Thursday 9 August 2012

Wacken 2012 Review - 23 Years Harder : Faster : Louder




On Wednesday 1st August 2012, myself and Mike once again boarded a plane to take us to Germany. We left from Heathrow's Terminal 5, which is very nice although apparently it can take over 30 minutes to get to your gate if it is located in C section. But ours was in A, so that didn't bother us.

One helpful thing about returning to a foreign festival is that travel in that country is so much easier. So, we took the underground from the airport to the central station of Hamburg and then boarded the train to take us to Itzehoe. Once there we bought our shuttle bus tickets and were directed straight onto a waiting bus. This was turning out a lot easier than normal.

One small sidenote to make is that, before the festival we had kept an eye on weather forecasts and it wasn't looking too good. The reason for telling you this will become apparent later on.

The first difference to previous visits to Wacken happened once we were queueing to exchange our tickets. Normally, they would tear the barcode off and give you your wristband. This time, however, they scan your ticket and returned it to you. Then you walked to the side of the stall to exchange for the wristband. I don't know why they have added this ticket scanning but it didn't add more than 2 minutes to our waiting time so it didn't overly matter. Once we had our wristbands and  gift bags, we went to look for a spot to set up our tents. We went back to the area we had used the past two times we had been to Wacken and set up. By the time we'd got the tents up, we were sweating in the bright sunshine and temperatures that must have been pushing the high 20s.
So after a little chilling out time we ventured into the Village to grab our festival shirts, watch the football tournament and just have a general look around. We then headed to where the new tent and 3rd stage was located just to test how long it would take to walk from the arena to the tent and found it would be roughly 5 minutes to re-locate. Deciding against going into the tent we strolled back to watch the conclusion of the football tournament. After a stop at the local supermarket for water, orange juice and a sandwich, we spent the evening chatting and chilling out in the tents. A very calm and quiet start to the festival.

Stage Key: True Metal = TM, Black = B, Party = P, WET = W, Headbangers = H. (WET & Headbangers were both situated in the Bullhead City Circus Tent). All ratings out of 10, 10 being the best score a band can receive.
MB = Metal Battle (Battle of the bands) winner from that country.

Thursday

Awoke Thursday to some more glorious Wacken sunshine. We strolled to the Bullhead tent to watch the first bands of the festival. We planned to see the end of Russkajas' set but ended up getting there a little too late, wasn't the end of the world since neither of us were bothered about seeing them. We both knew that it was the biggest tent in Europe but the closer I got to it, it really wasn't that impressive. That was until we walked inside. Just wow! It was gigantic! With two decent sized bars, two Relentless bars and the two stages side by side.

Danko Jones (Spoken Word) - H - 7 - Lead singer of the band, Danko Jones, had an hour slot in which he spoke about KISS. Danko is a huge KISS fan and every year sends in a new character idea for the band. This was a very funny segment and the pictures of himself dressed as each character was very good. The only nag I had with this part was when he stated that he had never had a reply from the band. OK, so we now know you haven't had a reply, he then told us that after every one of the 20 times he has done it. That got on my nerves a bit. However, then he spoke about a cover up he has found, that drummer, The Cat, Peter Criss died in 1978. This was quite funny as he had amassed a lot of "evidence" on future albums and tours that the drummer had passed away and KISS were trying to cover it up. I found this to be a very enjoyable start to my festival, although maybe an hour was a bit too long to be talked at, still, a solid 7 for Danko as it was very funny and entertaining.

FaaneFjell - MB Norway - W - 5 - The first music of the festival was delivered courtesy of some viking metal. Never a bad way to start. They were good and very entertaining.

Dead By April - H - 8 - I was quite confused for this band, as they drew a fairly large crowd. I asked Mike where they were battle winners from to discover that they are an actual band and that the MB winners were only on the WET stage that day. Any band that can get a bunch of metallers to make hearts in the air with their hands is doing something right! They were a very good band, with 1 screamer and 1 singer. I really like acts that use both vocal styles and will definitely be keeping an eye out for these guys again.

Exuviated - MB Belgium - W - 5 - These death metallers were great at what they do. I just didn't overly enjoy it.

Wolli & Die Band Des Jahres - H - 6 - A German festival has German speaking and singing bands, who knew?! A great cover of Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire helped their cause as I understood what was happening during this song.

Hone Your Sense - MB Japan - W - 6 - Some melodic death metal followed and they were the first ever winners from Japan to play at Wacken. They were fairly enjoyable and looked very happy to be playing at the festival.

Skyline - B - 8 - This band played at last year's festival and were enjoyable then. I found them even better this time. Mainly because they played a cover of Rammstein's Engel. They were joined by Doro Pesch when they covered 2 of her songs, We are the Metalheads and Raise your Fists, these songs I find are like the anthems of Wacken.

Jim Breuer - TM - 7 - Didn't catch all of this comedian/singer's set, but what I did hear made me laugh a lot. He turned the children's song BINGO into a metal tune for the next generation of metalheads. He had help doing this from Ozzy Osborne (Black Sabbath), James Hetfield (Metallica), Angus Young (AC/DC) and Rob Halford (Judas Priest). Obviously these metal icons didn't join him on stage, instead he did fantastic impressions of each. This set was perfect for the Thursday afternoon after some fairly intense metal to begin the festival.

Sepultura & Les Tambours Du Bronx - B - 8 - We had made the decision to leave this set early as we saw them here last year and they were overlapping with a band that I really wanted to see. However, what we did see was fantastic as this year there was a difference...... 16 extra drummers on the stage, hitting metal drums and it fits in with Sepultura's sound perfectly. The songs they have written together are sounding very good and it would be great to see this combination again.

Winterstorm - W - 5 - Got into the tent a little bit early and caught the end of this band's set. They are the Metal Master winners for this years festival and sounded pretty good. The mid-range score reflects the fact that I only heard one song.

Amaranthe - H - 10 - 3 vocalists sounds very overkill on the small headbangers' stage but it works beautifully. 1 screamer, 1 male singer and a female singer. There were some sound issues at the start of the set but these were quickly sorted out and one of the main bands I was looking forward to seeing at the festival played an incredible set. They only have one album so were able to play a fair amount of them and it was just brilliant. I hope they release a new album soon and tour the UK.

U.D.O - TM - 9 - Got back into the arena to see this set. And I'm really glad I didn't miss it. Although not knowing many UDO or Accept (lead singer Udo Dirkschneider's first band) songs, the entire set was very enjoyable and it was great to see Doro out on stage again. An appearance by Mr Lordi, in full monster gear, was .......interesting.

Saxon - B - 10 - Just WOW! Saw them in May and they were amazing then. This set blew that clear from my mind. Saxon were simply, totally and completely on form. Most metal bands really enjoy playing at Wacken and for Saxon it just seems to be home for them. From the opening storm of Heavy Metal Thunder, all the way through to a medley of 747 and Princess of the Night (as they ran out of time to play them both in full), they were stunning. Biff Byford announced that when they retire, they will play their final show at Wacken. I need to be there for that! A drum solo saw Nigel Glockler's stage lifted into the air before the band came back out. At the beginning of the encore, the bassist, Nibbs Carter played along the crowd barrier on someone's shoulders. The whole set was awesome and it was obvious that the band thoroughly enjoyed themselves too.

