Category: Concert reviews


ARTmania Festival Report: Sonata Arctica, Tarja

Filed under: Concert reviews by Unia — Leave a comment
September 21, 2011

The ARTmania festival, which takes place each summer in the medieval city of Sibiu, Romania, has quickly become the favorite local event for the fans of Finnish metal. Having debuted in 2006, Finnish bands were the only foreign bands playing at the festival that year; HIM, Amorphis, Carmen Gray and Silentium – the last two bands performing live outside Finland for the first time ever. The following years brought even more famous Finnish bands; Tarot in 2007, Nightwish as a headliner in 2009, and Swallow The Sun in 2010. In 2011, Tarja Turunen performed live for the fourth time in Romania on the 12th of August, while Sonata Arctica played for the first time ever for Romanian fans on the 13th of August.

Three different stages were set up for 2011′s edition; the main stage for foreign artists in the Large Square, in the center of Sibiu, a smaller stage for local bands, a few minutes’ walk, in the Small Square, and a third stage, for afterparties and concerts taking place during the night, 8 kilometers away from the city center, in the middle of a forest. In addition to concerts, the festival included several other events; meet and greets, painting and concert pictures exhibitions, workshops, free entry to local museums, book releases, a Harley Davidson motorcycle exhibition and parade, and free entry to the Transylvania Tattoo Expo, taking place in the same weekend.

One great thing about ARTmania festival is that the audience is allowed to stay in the concert area during the whole day, as they are kicked out and let right back in to check the tickets before the concerts start in the evening. The people who arrive early are sometimes lucky enough to be able to watch the soundchecks, in those cases when the musicians show up and participate in them. At 13:00, Tarja’s musicians got on stage, and she also appeared later. Around 100 people were in front of the stage at that time, and the band played three songs; “Dark Star”, “My Little Phoenix” and “Where Were You Last Night”. Both the band and the audience seemed to really enjoy the experience, as fans are not usually allowed to attend soundchecks.

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W:O:A 2011

Filed under: Concert reviews, General by Storm — Leave a comment
August 30, 2011

Official banner of W:O:A

4 – 6 AUGUST, SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN, GERMANY

SOLD OUT 6 February 2011 (6th time in a row)

Under the daring line Blasting Europe in August, the king of all metal festivals reaches in 2011 its 22nd year and, once again, deserves all biggest words of praise. The fields hosted total number of over 85 000 participants, out of which 75 000 were ticket owners (according to a German law, the number is not allowed to grow – otherwise, this festival would’ve grown to monstrous sizes for sure).

If last year I delivered a much-encompassing guide and a longer coverage as a first-time Wackener, this time I will be just going through the new, the unchanged but very good, the particular moments to remember and – of course – the Finnish appearances. In 2011 Finland was represented by well-established names: ENSIFERUM, APOCALYPTICA, CHILDREN OF BODOM, MOONSORROW and, in support of last year’s glory, BATTLE BEAST who won the already renowned Metal Battle of the bands. Also the amusing humppa (Finnish polka) cover band Eläkeläiset  was among the guests, as W:O:A is not all about being dark and grim.

As the numbers on the website visitor counter goes numb because of too many simultaneous guests, the camping fields around the metal village become populated with enthusiasts from all over the world. It’s the weekend before the festival. Metalheads do this from 2 big reasons: to avoid traffic jams in midweek and to enjoy the sweet camping life for as long as possible. Same story as years before, people are making early arrivals in spite of the measures taken to control the phenomenon. The organizers have raised the fees for the early ones, but in vain it seems. Anyhow, 10 and 20 euro don’t make a whole in the budget of those who love Wacken.  Unfortunately I arrived on the holy grounds on Wednesday evening, which is quite late, but felt the celebration atmosphere starting with Hamburg central station. There, I already met fellows selling Wacken tickets, which got some raised brows, as many of these tickets can be counterfeit. This is a serious thing, because enough people were tricked and unfortunate enough to return home from the festival gates…

Travel tip: to go cheap, go carpooling; check websites such as Mitfahrzentrale – they usually have a version in English, too, or simply go to the international ones. Car sharing is a very effective way to reach the festival especially if you are in Germany, as you can find lots of daily rides to Hamburg or straight to Wacken (that also means travelling in company of metal brothers). People also advertise there group train tickets, which turn to have a ridiculously small price. Join them in the adventure!

Itzehoe Welcome Point

Itzehoe is the last stop before the metal village and the mood was uplifting. The small station with its shops was crowded with metalheads looking for beer with a contagious over-enthusiasm! An official welcome point was set there to provide us with beer and informative papers on the festival and camping grounds, as well as the opening hours of all facilities. No time for waiting, the shuttle buses come fast and the “all in” ticket costs only 8 euro. The transportation is very well organized and I don’t think anyone can be in trouble with it. Thumbs up for the organizers, their efforts led to great results!

"Rejoyce, you are in Wacken"

The campsite together with the festival grounds (Wacken Center, Wackinger Village, the beergarden, the food area, the 6 stages, the movie field) are a complex, well-thought structure, and it is possible at any step to wonder where you are and where to head to. Luckily, at crossroads and many other important points there are big maps with the very helpful “You are here” marks. Also the guards are ready to help the lost ones anytime. The problem with the printed maps we were given was that the writing was too small and thus difficult to read, even when sober.

Another trouble was going through the village in search of the Press Check In, placed so far away. The same spot was also for the guests and VIPs. Waiting in line with all our stuff around us wasn’t too pleasant, but finally getting our passes and bracelets was relieving and we easily set our minds on the coming beer to drink and the enchanted Wacken night.

Need more?

Campsite A is packed. No cars allowed here

Mornings can be so nice and sweet in Wacken. Perhaps the clean fresh air and the ever going joyous mood does wonders to the drinkers, as they wake up each day with new forces! In fact, I’ve seen party people who barely stopped in the morning. In any case, few have the occasion to take a longer break than a few hours. The people are (over-) friendly and their survival goods are easily shared with any guest or anyone in need, it seems. The opportunities for fun are always countless – they are up to everyone’s crazy imagination. After you have your Wacken baptism, you may pass through the traditional Slow Motion Zone, watch a tent “bullfight” or have a fun ride on whatever object is appropriate :-) Also, don’t be surprised if the Air Guitar contest turns into a striptease show!

Useful tip: Ask and it is given! I wouldn’t have believed it at first, but a newly gained buddy showed me it’s possible. When you’re in need of beer, just go ask for it politely to the nearest tent. You will be surprised how fast they are to help, the Wackeners. We got 2 :)

Having a hot coffee made with love and care in the camping, some schnitzel and grilled sausages, me and the fellows were ready to go and live the show! Great bands can be found scheduled even early in the day, at noon, like ENSIFERUM and MOONSORROW. Strange choices, however. Their music fits heavy drinking and a later time of the day, with cheering mood instead of morning sleepiness. That was said by many around.

On Thursday morning, grey skies and drizzle menaces our joy. Warm clothes, as well as something to protect from the rain are already necessary. It’s a bad omen to get this weather so early in the week. From the press area I catch a part of the BLIND GUARDIAN sound check – it is fabulous! The way they sounded showed that the band is definitely well prepared and ready for tonight’s (expected) mighty appearance: a stunning professional act and an epic celebration. Looking forward! I went on through the place filled with this energizing feeling of content for the day that had just started. The festival, in spite of the weather, was following its normal rhythm: people coming back and forth from the supermarket, going for drinks, waiting in great numbers to buy official merchandise, taking photos in a frenzy, crowding the beer garden and so on. It is time for the first gigs also. The Wacken Firefighters are the traditional openers, followed this year by the crazy band RUSSKAJA singing Russian polka music mixed with some fun melodies. The atmosphere had been more than warmed up already, time for some serious metal. Again – traditionally – SKYLINE & Guests (Doro Pesch, Chris of Grave Digger, U.D.O...) to perform the beloved Wacken hymn.

