Now here's the post you've all been waiting for, my review of Wacken 2009!
I only arrived at Thursday noon because our driver couldn't get a day off on Wednesday. We pitched our tents in strong northern German wind, and it took twice or thrice as long as it should have. Then I went to pick up Nush, and we got our access wristbands, Full Metal Bag and whatnot. We wandered around a bit until it was time to see Running Wild on their "Last Show Forever", on the Black Metal Stage. The stage was pretty crowded, and we got a spot somewhere in the back, and decided we won't struggle to stick together but rather enjoy the show and meet at the tent after the next gig.
Running Wild was a bit of a disappointment at first, because the sound was god-awful. All I ever heard were the bass and the drums, and maybe some of the vocals, but only because I knew what they were. I went over to the True Metal Stage because a few friends of mine had secured a spot far up at the front, and surprisingly, Running Wild's sound was miles better through the speakers there. So I watched and enjoyed the rest of the gig from there, seeing mostly what was on the screen but occasionally peeking at the stage. Running Wild turned out to be very good, and they played a lot of their old classics -obviously- and I guess I knew up to two thirds of them.
So, I was at the True Metal Stage to see Heaven and Hell, and although I had a go at the idiots standing behind me during the wait ("The bloke's name is Tony Iommi, not Tommy!"), I was in good spirit. The gig was amazing, and although I seemingly had to stand up against the mass of all the 40,000 (or more) people behind me, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Iommi was strolling across the stage like a king and played like a god, and Dio had total control of the audience with his more-than-divine voice. I didn't catch too much of the other two from where I was standing, though. Things turned ugly during the encore, though, because I was really only busy with the flood of crowd surfers that came in, occasionally having to handle two, and at one point even three, at a time.
The next day, Nush and I got early, to catch Vreid on the Black Stage at 11. Vreid are a Norwegian Black Metal band that we both like very much, and they really destroy on stage. The gig was great, despite some rather strange situations (Singer: "A German battleship got sunk in the Oslo Fjord. One thousand German soldiers died that day." Crowd: "YEAH!!!"). Afterward, we went over to the True Metal Stage to catch UFO, who did not play Doctor Doctor, but were great otherwise. A great band, very entertaining onstage, just not something you'd get going to in the same way as to other bands that played on this weekend.
My memory is a bit hazy now, but we got to see both Nevermore and Gamma Ray, albeit I don't remember the order. They're dealt with quickly, though: We literally fell asleep during Nevermore, and Gamma Ray were good, played all their hits, but we were at the back and were mostly watching them instead of going mental.
There was a break then, and we took a stroll across the medieval market. It was mostly a medieval fair like you get them everywhere, only with more booze and not as family friendly. It was also more Viking-oriented rather than having knights and stuff.
Later then, we went to see Airbourne on the Black Stage, who were amazing. They really rocked the place, and the singer obviously felt that the stage was too small for him, so he kept running down to the audience and at one point actually climbing up the framework, playing a guitar solo and dangling up there unsecured in thirty metres height, just because he could. Great stuff!
Next up were Whiplash, at the W.E.T. Stage, i.e. the tent. Whiplash are an old, old-school thrash metal band hardly anyone knows about. However those that did know about them went rabid. They had played barely two chords when the crowd engaged in what must be the biggest mosh pit in relation to audience size I have ever seen. They were really good.
I believe that was already the point we went to see Motörhead on the True Metal Stage. What can I say, I spent the entire one and a half hours or what headbanging, save for Killed by Death, when a troupe of dancing girls on the stage caught my attention. Lemmy may have met the brontosaurus in person, but he's still got it, and that goes for the rest of the band as well.
We went to the back of the area then and actually wanted to catch Epica from the Party Stage, but instead, everything was drowned out by In Flames on the Black Stage. This was the third time I've seen them, and I've got the feeling they got more boring each time. I know that EVRYBODY LIEKZ TEHM!!!111 but they don't do anything for me, sorry. When they were done, it was time for Doro, again on the True Stage (obviously). It was already way past midnight, and most people were gathering on the Black Stage for the next act, but Doro still rocked, with obviously few surprises but much True Metal (\,,/) feeling. She also appeared to genuinely enjoy it.