Volbeat - TM - 10 - Michael Poulsen kept asking the crowd to 'bring the noise', but I think that is a more apt thing to help describe Volbeat's headlining set, they were phenomenal! I was so happy when these guys were announced to play on a Night To Remember, even though a lot of people didn't think they were the right choice. Personally, I think they proved those doubters wrong. They had special guests in the form of Barney from Napalm Death, Mille Petrova from Kreator & Michael Denner from Mercyful Fate. Showing that genre doesn't matter in metal, as long as you have a good time and enjoy the show. Volbeat blasted through a 20-song set and it would've been great to see them carry on for longer. For me, this was the perfect way to end the first full day of Wacken 2012.

Friday

Some more sunshine and high temperatures on Friday morning made the decision simple: shorts and trainers. We made our way into the arena slightly later than planned as the first band on that day weren't a major draw and so we decided to just catch some of it.

Betontod - P - 7 - They were a very enjoyable band to start the day with. Again, speaking very limited German, I didn't really know what was going on. However, seeing as they were quiet at times I could hear what was happening on the Black stage. The main reason we went to see Betontod, was so that we didn't have to see Endstille. I stick by that decision.

Sacred Reich - TM - 8 - This was a very enjoyable band and set. They haven't released a studio album since 1996 and yet all their old stuff was played as if they had just written it. They had a huge mosh pit and told everyone not to do a wall of death but instead a circle of life, before starting to sing the Lion King. And then a moment of unexpected genius, a cover of Black Sabbath's War Pigs. They have been playing a few live shows since they reformed in 2007 but it doesn't look likely that there will be a new album, which is a shame based on what I saw.

Oomph! - P - 10 - I saw these German Industrialist metallers at Rock AM Ring in 2008 and they were good then. This time, they all came out on stage dressed as sailors with the lead singer also plastered in Dark Knight-inspired Joker makeup. And blew away the sizeable crowd they had received. A lot of clapping and jumping throughout the set and Oomph! clearly enjoy what they do. The set ended with a mass singalong to Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life - that was very unexpected!

Kamelot - TM - 9 - Saw them at Wacken 08 with their previous vocalist. This time, the new singer seemed just as good. He was able to carry all the notes of the old songs and it was a great show. Some awesome pyro was used and they played my favourite Kamelot song, When The Lights Are Down. An awesome set from an awesome band.

However, during this set it began to rain. And continued to rain. And then the lightning (& thunder, I presume - the band was LOUD) started. And then the rain got ridiculously heavy. We found out after the festival that in half an hour, 50 litres per square metre had fallen! So, as you can understand, we were soaked to the bone. This made the decision quite easy, go back to the tent and dry off. Annoyingly it stopped raining the second we got to the tents. This was when I found that my tent wasn't as waterproof as I had hoped.
After drying out my tent and putting duct tape along every seam, we decided to chill out for a couple of hours. It was a shame to miss bands, who were: Overkill - Seen before; The BossHoss - No Idea; Coroner - Just to miss Opeth. So nothing too bad. Obviously it's always annoying to miss bands but after that amount of rain I was in a bad mood and wouldn't have enjoyed anything.

Hammerfall - TM - 8 - Went back into the arena in clean, dry clothes in time to see Hammerfall. The Swedish power metallers blasted through their 1 hour set in glorious sunshine and were a great band to see.
It was great to see that the Wacken crew were already starting to pump some of the standing water out of the arena but the mud had already claimed the ground and people had already started to wrestle in it. Why? I hear you ask. That is a good question! The Holy Ground of Wacken is a farm throughout the year when it isn't a festival site. So I wouldn't want to know what was in the under soil. Not only that, at festivals, people aren't the cleanest either. So rolling around/walking barefoot in this mud is clearly not a good idea!!

Dimmu Borgir & the Czech National Symphonic Orchestra - B - 10 - This was one of the main draws for Wacken 2012. Dimmu always put on incredible shows, including when I saw them in a 450 capacity room in November. But this was something else! This was truly superb! I know that metal can be fused with classical but surely Norwegian black metal would be a step too far? Not at all. The sounds blended perfectly and Dimmu seemed very grateful to the orchetra and choir for doing it with them. Even some of the orchestra had corpse paint on! This really was an incredible set and I'm glad the weather cleared up so that I could enjoy it.
We planned on seeing In Flames and Kobra & The Lotus after Dimmus set. But with the earlier weather, the facts we'd seen K&TL two months previous and that I am not a massive fan of In Flames, we decided to call it a night.

So, on day 3, some awesome bands and some awful weather! Here's hoping that the final day of bands would be truly special.

Saturday

I was awoken at 7am on Saturday morning by idiots riding round on quad bikes. After I had stuck my head outside of my tent I saw that it was the police that were making so much noise. And were, in fact, flattening the mud with their wheels and there was also a tractor following them to help compact the mud down. This was, in principle, a great idea. However, on Saturday morning it continued to rain on and off and by the time we went into the arena it was coming down fairly heavily. This meant that the Wacken staff were delaying letting people into the arena, presumably as they were laying hay and pumping the ground. So the first band we were seeing started 10 minutes late, this wasn't the end of the world, I'm just glad I didn't miss them.

Delain - B - 7 - I think it's safe to say that symphonic metal is my favourite of the genres. And Delain did not disappoint. A great set to start the final day even though we cut it short to see the next act we wanted to. One of the reasons they got a lower rating than I would usually have scored them was the fact it was still raining and I was in a fairly bad mood due to this.

Walking through the Wackinger village we walked past the small Wackinger stage and caught a little bit of Santiano's set. They seemed pretty good and made use of a digeridoo, which was cool to see.

Manticora - W - 6 - As we walked into the Bullhead tent we caught the last song from these Danish metallers. They sounded really good and if it hadn't been for Delain in the arena, I would probably have caught more of their set.

Henry Rollins - H - 10 - Saw this guy doing spoken word at Reading festival 2008 and he was extremely funny then. This time he was even better. He spoke about his childhood, emails he receives and his work for National Geographic. This was the perfect way to cheer me up and I haven't laughed so much in a long time. If you get the chance to see this guy, please do. He is fantastic at what he does and I hope I get the chance to see him again.

Napalm Death - B - 8 - After seeing Barney sing with Volbeat on Thursday I was really looking forward to this band and they didn't disappoint. Extreme metal in the sunshine really does blow away the cobwebs on the final day of a festival. I was glad they played their Dead Kennedy's cover of Nazi Punks Fuck Off, Wacken have a very firm metalheads against racism policy and it was a great song to send that message across.

Axel Rudi Pell - TM - 8 - I thought this band were German, they're not. I thought it was a random name, it's actually the name of their guitarist. Anyway, this was a good set and a very enjoyable melodic metal band to see. I did find myself becoming bored during some songs, however the solos were nigh on perfect and so they keep a high score.

Sick Of It All - P - 9 - The hardcore punkers from New York delivered a fantastic set and made the Party stage their own. An hour of their best songs and a great way to spend an evening. I think their own headline shows would be fantastic and hopefully they will tour with their new album later this year.

Testament - TM - 10 - I had opted to give Testament a rating of 9. But the more I think about their set, the more I think it was one of the best of the festival. They had a giant pit for the entirety of their time and blasted out all the songs I wanted them to play. Including Into The Pit, Practice What You Preach and Over The Wall all back to back. Testament ended their set in brutal fashion. They have been going since 1983 and they don't look like stopping anytime soon.
During their set they pulled down banners emblazoned with 'Free Randy', in association with the Lamb of God frontman's incarceration in a Czech jail with charges of manslaughter against him. When lead singer, Chuck Billy, returned to the stage he announced, "Randy is free", eliciting a giant cheer from the crowd. Turns out that on Friday August 2nd, a second appeal to bail Randy was granted and he is now back in his hometown in America.