The most important thing about the running order at W:O:A is that… it has no mercy. From 12:00 to 03:00 the next day, bands play simultaneously on the impressive stages and usually at least some big names will overlap with some others. Choosing can be tough, so for most people the solution is to watch half of a gig and half of the other one. Also, it is to be noted that the headliners don’t play as the last bands of the day, but they are booked for the “prime time” – that is from dusk to nightfall. Thus the natural conditions and the sky’s majesty add the best possible touch to the entire show.

The first major act (and a delightful appearance that pulled a great crowd) was the German heavy metal legend HELLOWEEN. The “Seven Sinners” album of 2010 was a revival which also put Andi Deris‘ vocals in the limelight. He sounded wonderful on the new songs, being an energetic and overpowering presence at the same time. Truly nice to watch him. “I Want Out” was inevitably sung, but still no “If I Could Fly”, which they constantly leave out. My personal favorite was the brilliant, bitter and rough “Where the Sinners Go“, one of the recent compositions and a serious piece of metal.  The band also had a rough start for this gig. What was supposed to be a true blast (and it was, for the first minute) turned to total failure. A failure of the electrical equipment. The Wacken stage couldn’t take the heaviness of the perfect anthemic opener “Are You Metal?“; it all went blank at the chorus. The band resumed it – blank again. And so one of the memorable killer festival moments was fully sabotaged. Nevertheless, the gig had successful moments, even for those complaining of Andi’s poor performance on the Kiske era songs.

Wacken is the place for your inner child! :)

Destiny made it so that I had to skip the Finnish BATTLE BEAST (which I strongly recommend, if you want to hear some old-school flavored heaviness and a very special front lady!), because in front of the Black Stage the ranks were getting packed and started an early choir in anticipation. It was time for the headliners BLIND GUARDIAN, with their only 2011 show in the homeland. The number of BG t-shirts worn was impressive. But what wasn’t, after all? A concert that I was sure would make it into history. With a reputation of being better on stage than on their (fantastic) records, the German symphonic-power-progressive band had an outstanding performance for 1h 30′. One cannot help but describe them in praise words, so bear with it! While still daylight, BG appeared in the sounds of the solemn and delightful “Sacred Worlds“. From the very first riffs we could realize they were doing a perfect job, as a very passionate musicians team. There was hardly any room for disappointment. Although Hansi Kürsch let out the high pitched vocal parts, he was perfect for the rest. Without a doubt, one of the most valued voices in metal! “Welcome to Dying” and “Nightfall” followed, forcing the crowd to sing along with the purest joy, and this didn’t really stop until the band was long gone off the stage, 2 hours later. Besides this, in partly random order, “Tanelorn“, “Traveller in Time“, “Lord of the Rings“, “Imaginations from the Other Side“, Into the Storm“, “Time stands Still (At the Iron Hill)“, “The Bard’s Song“, “Wheel of Time“, “Fly“, “Majesty“, “Valhalla“, “Mirror Mirror“. It is an impossible task to describe the skills of this band, the presence of Hansi – now much slimmer and younger looking and very simple in appearance – the passion on both sides, the atmosphere of the twilight (no better time!) and the awesome pyrotechnics towards the end, in the glorious night. Also the crowd surfing got unbearable – ecstatic fans were “floating” over the crowd, one after another. A mosh pit got formed, too. Thousands of voices were still singing the “Valhalla” chorus even after the bards were gone and the stage lights were off. Long after the event, heads were still filled with those tunes and the discussions were revolving around the most epic band of the world (regardless of people’s preferences in metal). At least the public’s attitude surely impressed those who were not fans of BG. This whole madness consumed, I had reasons to remain in the press tent and watch OZZY OSBOURNE on screens…

One word: EPIC. EPIC. EPIC. Oops, there were 3...

Friday, after so much partying and drinking, people were slowly waking up and moving towards the festival area. To have ENSIFERUM play at noon was a weird decision, but Wackeners are surprising creatures: they gathered in large numbers, filling the field to the entrance gates. There was no awkward morning silence, but heroic group shouts of  “Lai lai hei!” and “Ta-ta-ra-ra! ta-ta-ra-ra!”, showing that this is no band to ignore. Hooray to the Finns! The opener “From Afar” warmed up the audience, which was soon making circle pits and a wall of death. At the same time on the Party Stage was PRIMAL FEAR, e respectable name in the power/heavy metal area. I sacrificed a bit of the Finnish warriors’ show to go check that, and hearing the amazing “Seven Seals” performed live was precious… Later on, MORBID ANGEL crushes the Black Stage, but I’m in search of epicness and find the Party Stage… where the a capella band VAN CANTO is, a perfect party act and energizing entertainer. If you thought that rappers are good at creating and sustaining rhythm with their vocal chords, check this one out. 5 singers and a drummer only – enough to perform with force and harmony well-known metal tunes, such as “Wishmaster” (NIGHTWISH), “Primo Victoria” (SABATON), “Rebellion” (GRAVE DIGGER) “Fear of the Dark” (IRON MAIDEN), “Kings of Metal” (MANOWAR) and, again, “The Bard’s Song” (BLIND GUARDIAN). It was impressive and FUN!

Next in line for me was SODOM, the thrash metal legend itself. Thinking that KREATOR was also present in this year’s W:O:A, on Saturday, makes it easy to say that it was a thrash metaller’s dream… Further on, RHAPSODY OF FIRE and AS I LAY DYING would’ve been very interesting acts to see – both overlapping, unfortunately. In my great responsibility… I managed to miss both :) I caught, however, a band that was not on my list, but which dragged me with its insane energy: HEAVEN SHALL BURN. In full sunlight, with some good use of fire blasts on stage, it was not bad at all to watch. A musically aggressive German band with a strong social message.

Judas Priest on their final tour - the banner falls, audience is cheering loud

At 20:45 I was still in denial of what I was about to watch: JUDAS PRIEST on their farewell tour. and knowing there can be no better concert as in Wacken, this was definitely their ultimate show. 2h and 15′ for this heavy metal monster, equipped with all they had to bring so we could have the real taste of “British steel”. Regardless of age and preferences in metal, it was a Feast for all present souls. One does get goosebumps when, in front of them, legendary musicians of a respectable age deliver with passion heavy hymns that every rock club, rock radio and rock heart has known like a credo. Rob Halford (60), in spite of limited vocal power, did not leave it blank for the high-pitched parts. The band tried to go through its entire musical history – a wonderful, wonderful show – hardly anything can be so fulfilling in terms of metal experiences than being a part of this!

The festival rapture continued far in the night with the aristocratic treat APOCALYPTICA, emerging from the deep darkness… a very well chosen time, must say. They are good for the mysterious late hours of the night. And so they begin, with the wonderfully dark and mysterious “On the Rooftop with Quasimodo“, new track from their “7th Symphony” LP (2010). A perfect start  with its slow and anticipating pace, building up the tension so magically… For the continuation I expected the band would jump in our face with their own brilliant compositions. Instead, they chose to focus on Metallica covers. A logical choice somehow, because those were fit for the festival and kept the crowd singing along. The final song was… another cover: this time, Edward Grieg’s “Hall of the Mountain King“. The rest of the setlist: “2010“, “Master of Puppets” (Metallica cover), “Grace“, “Bring Them to Light“, “Last Hope“, “Nothing Else Matters” (Metallica cover), “Inquisition Symphony” (Sepultura cover), “Seek and Destroy” (Metallica cover), “I Don’t Care“. Personally, I think they were too much centered on that certain band instead of taking advantage and bringing their own compositions forward… I believe they were not invited twice in a row at W:O:A because they are good with covers, but because they are a well-established name with very original stuff they can boast with. Nevertheless, they’ve stayed very nice fellows, as hundreds of fans could see during the meet & greet session. Towards the end of the gig, deep fog coming down engulfed the area, creating an even more unreal atmosphere – something I haven’t seen in Wacken so far.

