Intro by "Metal" Tim Henderson

Show review by Mark Gromen and "Metal" Tim Henderson

All photos by Mark Gromen

Flying home this past Monday, August 8th was as usual a painful exercise, even worse this year cuz of the jet stream winds in the Atlantic. Not as bad as my partner in crime who took TWICE the time to get back to 'Philly.' Flight to Hamburg just over seven hours, flight home nearly nine. And when you have completed such an adventure (weary, hungover, sleep-deprived and more hungover!) home is what you crave. Certainly not as far as many travelling to Wacken (pronounced vacken, usually screamed at the top of one’s lungs!) from the Southern Hemisphere or Asia. And yes, the reputation reaches that far, whether your a band fan. But I wasn't the only one donning a black t-shirt at an airport this time of the year. In a haze, when I'm moving a lighter from luggage to carry-on (yes, in North America it's the opposite and here it could case luggage delays apparently), a voice politely asks me if I'm from BraveWords? See it's crucial for us 'foreigners' to wear the team colors - a walking business card as it were. It's Jon Schaffer from ICED EARTH and we take the entire security experience together to achieve destination number one Newark (and then Toronto for me). The bag-checks, computer swipes and the moving of lighters. We've known Jon for decades it seems, since the band's early beginning before the entire metal world scene took notice. Dealt with all the trials and tribulations, even went through a bit of a tough spot when a young David Perri had a lively debate about US/Canada politics that hit Schaffer on the wrong day. But that's water under the bridge and my partner in crime over here Mark Gromen has had a pretty tight relationship with Jon for ages.

So we chit-chat at great lengths in the wee hours of a Hamburg morning about the good bad and ugliness of the world, some of which his SONS OF LIBERTY project is trying to shine a bright light on. We grab a bite and a coffee before seating ourselves prior to the cross-Atlantic journey. And yes I heard something quite riveting from his iPad which involves a new Canuck vocalist who he now nicknames "Stucifer" (yes, Stu Block from INTO ETERNITY). I'm sworn to secrecy, but indeed it was a surreal moment and a refreshing new lease on life for the band. You see it was singer Matt Barlow's final goodbye to the enormous Iced Earth faithful at Wacken; one of the most emotional good-byes ever at the fest. How do say farewell to over 100,000 people?! A person that has struggled intensely with the decision, but family and a career as a police officer won the battle. Jon says they are best of friends and will still work together someday. Right now Iced Earth - dealing with all of the music industry's ailments - must push forward to at least a year of touring in support of Dystopia and introducing another genius vocalist to the family. But I digress ... back on the plane, get my window seat and have a lively chat with a local German gentleman. When I say local, he knew exactly what the black shirts were doing in the airports. He and is family lived only a few kilometres away from the Wacken site. So we talk about the experience for a few minutes; the amount of people in attendance (numbers range from 100,000-120,000); how organizers have been able to slowly (?) expand the crowds due to the small amount of incidents which normally cast a dark shadow over fests in North America which are riddled with alcohol. We talk about the year's headliners and how it's fine act of balancing some of the heaviest of metals (KREATOR, SEPULTURA, MAYHEM, MORBID ANGEL and KATAKLYSM - see photo below of the boys back stage holding the ONLY hand-drawn band portrait presented to a band by Wacken organizers!!) and the true heavyweights of the scene (JUDAS PRIEST, OZZY OSBOURNE, MOTÖRHEAD).

How the locals don't just benefit economically, but culturally as this wave of Wacken madness take over the region for a number of weeks when you factor in set-up and tear-down. But the Germans lap it up. Every resident of the town of Wacken (population under 2000!) get tickets to the show. So truly an event filled with all shapes, sizes, colours and ages. It's a United Nations with one common goal; music. And everything that is tied in like the experience of Tent City, the variety of food, booze, markets, swag and of course the people. And these days there is a vast array of items with the Wacken logo on it (KISS anyone). Back to my German bud. He works in the IT department of a large dairy firm based in Kansas City and he was travelling on official milk business. The tie-in; Wacken is held on acres of farm land. It's mostly diary country (not beef). I tell him that I haven't had a glass of milk in a week and the strange coincidence is that the head of a cow (skull) is the official symbol of the fest!

