So How was Power Fest?

[wayland smithers]

Unfortunately I could not make the show. So how was it? How was Morgana Lefay, how long did they play, what was their setlist?
How was Tad Morose and what did they do?
Were there any guests at the fest that were not on the bill?

 

[rrhoadsfan1]

Powerfest was Awesome. A 3 day Party... No guests besides the ones on the bill... Morgana Lefay I think Played about 90 minutes. They were Awesome. I don't know the Setlist though. Sorry. Tad Morose was,,,,well,,, TAD FRIGGEN MOROSE!!! They Played for 2 hours solid. They were just killer. It was excellent to see the whole show in such a small personal environment... Kategory V was the show stopper for me though.. For the Semi-local talent anyway.. The whole weekend was just awesome, I spent Saturday afternoon and Sunday Morning Driving Morgana and Tad around, To Record signing and the city on Sat, And The city for more pics on Sunday, Then Off to the airport so they can go home. However from what I understand, Urban Breed will be Lurking around chicago all week... It was just a great time overall...

 

[Met-Al]

I just woke up from last night's events not too long ago, and I have to say that it was a damn good show. The first night was cool, as War Machine was a pretty good opener and Archetype was a real standout band. War Machine was more or less a straightforward power metal band, but they were really good at what they do. Silencer was a little too harsh for me, but if you like thrash metal, they would be a great band to check out. Archetype was the band that I waited five years to see, and though they don't play out much at all, they handled things very well. Morgana Lefay was the only other band I couldn't get into, as I felt their songs were quite samey. The vocals didn't sit well with me, either. However, they gave it their all for the entire performance. The next night was definitely the better of the two, and there was no better band to kick it off than Katagory V. These guys are playing as heavy as ever, and their new material is proving to show even more diversity. Imagika was pretty cool, too. They're another thrash metal band, but their vocalist has such a wide range that it makes their music really stand above the crowd. Ion Vein was great, as always, but what made their performance really special was the addition of Andy Paredes (ex-Talamasca) on guitar. This guy totally shreds! Twelfth Gate was good, too, but I've seen them so many times that my attention was often directed elsewhere. As I knew they would, Tad Morose killed the stage! It was worth the wait after such a late start (each night got started about an hour later than scheduled). Though they only played material from their last three albums, they picked all the right tunes to keep the crowd pumping their fists for two straight hours. They even played a cover of "The Shining" by Black Sabbath. As a huge Tony Martin fan, that only made me happier. The show was a great time. The bands were easily accessible, the sound was good, and the crowd was rather pleasant. Now if only they could raise that damn stage....


Stay metal. Never rust.
Met-Al

 

[zinescene]

I agree, it was a fantastic weekend. Every band played they asses off and from what I could see had as much fun off the stage as they did on the stage. I thought the highlights for me were Katagory V, Imagika and Twelfth Gate. I knew material from K-V and Imagika and they were very impressive on the stage. I didn't know anything from Twelfth Gate and they just blew me away with thier energy and new songs and the guitar playing of Jim Stopper.

I can honestly say thier wasn't a bad band or performance all weekend.

 

[woosta]

A great show this weekend, indeed. Disagreeing with Met-Al, Morgana played all the songs one would want to hear (except Madness and Rooms of Sleep). THey played State of INtoxication, Creatures of the Heirarchy, Isengard, The Boon He Gives, Maleficium among others. They played all of their crunchy stuff plus 3 or 4 songs off the new, phenomenal cd. They were killer.

Tad Morose went on later than scheduled so I couldn't stay for the whole thing, but the first half of the set was outstanding. I though Morgana brought more power, although I think their songs are more powerFUL overall, but Tad Morose was certainly fantastic. The openers...well....not my thing.

 

[sh0kr0k]

Am I the only one that saw Jack Frost (Seven Witches, Savatage, Metalium)?! He was there all weekend.

The bands I enjoyed most were Imagika, Katagory V, Silencer, Archetype, Morgana, & Tad. I definately feel that Day 2 had a stronger lineup and delivered more, though all the bands put on great performances. Morgana Lefay's set was so fantastic, I was really pleased to see them! Tad Morose was the perfect ending to a great weekend of metal! On a funny note, many of us held our breath as Urban almost put a mic stand through the ceiling!

A lot of the band members were present for the majority of the festival and very happy to greet fans and take pictures. The afterparty last night was a lot of fun and I met a bunch of great people, including many from the forum! Many band members also stayed around to party with the fans after the shows, even after working so hard on stage. Morgana & Tad don't get to come here often so it was nice to spend time talking with them during and after the event.

