This year we knew in advance there wouldn’t only be a swamp around our tents but at the whole festival site: it had been raining for days already and we received news by Nhashi’s cousin who had arrived on Wednesday. Queuing at the press point for our V.ery I.mportant P.oser passes got even longer than ever. Those two hours went by astonishingly quick by chatting and getting started with the beer, though. So when we finally reached the counter, some East Frisian / Oldenburgian drunkards arrived just in time and therefore didn’t have to queue. You see: it’s very important to know very important people like us. The next very important thing Mr. Claassen did after struggling with his tent was to accompany Axel (DAEMONS EMBRACE / THE AWAKENING) to the plebs’ campground. When they arrived, there was a Death / Grind band playing at the entrance: a drummer with a tiny little kit and the guitarist over a tiny amp. The singer used a megaphone. Although we only heard their last song: not too bad! The mob obviously knows how to party, too! Apart from that, Mr. Claassen suffered from diarrhoea on Friday and Saturday and so poor Nhashi had to finish the beer. (rc)

Thursday

I couldn’t help Axel find his friends after that because the only band that truly mattered on Thursday was CANDLEMASS and they were just about to start. But somehow I didn’t seem to get into the festival mood or maybe I simply saw the band too many times already. Somehow the magic didn’t quite come across at first. Maybe they didn’t play enough old tunes but that can’t be the main problem, either, because the new CD is excellent. When I finally started shaking my booty, CANDLEMASS were almost through. Ha: that’s it! Too short! Not enough old songs! I need at least 90 minutes of Swedish Doom! Probably I’m simply getting old. Somehow NIGHTWISH are not an ideal festival band for me. Especially not at that point. They’re simply too nice and clean and romantic and gothic for a festival drowning in rain and mud. But there were masses of fans going crazy and Tarja surely knows how to handle them. (rc)

Friday

As Thursday didn’t make much for me, although I had a glance at CANDLEMASS as well as NIGHTWISH, but I decided that both were not my cup of tea, NAGLFAR made a good start into the festival. From the musical side, NAGLFAR are still a class of their own, but I would have liked a few more old songs as well as a more Metal-like stage-acting, e.g. spikes as in the days when I saw them for the first time. The change of the vocalist does not help this either. I am pretty sure that it will be lots of work to do and lots of gigs to perform for Mr. Olivius until he can replace the old vocalist. Not as good as I remembered them. (nh) It’s good to know MORGANA LEFAY are around again. They’ve always been one of my favourite Classic (?) Metal acts. Singer Charles still has got his balls (I love his raspy voice – both aggressive and melodic - rc) and the band pretty often crossed the border to the Thrash Metal genre. They played quite a few songs from the new “Grand Materia” album which I didn’t have at that time (definitely a mistake I corrected right at the Wacken Metal Market). Charles talked quite some silly shit (was he drunk that early in the morning already?) but his performance was good – so what the hell! I wasn’t sure whether I’d have to be hot for a BLOODBATH or not. Somehow I never really got into their material that much and just because it was their only performance ever simply wasn’t reason enough. The band had spilt fake blood on their white shirts which actually looked quite nice but Mikael Akerfeldt’s announcements were a considerable contrast: with his overly calm voice and the extensive use of the word “beautiful” I felt like committing a bloodbath for that reason. Too much OPETH for BLOODBATH. You may find out on your own as soon as the DVD gets published, I guess. When OBITUARY played, there was a maddening drizzle pouring down from the heavens. Additionally, the band took their time in between the songs – almost as much as DEATH in their glorious days. When finally my diarrhoea took over, I was almost relieved to stagger towards the loo. (rc) Only for MACHINE HEAD I found the strength for Metal again. I used to love their debut album but the newer releases didn’t catch my attention anymore. Needless to say the band played just a handful of tunes from that CD and those sounded somewhat odd. But the band was full of energy and Mr. Flynn didn’t stop repeating how happy he was to be playing in Wacken at last. Next to me there were two policemen watching and having fun, by the way. (rc) It is most likely the fact that I never could stand GOREFEST as a live-act that my expectations were so low concerning their reunion that they actually did surprise me in a positive way a bit. In fact it was not half as bad as when I saw them back in the mid of the nineties. Having said this, their performance was still not what I call a good performance and as they concentrated on “Erase” material, that didn’t make it for me either, as I still consider “False” to be their only worthy recording. And if one looks at Jan-Chris de Koeyer, I am not too certain how honest their reunion is, or if they just do it because some clever marketing guy had the idea to re-release all the old GOREFEST stuff. I simply cannot get past the feeling that whenever I see GOREFEST I see a band that is not a Metal band but is trying hard to perform Metal songs. I will probably not become one of the die hard GOREFEST fans, but then I may live with that. Unlike me, not too few people – in fact the stage was crowded – certainly enjoyed the Dutch guys. (nh) And then there was the problem with two bands performing exactly at the same time. I personally did want to see SAMAEL as well as German Thrashers CONTRADICTION. I kept with SAMAEL for the first three songs and it was a good performance with a to-be-expected focus on drumcomputer-era SAMAEL. Then I went for CONTRADICTION for three songs, and they really had to struggle against SAMAEL as the tent was only half-filled. That however did not matter much really, CONTRADICTION played a very tight set, and they really have some killer songs. It is to be hoped that their new label is able to provide them with the attention that these guys certainly deserve. Back to SAMAEL, I was told that they had played ‘Baphomet’s Throne’ already while I was away, the song I had actually hoped for to be performed. Well, shit happens. SAMAEL may have changed over the years, there’s no question about this, but unlike other persons I still am able to attend one of their performances without bad feelings or anything. Live, even songs that have a slight pop appeal as their new “Reign Of Light” material, work quite well and receive a total different approach and outlook than on CD. A band that I am still able to enjoy, even if it is something completely different than in 1996. (nh)

