Turbonegro - Metal Church - Kadavar - The Exploited - Grand Magus - Tribulation - Sorcerer - Accu§er
:: Pics ::
[Psycho] Those who wanted to see and hear technically sophisticated Thrash Metal had to wait one day and then had to be up very early. Because day 2 of the ROCK HARD FESTIVAL got excellently opened by German veteran thrashers :: ACCU§ER ::. The band presented themselves much more energetic, more active and aggressive than its colleagues the day before. Ok, the guys are also a couple of years younger… But most of all their song material was much better. Too bad that this early time avoided the (bigger) audience they definitely would have deserved. Though, present fans reacted that enthusiastic that an encore was given.
[Dajana] I agree fully! ACCU§ER indeed kicked off brutally and left nothing but scorched earth.
[Sui] I can only agree too. When ACCU§ER entered the stage the arena was sparsely occupied. Therefore many fans missed an extremely great show of German Thrash veterans, heralding the Saturday on a much higher level than the Friday ended. To me one of the best openers I have ever seen on the ROCK HARD FESTIVAL. Also the sound was, at least in the front row, much better than the day before and and so the complex rhythmic was thundering through the PA powerfully, groovy and precise.
Setlist: Rotting From Within, Repent, Unreal Perception, Who Dominates Who, Symbol Of Hate, Impending Doom, Sadistic Terror
[Psycho] With :: SORCERER :: entering the stage the next highlight followed, which was not only due the sudden crystal clear sound. Great melodies, non-kitschy epic wrapped in great songs and a much talented singer resulted in a thrilling mélange. The Swedes played through their entire history so that there was only one downer one could not blame SORCERER for: the show was way too short. Yes, that’s the way Doom Metal is fun, which explicitly is no contradiction…
[Dajana] The Swedes surprised me already at last year’s Leafmeal Festival. And this impression SORCERER could even deepen. Singer Anders Engberg scored, when he told about the last song, The Sorcerer, which comes from the band’s 1992 cassette demo The Inquisition. He said that many of the fans in the Amphitheater probably don’t know anymore what a cassette is. And I guess he’s right… However, the band’s debut (yes, debut) In The Shadow Of The Inverted Cross, released last year, and the following EP Black were sold like hot cakes, and actually sold out shortly after the show. What a success for the band!
[Sui] That the EP Black was already sold out during the SORCERER show speaks volumes. The epic Doom Metal, much in the tradition of Solitude Aeturnus, offered a wide spectrum between melancholy and massive metal riffwork and never appeared to be anything boring. It just felt too short. And SORCERER had, next to Mike Howe, the best singer of the RHF 2016 to offer.
Setlist: Born With Fear, The Dark Tower Of The Sorcerer, Northern Seas, Lake Of The Lost Souls, Prayers For A King, The Sorcerer
[Psycho] :: TRIBULATION :: is a band I can’t do anything with on CD and it did not get better live on stage. Yes, there was a lot of action on stage but you can also over-do it, like guitarist Jonathan, who permanently danced his name. In fact a well-rehearsed and tightly playing band that knows what they want. Though, not my cup of tea…
[Dajana] Agreed, TRIBULATION work much better and more intensive in a club. In such an atmosphere you can feel the occult and mystic the band spreads normally. The ballerina dance show was new to me too. Respect for the gracile posture on the heels and the dynamic whirling. But yes, less would have been more, indeed. Otherwise Jonathan Hultén wouldn’t have stumbled, lost his plec and wouldn’t have come a cropper at the end. Visually, TRIBULATION was definitely a smasher. The questions about the “girl in the band” afterwards too… ;)
Setlist: Strange Gateways Beckon, Melancholia, In The Dreams Of The Dead, Rånda, Ultra Silvam, The Motherhood Of God, When The Sky Is Black With Devils
[Psycho] In the last couple of years it only went upwards for :: GRAND MAGUS ::. Just now, for the first time, critical voices increased with the new album. Perhaps that was the reason why the band was so happy about the frenetic response by the crowd. What counts is what happens on the pitch. The show anyway was rock-solid with many sing-along refrains for the masses, which worked fine. If the band would have had some merch it would have even been a profitable day for the Swedes.
