The Year 2003 In Metal (Highs & Lows)

[Eagle]

Highs

Wacken
Bloodstock
The announcement of a possible Kai Hansen/Jeff Waters side project
Stratovarius, Symphony X & Thunderstone at the Electric Ballroom
Finally seeing Falconer live along with Dream Evil
The rightful reformation of Judas Priest
The new Human Fortress album
Queensryche still being awesome live despite such a shite album
Dio to follow up Magica
The rise of Masterplan

Lows

Having to listen to about 30 seconds of a local band called Torso Horse
The trouble in the Stratovarius camp
Gamma Ray not getting the Maiden Support slot for the UK
Matt quitting Iced Earth
Having to see at least 10 mins of funeralforfred
Not being able to see Helloween and Rage
Missing the Blind Guardian Festival
Still not seeing White Skull live
Getting my speeding ticket
The extortionate pricing of Maiden Merchandise

 

[Tet]

Stratovarius, Symphony X & Thunderstone at the Electric Ballroom

Don't taunt me. I so wanted to be there...

Not being able to see Helloween and Rage
Missing the Blind Guardian Festival

Hah! Revenge... I saw Rage and Helloween. While the 'weenies weren't too impressive (like the new album, they did just enough to stay relevant, but no more), you missed another great Rage show. I too missed the Blind Guardian festival. Very disappointed, 'coz it had an awesome lineup...

Top of my list of highs was definitely Bloodstock. Looking back at my concert reviews, I gave the full five stars to 5 shows this year -- Dimmu Borgir, Falconer, Apocalyptica and Blaze (twice!), so they've got to be high on the list. In terms of new music, Masterplan was the best release of 2003 with Dimmu Borgir's "Death Cult Armageddon" getting an honourable mention. This year, I was also introduced to Tristania, Sirenia and Amaran, all of whom released their
most recent albums in 2001 or 2002, but I didn't hear them until this year.

Lows include missing Stratovarius and the Blind Guardian festivals, the lack of Nightwish merchandise at either of their shows. Also the trouble in the Angel Dust camp, which may or may not have ended the band. Adorior win my prize for worst live experience of the year, proving that extreme metal really can be as bad as its stereotypical image as portrayed in the media...

 

[Baletempest]

Highs:
Zyklon's new album
Bloodstock03
The excelent scenes in Italy, Britan, Finland and Poland
Decapitated,Insision and Labrat@ The Old Angel
Aborym@ The Electrowerkz
My Dying Bride, The Prophecy and Flowing Tears @ The Astoria
Children of Bodom @ The Fiddler
Strommoussheld's debut album
Being in 3 bands
The Metal community at Bloodstock and at Uni
Golden Lake Production's fantastic mail order prices (£6 per item and a lot of obscure stuff)
Darkthrone's continued existance
The X-mas fest @ the Camden Palace
Anaal Nathrakth getting a Peel session
Black, Death and Gothic metal in general

Lows:
Missing Zyklon Live twice
Missing Arch Enemy Thrice
Decapitated's guitar breaking before they could play Three-Dimensional Defect @ the Underworld
Nazi's at Aborym and the X-mas Bash
Children of Bodom choosing the Fiddler as their london debut venue
Not being able to find various venues/people to go with and thus missing Dimmu Borgir, Cruel Humanity and Illuminatus
Missing Summer Breeze
Lacuna Coil Scedualing their gig for one of the 2 weeks I'm not in london
Exams causing me to miss Yattering, The Gathering and Zyklon
Brats break-dancing to Decapitated @ The underworld
Trendies starting on me for not being "kew" enough (I was wearing a Napalm Death T-shirt)
Metal review websites (everyone I have ever read) being pricks (The metal observer gives Evanescence a perfect score whilst laying into Enslaved and Yattering for example)

 

[Slev]

Highs:
Bloodstock
Bloodstock On The Road
The Haunted/Stampin Ground/December in Manchester
The new Voivod album finaly ariving
Descovering loads of cool bands
My new bang getting together
Hanging out backstage at Tuuli/Tiny Elvis
Catching a stick at Iron Maiden
Finaly getting to see Area 54 live

Lows:
Missed loads of gigs, because my former employers are idiots
Missing Electric Frankenstein AGAIN!!!
The new Metallica album confirming the worst of my fears
Not being able to afoard a lot of the cool albums released this year
My old band disintegrating
Various bad support acts (funeral for a friend, swivilchair accident, etc)
the absence of an Orange Goblin tour

 

[DawnOfTheDead]

get one of the knockoff tshirts outside the maiden gigs. I got one for a fiver and it still hasnt washed away yet!

