Kreator - Doro - Sanctuary - Kataklysm - Avatarium - Voivod - Motorjesus - Deserted Fear
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[Psycho] Wow! This kick-off is going to be massive. Unequally fresher and motivated than their Death Metal colleagues yesterday :: DESERTED FEAR :: got into this second festival day. And the crowd honored this effort. I think, it also didn't do any harm that the band's material sounded much better live than on CD.
[Dajana] The Thuringians get pretty much hyped these days. No wonder, they once again proved why. The Amphitheater was pretty packed at this early hour and fans quickly started mosh and circle pits. What I found especially funny was the band's apology to the organizers for killing the mini bar at the hotel and their hope not to pay for that ;)
[BRT] At last year's Party san I found DESERTED FEAR stunning, as support for Morbid Angel later last year I found them frighteningly boring. This time they were good. Kind of undetermined, so to say. Like their new album, Kingdom Of Worms, not outstanding but entertaining. They have not reached the end of the line yet. Though, perfect wake-up call for the arriving metal heads.
[Sui] To open a festival day is always a difficult task, DESERTED FEAR passed with flying colors. They had a good sound and played with much delight. That's the way I like Death Metal. Ok, their song material isn't that phenomenal but reveals potential.
Setlist: Forging Delusions, The Battalion Of Insanities, Kingdom Of Worms, Nocturnal Frags, Wrath On Your Wound, Field Of Death, Mortal Reign, Bury Your Dead
[Dajana] :: MOTORJESUS :: is a band that never fails. Those guys play with an overwhelming delight, highly energetic and only leaving scorched earth. Always. They so kick asses! Never have seen a bad show from them.
[Psycho] due to a massive hungry feeling I only got the last song with the metal-karaoke part in it. But this one was fun.
[BRT] This is a great live band, indeed! Even if their sound isn't really my cup of tea…
[Sui] Rock with balls. MOTORJESUS burned down the Amphitheater. Classic songwriting with real refrains – that's just my cup of tea. And the karaoke part with sing-along refrains of KISS, Judas Priest, AC/DC and Turbonegro set the audience on fire. '
Setlist: Motor Discipline, Trouble In Motor City, Speed Of The Beast, Fuel The Warmachine, Fist Of The Dragon, King Of The Dead End Road, Return Of The Demons, A New War
[Psycho] What a supid time to play for one of the most iconic bands, quasi during the afternoon nap. But :: VOIVOD :: compensated with an extra portion of enthusiasm and a completely re-arranged set (compared to the last tour). So, even die-hard fans got surprised again. And this time the unloved Angel Rat album got considered too. Did they know that our writer BRT would be here? Frontman Snake more and more gains charisma similar to Barney Greenway from Napalm Death. The rest of the band is technically super-tight and makes most complex parts look like an easy task. It can't be any better. And thus I quickly found my personal festival highlight.
[Dajana] Well, it got explained why VOIVOD had such an early slot. However, I had really problems to focus on my photo job. I couldn't stand still. Hardly done I directly went into the mosh pit ;) Their mood and their overwhelming enthusiasm was sooo infecting. Geeez… this was a breathtaking show! A show of awesomeness! But hey, what do I say, I'm just a fan girl ♥
[BRT] And I'm a fan boy :) My highlight of the festival too. And with Tribal Convictions, The Prow and The Unknown Knows they play 3 of my VOIVOD alltime-faves! I say! It was a killer show! VOIVOD are just fucking awesome! Most of all Snake delivered an entertaining show. He pulled faces he deserved an Oscar for. The complete editorial department was blown away. That's saying a lot, right? And they played one new song! Let's hope that we don't have to wait soooo long for a new record.
[Sui] Unbelievable, but true: VOIVOD got the party really started! I actually was devotionally listening. The Canadians play songs you should listen to. And that they played The Prow from the controversial Angel Rat made a stunning show perfect.
