Images and words by Mark Gromen

Find it difficult to believe I've been privileged enough to attend the Bang Your Head!!! festival for the last twelve years, uninterrupted. Even after all those trips, all variations on the same theme: two days on a single, outdoor stage and a prelude in a small nearby hall, it's not difficult to come up with superlatives for what remains my favorite Euro-fest. Not as massive as Wacken, Download or Sonisphere, but no little gathering either, attendance at BYH, as it's oft abbreviated, varies between 15 and 25 thousand. Even though all the bands play the same stage, changeovers are usually 10 to 15 minutes (virtually unheard of for international touring acts), although it 'balloons' to just over a half hour for the evening's headliners. Barely enough time to get through the beer line at most North American concerts. Thankfully the bier gartens are well manned, but the general public must purchase tokens (bons) rather than forking out cash directly to the variety of food and drink vendors that ring the public grounds in the city of Balingen.

Like '10, the Thursday warm-up show (addition entrance fee required: 30 Euro) was themed, a night dedicated to the musical heritage of one nation. Last year it was England, this time, the host country, featuring long running Bremen area metallers ETERNAL REIGN, hotly touted Sunset Strip inspired youngsters KISSING DYNAMITE, favorites BRAINSTORM and the legendary AXEL RUDI PELL, who possesses a Grateful Dead like status in Germany: fans dedicated solely to him, traveling the countryside from show to show. Maybe one day he might actually play our continent, somewhere!

Right at 8pm, ETERNAL REIGN hit the stage, opening with 'Perfect Crime'. Even though the doors had opened an hour earlier, the poor workers at the bonkasse saw almost as many late arrivals waiting to buy beer tickets as were watching the decade old quality band onstage. 'Nightstalker', 'Dregs Of Society' and the piercing vocal introduced 'Shadows Of The Past' followed. Singer Dirk Stuhmer sort of looks like a younger Steve Grimmett (Grim Reaper/Lionheart), then again, maybe it's just the haircut. Speaking of which most of the band could do with a sponsorship from the Hair Club For Men, bald or hiding behind bandanas. Doesn't effect the music though, as the closing 'Inner Strength' and a cover of Dio's 'Stand Up In Shout' (where the audience not only paid attention, but joined in the chorus) prove. Yet another hard working Deutsche band that far too few have heard.

KISSIN' DYNAMITE, where do I begin? Deep-throating TNT (or a different orifice the 2nd guitarist kept thrusting towards the singer) would be better to achieve maximum effect. OK, some nationalities do things better than others. Seen any Indian crotch rockers lately? (If so, keep it to yourself, please!) And no one can fault a legacy of Running Wild, Grave Digger, Doro, Blind Guardian, so Germans got traditional/power metal covered (see Eternal Reign, above). Then again, despite Bay Area titans, who can argue with Kreator, Destruction, Sodom, Tankard, etc? But when it comes to pretty boy/glam rock, no one does sleazy like the Americans. Sorry Kissers! What happened to the AC/DC style of your Addicted To Metal album? From the pompous 2001 theme intro, to the shirtless and motorcycle jacket style, with hair stacked as high as the 80s, twirling mic stands and spinning musicians, come back Pepsi Tate, all is forgiven. They borrow Mötley Crüe rhythms, as the bleach blonde singer tries to be Poison's Bret Michaels (circa Look What The Cat Dragged In), yet only manages to be a Pretty Boy Floyd clone of a clone. 'Metal Nation' was OK, but come on, a cowboy hat? After giving this train wreck about three songs, the rubberneckers went to the bathroom, grabbed a beer and/or a smoke, ran to the hills (take your pick). Titles aren't as important as 'Derivative #1', 'Derivative#2", etc. although given the over-modulated yelps, mimes and trivial regurgitation, 'Hysteria' should probably be re-titled 'Hysterical'! 'Steel Of Swabia', replace steel with "embarrassment" and you might have something. This is the kind of attitude over ability that I sometimes laud, from bands like Steelwing or Armory, but there the music remains the primary focus. Tribute bands are all well and good (even enjoyable), if billed as such, but to get a contract and then playing Skid Row? Change the line to "We are the youth without any original ideas" and I'm all for it! My experiment in endurance ended with 'Supersonic Killer', although I fear this diatribe will win them some interest, pure on the "it can't be that bad" angle.