 

[Volcane]

Highs:
Getting the Mercury Rain album released
Playing the main stage at Bloodstock
Meeting cool people and bands at Bloodstock & at the other shows we did
Rage 'Soundchaser' - contender for my favourite album of the year
Scuzz TV and Mullet Man - (Yep, Those old Dio videos are really that bad...)
Hearing that Rush are doing a 30 year anniversary world tour !

Lows:
Sitting in the traffic on the M42 on the way to BS03, sick with anticipation
Bradford (long story)
Our drummer's deteriorating hearing
People who still call us Nightwish clones.
Metallica - sadly about as relevant to metal now as Bon Jovi

 

[Valo Nightstalker]

High's:
Bloodstock
Having a few beers with Alexi 'Wildchild' laiho
Getting My Band Sorted
Discovering loads of cool bands
Children Of Bodom @ Sheffield
Meeting Opeth

Lows:
Matt Leaving Iced Earth
The Hotel we stayed in for Bloodstock(we knew it was bad when the taxi driver couldnt remeber taking anyone there in 20 years oh well was under a tenner a night)
Driving Round Sheffield For hours trying to find the venue then finding out it had being changed
Having to listen to a local band called Godhead
missing loads of gigs due to lack of money

 

[Baletempest]

Godhead? Didn't they do a Beetles cover?

 

[Valo Nightstalker]

Godhead? Didn't they do a Beetles cover?

They may have i think they have an album out tbh i know nothing about them apart from there from wolverhampton

 

[LeeWill]

Highs

Seeing Iron Maiden for the first time
Having drinks with Iron Maiden in the hotel bar
The Blaze gig in Cardiff
Updates in the Judas Priest camp
Discovering several new great metal bands
Beginning to establish our own power/folk metal band

Lows

Missing bloodstock 03 due to being over in Europe at the time
Having FFAF as Maiden support
Being torn bewteen saving myself a good place to watch Maiden and having to listen to the aforementioned atrocity
Stratovarius problems


There are several others, but I may add those once i've had something to eat.

 

[zinescene]

Definately my highlight of 2003 for me was making my first trip to the UK from the United States for Bloodstock. Not only was it a great festival but the fans were first class all the way. Definately made my first trip very enjoyable. In fact I already bought my ticket for 2004!

Also attending the BW&BK Six pack was very memorable as it was the first time seeing Candlemass, Trouble, Force of Evil and tons of other great bands. That ranked right up in my top five as far as shows.

My biggest disappointment was the Prog Power festival getting moved to September from November. I ended having to sell my gold badge because logistically (and financially) I just couldn't manage to major festivals in two weeks.

Some of my favorite CD's of 2003 included Artension, While Heaven Wept, Masterplan. Several that disappointed me were Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica. --

John
Underground Zine Scene
http://www.geocities.com/zinescene2

 

[Tet]

Also attending the BW&BK Six pack was very memorable as it was the first time seeing Candlemass, Trouble, Force of Evil and tons of other great bands. That ranked right up in my top five as far as shows.

The 6-pack lineup for next year is looking particularly strong, with Grave Digger, Primal Fear and Seven Witches. I'll see how the finances go (and if I can get to see Grave Digger in Europe instead), but I'm considering a trip over...

 

[MentaLee]

Definately one of, if not THE highlight of my year was watching the amazing performance of Cold Heritage by Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil, should you not know) at the Astoria on Saturday night.....and I mean performance. This was not just a rendition of an album track, oh no, this was truly magical!! She brought the song to life...you could literally feel every word she sang, and as she sang it looked almost like she was acting the verses out for us, bringing a whole new dimension into it.

My favourite LC song taken to a whole new level........Merry Christmas Lee!!!!!!