And then came Amon Amarth, on the Black Stage. I had really been looking forward to seeing them, but after Motörhead and Doro, I (and Nush) was so outpowered that we only got to the back and watched them from afar. Despite a rather muddy sound, they ripped, and killed and destroyed. What else could you expect from a band that comes onstage on a longboat?
And now it was already three AM, and we fell into the tent, dead but happy.
The next day, we slept in and sadly missed Rage, whom I was looking forward to. The first band that day for us was Testament on the True Metal Stage. I had already seen them at the Judas Priest gig in February. They're a great band, they put on a good show, but somehow they aren't all that special. The next hour or so was spent trying to meet a friend of mine who had insisted to call me, while the loudest band of the festival played in the background - Heaven Shall Burn. They are rubbish though, and I didn't care for them very much.
We then went to the Medieval Market, where Adorned Brood were playing, a tiny folk/medieval metal band who mostly did drinking songs such as Drunken Sailor - good fun.
Nush and I then went back to the tent to prepare for the next gig, and by that I mean having a meeting with Captain Morgan and Boris Jelzin. Believe it or not, but despite all the beer and mead we've been having over the three days, this was the first and only time we got drunk. And the reason was a good one, because we needed that adrenaline for Turisas, who played at the W.E.T. stage. I've never been this mental and rabid during a gig, and I was near-dead afterward. Turisas are a brilliant band, especially live - I've seen them the third time now. It's the sort of band you throw your principles overboard for and join a mosh pit. Or three, in this case.
After they were done, Saxon were playing outside (Princes of the Night - d'oh!) and we caught the last four songs from their gig, before we went to see Korpiklaani as the last band of the festival (for us), and a good closer in any case.
I've been asked whether this was better or worse than last year's festival, and I can't say that. It was different. There were more classic great bands playing, it all seemed bigger, and I was less drunk. It was great, and I'll be there again next year!
Now, a few pictures...
Night time at Wacken.
You might know these two blokes.
Airbourne.
From the Medieval Market.
My favourite pic. This was taken at the Whiplash gig.
I only arrived at Thursday noon because our driver couldn't get a day off on Wednesday. We pitched our tents in strong northern German wind, and it took twice or thrice as long as it should have. Then I went to pick up Nush, and we got our access wristbands, Full Metal Bag and whatnot. We wandered around a bit until it was time to see Running Wild on their "Last Show Forever", on the Black Metal Stage. The stage was pretty crowded, and we got a spot somewhere in the back, and decided we won't struggle to stick together but rather enjoy the show and meet at the tent after the next gig.
Running Wild was a bit of a disappointment at first, because the sound was god-awful. All I ever heard were the bass and the drums, and maybe some of the vocals, but only because I knew what they were. I went over to the True Metal Stage because a few friends of mine had secured a spot far up at the front, and surprisingly, Running Wild's sound was miles better through the speakers there. So I watched and enjoyed the rest of the gig from there, seeing mostly what was on the screen but occasionally peeking at the stage. Running Wild turned out to be very good, and they played a lot of their old classics -obviously- and I guess I knew up to two thirds of them.
So, I was at the True Metal Stage to see Heaven and Hell, and although I had a go at the idiots standing behind me during the wait ("The bloke's name is Tony Iommi, not Tommy!"), I was in good spirit. The gig was amazing, and although I seemingly had to stand up against the mass of all the 40,000 (or more) people behind me, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Iommi was strolling across the stage like a king and played like a god, and Dio had total control of the audience with his more-than-divine voice. I didn't catch too much of the other two from where I was standing, though. Things turned ugly during the encore, though, because I was really only busy with the flood of crowd surfers that came in, occasionally having to handle two, and at one point even three, at a time.
The next day, Nush and I got early, to catch Vreid on the Black Stage at 11. Vreid are a Norwegian Black Metal band that we both like very much, and they really destroy on stage. The gig was great, despite some rather strange situations (Singer: "A German battleship got sunk in the Oslo Fjord. One thousand German soldiers died that day." Crowd: "YEAH!!!"). Afterward, we went over to the True Metal Stage to catch UFO, who did not play Doctor Doctor, but were great otherwise. A great band, very entertaining onstage, just not something you'd get going to in the same way as to other bands that played on this weekend.