Cradle Of Filth - B - 4 - A very generous 4 at that. The band are good at what they do and very entertaining. The growling vocals of Dani Filth and Caroline Campbell are very good. And then, unfortunately, there is the other thing that Dani Filth does that makes Cradle of Filth one of the worst bands I have ever had to endure. He produces a sound that would make dogs run for cover. This high pitched screeching sound that makes you wonder what has happened to his testicles that makes him want to torture everyone listening. Even just remembering it is giving me earache. And it's not like it would totally ruin the songs if it was the odd one dotted around the set, it's just that it's at the beginning, middle and end of every fucking song! So, for that, fuck you Dani Filth!

I really needed something epic and fun to repair the damage that awfulness had bestowed on me. And what better way than with Viking metal!

Amon Amarth - TM - 9 - One of the original announcements for this year's festival and one of the reasons for purchasing a ticket so early on. And they did not disappoint. The band looked really happy on stage and played a strong set. I really enjoy this band's music and am glad I have had the opportunity to see them.

Scorpions - B - 8 - It was great to see these guys on their farewell tour. But I felt there was something missing. I don't know what I expected from them but they just didn't seem to 'bring it'. However, what I saw was enjoyable and the instrumental with all the band members simply rocking out was awesome to see. They had some incredible pyro and a tv screen instead of a back drop that always makes live shows look more spectacular.
Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a cloud sandwich, in the middle of these two clouds there was a fairly constant flashing. I came up with 3 options to what this could be: 1) The lights from the Black and Party stage were being reflected between the two clouds; 2) The clouds were over the Trash of the Titans field which hosted fire and electricity shows, so this could be reflections from that; or 3) There was a massive thunderstorm on the way. Sure enough, four spotlights were directed skywards as one of the clouds slowly planted itself over the top of the arena and then began to throw sheets of rain down onto us festival goers. It wasn't even a light sprinkle that grew, it was literally as if someone had knocked over a bucket. We had decided not to see Ministry or Edguy in favour of a little extra sleep before travelling home the next day. But this change of weather made up my mind to not bother hanging around for Machine Head who I had seen just two months before. So we headed back to the tents when, rather annoyingly, it decided to stop raining. No matter though, I was able to hear the last three bands of the festival in between bouts of sleep. They sounded very good.

It was a shame to finish the festival like this but I still had a great time and saw some amazing bands.

Sunday

Awoke to warm sunshine once again, which was slightly annoying after the previous night's ending. But we packed up our stuff and made our way to the shuttle buses. The journey back to the airport seemed much easier and less busy this year. We had a 45 minute wait at Elmshorn which seemed unnecessary but still got to Hamburg airport six hours before our flight.
Something Mike took advantage of last year was the showers at the airport so I decided to copy that idea this time. Anyone who has been to a festival before will know how incredible the post festival shower is. And having it before you travel home is just completely glorious!
We then spent our time wandering the airport, using the internet room and buying a few presents. The flight home was simple enough (with a spectacular aerial view down onto the Olympic Park and the Shard) and then we had to get a bus from the plane to Heathrow's terminal 5. This isn't a problem but I was surprised that we weren't able to dock at the gate. After collecting our bags and meeting Mike's parents we set off for home.

That was when I discovered the awful and shocking news that there had been a death at this year's festival. It appears to have been a tragic accident but nonetheless upsetting. My thoughts and condolences go to the victim's family and friends.



The first band's announced for next year's festival are: Deep Purple, Anthrax, Nightwish, Sabaton, Arch Enemy, Doro - 30th anniversary show, Lingua Mortis feat. Rage, Amorphis & a special acoustic show and Subway To Sally.

And so that was my take on Wacken 2012. Thank you very much for reading.



Thursday 14 June 2012

DOWN10AD 2012 Review



This year I made the decision to head to Donington Park for my first ever Download festival. This decision came very late as I had previously planned to only go for the day on Saturday to see Metallica play the Black Album in full. However, the Download organisers built such an incredible lineup I had no choice but to attend for the full festival.
This was the 10th anniversary of Download and they pulled out all the stops to make it a special occasion. Unfortunately, the weather hadn't got the memo. But more on that later.

 So on Thursday 7th June, we packed up my little car and headed north. The drive up was uneventful and extremely easy. We had a laugh following an Audi who didn't know that indicators existed and then we noticed that the weather was getting progressively worse. We had heard that the camp sites were already like mudbaths from a friend who had travelled up on the Wednesday, but were hoping that we could get there, find a spot and pitch the tents before it started to rain, alas. We arrived at the entrance and saw that the South car park entrance was blocked off and cars were being directed down the road.  So we ended up in West car park on a lovely tarmac surface, this was the first win of the weekend. That win feeling lasted until we got off the shuttle bus outside the entrance to the site and ended up in ankle deep mud. Fortunately, we had put on our wellies after getting out of the car.

We got through the wristband exchange and then struggled through the village and camp sites until we found a patch to set up. After setting up, we were soaking wet and muddy so decided to chill in our tents for a couple of hours. Then we strolled to the village to buy blankets and towels as these were definitely needed during a typical British summer. The boardie takeover was happening Thursday night but with the weather and lack of energy after trudging through ankle deep mud we decided that we wouldn't go and just try to get some sleep before the festival truly began.

Key: Stages - Jim Marshall (Main Stage) - JM. Zippo Encore (2nd Stage) - Z. Pepsi Max (3rd Stage) - P. All ratings are out of 10.

Friday:

The arena opened at 12 with the first bands due on at 1pm. We were going to visit the Zippo stage first to catch Six Hour Sundown. However, once we got to the entrance there was an announcement that they were still tidying inside and that gates were delayed. This was contradicted by an electronic message board that said the arena would be shut until 2 as the ground conditions were unsafe. This prompted a lot of booing in the waiting crowd as the state of the camp sites must have been worse. A few people got on others shoulders and wrestled and asked for things to be thrown at them which helped provide some entertainment in the freezing cold wind and rain. We were finally let into the arena at 2 and I can't see what they had done as the ground was awful, a few grass patches amid the many bogs of mud. And there was no information regarding stage times or if bands had just been cancelled or moved to other times. This was quite poor of Download in my opinion as there were plenty of big screens that could just have stated that the early bands would not be performing. We headed to second stage to see if Six Hour Sundown were playing and to use the toilets after waiting around with no facilities nearby.

Red, White & Blues - Z - 6 -    We hadn't planned on seeing this band and didn't stand around to see them. But as we walked pass to go to the toilets and again as we went back towards main stage we caught a fair bit of their set. I really enjoyed them, they seemed to have a lot of energy for a band that were thrust into opening the festival and their rocky-blues sound was a great start to the festival.

Fear Factory - JM - 7 -    These guys won the Icon award at last nights Golden Gods and I can see why. They powered through their set and included classics such as Linchpin and Edgecrusher. If I get the chance to see them again I definitely will, they were a good band to really open my Download experience with. And it was great to see Dino Cazares back on the guitar with them.

After Fear Factory we wandered off in search of some warming food and ended up near second stage. As we queued we listened to the band that were playing and said we recognised them but couldn't think who it was. Until the backdrop was shown on the screen and it all fell into place.

