Finally Saw Nevermore Live

[Emperor Nakoo Hiryuu]

I thought the other new song was called "Ambivalence", not "Abomination".

Ah, good, I'm not the only one that heard it as "Ambivalence"...

Only caught a few other acts -- Diecast (pretty good hardcore/trash), Lacuna Coil (dull; suffered greatly from a bad mix); Killswitch Engaged (very good hardcore/trash -- great guitar sound); Shadows Fall (outstanding -- they could be the biggest beneficiaries of the return of Headbanger's Ball with a style that will rope in oldtime Metallica fans, young hardcore fans, and enough melody to win over some more power-metal oriented fans; plus, a ton of charisma). Left after two Opeth tunes; not my cup of tea.

To provide a second perspective to the lineup...

Diecast - Blew majorly, generic Hatebreed wannabes...hardcore gets REALLY annoying...
Lacuna Coil - Not too bad, and the mixing was actually pretty decent. The setlist, though, was slightly disappointing (They didn't play When a Dead Man Walks)
Killswitch Engage - Pretty decent, but again, they're hardcore...and being from Massachusetts, I get it forced onto me constantly...
Shadows Fall - Major ownage indeed...the setlist was awesome too, despite the lack of Stepping Outside the Circle (They MORE than made up for it by playing To Ashes AND A Fire in Babylon)
Opeth - Ruled, but I slept through most of their set due to being so incredibly tired from Nevermore and Shadows Fall (And I had seen 'em play the exact same setlist back in January, so I didn't feel too bad)

And I don't think I have to say anything about Nevermore...

 

[azal]

the new songs sound great, seriously.

Who Decides is a great slower one, kinda like the slow heavy songs on DHIADW, Believe in Nothing, Insignificant...

the others are really fast and heavy, and most importantly, Warrel's vocals on the new stuff sound fantastic...very aggressive and melodic.

I'm really excited about the new record now.

 

[Lexicon]

I got to hang with the neverdudes after the 1st day of the fest after waiting like 2 hours in the freezing cold weather, but i guess it was worth it.Warrel is funny, he took out out his cell phone to let us hear his twisted sister ringtone.And then he dialed up one of those phone sex numbers and let us all hear the recording, i didnt quite get why he did that.

 

[Chromatose]

good, if azal approves, it can't be too bad.

 

[azal]

and EmperorNakooWhatever

just because Killswitch have short hair doesn't mean they play hardcore.

I think they are actually more metal than Shadows Fall, and better musically.

they both play the same style though, which is the new American Trend, a mix of swedish death, old school thrash and hardcore breaks.


Shadows Fall to me, is the most overrated band currently on the planet.

I left before Opeth played....I've seen them twice before and I was so fucking tired.

 

[Lethe78]

I got to hang with the neverdudes after the 1st day of the fest after waiting like 2 hours in the freezing cold weather, but i guess it was worth it.Warrel is funny, he took out out his cell phone to let us hear his twisted sister ringtone.And then he dialed up one of those phone sex numbers and let us all hear the recording, i didnt quite get why he did that.

I was not familiar with their music before the Metal Fest, but I was very pleasantly suprised. I totally dug their entire stage presence and attitudes towards the fans. I went for primarily for Opeth, and wasn't expecting much from the other bands, but this changed it all. Even if their music would have sucked, (which it certainly didn't), their stage presence would be worth seeing again. One of the best live bands I have ever seen.

I got to hang out with them after the show as well. The Twisted Sister thing was a riot. I thought the coolest part was when one of the members was asking who had a truck to help them bring their stuff to the hotel. (I knew I bought that damn truck for some reason).

 

[thedrummer]

i was leading nevermore's damn pit!!! the guys sounded as brutal as ever...loved the new shit. one of them was as fast, if not faster, than the double bass in sound of silence. seven tongues ruled and i almost broke my neck during engines of hate. warrel getting that huge crowd on stage at the end was one of the best moments of the fest. saw jim shepperd the next day and shook hands.

other great moments of the fest: STRAPPING YOUNG LAD. holy F*ck!!! this is my 2nd time seeing them and they tore the roof off in their MUCH abbreviated 30 min set. if there was any band that people stood up and took notice of that they weren't familiar with it was SYL. other mindblowing sets: Lamb of God (wall of death!!), Killswitch Engage, Lacuna Coil, Suffocation, Shadows Fall, and up and coming maniacs The Red Chord (the only band i actually managed to see a whole set from on the 2nd stage). Unfortunately, although i love Opeth, they were VERY hard to sit thru playing last on friday. Many people were sleeping on the balcony....it wasn't Opeths fault, but their style does not do well at 1am in front of tired and drunken moshers....

 

[Lies and Perfidy]

Red Chord are awesome. I saw them opening for Bleeding Through (who are, in turn, opening for The Haunted)...good shit.