Is it the styles of the music, the actual bands, the atmosphere, the fans, the energy, the promoters, the accessibility of the bands, the merch, the fair drink prices, the Scandanavian like weather, the raging after parties, the mellowing out after parties?
Yep, you guessed it, it's all of the above and more. If you've been on the fence about attending Heathen Crusade and the festival continues - DO NOT MISS OUT. Simply one of the most enjoyable experiences you'll ever have. Barring anything dramatic occurring, they've made a fan for life out of me.
The bands:
Mael Mordha, Vreid, Slough Feg, Gwynbleidd, Manetheren & what I remember of Rudra absolutely owned. Obtest & Vesperian Sorrow were very solid as well.
Mael Mordha simply put on a show for the ages during night two. Epic, anthemic, chest pounding, mind stomping clansman metal that must be seen live to be experienced in all it's raging glory. Think Primordial on the actual march to war and unleashing it upon would be conquerors. I was both mesmerized and energized throughout the entire set. Quote from someone to me during the set (can't remember if it was Jerry or Ali): "THEY WILL NEVER TAKE... OUR FREEEEEEDOM!!!!!!!". A perfect capsule of the rousing and dramatic nature of the set. Oh yeah, the music itself also ruled and I'll be seeking out some releases in the near future. Thumbs off the chart.
Vreid had the perfect "Thyrfing effect" during night one. Fist pumping energy with the atmosphere of pure Heathendom. I had the perfect buzz during their set and jumped right into the mosh pit a couple times while cradling my camera from the spilling beers and shoulder thrusts the entire time. They had more melodious riffs than I remembered and as much atmoshpere as early Windir. Thumbs way up.
Slough Feg were another surprise of the festival for me. I was convinced before the fest that this was going to be beer time, but I'm so glad Ali convinced me to stick around. I dunno what happened that fateful night in Brooklyn, but suffice to say, they absolutely brought their A-game to the table at Heathen Crusade. Scalzi was just shredding and so much more into his game than the last time I saw them. JayKeeley summed it up perfectly when he stated it was like watching a NWOBHM band play at the Ruskin Arms ala Maiden in 1981. Old school, true metal played with precision. I think both the band and all of us enjoyed ourselves so much more than we ever thought possible. Total redemption in every way. Thumbs way up.
Manetheren was definitely one of the discoveries of the festival for me. Unfortunately, we were only able to catch about their last 3-4 songs by the time we made it to the fest on day two. Neil was right, they deserved a much higher slot and maybe one day will get it. Atmospheric, melodious black metal oozing with talent and raw hunger. I wanted to buy their cd after the show, but sadly there were none left, which the lead singer later told me the band regreteed not bringing more. Thumbs way up.
Gwynbleidd completely fulfilled my expectations, particularly on the rousing closer (and my favorite song by them) "The Awakening". In talking with the band afterward, the incorporation of the more folkish sound will continue in the future, which is a-ok by me because that's easily where the band forms it's true, unique identity. That's not to say that the more Opethian material is without merit or executed poorly. Quite the contrary. But nevertheless, I firmly believe that the band will continue to rise and stay head and shoulders above the pack by continuing to explore and emphasize the folkish element in their sound. Thumbs way up.
Vesperian Sorrow were a pleasant surprise based solely on the catchy riffing that forced me to headbang along. The high powered riffing was surrounded by fairly generic, if well executed black metal. Still, a solid live show. Thumbs up.
Obtest were another pleasant surprise of the festival for me. A power metal approach to the Heathenic sound. Clean and competent lead vocals, clean lead guitar sound and a heavy, no Euro power balladesque, or "happy" approach to the sound. This is without a doubt, the kind of power metal that still appeals to me in a big way. I need to hear some studio output before deciding if the live element to their sound works best, but color me intrigued to say the least. A refreshing change in sound on night two, just like Slough Feg on night one. Thumbs up.
Dark Forest fell victim to shoddy sound throughout their set until the last two songs. The guitars were so low in the mix they were barely audible. I was not impressed at all until the final two songs, when I realized, "Whoa, these guys actually kick ass, I just didn't know it until now." Once the guitars were turned up, it became a rousing, albeit short lived melodious black metal journey. Thumbs up, with the future potential for so much more.
I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, so let's just say that Bronnson, Will of the Ancients, Withering Soul, Earthen & Shroud of Bereavement are not for me, though I can see where all have elements that should appeal to others.
I completely missed Manegarm (out of it), Bal-Sagoth (left prior to) & Hordes of Yore (merch and socializing time). Rudra absolutely crushed for what I remember of them. Unfortunately, after about 3-4 songs, I really hit the proverbial wall and barely remember the rest. The same happened with Skyforger, which I truly, truly regret. Both bands have been receiving glowing reviews from everything I've been reading and I can personally say that the Rudra guys are among the friendliest, genuine band members I've ever had the pleasure of hanging out with. I hope we get a chance to do it again sometime.
The sound at the venue was for the most part fantastic and on par with last year's version of the show. I did like how the main bar was far enough away from the stage that you could easily carry on a conversation without having to ask "what?" every three seconds. Fantastic selection of shirts and cd's. I pretty much stayed away from the bar food, especially after the nauseating Sloppy Joe smell, which was definitely a drawback. I think giant rashers of bacon should be on the menu next year, LOL. Still, after loving the venue last year, this year's venue more than held it's own. Thumbs up.
The main promoters (kupshi and Mister Mayhem) are just class acts all the way around. You can tell just how much they genuinely care about both the bands and the fans. Both go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure everyone has the best time they possibly can. I can't tell you how many times I ran into kupshi at the hotel where he was on the run picking a band up after having just dropped another off, organizing the soundcheck gathering, the DVD/audio recordings, you name it, with minimal amounts of sleep. I also caught Mister Mayhem right in the middle of the crowd during Mael Mordha having a blast and taking pics. When I shared my pics of the band with him, he was genuinely excited and asked me to email him several when I get a chance. You got it MM. Not many promoters even give the fans the time of day. Seriously, these guys are the true unsung heroes of the fest, along with all the sound technicians, stage hands (FANTASTIC changeovers) and everyone else who was a part of running this well oiled machine. An absolutely sincere thank you in every way.
What can I say about the fans and in particular our fellow RC'ers? Along with long time partner in crime JayKeeley (thanks again for another great time my brother), meeting and getting to extensively hang out with the awesome Climb Thar Hill (Mike) his wonderful girlfriend LuAnn (hope I spelled that right) and the one of a kind Reign in Acai (Jerry, whose board name I continue to mispronounce, LOL) was amazing. Skyrefuge (Neil, it was an honor to finally meet up and talk some metal and more), Swizzlenuts, Krigloch, Sanctums, Chromatose, Will Bozarth, ct thrash, Long John, TheGreatDeciever and of course my favorite lurker Brian (you didn't think I'd forget about you now did you buddy?). Oh man, if I'm forgetting anyone, please, please know it's not intentional, it was an amazing time with everyone.
Mike, LuAnn & Jerry - you guys have made a friend for life. I can't tell you how many times I laughed so hard, rocked out together, shared some Scandanavian culture together and even worried for our lives together, LOL. What a weekend. I hope we can all make HC an annual gathering, if not even more often.
So what can I say? There's just something about the camaraderie, about the bands, about the music, about the atmosphere and about the workers behind the scenes. There's just something about the magic and about the memories. There's just something about Heathen Crusade.
Jason
I'll make sure he reads this
