Two days, just as many broken noses: what’s going on? One was the result of EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet falling off stage (to his credit, he continued the show, briefly bloodied, but spirit unbroken). The other, in a rare fit of artist induced rage, DEVIL’S BLOOD founder/guitarist Selim Lemouchi drew some blood, leaping into the club show crowd to attack a middle finger flying “critic,” who apparently didn’t enjoy the Dutch outfit. For his trouble, the “fan” went home with a busted schnoz and orbital bone (eye socket). The final band of the weekend, EXODUS saw guitarist Rick Hunolt (who was subbing for Gary Holt, still fulfilling duties with SLAYER during the Energy Mayhem dates in the States) fall off the stage after just two songs, breaking a rib. Raining blood, indeed!
Otherwise, it was similar to the dozen or so weekends I’d previously enjoyed in Balingen, the small town south of Stuttgart, which hosted the annual festival, although there was already a sadness in the air. The long-time sponsor Heavy magazine (formerly Heavy Oder Was) had announced they were packing it in, no more publications, after more than two decades. Their editor, and someone who was instrumental in the success of the fest (from selecting bands, to day-of-show production) was retiring from both posts. Thanks Jagger, you will be missed! However, the show WILL go on in 2013, more than a half dozen bands have already been announced (and my hotel reserved). Keep abreast of developments at Bang-Your-Head.de.
Thursday’s warm-up show (July 12th; separate admission required) was headlined by JON OLIVA’S PAIN, performing the classic SAVATAGE album, Hall Of The Mountain King, in its entirety. Prior to the Mountain King taking the stage, a trio of German acts played, including MANOWAR influenced youngsters MAJESTY, power metallers FREEDOM CALL and long running national treasure BONFIRE. Majesty took the smoke covered, indoor club stage of the hall next to the massive main stage. This facility also hosts a couple of bands on both Friday and Saturday nights, allowing BYH to prolong the party, skirting the 11pm curfew which curtails outdoor activities. Suring the likes of the atypical, thrashy begun ‘Fields Of War’ and ‘Into The Stadiums’, I was struck by how young the guitarists looked. Frontman Tarek Maghary wore a sleeveless mock centurion’s battle outfit, leading the synchronized headbangers through opening ‘Metal Law’, ‘Hail To Majesty’, ‘Own The Crown’ and the concluding ‘Keep It True’, high energy fist pumping traditional metal, in the realm of the aforementioned Upstate NY Kings of Metal.
Can certainly hear the Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY) timbre in FREEDOM CALL vocalist Chris Bay, although he lacks the diminutive singer/guitarist’s charisma and his outfit is devoid of a similarly strong arsenal of songs. While there were no more people in the hall, the opener obviously had a greater percentage of diehards, most just politely watching/listening, awaiting something else. Starting with ‘We Are One’, ‘Tears Of Babylon’ saw the audience pogoing vertically, while ‘The Quest’ began with piano. A poppy ‘Warriors’ gave way to the keyboard introduced ‘Land Of Light’. If ‘The Final Countdown’ (EUROPE) is cheesy, then what’s this ‘Axle’s Theme’ (from Beverley Hills Cop) inspired number, which ends with Bay posing with guitar overhead? They concluded with their eponymous, signature tune.
Reading BW&BK scribe Carl Begai’s co-authored Bonfire biography (Fire And Fame, with bassist Joerg Deisinger), know more than I’d ever imagined about the 80s hair metal wannabes, who’ve managed to survive that tumultuous era. ‘Never Mind’ is ironic, given the NIRVANA album of the same name swept the trendy LA scene off the map. Singer Claus Lessmann sported a stars & bars rebel flag leather vest. ‘Hot To Rock’ , ‘Just Follow The Rainbow’, which led into a drum solo, complete with flaming drum sticks and spitting fire, all while still seated behind the kit! The acoustic begun ‘Give It A Try’ saw the stage bathed in purple. Odd to hear ‘American Nights’ in the context of who was singing and the surroundings. As they stood four across the front of the stage, suspending disbelief (the heifeweissen didn’t hurt), overall these old-timers put on an enjoyable, if a bit too long, set.
Oliva’s voice was rough, to start, but eventually got into the flow. He opened with some Sav greatest hits (‘Gutter Ballet’, ‘Edge Of Thorns’, ‘Sirens’ and ‘Power Of The Night’) and the odd JOP solo material (‘Walk Upon The Water’) before delving into that classic album. ‘Ghost In The Ruins’ was lit in greens and white. While he did vacate the piano stool, from time to time, carrying the mic with him around the stage, most of the evening he remained seated. Once it got to Mountain King, I deteriorated into fanboy glory, just basking in the music: the cap to a long day, which actually began on another continent, 24 hours ago.
