night loved them and they went down a
storm. Trax played were: Silent
Wars, We Will Rise, Burning Angel, Savage Messiah, The Immortal, Dead Eyes
See No Future, Behind The Smile, Enemy Within, Dead Bury Their Dead, &
Ravenous. A great
night had by all and one of the most brutal gigs this year on our show.
Live @ The Mean Fiddler - London 18.10.03
Well
what can one say about this mighty U.S. band who are certainly causing a steer
within the metal scene, and with several releases under their belt for Inside
Out Music, this band really do mean business. They give the likes of Dream
Theater, Yngwie Malmsteen a run for their money. I managed to see this band the
first time around back in March when they supported Stratovarius and I have to
say they then blow Stratovarius off stage without a doubt and I remember the
crowd been their for Symphony X as it was their debut UK appearance, they stole
the show!! This time around it was the turn of the band to really show the UK
audience what they were made of as a headlining band, and yes folks they were
above the call of duty. Fans from around the UK and Europe came to this show and
it was certainly worth travelling for. Playing an awesome set from everything
from the bands early material right up to the bands latest album 'The Odyssey'.
Support act I have to mention because they were the right act for this band was
the UK's very own and finest Power Metal act 'Shadowkeep', which features new
singer Ronnie Styx from Texas. They too also delivered the good and warmed the
crowd up for the main act. if you have not heard Shadowkeep then I suggest you
check them out on LMP Music. The overall set was amazing and ending with the
epic 'The Odyssey' was a really treat for the fans. Set list was: Inferno,
Wicked, Evolution, Communion & The Oracle, King Of Terrors, Accolade 2, The
Odyssesy. Great night by one of the greatest Prog Power bands out there,
let's hope there's a DVD soon right?
Enchant London 'Mean Fiddler' 22.10.03
Well
I've waited a while to see this band, there is something about this band that
really grabs my attention, not sure what it is but their music really does
appeal to me. I have been a fan of the band since the release of the bands debut
album 'Blue Print Of The World' which I thought was a classic in it#s own right.
This however is not the bands debut on these shores, as I heard they played in
Rottherham of all places @ the @ 'Proggressive Rock Society'. I wish I had of
known then because Rottherham is only 1 hour away from where I live. Anyway the
band have recently released their new album 'Tug If War' and which is a great
Prog album release, what would appeal to fans of Dream Theater, Marillion with a
hard edge. Tonight the band were supporting 'Spocks Beard', which to me was a
shame, would of loved to of seen them headline, maybe next time!! The crowd were
ready for this awesome U.S. act that would deliver an awesome set of only about
40 minutes but every second was worth listening and watching. The band are very
professional live and this set proved that they are truely one of the master's
of Prog Rock. Set list included: The Thirst, Sinking Sand,
Below Zero, Follow The Sun, Under The Sun, Comatose,
and Oasis. If you miseed them this time around then make sure you don't
next time around, I highly recommend this band. Let's hope they play a full UK
tour next year!!
Mortician, God Dethroned, Grave. Camden Palace, London. October 9th 2003.
A strange day for a rock festival to break out, but in North London the lights are dimmed and the power knows no boundaries as a small but enthusiastic crowd gives a welcome to Grave. Grave are one of those old bands making a comeback, in fact comebacks are all the rage on tonight’s bill, but you have to question quite why these Dutch bruisers have actually decided to turn up on what is their first UK. outing at all ? They have a new album ‘Back From The Grave’ to push, but after only a couple of songs they’re already going back to their old material and you know instantly why the band never really made it out of the shade of European Death Metal in the first place. Their Century Media career was patchy at best, and only one song, ’Into The Grave’, really lifts them much beyond the mediocre here, but then, these festival tours are a bit of a mix and match and you have to take the very rough with the smooth. Like God Dethroned. Sorry, but this lot are quite awful. New album track ‘Into The Lungs Of Hell’ shows that they’ve slowed down a bit and now try to build their ideas more than before, but I fail completely to understand why they are trying to impress with a style that is so stuck in one dimension, namely that of the thrash band. ‘Soul Sweeper’ tries to drag them screaming into a new era but it’s just too far gone.
Mortician then are already beyond help, in fact if it wasn’t for the large and enthusiastic reaction they get from the crowd you’d have to question their musical ability because you simply can’t hear it. The band are all flailing grindcore – new drummer Sam Inzerra mixing it as well as can be expected with the crushing Crowbar like sound of the guitars – but this is for hardcore freaks only and I’m left bemused. ‘Hacked Up For Barbecue’ is one track I pick out (just) and Will Rahmer is undoubtedly one of grindcore’s major survivors leading the trio from the front, but it’s not my thing.