Terrorvision - Z - 6 -    These served as great background music as I waited to get some food. They seemed to be very happy onstage and had drawn a fairly large crowd who were all bouncing around to the music. It was nice to see Terrorvision as I was happy that they got announced and didn't think I would get to see them. I was very impressed with the sound quality on second stage as the wind had picked up but it was still very audible from a distance away from the stage.

NOFX - JM - 6 -    I stood at the top of the hill for most of their set and was impressed at how good they still are. They played a great set and included some ummm "interesting" jokes in the middle. I'm glad I can now say I've seen NOFX as they were one of the bands that got me into punk.

We headed over to second stage a little early as I had seen the crowd for the next band there was, unsurprisingly, huge. Europe are a classic rock band that everyone wants to see as they can say they have seen The Final Countdown live. This, however, was not the case on Friday. Their set was due to start at 16.10 and last 40 minutes. By half 4 there was still no sign of the band and the crowd were beginning to get restless. This was followed by an announcement that they wouldn't be playing at all. Apparently a few people at the front were singing The Final Letdown at this point and rumours began as to why they hadn't shown up. The band released a statement on Facebook on Saturday which read like this:
"We're so gutted!
Not making the gig at Download 2012 happen.
A sincerely heartfelt apology to the people that came to see us at Download and ended up waiting in vain. We tried everything we could to get there in time but in the end it was beyond our control. We have now learned that there were perhaps up to 20000 people waiting in front of our stage at Download to check us out and that there was a massive reaction when the organisers announced Europe couldn't make it!!!! That makes this whole thing even harder to take! We had so been looking forward to this gig!

It started already early in the morning at the airport. Three band members were two hours late flying into Heathrow due to bad weather and backlog at Heathrow. Then we battled up towards Donington in the tourbus. More bad weather and severe traffic prevented us from making up the time necessary. We spent another two hours stuck in traffic. We asked for police escort or smaller cars to transport us the last bit, but they simply couldn't get to us.

In a last desperate effort as we we were getting close to the venue we sent our crew (running) by foot to the venue so they could start setting the gear up! as the tourbus couldn't move through the traffic close to the gig.

In the end we just couldn't make it. We were so close, that's why the organisers announced things so late from stage. However, the organisers at Download were cool and invited us to next years Download.

What a truly surreal and disappointing experience. But I guess shit happens and life goes on!"

So that explains why they didn't turn up. I am disappointed not to have seen them but as Joey said, shit happens.
We left the Zippo stage and went to get a decent spot at main for the next band who I was really looking forward to seeing, as I haven't done since 2006.
Billy Talent - JM - 8 -    I really like Billy Talent and this set was no exception. They played all my favourite songs and seemed really happy to be at Download. We found a spot of semi-grass to stand on to the left of the stage and had a great view and sound for the show. Halfway through their set, following Rusted from the Rain, Benjamin Kowalewicz said he was disappointed that their friends in Cancer Bats had been cancelled earlier due to the crap British weather and so were going to allow them to play during their set. So Cancer Bats walked on and played Hail Destroyer. I was very happy when this happened as I have never seen Cancer Bats before and have wanted to for a long time. I thought it was a magnificent gesture from Billy Talent and shows that music is family and not just entertainment.
Liam Cormier, lead singer of Cancer Bats said that they had been given a slot on 3rd stage to close out Friday night after missing the first slot that day. This was great news, although we weren't sure what time they'd play. But I'm not sure why Download couldn't have announced that so that people knew what was going on.
Billy Talent closed their set with Red Flag and then we went to go and see Skindred play an acoustic set on the small Jagermeister stage.

Well, that was the plan. But we couldn't get near the stage so had to abandon that plan. Then I saw one of those things that you can never unsee, also bringing back bad memories of Wacken 2008. And that is a girl squatting and doing her business. I know guys piss wherever just because they can but a girl doing it was very strange. Especially in broad daylight! Anyway, we hurried past that scene and took up a similar position to that we'd had for Billy Talent.

Machine Head - JM - 8 -    Fantastic live band that did not disappoint. I'm still surprised they didn't play Davidian but the set was still very enjoyable. And it was great to hear some songs off the new album, Unto The Locust. It was announced over the weekend that Machine Head will be headlining Bloodstock later this year. If they take the energy and stage presence of Friday to that, they will destroy it.

Opeth - Z - 5 -    We got to second stage a little earlier than planned and caught the end of these guys set, the final song to be exact. Now, the low rating for Opeth is by no means a bad thing against them musically. It's just that this is the 5th time I have seen them and I just cannot get into them. They still get a mid range rating seeing as they can play well and Mikael Ã…kerfeldt does have a good voice. But they just aren't for me I'm afraid. I used them more for filler music before the next band and so that I didn't have to watch the bloody 30 second Zippo video that played on a loop whilst no bands were on.

Nightwish - Z - 9 -    A Top 5 Band - Nightwish were amazing! The only reason they didn't get a full 10 rating was that they seemed to have some sound problems and it just felt like something was missing. That small gripe aside, they truly were brilliant. I wanted to catch their set at Download to decide if seeing them at their own show again is a good idea. Simply, yes, yes it is. Anettes voice was really on form. As were the entire band on their instrument of choice, especially during the long instrumentals they played. This included an impressive organ on the small stage. It was fantastic to hear some songs off of Imaginaerum, where Storytime is becoming a favourite of mine. They also paid tribute to the late, great Gary Moore by playing Over The Hills And Far Away. I got very annoyed at the guy in front of me as he spent the whole set moaning that Anette is too much like the old singer (that would be Tarja, buddy). And laughing when her sentence structure was a little off, perhaps because she's Swedish? Anyway, that guy was a dick. Nightwish were amazing and it has been announced that they will be playing in the UK later this year. That may just have to be attended.

We were going to pop into the Red Bull tent to see Gallows but decided against it as we knew it would be busy and getting back out to mainstage would be rather difficult. So, we found a decent spot at mainstage and awaited the first headliner of the festival.

The Prodigy - JM - 6 -    And waited we did. Turns out we could've seen Gallows as Prodigy decided that 9pm was too early for them to play. And made the crowd wait for a full half hour before taking to the stage. This was irritating as I wasn't overly fussed about seeing them and it was  seriously cold just standing around watching an empty stage. We had already decided to leave at 10, which meant we only saw 5 songs but they did include Omen and Poison so that's OK with me. I was amazed that security didn't seem to react when a flare was lit and a smoke grenade was thrown but who am I to worry about crowd safety.
Now, there are a few exits out of the arena, all highlighted by big electronic boards. What you're not told is that, apart from the main entrance/exit, these extra ones don't open until after the final band. It would make more sense if the boards read: 'Exit for camp site. Open at 22:45'. But after a not so fun trudge back through the mud we arrived back at our tents to enjoy a 5 minute beer in the cold before retiring to bed. I thoroughly enjoyed my first day of Download festival, minus the weather.

Saturday:

Woke up to a dry start to the day which is always nice. Unfortunately, our friend Paul had to go home as he was in a serious amount of pain and it would've been a lot worse if he has stayed. We struggled through the mud and into the village where we were met with an interesting sight,  hay. And a fair amount of it. Now, whilst waiting for the arena to open on the Friday, Mike had mentioned using hay or wood chips to combat the mud. Whether someone heard him I don't know but it was sure as hell easier to walk on.
No problems getting into the arena this time and so day 2 of mega loud live music was due to begin.