Apocalyptic fog at 3:00 am

Saturday’s opener: once again a heroic Finnish band – MOONSORROW. Starting mercilessly with “Kylän Pääsä“, the blood-painted warriors did their best to sound cold and war-like (not in black metal style though) and, although I wish the vocals were stronger, it was convincing enough. “Kivenkantaja” proves it quite well HERE. Bad playing time, however. This band’s show would’ve gained in pagan metal atmosphere if it happened sometime beyond midnight. At least that’s how I felt and still feel.

KATAKLYSM was another rough band to play among the starters – and an exhausting one for the fans. The Canadians death metallers, apart from raising a little Illuminati awareness, set up for a “security stress test“. The madness consisted of stimulating the fans to do a mass crowd surfing, a true ordeal for the guards in front of the stage. The surfers were exhilarated, running in ecstasy and giving the irons in a frenzy after they were dropped off by the security. MAYHEM and SEPULTURA followed on the big stages, but exhaustion was knocking at my door after a stroll in the village and I could only watch a bit on the screens. I replenished my force right on time for the first headliner of the day. In fact, this last day of W:O:A had so many headliners that it seemed too crazy to be true! There… ICED EARTH… Last appearance with their long-time vocalist Matt Barlow. A farewell concert that everyone knew would be true metal history. Matt’s performance was brilliant and very much involved with the crowd – the look on his face said it all. Also, the rest of the band wasn’t any less involved in the subtle drama we were all feeling. As guitarist and main man Jon Schaffer began his solemn speech, the fans began shouting Barlow’s name wholeheartedly. The musicians didn’t make it any easier by giving brotherly hugs to Matt, Freddie Vidales wearing a “MATT F*CKING BARLOW” t-shirt and ending the show with the “Iced Earth” track itself. Under melancholic grey skies, tears gathered in many eyes, it was hard not to feel the sadness. How weird to see a band that performs so close to perfection, still young, legendary to its core, parting ways with such a dedicated vocal. I don’t think we understood it – there was a somewhat puzzled feeling all around, although we knew it was the end. It was, however, an amazing event to store in one’s memory. The gratitude, respect and appreciation were reciprocated – a band as fabulous as its fans.  Matt lingered for a while in the V.I.P. area to shake hands with whoever wanted to greet him – and he wasn’t allowed to leave too soon.

Controversial as it may sound, the mood was high again really soon, when the festival grounds got filled for AVANTASIA at its only show of 2011. This one was bombastically advertised since last year and, out of curiosity and sincere admiration for the charming Tobias Sammet, a ‘god’ at the age of only 34, I joined the happy ranks. With a beer in my hand and a will to party, I got instantly carried away by the sumptuous show. Tobi is, by all means, a total artist.  Hard to describe my awe when my eyes met the guests: Jorn Lande (MASTERPLAN), Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY, ex-HELLOWEEN), Michael Kiske (ex-HELLOWEEN) and more. To see such gods on stage was blissful. I think it started to rain, but it just didn’t matter. My personal favorite was “The Scarecrow“, a delicious duel between Sammet and Lande, remarkably executed. 1 h 30′ of awesome rock spirit that showed it doesn’t matter how aggressive or harsh your music is, but how passionate and professional you are and how good you feel on stage as an artist. The huge crowd’s response at the best metal fest in the world clearly showed it too. I skipped a half of an hour though to see LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE on the Wackinger stage (!?) – a German gothic metal band heavily inspired by the famous Finnish scene. They put on a satisfying show and they deserve kudos for how neat they sound – even after they changed the vocal – a change that’s usually catastrophic for bands which rely so much on the vocals  specific mood. The new guy sounds as dark and sexy as he should. Couples were swaying to the danceable music as the night was settling in.

Wackinger stage

these would make some cute gifts for kids and grannies

Showmaster Tobias Sammet on stage - Avantasia brings the color!

V.I.P. area

It is now the final night of the fest, but spirits are still high. More or less tired, we still keep going strong – it’s time for MOTÖRHEAD – legend No…? I gave up counting, so much for this W:O:A! Lemmy Kilmister, at the age of 65, no longer has the vocal chords he once had, but the show was still a great one: loud as hell, fast-paced rock music with the trademark flavor of the guitar riffs. “The Ace of Spades” represented the memorable moment awaited by both fans and ‘ousiders’ alike. I wish I had gone closer to the dense crowd, but I stayed far in the back, enjoying the last cup of mead before the weather turned iremediably worse.

CHILDREN OF BODOM (it is Sunday already, ouch!) was emphasized by an aggressive light show, with the obsessive bright green predominating. Alexi Laiho, careful with the etiquette, as usual, overused the F-word. “In Your Face” was marked by the Finnish rockstar by performing on a platform on stage and by hurrying to begin one chorus, a mistake to which he nonchalantly replied in the mic: “I f*ucked it up!!“. The show can be watched HERE along with the heavy rain that poured down, chasing lots of attendees to their tents and to their cars, afraid of the swamp to be created. Before the ever-exciting “Downfall“, Alexi makes another fun moment by telling Janne Wirman, “play your f*ucking thing (*looks to the wrong side of the stage*)… wherever the f*ck you are!!” (*looks on the good side*). And they all play it fantastically. More confusion on the side of the frontman, as we heard him asking, “Where is my f*ucking cow bell?!“. Alright, ladies and gens, that was the mighty CoB in the mighty last night of W:O:A 2011! They seemed to be there for fun and it was pretty cool! SUBWAY TO SALLY was the last act for the metal mecca, with a mix of Medieval tunes and rock that is much-loved in their German homeland… but by that time the crowd was separated into 2: the ones vanquished by the weather, in search of food/warmth/shelter and the last enthusiasts, who would remain to dance in the glorious mud. Gloriously and carelessly. Still, I can say it was a lucky year. Wacken in mud is just not nice. Not nice. There was one interesting fact about the desolate Sunday morning, though: on my way out I noticed that the tent landscape looked untouched and people hadn’t departed massively, like they did last year. It was a very different, unexpected  view, given the rain. It was the proof that Wacken rocked ’til the very last moment – Saturday was indeed crazy!

The wall of famous faces - this year's entertainers

What else to say about W:O:A 2011? That I am sorry for not seeing more bands, though I have no clue how it could’ve been possible… Be prepared with a few clones of yourself when you plan to attend this festival.

Milestones of W:O:A 2011:

- JUDAS PRIEST on their farewell tour

- the last ICED EARTH appearance with Matt Barlow

- the only German show of BLIND GUARDIAN this year

- the only show of AVANTASIA this year

With  a much improved organization than the previous  year, we had the same Wackinger Village packed with Nordic Medieval awesomeness, the Metal Market, the Bullhead tent with comedy shows, wrestling and various contests, the movie field and the huuuge campgrounds to use for acting out all funny and insane ideas. Much respect goes to the organizers for making it better than before! Respect to the villagers also, for their support and for wearing without hesitation the official Wacken t-shirts!

Whoever craves to see bits to full concerts from this 2011 edition can easily find such in Youtube, as these were broadcasted live by the  German t1elevision ZDFKultur and consequently uploaded.

Some of the next year’s headliners were announced right on the spot: we will rock along with AMON AMARTH, AXEL RUDI PELL, GAMMA RAY, HAMMERFALL, MINISTRY, SIX FEET UNDER and many more! Hurry to get your tickets for 2012 because 30.000 of them are ALREADY sold!!! To quote the Youtube user “TwDBladestyle”, “Wacken doesn’t even rock. WACKEN F*CKING METALS!!!“

Many thanks to Marie Neumann @ Wacken.com, to my road fellows and to the Greek bands Deathclocks and InsIDeaD! \m/

I leave you now with some samples of “Wacken Looks” for your entertainment!

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W:O:A 2010 (Part 2)

Filed under: Concert reviews, General, Uncategorized by Storm — Leave a comment
September 18, 2010

Welcome to the sequel of my first (and awesome) W:O:A experience. Many things are left to say.

The bands.

