The “Fate of Chaos Tour” had come to Edmonton like clockwork, bring along DevilDriver, Cancer Bats, and Legacy of Disorder as well as the intergalactic space mutants GWAR. It always amazing me the crowd that comes out of to see GWAR, it’s a strange mixture of crust punks, your stereotypical redneck trailer trash, idiotic rig workers that just want to smash something, sprinkled with your normal metal audience that are here to see politicians and celebrities get dismember on stage. I didn’t get to see the entire Legacy of Disorder set, but from what I saw and heard it seems as if they had just gotten a shipment of Pantera albums in New Zealand and had decided to try and form a cover band of sorts. They were not great, but I only had to endure them for maybe ten minutes.

The Cancer Bats have been around for years, being a Canadian bands we have probably seem them open up on tours at least ten times. Its unfortunate that they never really took off outside of the hardcore community, they put on a great live show and try really hard but their lack of variety really gets tiresome. The only bright part of their set was they announced they would be playing a Beastie Boys cover. At least they were better than the next band up: DevilDriver. I have never understood why people love this band, either way they went on stage, played the same song for 45 minutes except for the 30-second interruption that featured vocalist Dez Fafara having a complete melt down on stage and screaming at the sound guy to make this sound better. It was the closest thing that I have ever seen that even comes close to a Dave Mustaine freak-out. It really isn’t surprising, as watching the band move around on stage it seemed as if everyone else in the band was scared to even come near him, almost as if they had an invisible box that they were forced to stay within. The eventually stopped playing, and the stage was transformed into an area where GWAR would take on their fiercest enemy.

GWAR always put on an amazing live show, but it was this year that I really noticed how far their props, and costumes had developed, from the brand new stilts that Balsac wore on stage or how when Hitler’s face was ripped off his tongue still dangled there spraying blood and puss. Its weird, but a GWAR show is always the same: they fight something (in this case it was God, Jesus, Hitler, and Super-Bionic-Jesus), spray blood all over everything, all while playing a wide variety of music from over their entire career. The band even played “Have You Seen Me” which is essentially a jazz song which I recommend you check out if you have no idea what I am talking about. Overall GWAR is a great band that I look forward to seeing when the come to town, it doesn’t matter if you want to go crazy and get drenched in blood and have your skin died red for a few days or just stand back and watch how space aliens can take over an audience.

[Show as slideshow]

This is the press release Nightwish issues on October 1, 2012:

A clip from her first show with the band can be seen below:

Death Angel started off the night, and quickly rifled through 30 minute set. I have seen Death Angel a few times in the past; with the latest over a year ago on the 2011 70000 Tons of Metal cruise. This performance was quite a change from on the boat; maybe it was the open water on the cruise that made them seem boring. I personally would have loved to have seen Testament and Anthrax bring along one of the “new generation” of thrash metal right now such as Holy Grail or Bonded by Blood as an opening act, but either way Death Angel were a solid opening band.

Testament always put on great performance, this was our third time seeing the band I the past six weeks. I just can’t get over how good Gene Hoglan playing drums for the band sounds; he is literally a machine back there. I didn’t realize that Chuck Billy was also a giant of a man, he has to be at least six foot six or taller; however he still moves around stage like an eighteen-year-old kid! I was shocked that the place was only half full before Testament went on stage, however after playing a selection of new material, and older music the band left the stage and the venue completely filled up. I found it strange because the band had been to Edmonton a couple years ago and completely sold out a 5000 person venue, however there was maybe 600 people watching their set this year.

After a quick set change, the Anthrax banner was raised and Scott Ian led the way onstage for Anthrax. It’s hard to believe that not only has Anthrax been around since 1981, but that they have aged quite well for being in a full-time tour band. They quickly pounded through Fight ‘Em, Caught in a Mosh, and Antisocial. The set also included Deathrider, which most people over thirty were quick thrilled about. With a combination of newer music, as well as older songs the band was able to play thirty years of music without losing a beat in just over 90 minutes. I’d have to say that this was one of the best concerts I have been to in 2012, and advised anyone that is close to one of the stops on this tour to check it out.

Make sure you take a look at photos from Testament, and Death Angel in our Photo Gallery section as well!

[Show as slideshow]

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Info:

In it’s 5th year, Rock in Rip has quickly become one of the world’s largest music festivals. Brazilian residents are able to purchase tickets on October 30 with a pre-sale beginning October 23. International fans however will have to wait until April 2013 to get tickets.