Thankfully, the rest of the night proved infinitely more enjoyable, as I switched from reviewer mode to out and out fandom. First up, BRAINSTORM, with just one of three summer dates prior to unleashing their new On Spur Of The Moment album. 'Falling Spiral Down' started a house of fire, this being the band's home area and absent from the world's stages for far too long. Andy B. Franck was smiling throughout the night, often kneeling right in front of the crowd. 'World Is Comin Through', although still early in the set saw the band drenched in sweat, under the hot lights and sold out (3,500 or so packed into the hall). Newbie 'Temple Of Stone' is a beefy, mid-tempo stomp, instantly recognizable as Brainstorm.

You want to know what German metal means in 2011? Scorpions were 30-plus years ago. Today it's AXEL RUDI PELL, albeit fronted by American singer Johnny Gioeli, still one of the most under appreciated voices in all of music. Somehow metal fans are OK with this band's cult status. Emotion is the name of the game, from uptempo anthems to cool, almost jazzy guitar solos. ARP has it all. Of course some of the big sellers go back a few years: 'Fool Fool', 'Mystica', while 'Tales Of The Crown' and 'Dreaming Dead' slots in nicely amongst the elderly gems. BYH promoter Horst Odermatt is a huge fan, seated in the photo pit, trying to get as close to the band as he could.

Friday, July 15th

Try as they might international air travel tends to snag some bands and while the lone cancellation, Sweden's Crashdïët (who I'll see at Wacken) was announced prior to setting foot in Balingen, organizers did have to slightly alter the line-up, both days. The Swedes absence was a good thing in my book, as it allowed PORTRAIT to take the stage at 10:50 in the morning, rather than open proceedings, an hour earlier. Sporting a new vocalist, the band still plies a sound reminiscent of classic Merciful Fate. Only question was, could Per Karlsson pull it off live. The guys were decked in their best metal finery, leather pants/vests, bullet belts, shirtless, ie. the Manowar seal of approval! While the drummer sat behind a small vintage, single kick drum kit, the riser was lined with "human" skulls. Near the rack toms, a jaw of an animal skull slackened, opening wider as the set progressed. The material was exclusively from their sophomore effort (and chronological to boot), Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae, out now via Metal Blade. They took the stage instrumentally, opening with 'Beast Of Fire before Karlsson entered and delivered his best King Diamond wail. It was on! 'Bloodbath' saw 3/5 of the band on the catwalk that juts into the audience. 'Darkness Forever', 'The Nightcomers' and a closing 'The Passion' convinced me. The guys also hung around the festival for the next two days (something unusual, especially for an act going on so early in the roster), getting their dose of metal too. Hopefully Metal Blade will get them on an overseas tour (ie. here).

In the little things come in small packages category, check out CRYTSAL VIPER frontwoman Marta Gabriel, aka Leather Wych. I had no idea she was so diminutive. She's also backing guitarist, although the unwieldy instrument encompasses 3/4 of her entire length! The mic stand just be collapsed enough to prevent her from having to sing uphill, ala Lemmy. Tethered to the mic, it didn't hamper frontwoman responsibilities, occasionally venturing to the crowd. 'Man Of Stone' was a good start. 'Agents Of Steel' (an Agent Steel cover tune) was too early in the set, and why announce it as someone else's song. You've recorded it, people can find it (if they want) and those in the know already have the historical perspective. A drum solo on top of that, less than three songs into the set, proves the Poles need some lessons in major league pacing. I did enjoy their stop action respite, each member frozen in time (especially evident with the drummer, mid-cymbal strike), but have no idea how this bar gimmick played out beyond the first twenty rows. It picked up nicely from there though: 'Metal Nation', 'Shadows On The Horizon' and the finale from the debut.