Agent Steel are much more vital. It’s been some time since Juan Garcia led his troops on to a UK. stage but with vocalist Bruce Hall in fine form and new album ‘Order Of The Illuminati’ to promote, this band are well worth the ticket price. There may be a huge gap for the crowd to bridge, some of the younger ones now making it into the venue possibly only remember ‘Mad Locust Rising’ and ‘Unstoppable Force’ as legendary noises from behind the bedroom doors of long since grown up brothers or sisters, but Bernie Versailles (g) and crew stand tall and the music, though a whirlwind, is true and sharp. Hall treats the old numbers very differently to former singer John Cyriiss, the roar and the scream are very much in his own key, but, you know, it works and you can’t ask much more than that, especially when the acoustics of the venue do their best to reduce the band to a noise fest and the lack of lighting on stage makes the gig seem cheap. Favourite moment ? Hall on ‘Bleed For The Gods’ – classic!
Tonight
is very important for some but few come close to Nuclear
Assault, especially after the criticism they received from their last
‘No Mercy’ festival appearance here with Death Angel and Testament.
Personally, they were unfairly treated that night, but a suggestion that this
fuelled tonight’s romp would not be too far from the truth. I’m chatting
quite happily to Juan Garcia at this point – see the forthcoming interview
here – but Nuclear Assault take no prisoners and the crowd reaction is as good
as ever. Dan Lilker may be trying to protect John Connelly, only one new song
– ‘The Price Of Freedom’ – is aired and it’s a ‘greatest hits’ set
by all accounts, but this is crowd building time once again for the Assaulters
and ‘Butt Fuck’ and ‘Hang The Pope’ are critical moments in a set that
is sure to bring the band a lot of positive feedback. The same could be said for
Exodus. It’s
been some time since the classic line up of this band resumed their careers.
And, from some quarters, their inability to release a new album or even as
Nuclear Assault, to push the fact that they have actually been in the studio at
all, is starting to drag them back, but live they still convince all but the
most sceptical that this sound still has the same validity as ‘Bonded By
Blood’ or ‘Toxic Waltz’. ‘War Is My Shepherd’ may be a little drawn
out and it’s unwise to do the AC/DC staple ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’
as anything other than an encore, but with Steve Sousa it’s not beyond the
possibilities that Exodus will once again make waves when an album is released.
They certainly deliver more than some of the bands on the bill tonight and
although they this year, celebrate twenty years in the business, they still hold
an audience from start to finish. ‘Exodus’ and ‘Metal Command’ are
bruising moments and the UK. is once again blown away by a band very much back
on track. Now, let’s hear more new stuff and get them back again.
(Mike
Exley)
London, Camden Palace.
December 7th 2003
When
this bill had originally been announced, American skull crushers Deicide still
had to be confirmed so it was with some sweating brows no doubt that tonight’s
promoters had opened the doors and waited for the masses to arrive? Thankfully
when madam and I arrive however, that is no longer an issue as the place is just
recovering from Akercocke and is fuller than you can sensibly put up with. The
first band we run headlong into is
Nile. Now, sorry Black Metal aficionados out
there, I know that this band are revered for their Egyptian leanings and
powerful hell driven anthems, but if you’re going to play a live set with this
kind of material it might actually be worthwhile getting a decent sound? It
sounds like hell’s winds have been brought right down into the venue for most
of the set and although the band undoubtedly rewrote the book on Black Metal
when they released the ‘In Their Darkened Shrines’ album, tonight, they
simply blow away like a rapidly deflating balloon.
Not
so the next band. Destruction are and have always been the band that kept me
into thrash. The first time I saw them on home soil back in 1986, these Germans
blasted the hell out of my ears and like many here tonight I believe it’s a
criminal offence that the band hasn’t had more opportunities this side of the
channel since. And what happens? Schmier’s bass decides it’s had enough
early on after a punishing rendition of ‘Cure The Gods’ and the venue get
the band’s intro on too early leaving a decidedly large amount of silence
before the show even begins? Well, let’s not be too harsh – tonight is
simply a great band coming back to conquer. Sure, new album “Metal
Discharge” has to be aired and “The Ravenous Beast” and “Desecrators Of
The New Age” are punishing tracks, but this all about working up a sweat to
classics like “Invincible Force” and “Eternal Ban” and paying reverence
to a band that has never dropped it’s professionalism or bitten the bullet of
compromise. Welcome back.
In
fact, that could also be said of tonight’s headliners and although I’ve
never been a particularly good bedfellow of Deicide, tonight they talk the talk
and definitely walk it too, all the way from Camden to the heart of London’s
black hearts. The difference is undoubtedly a new deal. We’ve all heard the
stories coming out of the camp that the band’s last album “Torment In
Hell” was not one of their most inspired but with furious praise for new label
Earache from Glen Benton tonight you know that the professionalism of the band
tonight and the punishing sound is no freak event. Brothers Eric and Brian
Hoffman set up the punishing rhythm nicely, and Steve Asheim is straight into
the groove as if his very life depended on it. But I’m looking for signs that
this band is back at the height of it’s powers and after “Sacrificial
Suicide’ and more venomous assaults on ‘him up there’ than this crowd has
heard in a long time, I can tell you that this band still take no prisoners.
Celebrating the fact that their 1991 debut is almost certainly the biggest
selling Death Metal album of all time and that the sadly delayed but no less
anticipated newie “Scars Of The Crucifix” is out early next year, Deicide
blast. Benton reckons “Scars….” feels like “Legion” and look what
happened to them when that hit the racks.