So, the festival started – it was for the 5th, 6th and 7th of August, also with the allowance to stay on the fields until 20:00 on Sunday. The event started in a magnificent way… I remember rushing to the gates while Doro was singing the Wacken anthem which we could hear on the website for the entire year, then we watched a hell of a line up entertain us: Alice Cooper, Motley Crue and Iron Maiden. I doubt everyone there was an oldies freak, but it was quite a show to hear the kings in these bands rock so hard after decades… Thank God they didn’t put W.A.S.P. for this day too! …Though I really loved this “A Night To Remember” concept, I had to make a radical switch of styles for a while, because the Finns of Ghost Brigade were playing in the tent stage. Well done, it was a band with very unique flavor in this year’s festival and I officially started my headbanging with them. Nordic harshness and coldness, typically melodic on aggressive tunes, with surprising slow or fast parts, all this in a very modern manner. I’m happy they made it here, they deserve it. Iron Maiden provided indescribable moments… and surely an indescribable attendance. It was well dark already, all the flames and light effects were at full splendor, showing what’s like to be in the biggest metal festival. By the end I could not believe it was only the first day! I was happy to get to hear top songs for me – “No More Lies“, which they perform very seldom as I know, and “Blood Brothers“, dedicated to the late Ronnie James Dio.

 

 

The Santas headbang to Apocalyptica

 

On Friday, I had to end my morning laziness very soon and rush to begin a very full day, even tougher than the previous one. I checked End of Green on the Party Stage and they sounded pretty good. I sometimes find their goth style to be very catchy, while still keeping a bitter and rough edge. On the True Metal Stage, however, a highlight was being prepared (at least for me…): Amorphis. My 5th time to see them, and no, I didn’t watch them just to support one of the few Finnish bands in Wacken. I got a spot in the second row, being very happy with that. They were pure bliss to my ears, now more than ever. With a clear, perfect sound, they pleased a whole crowd gathered before noon – and think how early that feels in a festival!! Not many surprises in the setlist, except for “Alone“, a former Pasi Koskinen hit, now sung flawlessly by Tomi Joutsen. And yeah, he made it sound fantastic, even to the fans of the original version!

 

 

Amorphis fans

 

 

The impressive stage lights

 

 

Immortal on stage

 

 

 

Kamelot pyro effects

 

Then there was Orphaned Land to watch, which is an interesting, progressive, exotic band. Mixing their metal with traditional sounds of Israel, they invited everyone to get in a positive state and to enjoy the amazing variety of cultures. Well done, a lot of success for this band, must mention! I went to see the heavy Astral Doors, then had a good break until I witness another highlight: Kamelot. At first, I only intended to see it for their songs which have raised my mood during the past years… but it proved to be so much more. A true show, with majestic entertainers on stage and a wonderful public stretching much to the back of the area. Also, there was one totaly epic moment in which the band had to stop in the middle of “Forever” because… everybody turned backwards to watch a ballon pass very low above the crowd :) The guys handled it well and resumed the gig, all filled with “headbangers’ hits” and some new, very tasty songs (I was sold to “The Great Pandemonium“). I had to skip some bands from my personal running order (like Equilibrium, which would’ve been such a folk metal treat, as well as 1349) but I caught a bit of Ihsahn, Slayer, Atrocity and Corvus Corax. It was getting confusing and frustrating, to be honest… Too much, and at the same time I had to keep track of my friends, cure my hunger and keep the cold away. Damn, it was cold. The much-awaited metal party until morning was not an option anymore.

 

 

The Jaegermeister platform

 

 

Reading the 'metal horoscope' in the festival newspaper

 

Saturday was killer hot. For a while, it was all about lying in the shade and drinking anything refreshing, except for alcohol. I saw Unleashed, fine death metal from Sweden in the vein of Amon Amarth and Kampfar, good black metal from Norway. I would’ve watched every bit of these, but they were at the same time, unfortunately! Delain followed (very good, but far from greatness without Marco Hietala…) then W.A.S.P. – my first time to see them, I was very excited… Looovely gig, but too short for me and with too few songs from the latest album. Stratovarius, the well-known Finns, were a band to remember! I expected a serious disappointment, yet they got the crowd cheering! Checked Immortal, Tiamat and U.D.O later on, but my main interest was in Rotting Christ, due to their superb album of 2010 (“Aealo”). Where were the calm and atmospheric passages? Where were the breaks? All I could hear was speed, force, speed, force. And it rocked!!! A very strong and ‘evil’ performance, leaving me in need to catch my breath. That was some pure metal energy, I swear. And there it was… the hottest day ended… with the coldest night. Too bad, it was also the last night of the festival… going through the campsite, I could tell the people were exhausted and maybe sad enough already. No more parties, no more shouting; for the first time, one could sleep in silence… which I felt extremely weird and saddening.

…Time to go back to beautiful Hamburg and join the afterparty in the famous (Headbangers’) Ballrom in the red light district of Reeperbahn.

Don’t forget…

W:O:A IS BEAUTIFUL!

 

 

Surreal art?:) "Tent in tree", by Wackeners

 

 

 

 

Symphony of destruction

 

Miscellanea:

  • The Hamburg airport confusion: As we arrived, we found ourselves in a hall with plenty of ways to take… We tried following several metalheads groups (“They’re going to Wacken, they must know!”), only to realize they were just as confused. Back to that hall. More groups were staring at us, hoping we would ‘lead’ the way… I don’t know who found the right way in the end and how…
  • Easy get-around. I hate the part of making my way in the big cities. This time, however, it was not impossible, even without knowing German. At first, a helpful local offered to show me how the ticket system works and then I could buy one myself whenever needed. The S-Bahn trains are cool, fast and the essential route is not hard to learn. also, booking and taking the Metal buses is a great thing.
  • No violence. Metal + endless alcohol + freedom might sounds like a dangerous mix. But no, nothing bad happens in Wacken, it’s ever peaceful. Freedom is the key here: people have the luxury of acting however they like – they compete against each other, ‘fight’, ‘battle’, run, scream, wrestle in mud when there’s such etc. Thus they spend the energy, and it brings a positive vibe; no need to get mad and beat people.
  • Camping issues: not many, because the weather was perfect most of the time, lucky year! Sleeping bags and good boots are compulsory though, anytime. Make sure you have proper food and drinks with you, to keep you resistant, because you’ll get very little sleep. No quiet hours, as was mentioned before, and as the sun rises high the heat becomes unbearable inside the tent. Safety – great. Nothing was ever stolen from anybody I knew.
  • Finnish presence: you figured out so far, the 2010 bill was poor in Finnish bands… There was one hope for many of us, however: the “Surprise Show” of the Red Bull bus. This year, Apocalyptica! Moreover, we are filled with pride and joy because the METAL BATTLE (with a total of 26 participant countries) was won by Battle Beast, which means Finland’s victory!

See you someday, somehow, at W:O:A!

Storm

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W:O:A 2010 (Part 1)

Filed under: Concert reviews, General by Storm — 1 Comment
August 28, 2010

The Mecca of Metal… Every sane metalhead wants and has to go there at least once in a lifetime, for it is the craziest, the most magnetic, fulfilling, empowering experience of the kind.

It is a pilgrimage, with all the ordeals the term implies. It is prepared months in advance by most participants and usually takes several stages to reach the destination. This year, I saw people from all continents (it’s quite a unique and nice feeling to see an Afro headbanging to Nordic metal!) and I had watched various social networks to get the vibe – and what a vibe! Many were visibly concerned with the countdown! Calculating, anticipating, arranging, expressing enthusiasm, that’s what the web could show me from fellow pilgrims.