So now you've heard the end of my journey, which also included the viewing of the appropriate flick (I'm normally a music guy on a plane) - Inglorious Basterds where the allies give it back to the Germans in a brutal, yet humorous fictional manner the only way Quentin Tarantino knows how to express himself. Brilliant!

So rewinding back a week or so. Mark and I arrive in Hamburg for the Wacken Open Air 2011 (#22). Mr. Gromen's actually been in Europe for weeks taking in such illustrious fests as Bang Your Head!!!, Tuska Open Air, Headbangers Open Air. We meet the day prior to Day 1 (Thursday, August 4th) so I can rid myself of any jet-lag issues at our German home for the week (Glückstadt) which is about an hour drive to the fest. Most amenities are present as Tent City is not an option for these old bones. So we begin our plan of attack after a night of catch-up and liquid shenanigans. New day, new lease on life. Fest day is here. The weather is pleasant - actually much of Germany has had a mediocre summer, whereas at home in North America, the continent has been living in sauna and drought conditions. Trust me, I would never complain about the heat as the humid weather is such a tiny window compared to the cool and snowy conditions we experience for half the year! It's a refreshing change knowing that you'll be standing in a farm-field laden with dust for three days straight!

The train from Glückstadt to Itzehoe (yes, we continue to joke 'it's a ho' to this day!) is about 20 minutes where we refuel with road pops. Itzehoe (over 30,000 population) is the closest major centre to Wacken where shuttles are running virtually 24/7 to and from the fest. The place has been booked for years, but it's still useful for supplies. We proceed to hop in a cab towards our destination, Wacken Germany. Most vehicles on the autobahn are heading in this direction. And yes, the term is true, we've been in cabs sucking on a German brew in the back seat and we peer over the driver's shoulder and we're EXCEEDING 200 kilometres per hour! Michael Schumacher anyone? The ride is about 30 minutes, from autobahn to winding roads that weave in and out of the aforementioned dairy farms. Signs eventually appear saying 'Welcome Metalheads' as we approach the VIP drop-off area. Don't get me wrong, the VIP check-in sees literally thousands of people and we are little fish in a big pond. But we're always grateful for the privilege as it's a crucial meeting place, interview environment, rest area, somewhere to recharge your batteries.

So with passes and (another) beverage in hand, we make our way from the check-in to the festival grounds, these days a good 15-minute hike. Things are indeed spread out compared to earlier years to help the 100,000 patrons feel as comfortable as possible in such a setting. And this has been sold out since February! We do our obligatory wander through the mercy areas to see what's on offer. As a collector and somebody who loves to wear the colours, I'm moderately satisfied; would love to see more embroidery. But the markets can usually fill any holes you have in your luggage!

Now to the bands.

After the big build-up and massive crowd awaiting HELLOWEEN, the power went off 30 seconds into ‘Are You Metal?’ Not just the PA, but stage volume, lights, even the Jumbotrons which flank both sides of the stage. A (rare) inauspicious and embarrassing start, compounded only by a re-start that yielded the exact same result! With the tight time restrictions for sets and changeovers, after nearly five minutes of silence, the German power metallers returned, singer Andi Deris joking that he hoped this wasn’t the result of Germany switching off all their nuclear power plants (as will happen in 2022). Aborting their latest single with little more than the first verse/chorus performed, they proceeded on to ‘Eagle Fly Free’ instead. No more problems, technically, although many grumbled about Deris’ voice being too low in the mix, while others were appalled at the thought of the singer attempting classic ‘Keeper Of The Seven Keys’. Basically the same set witnessed in Helsinki, two weeks earlier, after ‘March Of Time’, ‘Where The Sinners Go’ and ‘I’m Alive’. Somehow the drum solo couldn’t be sacrificed, but the abbreviated medley, with aforementioned ‘Keep’ and the band’s signature track paved the way for a tremendous closing triple play of ‘Future World’, ‘Dr. Stein’ and (encore) ‘I Want Out’.

