Communic. As someone who missed the fest, everything I know about it comes from perusing this board. Threads have been made about pretty much every band, multiple times, except Communic - not even negative reactions. Did they just not make an impression? I'm sure there are some posts buried in the middle of threads, but I haven't seen any in the ones I've read through, nor have I seen any threads started specifically about them. Were they really that unremarkable?
I think the least-talked about PP8 performance was
- Thread starter TychoCelchu
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freakchylde
PPUSA Driver o' Doom!!!!!
Rider of Theli
The Hellequin
Thanks for asking about them, and you're absolutely right. I have noticed this absence of opinions concerning their performance. And being a Communic fan myself, I'm just as guilty as the next person not posting soemthing.
But to be quite honest, I wasn't overly impressed. My opinion is that Oddleif is in dire need of a second guitarist on stage. I was on the rail for their set - and the only time I was on the rail all weekend - directly in front of Oddleif, and it seemed that too many times he was struggling to get through those wonderfully complicated riffs and leads while trying to maintain the lyrical content. It's just too much for one person to handle in a live performance.
Don't get me wrong - I loved seeing one of my favorite bands live on stage. They were certainly one of the most anticipated bands for me this year. But they could really use either a great frontman to handle all the singing for Oddleif, or else a second guitarist (ala Megadeth) to free him up to tear into those solos without worry of losing his place in the lyrics.
The other guys were great - hell, they were all great! But it just seemed as though something was missing in their overall performance between a temporary bassist and Oddleif's too-many-hats-at-once method.
I still loved seeing them on stage though. Thank you Glenn.
~Hoyt.
But to be quite honest, I wasn't overly impressed. My opinion is that Oddleif is in dire need of a second guitarist on stage. I was on the rail for their set - and the only time I was on the rail all weekend - directly in front of Oddleif, and it seemed that too many times he was struggling to get through those wonderfully complicated riffs and leads while trying to maintain the lyrical content. It's just too much for one person to handle in a live performance.
Don't get me wrong - I loved seeing one of my favorite bands live on stage. They were certainly one of the most anticipated bands for me this year. But they could really use either a great frontman to handle all the singing for Oddleif, or else a second guitarist (ala Megadeth) to free him up to tear into those solos without worry of losing his place in the lyrics.
The other guys were great - hell, they were all great! But it just seemed as though something was missing in their overall performance between a temporary bassist and Oddleif's too-many-hats-at-once method.
I still loved seeing them on stage though. Thank you Glenn.
~Hoyt.
MetalRose
ProgPower EMT
On the contrary, I LOVED seeing Communic live. In fact, they were one of the main reasons I went this year. I think perhaps with all the other controversy and stolen performances, they were some how over looked. Their set was solid and I love the fact they sound the same live as they do on their albums. To me that is a huge incentive to continue buying their records as well as being able to hopefully some day see them live. I was disappointed that they did not play "My Bleeding Victim"- and told Oddlief that as well. I know at the fest itself, they were talked about a lot.
Oddleif was a very cool guy and said that he loved playing at ProgPower. When I asked him how it differed from other fests, he said that it was much more mellow. That people weren't following him around for days and that he loved being able to walk around in the crowd and talk with people without being "mobbed''. He said that he would eventually like to come back and play the states.
They weren't unremarkable, in fact, they were amazing!
I guess my opinion is a little different from Hoyt's as that when I am that awe struck by seeing a band I've been dying to see, I tend not to notice the technical difficulties as much.
I also though the temp bassist did a great job- and I talked with Oddleif about that a bit too.
-Metal
Oddleif was a very cool guy and said that he loved playing at ProgPower. When I asked him how it differed from other fests, he said that it was much more mellow. That people weren't following him around for days and that he loved being able to walk around in the crowd and talk with people without being "mobbed''. He said that he would eventually like to come back and play the states.
They weren't unremarkable, in fact, they were amazing!
I guess my opinion is a little different from Hoyt's as that when I am that awe struck by seeing a band I've been dying to see, I tend not to notice the technical difficulties as much.
I also though the temp bassist did a great job- and I talked with Oddleif about that a bit too.
-Metal
I really like their albums, but to me it didn't translate well live. The softer sounds they mix in to give them a more proggy dynamic feel was just lost, and as a trio (trio is fine... see Freak Kitchen) I thought they struggled to get the powerful sound that their albums have too. I enjoyed listening to them, but they didn't pull me in as much as I had hoped.