The morning began at 10am, with the heretofore unknown FORENSICK. Despite the funeral tag, they were traditional metal, albeit a little under-developed, like a club band who’d been given a shot. The first REAL must-see band of the day was VANDERBUYST, their sophomore platter, In Dutch, making my Top Ten of 2011 chart. Just a trio, they didn’t allow the giant stage to intimidate, guitarist/founder Willem Verbuyst (he of the shirtless, white pants look) pulled off all the rock god moves (legs splayed, behind-the-head playing, drop to knees, etc.) as he soloed through a set that opened with a storming ‘Black & Blue’ and included the mid-tempo stomp of ‘Devil’s Pie’ as well as ‘Traci Lords’, ‘Stealing Your Thunder’, ‘KGB’ and ‘Into The Fire’. Damn shame they left out (personal favorite) ‘String Of Beads’ though. Hope to see them again, soon!
Also had high hopes of seeing CRASH DIET, one of the new breed of Swedish glam/sleaze bands, after a couple failed attempts the last few years. Didn’t have the same positive experience though. Can’t ever remember seeing a band’s backdrop being just a photo of the members themselves, minus any logo. MOTLEY CRU or KISS probably are recognizable characters to pull it off, and the Dieters’ pose did recall vintage LA, but still odd. Their intro, ‘The Sound Of Silence’ (SIMON & GARFUNKEL) and the opening tune were restrained, compared to a very short ‘Down In The Dumps’, which followed and brought back some of the energy. Do pasty Swedes really need pancake make-up to look MORE white (guitarist Martin Sweet). Skipping around the stage, punching the air, Mohawk haired singer (who doubles on guitar) Simon Cruz’s antics are straight out of the Axel Rose (GN'R) '80s playbook. ‘Rebel’ stood apart from the otherwise melancholy (“We’re serious artists”) repertoire, seemingly having left the good-time, party rock anthems at home.
On paper, the legendary DIAMOND HEAD sounds like a winner, but in reality, surprising how slow and plodding their brand of NWOBHM feels at this late day (and at one point in the 80s, I looked into being their USA merch/fan club rep). Only guitarist Brian Tatler remains, smiling through ‘In The Heat Of The Night’, ‘It’s Electric’, ‘Sucking My Love’, a more urgent ‘Helpless’ and concluding ‘Am I Evil’. His solo led into their best known number and its heavy bottom end shows why METALLICA adopted it. All the members of FIREWIND came onboard in black, blazing straight into the ideally entitled ‘Wall Of Sound’. While this is undoubtedly guitarist Gus G’s band (singer Apollo Papathansio does a lot of pointing, inferring, “This is Gus G.”), he’s not pretentious about it. ‘Head Up High’, the speedy double bass drum driven power metal of ‘Till The End OF Time’ and THIN LIZZY-ish ‘Mercenary Man’ were the standouts. ‘World Of Fire’ became a duel between Gus and keyboardist Bob Katsionis (OUTLOUD), who also serves as second fiddle, eh, guitarist. The chucky riffs of newbie ‘Losing My Mind’ proved different, neither neo-classical, nor even truly guitar driven, before finishing up with ‘Falling To Pieces’.
If ARMORED SAINT weren’t THE best band of Day 1, it was damned close. La Raza made me forget how great this band can be, especially live and a hits filled festival set… delivered! Opening with ‘Loose Cannons’ once everyone was satisfied with the onstage levels, all visual hell broke loose, John Bush and Joey Vera (bass) schooling the younger generation hot to not only move, but command a huge stage. As Bush sang with the audience on the catwalk, Vera and guitarist Jeff Duncan worked the wings, while Phil Sandoval dropped to his knees, hair flowing in rock star stance. ‘Delirious Nomad’ saw Bush atop the side fills (monitors). He stayed off the vertical scaffolding (which he’d climbed a decade ago), but that was about the only part of the stage he didn’t visit. Upon finishing ‘After Me, The Flood’, spontaneous chants of “Armored Saint” filled the air, even if they were a little out of sync, until the singer turned conductor, orchestrating a coordinated (and well deserved) adulation. In white t-shirt and red sweats, Bush looked more ready to enter an NBA game than BYH (combined with Scott Ian, in their days together in ANTHRAX, the two virtually rewrote the metal wardrobe code for '90s nu-metallers). No matter, ‘Chemical Euphoria’, ‘Last Train Home’ (still not enough Symbol Of Salvation material for my tastes), ‘March Of The Saint’ and ‘Can You Deliver’ solidified how killer the band were this afternoon, before capping things off with ‘Madhouse’, which is where you belong if you think these guys can’t cut it anymore. Great show!
