To read part I and II of Dan's Wacken Report, click here and here
Day 4 – End of the Road
We started the day with an awesome breakfast of chocolate chip muffins, which were the food of choice to start most of the days at Wacken. Best I’ve ever had – goes along great with German Fanta. Craving coming again!
The day began with French traditional/power metal group Nightmare. Being a Nightmare fan since hearing Silent Room in 2003, and the fact that this is a band that will most likely never come to these shores made them a must see. They definitely didn’t disappoint. Starting off with “Eternal Winter” was perfect, as well as doing a spot on cover of Dio’s “Holy Diver.” Singer Joe Amore always looked a tad bit like Ronnie, and had a similar tone, but when he sang “Holy Diver,” it was uncanny. By far the best Dio cover I’ve heard – eat that Killswitch Engage, butchering such a classic. Nightmare was all that was expected and more.
Ektomorf was up next, who basically can be described as groove-inspired metal done much better than mundane trash like Soulfly. They were fun, and when they got the crowd to jump simultaneously, a massive dust cloud was created in front of the stage. It was so large that you could barely see the stage for a little while. Ektomorf brought some good energy and was fun to catch.
Caliban was up next, which was a band that there was a lot of hope for, but worry as well. Their later stuff – post Shadow Hearts material has been suspect – isn’t their best, so a good mix was definitely desirable. Unfortunately, most of their set was from 2004 to now, which contains their worst work. At least “Between the Worlds” was played, but nothing from Vent or A Small Boy and a Grey Heaven was a down point. A few tracks off of the new album Say Hello to Tragedy were present, of which is their best work in a while. All in all, a somewhat disappointing, yet predictable set. Their performance, however, was spot-on. The songs were played with zest and a good amount of ferocity. Caliban was enjoyable, however, I’d like to see a set that contained a much better mix of their material.
Swedish melodic death metal up and comers Degradead were up next. This is a band I discovered due to them being added to the Wacken lineup and was immediately impressed upon listening to a few songs. Both of their albums are of very high quality, and this is yet another band that isn’t likely to be coming to North America any time soon. Therefore, seeing their set was of high priority. It was most definitely worth it and Degradead were one of the most vigorous shows of the entire festival. Degradead got the crowd into a frenzy that never slowed and were as entertaining as anybody that played this year. We definitely need more bands like them around. Grabbing either – or both – of their albums is a wise decision if you like melodic death metal with a lot of varied influences.
Last year, Kampfar had been confirmed, but had to cancel due to a family emergency. A legit reason to be sure, but it still was a downer. They were one of the bands I most wanted to see in 2009, but thankfully, they made it for the 2010 edition. Kampfar were nothing short of stunning. Their performance was perfect, portraying a presence and atmosphere that few bands achieve. The biggest highlight was hearing “Norse,” which is a song that they’ve only played once or twice before in their career. They hadn’t even rehearsed it, yet it came off as tight as humanly possible. Mesmerizing and powerful, Kampfar easily was one of the very best bands at Wacken, and quite possibly one of the best bands that this writer has seen, period. And this is a black metal band pulling all of this off during the daytime, with a ton of sunlight. That’s talent, my friends. If a chance arises to see them, please do not hesitate. It’ll be worth your while. Certainly need to see these guys again someday.
Overkill was next on the list, and in usual fashion, they absolutely pummeled the crowd. They’re the mark of consistency, always providing a great time with massive doses of their unique brand of thrash anthems. These guys never fail to give their all, and played a fantastic set list that spanned a variety of their very best. There isn’t much else to say but that Overkill once again provided a performance of which no fan should have a shred of disappointment about. Can never see this band enough.
The Dutch symphonic metal group Delain was up right after Overkill, and to be honest, they were quite bland. Since bands like After Forever and Within Temptation had success – and more recently, Epica – it seems like there’s an unending wave of female-fronted symphonic bands from the Netherlands. A lot of which are quite lackluster and unoriginal. While Delain isn’t a bad band, they’re also nothing special. Their performance is also like their music – not bad, but nothing to go nuts for. It’s just ok, which is more than can be said for a lot of bands. However, this exact stuff has been done before and done on a higher level. Average is the word of the day for Delain.
After leaving Delain, we caught the last half of supergroup < b>Lock Up. Loud, abrasive, and ridiculously tight, Lock Up was just plain superb. The band features Tomas Lindberg of At the Gates fame on vocals, Shane Embury of Napalm Death, drummer Nick Barker, and new guitarist Anton Reisenegger. Their pounding style of death/grind is unrelenting and well crafted, and their live show is full of fast pace aggression. If you enjoy this style of music and haven’t heard these guys, definitely check them out. They also just got confirmed for Maryland Deathfest, so seeing them again will be most welcomed. A new album is also on the horizon according to Tompa, so keep an eye out for that!
At this point, dehydration was setting in, so I ventured outside of the main festival ground to get myself a bottle of non-fizzy water. Once that was accomplished – and finishing off a whole liter rather quickly – W.A.S.P. was just starting. Never being able to see them before, I was looking forward to catching the famed classic band. Blackie Lawless and crew brought the goods to Deutschland. Expectations were assuredly surpassed, especially getting to hear “L.O.V.E. Machine” and “The Idol” played without flaw. Quite a good time, to be sure.
We caught a brief amount of Varg, and they were a pleasant surprise. They sounded quite good, and if given the chance, would definitely take the chance to see a lot more of them. Very competent, epic pagan metal. The band also waited around and gave out signed pictures to any fan that wanted one, which was very generous and something many bands wouldn’t do. Kudos to Varg for being so grateful to their fan base.
Debauchery followed, who are one of my favorite death metal bands. They’re unique in that they played a varied style of death metal, with a lot of throwback-style riffs along with death metal vocals. Adorned with tons of fake blood all over, Debauchery played a fun and frantic set with a selection of their best material. These guys just plain rock and are extremely entertaining, with their music definitely made to be played in a live setting. Highlights included “Death Metal Warmachine” and “Blood for the Blood God.” Catch them if you can, as they’re a total blast!
Blistering Wacken Report Part III Page One << you are here
