Behemoth - Brujeria - Corrosion Of Conformity - Dark Sermon - Enslaved - Exodus - Hackneyed - Havok - Headcrusher - Holy Moses - Krisiun - Lock Up - Loudblast - Monstrosity - Nachtmystium - Necronomicon (DE) - Novembers Doom - Possessed - Seita - Sepultura - Sodom - Soilwork - Sólstafir - Vital Remains - Zanthropya Ex

:: pics ::

*Argh* This night… erm… what night? However, this rest period was damn short. Already at 10 am my most favorite Islanders :: SÓLSTAFIR :: were set to enter the pool stage. And I definitely did not want to miss them. Okay madam, get yer butt out of the bunk, catlick and up and out into… iiiiiiiiick!... blazing sun. But on time ;) Audience is sparse, but hey, I wanna see SOLSTAFIR and not crinkled party faces right? Right! Photos during the first two songs, enjoying SOLSTAFIR during the other two. Music is as always… breathtakingly beautiful, stunning, not from this earth. Always and always again. Even at this early hour and weather conditions. And of course, these 45 mins were again way too short.
Setlist: Ljós I Stormi, Köld, Fjára, Goddess Of The Ages

Very next thing I do is to enter the breakfast buffet. Did I already mention how tasty and delicious food on board is? Really, really excellent. Fortified I join the crowd in front of the pool stage again to cheer :: NOVEMBERS DOOM ::, which left sort of a non-atmospheric impression under that blazing sky. Don’t get me wrong, I love this band and its music. But it seems, it does not work open air. NOVEMBERS DOOM work best in a dark and atmospheric club.
Setlist: Into Night's Requiem Infernal, Rain, Harvest Scythe, Autumn Reflection, Wet Leather (cover), I Hurt Those I Adore, Buried, The Pale Haunt Departure

I actually wanted to see :: HOLY MOSES :: next but start snoozing with my first drink in hands and within eyeshot, drift far, far away… just listening… from the far distance…to perk up under the hooting of the crowd during the Belly Flop Contest. Okay, then I can snooze a little bit longer now. And at all, no Spectrum Lounge, no theater. Holidays, baby! Holidays…

…Till it is up to :: ROTTING CHRIST :: to enter the stage. And they play such an awesome show. Wow! I did not see the Greeks for many, many years and forgot how great they are, how intensive and atmospheric their music is. There is a new album coming out on March 1, entitled Kata Ton Daimona Eaytoy. Be prepared and grab your copy!

Again I am honored to see :: POSSESSED :: playing live :) Still on the pool stage. And again we see a totally relaxed frontman whirling around like a devil in his chair, joking about the evil sun and things. He is truly irresistible. Did I already mention that I love POSSESSED? Can I take them home?

:: ENSLAVED :: second edition ;) The Norwegian guys are actually the only one band with a second completely different setlist, featuring Isa and Mardraum and songs live not heard for a long time. There, the special feeling and atmosphere is back, the one I missed at their first show on Monday. I grin like a Cheshire cat…
Setlist: Isa, The Voices, Mardraum, Ormgard II - Kvalt I Kysk Høgsong, Alfablot, Ground, Materal, Return To Yggdrasill, Immigrant Song

Dinner and another band I am much looking for :: SOILWORK :: They so downright blew me away on Monday and now I wanted to see if they can excel themselves. Oh yes, they can ;) SOILWORK did not disappoint. They started with the Love Boat Song as intro (the one from the 70s TV series, do you remember?). My grin grows big and bigger while I dance into the photo pit with the security. And then the Swedes go wild. Speed speeds over the stage, jumps and screams, while it is especially 4-stringer Ola again, attracting most attention with his… contorted movements. Is that dancing? ;) Am I allowed to say cute? SOILWORK are definitely one of THE bands on the BARGE TO HELL! That’s for sure!
Setlist: Stabbing The Drama, Bastard Chain, Like An Average Stalker, Sadistic Lullabye, Nerve, The Chainheart Machine, Let This River Flow, Two Lives, As We Speak, Follow The Hollow, Late For The Kill, Early For The Slaughter

Right after I decide to stop “working” and just to enjoy the last bands of the cruise as a fan. I put my cam to rest, got armed with more drinks and enjoyed a perfect and intensive show of :: BEHEMOTH :: and later of :: EXODUS :: who appeared on stage in tuxedos playing a special show. How sweet! And *argh* too bad the cam is already away. Mr. Dukes meanwhile meant to destroy the lovely image and got rid of his dress pants and went on performing with his football pants, what looked rather stupid in combination with the dinner jacket and bow tie.

So an unbelievably grandiose adventure finds its end. A unique concert cruise on a fantastic boat with a lovely crew and asskicking bands. A once-in-a-lifetime-event, whereas I’m pretty sure that it was not the last one. To name the (5) best of the best bands on the BARGE TO HELL... hmmm... that would be (in no particular order) POSSESSED, SANCTUARY, MOONSPELL, SOILWORK and SOLSTAFIR.

There will be another BARGE TO HELL in 2014, outside the Christmas time, again sailing through the Caribbean Sea, with a different port of destination and maybe with a different boat (hopefully the same ocean carrier). Anyway, the maiden voyage of BARGE TO HELL was just… I run out of words, out of superlatives. This trip was worth every cent and every effort.
I’ll definitely embark on the BARGE TO HELL 2014. Who’s with me?