Hello folks,
Long time I have not posted on this forum. I have been living in Barcelona, Spain, for over two years now and I am starting to look for a house to buy as I intend to stay here. I still have fond memories of ProgPower (I attendend PP II, III and IV) and I would love to return, but I cannot complain about all the concerts and festivals around here. There is so much going on!!!
I just got back from the MetalWay festival in Gernika, Basque Country, the biggest open air festival in Spain and it was awesome!!! 3 days, 30 bands, and each day the concerts went from noon until 3:30am (on Sunday until 6am!) and each band got to play at least 1 hour!
It took place in a beautiful town in the mountains called Gernika, sorrounded by green landscapes and with lots of fresh air. The venue was a soccer stadium and the location was very practical as just outside of it you had tons of bars and restaurants, open 24 hours, and they all played metal (even a hair salon had metal playing!!!) The whole town turned into metal for a weekend! Many camped there, but we stayed at a nice little house (casa rural, which is like a hotel but much nicer and cheaper).
The roster included the following bands:
FRIDAY
DREAMAKER: missed them but have seen them in Barcelona before
BENEDICTUM: saw a few songs not my style
HAMLET: saw a few songs. One of the better metal bands from Spain
FINNTROLL: these guys look hilarious! Too bad the sound was not that great.
NEVERMORE: Played lots of songs off This Godless Endeavor and featured Chris Broderick (Jag Panzer). The band plays tight, but Warrell is pretty weak on vocals at times.
BRAINSTORM: Kick ass show!!! Andy is the man!!!
THE GATHERING: Skipped them for something to eat.
ANNIHILATOR: Played tons of classics. Jeff Waters was very animated and did not stop running around.
ANGELES DEL INFIERNO: classic Spanish metal. Not my cup of tea (skipped them)
KREATOR: They came out like a bulldozer, destroying everything in their path.
STRATOVARIUS: started out pretty good but ended rather weak. Played lots of classics, but Kotipelto´s voice is on a downfall.
SATURDAY
AXXIS: horrible power metal. Can´t stand those high-pitched Bee Gees-like vocals.
ARCH ENEMY: Came out blazing!!! You can tell they are playing lots and lots of concerts. Tight as can be.
RAGE: They kicked ass as always! Terrana is an animal and Smolski a wizard! Plus Peavey is one of the friendliest frontmen ever!
DARK FUNERAL: went for something to eat. Saw a couple of songs, not my thing.
METAL CHURCH: missed them completely (not a big fan) but from what I heard they kicked ass.
MY DYING BRIDE: a bit slow for my taste but it sounded very good. Their music is more suited to be played at night though.
TESTAMENT: fuck yeah!!! They kicked everyone´s ass!!! Alex Skolnick is the man!!! One classic after the other!!!
GAMMA RAY: was a typical GR show. Started out great with fast songs, ended a bit weak with slower, cheesy songs.
MINISTRY: great visual display (giant screen showing videos) but the music is a bit repetitive for my taste.
CELTIC FROST: I fell asleep (literally)
SUNDAY
KOMA: missed them
RUNIC: missed them
CRUCIFIED BARBARA: missed them (I was sleeping like a baby)
METAL CHURCH: they played some more as Jon Oliva could not get to Gernika in time for his show (I missed them again)
MOONSPELL: awesome show with a perfect sound. Too bad it wasn´t dark yet.
WITHIN TEMPTATION: great stage decoration and sound, but the music just does not do it for me.
BARON ROJO: skipped them
EDGUY: crappy set-list (mostly from new album, which sucks ass!) Tobias was weak on vocals.
HELLOWEEN: great show full of classics (Halloween, Eagle Fly Free, Future World, Dr. Stein, etc) The crowd was very into it!
MEGADETH: tight show with lots of classics such as Peace Sells, Hangar 18, Holy War, Symphony of Destruction, etc
BLIND GUARDIAN: killer show with a great set-list! The crowd sang every single word! They obviously still are the same, static band that refuses to move around stage, but they had the best sound and atmosphere of the whole fest.
JON OLIVA´S PAIN: played mainly Savatage classics, but I missed it (was passed 4am already!)
Overall this fest was amazing. The lineup was much better IMO than what Wacken had to offer so it was a no brainer. Plus, the venue is just perfect for this event! I can´t believe it is over L
Well, I hope you guys enjoy PP this year. I would love to see Mercenary once again their new album kicks ass!