STORMWARRIOR are the style of German metal that rarely tours North America, many of the older purveyors not willing to slug it out in the clubs. As a younger, relatively new band, at least to most ears on these shores, the band is willing to give it a try. Hopefully some promoter/agent will step up to the plate. They opened with 'Heathen Warrior', from the new album of the same name. While stuck in the photo pit I was struck by how much classic Running Wild is in that tune and sure enough Lars Ramcke's gold on black privateer jacket recalled a classic Rock N Rolf get-up. Bassist Yenz Leonhardt offers a greater backing vocal role these days, particularly on the likes of 'Fyre & Ice', 'Valhalla', 'Heading Northe' and 'Ravenheart'. Simple, upbeat metal anthems, one and all. Given the limitation of a festival set, they ended with a medley, touching on half a dozen others they'd not had time to play. Check 'em out if you're not already a fan.

As good as the day had been thus far, the big boys were just getting started. First up, the rejuvenated CRIMSON GLORY. While I had attended the first show with Todd La Torre, they'd played around Europe earlier this Spring, so I was anxious to see how things progressed. WOW! What a start, 'Mayday', 'Valhalla' and 'Dragon Lady'. Who wrote out this setlist? Me? They continued to run through the debut, 'Azrael', accompanied by that tolling bell and 'Queen Of The Masquerade. Want a sample of classic twin leads, how about the amazingly crystal clear synchronization of Ben Jackson and Jon Drenning (who pulled out all the guitar god poses for the throng of cameramen) on 'Where Dragons Rule'. Proceeding further into Transcendence, they offered 'Masque Of The Red Death', 'In Dark Places' and finished with a scorching rendition of 'Red Sharks', although they were due to get with 'Eternal World', but ran out of time. Even the band seemed happy with their performance. Regardless, there can't be any detractors left in Germany after this sow! Now let's get in the studio and see what you can come up with Jon.

For much of the last decade, DEATH ANGEL have come to Balingen and slayed. In fact, it was one of those appearances that planted the seed for me to ask them to play the BW&BK; 6-Pack Weekend. OK, they were teens when they started, not old enough to drink (which they make up for now. Hope you enjoyed the shot, Mark), but even now there's more energy onstage than bands half their age. Talk about delivering the goods! Mark Osegueda's knee-length dredlocks flopping around as he jumps off the drum riser during 'Mistress Of Pain'. A howling 'Seemingly Endless Time' also goes down well, but still a bit confused about why they felt it necessary for the 'Heaven & Hell' cover. Rumor has them out on tour with several other big name contemporaries this fall. Hope the others know what they're up against.

Speaking of which, OVERKILL is slated to be on that tour and if like BYH they bring their A Game, few can touch these thrash veterans. Opening with 'Green & Black', it was then right into the back catalog, with 'Rotten To The Core' and 'Wrecking Crew', undoubtedly whipping up a thirst in the suddenly HUGE crowd! Now short haired and completely shorn of the lengthy, banded ponytail, DD Verni has become one of his heroes, Mark "The Animal" Mendoza (Twisted Sister), accented by shades and the stoic poses. 'Ironbound' was the final stop in Newville, before running through 'Hello From The Gutter', 'Skullcrusher', 'Old School', 'Elimination', in its entirety, by itself, before leaving the stage. True, it was one of the shortest offstage sojourns, but virtually from the minute Bobby Blitz Ellsworth mockingly said good night, the middle fingers were flying aloft. Such a greeting might be off-putting, but the Kill returned for a rousing 'Fuck You', which didn't sate this crowd's appetite, but would have to do for now.

