Fagerlund's reviews

So here we go again!

Day 1

Duirvir
First band of the festival! And it was this Italian atmospheric Black Metal. So one week later and I can honestly not really remember what they sounded like, so I guess they didn't leave any lasting impression for neither good or bad...

Fallen Utopia
After that it was time for some Death Metal from Austria, which wasn't bad at all! But it was more of a modern sounding Death Metal, so not quite my type. 

Nuclear Chaos
Mexican Melodic Death/Metalcore! So once again I get to see a band all the way from Mexico at this festival, which is really cool. However, Metalcore isn't my thing so I guess I prefer Imperium from last year... still a decent show!

Mephistophelian
Slovenian Death Metal, and the first really good band for me! I had never heard them before, but they had a really good sound, good enough for me to even buy their shirt after! Really enjoyed these guys.

Cripper
German Thrash with a female vocalist. I've heard these guys are really good from many people, but well... it was all right. Certainly not bad, but I don't think I'll listen much to these guys other than if I get another chance to see them at a festival I guess.

Alcest
So the odd-ball band on this festival I guess. They really don't fit into the bill! But even so, they're still really good so I don't mind them being there. I think that they're a lot better at a smaller venue however, the mainstage at this festival wasn't quite the right place to see them. And since I have all ready seen them several times before I went over to the second stage after three songs or so.

Beheaded
Because over there was some Oldschool Death Metal from Malta! These guys have been around for over 20 years, but I guess they haven't really gotten much recognition in Europe... they were really good however, it's what you'd expect from a Death Metal band that has been around for so long!

Grave
And then it was time for my 6-month dose of Grave! As it seems I get to see them every 6 months or so these days! I don't mind though, as they're always really good. I was surprised there wasn't that many people that came out to see them, perhaps the Second Stage would've been better for this crowd... still Grave delivered a really solid show, with a similar setlist to the last couple of times I've seen them with a lot of the great new songs mixed with some classics.

Aborted
Death Metal/Grindcore from Belgium, and this one is FAST. Very, very intense show. I think they were better last time I saw them though, but it was still a solid show!

Children of Bodom
So I watched the first couple of songs or so, just in case they were any good... it wasn't so I left.

Turning Golem
This is actually Vulture Industries backed up with some actors, performing the Avantgarde/Black Metal Opera show called Turning Golem. This was for sure one of the weirdest shows this year, as they were basically telling a story about golems, who eventually revolted against their master etc. It was really interesting, and a nice show with the actors walking around making the songs come alive even more. The "golems" were even out in the crowd as they tried to escape their master, and the crowd was recorded for a special part during the end and what not. It was very immersive! I enjoyed it quite a lot, and unfortunately it was apparently the last time they performed this show! 

Opeth
So after their show at Hellfest last month I was really hopeful about this one, and I wasn't disappointed. They basically played a longer version of the setlist they played at Hellfest. Old songs, funny talk (but Åkerfeldt did miss the mark with many comments actually), great sound, awesome performance. Not much more to say really. I met Ola (from Grave) in the crowd, and he was almost angry about how perfect the show was. From a perfectionist like that it means quite a lot I think.

Immolation
Okay, so this was actually one of the main reasons I went to the festival this year as I found the line-up a bit meh! So big expectations here! And every single one was fulfilled. Damn, this is a pure class band live. They play fast and technical, and yet they had crystal clear sound all through the set so you could hear absolutely everything. Great set of songs as well, picking good ones from most of the discography and a very good front man as well. This was the biggest highlight of the festival for me I think!

Day 2

Thorns of Heresy
Melodic Death Metal from Croatia! I actually met their guitar player in the crowd the day before, and he told me they won some competition to play at MetalDays and that they had only been around for about a year or so. And it was actually quite good! It's too bad they played so early, they deserved a bit of a bigger crowd I think! Extra bonus that they played Spirit Crusher, and it sounded better than when Death to All played it last month...

Abinchova
Folk Metal from Switzerland. One female vocalist and one male growler. Very inspired by Eluveitie I think, and well I don't like that band either so this was no hit for me. 

Zaria
Slovenian Folk Metal after that, and I did enjoy them more than Abinchova, but nothing that really got stuck I think.

Within Destruction
Apparently I saw these guys at this festival before, but didn't remember! Anyhow it's Death Metal/Grindcore from Slovenia, and first time on the big stage for them. Certainly not bad if you like that style as they were very varied. But when it comes to Grind I'm no huge fan, so not for me. 

