Saturday
We wake up hoping for no more last-minute cancellations. It was bad enough that we had to replace Lacrimas Profundere: at short notice and were unable to find a replacement for Egoisten. The band standing in for the former is always a surprise… Due to the ongoing high temperatures, parts of the side programme have to be postponed to another day. One of these is the tree-planting challenge. Rockharz nominated us a while ago and its spokesman, Kai, and representatives of Made for Kids e.V. wanted to fulfil it today, but it was impossible without risking physical collapse while digging the hole. It is rescheduled for the end of July, here are some pics of it, mission fulfilled.
Even earlier than the first band will play, a whisky-tasting with the theme “Asia” is scheduled. Even though it is hot at noon every participant enjoys it.
It won’t be too hot for BELLGRAVE at 13:30. A mix of Doom, Death and straight Hard Rock will wake up the last sleeper and get everyone onto the infield. The vocalist gives fair warning to remain under the shade of the pavilions to avoid heatstroke and sun overexposure. It’s hot enough on stage, though.
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I watched the 14:40 band two weeks ago in Ulbach and was quite impressed. I’ve already spoken to them and now it’s time for GODSNAKE to perform. Their catchy tunes convince once again: this snake bites, and the sweet poison of their melodic thrash metal will blow your mind away.
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During the breaks, there is a raffle and auction for the bench. The raffle prizes are one of 21 exclusive RMDz mirrors worldwide, festival tickets and merchandise packages. The winning bid for the bench is the highest of the last three years. It will find a home somewhere in northern Germany! And let us not forget more donations for Made for Kids e. V., for example 3100.-€ by Spirotec and Heiko Kröber.
I will see the next band in a week’s time at Rockharz again. It’s Kai’s band, and he took time off from setting up the festival just to find out that work had come to a halt during his break due to temperatures above 40°C, and would resume at 18:00. Their slot begins at 15:50, so FINAL CRY will be in a bit of a rush after their show and won’t be able to stay as long as planned. Nevertheless, there will be plenty of time to see them in a week’s time.
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After that, it’s the turn of THE DIRTY DENIMS from the Netherlands. A good show with traditional rock from 17:10. They are very different from most of the other Rock & Metal Day’z bands — maybe they will play the funniest set with the funniest songs. This will boost the mood under these extreme temperatures. In the meantime, we heard that more events had been cancelled due to the weather conditions. We are lucky enough to be able to continue, so we won’t complain.
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At 18:30 it gets dark, more precisely, black, and Steffi, the vocalist, has a mission to fulfil: to teach us some Swabian dialect between the songs with MISSION IN BLACK. They are a great band, switching effortlessly between growls and clean vocals and moving seamlessly from thrash to melodic death. Afterwards, they enjoyed some biscuits and whisky with us. I am pretty sure that, in the near future, Mission in Black will perform on big stages such as Rockharz.
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SUICIDAL ANGELS made their way from Greece to our cosy festival. I saw them last year at NOAF/Wörsstadt, where they put on an impressive set. It’s no different today. At 19:50, the sound is brutal, loud and full of aggressive energy. It’s a positive aggression that only a few bands can deliver. Had Leonidas had them amongst his Spartans, he would have pushed Xerxes back to the sea immediately. As an aside, they ordered too much pizza and left it untouched, so the crew had a nice midnight snack.
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Then, at 21:30, it’s time for TANKARD. Beer rules, and there’s plenty of it. That’s their reputation, but there’s much more to the band than that. Otherwise, they would not have been around for more than 40 years. They have not forgotten anything in 40 years and still deliver the music that made them one of the big four of German thrash metal. Did I mention beer? It rules.
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Did you know that Rock & Metal Dayz is celebrating its 10th birthday this year? If not, you will now, as we have a fireworks display planned to celebrate this very occasion. We weren’t sure if it would be forbidden due to the weather conditions, but thanks to the local fire brigade, we’re in safe hands and it can go ahead! The rockets and effects will be launched into the sky before our substitute for Lacrimas Profundere.
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They are called DELIVER THE GALAXY, and that’s exactly what they do. They are more than just a substitute; they are at least as good as, if not better than, the original band. All of their show elements work perfectly under the dark midnight sky on our stage, which is exactly the right size for them. If they played at noon on a larger stage, all the unique elements of their show would be wasted.
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Once the last note of the festival has been played and the last beer and whisky have been drunk, it is time for the after show party and to say goodbye until next year. However, it has been decided that Rock & Metal Day’z will celebrate its 11th anniversary in 2027, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of Made for Kids e.V., the charity association behind the festival. Keep in touch with the organisers to find out the date once it has been confirmed, and buy your ticket early.
For small festivals, it is important to sell as many tickets as possible in advance to enable proper calculation. For a band like Metallica or a festival like Wacken, 500 fewer people means nothing and doesn’t even pay for the stamps, but for small, local festivals, it means the difference between survival and failure.
But that’s a different story. From Sunday onwards, it’s time to break down and clear the area. On Tuesday, it’s time to head to Ballenstedt for Rockharz, which is another story altogether.
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Please buy physical music or download it from the bands official sources and don’t stream it for free because it steals your artists’ income.
All pics and text by Friend.X aka Mr. Deep