BLIND GUARDIAN were afforded a longer set than in Finland, being royalty status now back in their homeland. That allowed for the ‘Fly’ hit (boo!) as well as unheard classics ‘Imaginations From The Other Side’ and ‘Majesty’. A smiling Hansi Kursch, unencumbered from English, interacted solely in German and seemed to stalk the stage far more aggressively than usual. In fact, the whole band was more enthusiastic. A scheduling quirk saw them playing the Black metal stage, appropriate only for their color coordinated attire. ‘Nightfall’ brought out a chorus of at least 70,000 voices. Wisely, organizers keep the exact number of paid guests a mystery (lest the German accountants find out). One print report had the number at 95,000, while other industry people, with a finger on these kind of events, put the official crowd at somewhere between 105 and 120 thousand! For ‘The Bard Song – The Forest’, both guitarists were seated, strumming acoustics. A shower of sparklers greeted ‘Mirror Mirror’, which closed a rousing set from rejuvenated old-timers.

Thursday - normally billed as The Night To Remember - is just day one and heavy metal royalty came to visit for the first. So the enormous crowds bowed at the altar of OZZY OSBOURNE complete with new axeman Gus G. (FIREWIND). Keep in mind, HEAVEN & HELL conquered the stage here in 2009 prior to Ronnie James Dio's passing, but this was a first for the Prince Of Darkness and BLACK SABBATH's god-like frontman. Given his first two album reissues, the set kicked off with a Randy Rhoads fury of 'I Don't Know', 'Suicide Solution' and 'Mr. Crowley' before the obligatory Sabbath nugget reared it's ugly head, 'War Pigs'. 'Bark At The Moon and 'Shot In The Dark' - a pair of Jake E. Lee highlights more akin to Gus' style were aired with huge reaction. Following Ozzy's water antics (a little chilly being wet when you can see your breath), the crowd wanted to hear the obvious, so the madman welcomed everyone aboard the 'Crazy Train' and closed off the set with the obvious 'Paranoid'. Nice to see Wacken score an icon … who knows, maybe a Sabbath reunion next? Would be the obvious venue.

After PRIMAL FEAR got people out of bed at noon, Friday turned into a diversified line-up. Tom Angelripper led SODOM through a set that included some rarities like ‘The Vice Of Killing’, ‘Feigned Death Throes’ and ‘The Art Of Killing Poetry’ alongside the usual cast of characters, ‘Saw Is The Law’, ‘Blasphermer’, ‘Outbreak Of Evil’, ‘Agent Orange’ and a closing ‘Stalinorgel/Bombenhagel’. Solid and punishing. Almost immediately after the last note, RHAPSODY OF FIRE broke into their hour with ‘Triumph Or Agony’ while AS I LAY DYING threatened to drown them out, over a quarter of a mile away. A decade ago, the Italians were on Wacken’s biggest stage, now relegated to the smaller Party stage, it didn’t matter, as the wind caught the curly locks of Fabio Lione (a much looser frontman since his stint in Kamelot) during the ‘Dawn Of Victory’, ‘Unholy Warcry’ (complete with Christopher Lee voiceover) and ‘Emerald Sword’.

One of the detriments at Wacken is the time overlaps: multiple bands playing simultaneously. While this is not unique to the grandest of all metal fests, with the increased number of various sized and distantly located stages (at seven and growing) it happens more often than most would like. There are unique spots on the infield, where you can distinctly hear two bands at once. A couple of feet one way or the other and the opposing act is sonically rendered mute. The new and the old also meet at Wacken. Consider that MOTORHEAD, OZZY and JUDAS PRIEST all shared the same stage with ALL SHALL PERISH, TRIVIUM and AS I LAY DYING. Maybe not anywhere else!

BULLET is the embodiment of old meeting new: the youngsters perfecting a blend of vintage ACCEPT meets PRIEST. Check your metal cred: Flying Vs, leather jackets, twin leads and Hell Hofer’s studded gauntlets. Well below their stature, the Swedes were given just 30 minutes on the tented W.E.T. stage. No matter, they gave the crowd, which spilled well outsides of the tent’s confines, a wild ride through ‘Highway Pirates’, ‘Turn It Up Loud’ and the energetic ‘Stay Wild’. For ‘Roadking’ the rotund Hofer dons a stately royal robe that would make a WWE wrestler proud. They end with ‘Bite The Bullet’, a rapt throng singing the titular chorus as they flip over the guitars and bass, to spell out the title. Second time seeing these guys and they’re only getting better. Hopefully they will make it over here soon.