Armaroth
On the small stage was this other Death Metal band from Slovenia as well! It was okay, but nothing really memorable I think.

Scarab
After a rain break I got back to the festival area to catch this Egyptian Death Metal band! I actually remember these guys adding me back in the MySpace-days... so I knew I wanted to see them! If you think Nile and then add even more Egyptian sounds you get Scarab. This was a really cool set!

Obituary
The rain picked up again right in time for Obi... but to be honest, that's fine. That just gave the gig even more of a swamp feeling which suits them really well... and this was a great set! Both new and old songs, and even a couple of unreleased songs (that sounded awesome, if you're into Slowly We Rot you'll be happy I think!). These guys knows how to deliver and it was pure awesome.

Borknagar
So except for Immolation this was the other reason I went to the festival! But unlike Immolation I wasn't that impressed... for one thing Vintersorg wasn't with them, but the guy who replaced him (Athera from Chrome Division) had the same style of growling and singing (except he actually hit the notes!) so that was okay. What was less good was ICS Vortex who was either really drunk or didn't warm up (or both) and his singing sounded really bad. It was still okay, but not as good as I'd hoped so I left after half the set.

Manilla Road
Luckily there was another band I really wanted to see on the second stage at the same time, so I got there in time to see their whole set! This is such a underrated band, but when it comes to Epic Heavy Metal these guys are among the very best. I was a bit worried that they'd be too old, but no they're one of those bands who can still deliver. It was a great set through and through.

Satyricon
Then off to see Satyricon! And as I saw them last autumn I knew what to expect. 5 songs from Now, Diabolical and the rest a mixture but mostly new songs. In other words, not very much Black Metal - which seemed to disappoint a lot of people. For me though, it was a great show. Satyricon is one excellent live band, and this night they delivered a top show.

Vader
And to finish the night it was time for some Polish Death Metal! Might Vader are always good, tonight was no different. Solid show, but I think it was one of those "just one more on the tour" for them as they didn't put in that extra energy. Still, a normal show with Vader is still great. And they played Wings so I'm happy. Too bad they didn't have time for a longer set so they could play some more of the new songs as well!

Day 3

As It Comes
French Death Metal, and as many French bands it was really intense. Quite good stuff.

Helslave
More Death Metal, but this time from Italy and more Melodic. Didn't like the vocal style at all, but otherwise quite nice.

Deadend in Venice
More Melodic Death Metal, and this time combined with clean female vocals as well. She sounded horrible and made me leave pretty soon after...

Space Unicorn on Fire
After a bit of a rain break it was time for the Main stage, and the unicorns! So I saw them last year, and I guess they got upgraded! So this is basically super-cheesy Slovenian Power Metal. No condoms this year though. :(

Total Annihilation
I saw the last half of this Swizz Thrash band. And you could really tell they were from Switzerland. They really reminded me of bands like Messiah and Coroner, not quite as good but lots of energy and a nice delivery.

Cordura
Progressive Metal from Slovenia, sounded all right, but only kept me there for a couple of songs. 

Valient Thorr
Some heavy Rock from USA. I watched them while having dinner basically, and they were all right. 

Artillery
So after a break I came back to the Main stage once again to watch this Danish Thrash band. It sounded good, but unfortunately it was much too hot for me to stay for that long...

African Corpse
So instead I went to see this German Death Metal band... and hm. They were certainly special. They mix "Modern Metal" with Death Metal, which gives them a quite unique sound that's for sure. And to this they add lyrics about the injustice in Africa. I can't quite decide if I liked them or not though, because those breakdowns really did ruin a lot of songs...

Saltatio Mortis
German... Schlager Metal? I don't even know what to say. 

Havok
So instead I went to watch American Thrash band. I'm no big fan of American Thrash, but these guys were pretty cool. And yeah, it sounded very American. 

Amorphis
After a bit of a break it was time for Amorphis! Seem them many times and I've never been disappointed, and the same is true this time as well. And nice to see Toni sporting a Grave shirt once again! I watched the first half of the set, and it was very solid, but then I had to run over to the second stage...

Asphyx
Because I didn't want to miss anything from Asphyx! And damn this band is so good live. Great frontman, great music perfect for headbanging and just pure awesomeness. The thing with Asphyx is that they just know what works for live shows, they have rhythm changes just when you want them - going from slow to fast and fast to slow. Simply a great variety despite being Oldschool Death Metal. So good!

