Well, another Ragnarokkr is in the books!
Before the recap, I wanted to congratulate Odin and Chris for another successful year. Furthermore, Bob has really stepped it up. He did a great job with the second stage last year, but this year overall he was a promo machine. As Bob and I always joke, "you gotta sell the sizzle"!!!!
Ok, onto the bands...........
I started the day off with Visigoth on the mainstage. I was looking forward to these guys. I really like the songs I have heard online. Obviously my interest has peaked even more since their signing to Metal Blade (kudos to them!) Their vocalist (sorry, forgot his name) was obviously fighting a very bad throat / strained voice issue but battled through their set. The band seemed very tight. And I am NOT only saying this because they covered Manilla Road (Though I am not sure I ever heard a Manilla Road tune in C tuning - if not lower) Well done.
Next was Witches Mark. For some reason they have seemed to get a bad rap around this forum. I thought they played their set very well. I know all the guys were very happy to play the fest. They played most of my fav tracks off their new one. The vocalist from Skelator (I think that was the band) joined them for their last number.
After WM I headed to the music joint to catch Spare Change already in progress. As a guy who was there for the first wave of crossover it was actually refreshing to hear a band play that style since it has always been absent from Ragnarokkr. They did a really good job and folks kept coming in during their set. The main standout for me was their bassist. More technical than most cross over bands. Brian Spare Change has kept that machine going for over 20 years! Very glad to hear they got a slot on the upcoming DRI show at Reggies.
Next up were Midnight Hellion. I was not at all familiar with them prior to the fest. I honestly did not know what to expect. Though the SECOND the singer walked onto the stage she grabbed hold of the audience and didn't let go. I was extremely impressed. From what I hear she is not the original singer of this band. I sure hope they keep her around. She knows how to captivate the audience.
After MH on the Music Joint stage was Eternal Champion. I fully admit (and others know this too from offline discussions), their two songs they have online have never grabbed me. Don't know if it was the production or the vocals, or what? Live they were a completely different beast. Their newer material sounded great. Even more epic. Their frontman should be the prototype for any epic metal band. Such a commanding presence. Very glad they had a good gig!!!
After EC it was back to the Rock Club, where by the time I went back into Reggies Black Death were wrapping up. Folks who saw them said they put on a good show.
Next were Argus. I expected them to be one of my favorites of the weekend, and they delivered! You can tell that these guys truly enjoy playing. That is always good to see. They are a perfect hybrid of traditional doom and Dio era Sabbath. I am sure Lee will pop in with a differing opinion and that is fine. He is the long time fan. They did a great job. Only criticism I can give is that for a festival setting, I am not sure I would have chosen a cover tune that is THAT long in length. They did a great job vocally and musically on Phantom of the Opera. The crowd really dug their whole set. I hope that this performance coupled with the Skull will keep the door open for at least one doom band on the main stage next year!
After Argus were Voltax. You can tell these guys must play a lot of shows because they seem to play so effortlessly. Great musicianship and show. I was actually very surprised how tame the crowd was for them.
Finally it was time for mr Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper. Steve sounded great. Sure, there were some tunes where he stayed in a lower register, which I can understand. Any Grim Reaper fan would NOT have been disappointed. The crowd loved them and they seemed really appreciative of the crowd.
Before the recap, I wanted to congratulate Odin and Chris for another successful year. Furthermore, Bob has really stepped it up. He did a great job with the second stage last year, but this year overall he was a promo machine. As Bob and I always joke, "you gotta sell the sizzle"!!!!
Ok, onto the bands...........
I started the day off with Visigoth on the mainstage. I was looking forward to these guys. I really like the songs I have heard online. Obviously my interest has peaked even more since their signing to Metal Blade (kudos to them!) Their vocalist (sorry, forgot his name) was obviously fighting a very bad throat / strained voice issue but battled through their set. The band seemed very tight. And I am NOT only saying this because they covered Manilla Road (Though I am not sure I ever heard a Manilla Road tune in C tuning - if not lower) Well done.
Next was Witches Mark. For some reason they have seemed to get a bad rap around this forum. I thought they played their set very well. I know all the guys were very happy to play the fest. They played most of my fav tracks off their new one. The vocalist from Skelator (I think that was the band) joined them for their last number.
After WM I headed to the music joint to catch Spare Change already in progress. As a guy who was there for the first wave of crossover it was actually refreshing to hear a band play that style since it has always been absent from Ragnarokkr. They did a really good job and folks kept coming in during their set. The main standout for me was their bassist. More technical than most cross over bands. Brian Spare Change has kept that machine going for over 20 years! Very glad to hear they got a slot on the upcoming DRI show at Reggies.
Next up were Midnight Hellion. I was not at all familiar with them prior to the fest. I honestly did not know what to expect. Though the SECOND the singer walked onto the stage she grabbed hold of the audience and didn't let go. I was extremely impressed. From what I hear she is not the original singer of this band. I sure hope they keep her around. She knows how to captivate the audience.
After MH on the Music Joint stage was Eternal Champion. I fully admit (and others know this too from offline discussions), their two songs they have online have never grabbed me. Don't know if it was the production or the vocals, or what? Live they were a completely different beast. Their newer material sounded great. Even more epic. Their frontman should be the prototype for any epic metal band. Such a commanding presence. Very glad they had a good gig!!!
After EC it was back to the Rock Club, where by the time I went back into Reggies Black Death were wrapping up. Folks who saw them said they put on a good show.
Next were Argus. I expected them to be one of my favorites of the weekend, and they delivered! You can tell that these guys truly enjoy playing. That is always good to see. They are a perfect hybrid of traditional doom and Dio era Sabbath. I am sure Lee will pop in with a differing opinion and that is fine. He is the long time fan. They did a great job. Only criticism I can give is that for a festival setting, I am not sure I would have chosen a cover tune that is THAT long in length. They did a great job vocally and musically on Phantom of the Opera. The crowd really dug their whole set. I hope that this performance coupled with the Skull will keep the door open for at least one doom band on the main stage next year!
After Argus were Voltax. You can tell these guys must play a lot of shows because they seem to play so effortlessly. Great musicianship and show. I was actually very surprised how tame the crowd was for them.
Finally it was time for mr Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper. Steve sounded great. Sure, there were some tunes where he stayed in a lower register, which I can understand. Any Grim Reaper fan would NOT have been disappointed. The crowd loved them and they seemed really appreciative of the crowd.