[Dajana] Yeah, as much as I loved GRAND MAGUS in the past, the new album, Sword Songs, couldn’t knock my socks off. No progress, no development, just a repeat of known traits and trademarks. And so was the show to me: good, but not that thrilling as it used to be in the past anymore.
[Sui] Rock-solid would be the right term. GRAND MAGUS offered nothing less than good plain metal fare. Nothing more either. Song titles caused rather a smile than goose bumps and the whole show somehow acted like a raw mix of something where the most important ingredients were still missing: a stirring voice like (once) Eric Adams, and big twin guitar lines like (once) Tipton/Downing, and the massive riffs. The classic consensus metal got much celebrated by the audience but was forgotten likewise quickly again. Solid, but also like any.
[BRT] GRAND MAGUS is just an awesome live band! Charisma, delight in playing and plenty of sing-along refrains… I like that! The setlist was a crusher, just too short. Yes, ok, the trio works better on a smaller stage, no doubt…
Setlist: I, The Jury, Sword Of The Ocean, Like The Oar Strikes The Water, Varangian, Steel Versus Steel, Arv, Triumph And Power, Iron Will, Hammer Of The North
[Psycho] And once again a band I did not really expect on a metal festival. Yes, :: THE EXPLOITED :: had and spread a lot of energy but unfortunately everything sounded the same, at least from the third track on. So the one hour playing time became really tough. Singer Wattie was something shouting all the time no one understood. So it took quite a while till the crowd got it that they had to enter the stage for the highly demanded (by Elke) Sex & Violence. The mosh pit on stage then was quite spectacular.
[Sui] After Grand Magus, the mangy trash Punk acted like a pleasant smash in the face. But like it is with such kind of smack, when it is enough it is enough. The Scottish wrecking ball reached this moment after approx. a half hour. If there would not have been the highly demanded Sex & Violence and the described security nightmare, the Punk intermezzo would have ended unspectacular.
[Dajana] Seems, quite a few people have understood the less intelligent announcements and sayings by Wattie as many discussions in the social media proved afterwards. I personally have never seen THE EXPLOITED playing live. Now I did. And yes, a half hour would have been enough.
[BRT] Expert Elke needed 30 seconds to explain all lyrics and their lyrical depth, so shortly after I could sing along every song. That’s fun for 29 tracks, but if felt 30 more songs follow the joke becomes stale. Let me say it this way: we had a lot of fun at the THE EXPLOITED show, which was not due the musical class, because there was no class at all. If Punk then rather Discharge, Propagandhi and Adolescents. I read about some stupid sayings by Wattie… I guess, only Cthulhu understood them…
Setlist: Let's Start A War (Said Maggie One Day), Fightback, Dogs Of War, UK 82, Chaos Is My Life, Dead Cities, Alternative, Noize Annoys, Never Sell Out, Rival Leaders, Troops Of Tomorrow (The Vibrators cover), I Believe In Anarchy, Holiday In The Sun, Cop Cars, Beat The Bastards, Fuck The System, Porno Slut, Army Life, Fuck The USA (featuring Schmier from Destruction), Sex & Violence (with stage invasion), Was It Me
[Psycho] :: KADAVAR :: look like as if their beards grow since the early 70s. Kind of the ZZ Top of the Stoner Rock. Unfortunately, to me their music has a beard of the same length. Though, KADAVAR are one step ahead their retro colleagues: they have an enormous stage presence. Most of all, drummer Tiger is a real eye catcher. In this respect the best (and most original) of the genre that played the RHF so far.
[Sui] Berlin’s own played way more civilized than the Punk predecessors. Groovy Hard Rock with authentic 70 vibes, well played and with phat riff work, which, occasionally, got repeated. What is much pleasant when it comes to KADAVAR: they don’t fall back on Black Sabbath and Thin Lizzy reminiscences and thus are quite original. It started raining but fans kept their tails up and cheered the band.