Take one, Mark Gromen:

Truth be told, people were bad mouthing JUDAS PRIEST before their 2:10 show, mouthing Internet naysayers about the supposed final tour and absence of mainstay guitarist KK Downing. Not so after the fact! WOW, an international array, generations of JP fans (jaded music journalists included) couldn’t believe the vibrancy and validity of the current line-up, showcasing a well paced mix of long missing, deep album cuts and physical interaction that may never have been possible without their recent shake-up. The bearded Rob Halford, wearing shades that looked like the old x-ray Specs you could buy in the back of comic books and a jacket with spiky epilates, was the cat who ate the canary, smirking (most knowingly) that the shit-talkers were now the shit-eaters. As he hoofed it around the massive stage, he whispered in soloing guitarist Glen Tipton’s ear and mugged with new boy Richie Faulkner (a bit of a Downing doppelganger himself). Half a dozen flame throwers launch plumes of fire, in time to the opening ‘Rapid Fire’. The early part of the evening is an instant showcase for Faulkner, while close-up reveal drummer Scott Travis virtually bored ‘Metal Gods’ and ‘Heading Out To The Highway’. He picks up on ‘Judas Is Rising’, ‘Starbreaker’ and ‘Never Satisfied’. With more costume changes than Cher, Halford is talkative and candid this evening, recalling his first festival experience, “I love festivals. My first one, I went to was Isle Of Wite. Hendrix played, and The Who. OK, before I start crying, here’s something off Stained Class, ‘Beyond The Realms Of Death’, a beautiful ballad.” ‘Night Crawler’, ‘The Sentinel’, ‘Blood Red Skies’ even the once reviled/now beloved ‘Turbo Lover’ see the Brits clicking on all cylinders. Ian Hill even more animated than his usual side-to-side bass wielding. The crowd alone basically sings ‘Breaking The Law’ and a Travis mini-solo hastens ‘Painkiller’, closing the proper set. Returning to the stage under ‘Hellion/Electric Eye’, Halford is now in vintage cruising gear to ride his motorcycle: ‘Hellbent For Leather’, then the 80s video anthem ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Coming’. A short pause, punctuated by “Priest” chants with all am assortment of accents and a finale encore ‘Living After Midnight’ rounds things out, ending precisely 60 minutes before that titular time.

Take two, "Metal" Tim Henderson:

Time for some British Steel. I'll admit I was very leery as Priest's stock took a hit with the recent departure of founding guitarist K.K. Downing, but we watched in awe as the fairly unknown Richie Faulkner slid into those shoes with utter ease. I truly don't believe anybody in the crowd expected this Epitaph spectacle unless it was previously witnessed and it ranks at par or above the revered reunions of ACCEPT, the SCORPIONS and HEAVEN & HELL witnessed on these very stages. So the greatest hits set that proceeded was jaw-dropping and lengthy. Possibly the longest set ever afforded to a band at Wacken, over two hours of leather and studs from the 'metal gods', with a very visible ear-ear grin from Halford, Tipton, Hill, Travis and the newbie. It does strike me odd that such an extreme crowd eats up all these hits, and Priest have had their share of cross-over monsters like 'Breaking The Law' (which Halford did not sing a note; the crowd did!) and the grand finale of 'You've Got Another Thing Comin'' and 'Living After Midnight' which were all aired with glee. But when in hell did 'Turbo Lover' become such an explosive live track? You can still smell the stench in air when the lads went from the all-out attack of Defenders Of The Faith to the pretty-boy glam of Turbo, fans thinking this was the beginning of the end. We all know how the chapters unfolded. But when 100,000 people are dancing and screaming 'I'm your turbo lover, tell me there's no other,' you can't help to be sucked in as time has been very kind to the tune! Some of us still wanted to bang our heads more violently and opener 'Rapid Fire', 'Night Crawler', 'The Hellion'/'Electric Eye', 'Judas Rising' and of course 'Painkiller' provided the fix! The covers shone - 'Diamonds & Rust' (JOAN BAEZ) and 'The Green Manalishi (With the Two Pronged Crown)' (FLEETWOOD MAC) - and the epics felt like we were in some kind of heavy metal heaven; 'Beyond The Realms Of Death' and 'The Sentinel'. Oh, and Halford's Isle Of Wite history lesson (see above) brought tears to my eyes. I can die happy now.

