Love of Live (part två)

[Defiance]

^ Ah when Dio came here I almost got to him to get my poster signed. But I couldn't . At least Rudy Sarzo was kind enough to come out and have a chat in Spanish with the fan-boys and sign my poster. Cheers to Sr. Sarzo!

Maybe I'll go see Depeche Mode, but the best ticket is quite expensive ($100, those lads are crazy).

Oh and Steve Smyth (Journey's former drummer, Vital Information) is coming! Hell yeah I'm certainly not going to miss that!

 

[tobz]

Just returned from a short trip to London, where I visited the Metal Hammer: Golden Gods awards. Well planned show, good music (some great, others only ok) but the conférencier was absolute rubbish!!! Some stand-up guy called... Well, I can't even remember anymore, he was so bad. People even started throwing their beers after him already the second time he got on stage because they wanted him off! But as I said, the rest was good!

 

[tobz]

Alright, almost all of our Sweden Rock Festival reviews are up at the site, only missing Immortal and Heaven & Hell... Reason I'm writing this is that you can now check out the photos of Kebnekajse which I mentioned in here earlier, if you became interested in the band. Other resent uploads include 'Ripper' Owens, Sabatonrock, Forbiddenrock:), Europe and our festival report.
As I have said before, feel free to check it out!

 

[Draugen]

Just returned from the Peace & Love festival. Saw Satyricon, Dia Psalma, The Coffinshakers, Tiamat and a bunch of other bands/artists.
Satyricon was great as usual and I got Frost's drumstick (sometimes it's good to be tall ). Having seen Dia Psalma some 4-5 times before, this has to be the worst show I've seen with them. The Coffinshakers makes some damn good music but their show was one of the most boring ones I've ever seen. Tiamat had a really, really small audience but their show was great as hell. I'm just a bit dissapointed in the setlist as it was too many slow, dull songs which doesn't work in the early afternoon when it's over 25 degrees (celsius that is).

 

[tobz]

I'm just a bit dissapointed in the setlist as it was too many slow, dull songs which doesn't work in the early afternoon when it's over 25 degrees (celsius that is).

Same problem for MDB at Metaltown, and they had the smallest audience for the whole festival... Anyway, I'm heading out for Metalcamp now, maybe see someone from here down there?

 

[Azzor1911]

Went to see Neurosis last night, they were amazing!
For me they're one of the few really, really good bands from the US.

 

[tobz]

Just back from Metalcamp, and I'm very happy to see the confirmation that I'm going to Wacken (now only Borknagar will haunt my iPood for a long time )
Also just found out that Ulver is playing Brutal Assault, hope to hear some old stuff...

Apart from the schizofrenic weather, it was an amazing festival once again, now I just got loads of reviews to write before the next...

 

[Allfader]

Ulver on Metal Assault? Even if they only play Kveldssanger songs from the old catalogue it will be fantastic!

I hope someone record it with good quality...I found a bootleg of the past show and while it's not really great it's still audible.

 

[lefay82]

at the end i decided to go to metal valley open air, where rotting christ and entombed played.
the festival had a lot of merits, was the nearest one (about 2 hours by car) and the cheapest one (only 15 euro), and i had never seen entombed.

the place was nice, it looked to be in a city fair. the concert took place in a sort of square in the middle of an little town, sorrounded by mountains, we was in the deep of the valley, the weather was good, a little windy to be honest, and when the sun disappeared we had 19 degrees, which is a really low temperature for us in summer.
there were a lot of stands, with shirts, cds, jewellery, the festival was very well organized even if it was his first edition. i was able to buy the entire arcturus discography which i couldn't find anywhere in my city

the first group i paid attention to was dark lunacy, an italian melodic death metal band mixed with some atmospheric/gothic elements, a really nice experiment.

the second group was necrodeath, an italian black metal band, quite known worldwide. i like their earlier albums but i think they lost their artistic vein in the last ones. and live are weaker than before.

the third group was rotting christ. an increbile concert, what they loose in atmosphere during live concerts, they gain in brutaly and heavier sounds.
it's the third time i seem them in the last 2 years, and everytime is like the first one. i think they are a really good live act and sakis is a talented entertainer on stage, i really love the strange faces and dances he does during king of a stellar war

the fourth and last group was entombed. it was the first time for me to see them, they did a good show, but the sounds were horrible. i was under the stage right below the soundbox and at first i thought it was my position's fault, but going in farther and more central position the situation didn't get better. the low pitched notes was the only thing you can barely hear.

i did a lot of photos as usual, i'm still at the beginning and still working on my technique, but the lights were decent and i got some nice shots.

 

[tobz]

Sounds good. I really like the fifth from the end photo, the one with the headbanging bassist; great shot!

 

[lefay82]

Sounds good. I really like the fifth from the end photo, the one with the headbanging bassist; great shot!

i like that one too, and in general all the ones with the smoke/light effect..
but i should buy better lents

i'm going to see motorhead this night
they will play in Fortezza Da Basso, Florence, an amazing fortress in the middle of the city, sounds interesting and scenographic!