Blitz' crew had the green and black, now it was time for some Norwegian black and white, as in corpsepaint, courtesy of IMMORTAL. Over the last couple of years, the festival has expanded the roster of extreme acts, once virtually unknown beyond an annual token death metal performer (and usually a lineage entity at that). After an appropriately majestic intro, they opened with 'All Shall Fall'. Good to see so many others enjoy the sounds and humor of Abbath, ably backed by longtime gentle giant of a drummer, Horgh. The frontman/guitarist mugged for the camera and prior to 'Sons Of Northern Darkness', as the clock ticked towards 9pm, he jested, "What is the sun doing still out?" Darkness works better at night, but apart from some electronic crackling when the band was dormant, there were few, if any, complaints about the Immortal set, which incorporated blasts of pyro. Had to edit 'Rise Of Darkness' to fit everything into the tight festival timetable, but then it was on to 'Damned In Black' and 'Hordes Of War'. The second half of the show was all killer: 'Call Of The Winter Moon', In My Kingdom Cold', 'Tyrants', 'One By One' and the closing 'The Sun No Longer Rises', ironic given the statement earlier in the evening, yet it would not truly set until sometime later. Finished, the "masked" trio ran down the gangplank backstage, where I was listening to the final strains and talking with Demonaz. A van waited at the end of the walkway. A quick hello (goodbye?) and a goofy photo for a fan and they were gone, like Kiss in their heyday, whisked back to the hotel to get rid of the make-up.

First night in NYC, the audio recording in Cleveland and now the DVD filming at BYH, all total I've seen six ACCEPT shows, in three countries, on this tour. All with second guitarist Herman Frank intact! Similar to the North American dates, the setlist was tailored for a DVD (ie. universal tastes), with the opening new duo of 'Teutonic Terror' and 'Bucketful Of Hate' followed by a returned to an old school 'Starlight' and 'Breaker', and almost immediately thereafter, 'Restless & Wild'. Under a full moon on an otherwise starless night, I watched a couple of tracks with Jagger, from Heavy magazine, who also books the talent for BYH. He introduced me to Gabby Hoffman. Watching her husband and band she made famous, she still gets excited, the diminutive watchdog paying attention to the live details while she talked about my previous coverage of the band (told you she was on top of things!). At one point I ducked into the hall next dor, to check out ASPHYX, but they were running a little late, so only stayed to shoot a few pictures, then return to the headliners. 'Bulletproof' and 'Losers & Winners' preceded 'Aiming High', which saw new (is that still appropriate?) vocalist Mark Tornillo on the catwalk, separated from the rest of the band. Unlike the smaller staged club shows, Tornillo was forced to truly front the band on this massive festival stage, unable to simply interact with mainstays Hoffman and bassist Peter Baltes. Speaking of the virtually ageless four-stringer, 'Princess Of The Dawn' gave him a moment in the spotlight, able to show off a little. The crowd spontaneously broke into the "whoa, whoa" chorus at the appropriate time. 'Up To The Limit' and blazing 'No Shelter' rounded out the proper set, but no worries, an encore was to follow: 'Fast As A Shark', 'Pandemic' and a 'Balls To The Wall' finale. Can't wait for you all to see the DVD of this special night.

Sadly, had to miss a major portion of AMORPHIS, as they were inside, directly opposite to Accept. Did get a peak in a couple of times, from the opening quartet of 'My Enemy', 'Sky Is Mine', 'The Smoke' and 'Against Widows', with Tomi Joutsen singing into that three-handled, space-age contraption of a microphone. Later they hit on 'Silver Bride' and 'My Kantele', plus a surprise: the 'Karelia' intro and 'Sign From The North Side' off the Karelian Isthmus! Newbies 'Three Words', 'Crack In A Stone' and 'You I Need' were warmly accepted, but it was the emotive 'Song For The Troubled One' that might have received the loudest applause from a die-hards only audience. Shame about the scheduling though.

More photos from Day 1 can be seen here.