Tuesday, 3rd August

Yes, my first time in Wacken is this year! :D I took a night bus to Bucharest, then a plane to Munich and one to Hamburg, where I could roam almost freely for half a day, after a sleepless night (already). From Remedy Records the Metal Bus took me to the awesome place – Wacken village in the Schleswig – Holstein county of Germany (the northernmost!) …or Schlossgold – Holsten, my version :D

In the bus, there was a very loud group of Spanish dudes, singing metal anthems all the way and shouting whenever a road sign was at sight, hoping for the holy one to appear… I was very much amused and happy that the driver could focus so well in such noise and madness! Then, there it was, the mighty black tower with the bullhead, then the pretty houses and gardens of the village… and we were all rather silent, in amazement of such accomplishment. When stepping out, the first thing we got to see was the parking lot for buses and taxis. We followed the main road to the village and dived completely into the most amazing atmosphere: metalheads arriving by bus, metalheads driving their cars, metalheads already carrying beer from the supermarket, and all of them greeting randomly by happily shouting “WACKEEEEN!!!” It was on very rare occasions in my life that I had such a feeling of brotherhood, that people can still be nice to each other and enjoy what they can build together… The speakers were blasting brutal metal tracks, the well-known W:O:A duct tape stickers were proudly displayed on most of the cars, beer started to flow – and it was only Tuesday!

Cars driving in on Tuesday evening

Everyone happily greeting everyone

As the night drew in, I joined the bunches of people on the small field before the gates – those have set their camp there because not everybody wants to pay the 10€ fee for “early arrival”, which would be aborted at midnight, with the official opening of the camp ground. I also had to wait for my Finnish crew to arrive, as my festival ticket was with them… The mood never ceased to amaze me: nobody was just waiting – there were people wrestling, doing a wall of death, singing heroic songs around a sword (!) pinched into the ground and so on! One couldn’t help but just feel the euphoria!

Some kind of survivalists, perhaps :)

Wednesday, 4th August

A day to enjoy ourselves, without many gigs, but with the “Metal Battle”.
W:O:A is still not officially open. However, loads of stuff is already there to see and much action, so we’re on the move as we wake up. My delicacy of choice is the “Wackinger Village“, a wonderful space where my passion for medieval and Norse lifestyle was like at home! It has many tents with merchants, with bakers, cooks and such, with weaponry and various challenges brought from the history. There were knights, there were Vikings, ladies, pirates, magic potions, mead, swords and shields, even wooden ‘bathtubs’ in which people enjoyed some cold beer! But I’d rather let the pictures speak of the beauty and complexity of this sublime ground….

Nevertheless, one needs to mention the great attraction, the very home of the metalheads, the realm of total craziness: the CAMPGROUNDS! Me and my friends were somewhere in Campground D, on or near “Metallica Avenue” :D . We had average neighbours, to say so. One night, a few of them kept on trying to enter one of our tents, and they were insisting on that. Well, the first one was no surprise, but the second one doing so was a bit worrying. Besides these there were 2 more groups which I really liked. One of them was from UK. The neighbours got my mood very high, as they played Lordi, Korpiklaani, In Flames, Ex Deo and Rotting Christ – exactly with my favorite songs! Cheers guys!!

Actually the music is a very important aspect here in the campground. It never stops! It did only on Sunday early morning and it felt so eerie… Yeah, I really got used to it, blasting from several directions, loud as hell. No worries for my rest, I could easily sleep with all the noise, because I was exhausted. But seriously, Wacken never sleeps! At every given hour, some people must be awake! And they party, party, party with metal, metal, metal. Techno too, occasionally. To some, it may sound like hell, but I sincerely miss the Wacken “sleep time”, when I was drifting away to dreamland while listening to melodeath…. Oh yeah, and there were fireworks too, loads of them from nearby places.

How about the daytime in the campground? Oh well, that’s quite a topic! First, the tip for easy orientation: just take notice of the flags. Once you’ve kept in mind the flags in your area, you’re sure to never miss the spot. And remember the breakfast points/ toilets and stuff. The shower camps are not so many – only 5 of them in the whole place. And the campground is huuuge, it’s a town of its own! We were rather lucky, just 20 minutes away from the festival area. Anyway, the distance to walk proved to be extremely enjoyable, since a lot of people along the way were up for having Wacken-style fun. The most hilarious of all was the “slow motion zone” – you can watch it here and here. The fever went even further, and thus we got this “slow motion wall of death“. Or maybe you are interested in the “tent racing“! Then, some campers built a sort of hotel (!), others had their own bars and discos, pools and whatever was required for enjoyment and comfort. We only got ourselves a torch to light at night in the middle of our camp, to gather around it and worship the gods of metal, while sacrificing bottles of beer, sangria and whiskey. But soon some neighbours bought several torches for their open air terrace and ruined the whole mystic experience.

What to Wear at W:O:A

1. T-shirts with suggestive inscriptions
2. Kilt
3. Leather and bare skin
4. Long coats – they’re dark and they’re metal
5. Cowboy hats – almost a uniform
6. Costumes & cute dresses – where else to wear them freely?
7. The absolutely necessary Wacken t-shirt
8. Any warrior clothing will do… (doesn’t always have to be medieval, does it?)

What to Buy

This has to be the occasion on which a metalhead can enjoy the sight of all lovely items for his soul, for his travelling and home. I was warned before, “Take some extra money with you, you won’t resist what they sell there!”. It was more than right. After all, the average metal dude/dudette has at least a slight fascination for the medieval, the dark and the creepy, for skulls, weapons, black garments, specific jewelry and such. I was dreaming of Norse artifacts and got them. I was lusting for royal long coats à la Kamelot’s Roy Khan and found them. All is very well organized: Wackinger Village is for the ancient and traditional, while the Metal Market is for the modern, the glam, the gothic, the thrashy and even more. Swords, chain mail and helmets are available there too.

What the forefathers used to wear: these are replicas of centuries-old artifacts from Scandinavian and Finnish cultures

The Village

I trained myself well in advance with youtube videos, so it was no surprise that the village and its dwellers were all at peace with such brutal happening and actually supporting it, in many ways. It was lovely to see those beautiful houses displaying W:O:A flags at their doors or windows, and many of them were actually catering for the visitors by selling home baked food and even setting up a bar or terrace for the drinkers, which were always gathering happy customers. It felt like the festival had absolutely no limits and the metal spirit was everywhere. Strange and disappointing fact though, most of the village stores employees, as well as most in-site festival bartenders seemed to have no clue about English. They wouldn’t understand not even the too common words, and were constantly trying to fool people (assuming they were all drunk) when they gave the change back. Well, one wouldn’t expect such treatment in Germany. It happened several times to my friends, and I’m sure there were other victims too.

Apart from that, most Germans are very helpful. If you’re lost or in any need of help, they make sure that you find your way and get what you have to. And they’re open minded people, even the grannies. They know that W:O:A does no harm… Moreover, it’s good for the economy! All their gardens are lush and the homes are perfectly looking! I adored the Wacken village, it’s such a visual treat.

Full metal village, definitely

Pretty and welcoming homes

Local kids help the metalheads and earn money

Very appropriate name ;)

The W:O:A Office on the main street and another nice service to use

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Myötätuulirock 2010

Filed under: Concert reviews, Finnish Festivals by Tero Tolkki — 1 Comment
July 6, 2010

Once a year Hakunila, that lovely suburb in eastern Vantaa turns alive as the annual Myötätuulirock starts. Being a 3-day festival it’s always a trial to people cause like many finnish summer festivals, it’s highly motivated by alcohol and drinking 3 days in a roll is always an achievement :) Luckily I was working so drinking was a luxury I couldn’t afford, nor in fact even wanted.

FRIDAY

Since I have other priorities on daily basis I was only able to arrive there just before Viikate started playing. I got kinda surprised to see there was only one stage cause the last time I was in Myötätuulirock (was it 2007?) they had 2 stages there and transforming between acts was so much faster since while the bands played in one stage, the other was being prepared ready. But even now with only one stage, things were very smooth so we didn’t have to wait very long between bands.

Viikate in a band I grew to like slowly. In the past I used to hate them really but when I started to listen more and more, I sort of went inside the band. It is just about as finnish as it gets. But they have always been in my a-list and therefore weeing them was a treat. And they sure delivered. Many of the songs were familiar to most of the crowd watching them and there was only one song I sort of missed, that being of course “Me olemme myöhäiset” from Marraskuun Lauluja 2-album. But all in all Viikate served an excellent show.