 

[MentaLee]

Also singing Breaking the Law and Warriors of the World at the Wacken karaoke with a few hundred pissed up Germans is always good!!!

Gig highlights included......

Tapping the Vein, Symphony X(TWICE!!!!!!), Slayer, Wacken (TWISTED FUCKING SISTER!!!), FourWayKill, Faster Pussycat & Bang Tango, Robin Black, Dragonforce, Dream Evil & Falconer and of course the aforementioned Lacuna Coil.

Been to loads more but just can't think of them!! I know the worst band I've seen this year was Tigertailz.......took a couple of songs before I realized who they were, that's despite knowing their material!!!

 

[dragonmaiden]

Highs this year for me were as follows:-

* Bloodstock...especially Edguy and Masterplan!
* Finally seeing Symphony X...and Strat and Thunderstone at the Electric Ballroom
* Singing "Hail' with Falconer at The Underworld!!!
* Blind Guardian 'Live' .... can't wait for the DVD!!!
* Sonata Arctica....for Winterheart's Guild ...my fave album of the yearapart from the one above...
* Porcupine Tree - In Absentia ...because it rocks!!!
* Evergrey - coz they just keep getting better!!
* Return of the King...coz it was everything I hoped and more!!

Lows:

* Having to listen to Eagle drone on and on about how good Wacken was and how much he is looking forward to next year!!!
* Finding the Travel Inn in Derby...and the resulting speeding fine....which I understand was my fault as I am crap at map reading!!!
* Missing the BG fest!
* Primal Fear cancelling....I was really looking forward to seeing Brainstorm!
* The journey home from the Falconer/Dream Evil gig ...which put me off travelling to London for the forseeable future for gigs!
* Tim Owens ruining Iced Earth!!!....

 

[zinescene]

The 6-pack lineup for next year is looking particularly strong, with Grave Digger, Primal Fear and Seven Witches. I'll see how the finances go (and if I can get to see Grave Digger in Europe instead), but I'm considering a trip over...

It would definately be worth your time. If you do go stay at the Holiday Inn-Downtown Cleveland. That's where all the bands stay and it's cool because they have a mezzaine with pool tables and last year a lot of the bands hung out there and drank after the show with the fans. Besides, where else you going to get a chance to check out 14 bands for the price they charge (last year was $65 US)

 

[MentaLee]

Fourteen bands for about £40???!!!! Hmm let me think about that one.........it's on the tip of my tongue......

....

....

Still thinking.............

Damn, best scroll up to the top of this page for the answer

 

[chazzyf]

Well some good stuff, so far, let's see what I have

Highs:
- seeing over 50 concerts in 6 countries and some fantastic Festivals (inc Bloodstock)
- Seeing Symphony X (3 times)
- Seeing Nightwish (4 times)
- Seeing After Forever and Epica for the first time (of many, I hope)
- Meeting all of Within Temptation
- Discovering the wonderful Flowing Tears and Sins of Thy Beloved
- The sucess of Evanescence hopefully opening the way for Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil and lots of other (better) female fronted bands
- Finally becoming able to listen to Death vocs and to appreciate the likes of Opeth
- Loads of great DVD releases
- Meeting loads of cool people from the various message boards I use (inc this one) at gigs around the world

Lows:
- Totalrock having problems, losing its best DJs and going off sky
- my bank balance
- Not having the opportunity to share a beer or two with Mr MentaLee
- Falling out of love with some of my ex-favourite Power Metal bands (eg Stratovarius)
- Dream Theater - Train of Turds (even worse than 'Falling into Infinity' I think)


and I still have a job! Wasn't so sure that would be the case at the beginning of the year. So overall far more Highs than Lows, even though it hasn't been the best of years.

 

[MentaLee]

Lows - Not having the opportunity to share a beer or two with Mr MentaLee

Strangely enough, those who have would probably class that as a high

 

[Tet]

- seeing over 50 concerts in 6 countries and some fantastic Festivals (inc Bloodstock)

Bah! You're making me feel inadequate now. Counting up, I made 108 individual performances at 38 gigs this year. I missed three support bands over the year, which would have made it up to 111. Must try harder next year