Rider of Theli
The Hellequin
woosta
Member
Didn't work for me too much either. I really like the band and of course I'll continue to support them. Live, however, they just seemed to need more "power". Maybe that 2nd guitarist would be a nice addition and get some keys out on that stage (that's something I'll probably never say again).
great band, it goes to show you how awesome freak kitchen really is to put on the show that they do as a trio, where as other bands, like communic, are somewhat stationary
no disrespect to communic though! i bought one of their shirts this year, and love their albums, and really enjoyed the show.
the megadeth cover kicked ass too!
no disrespect to communic though! i bought one of their shirts this year, and love their albums, and really enjoyed the show.
the megadeth cover kicked ass too!
The Invisible Guest
Member
I thought they were awesome. They definately provided me with the most headbanging moments of the fest. It's hard for a three piece band with a singer who plays lead guitar to be highly energetic on stage, so I didn't expect that. I didn't need that from them to get into the performance .. their songs are killer.
Freak Kitchen is about the only three piece I've seen in the past several years that really were very energetic on stage .. credit the bassist for that. As for Communic .. I think their bassist was on loan that evening, and not a regular member of the band.
Britt
Freak Kitchen is about the only three piece I've seen in the past several years that really were very energetic on stage .. credit the bassist for that. As for Communic .. I think their bassist was on loan that evening, and not a regular member of the band.
Britt
Fuckin great band and great performance! One of the highlights of the fest for me. I talked to Oddleif about the 2nd guitarist thing, and he said with a laugh, "I'm way too much egomaniac for that!" haha Honest bloke, and really cool to talk with!
sh0kr0k
Active Member
I agree, there isn't a lot about their set on here. I don't know much of their material and I still loved their set and had a blast watching them. I agree with Hoyt, Oddleif was pulling double-duty and eventhough he did manage to make it work, I think the performance could benefit from having another person on the stage. On a side-note, they are really cool guys! A group of us ran into them in the airport and they were very happy to meet fans and continued to say hello and chat all weekend. I would love to see them back again sometime! 
FatesFan
Member
- Dec 18, 2004
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This is one of those bands that I did nor know when they were announced for the fest. I purchased a cd from them based on the sample that was posted for the fest. I loved the cd and I loved them at PP. You obviously could not compare the overall presentation to that of a Primal Fear or a Pagans Mind. However, I thought they pulled of the music very well considering they are a 3 piece. They were very enjoyable!
Pellaz
Tigron of Immanion
I thought they were great as well. One of the bands I was really looking forward to, and I didn't feel disappointed in the least.
Braxil
Member
I was pretty disappointed with this set. I saw them at Wacken in August and they absolutely killed, but something felt off at PP, probably due to the absence of their bassist.
Ascension
New Metal Member
Their set was great even without their regular bassist. The level of talent jumped up tremendously when they hit the stage & fell off drastically when they left (of course it went through the roof when Redemption got there). The staccato rhythms & timing changes were on...definitely tight.
PurpleCrayonWriter
Just a Kid at Heart
I agree with the topic of this thread. For some reason, Communic has been overlooked.
I think a few posters hit it on the head as to why: They're very good on disc. They're very good on stage. No surprises. To me, they sounded note for note like their CDs. A killer show. But I wasn't surprised by it. Just a solid, well-played set.
Here are a few Communic pics I took:
I think a few posters hit it on the head as to why: They're very good on disc. They're very good on stage. No surprises. To me, they sounded note for note like their CDs. A killer show. But I wasn't surprised by it. Just a solid, well-played set.
Here are a few Communic pics I took:
OrbWeaver
BECAUSE FALCONER
General Zod
Ruler of Australia
Communic's was a solid performance.
I don't think it's reasonable to expect an Edguy-like energy level from a band whose music is played at either a slow or medium tempo. And therein lies my first issue with the band; tempo. Their style is so close to what I really enjoy, I can't help but wish they'd play music with a bit more aggression to it. But hey, it's their music, they can do as they please. The other issue I have with Communic is, I feel that almost all of their songs could be two minutes shorter.
Zod
I don't think it's reasonable to expect an Edguy-like energy level from a band whose music is played at either a slow or medium tempo. And therein lies my first issue with the band; tempo. Their style is so close to what I really enjoy, I can't help but wish they'd play music with a bit more aggression to it. But hey, it's their music, they can do as they please. The other issue I have with Communic is, I feel that almost all of their songs could be two minutes shorter.
Zod
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