I’d seen POWERWOLF before, so used most of their time to catch a break, although not before noticing how large their audience has grown. The tongue-in-cheek, corpse-painted, anti-religious black metal meets power metal vibe apparently ticks all the right boxes for a lot of people, giving them access to fans across the genres. Thom Youngblood (founder/guitarist) and KAMELOT have long been personal friends of mine and today, showed just how far they’ve come. Helps to have an impressive stage, and the multiple plumes of fire won’t be replicated Stateside anytime soon, but 2012 sees them part Cirque du Soleil, extra voices and percussionist abound. First off, new singer Tommy Karevik (SEVENTH WONDER) not only cuts the mustard, but excels (as North Americans will see/hear in Aug/Sept when they support NIGHTWISH). Subconsciously trying to help ease Karevik’s arrival, or not, the band (Youngblood in particular) has never been so animated. Perhaps he didn’t want/couldn’t step on Roy Khan’s toes, by being so visual, but today he not only ventured from side-to-side, playing off each of the others (including a playful interlude inside Oliver Palotai’s keyboard pit, during ‘Center Of The Universe’) or standing atop the band’s specially devised light boxes/platforms. A smoke filled opener ‘Rule The World’ was punctuated by repeated triggering of eight flame throwers. Onstage, masked female back-up singer Elize Ryd (AMARANTHE) stood behind the guitarist, another male voice in back of Palotai, drummer Casey Grillo the metronome keeping everything in time. They aired ‘Human Stain’, a new tune, ‘Sacrimony’ (!), ‘The Great Pandemonium’ and ‘Forever’, the last reprised around Palotai’s solo. ‘Karma’ saw a return of the hellfire (literally), two additional smoke jets either side of Grillo, while a pair of leather dress wearing females each pounded out the opening rhythm on the floor tom in front of her. Upon Karevik’s return, both girls and drums left. A spectacle, in every positive sense of the word.
One of the things that makes German festivals so great, apart from the overdose of music, is wheat beer. So here’s a dilemma. As an avid fan, do you pay for hefeweizen, when pilsner is free? Rest assured, a compromise was in order. ARCH ENEMY came next, Angela Gossow decked out in a studded leather jacket that “out studded” even the Metal God, Rob Halford. ‘Yesterday Is Dead And Gone’ kicked everyone in the ass and ‘Ravenous’ was also up early, Gossow seemed thrilled to address the audience in her native tongue. ‘Blood Stained Cross’ kept the middle of the set lively, but later in the set, a steady rain began to fall. Not many guys left, the lead singer having removed the leather long before, now clad in sleeveless white t-shirt. Undeterred to the end, she was alone on the catwalk through ‘Dead Eyes See No Future’ and the encore of ‘We Will Rise’ and ‘Nemesis’.
THIN LIZZY really works with former ALMIGHTY singer Ricky Warwick at the helm, adding (occasional third) guitar and Fu Manchu mustache to the lengthy hit list. ‘Are You Ready’ and ‘Jailbreak’ kicked everything into gear. Tanned, with sunglasses at dusk (in the rain) Marco Mendoza looked a graduate of the Gene Simmons school of bass. Being a good sport, Warwick told the rapidly water logging crowd, “You’re getting wet, I’m getting wet,” as he left the sheltered stage for the slippery catwalk, closer to the fans, for ‘Don’t Believe A Word’, ‘Killer On The Loose’ and ‘Dancing In The Moonlight’. They touched on everything, big or small(er). An instrumental intro to ‘Whiskey In A Jar’ saw Warwick, acoustic in hand, solo on the catwalk. ‘Emerald’ and ‘Cowboy Song’ came later. Remarkable recreation of the late Phil Lynott vocal vibe is what makes this so viable.
