Final Saturday
Once we’ve slept, the last day of the festival is here in a flash. We only arrived ‘yesterday’, where has the time gone? VELVET RUSH open today’s round of colourful bands. The Hanseatic band presents the fans, who are already present at this early hour, with pure and uncompromising hard rock with female vocals.
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Not long after, FROZEN CROWN from Venice take to the stage and thrill the audience right from the start with three-part guitar riffs and Jade‘s crystal-clear vocals. One highlight is certainly the new guitarist Alexandra Lioness, who fits in perfectly. I follow the band’s evolution since I first enjoyed them live as support for Dragonforce. For my personal taste, the band plays far too early and far too short, but the impression left by their Power Metal is so unanimously lasting that we can hope for more in the future. Short play-time doesn’t mean less pics, so here we go…
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With ROBSE, we enjoy anthemic, brutal and epic melodies between Pagan, Folk and Melodic Death Metal. The band’s roots cannot be denied; on the contrary, they continue to grow and flourish with this project, blossoming into new heights.
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Norwegian stoner punk awaits us with BOKASSA. The enthusiastic audience responds with circle pits and walls of dust, as it is time to celebrate the band. They will certainly not be considered an insider tip for much longer.
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No sooner has the dust settled than it rises again, as PRO-PAIN invite us to an early dance tea. Their brilliant groove metal is of course perfectly suited for this, so the Americans have an easy time with the audience.
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When bands like Motörhead are no longer around, a replacement is needed. GRAND MAGUS jumps into the fray from northern Sweden and thrill the crowd with down-to-earth, traditional heavy metal that is so timeless that it was already modern almost 30 years ago and still sounds fresh and authentic today.
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The first pirate attack awaits us during the performance of VISIONS OF ATLANTIS. Clémentine Delauney and Michele Guaitoli engage in true vocal duels against an impressive stage backdrop. Appropriately, their home country of Austria no longer has a coastline, yet they are not river pirates but rule the seven seas. This genre is called Symphonic Pirate Metal and is received euphorically by the audience. Their visuality deserves more pics!
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Another band that had to cancel last year due to bad weather finally performs with AVATARIUM. Last year’s flood is not only epic this time, but also bone dry, at least in front of the stage. The skillful mix with powerful doom elements is convincing across the board. The long wait of one year was more than worth it.
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Things get more electronic with Andy LaPlegua and COMBICHRIST. The Americans are not only at home in metal, their roots lie more in Aggrotech. In any case, their music, reinforced with guitar and drums, encourages wild dancing and partying.
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FROG LEAP, or rather Leo Moracchioli with his live band, are a perfect fit as the next band. Their interesting metal reinterpretations of well-known rock hits go down really well with the large audience and viewers.
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Then it’s time for some Caribbean vibes. A few days ago, the pirates of MR. HURLEY & DIE PULVERAFFEN were headlining Rock & Metal Day’z, but today they’re playing in the early evening. Nevertheless, the audience is much larger due to the size of the festival. However, the four pirates have to make do with a shorter set, but what they play is 1:1 the same as in their previous performances; anyway, the band is currently on a festival tour with a rehearsed program. As a fan-favourite, they get more pics of course.
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Anyone who likes video games and Guitar Hero knows them. DRAGONFORCE literally climb the stage, which consists of two game console towers, among other things. The band is now supported by a third live guitarist, and bassist Alicia Vigil is now a permanent member of the band. Unfortunately, the stuffed chicken thrown by the band as a running gag is not returned but gets lost along the way and is stolen. This way, they rob themselves of the fun, because at some point this spectacle will no longer exist. As a personal note to those responsible: IDIOT
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If fun prevailed before, now it’s back to being brutal. ABBATH PERFORMS IMMORTAL is the name of the game for the next hour or so. Corpse paint dominates the stage outfits, brutal black metal reigns over the audience with a very fine selection of songs from the legendary Immortal. It’s dark with a broad, diabolical grin!
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Quite a few will either have headed straight for the center of the double stage or quickly rushed to the other side. There’s no time for a beer on the way, because with ASP it remains dark, albeit in a different way. They are actually something like the evil brother of Mono Inc. or Lord of The Lost, harder, nastier, darker, but congenial. The mix of old hits and new songs from the current album is also congenial, combined to perfection.
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Due to the pyrotechnics, special safety precautions apply for IN EXTREMO‘s show as Saturday’s headliner, and the photo pit must remain unoccupied for self-protection. The pit sluts move right up to the fence so as not to singe their hair, but that doesn’t bother the crowd surfers, who appear as numerous as ever and are joyfully welcomed and escorted to the side. It never gets dangerous, but it does get warm, quite warm, even without the scorching midday sun.
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TRAGEDY closes the festival, performing cover versions of the Bee Gees, ABBA, and other pop and disco greats of the 70s and 80s. It’s funny, even if not everyone can handle the Americans’ humorous touch. Too bad, they’re missing out on the fun.
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And that’s it, the after-festival parties on the campgrounds begin and sometimes last until dawn. After waking up, it’s time to pack up, clean up the rubbish and leave the site on time and in perfect cleanliness. The departure is just as uncomplicated and quick as the arrival, so that after a few minutes we are already on the motorway feeder road heading home.