Line-up:

Alice in Chains

Avenged Sevenfold

Ben Harper

Iron Maiden

Ivan Lins + George Benson

Metallica

Muse

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Sepultura with Les Tambours Du Bronx

Here is a photo of the set-list from that night:

Overall their performance was great, sure everyone has aged and the members have gone on to form other bands and do different style of music, however after playing through a solid 60 minute set it felt like I have in high school again. I mean, I had never seen the band before and never thought I ever would; maybe it was me being nostalgic but unlike other “reunion tours” it seems as if the band was just as passionate about their music as the day the songs were written. I was definitely excited to see the band, however only time will tell if this is a one off thing, or if they will get back together full-time and record another album. The musical landscape has changed since Refused pulled the plug in 1998, and their influence can be found is every hardcore and metal band since then, however I hope that this is a one-off thing because Refused are fucking dead.

[Show as slideshow]

Metallica can definitely still bring it, sure they had that period of time during the 90′s where things weren’t all that great and they put out some less than questionable albums. However, once Robert Trujillo was added to the band things have come round circle, they even brought out a custom built stage with two small snake-pits, a homage to their ’92-’93 tours which features they sections of the stage. This was by far the biggest stage I have even seen at an indoor festival, it spanned the entire length of the floor and took up almost 80% of an NHL sized  ice surface which ment there were very limited amount of floor tickets available to the public. Being a fan-club ember of a band has its benefits, some are better than other but I have to say being a MetClub member not only allowed me to purchase these sought after floor tickets, but also gives you an immense amount of custom content.

[Show as slideshow]

Both back-to-back Friday and Saturday night shows featured the same set list, the only difference was that the band started filming their 3D move on the saturday night which seemed to energize the band even more. It was either that, or the band knew what to expect from a great Canadian audience, because Kirk, James, and Rob were all running around the stage, trying to engage the entire audience in the arena for the entire two hour set. The best part about Metallica is that they know people don’t want to here that Lulu album, or anything from St Anger. The set included Creeping Death, One, Ride the Lightning, Battery, Master of Muppets, and Seek & Destroy, the only questionable songs I thought they played was Fuel, and Wherever I May Roam, but we won’t get into that.
Overall things were great, not only did Metallica play a solid set but the stage show was ridiculous; I heard afterwards that stage and lighting took up 34 semi trucks, while the entire Metallica crew tour in 14 tour buses. There are only a handful of bands in the world right now that can get away with this type of stage and live performance, yet Metallica are the only ones that actually do it. The concert ended in quite an unconventional way; lighting caught on fire, a crew member was lit on fire with a stray pyro effect, and the part of the stage fell apart; yet it was all part of the show. Take a look at this spectacle from the barrier below!

Make sure to see the entire gallery of images in the Concert Gallery section of the site!

Now if I had of written this on the Sunday after Wacken my feelings would have been more towards hate than the nostalgic loathing I feel now. Seeing old friends and making new ones is definitely the most enjoyable part of a metal gathering like Wacken. However, living in 6 inches of mud for 4 days can be trying especially when the festival site is so large I found myself not even attempting the epic treck to the smaller stages to catch every band I had planned on seeing.

Despite the atrocious weather, Wacken has simply gotten too large. There is something magical about 70 thousand or so metal heads converging on the same spot but a half an hour hike from your tent to the main stage isn’t quite as alluring.

If I were able to rage for the weekend and go home to my goat ranch in Northern Germany for a warm shower, Wacken may have been a great time. For a backpacker with a week left in Europe, having all your belongings covered in mud isn’t the most appealing thought. Plus the smell; the atrocious mud mixed with piss and beer stench that coats the festival grounds and everything entering it is a scent I unfortunately will never forget. Bottom line: Wacken one of those bucket list experiences but I probably wont go back unless the lineup is absolutely insane.

Dinkelsbuehl, Germany

Info:

For the seventh time in the festival’s 16 year historySummer Breeze will take place in Dinkelsbuehl, Germanyover three days on the airfield of the Aeroclub Dinkelsbuehl between Sinbronn and Illenschwang.

Line-up:

Agnostic Front

Alestorm

Benediction

Dark Funeral

Ensiferum

In Flames

Knorkator

Neaera

Powerwolf

Catton Hall in Walton On Trent, Derbyshire, England

Info:

Bloodstock has been rocking England since 2005 and will feature the first ever UK festival performance and only UK appearance in 2013 from King Diamond who just ended a 6 year hiatus.

Line-up:

Accept

Amorphis

Anthrax

Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia

Devildriver

Ex Deo

Firewind

Fozzy

Kataklysm

King Diamond

Lamb Of God

Municipal Waste

Slayer