Honestly, nothing tonight could follow, not TRIPTYKON, AIRBOURNE, KYUSS LIVES nor APOCALYPTICA, all of whom are scheduled into Saturday morning.

While there are worthy acts early Saturday (would have liked to see TRIOSPHERE, CRASH DIET and VISIONS OF ATLANTIS), the cumulative effects of a month of overseas festivals (commuting, lack of sleep, poor diet/along with copious alcohol and 8-12 hours on your feet/walking the grounds) means some things have to be missed. Couldn’t possibly forego Matt Barlow’s last stand with ICED EARTH (even if Jon Schaffer missed a golden marketing opportunity for “Matt’s Last Stand” t-shirts sales). The band was smoking, non-stop segues through the initial four songs: ‘Burning Times’, ‘Declaration Day’, ‘Vengeance Is Mine’ and ‘Violate’. Only then did Barlow speak. The sound got progressively louder, as they slightly altered the running order from other summer fests, most notably, no ‘Travel In Stygian’. ‘Jack’ was a bit of a surprise, but nothing compared to the classy send-off Schaffer gave his brother in-law/singer.

Following the Something Wicked Trilogy, the founding guitarist took the mic and led the crowd in a tribute/send-off to the retiring Barlow, who was clearly touched and misty eyed, on the Jumbotrons. They fittingly closed with the band’s eponymous track. Later, Barlow hung out for hours in the VIP area, greeting well-wishers, posing for photos and soaking everything in for the last time. After personally wishing him well, he admitted he’s not giving up music (there will be more Matt Barlow sung material in the future, just not with Iced Earth), just the on-the-road lifestyle. Hope to see you later, Matt!

Returning to the tent, it was hotly touted IN SOLITUDE (part of my personal New Wave Of Swedish Retro-metal summer tour, along with the aforementioned BULLET, PORTRAIT and GHOST). Five kids with respect for MERCYFUL FATE, hair-in-the-face singer Hornper even wears a ghostly white face and a fox stole as he circled around the stage, rarely making eye contact with the small crowd (depleted by most watch SEPULTURA), leaving bassist Gottfrid Ahman the de facto frontman. Incenses are burning on the monitors and drum riser. The first four songs were all culled from the new Metal Blade CD: The World, The Flesh, The Devil, delivered in chronological order, beginning with the title cut. ‘Demons’ is an especially lively number, with the ‘Witches Sabbath’ finale being the lone inclusion from their self-titled debut. Remember the name, In Solitude.

Surprisingly, this is the first time SEPULTURA have graced the stages here and the multi-national crowd were ready. This is the beauty of Wacken, flags flying high from around the globe, especially for a band that travelled from the 'dirty streets' of Sao Paulo, so there is much respect and adoration. That's why there's few incidents here. It's called mutual respect and it's a big reason why we travel the distance. With the menacing DERRICK GREEN fronting the band, the word Max wasn't uttered once, as the treasured Brazilians bounded back and forth on stage, tearing through material from both eras. 'Choke' and new Kairos track 'Relentless' displaying the fact that the current state of the band is just as threatening, although the new MINISTRY cover of 'Just One Fix' felt a bit odd and unnecessary. 'Refuse/Resist', the pit-inspiring 'Inner Self' and the fitting political/social commentary 'Territory' took us back in time, the band beyond grateful and promised to return.