Next up was Tarot. Tarot is (sad really) these days known more from the fact that they have Marco Hietala (Nightwish) there. Tarot has been in the scene since 80′s and they’ve gone a long way from big success to moderate success to pretty much no success yet they always kept on going doing their own thing. How respectful is that? Their last couple of albums have given them lift again and I don’t think there is any band I would grant that success more than Tarot. Their setlist contained songs from newer albums which to me was a shame since I am more into their older stuff. Not a single song from their first 3 albums was a disgrace especially since I wasn’t the only dinosaur in the crowd who probably expected to hear perhaps “Spell Of Iron” or “To Live Forever“.

Marco Hietala / Tarot

Image by Toni Salminen (www.metalscope.net)

But I guess they have played those songs so often that it was time to do newer stuff. Marco Hietala is still one of the best vocalists out there but what was really surprising was to hear their other vocalist Tommi Salmela. The dude sounds just like Marco! Nice angle :) It wasn’t the best day for Pecu Cinnari cause from time to time he sounded more like a popcorn machine than a drummer. But they gave all and that was enough for me.

Ensiferum started about 10 minutes late which was fine cause they still are bit of unknown to me. Of course I know the band and lots of their songs too but I have never got into them. But props to Ensiferum cause people really considered them as the headliners on friday although there was still the headliner to come. Not much to say about the gig itself, they play half nude and the body of a finnish man surely is beautiful :) But they played very well and the audience loved it so nothing to complain there.

Ensiferum - Myötätuulirock

Image by Toni Salminen (www.metalscope.net)

Last but definately not least on friday was Exodus. Unfortunately the schedules were off and they started about 20 minutes late. It seemed like people had enough after Ensiferum and some of them started to leave the festival area. Too bad for Exodus cause I bet they would’ve hoped a better reception than what they did. Although people started leaving, the gig was very good. Exodus is a very entertaining band and their thrash metal really sinks in to me. Majority of the songs I never heard before so I take it that they played mostly their newer material. But even so, it was a very nice experience.

SATURDAY

I missed the 2 first bands on saturday. Not because of hangover but because I had to have some sleep dammit! Anyways I heard that The Milestones suffered from lack of people which is understandable if the festival area opens at midday and the band starts plaing 10 minutes past midday…not very good. So the first band played their show to half empty area. But the gig itself was very good I heard. I do hope to catch these guys later cause I think they are very good band.

So my saturday started by watching Kiuas. Must admit that they were very good. I haven’t listened to their new album “Lustdriven” yet but their older material is familiar to me. During the first few songs the vocalist sounded a bit rusty but turned better and better as the gig went on. And their guitarist Mikko Salovaara is simply awesome. Well the whole band played like a well oiled machine so it was a feast for me. But Kiuas was just an appetizer for what was going to come next.

Diablo…band that I have waited to see live for so long. Somehow I have always been somewhere when they’ve played around Helsinki. But finally I was able to see them cause I’ve heard from so many people that they simply kick ass live. Man were those people right! Their setlist contained all the songs I wanted to hear, Read My Scars, Queen of Entity, Mimic 47, Icaros, Living Dead Superstar, Resign From Life, Into The Sea etc. And it was hard to believe that they hadn’t played a single gig in 8 months. Rainer (guitarist, vocalist) said that their drummer Heikki Malmberg wanted to practise a bit before Myötätuulirock but Rainer had told him that practising is for non gifted people :) Their playing was like clockwork yet not too clean. I dislike bands who try to play the songs live exactly as they are in the album. Luckily this wasn’t the case with Diablo. On ne vaan äijiä perkele!

After Diablo it was time for another band that I waited a lot…Mokoma. I have seen them 4 times live already but this was the first gig after their amazing “Sydänjuuret” -album and there certainly were some songs I wanted to hear from that album. But what happened right after they started their gig? The sky turned the faucet and it started raining. Well this wasn’t my first “summer” festival so having some rain really didn’t come as a surprise. And I was optimistic that it was just a short shower anyway…yeah…like that happens with me and my luck. But Marko Annala (vocalist) empathized the crows by saying “If it’s any consolation, we are on stage and we are getting wet as well so let’s just try to make the best of it”. And people were going bananas…there was even a moshpit of young dudes and some older ones too…and couple of girls :) Well the pit already started during Diablo but only grew bigger during Mokoma. Mokoma played many of their classics but one song that would have suited the weather would have been “Takatalvi”. But the absolute highlight of the gig was when they played the title track “Sydänjuuret”. It is simply an awesome song. Ones that has Spotify, click the link and listen: (http://open.spotify.com/track/03PhutkHu5Q1M7a9x6jXaP). And of course they had to play their song Marras (http://open.spotify.com/track/2CgBRBFi3WGDjrzbO0aoKm) which is a slowtempo “ballad” in their standards. And this was the way Annala spoke the song in “Most of us are already wet and now it’s time to get the rest wet too” :D Although the weather was horrible the gig was in my opinion the best Mokoma gig I have seen so far.

After Mokoma it was time to seek some shelter from the rain cause it was starting pour down more and more heavily. So the logical place is the drinking area and the small covered area they had there. It was there where I watched Korpiklaani, those happy little boozers from Finland. It was a shame really cause the gig was excellent and people were totally with them. Korpiklaani is the type of music that makes you happy and it’s excellent partymusic. Even in pouring rain and coldness it seems. See us Finns we are extremely stubborn nation and if we have decided to sit down and have a beer, we will have that beer even if it would snow! Don’t believe me? Well below is a picture taken from the drinking area of Myötätuulirock while Korpiklaani was playing in the distance…when we drink, we drink dammit!

Drinking area at Myötätuulirock 2010

Next up…Swallow The Sun. I think the weather was summoned by this particular band cause it’s moodyness and depressiveness work like a charm in rainy, windy and dark weather. Must say that when I saw them in Finnish Metal Expo, they were better. Was it cause I was inside and felt warm? Perhaps but the constant pouring rain takes the best out of everyone. So I was pretty much trying to stay warm and pay attention…and failed miserably.

Swallow The Sun - Myötätuulirock 2010

Toni Salminen (www.metalscope.net)

There was only one thing left to do…go home…I wasn’t dressed to this type of weather god dammit! And it pissed me off royally cause there was still Stam1na and Turisas coming…and also the surprise act which in my opinion was ridiculous. Hevisaurus? In Myötätuulirock, saturday at 10:15 pm? Their target audience afterall are young children and kindergarden people! This was a failure from the festival organizers. Hevisaurus would have worked very well for instance being the first band on saturday or even sunday but not on saturday evening. Enough ranting. I didn’t see them anyway cause I headed home.

SUNDAY

Sunday was a hangaround day for me in Myötätuulirock. I didn’t in fact pay attention to any bands in particular. Weird for me was that usually sundays are the days of major headliners in festivals but on that case Myötätuulirock was an exception. Or how would you describe the sundays roster: Reckless Love, Raaka-aine, Peer Günt, Royal Republic, Suburban Tribe, Mustasch and Amorphis.  Since I really didn’t pay attention to the bands more closely I won’t get into any of those bands other than saying that they worked as background music just fine.

FESTIVAL

As a whole I would still give Myötätuulirock a good grade. Saturday was such a treat that it alone put a smile on my face…despite the weather. Can you imagine how much better it would have been in warm weather? But like every so often in finnish festivals…there is no summer.

Facilities worked well, plenty of bathrooms, lots of places to buy food, merchandise and drinks. And the mobile Alepa worked very well too! But one thing I would hope Myötätuulirock should change for the next time, bring back the second stage. Cause now the transition between bands was too long. I know that those festivals aren’t organized for us press creeps and it’s easier to take the waiting between bands when you have beer can in your mouth. But being in festivals where they practise the 2 stage plan it just works so much more better. The transitions are quick and if you really are there just to see the bands you can move from one stage to another and get basically nonstop music experience throughout the weekend.