Setlist: Tribal Convictions, Ripping Headaches, The Unknown Knows, Order Of The Blackguards, The Prow, Overreaction, We Are Connected, Voivod
[Dajana] Next up is :: AVATARIUM :: I already had the pleasure to see them playing as support of Amorphis. Mastermind Leif Edling once again did not take part. It's said that he can't play live due to health issues and gets temporarily replaced by Anders Iwers since then. I loved them but think, they better work in a club.
[Psycho] It for sure wasn't easy now for the Swedes, especially since they played their best song at the beginning, where they had to struggle through some technical problems. Despite the great vocal performance of Jennie-Ann Smith and a Hammond organ sound within a tolerable limit, the thrill constantly dropped down. Too bad, I expected more.
[BRT] Great band, great album. And yeah, I agree, it surely wasn't the easiest task for AVATARIUM to play after Voivod, but they made it the good way. I'd like to see them again in a club. Here and now with all the sun the atmosphere went down the drain a bit. And hey, Psycho, ye old crabber, soon we gonna lock you in a room with 42 single-handedly played Hammond organs for 24 hrs, handcuffed of course, alright?
[Psycho] I have no choice, I have to learn how to master my mental super powers, otherwise it will end in disaster… ;)
[Sui] Sure, it wasn't easy for them but apart from that their performance left me cold. Basically they did everything right but I missed something and I couldn't say what exactly. As for me the singer had her strongest moments, when she scaled down the pathos of epic Doom Metal and brought some soul into her voice. Visually highlight: the two-voiced Maracas.
Setlist: Moonhorse, Bird Of Prey, All I Want, Deep Well, Pandora's Egg, Avatarium
[Psycho] I actually had no expectations towards :: KATAKLYSM ::, and got overly surprised by the highly energetic performance the Canadians delivered. They had a killing groove and burnt stages. Doing so, limitation in songwriting didn’t carry weight, and so the brand new song didn’t catch ears either…
[Dajana] Yep, it’s similar to the God Dethroned show. Ultra brutal, full of energy, tightly played but… somehow…*yawns*
Setlist: To Reign Again, If I Was God... I'd Burn It All, As I Slither, At The Edge Of The World, Push The Venom, Like Animals, Thy Serpents Tongue, Taking The World By Storm, Let Them Burn, In Shadows & Dust, Crippled & Broken
[Dajana] Next up was :: SANCTUARY :: and… what can I say? I’m sure many fans have seen the show with a bleeding heart due to the really bad performance. Jim Sheppard didn’t show up, dunno why…
[BRT] When it comes to the SANCTUARY show opinions differed a lot and ranged from “great” down to “disaster”. To me the band seemed to be badly rehearsed and Warrel Dane’s singing was mostly off-key. Even my fave track, Future Tense, he completely ruined. Nooo… that was just bullshit. But, as said, there also other opinions…
[Sui] It’s no secret that Warrel Dane meanwhile feels more comfortable in a moderate pitch than on higher pitches as you can hear on the band’s comeback album. That unfortunately means vocal limits to some old classics. And so fears, expressed in the run-up to the festival came true. But I wouldn’t say that the show was sooooo bad, especially since the new material is strong too.
[Psycho] At last year’s Turock Open Air Warrel Dane was still able to cover his vocal problems, at least halfway. Here, at ROCK HARD FESTIVAL, he could not do it anymore. We mostly got an agonized croaking where screams should have pleased us. Instead we got bizarre announcements. But, maybe, he just wanted to match following acts… Much worse was the fact that also the rest of the band acted completely dull. No matter if the new songs are strong… that way the reunion won’t last successfully…
Setlist: Ad Vitam Aeternam, Arise And Purify, Let The Serpent Follow Me, Seasons Of Destruction, Die For My Sins, Battle Angels, Exitium (Anthem Of The Living), Question Existence Fading, Frozen, The Year The Sun Died, Future Tense, Taste Revenge
[Dajana] I actually was really psyched about the announced „Special-Warlock-Set“ of :: DORO ::. And yes, except for Breaking The Law and Evil we got all the classics. She undoubtedly is the Queen of Metal. And she probably will always be. DORO was on fire and made every Warlock song a real pleasure! Oh boy, that was fkg awesome. So many memories were brought back…
[BRT] Um… yeah. I probably wasn’t the only one going to see the show full of prejudice and ready to slate it here. Well, I guess it wasn't meant to happen, was it? Much on the contrary to Sanctuary, DORO’s guys were in best mood and as tight as fuck and DORO herself delivered a 1A show. She was in high spirits, in best shape, full of energy and singing flawlessly. This lady knows how to take the bull by the horns! Just WOW! Respect! I wasn’t expecting that. It was great! Really!