[BRT] Yes, KADAVAR rock as fuck and meanwhile significantly stay out the retro Rock masses. But I’d say they are quite static on stage, except for drummer Tiger. This man kicks asses so heavy. However, I’m in the mood for a huge joint, ya know, but I guess, fresh supply ended up in the KADAVAR backstage area ;) Ok, it’s possible to watch them halfway sober too…
Setlist: Lord Of The Sky, Pale Blue Eyes, Doomsday Machine, The Old Man, Last Living Dinosaur, Living In Your Head, Black Sun, Goddess Of Dawn, Thousand Miles Away From Home, All Our Thoughts // Come Back Life
[Psycho] Time has come and the secret headliner :: METAL CHURCH :: was about to get on stage. Band and fans were likewise longing for this moment, as the band provided a hell of a fantastic show, while the fans freaked out and rewarded the band with happy faces. METAL CHURCH came, saw and conquered. They kicked off breathtakingly with Fake Healer and let more classics follow. Mike Howe was visibly taken and gave everything he had, sometimes a bit too much vocal-wise (Reset) but that did not do any harm to the show. Musically, METAL CHURCH focused on the Howe era. To adequately honor the entire work of this Metal legend the show was of course way too short.
[Sui] Despite the 3 highlights today I could hardly await the show of the US Power Metal legend METAL CHURCH. Directly with the first song, Fake Healer, from the first MC album with Mike Howe, all hell was breaking loose. Between the opening track and the closer The Human Factor, one classic followed another. Sound was great, except for some minor problems for guitarist Rick Van Zandt. Only the voice of Mike Howe bit my ears, sometimes. Great show!
[Dajana] Yes, yes, yeeessss! METAL CHURCH is back! I was so stoked to finally see them again. And my expectations got even exceeded. What a hell of a show! What a voice! There was nothing to nag about. His vocal performance after all these years was beyond amazing. And he was jumping and whirling over the stage like the devil. With his 51 years…
Ok, Rick’s guitar solo was a bit lengthy, besides, to me METAL CHURCH was THE highlight of ROCK HARD FESTIVAL 2016!
[BRT] What more can I say? Nothing. METAL CHURCH was the best band of the festival. Great songs, great sound and delight in playing galore.
Setlist: Fake Healer, In Mourning, Start The Fire, Reset, Gods Of Second Chance, Date With Poverty, No Tomorrow, Watch The Children Pray, No Friend Of Mine, Killing Your Time, Beyond The Black // Badlands, The Human Factor
[Psycho] I already couldn’t do anything with :: TURBONEGRO :: when they played the RHF a couple of years ago. And it didn’t change. I don’t know… either TURBONEGRO did not get enough of their own fanbase to the Amphitheater, or the majority of fans had the same feelings towards the band. However, mood and response was poor.
[Dajana] Yes, the Amphitheater significantly emptied. Same feelings here. Can’t do anything with the Norwegians too, it’s not my cup of tea. Time to toddle off. So nope, no wild parties, no excessive drinking, just going home for some warm and cuddly down.
[Sui] Admittedly, I did not unwillingly follow the order to leave TURBONEGRO after around 4 tracks. It became really cold that evening and I was bloody freezing. Ok, compared to Metal Church the fun-Punk was quite toothless. Death Punk it is certainly not. But I got a better impression from the singer, compared to the last TURBONEGRO show at RHF.
[BRT] Yeah, well... TURBONEGRO is nice but also quite carnival-like. I actually missed the Turbojugend. There was hardly any member to see around. TURBONEGRO played a few great songs but also a lot of scrap. My enthusiasm was kept within a limit as well.
Setlist: Hot For Nietzsche, We're A Norwegian Band (Grand Funk Railroad cover), You Give Me Worms, All My Friends Are Dead, Are You Ready (For Some Darkness), City Of Satan, Blow Me (Like The Wind), Dude Without A Face, I Wanna Come, Back To Dungaree High, Special Education, Drenched In Blood (D.I.B.), Sell Your Body (To The Night), Wasted Again, Fuck The World (F.T.W.), Get It On // The Age Of Pamparius, Don’t Say Motherfucker - Motherfucker, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (AC/DC cover), I Got Erection
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