While the blood splattered Finns, aka MOONSORROW were virtually invisible (at least to photographers prevented from using flash) in the blue shrouded hall, others prepped for VENOM. A dozen Marshall cabinets (at one time they’d probably have all been “alive,” not just for show) either side of the drummer. Regardless, still great production for a band that grew legendary for sloppy playing and bombastic sound. The explosions, fire and burning flares all remains, but the better front-of-house sound would have been unthinkable back in the day, even if Cronos (bass/vocals) still wears the same blood red boots, studded armbands and prowls the stage like some leather pants, bow-legged Wild West gunslinger. The only act to have a multi-level stage, a trio of pentacle designs replaced any logo/band name, but then who needed an introduction (although cob webs were blown off the vintage voiceover that starts the show). ‘Black Metal’ was the opening bell for this 12 rounder, backed with ‘Leave Me In Hell’, fans withstanding an aural onslaught in a driving rain. Some suggested the renewed/invigorated downpour was God crying, as the late hour and foul weather chased many away. ‘Hammerhead’ saw the lyrics altered to “Bang Your Head” for the occasion, while the creepy ‘Buried Alive’ lived up to its reputation, followed by ‘Seven Gates Of Hell. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there was the campy, sex romp ‘Teacher’s Pet’, backed with the slow, pummeling ‘Warhead’. Shame about the typically English weather though.
For me, the first band of the day was BREAKER, the Cleveland out and I go back almost three decades (even helped on their road crew during the '80s), Don Depew (guitar) and Mark Klein (drums) reunited with their original singer Jim Hamar, although it must be said, Brook Hodges (bass) has been with them since ’88! As the musicians create an opening cacophony, in the wings Hamar kisses his St. Christopher medal and crosses himself, before running out to the catwalk to greet the crowd, his largest show in more than a decade. Celebrating 25 years since Get Tough, a large portion of the set comes from the same album, including ‘Lie To Me’, the classic ‘10 Second In’ and ‘Blood Money’. ‘Afraid Of The Dark’ saw the guitar ranks swell to a trio, with the addition of Depew’s son. While Depew is the Joe Cocker of guitar, spasmodically moving and throwing his low slung Flying V at seemingly disjointed angles, newcomer Shaun Vanek jumps about the multi-level stage, still tethered to his amplifier. Prior to ‘Behind Enemy Lines’ he teased the crowd, asking ‘Who wants a beer,” then proceeded to dump the beverage on the front row, with a sinister laugh. During ‘Still Life’ he left the stage and vaulted the barricade, to actually playing, standing in the audience, before returning to the stage to join his brethren snapping the strings off their instruments in a defiant finale. Wow!
Amazing how a sea of fans rolled in for TANKARD, must have been about the frei bier fur alles, or something! The thrashers began with ‘Zombie Attack’, the now less rotund Gerre a virtual whirlwind, storming around the stage, even blowing kisses to his countrymen/ women. People might say they’re a one trick pony, with just a stock of beer related tales. Not true, it’s about entertaining, as this set pointed out, even if there were two fans seated onstage, in floppy farmer’s hats, patched jackets and an assortment of beer bottles printed on boxer shorts pulled over their jeans. ‘Slipping From Reality’, ‘Stay Thirsty’ and ‘Chemical Invasion’ are offered the massive fan based an opportunity to sing along. During the ‘Empty Tankard’ finale, Gerre called a bunch of (mostly large) girls to party onstage. While he sang, he planted kisses on many of the nearly two dozen who took him up on the offer.
The melodic rock of AXXIS proved a family affair, having one of their small children introduce the band. PRIMAL FEAR took the stage in bright sunlight, bicep bulging singer Ralf Scheepers sporting dark shades for the first two songs. Alex Beyrodt (lead guitar, helped by touring six-stringer Constantine) came dressed for the hot weather, shirtless beneath the vest he eventually discarded. ‘Nuclear Fire’ and ‘Good Guys Wear Black’ were offered early on, while ‘Chainbreaker’ saw Scheepers nearly face-planting (premonition?) while straddling the monitors underfoot. He played it off by simply running forward, onto the catwalk jutting into the crowd. Initiated by bassist Mat Sinner, clapping greeted ‘Metal Nation’, while Beyrodt laid down the opening riff to ‘Fighting The Darkness’. ‘Final Embrace’ preceded the closing ‘Metal Is Forever’, during which Scheepers introduced the band. The delay gave Beyrodt time to ditch that vest, playing the finale topless. His activity certainly has given the band a much improved, visually lively edge.