I had a great time this weekend and I want to thank the guys who worked so hard to put this on for us!

~Tammy Z~

 

[Mountain King]

My Take on the bands:

Warmachine - they rocked big time, these guys will hopefully be a force to be reckon with once they get a few more years under their belt. Their debut album is setting up to be killer. Ashame their set got cut short to some technical difficulties.

Archetype and Silencer - neither really grabbed me so I socialized.

Morgana Lefay - Ruled, that's all that needs to be said.

Kategory V - Again, nothing really grabbed me.

Imagika - That singer needs to go

Ion Vein - One of the best sets I've ever seen out of the guy. I'm fortuante to be in a town with such an amazing band.

Twelfth Gate - Again another great set, them and Ion Vein just keep gettin better and better. Also a Chicago band, love having these guys local.

Tad Morose - Like they did at Progpower, they stole the show again this year. Nothing short of spectacular.

Thanks to Chris and Rob for their efforts in putting this together!!!!

 

[lady_space]

Tons of fun, great line-up, pretty well organized... I'm very glad I went. Kudos to everyone involved with it! (and especially Chris for not calling me a bonehead for leaving my ticket at home! )

Shaye

 

[booB]

In a word... amazing.

All of the bands were great, except Archetype, IMO (and I missed seeing Katagory V, for the third time in a row ).

Morgana Lefay -- for me, the highlight of the fest -- was beyond perfect. I'm sure many of you have noticed that, often, when a very aggressive vocalist performs live, he tends to hold back, so as not to damage his voice. Not Charles. Not only did he sound as amazing live as he does on CD, but he actually sounded even MORE aggressive in the live setting. Also, I couldn't have picked the setlist any better, except for the fact that they didn't play any ballads. I would have loved to hear "Victim of the Inquisition" or "The Mirror".

Imagika - That singer needs to go

LOL... Norman is an awesome vocalist, even if he's not as melodic as you'd probably like (which is probably the case, considering that you mentioned not liking Silencer either). The former Imagika vocalist... now, HE was a stinker, LOL... the music on the first three cds is great, but let's just say that I wouldn't mind seeing some re-recordings come out.

Ion Vein - One of the best sets I've ever seen out of the guy. I'm fortuante to be in a town with such an amazing band.

Twelfth Gate - Again another great set, them and Ion Vein just keep gettin better and better. Also a Chicago band, love having these guys local.

I miss getting to see these two bands play on a regular basis.

Tad Morose was awesome, but Urban is going the wrong way! (Only a select few of you will understand this reference.) "A Mended Rhyme" was the highlight of their set for me, since Charles didn't end up getting on stage with Urban for "Matters of the Dark". (Peter filled in, and was awesome, but we were all psyched to see Charles, so it's hard not to be dissapointed.)

Urban Breed had at least two clones of himself walking around during Powerfest. I believe these were the same clones which were at ProgPower last year, although I didn't get to check the serial numbers. During Tad Morose's set, I half expected to turn around and see Urban watching himself from the audience.

Everything, and everyone, was a lot of fun this weekend. I can't wait until next year!

 

[Bear]

Just got home....Need Sleeeeeeeeeeeep. I'll thrash ya laters.

Great hanging out with everyone, we renamed it Liquorfest 2005

Bear

 

[rrhoadsfan1]

Am I the only one that saw Jack Frost (Seven Witches, Savatage, Metalium)?! He was there all weekend


I saw Jack Frost this Weekend too. He just hasn't reached "somebody" status in my book...So for me there was no thrill there.

 

[Azrael LenGraden]

Tad Morose Setlist as best remembered

1. Servant of the Bones
2. I Know Your Name
3. New Clear Skies
4. Another Time Around
5. Cyberdome
6. Where the Sun Never Shines
7. Order of the 7 Poles
8. A Mended Rhyme
9. Undead
10. Lord on High
11. Life in a Lonely Grave
12. Ethereal Soul
13. Matters of the Dark
14. Mother Shipton's Words
15. Unwelcome Guest
16. Sword of Retribution
17. No Mercy
18. Take on the World
19. ? (They got me on this one - good song, I don't know what it was! Not off any Breed album)
20. Anubis
21. Corporate Masters

 

[Mountain King]

Tad Morose Setlist as best remembered

1. Servant of the Bones
2. I Know Your Name
3. New Clear Skies
4. Another Time Around
5. Cyberdome
6. Where the Sun Never Shines
7. Order of the 7 Poles
8. A Mended Rhyme
9. Undead
10. Lord on High
11. Life in a Lonely Grave
12. Ethereal Soul
13. Matters of the Dark
14. Mother Shipton's Words
15. Unwelcome Guest
16. Sword of Retribution
17. No Mercy
18. Take on the World
19. ? (They got me on this one - good song, I don't know what it was! Not off any Breed album)
20. Anubis
21. Corporate Masters

The ? song was probably The Shinning, a Black Sabbath cover.

