The last two days of the festival are a true test of endurance. Music goes for about 15-16 hours a day, and with a plethora of great bands, that leaves little time for rest, food, and anything else but live tunes. It’ll wear you down a bit, but in the end, it’s worth the effort.
Kicking off the day were the German death/thrashers Dew-Scented, one of the bands that this writer was most looking forward to. Being a fan of the band for about eight years and them making almost no appearances on North American shores, this was indeed a rare chance to catch them. They did not disappoint in any shape or fashion, blistering through their all too short 40-minute set. Getting a front row spot made it extra special, as their energy was infectious and their bombastic songs translated perfectly in a live setting. Finally seeing this band was one of the brightest highlights of the festival. Expectations were no doubt exceeded!
Amorphis started a few minutes after Dew-Scented wrapped things up, and we were able to get surprisingly close to the stage for their set. This was the second time seeing Amorphis with Tomi Jousten at the vocal helm – the first being their North American leg of the Silent Waters tour. As much as I loved all of Pasi Koskinen’s work, Tomi has worked out wonderfully and injected new life into the band in both recorded work and live shows. The band’s Wacken performance was no exception, as this was definitely the best I’ve seen of Amorphis in any incarnation. Hearing “Castaway” played with such gusto, “Alone” from the band’s somewhat maligned (but an Amorphis favorite of mine) Am Universum album and “My Kantele” were real treats, along with a smattering of superb newer material. A great performance from one of Finland’s best exports.
Greek thrashers Suicidal Angels were up in the tent minutes after Amorphis, so we rushed over to the tent and managed to get a great spot for the up-and-comers. If you’ve listened to Suicidal Angels, they’re nothing really new, but very good at their approach to thrash in the vein of old school Sodom and the like. Very raw and in your face, but with a bit of a modern edge to it. Their short 30-minute set went by quickly, and most who witnessed them desperately wanted more. In the time of so many new wave thrash bands that are far from legit, Suicidal Angels are on the list of groups that stand out in the midst of massive overcrowding. Refreshing, and a damn good time.
Orphaned Land followed, and what a show they put on. We had to miss the first 20 minutes of their set, due to a time clash with Suicidal Angels, but the last 40 minutes that we saw were unreal. The Israeli four-piece put on a performance like no other band could, playing tracks such as “Ocean Land (The Revelation)” and “Amen” that really got the crowd going. A unique blend of many musical backgrounds, Orphaned Land possess a sound of their own, and their stage show is as unique as their music, even including a belly dancer. Definitely can’t wait to see them again when they tour North America with Katatonia.
After re-charging a bit with a dose of Fanta (the craving for German variety is torturous), it was back to the tent stage for the German youngsters Hackneyed. This death metal group is remarkably tight considering their first album was recorded when most of the band were around 17-years-old, yet they’re making music that’s better than most of their peers. Hackneyed’s work sticks out with unique song structures and just the right mix of brutality, technicality and melody. It was hard to gauge beforehand how their material would come off live, but any potential worry lifted immediately with an inspired performance of “Axe Splatter.” Overall, their set at Wacken was fast and incredibly fluid, getting the crowd into a rage and playing their material with the utmost precision. Highly recommended.
If something wildly different is most desirable, than look no further than Die Apokalyptischen Reiter. If you’ve never heard of them, they’re a combination of death, folk, progressive and just plain randomness. Comparisons with Rammstein are abundant – mostly because both bands sing in German and are a little out there – but there really aren’t many musical similarities at all. Being a fan of their music for a number of years, and hearing many interesting things about their live performances, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter was anticipated highly. Their set ended up being one of the most enjoyable and insane moments of the entire festival. To begin, singer Fuchs was inside a large black balloon to start their set, and subsequently popped out of it when it was his time to begin. Also, keyboardist Dr. Pest – dressed in bondage gear – had a proverbial playground adjacent to his keyboard, complete with a slide and a swing set. They also released a ton of huge balloons into the crowd in the middle of their set. And the crowd was much prepared to join in on the craziness.
Amongst the most memorable were two crowd surfers. One who was dressed in an all-blue outfit that looked like a nude reject from the Blue Man Group, and another that was dressed in a teddy bear suit, complete with gigantic head. And yes, I do have pictures of both! Oh yeah, the musical performance was fantastic as well! Personal highlights included “Es Wird Schlimmer,” “Nach der Ebbe” and “Friede Sei Mit Dir.” With all of the theatrics that the band portray, they back it up tenfold with their unrelenting and infectious music. A sight and sound to truly behold, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter is a gem that everybody should at least give a try.
After Die Apokalyptischen Reiter finished, we headed back to the tent for a much needed break. Little did we know that we were going to get just about no break at all. Remember the bit about us having to move our tents as soon as we got them set up? Well, we had to move them, again. We knew something was off when we saw that some of our group’s tents were nowhere to be seen, and only a few tents remained around us. Luckily, some nearby campers from the UK informed us that everybody in that area was told to move because they needed more room for the departure buses, them and us included. So, people are told to move on the second to last day of the fest, when there is barely any room anywhere in which to move to. If they didn’t want tents in that area, they should have roped it off – a simple solution that evidently eluded the Wacken organizers. In any case, we had to move, and thankfully our tent was small, as we found a tiny spot where our tent barely fit not too far from where we were. Very annoying that our group got split up due to a bout with incompetence.
Because to this, we unfortunately had to miss most of Endstille and all of Evile, as we had to deal with this matter straight away. Luckily, we caught an Endstille song on a screen just outside the main festival ground. It wasn’t as big of a deal to us, as we had seen Endstille in 2009, and have seen Evile multiple times, but it still just plain stunk. One of our friends ended up having to miss Voivod because of the tent issue – a band he had never seen and was really looking forward to. Bad organization, and it would come to a head later on.
We were able to make it back in time to catch Lizzy Borden, which was a band not to be missed. That idea proved to be right, with Lizzy putting on a hell of a good show. The songs sounded great, the stage show was fun, and the band seemed to be really enjoying themselves. “Red Rum” and “There Will Be Blood Tonight” were definite highlights, with Lizzy smearing many in the front row with fake blood during the latter. The band finished off with an excellent cover of “Long Live Rock ‘N’ Roll” as a tribute to Dio, ending the set on a high note. Lizzy Borden still has it!
Blistering Wacken Report Part II Page One << you are here
