Machine Head, Trivium, Dragonforce, Arch Enemy, Shadows Fall - The Black Crusade
Oh boy, all those big bands sharing the stage on one evening, thats always a thing which sounds really cool, but can turn out in a disappointment. The opening bands just have too little time to play, when you think of all those other great songs which you wanted to hear. Also the sound quality isnt always optimal so most of the times these shows just function as a way to present the band to an audience who do not know them yet. Nevertheless its always a fun party during these shows and everybodys totally stoked and drunk when the headliner begins, just the way we like it!Shadows Fall
Shadows Fall was the first band to enter the stage of a not even half filled Heineken Music
Hall. Not weird on this early hour, but it made it a very typical gig for me. A decent but nothing-special metal band, a big platform, some enthusiastic kids in front of the stage but for the biggest part of the audience not an interesting show. A comment from Fair about Shadows Fall not being an emo crap band that cancel shows because he performed with pain in his throat I found very deplorable, even more when they played an emo part with clean vocals not so long after. I can further on mention that the sound mix was okay, but I wouldnt mind if the volume was turned up a bit more. I however guess that that just comes with being a supporting program. You just cant outshine all the bands to come. [Mindsaver]
Arch Enemy had only somewhat like an half an hour for their set and it lasted eventually even shorter because they started later than planned. Therefore they chose to play their killer songs and their just released record Rise of the Tyrant was merely represented with one song, Blood on Your Hands, which was the opening song. Especially during this opening the sound was not very strong; it was like Arch Enemy was playing a mile away! So Arch Enemy didnt really make a big impact, but the other hit songs Nemesis, My Apocalypse and finisher We Will Rise were still cool to see. However, this was absolutely not a show for the true Arch Enemy fans. People who didnt know them yet (are there any?!) had a slight sniff of what this band is capable of. [Sledgehammer]
Dragonforce
As a variation on this mostly modern/(neo-)thrash influenced metal tour we were treated with a performance of power metallers Dragonforce. I already saw this multi-nationality band (based in the UK) on this years Fields Of Rock and although power metal is totally not my genre, I watched a couple of songs to see whats hot in metal nowadays. So this time I was well prepared for what was coming and despite that Im used to some fast noise, 45 minutes of Dragonforce really are too much for me! These fidilidiiii-solos just go on and on and really make me crazy, as they did with the people surrounding me. Im happy that these guys dont take themselves too seriously since theyre all continuously jumping around (I didnt see a trampoline that tended to be on stage) but the fun-aspect makes it likable for a while, but truly respect for those who can really stand this for a whole show. [Mindsaver]
TriviumTonight it was the fourth time for me to witness a Trivium-show. The first show I saw was really great, the second was very disappointing and the third time I saw them was decent. Tonight they did a great job as the co-headliner of this tour. They played a set with songs from every album and they did their best to play different songs than the last time they played in Holland. Besides tracks as 'Rain', 'A Gunshot To The Head Of Trepidation' and 'Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr' they played 'Anthem (We Are The Fire)', To The Rats and there recent single 'Becoming The Dragon'. The tracks from their latest album The Crusade were played a bit heavier than on the record, because mostly screams were used as backing vocals instead of the clean vocals present on the record. The show was very tight and especially the great interaction between the vocals (and the guitar playing) of Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu is worth mentioning. [Gilles]
Machine Head
Then, finally the time was there. It was quite a wait before it finally was Machine Heads turn to get on the stage. All the four preceding bands were of course of great quality too, but they mainly served to drink some beers and some more till youre totally drunk to fucking destroy the place during the climax of the night. And that was exactly what happened when Machine Head let us hear the first notes of Clenching The Fists Of Dissent. In contrast to the other bands playing tonight there was fortunately little to complain about the sound, what one of course can expect of the headliner, but what isnt always self-evident. So everything was there to build a big party: a good sound, a Machine Head back in excellent shape, fans which were stoked for this for a long time and of course the beer. The emphasis in the setlist was on the last two records. Also the golden oldies like Old were played and there was little room for the more nu-metal-ish records that were released in the middle of their career. Just as I had expected and hoped, but it was a big letdown that the show just lasted 70 minutes. The performance of Machine Head tonight was sublime, but the short set and the obvious ending with Davidian, without giving an encore, prevented that it became a real memorable night. [Sledgehammer]
.: Reactions
You have to login to react, click here to login or create a new account| Boek on Friday December 21st 2007 17:31 |  |
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| All in all I don't have the feeling I missed that much...good! :) |
| Buzzin Hornet on Friday December 28th 2007 13:29 |  |
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| Machine Head kicked ass! First two band played way too short and the rest was fun. |