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The 69 Eyes: Live at Nottingham, UK

Filed under: Concert reviews by Tero Tolkki — Leave a comment
March 17, 2010

Location: Nottingham Rock City, Nottingham, UK
Date: 12.03.2010

The Basement at Rock City was full to bursting with fans awaiting the arrival on stage of the Helsinki Vampires.

The lights went down, over the PA played “Cry Little Sister” from the Lost Boys film soundtrack. A roar resounded around the basement, as the 69 Eyes burst onto the stage with Back in Blood

The set included most of the tracks from Back in Blood, which sounded better live if that is possible. The anthemic songs: Dead Girls Are Easy and The Good. The Bad and the Undead had the entire crowd singing. The set also included older songs such as Gothic Girl, Dance d’Amour.

In my opinion one of the standout tracks on Back in Blood is Hunger it was superb live, I was so happy it was included in the set list. I will copy out the set list below this review however it will not be in the order performed. The main set concluded with Devils.

All too soon their main set list was over, after a short time they returned for the encores which were Framed in Blood, Brandon Lee and Lost Boys.

It was a truly fantastic gig and all the fans in Nottingham Derby area hope they return soon.

Set List:
Back in Blood
We Own The Night
The Good, the Bad and the Undead
Dead and gone
Suspira snow white
Hunger
Kiss me Undead
Dead Girls are Easy
Gothic Girl
Perfect skin
Dance d’Amour
Feel Berlin
Lips of Blood
Devils
Encores: Framed in Blood, Brandon Lee and Lost Boys

Review written by Dee

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Korpiklaani live at Rockin’ Transilvania

Filed under: Concert reviews by Unia — Leave a comment
March 16, 2010

Although the stadium’s doors had opened at around 12:00, by the time seven Romanian bands started the Wacken Open Metal Battle there were 39 people in total. At that time, you could still see Jonne Järvelä and Jarkko Aaltonen walking around, buying other bands’ merchandise or watching the first concerts, completely ignored by most people, with the exception of some who went to ask for autographs or to take pictures with them.

At 20:00, after the Hungarian band Superbutt, Korpiklaani started their concert. The audience consisted of one or two rows of fans leaning on the fences in front of the stage and the rest sitting on the grass and drinking beer, about 200 or 300 people in total. But the band wasn’t bothered by the limited number of fans; every single band member played their instruments with a lot of joy and they all seemed to have just as much fun as their fans did. Jonne was in the center of attention, jumping and bouncing all around the stage while keeping a big smile on his face for the whole concert and everybody in the crowd had a great time, dancing and headbanging at the same time. The band’s costumes, traditional instruments and typical stage decorations created the unique atmosphere of a Korpiklaani concert, while songs like “Beer Beer”, “Hunting Song”, “Happy Little Boozer” and the new single “Vodka” were undoubtedly the concert’s highlights. After the concert, the whole band got off the stage to the fence where fans were waiting for them, and didn’t leave until everybody had a picture or an autograph from them.

In spite of the small audience, Korpiklaani managed to carry out one of the festival’s best shows, definitely rising above the performance of the day’s headliner, In Extremo.

More pictures here.

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Tarja Turunen live in Bucharest

Filed under: Concert reviews by Unia — Leave a comment
March 10, 2010

“I have a little wish to come back here, in Sibiu, in 2007.” Tarja Turunen said in the ending of an interview taken after the last one of her classical concerts, in December 2005. After almost four years of waiting, Tarja’s Romanian fans were thrilled when the wait had finally ended. A concert was announced in Bucharest, on the 22nd of June 2009, which was part of the “Summer Storm Tour”, promoting her album released in 2007, “My Winter Storm”.

Shortly after 8:00, the lights went out in the hall, Tarja’s band appeared on the stage: Mike Terrana (drums), Kiko Loureiro (guitars), Maria Ilmoniemi (keyboards), Doug Wimbish (bass) and Max Lilja (cello) and started to play the first notes of “Enough”, followed by Tarja who walked in the center of the stage and started to sing. By that time, everyone who had seats near the stage left them and tried to get as close to the stage as they could, in the photographers’ line. “Buna seara, Bucharest! It’s really wonderful to be back, it’s wonderful to be able to come to sing for you once again. Thank you so much for coming and welcome to my storm!”, Tarja greeted the audience and they started to play “My Little Phoenix”. During the first Nightwish song she sang, “She Is My Sin”, the security was already trying to make the fans go away from the stage, but not with much success. Tarja then described the following song, “Damned And Divine” as being one of her favorite songs from the album and about “vampires and eternal nights”. “Minor Heaven” was one of the many songs in which Tarja got to show off her beautiful voice and to amaze the audience. The well-known “I Walk Alone” was followed by an awesome instrumental song of the band, a.k.a. “Ciaran’s Band Set”, the one that is always played before “Ciaran’s Well”, the heaviest song from the album and setlist.

“Now, for my dreams I hold my life”, Tarja hinted on the next song, which definitely didn’t need any other introduction: “Sleeping Sun”. “Lost Northern Star” and a cover of Alice Cooper’s “Poison” were followed by a combination of four ballads “Wisdom Of Wind”, “Boy And The Ghost”, “Our Great Divide” and “Calling Grace”, during which almost everyone in the audience sat down and listened silently to Tarja’s voice. Next was a big surprise, a new song that had never been played live before, “If You Believe”, during which Tarja remained alone on the stage and played the keyboards. “Nemo”, probably the most famous Nightwish song made the fans go crazy once again; everybody was jumping and singing along with Tarja, and “Sing For Me” was officially the last song of the concert. A few minutes later, the band returned on the stage to perform “Oasis”, the only song from “My Winter Storm” that was composed entirely by Tarja. Before “The Kinslayer”, another one of the many surprises, she dared everybody in the hall to stand up: “You wanna have one more? If everyone of you stands up, we’ll do you one more. So let’s keep on rockin’, Bucharest, or what? Yes, yes, yes, this is for you!” The last song was “Die Alive”, and Tarja thanked her fans once again for coming and said that she is hoping to come back after the release of the next album, “What Lies Beneath”.

Tarja managed to combine her own solo songs as well as Nightwish songs from her past in a way that the audience seemed to enjoy all of them just as much. Together with the talented musicians who accompanied her, Tarja’s concert was the best concert in Romania of this year for many of the people attending it, a concert that she and her band obviously enjoyed just as much as her fans.

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Finnish Metal Expo 2010

Filed under: Concert reviews by Tero Tolkki — 1 Comment
March 3, 2010

FME Helsinki Metal MeetingFinnish Metal Expo…that annual wet dream for metalheads in Finland and in other countries too it seems. So many non-finns contacted me before FME and also you could notice a vast variety of nations in this years FME. This years FME was held again in Kaapelitehdas, Helsinki and the event took place on 18th – 20th February. The tickets for saturday were already sold out in advance and I think friday turned sold-out also cause it was PACKED! That ment over 5000 metalheads enjoying good music and good company during 2 days. Well the event itself started already on thursday 18th from Nosturi but the actual FME started on friday 19th.

This years bandroster was quite impressive. They had bands like Korpiklaani, Amorphis, Satyricon, Hypocrisy, Insomniun, Swallow The Sun, Apocalyptica and Sonata Arctica. On top of that there were clinics and interviews of Lauri Porra (Stratovarius), Marco Hietala (Nightwish, Tarot etc.), Alexi Laiho (COB) to name a few.

There was also a section for sellers and it included festival organizers, labels, merchandisers and record shops so you were able to update your metalgear in every way possible! The only bad thing about the seller-section was that it was all the time too crowded. You basically weren’t able to stop and see stuff without someone pushing you in the back but then again considering the structure of Kaapelitehdas…this was the only way to go.

So…metalheads…good metalmusic and Finland…so what about the refreshments? Surely there had to be a place to buy at least beer right? Guess how many others wanted to pour some cold beer to their sore throats as well? God dammit! The problem wasn’t the waiting in line, in fact that part was very quick but the facilities…again too crowded. Well drinking is a social event and nobody felt lonely :) But just like the sellers-area it would have been impossible to have drinking areas where you would’ve had space enough too. So although those things didn’t work very well, it was organized as good as possible considering the facilities.