Saturday

I almost missed SUFFOCATION by queing at the bog but I was back for ‘Pierced From Within’. The band is still impressive, maybe because Frank Mullen’s meaning of life – err, meaning of a circle pit is: “Kill people if you have to. But not too many. And don’t get caught.” Need I say more? (rc) A band I never had heard a single tone of, and that I only had been recommended by a friend would become of the positive surprises of this year’s Wacken. Swedish COUNT RAVEN were as Doom as I would have expected it: slow music, hardly any stage-acting, only a few dozen Doom-fans in front of the stage. And while I am not able to grasp Doom 24 hours a day, they were the right start to get back into the mood of drinking and Metal itself. Hiding behind sunglasses, I caught myself nodding in pleasure to the tones of these guys. It’s time for me to give them a try on disc as well. (nh) I gave up buying OVERKILL CDs long ago but I never miss them live as long as I don’t find some cheap excuse. In a way it’s always the same but they’re simply a synonym for energy. They should be playing more old songs at festivals, though, but of course they would never make the mistake and forget playing ‘Rotten To The Core’ or ‘Fuck You’. Maybe a few surprises of the “Years Of Decay” record, just to please me? DISSECTION didn’t play ‘Soulreaper’! (rc) One may think of Jon Nödtveidt whatever one wished to think, but one thing is for sure, with such strong material in his hands, there is hardly anything he can do wrong when performing live. Three new songs had been played to the press in the morning, and while the reactions have been mixed there as they definitely sound too modern and too Power Metallish for me, two of them made it into the setlist as well and surprisingly enough worked well. ‘Starless Aeon’ in fact is a good song if we forget about the fact that the main riff is stolen from ‘Unhallowed’. I had hoped that DISSECTION would also play ‘Soulreaper’, but as they played many other older songs, I was pleased nevertheless. I have no doubt about DISSECTION’s future in regards to their live performance, their future concerning releases is a completely different matter. (nh)  I had seen MARDUK so many times over the last 10-12 years that I was a bit sceptic in fact, as I personally think they have not released anything good since “Panzerdivision Marduk”. The main reason for me was to observe how the new line-up worked around the only constant member Morgan Hakannson. And I was blown away. I have never, and I really mean never, seen MARDUK so strong. Mortuus is such a brilliant vocalist in comparison to jumping jack Legion and the overall performance was so tight, and it didn’t even matter whether they played old classics like ‘Burn My Coffin’ or newer songs, that one still has to keep an eye on MARDUK. The next album could be something big if it is worked out as an entity. Switiching three quarter of a band has seldomly made more sense than in this case. (nh) My main purpose that evening mainly was to watch PRIMORDIAL but first I took a peek at ACCEPT. It’s strange: I was never a big ACCEPT worshipper but it seemed as if I knew all the songs they played. Synchronised swimming – err, synchronised posing the way it’s supposed to be. And the longer I watched the harder it got to leave for the tent where PRIMORDIAL were supposed to play. But of course I managed. Why are PRIMORDIAL always scheduled for the fucking tent stage anyway? Well, after their massive performance there, the Wacken guys really should warp them to the Party Stage at least! Not enough old songs, though. (rc) It is a matter of taste whether PRIMORDIAL should really be warped to a bigger stage or not. I had seen them a month earlier on the Under The Black Sun festival and what is far more important for PRIMORDIAL is certainly more playing time! In three quarters of an hour, they can hardly perform more than six songs, and bearing in mind that they did not get a tour in support of their “The Gathering Wilderness” album, it is of course understandable that they concentrated on their new material. I would have wished a more balanced set list as well, but since I do not know a bad PRIMORDIAL song, nearly every choice is for me, haha. The Irish were brilliant as always, and it is obvious that some bands still mean what they sing. I wonder why their release via Metal Blade had not granted them more success. (nh) ACCEPT welcomed me back with my fave song ‘Head Over Heels’ and nicely shortened the time waiting for SENTENCED’ funeral show in Germany. Even though I stopped really listening to them after the “Down” album already and therefore knew only 3 songs (‘Nepenthe’, ‘Noose’ and ‘Bleed’), I couldn’t – and wouldn’t – resist the atmosphere. Singer Ville kept repeating he’d try not to talk too much because of the curfew but obviously it wasn’t easy for him. Makes me hope for a reunion. I’ll definitely have to get their “Funeral Album” soon and I already miss the guys. See ya next year – rain or shine! (rc)

Festival report: Ramon Claassen (rc) / Nhashi (nh)
all pics: Ramon Claassen

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