PRIMORDIAL will be playing ProgPower USA this September and while only singer Alan Averill (aka Nemtheanga) wears corpsepaint, not sure that festival is ready for the Irishmen and their ‘Gods To The Godless’. SABATON, on the other hand, are conquering new audiences wherever they go. Still haven’t found a more powerful opening statement than ‘Ghost Division’, the steel breast plated flak jacket of Joakim Brodén glistening in the sun, almost at brightly as his reflective mirror sunglasses. As he tears around the deck, avoided the artillery barrage of flame throwers all around, we can feel the emanating heat in the photo pit. That’s as close to combat as I’d like to get, thank you. ‘Uprising’ is next and for ‘Gott Mit Uns’, the frontman tells the predominately German audience, “I’ve been practicing my German, sing with us,” the new Carolus Rex song being in their native language. ‘40:1’ is augmented with sparklers and more flames, but lest one think this is all seriousness, the singer references a large inflatable penis attempting to be passed his way. This was the first show in Deutschland with the new line-up and like most other places, the reception is beyond enthusiastic, even though it’s strange to see some many gladly singing along to stories of German military incompetency! Between songs, a chant for the Mohawk cut singer to drink a beer breaks out, to which he responds, “If I drink beer, I’ll get drunk and when I’m drunk, I get naked. OK, a kleine beer,” and boom, more flames leading into ‘Cliffs Of Gallipoli’. Following the title track from the latest album (the only other offering from said disc), it was greatest hits to the end: ‘Attero Dominatus’, ‘Art Of War’ (complete with spoken intro), ‘Primo Victoria’ with bouncing bassist Pär Sundström and a concluding ‘Metal Crue’, which saw everyone but the drummer on the catwalk, as a shower of sparks rained down from above. Little doubt Sabaton are on to bigger things.
Wanted to see a bit of Swiss act GOTTHARD, with their new singer Nic Maeder, drafted after Steve Lee was killed in a motorcycle accident in the US. Opened with ‘Dream On’, a driving, hard rock original, but too soon it was the acoustic ‘Remember It’s Me’ and when a guy in a fedora is covering ‘Hush’, that’s about the length of my attention span. So it was off to see PAIN, indoors. At least I know Mr. Tagtgren knows how to imbibe. My first overseas festival, Dynamo in 1999, at the end of the evening, there’s just me, Peter and a couple of industry types. He’s “dancing” on dance floor inside the VIP tent. Feeling the need to urinate, he whips it out and goes right there, just missing the hardwood. 14 years later, I completely understand, although at the time it was complete culture shock. Not as big a shock as Mr. HYPOCRISY could have endured, had he hit any of the nearby electrical wires. This night, our old BW&BK friend appeared onstage in a straight jacket, the tie-back arms flailing freely as a lightning storm of strobes flashed incessantly.
So on to the headliner, EDGUY, who many Germans refuse to acknowledge is worthy such a slot. Careful what you wish for, because only Tobias Sammet’s stamina/willpower allowed the show to continue, after his mishap. Ten Marshall cabs either side of the drummer, kicking off with ‘Nobody’s Hero’ and ‘Tears Of The Mandrake’ was lively enough, the frontman in dark shades, overcoat and decorative scarf. At one point he mocking removed the shades. In retrospect, gave me one last chance to photograph the nose that is no more. The dark lenses had long been tossed by the time he came crashing down. Humor is a large part of Sammet’s shtick (bassist Eggi is quite the ham too) and even though it was all in German, some of it was universal. ‘Rock Of Cashel’ saw the frontman in mock tantrum, kicking like a petulant child. Soon after, he’d have good reason to be kicking and screaming, yet none of it, as during ‘9-2-9’, he fell from the catwalk, photographers no longer in the pit, so nearly a ten foot descent, head to pavement! Really only a minor pause (mostly for composure) and it was back to the left vs. right shout-off leading into ‘Lavatory Love Machine’. Sammet could be seen dapping at his nose throughout the rest of the performance, amazing that the deformity and or running/coagulating blood didn’t (outwardly) seem to affect his voice. ‘Robin Hood’ and ‘Superheroes’ bookended a drum solo. Beneath the Age Of The Joker artwork, a pink lit stage introduced the slower ‘Save Me’, but energy picked up for ‘Babylon’. A surprise, one-verse rendition of IRON MAIDEN’s ‘The Trooper’ came just prior to the proper set finishing ‘Ministry Of Saints’ (truthfully, not a rousing send-off). Fear not, a two-song encore closed out BYH 2012, the not often heard ‘Out Of Control’, off Vain Glory Opera and perennial closer ‘King Of Fools’.
Cheers! Look forward to next year, once again.
More photos from Day I: here
More photos from Day II: here