Possessed
And to end the night we got some Possessed! Second time I see them, but it was a couple of years since last time. This time they had Nick Barker as a guest on the drums... which for me is a bad thing. I don't like his drumming, sure he's good, but he makes everything sound the same. He really lacks any kind of dynamic sound. Oh well. At least the rest of the band was great, and we got them awesome riffs and everything. And Martin van Drunen joined for the last chorus of Death Metal. Solid show, but not awesome.

Day 4

Sapiency
First band this day (which was really late, because I went to the Tolminska korita, the National park close to Tolmin, earlier on the day), and well... nothing memorable really.

In Solitude
So I did catch a couple of songs of In Solitude instead... and again I still don't understand the hype. It was all right though.

Inciter
And then some Thrash Metal from Croatia! Pretty solid stuff, but nothing too memorable for me.

Kadavar
Back to the Main stage and this Progressive band from Germany. This was really cool actually, very catchy yet complex songs by very skilled musicians. I enjoyed this set a lot actually, and it was probably the best discovery of this festival for me!

Metalsteel
I kind of had to see these guys because... Metalsteel. I mean really, I had to. Turns out to be Slovenian Power Metal... and it wasn't at all as bad as it could've been. It was actually quite nice for being Power Metal, with some nice melodic catchy sing-along-tunes. Not bad at all!

Benighted
French Death Metal again, very intense set much like at Hellfest. I only watched the first couple of songs because I wanted to see all of Moonsorrow though.

Moonsorrow
"Are you having fun? We are Moonsorrow from Finland, and we're here to change that." Hah! "As all things must come to an end... so must this. And like they believe in the Middle-East, we all go to Hell when we die. Hail Satan!". That was basically the entire talk in-between songs they did. Excellent! 
So yeah, I saw Moonsorrow at MetalCamp before so I knew they were really good live. And this time didn't change that opinion at all. Was great seeing them at the Main stage this time, and it was crowded. They really deserve the recognition they've been getting lately! Awesome set that completely grabbed me and made me forget time for a while. Really, really good. Together with Immolation this was the best show of the festival for me (but Immolation gets the edge because I hadn't seen them before).

Inquisition
Did have time to see the last (10 min) song of two man band Inquisition as well. They're certainly special, and seem to be quite good at summoning this special atmosphere. I think they might be even better at a smaller venue... and luckily for me they're coming to Stockholm later this year! What I saw here was enough to convince me to go see them for sure!

Megadeth
And then the headliner of the day was Megadeth. I've never been a big fan of Megadeth, but I still wanted to see a couple of songs just because. And was pleasantly surprised, because MegaDave didn't say anything between the songs! Yay! They had great sound, but for me Dave's singing is pretty crap even on a good day... Anyhow, I decided to leave after 6-7 songs, before Dave could ruin my good impression with some stupid comment... I heard from others that he actually did shut up for the whole gig though, so that's nice!

Day 5

Lord Shades
First band of the day was this French band playing Atmospheric Black. Yeah... at 14 o'clock. Good luck with that atmosphere... And the music didn't stuck with me anyway.

Brute
Austrian band with a "Modern Metal" sound. Didn't like them at all.

Chain of Dogs
Folk Metal from the Netherlands, and well... it featured a banjo among other things. Unlike most Folk Metal it wasn't really mixed with Black Metal... but rather Thrash Metal. Which made it a bit special. I didn't like any of the singers though, so wasn't too impressed...

Soen
Soen is the new band of former Opeth drummer Martin Lopez where he has recruited Steve DiGiorgio among others. I wanted to see them, but the heavens opened up once again and with really heavy rain... so I listened to them from the camp instead. But what I heard sounded really cool. A bit like Opeth meets Tool/Perfect Circle. I think I'll have to check these guys out.

Ghost Brigade
Another band I was listening to from the camp site. Wasn't quite my style though, was a bit bored by their sound really.

My Dying Bride
Well, I all ready knew I didn't like them but I saw the first two songs anyway... and now I can say for sure that I don't like them. 

Leng Tch'e
So I randomly saw this Grindcore band from Belgium as well. It was actually really solid Grindcore, and they played with awesome energy. I always like when a band gets into the crowd when they want some action, so it was cool to see the singer do one song from the mosh pit. Pretty nice stuff!