My memory is a bit hazy now, but we got to see both Nevermore and Gamma Ray, albeit I don't remember the order. They're dealt with quickly, though: We literally fell asleep during Nevermore, and Gamma Ray were good, played all their hits, but we were at the back and were mostly watching them instead of going mental.
There was a break then, and we took a stroll across the medieval market. It was mostly a medieval fair like you get them everywhere, only with more booze and not as family friendly. It was also more Viking-oriented rather than having knights and stuff.
Later then, we went to see Airbourne on the Black Stage, who were amazing. They really rocked the place, and the singer obviously felt that the stage was too small for him, so he kept running down to the audience and at one point actually climbing up the framework, playing a guitar solo and dangling up there unsecured in thirty metres height, just because he could. Great stuff!
Next up were Whiplash, at the W.E.T. Stage, i.e. the tent. Whiplash are an old, old-school thrash metal band hardly anyone knows about. However those that did know about them went rabid. They had played barely two chords when the crowd engaged in what must be the biggest mosh pit in relation to audience size I have ever seen. They were really good.
I believe that was already the point we went to see Motörhead on the True Metal Stage. What can I say, I spent the entire one and a half hours or what headbanging, save for Killed by Death, when a troupe of dancing girls on the stage caught my attention. Lemmy may have met the brontosaurus in person, but he's still got it, and that goes for the rest of the band as well.
We went to the back of the area then and actually wanted to catch Epica from the Party Stage, but instead, everything was drowned out by In Flames on the Black Stage. This was the third time I've seen them, and I've got the feeling they got more boring each time. I know that EVRYBODY LIEKZ TEHM!!!111 but they don't do anything for me, sorry. When they were done, it was time for Doro, again on the True Stage (obviously). It was already way past midnight, and most people were gathering on the Black Stage for the next act, but Doro still rocked, with obviously few surprises but much True Metal (\,,/) feeling. She also appeared to genuinely enjoy it.
And then came Amon Amarth, on the Black Stage. I had really been looking forward to seeing them, but after Motörhead and Doro, I (and Nush) was so outpowered that we only got to the back and watched them from afar. Despite a rather muddy sound, they ripped, and killed and destroyed. What else could you expect from a band that comes onstage on a longboat?
And now it was already three AM, and we fell into the tent, dead but happy.
The next day, we slept in and sadly missed Rage, whom I was looking forward to. The first band that day for us was Testament on the True Metal Stage. I had already seen them at the Judas Priest gig in February. They're a great band, they put on a good show, but somehow they aren't all that special. The next hour or so was spent trying to meet a friend of mine who had insisted to call me, while the loudest band of the festival played in the background - Heaven Shall Burn. They are rubbish though, and I didn't care for them very much.
We then went to the Medieval Market, where Adorned Brood were playing, a tiny folk/medieval metal band who mostly did drinking songs such as Drunken Sailor - good fun.
Nush and I then went back to the tent to prepare for the next gig, and by that I mean having a meeting with Captain Morgan and Boris Jelzin. Believe it or not, but despite all the beer and mead we've been having over the three days, this was the first and only time we got drunk. And the reason was a good one, because we needed that adrenaline for Turisas, who played at the W.E.T. stage. I've never been this mental and rabid during a gig, and I was near-dead afterward. Turisas are a brilliant band, especially live - I've seen them the third time now. It's the sort of band you throw your principles overboard for and join a mosh pit. Or three, in this case.
After they were done, Saxon were playing outside (Princes of the Night - d'oh!) and we caught the last four songs from their gig, before we went to see Korpiklaani as the last band of the festival (for us), and a good closer in any case.
I've been asked whether this was better or worse than last year's festival, and I can't say that. It was different. There were more classic great bands playing, it all seemed bigger, and I was less drunk. It was great, and I'll be there again next year!
Now, a few pictures...
Night time at Wacken.
You might know these two blokes.
Airbourne.
From the Medieval Market.
My favourite pic. This was taken at the Whiplash gig.
