To be honest I think band packages with more then 3 bands are too much for one night. Often the shows have to start very early and fans miss the opening act which isn't fair to the band. This package was like a Wacken preview, coz all bands expect Susperia will play at this years Wacken open-air!
Anyway, when Susperia entered the stage the Live Music Hall was filled with about 300 fans. It seems that they liked what they see... I don't really know their music and it's not my cup of tea, so I don't want to judge them.
A little later the Italian sextet entered the stage. Tonight with their stage outfit! The guys wear kind of robes which make them look like preachers, just the white collar was missing. As counterpart singer Cristina Scabbia was dressed in a dark red velvet top and long skirt. The band played a different set than on the tour with Theatre Of Tragedy and they had only 30 min.! Most songs they played were from their new album Unleashed Memories which incl. tracks like To Live Is To Hide and When A Dead Man Walks. A well chosen set list for this package tour!
Even if I missed some of their more emotional tunes like Falling Again... They caught the interest of the fans, not just because of the good looking frontlady! Cristina proofed that she's in the band, coz she can sing! Please come back and play same small clubs as headliners!
Next on stage the Seattle metalheads of Nevermore. They just been on tour with Annihilator where they were co-headliner and could present much more than 40 min.!
Warrel Dane and his mates also decide to concentrate on new material and on some harder tracks. But that's okay, coz Dead Heart In A Dead World is a fantastic album! Opening with Narcosynthesis like they did at the Annihilator tour. During the short set they also presented Inside four Walls, Evolution 169, Believe In Nothing (see the video clip on TV or www.centurymedia.com), The River Dragon and their cover version of Simon & Garfunkel's The Sound Of Silence. Another reason for the selection of this songs was that a few days later German TV was recording (only) Nevermore for a TV thriller which will be aired on September, 9th at prime time! Tatort (German word for crime scene) is a crime telecast which plays in different German cities and is on air monthly for more than 20 years! Not bad for a metal band!
Next in line were the Swedish In Flames. Singer Anders Fridén was the colorful spot on center stage... All dressed in red! As a photographer I liked it, coz black clothes in front of a black stage background is pretty boring on photos! Okay, back to the stage set of the burning Swedish. It wasn't easy to go on stage after the energetic show of Nevermore, but they made the fans party with them. The set list incl. Bullet Ride and Only For the weak and with Satellites And Astronauts from their album Clayman they played a slower tune which they haven't ply on their last European trip. Some welcome the slower song to chill a little, others would have missed it.... I think the song fitted into the set and gave the fans a moment to cool down a little... The sympathetic Swedish band speed up again and with Colony and the last track Pinball Map they finished their show. Don't miss them at Wacken open-air!
Last, but not least the Norwegian black metal superstars Dimmu Borgir, who started with Relinquishment Of Spirit And Flesh. It's been awhile since I saw them and again the band offered a perfect show, but.... The perfectionism is what makes their show cold and sterile. Singer Vortex sounded emotional and added a majestic touch to the music.
The band offered a tight set which presented songs from their currant release Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia. The new guitarist Galder who's stage acting was affected and my first impression of him makes him not very sympathetic... Maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, they also played some tunes from the older releases like The Insight And The Catharsis, Reptile and Tormentor Of Christian Souls.
A decent show, but many fans already left the venue during the last third of the set, tired and exhausted. Due to the fine weather they stayed at the venues beer garden and listened to the rest of the set. While Dimmu Borgir were still playing, the guys of Lacuna Coil and also of Nevermore came to the beer garden and so some fans had the chance to talk to them.
A good package which presented the different shades of metal and it's good to see that the fans of different metal genres can celebrate this together. To quote Overkill: "In Union We Stand!"