As even more watched from television or online, AVANTASIA reprised much of the DVD performance captured at Wacken, back in ’08 (first two songs exactly the same). As much a spectacle for the assembled all-star guests, as the music, EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet is a masterful songsmith, however the live pacing is suspect. Despite the threat of rain, Tobi wore sunglasses for ‘Twisted Mind’. The energy from this rousing opener was quickly tempered by ‘The Scarecrow’, the mellow initial half saved by the eventual vocal duel against Jorn Lande). ‘Reach Out For The Light’ (with ex-Helloween singer Michael Kiske) would have been a better follow-up, then downshift to the slower material. After joking about trying to replace the legendary Klaus Meine (SCORPIONS), Kiske stuck around for ‘Dying For An Angel’. Prior to Kiske’s appearance, there was MAGNUM’s Bob Catley {‘The Story Ain’t Over’) and Amanda Sommerville provided backing vox throughout. In top hat and overcoat, Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY) strolled in from behind the drum kit, walking cane prop in hand. He offered ‘Death Is Just A Feeling’ and was acclaimed ‘Mr German Heavy Metal’ by the appreciative Sammet, who prefaced ‘Lost In Space’ with a lengthy speech to the faithful (in German) about how it’s a pop song, at a metal fest. Jorn’s reappearance, for ‘Wicked Symphony’ closed the set, only to see the prophetic ‘Shelter From The Rain’ kick off an encore that included ‘Avantasia’ and ‘Sign Of The Cross/Seven Angels’.

Thanks to our friend from Norway, Mark was able to watch KREATOR from “on the stage,” which is technically an elevated platform in the wings. This requires a special pass or two, so it’s no easy to get approval. As Mille blasted into ‘Choir Of The Damned’, the video screen behind the band mistakenly showed muscle-bound Conan movie trailer…oops! From there on, fans saw a barrage of red lights and smoke as the Germans thrashed through ‘Warcurse’, ‘Endless Pain’ and ‘Pleasure To Kill’, which featured a 3-D rendering of the artwork shown overhead. ‘Destroy What Destroys You’ had a similar minded visual accompaniment, pictures of war torn devastation. The circle pit looked like the NJ Parkway to the shore on a Friday afternoon in the summer, sheer madness! Newer tracks, like ‘Enemy Of God’, ‘Reconquering The Throne’ and ‘Violent Revolution’ received almost as big an ovation as the closing trinity of ‘Betrayer’, ‘Flag Of Hate’ and ‘Tormentor’. The final song saw a montage of old band photos, flyers, demo covers and other back-in-the-day artwork. Kreator, headlining in Germany, is a special show.

Lemmy and crew, aka MOTORHEAD brought the rain, heavy at times, the first “shower” most campers had seen in close to a week. ‘Iron Fist’ is a good opener, followed by old school classic ‘Stay Clean’. The remainder was a mix of present and past, including ‘Get Back In Line’, ‘Rock Out’, ‘In The Name Of Tragedy’, ‘One Night Stand’, ‘The Chase Is Better Than The Catch’. If you’ve seen Motorhead before, you know what you get, a few quips and tons of volume. Guitarist Phil Campbell plays an ever increasing role, in terms of interacting with the audience, but these too, are brief. ‘Killed By Death’ and ‘Bomber’ close out the proper set, leaving ‘Ace Of Spades’ and ‘Overkill’ for the encore.

After midnight, Cleveland’s VENOMIN JAMES got their wish (“I hope there’s a monsoon and everyone has to go in the tent.”), prior to GHOST, while CHILDREN OF BODOM took the big, outdoors stage. While some returned to the campgrounds, to check on their belongings, a soaked mob wallowed in the mud as the Finns’ super-charged melodies capped another successful Wacken experience.

Wacken Open Air 2012, set to take place August 2nd - 4th in Wacken, Germany.

Confirmed acts now include: AMON AMARTH, CRADLE OF FILTH, FORBIDDEN, GAMMA RAY, HAMMERFALL, MINISTRY, AXEL RUDI PELL, SCORPIONS, U.D.O.

Tickets for Wacken 2012 are exclusively available at Metaltix.com. Organizers have announced that nearly 20,000 tickets have been sold already for next year's event!

For more info visit Wacken.com or the Wacken Open Air Myspace page.