[Sui] I couldn’t do that much with Warlock in the 80s. I found their material quite dowdy back then. But here and now live on stage…. Fkg hell! That was awesome! I actually didn’t have any expectations, except for some embarrassing announcements. Also here she didn’t disappoint us. Just let me say: „Can you hear me auf den Rängen?“ However, the German metal queen proved that also a professional performance only works well when the fan can feel the commitment and hear the passion the music is made of. Fave of the evening was the Judas Priest cover Breaking The Law. It needs guts to play this classic as a ballad. The shocked faces of Judas Priest fans in the audience – priceless! And see - it actually worked. DORO legitimated her position as co-headliner to 120%! [
Psycho] Can only agree. My expectations = 0. Degree of fulfillment – beyond good and evil. The band = top! And delight in play = maximum. Additionally, DORO’s voice is still strong and great and I have hardly seen a frontman/lady that works the crowd so constantly to encourage them doing stuff. She truly works for her money. Besides, you can say what you want about DORO, she’s really an original and her dedication for Heavy Metal is real. Even if you need to laugh at the same time…
Setlist: Touch Of Evil, I Rule The Ruins, Burning The Witches, Metal Racer, East Meets West, Hellbound, True As Steel, Für Immer, Evil, Revenge, Breaking The Law, All We Are // Out Of Control, Earthshaker Rock
[BRT] Duh! :: KREATOR :: were hellish loud and pretty overdriven. They kicked off furiously, just to decline strongly afterwards. Nope, KREATOR couldn’t make it tonight. Or they were too slick tonight, compared with earlier shows. Mille’s goofy announcements were kept within a limit too. Okay, okay, stage settings were pretty cool but the performance was lacking of fierceness, roughness and unpredictability.
[Dajana] And though they wracked and ruined the Amphitheater and Gelsenkirchen. Total destruction. That’s the end! *laugh* The wall of death however was rather… twee. But the pit security their hands full. Crowdsurfers were tumbling in dozens into the pit. There was a lot of fire, glitter and Co2 jets, but to be honest, it didn’t electrify me. Maybe I have seen them to often lately. Maybe their shows are too similar to each other, even their setlists… Did someone say “unpredictable”? Yes, that would be great again…
[Psycho] Ah, finally, my opinion differs from the rest: because I think the KREATOR show was great! To me, KREATOR have consequently worked on the weak points of the last shows and almost eliminated them completely. Yes, sure, Mille’s announcements are embarrassing, but cult though. Therefore he uses them less but more purposive. The other announcements got replaced by smooth transitions, keeping up a highly aggressive level. Technically, KREATOR are one of the best Thrash bands around anyway and meanwhile deal with their back-catalogue more self-confident. And the awesome stage setting completed the overall impression. If they still improve… I get scared.
Setlist: Choir Of The Damned, Enemy Of God, Terrible Certainty, Phobia, Awakening Of The Gods, Endless Pain, Warcurse, Mars Mantra, Phantom Antichrist, From Flood Into Fire, Extreme Aggression, Suicide Terrorist, Black Sunrise, Hordes Of Chaos (A Necrologue For The Elite), Renewal, Civilization Collapse // The Patriarch, Violent Revolution, Pleasure To Kill // Acoustic Guitar Intro, United In Hate, Flag Of Hate, Betrayer
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