As I Lay Dying - JM - 8 -    After seeing AILD last year at Wacken, I knew they would put on a great show. And they really did. Tim Lambesis said that usually they don't go to sleep until late morning and so were still awake. There was definitely no tiredness as they powered through their set. This was a great way to start the day with a band who just seem to keep getting better.

Fozzy - Z - 8 -    I saw Chris Jerichos band at last years Soni and they were, once again, epic. If there's one thing you need to do in life, it's watch Chris Jericho headbang, it's amazing how he doesn't throw his back out everytime! That said he is a genius frontman and got everyone going on a chilly morning. Plus his vocals were spot on for the all too short set. I need to see Fozzy indoors as apparently it is an even greater show. Near the end of the set Jericho asked God for a personal favour for no more rain. And I think everyone in the audience prayed too!

Halestorm - Z - 8 -     Didn't know a thing about this band when they were announced but after having a listen on Spotify the decision was made to check them out. And what a great decision that was. I'll definitely be buying a ticket for their show in Portsmouth later this year. A fantastic hard rock 'n' roll set for Saturday morning. 'Lzzy' Hales vocals were clean and strong and the guitars were superb. Arejay Hale, drummer, kept everyone entertained by smashing the crap out of his kit. Standing on the snare, kicking over the hi-hat and just generally rocking out! Halestorm are a great live band who need to be seen if you get the chance.

Ginger Wildheart - Z - 8 -   I've wanted to see Ginger/The Wildhearts for a while now, so this set was a must see for me. I was hoping for a mix of old Wildheart songs and some from Gingers new 555% album, and that's what he played.  I was so happy to hear Very, Very Slow and Inglorious. It was a great set and he got  a decent crowd. the only problem was when Ginger was singing through a megaphone to start the set and the mic didn't pick it up. But nevertheless, a great set and I'm happy to have seen Ginger. Now just to await my signed copy of the new album.

Trivium - JM - 10 -    A Top 5 Band - Absolutely superb set from the Floridian metallers. Matt Heafys voice is still going strong on the screaming and singing parts. They're a band that admit that the UK really made them a force in music and thanked the crowd on more than one occasion. It's nice to know that bands appreciate the fans and play a set that makes you know you're getting what you paid for. During The Deceived, Matt said that in 2005 they had 7 circle pits and he wanted to equal that. He was rather astonished that he had lost count after seeing 10. At Wacken last year, I said that Trivium were amazing, this year was no different. This set was definitely one of the highlights of the weekend.

Gun - P - 8 -    We headed over to the 3rd stage for the first time of the weekend and waited outside for Gun to finish their set. What I heard from them impressed me a lot. And the reason their rating is so high is simply because their cover of Word Up was fantastic. That's all I have to say on those guys but it would be cool to see them at their own show one day.

Anti-Nowhere League - P - 9 -    We popped in the tent to see these punk rockers as a means to stay the hell away from Steel Panther on main stage. They were amazing! Punk is such a great genre of music and it was fantastic to hear So What by the original writers. It was strange as I didn't think I knew much by them but, as the set went on, I picked up on songs that I have heard and enjoyed in the past which made the set really enjoyable. For guys that have been doing this for 30+ years they showed they still had the energy and pleasure of playing for their fans.

A quick mention to Steel Panther who we heard the end of as we made our way from the tent to main stage. They played Death To All But Metal, that was cool. Right, back to the real music.

Tenacious D - JM - 7 -    When I saw them in 2008 they were brilliant. On Saturday, not so much. I don't know if it was because we were further back than I would've liked. Or if the sound quality wasn't great. But something was really lacking. The set was mainly made up of songs from the new album which was good as I hadn't heard any off it yet. And to see the giant 'Fenix' as the backdrop was.....a sight to behold. There was an odd moment when a guy in a green monster suit came onstage during Deth Starr and Kyle shot him with a Nerf gun. Still, it was a good set that was a little disappointing for me.

Kids In Glass Houses - Z - 6 -    We caught most of their set whilst waiting for the next band on. They weren't bad, they just weren't good either. I understand why they were booked for Download but it just didn't fit in with my music tastes. It was cool to see the lead singer, Aled Phillips, climbed into the crowd to sing the final song. As with Opeth, it was cool to add another band to list for the weekend but they were definitely only time fillers for me.

Skindred - Z - 10 -     A Top 5 Band - This time last year I had not seen Skindred, I have now seen them 3 times! And each time has been as good, if not better, than the last. They played all the classics and got everyone doing the Newport Helicopter, which is definitely a sight when the sun is shining on loads of people. Benji is an awesome frontman, getting the crowd involved the entire way through the set and it is great to see this band flying up the ranks in metal music.  After seeing this set and some videos on Youtube, I am really gutted to have missed their acoustic set on the Friday. A brilliant live band who will be reggae rocking for many years to come.

Biffy Clyro - JM - 6 -   Only saw one song as we got a spot for Saturdays headliner. They were pretty good and the song we saw was a favourite of mine, The Captain, so that was cool.

Metallica - JM - 10 -    A Top 5 Band - Saturdays headliner were those guys from Metallica, playing the Black Album in full. And owning Donington Park. Myself and Mike went to Paris in May to see this show and if it was un-fucking-believable then, it was absolutely sensational this time. Seeing 80K+ metalheads going mental is such an incredible scene and Metallica will keep making it happen. The Ecstasy Of Gold sent that, all to familiar, shiver up my spine and then 'Tallica exploded on stage with Hit The Lights. And the third song was a tour debut and made me smile from ear to ear, The Four Horsemen was belted out and it seemed like the entire crowd was taken aback at this choice. In a good way, of course. Hell And Back was played out fantastically just as it was in Paris. The band played through The Black Album and then returned for their encore of Battery and One. This took them upto 22:58 with Download having a strict curfew of 23:00. I presumed that this would be one of the most memorable Metallica sets with them being unable to finish with Seek & Destroy. This was not the case as James Hetfield announced that they would play one more song, to the pure delight of the metal fans still cheering. And to the horror of noise pollution officers for miles around. Once again Metallica proved that they are still a tremendous force in live music and will always put on incredible shows.

We spent the Saturday night and early Sunday morning chatting and drinking with our camp site neighbours. And Mike provided plenty of entertainment when he put his wellie boots on the wrong feet and trotted to the toilet and back. It's no wonder he's still in pain now!

Sunday:

And so the final day of music at Download 2012 was upon us. And on waking up, the heat was unbelievable! I thought it was just in the tent but when going outside there was this yellow globe in the sky in a sea of blue. Everyone around the camp seemed very confused at this event. However, it did mean that the mud had dried slightly and was easier under foot. So we made the final stroll into the arena, sweating but not from the struggle of the walk for once. The main entrance from the village to arena was shut so we had to walk out and around the site. This meant us passing the Queue for the shuttle bus to West car park. And yes Queue was meant to be capitalised! It was huge, so that wasn't going to be fun when we had to leave on the Monday morning. But oh well, there was a day of music ahead.

Kobra & The Lotus - Z - 7 -   I really enjoyed Kobras set. A good rock 'n' roll start to the morning and they will become much more mainstream with more coverage. They supported Judas Priest a couple of weeks ago and I am a bit gutted to have missed them based on this set. However, I have now seen them and enjoyed what they played.