Long time I have not posted on this forum. I have been living in Barcelona, Spain, for over two years now and I am starting to look for a house to buy as I intend to stay here. I still have fond memories of ProgPower (I attendend PP II, III and IV) and I would love to return, but I cannot complain about all the concerts and festivals around here. There is so much going on!!!
I just got back from the MetalWay festival in Gernika, Basque Country, the biggest open air festival in Spain and it was awesome!!! 3 days, 30 bands, and each day the concerts went from noon until 3:30am (on Sunday until 6am!) and each band got to play at least 1 hour!
It took place in a beautiful town in the mountains called Gernika, sorrounded by green landscapes and with lots of fresh air. The venue was a soccer stadium and the location was very practical as just outside of it you had tons of bars and restaurants, open 24 hours, and they all played metal (even a hair salon had metal playing!!!) The whole town turned into metal for a weekend! Many camped there, but we stayed at a nice little house (casa rural, which is like a hotel but much nicer and cheaper).
The roster included the following bands:
FRIDAY
DREAMAKER: missed them but have seen them in Barcelona before
BENEDICTUM: saw a few songs not my style
HAMLET: saw a few songs. One of the better metal bands from Spain
FINNTROLL: these guys look hilarious! Too bad the sound was not that great.
NEVERMORE: Played lots of songs off This Godless Endeavor and featured Chris Broderick (Jag Panzer). The band plays tight, but Warrell is pretty weak on vocals at times.
BRAINSTORM: Kick ass show!!! Andy is the man!!!
THE GATHERING: Skipped them for something to eat.
ANNIHILATOR: Played tons of classics. Jeff Waters was very animated and did not stop running around.
ANGELES DEL INFIERNO: classic Spanish metal. Not my cup of tea (skipped them)
KREATOR: They came out like a bulldozer, destroying everything in their path.
STRATOVARIUS: started out pretty good but ended rather weak. Played lots of classics, but Kotipelto´s voice is on a downfall.
SATURDAY
AXXIS: horrible power metal. Can´t stand those high-pitched Bee Gees-like vocals.
ARCH ENEMY: Came out blazing!!! You can tell they are playing lots and lots of concerts. Tight as can be.
RAGE: They kicked ass as always! Terrana is an animal and Smolski a wizard! Plus Peavey is one of the friendliest frontmen ever!
DARK FUNERAL: went for something to eat. Saw a couple of songs, not my thing.
METAL CHURCH: missed them completely (not a big fan) but from what I heard they kicked ass.
MY DYING BRIDE: a bit slow for my taste but it sounded very good. Their music is more suited to be played at night though.
TESTAMENT: fuck yeah!!! They kicked everyone´s ass!!! Alex Skolnick is the man!!! One classic after the other!!!
GAMMA RAY: was a typical GR show. Started out great with fast songs, ended a bit weak with slower, cheesy songs.
MINISTRY: great visual display (giant screen showing videos) but the music is a bit repetitive for my taste.
CELTIC FROST: I fell asleep (literally)
SUNDAY
KOMA: missed them
RUNIC: missed them
CRUCIFIED BARBARA: missed them (I was sleeping like a baby)
METAL CHURCH: they played some more as Jon Oliva could not get to Gernika in time for his show (I missed them again)
MOONSPELL: awesome show with a perfect sound. Too bad it wasn´t dark yet.
WITHIN TEMPTATION: great stage decoration and sound, but the music just does not do it for me.
BARON ROJO: skipped them
EDGUY: crappy set-list (mostly from new album, which sucks ass!) Tobias was weak on vocals.
HELLOWEEN: great show full of classics (Halloween, Eagle Fly Free, Future World, Dr. Stein, etc) The crowd was very into it!
MEGADETH: tight show with lots of classics such as Peace Sells, Hangar 18, Holy War, Symphony of Destruction, etc
BLIND GUARDIAN: killer show with a great set-list! The crowd sang every single word! They obviously still are the same, static band that refuses to move around stage, but they had the best sound and atmosphere of the whole fest.
JON OLIVA´S PAIN: played mainly Savatage classics, but I missed it (was passed 4am already!)
Overall this fest was amazing. The lineup was much better IMO than what Wacken had to offer so it was a no brainer. Plus, the venue is just perfect for this event! I can´t believe it is over L
Well, I hope you guys enjoy PP this year. I would love to see Mercenary once again their new album kicks ass!