 

[tobz]

I was at a concert / party this past Saturday called Heft Fest. Several concerts (although I only knew one of the bands) which I only saw some of, and when the bands were done at about 1 a.m. there was a metal disco till 5 in the morning.
The cool thing about it was that it took place on a ship. Not a ferry, like those short festivals that sometimes sail between Stockholm and Finland and back, but a real freighter which was redecorated with stages and bars. It was such an amazing atmosphere there, and what could be better for a metal concerthall, than something made entirely of several tons of metal?
It's called Stubnitz; I think it is German, but I'm not sure. It seems it makes port here in Copenhagen in the summers, and then just rent the space out for parties. I actually cycle by it every day to work, so it was extra fun to see how it is on the inside as well for once.

 

[Gaunerin]

That sounds nice tobz, did Running Wild play? (just asking because of that ship-thing, I don't even know if they still exist...)
Locations that are a little beyond the ordinary are always nice. My favourite is still the amphitheater in Gelsenkirchen where the Rock Hard festival is being held each year.

I think I have seen more bands live in the last two weeks in Sweden than the whole last year.....I became so lazy and old :
Hate Ammo in Umeå and Skellefteå as well as Embracing, One With Wonder, TME and Terrorory

And I have just been offered a free ticket for WOA but I do not see this happen for me.

 

[tobz]

Na, no Running Wild, sadly.
But they will play at Wacken! How come you're not going, especially when offered a ticket like that???

 

[Qu Appelle]

Umeå and Skellefteå as well as Embracing, One With Wonder, TME and Terrorory

And I have just been offered a free ticket for WOA but I do not see this happen for me.

That's sad - time conflict? Too bad you'll have to miss Wacken. I know Americans who are going - and that is a serious commitment!

How were Umeå and Skellefteå? I want to get over to Sweden at some point, and would like to visit places like that - just to say that I did. And why should the big cities get all the love?

(I ran into a Swedish tourist once in Seattle, and we started talking. He asked if I ever wanted to visit, and I said yeah - I wanted to see Skellefteå. He nearly spat out his latte. "Yah, Stockho - wait. You want to visit Skellefteå?! WHY!??" "Just cause." I guess it'd be like wanting to visit the USA to see Detroit )

 

[tobz]

I guess it'd be like wanting to visit the USA to see Detroit )

Detroit Rock City

 

[Gaunerin]

That's sad - time conflict? Too bad you'll have to miss Wacken. I know Americans who are going - and that is a serious commitment!

Well, I had my share of WOA in the past and didn't look into it for this year. Now when someone's waving with a ticket in front of you you're reconsidering of course but I cannot take off any day I like. And driving there on friday on German autobahn and arriving when half of the festival is over - no way (not even for Bork).

How were Umeå and Skellefteå? I want to get over to Sweden at some point, and would like to visit places like that - just to say that I did. And why should the big cities get all the love?

From a visitors point of view both cities are quite similar, Ske-å just being half as big (and thus maybe nicer, depending on what you are looking for).

May I ask if your nick goes back to the town in Saskatchewan/CAN?

 

[Qu Appelle]

May I ask if your nick goes back to the town in Saskatchewan/CAN?

It does! You're one of the few who picked it out!

It's also the name of my old cat, a buff Tonkinese I named HRH Miss Lady Qu'Appelle.

I named her after the town. My mom and old step dad had relatives that lived up there on the First Nations reserve, and the week I for my cat from the local Humane Society, they were up in Qu'Appelle, Sask for vacation. (I didn't go with, I had work.) So, in the process of naming the cat, I threw various words at her, and she reacted to 'Qu'Appelle'. Consequently, that became her name! Then, it became my online name on various fora.

She was a good little cat. She finally died a couple of years ago, when she was 13, from kitty cancer. I had her since she was 9 months old.

 

[tobz]

Just came back from Uriah Heep, amazing evening! Think they played the entire "Wake The Sleeper" album, as well as a few old hits; Gypsy, July Morning, Easy Livin' and Lady In Black. The exact same set as Sweden Rock if anyone saw them there. The difference was, at Sweden Rock I was pretty far away up on the hill, here I managed to make my way all the way to the frontline! And the place was absolutely packed, the line went all the way down the street and round the corner!

Saw Hail! at the same place yesterday, also a fucking amazing party! For those who doesn't know, Hail! is a collaboration between David Ellefson (megadeth), Tim 'Ripper' Owens (judas priest, iced earth), Andreas Kisser (sepultura) and some former Megadeth drummer I don't know (although they used Roy Mayorga for this show). They only play cover songs, mostly from their respective bands, but also a few others which they themselves like. Great concept, great concert! If you ever have a chance to see them, do it!
And they had Hank Sherman (mercyful fate) as a guest guitarist for three songs.

 

[NovembersDirge]

Anyone thinking about going to the Månegarm release gig in Stockholm?
http://www.manegarm.com/natt_releaseparty.html

I'm pretty stoked, I haven't been to a show since I saw Rotting Christ in Umeå in 2007.