Black Spiders - Z - 9 -    These guys are a fantastic live band. They like to get the audience involved whilst kicking the hangovers and tiredness to dust. It would have been nice to see them have a longer set, but seeing the brilliant KISS Tried To Kill Me is always a fun time. There were a lot of foam hands in the crowd with the middle finger raised which is fast becoming synonymous with this band. Black Spiders are another band who will keep going from strength to strength and I, for one, am very pleased about this.

We Are The Ocean - Z - 5 -    I was really looking forward to seeing this band and have done for a while. And I was extremely disappointed with what I saw. They have recently lost a band member but they just didn't seem good at all. Maybe they don't suit the outside stage but I hope it was just an off-day for them. We only stayed for three songs before moving off to get a spot at mainstage.

Kyuss Lives - JM - 8 -    Meant to see them at Wacken 2011 but ended up being too tired to walk across the arena to the stage they were playing on. I am really glad I made the decision to see them this time though. They played a fantastic set and had a large crowd moving along with their solid riffs and deafening beats. The new bassist Billy Cordell slid in easily to replace Nick Oliveri, who has once again left the band. A thoroughly enjoyable set and Kyuss really do Live(s).....Sorry.

Reckless Love - P - 6 -    Caught the end of their set from outside the tent as we waited for the next band. They seemed pretty good, a bit too Steel Panther-y for me. But still, a bit of fun on a sunny afternoon. Their song Hot is very catchy and if they weren't going for the schtick of 70s Glam Rock I think I would have been more favourable of them.

Edguy - P - 10 -    A Top 5 Band  -    I remember when Edguy were announced for Download and how much I ran around the house in pure happiness! And they really didn't disappoint. I only have one problem with their set and that's that it was only 30 minutes. Tobias said that, as it was a short set he wouldn't talk too much. Especially about Germany v England penalties, as he is a Bayern Munich fan (cue huge cheer from the crowd, most of whom probably weren't Chelsea fans but oh well). Hearing Superheroes again was brilliant. Edguy are an incredible band and I hope they tour here again.

Shadows Fall - P - 7 -    I sat outside the tent for this set and I'm pretty glad I did. It sounded insane! I don't remember Shadows Fall being that heavy but they did sound really good. The tent was fully packed for them and there were also a lot of people outside singing along. Shadows Fall are a massive force in metal music and, with a new album this year, they will be for a long time yet.

Black Label Society - JM - 6 -    It took us at least 5 minutes to walk from the Pepsi Max stage across to mainstage. That time was fully filled with a solo from Zakk Wylde. Don't get me wrong, a guitar being shredded to fuck is an awesome sight/listen. But BLS do it for too long and too often. I've never been a massive fan of this band and that opinion really didn't change after this set. Musically though I can't fault them so they get a run of the mill 6 rating.

Lamb Of God - JM - 9 -    Such a great band. I never get bored of seeing or hearing them. And apparently neither do any of the thousands who also saw them. The size of the circle pits scared me even though I was a good distance away! LoG played a strong set including all my favourite songs. They had so much energy from beginning to end. DevilDrivers drummer, John Boecklin joined them onstage to play guitar on the final song, Black Label.

Shinedown - Z - 8 -    This was a brilliant set from a brilliant band. They drew a huge crowd which was quite surprising as they clashed with Megadeth. But it didn't phase the Floridian rockers. They played a decent set and lead singer Brent Smith climbed into the crowd during Bully and let the crowd sing parts of the chorus. I always enjoy seeing this band live and will hope to do so again in the near future.

Refused - Z - 9 -    WOW! What a return! I really like Punk bands and Refused are one of the best, but this set was just incredible. From start to finish, the energy and furiousity they played with was unbelievable. Frontman Dennis Lyxzen said that he often looks at their lyrics and wonders if they can still sing them today. then decided that today they are more meaningful than ever. Anarchy reigned supreme for this set and Refused can certainly still pack a punch after saying they would never reform. They closed their set with New Noise which is such a fantastic song. Long live Punk.

Dropkick Murphys - Z - 9 -    Irish punk-folk-rock at it's very best. this was just such a fun set to be involved with. People were headbanging, skanking, singing, bouncing. Just anything you wanted to do was OK with Dropkicks. They played all their classic songs and even threw in a cover of AC/DCs TNT, which was particularly brilliant. If you haven't seen this band yet, you really need to.

I heard some of Soundgardens set as I waited for the others to get a spot for the main event of the weekend and I didn't understand what was happening. There seemed to be a guy meditating with shit guitars playing around him. I'm sure if you're a Soundgarden fan then it was great but I just didn't get it.

Anyway, the next and final band of the festival is what life is all about. They would be a top 5 band but that wouldn't be doing them justice.
A black curtain came down over the front of the stage and the crowd started to go nuts. And then from behind the curtain a familiar voice bellowed out "Hello Download, I can't hear you", this sent the noise to the heavens! A video played on the screen showing promo vids and shots from gigs throughout the bands history and riffs from the bands songs played.

Black Sabbath - JM - 10 -    They were unbelievable. Everything was spot on from the very beginning to the firework finale. Ozzys voice was near on perfect, which was great as I was a little worried after his performance at Wacken last year. Tony Iommis shredding seemed to come to him as easy as breathing. Geezer Butler shook the floor with every pluck of the bass. And Tommy Clufetos, in place of the missing Bill Ward, hit the skins as if he was a founding member of the band. Every single thing about the band and the set was incredible. Ozzy showed he still had skills when he pulled out the harmonica to play on The Wizard. Tony, Geezer & Tommy owned Donington whilst playing the instrumental Symptom Of The Universe. There was simply nothing at fault with Black Sabbath on Sunday and I can honestly say I feel privileged and still overwhelmed that I have seen them. Tony got such an incredible reaction and Ozzy made the show about him, even though Mr Iommi just took it in his stride as if chemotherapy is just a walk in the park! The set closed with Paranoid and the stage exploded in fireworks and lights. The band seemed so happy being back together and the new album is eagerly anticipated.

On the walk back to the tents I was pretty speechless. I seriously couldn't believe that I had just seen Sabbath! We decided to get an early night as we had the fun of packing/leaving and travelling to look forward to the next day.

Monday:

There was no more rain on Sunday night or early Monday morning so the ground had solidified even more. Unfortunately not evenly, so the walk with bags still wasn't the greatest of fun. However, we got out of the village and made our way to the shuttle bus queue. Which was much shorter than it had been the previous morning so that was handy. We got back to the car, loaded up and left the car park... By way of major fluke seeing as there were no signs or stewards, but nevermind. The drive home was marred by traffic and the awful weather that seemed to envelope us as soon as we were onto the motorway. But none of that mattered as I was focused on the post-festival shower!!

So that concluded my first Download festival experience.  And what an experience it was! Apart from the mud! I never want to see mud again! But that can't be helped. The Download organisers put together a fantastic lineup and I am happy with the bands I saw. I have memories that will last a lifetime and some bands to keep an eye on in the future.

Sunday 27 May 2012

Rugby & British Steel

Yesterday, myself and Mike ventured to London for an action packed day. This consisted of the Aviva Premiership Final at Twickenham, involving the leagues top 2 teams Harlequins & Leicester Tigers, and then a trip to Hammersmith Apollo to see Judas Priest.