Just as Finnish Metal Expo is an annual event, so is Finnish Metal Awards where people choose the best metalacts of the year. And this year was no different. Below are the winners and categories from this years Finnish Metal Awards

Band of the year: Insomnium
Record of the year: Insomnium
Vocalist of the year: Tomi Joutsen, Amorphis
Musician of the year: Alexi Laiho
Cover art of the year: Skyforger, Amorphis (Travis Smith)
New comer of the year: FM2000
Demo band of the year: Ghoul Patrol

I didn’t manage to see every band playing but the ones I did surely impressed me a lot. Well I focused more on bands that I hadn’t seen before and those included Insomnium, Hypocrisy, Satyricon, Swallow The Sun and Leverage. Well I saw Leverage years ago in Myötätuulirock but it seems a lot has happened since.

Rony Österlund

Rony Österlund and Pekka Heino

Leverage played on the small “Musamaailma”-stage and the space was very small in general. In this case it was a good thing cause the atmosphere was excellent. Leverage was welcomed on stage by Rony Österlund, probably the youngest true metalhead in Finland! That adorable kid is known all around Finland for his addiction to good music. Hopefully I am able to do an interview of Rony one of these days :) And if I am, you can read his interview from these blogs of course.

It’s nice to see a change in a band during 3 years cause I think it was 2008 when I saw Leverage in Myötätuulirock and quite frankly, they weren’t all that good back then. I am still not a fan of their type of music but I tend to measure a band also through their live performance and I was very impressed by it. Their songs are also better these days than it was years ago and Pekka Heino…that man can really sing! He is probably known better from Brother Firetribe but when a person is blessed with a voice like his…it’s awesome to listen no matter what the band is. And one other thing I noticed, his stagepersonality is so much more better these days. Leverage was a very positive gig for me I must admit.

Peter Tägtgren

Hypocrisy…although finnish metal is in my veins and rules my world I do like bands outside of Finland too. In fact I have lots of bands I love that aren’t from Finland. Hypocrisy is one of them. God bless Spotify cause I have been able to get acquainted to their older material through Spotify…I might even purchase the premium Spotify at some point cause I am in all honesty starting to get pissed off by “Jonathan and Roberta from Spotify” :) But how was Hypocrisy in FME then? Hypocrisy is a new band for me to be honest. I knew of course Peter Tägtgren by name and by his work in Pain but I didn’t remember hearing Hypocrisy much although they are an old band already. Well Spotify helped me with this problem and I was able to listen to their albums. Should it be called melodic death metal? Whatever :) It’s fucking awesome! I am still in the middle of going through their older material but the albums I’ve listened “A Taste Of Extreme Divinity”, “Virus” and “The Arrival” were excellent albums. And my friends keep on telling me that the best albums are the older ones so I think I am in for a treat by going them through.

Hypocrisy played a 60-minute set in FME so it naturally included mostly songs from their new album. I was fine by it since it was the album I knew best. I was very impressed how Peter Tägtgren handled the vocals…although his style is very grim he is still able to give it depth…and those low notes…the man sounds like the satan himself! Those are easy to do on an album but when you master them live it says something about the man and his skills. Hypocrisy drummer Horgh (also known from Immortal) had some problems on some songs but overall he handled things like a pro. I am not one of those guys that goes to concerts just to hear musicians play notes wrong and then bash them about it. That is just so überdumb. Overall the gig was excellent. Sound was better than average yet not perfect. I thought it was the hall but there were other bands that sounded more clear so maybe they had some issues getting their sound right. But you were still able to separate the instruments and it wasn’t just noisepourage so what the hell really :) Besides it’s always nice to hear a swede complementing finnish audience!

Satyricon

Satyricon

Satyricon…now there is a band I knew nothing about except they are from norway and of course play black metal. But I did hear something else too…that they have an awesome drummer and since drums are my favourite instrument, I looked forward to their gig. And it was so weird watching a gig not knowing any of the songs :) But I did pay mostly attention on the drummer Frost…what is he? A human cyborg? A machine perhaps? Nobody plays like that! It was insane and I was telling my wife in every chance I got just how freakish I thought his playing was. It wasn’t just that his blastbeat was out of this world but he was extremely technical as well. So it was extreme speed with extreme talent.

But the thing that made this particular gig interesting was the fact that I had never heard Satyricon before. And no matter what anyone say, it is difficult to make new fans just through shows cause the songs always tend to get lost with the audience, venue and sound etc. But Satyricon had an extremely good sound, so clear yet the drums sounded like thunder so it was easy to pick up even nyances from the songs. And even my wife who isn’t a fan of black metal liked it. But to me it was Frost who made the show worth it…I still can’t believe how someone can play so god damn well…horns up!

Insomnium

Insomnium - Copyright by Jussi Ratilainen

Insomnium was Band of the Year and their “Across The Dark” was Album of the Year in Finnish Metal Awards this year. And Insomnium was also the sole reason for me being in Finnish Metal Expo. Well them and Hypocrisy but mainly Insomnium. What pissed me off really was the fact that they were only given 30 minutes to perform…how can you do that with an awesome band like Insomnium? Well trying to put that aside I was enjoying the concert. They mostly played songs from their praised “Across The Dark“-album which I in fact reviewed sometime ago. Read it here.

After the Insomnium gig was the Finnish Metal Awards where like like stated above, won 2 categories so it was very nice to seem them recognized. I have always said that Insomnium has never been appreciated the way they would deserve. But hopefully things are changing. For sure they have been more popular outside of Finland than in Finland but it really seems to be changing here as well and that is welcomed. People were really into them in Finnish Metal Awards and although they just played 30 minutes it seems people considered getting their moneys worth. At least I did. They played some songs from “Across The Dark” that featured Jules Näveri from Profane Omen in the album and I silently wished to see Jules singing those clean parts in FME too…but no. But the surprise was positive to hear the other guitarist handing the clean parts cause he did them very well.

Swallow The Sun

Swallow The Sun - Copyright: Spinefarm - Picture: Terhi Ylimäinen

Swallow the Sun…oh boy this one was difficult. There was one question going through my mind throughout the saturday…how will Swallow The Sun sound live? I mean the band is simply awesome but they are also in a way this moody and slow and I wasn’t quite sure how it would fit the crowd especially since there were bands like Survivors Zero, Winterborn, Insomnium, Apocalyptica and Sonata Arctica on saturday too. Each of them presented genres that were popular and I wasn’t sure how this doomish thing would work…but hey…people absolutely loved it. There were some people who left during the gig but perhaps they were some Sonata Arctica fans and since they didn’t get high and loud the decided to leave. It was their loss. I loved the stage presence of vocalist Mikko Kotamäki. He wasn’t jumping around or anything…he stood there and did his thing. And after each song he just said with a very low voice “Kiitoksia” (thank you). I think it was supercool :D They played songs from their latest album “New Moon” (of course) but they also included one of my alltime favourites to their setlist. That being of course “Don’t Fall Asleep (Horror pt.2)” from “Hope” -album.

Aleah

Aleah

One nice surprise on the Swallow The Sun gig was the guest artist Aleah who came on stage to sing a song “Lights on the Lake (Horror Pt. III)” with Mikko Kotamäki. It was pure perfection to hear her angelic voice with Mikko’s hellish growling and it suited the atmospere perfectly.

All in all the gig of Swallow The Sun was very atmospheric. I wasn’t familiar with all their songs unfortunately but even the ones I didn’t recognize sounded very good…hmm…maybe I will open Spotify and interact with Roberta and Jonathan a bit and perhaps I can listen to some tunes of Swallow The Sun every now and then :)

But my fears of how Swallow The Sun would work live was rubbish cause the entire show was simply awesome. And it won’t be the last StS gig I will attend…that’s a promise!

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