DAY2
Purified in Blood
The 2nd band of the day on the main stage was also quite a young one from Stavanger, Norway, so more or less locals. They just had a new album out and they were eager to promote the heavy music they have put together, but without forgetting their older stuff. There was an impressive number of musicians on stage: 2 singers, 2 guitarists, 1 bassist, 1 keyboard, 1 drummer, so it was rather difficult to watch the entire show since everyone of them was having a great time on stage. They play an extreme metal with punk bits in it and it was a very good wake up concert after the previous rainy day.
Amon Amarth
It was the concert with the funniest sound check I heard, as the guy was saying in the microphone that cookies are good, topless is better. And it got way better with the melodic death metal from the Swedes who sang viking themed songs for the vikings in Norway. You could see people in the crowd with helms or with swords, swinging them in the air on the rhythms of famous songs about Norse Gods. There was not the right time for a viking ship on stage, unfortunately, but this didn’t make the show less interesting. The singer, Johan Hegg was in a great mood and his voice was incredibly powerful, delivering one great tune after another.
Over the Rainbow
This is a recreation of the classic Rainbow, featuring Joe Lynn Turner, Paul Morris, Greg Smith and Bobby Rondinelli with Jürgen Blackmore, Ritchie Blackmore’s son, on guitar. Their setlist consists of Rainbow songs as the band came to live after many requests that Rainbow should reunite. It was cool to see the old guys on stage, despite the lack of any kind of show. Also nice to get the chance to sing along their famous tunes, like Man on the silver mountain.
Immortal
Time for fast drumming, spikes, leather and mean painted faces on the main stage. The black metal trio did a good show altogether, getting plenty of horns from the crowd up in the air, especially for the great riffs that could be heard during their evil songs. Abbath and the rest had a dynamic stage presence and I’d say their show was the most energic on the main stage that day.
Kamelot
The Americans performance of power-symphonic-progressive metal was really nice to see for a change in the blend of hard, heavy, death black metal until now. The singer had a good stage appearance in his black stylish cape and he sand every note with passion. There was a lady doing back vocals but they placed her back, next to the drums, so she didn’t get the deserved attention for her great voice. Their show did not miss flames coming out from the stage, but with or without them it was a damn good concert with good mood from the artists and great musical skills.
Slash
I already saw this concert at 2 other festivals more or less with the same playlist. But I still haven’t got bored by Myles Kennedy’s amazing voice and how good he performs old Guns’n’roses songs. Everyone I spoke with agreed he is better than Axl and the crowd was very excited on tunes such as Civil War, Sweet child of mine or Paradise city. Let’s not forget the guitar solos of Slash himself that proved once again why he’s so famous. Together with his black long hat. Super ending of the day on the main stage and I was way too tired to check the last band in the tent, Backstreet girls.