The journey from Portsmouth to Twickenham was pain free (apart from the soaring temperature) and we decided to visit the local Wetherspoons before going to the stadium. I understand we were in London and that we were in an area where a major event was happening. But, over £2.50 for a pint of coke?! (I'm detoxing until Download) That is an absurd amount for a soft drink at a chain pub. Anyway, we had our drinks and then strolled to the stadium. As soon as the trees part near the bottom of Rugby road and I see the round turret in the South East corner of Twickenham I get goosebumps. It is a beautiful stadium and you know that the rugby on show will be awesome.


And, without question, an awesome game of rugby occurred. Both teams went hammer and tong into the match and we saw some fantastic tries. Nick Evans hit the post in the pre-match warm up and I said to Mike 'bet he couldn't do that again'. I was wrong. During the game he lined up a penalty on the left side and it struck the outside of the near post. Then, after a try, he set up the conversion kick in an almost identical spot. And the same thing happened! Leicester looked to be taking the lead into half time but a penalty meant the teams went in at 14-13 in Quins favour. By the 65th minute Harlequins had extended that lead to 30-13, and I think most spectators knew the game was over. However, Leicester didn't get that memo. So after a flurry of activity by the Tigers we entered the final 10 minutes at 30-23. The Tigers, as with last year as the clocked ticked to 00:00, pushed for the line to get the converted try they would have needed to tie the game. Mike and I were a bit nervous at this happening as we needed to get to Hammersmith soon after the game. However, Harlequins received a penalty which meant they were the champions of the 2011/12 season. I believe this is a fair reflection on a season that Harlequins have held top spot for much of. A truly amazing game to cap off the season and many congratulations to Quins for the clubs first ever league title.
We watched the trophy presentation and then headed off to get the train. Along with 81,000 other people is always a fun experience. But the police are highly trained and the fans always oblige to any request to wait until the crowd have cleared from further ahead. Also, if you go to Twickenham with an oyster card, there is a touch point right next to the platform rather than in the queue.

At Hammersmith we decided to grab a drink as it was still in the high 20s and heading into a gig with a dry throat is never a good idea. We also grabbed some lunch and waited outside the venue for the queue to die down. Seeing as the queue was around the corner it cleared extremely quickly so we decided to head in and hope that there was some high standard air conditioning (not overly is the answer). I heard a few bars from Kobra & the Lotus, but being outside the auditorium it wasn't very clear as to how good they were. We wandered in as they were setting up for Saxon. Saxon came out and Oh My God! They were simply stunning! I was hoping they would be good but I really wasn't expecting them to be so tight and energetic at this point in their careers. I wasn't going to see them at Download but they have built a very strong case now. However, they are at Wacken with a longer set and are followed by Volbeat. That is going to be special! Anyway, they played my favourite songs, 20,000 feet and 747 so I was very happy.



Judas Priest came out behind a curtain with the Epitaph logo on (as pictured), this dropped as they broke into Rapid Fire and a huge cheer from the crowd. Now, Mike & I saw Priest at last years Wacken festival and as I wrote in that review, after the first few songs I was very disappoint. This was not the case last night. They were unbelievable! Every song was played with ferocious tenacity and Rob Halfords voice was definitely on form. Halford introduced most of the songs with a little background of the album it featured on, which was nice as most were released years before I was born. They had an amazing laser show, giant screen and pyro to go with their set. A bit to much pyro if you ask me, the temperature inside the venue was a lot higher than outside and it was as close to a sell out as I have seen there. I had the beginnings of a headache during Judas Rising which was annoying, add to that the heat and the sloping floor, my body wasn't overly happy. I love the idea of a sloping floor as it gives an advantageous view to all, but it does put a lot of strain on the ankles after standing for a while. We decided to leave after Electric Eye as we have seen this show before and it would only leave stalwarts such as Hell Bent For Leather and Got Another Thing Coming, which we have seen twice before. Unfortunately, after Painkiller we made the decision to get out into the fresh air and get a drink. This ended up being a great idea as we managed to get an earlier train back to Portsmouth after a long and exhausting day. Priest were truly amazing last night and I'm glad I've had another chance to see these metallers doing what they do best. British metal is continuing to grow but it is fantastic to see the founders still enjoying what they do and putting on awesome shows for their fans.

It was a great day out, but one that I don't want to repeat for a while! I hope you have enjoyed reading this and I think the next time I write it will be about Download 2012. So I'll leave you waiting with eager anticipation for that.

Sunday 6 May 2012

Live Fast, Stay Young - TFO Album Review



TFO (or The Founders Of) have released their debut album, Live Fast, Stay Young.

I checked out their album launch party at the Edge of the Wedge last night and it's safe to say, these guys love what they do.

The band consists of : Tom Soane - Vocals
                                    Dudley Stagpool - Guitar & Vocals
                                    Matt Gudgeon - Bass
                                    Mike Hartley - Drums
                                    Jonny Hoskins - Guitar

The music is described as “an energetic mix of rock, punk and indie with a hint of ska for good measure”.

The album consists of 11 tracks, all written by the band themselves.

1. Ransom - A slow & steady start to this song and the album, showcasing the bands ability with their instruments and musical talents. The speed of the chorus is a nice change in tempo without speeding up too much to drop back into the verses slower rhythm section. The end is a great mash up of fast guitars and speedy drumming. A good start to the album and already gives off a vibe that this band are creating a music style of their very own.

2. Alright Now - This is my favourite TFO song and a lot of that is because of the bouncy intro/riff that lets you know that this song is going to be a lot of fun. It definitely helps give TFO the title of 'pioneers of Jump Rock'. The lyric 'TFO on a journey now, we ain't never gonna let you down', is a solid pledge that these guys want to do this for a long time to come.

3. Take It Slow - This song jumps straight into the 'TFO sound'. A fast paced, energetic song that doesn't even slow to take a breath. It once again showcases each member of the bands talents and their ability to get the tempo of a song exactly as it should sound. A good song on the to help keep the album jumping along at a great pace.

4. Search And Destroy - Not to be confused with a certain Metallica song. This is TFOs own brand and they are stamping authority on everything they play. A calm riff carries through the verse and then a crescendo of guitars and drums take over to punch the chorus. The song slows through the middle and then builds to an emphatic, punchy finish. This album is throwing everything at you and every second is a joy to listen to.

5. Live Fast, Stay Young - The title track from this debut album has a cool beginning with the guitars climbing through the chords before the vocals start. the amount of slow downs and speed ups used by the band are very evident in this song. And it shows how talented the guys are with their timing and musical awareness as when to include build ups and pauses. An enjoyable song that keeps the feel-good vibe of the album running nicely.

6. Worlds Apart - This track starts with a slow acoustic guitar and adds the drums and electric guitar before the vocals begin. As usual, the ballad style is replaced with a heavy musical reprieve during the chorus. Immediately slowing to back to the 2nd verse. The guys then settle into their speedy bouncy groove and close out the song in a very soft setting. Halfway through the album and TFO are showing some great talent at keeping their audience captivated.

7. Give It Time - Another song that the guys start slowly with the vocals taking a more ballad style. Soft guitar and drums gliding along in the background until a familiar, jumpy, reggae style kicks in and makes you start to move around. This is a strong song and is a tribute to the bands talents that no songs are acting as filler to the album.

8. Start This Show - This song kicks straight into a riff of fast guitars and drums before Tom brings in the vocals. After the chorus, the music slows to allow the guitarists some playing time and then the drums build up and it's straight back into a rocking, bouncy tune. A great tune as the album moves into its latter stages.