Suffocation
So... the last day was a bit boring for me, and the only band I actually wanted to see was Suffocation. So when they finally started and the sound was kind of crap and the singer was pretty off I was pretty disappointed... I actually left after a couple of songs to pick up my recharging phone early and thought I'd see Heaven Shall Burn instead... but quickly turned around when I heard them... so I actually did see the ending of Suffocation as well. It was better towards the end, but still not as good as I'd hoped. So, since I wasn't interested in seeing neither Sabaton nor Tiamat the last band of the festival was a bit disappointing for me... but oh well!

All in all however I got some nice surprises and most bands I expected to deliver did so as well so I'm happy with the festival. The weather was a bit on the wet side this year, but then again I don't mind a bit of rain as long as it's not non-stop pouring like it was one day! A bit of rain during the day makes it much easier to survive watching bands during the hot hours! Also, I must recommend going to the national park Tolminska korita. Such beautiful nature!

Setlists:

As last time I gathered a couple of setlists on the internet.

Beheaded:
Extortion of Benevolence
Scourging Repudiation
Lament of a Sordid God
Never to Dawn
Elapsed in the Vortex of Extinction
Resurgence of Oblivion
Where Hours Etch Their Name
Dead Silence
Suffer in Silence

Aborted:
The Extirpation Agenda
Meticulous Invagination
Coronary Reconstruction
The Saw and the Carnage Done
Coffin Upon Coffin
Necrotic Manifesto
The Origin of Disease

Opeth:
Through Pain to Heaven
(Popol Vuh song)
The Devil's Orchard
Heir Apparent
White Cluster
Demon of the Fall
Hope Leaves
Atonement
Deliverance
The Lines in My Hand
Blackwater Park

Borknagar:
The Genuine Pulse
Oceans Rise
Epochalypse
Ruins of the Future
Ad Noctum
The Eye of Oden
Dauden
Drum Solo
Frostrite
Universal
Embers
The Dawn of the End
Colossus
Ved steingard

Satyricon:
Voice of Shadows
Now, Diabolical
Black Crow on a Tombstone
Our World, It Rumbles Tonight
Tro og Kraft
Forhekset
Possessed
Die by My Hand
Nekrohaven
The Infinity of Time and Space
The Pentagram Burns
To the Mountains
Fuel for Hatred
Mother North
K.I.N.G.

Vader:
Sothis
Vicious Circle
Reborn in Flames
Silent Empire
Fractal Light
Return to the Morbid Reich
Come and See My Sacrifice
Triumph of Death
Where Angels Weep
Carnal
Chaos
Wings
Sword of the Witcher
Helleluyah!!! (God Is Dead)
Dark Age
This Is the War

Amorphis:
Circle Intro
Shades of Gray
Narrow Path
Silver Bride
Sky Is Mine
My Kantele
Thousand Lakes
Into Hiding
Nightbird's Song
Vulgar Necrolatry
The Wanderer
You I Need
Hopeless Days
Encore:
The Smoke
Black Winter Day

Asphyx:
The Quest of Absurdity
Vermin
M.S. Bismarck
Death the Brutal Way
Asphyx (Forgotten War)
Deathhammer
We Doom You to Death
Wasteland of Terror
Scorbutics
Last One on Earth

Benighted:
X2Y
Noise
Let the Blood Spill Between My Broken Teeth
Collapse
Experience Your Flesh
Carnivore Sublime
Prey
Collection Of Dead Portrait
Jekyll
Slaughter/Suicide
Slut
Asylum Cave

Moonsorrow:
1065: Aika
Muinaiset
Kivenkantaja
Pimeä
Sankaritarina
Kuolleiden Maa

Megadeth:
Prince of Darkness
Hangar 18
Wake Up Dead
In My Darkest Hour
Tornado of Souls
Sweating Bullets
Skin o' My Teeth
Dawn Patrol
Poison Was the Cure
Set the World Afire
She-Wolf
Trust
A Tout Le Monde
Public Enemy No. 1
Kingmaker
Cold Sweat
(Thin Lizzy cover)
Symphony of Destruction
Encore:
Peace Sells
Holy Wars... The Punishment Due
Silent Scorn
My Way
(Sid Vicious song)

Soen:
Fraktal
Fraccions
Delenda
Oscillation
Canvas
Last Light
Savia
Slithering

And also some crappy pictures, not as many as last time as I couldn't be bothered to take many photos of bands really.