 

[The Invisible Guest]

Hello to all that I may have met this weekend !! A good time was had by one and all it seems, and everyone was about as cool as they come. We had some real crazies in attendance too so that helped make the trip all the more memorable.

As for the festival setup it worked out pretty good. Bands went on stage when they were expected too, and the venue worked out much better than I thought it would.

I thought the bands gave top performances, and I ended up enjoying several acts that I wasn't previously familiar with.

The highlights for me were Ion Vein, and Tad Morose. Ion Vein's new material sounded killer and I can't wait til they release the new one. Tad Morose is just a phenomenal live band, and I was really struck by how excellent of a singer Urban Breed is. That guy hits everything.

Britt

 

[Yippee38]

It was a good time. A bit more sleep leading up to it (I got two hours sleep Thursday night) might make it a bit more fun. Got to meet a bunch of cool people. The crowd was about as cool as a PP crowd. No idiots causing trouble that I saw.

Don't feel bad Lady Space. I left my ticket at home on Saturday too. I told my wife we should find a Kinko's and make a copy of hers. Hell, for $50 it was still a bargain.

I can't say I'll go to it next year though. Although it was cool and the bands sounded great, you couldn't see them. I'm 6'4" and I could sometimes see the performers heads. There's no way somebody under 6' could see much. It was like going to a party and listening to live CDs (except the bands were at the party) rather than a concert. As a bar, they place seems cool enough, and it's awesome that the guy who runs it signed up for the gig, but as a concert venue, it really is sub-par. Hopefully he'll have purchased a better place for next year.

 

[Mountain King]

Hello to all that I may have met this weekend !! A good time was had by one and all it seems, and everyone was about as cool as they come. We had some real crazies in attendance too so that helped make the trip all the more memorable.

As for the festival setup it worked out pretty good. Bands went on stage when they were expected too, and the venue worked out much better than I thought it would.

I thought the bands gave top performances, and I ended up enjoying several acts that I wasn't previously familiar with.

The highlights for me were Ion Vein, and Tad Morose. Ion Vein's new material sounded killer and I can't wait til they release the new one. Tad Morose is just a phenomenal live band, and I was really struck by how excellent of a singer Urban Breed is. That guy hits everything.

Britt

Are you Britt from Bloomington?

 

[Mountain King]

It was a good time. A bit more sleep leading up to it (I got two hours sleep Thursday night) might make it a bit more fun. Got to meet a bunch of cool people. The crowd was about as cool as a PP crowd. No idiots causing trouble that I saw.

Don't feel bad Lady Space. I left my ticket at home on Saturday too. I told my wife we should find a Kinko's and make a copy of hers. Hell, for $50 it was still a bargain.

I can't say I'll go to it next year though. Although it was cool and the bands sounded great, you couldn't see them. I'm 6'4" and I could sometimes see the performers heads. There's no way somebody under 6' could see much. It was like going to a party and listening to live CDs (except the bands were at the party) rather than a concert. As a bar, they place seems cool enough, and it's awesome that the guy who runs it signed up for the gig, but as a concert venue, it really is sub-par. Hopefully he'll have purchased a better place for next year.

Yeah I love Kelly's, the owner is a big supporter of local metal here in Chicago but the stage really needs another foot added onto it, the 6 inch high stage isn't good with big crowds.

 

[Bear]

Yeah I love Kelly's, the owner is a big supporter of local metal here in Chicago but the stage really needs another foot added onto it, the 6 inch high stage isn't good with big crowds.

Well Vince bought a new place somewhere west of JJ Kelley's. Its supposed to hold up where's around 800 or so I have been told. Lotesto said they were going to do Powerfest there next year. I'll be there no matter what, its a great time.

Bear

 

[The Invisible Guest]

Are you Britt from Bloomington?

Yep, that's me. I'm actually from the other part of the twin cities - Normal, Illinois. Are you the Tony I know that's friends with Harley and Rich? With all these screen names it's hard to know who's who.

Britt

 

[booB]

Yeah I love Kelly's, the owner is a big supporter of local metal here in Chicago but the stage really needs another foot added onto it, the 6 inch high stage isn't good with big crowds.

Actually, that may be a bad idea, considering that, at ProgPower 1, Tom Englund from Evergrey got his hair stuck in the ceiling.