9. I'm Alive - The vocals make the standout point to this song, with the guitars as an accompaniment. The musical bridge builds slowly and then drops off to a slow stream of lyrics before building to a crescendo and allowing the instruments to do the talking once again. A truly rocking song that makes you nod your head along.
10. Save The Tears - And now time for a nice, slow ballad as the album draws to its closing stage. However, at the 60 second mark it turns from ballad into the usual TFO jumping, happy, rocking sound. It's good to see the band infusing different sounds into their songs and TFO are able to do it with ease.

11. Another World - A strong guitar solo opens this song and Toms vocals prevail to stay strong with this ballad/rock mash up. The guys each have a time to solo their talents and it helps this song to speed up throughout, until Toms vocals slow the finish into a slightly heavier ballad finish. This song is a good, solid finish to a very decent album.


This is a sublime first album from a local Portsmouth band. Their song writing and musical talent is second to none and they have produced a great platform to help propel  themselves further into the music world. Every song on the album makes you nod your head/jump around/bob along without even trying. They have created a genuine fast paced music style that works in the studio and on stage.
Tom can change his vocals at the click of his fingers and Dudley on backing sound gives the entire vocal section a rawness that would otherwise be lacking. Every member of the band seem comfortable with their instrument and can perform very well. The solos are well placed and executed perfectly. TFO are a great band who will continue to grow on the back of this offering.

More info on the band can be found at:

TFO Official Site

TFO Facebook

TFO Twitter

and their music is on iTunes

Monday 6 February 2012

Entertaining Edguy

So I haven't posted in a while, my apologies.

Today's blog will be about the recent trip to London to see Edguy at the o2 Academy Islington.

The journey up to the capital was slightly hampered due to a gas leak in the Baffins area on Friday night. This meant no trains were entering the city and so myself and Mike had to take a short trip to Havant in which to board the train. Once in London, we flew around on the underground so that Mike could find a couple of venues for the Cancer Bats gigs he is attending soon. We then settled in Islington to watch the Scotland v England 6 nations game and then headed into the venue.

Due to the timing of the ruggers match we thought we would miss the 1st support act, Primitai. In fact we managed to catch their last 2 songs. Mike had said beforehand that they were good. I agree with this statement. It would have been nice to catch a little more of their set and if I get a chance to see them again, I will.

The 2nd support were a band called Voodoo Six. They were extremely good, their riffs were incredibly catchy and the vocals were very clean. They kept the audience captivated through their half hour set and certainly warmed the incoming crowd from the snowy conditions outside. In the  same instance as Primitai, given the opportunity I would definitely see V6 again.

In the summer I went to Wacken festival and saw a show by Avantasia, this is Tobias Sammets side project. His band however are Edguy. We were shown the video to their latest single 'Robin Hood' whilst awaiting Avantasia to come on stage and it was an awesome song. Myself and Mike both said that Edguy were a band that had to be seen. So when they announced their Age of the Joker tour was coming to England, we jumped at the chance to get tickets.
They showed their intent for the evening by blasting through Nobody's Hero to begin the set. Tobias greeted Lon-Don as he pronounced it and quickly had the crowd cheering and laughing.

I will say it right now, Tobi is the greatest frontman of our time! He was funny and kept the crowd engaged and participating in songs. He quickly realised Londoners dislike for the North and Midlands. When he spoke about their previous 2 shows in Manchester and Birmingham there was a chorus of boos. Adding later that a song could be sung by donkeys, it could even be sung by people from Manchester.

The second song of the night was another off of the new album. The Arcane Guild, I really enjoy this song and it is fast becoming a personal favourite of mine. They then moved to an older album and played Tears of a Mandrake. This song really got the crowd involved and it was inescapable not to move during the song or indeed the entire set. You could see the whole band were really happy to be back in the UK which they had promised on their previous visit. Tobias got another laugh when he said that they had promised to go back to Leeds, which got booed as did Glasgow. And then a cheer went up when he said that they weren't going back there.

Another boo echoed around the crowd when Tobi was introducing the next song which was written about Ireland. He calmed the crowd by asking them to like the island for just 5 minutes. Rock the Cashel is a fantastic song and certainly reminded me of Ireland with some incredible guitar playing resembling a jig. They then played one of my favourite Edguy songs, Lavatory Love Machine. It is one of the craziest songs ever and I'd hate to think what Tobi was on when he wrote it. It features a lot of innuendos and is about Tobias sitting in an aeroplane headed for Brazil that is going to crash and him having sex in the toilet with the stewardess......Yeah, exactly! Nevertheless it is an absolutely incredicle song and showcases the range of sounds this German metal band can produce.
They then played Robin Hood and it was just as good live as it was the first time I saw it in the premiere of the video during Wacken. Next up was supposed to be a drum solo that Mike had told me was apparently incredible to see and hear. However, Tobi had other ideas, because the Islington Academy has a strict 10PM curfew they had to cut out the solo in favour of  "a real song, you know, one with vocals", greeted with more laughs. Therefore, Ministry of Saints ripped through the venue with its extremely heavy riff getting every head nodding from the opening bars to the closing notes.
He then told the crowd they were going to slow things down and play a ballad, this was met with a few lighthearted boos until he said the title of the track, Save Me. This was greeted with massive cheers and a few lighters were held in the air, which Tobi encouraged anything light or reflective to be held up. This song is a fantastic, emotional, hard hitting song and proves that Tobias is probably one of the best vocalists ever, but certainly of my era.
After the slow pace of the ballad, Edguy decided to fly directly to the other end of the scale and showcase their amazing talent as a power metal band with Babylon. This is a fast paced song that can only be described as absolute power metal. With a short break in the middle to get the crowd chanting and doing the usual "splitting the crowd for a shout off." Tobias makes this slightly more different by telling each side to shut up when it's not their turn.
This was followed with Superheroes, which I'd have to say is my all time favourite Edguy song. I was starting to get a little sad at this point though as I knew there would only be a few more songs. This, however, didn't stop myself or the crowd or, from the looks of it, the band enjoying every secong and note that was passing.
The band then left the stage and the chants of 'Edguy' began, Mike and I moved to the back and passed a couple of idiots. I call them idiots as instead of chanting the bands name, they were chanting 'one more song'. This really irritates me, as nowadays, bands always play an encore. Not only is it practically an unwritten rule. The house lights are still off with only a couple of coloured spotlights centred on the stage. That means the band will be back!
Anyway, rant over and shockingly Edguy re-emerged onto the stage and flew in Vain Glory Opera, I thought this song would be saved until the last song of the evening but instead it opened their encore and had everyone moving, clapping and singing again. Unfortunately, the next song was the last one of the set, introduced with Tobias promising that Edguy will return to England and more importantly they will return to London. The final song was King of Fools, a very dark and strongly riffed song. Including the opening lyric, "What do you think when you piss in my face." It's a really strong song to finish on and I left the extremely happy that I had seen as awesome a band as Edguy.
Unfortunately, Tobias is not doing anymore with Avantasia. But as long as Edguy are still making new material and touring then he will be entertaining people worldwide for years to come.
I will definately see this band again, someday somehow.



We left the venue to find that the snow was still coming down quite heavily and was beginning to settle. This was slightly concerning as British public transport are never prepared for, well, anything. But we had no trouble jumping on the next train back to rainy Portsmouth and that concluded an extremely enjoyable day in London and the viewing of an incredible band.