BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2007

EPICA

Sandwiched between Korpiklaani and Nevermore was never going to be easy for hardworking, heavy gigging Dutch metallers Epica, and as they appear on stage around half an hour after the nutty Finns vacate it, the audience has noticeably diminished in size. Bloodstock Open Air 2007 heralds Epica's second UK festival appearance (their first was at Thirteenth Day in Birmingham Academy back in July 2005), and the fourth occasion I've seen the band, though I'm reluctant to say, perhaps the worst. While they are musically flawless, their performance is decidedly average and lacklustre. The band interact well with each other and look like they're having fun as guitarist/vocalist Mark Jansen and mezzo-soprano singer Simone Simons frequently wander to the back of the stage to exchange smiles with keyboard player Coen Janssen, though at the expense of excluding, and distancing, the audience from their performance. Usually interacting much better with audiences, today they look as if they're just going through the motions. On the positive side, they have a clear and crisp sound through the PA and are musically tight as they play in perfect time to the choir/orchestral backing tracks. The two songs aired from forthcoming new album, 'The Divine Conspiracy', their first for Nuclear Blast, signifies a progression in their songwriting and sound a lot heavier than previous material while still perpetuating the essence of their brand of symphonic metal. This is refreshing to hear at a time when bands in the so called symphonic goth metal subgenre, such as Epica's fellow countrymen Within Temptation, are shifting towards a more commercial sound. The up tempo 'Quietus' is a wise inclusion in the set with its folk-tinged opening bars engendering some movement from the crowd, and 9/11 song 'Facade of Reality' leaves many looking confused as Tony Blair's voice resonates through the PA speakers midway. Their set winds down with the lengthy prog-edged 10 minute title track from 'Consign To Oblivion', which is a skilled composition, though perhaps a strange choice to end a short 40 minute festival slot. Overall, disappointing, as Epica are a band capable of so much more. I'm left feeling that perhaps they would have fared better appearing before Korpiklaani.

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DARK TRANQUILLITY

In their near-20 year history tonight is, rather astonishingly, Dark Tranquillity's first UK festival appearance. Having been a fan of the band since the mid-90s, I'd only managed to catch them live once before - back in 2004 in support of Arch Enemy at their pre-christmas show at The London Forum. Joint-pioneers (along with At The Gates and In Flames) of what became known as the melodic death metal 'Gothenburg sound', Dark Tranquillity have progressed their songwriting over the years to incorporate keyboards/electronic elements though conserving the backbone of the metal subgenre they helped establish. Opening with 'Terminus (Where Death is Most Alive)' from stunning new release 'Fiction', Dark Tranquillity work their way through a varied set whilst delivering the liveliest performance of the day and with a pristine sound through the PA. Mikael Stanne is a charismatic, indefatigable frontman as he tirelessly and energetically runs from one part of the stage to another with each new bar of music in every song that is played. Tracks from the latest album played tonight such as 'The Lesser Faith' and 'Blind at Heart' sound as good live as they do recorded, though it's slightly disappointing not to hear songs such as the awesome 'Therein' (in fact, nothing from 1999's 'Projector' is played this evening). 'Misery's Crown' showcases Stanne's captivating, resonant clean vocals, proving he's capable of more than just death growls, and 'The Wonders at Your Feet' and 'Final Resistance', respective opening tracks from 'Haven' (2000) and 'Damage Done' (2002), go down well with the Bloodstock crowd. As their set nears its conclusion, an hour of Dark Tranquillity suddenly seems far too short, though the surprise airing of final track 'My Negation' from 2005's 'Character' is more than welcome with its richly layered guitars/keyboards and clever chord changes creating mid-tempo epic soundscapes that demonstrates a more diverse approach in the band's songwriting and is fitting for the big festival stage as dusk gradually descends upon the grounds of Catton Hall. Sheer brilliance.

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DATE:

VENUE:

Thursday 16th August - Saturday 18th August 2007

Catton Hall in Derbyshire, UK

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

LACUNA COIL; DARK TRANQUILLITY; NEVERMORE; EPICA; KORPIKLAANI; MEMFIS; WOLF; SCAR SYMMETRY; VOODOO SIX; EXPLODER

FRIDAY 17th AUGUST - PART 2

SATURDAY

IN FLAMES; ARCH ENEMY; SABBAT; DREAM EVIL; FINNTROLL; LEGION OF THE DAMNED; BENEDICTION; FREEDOM CALL; RISE TO ADDICTION; BEYOND ALL REASON

KORPIKLAANI

With a name that translates as 'Forest Clan', batty Finnish folk metallers Korpiklaani have experienced a rapidly growing fan base over the last few years, aided by a series of strong albums released on Napalm Records. I first encountered their music with second release 'Voice of Wilderness' back in 2005 and with latest effort 'Tervaskanto' only recently hitting the shelves, the band have come a long way in a relatively short period of time. Quarter of an hour or so before they are due to appear, hordes of eager fans flock to the main stage, forming the largest crowd of the day so far. Frontman Jonne Järvelä 's trademark deer antlers are attached to his microphone stand as the man appears himself to hurl free t-shirts into the audience. Then, after a short soundcheck, the band take to the stage as the Bloodstock crowd cheer enthusiastically. Their 40 minute set includes singalong masterpieces 'Happy Little Boozer', 'Hunting Song' and their now classic drinking anthem 'Beer Beer' as Järvelä throws cans of lager into the crowd, before putting down his guitar so he's free to run round the stage singing and providing beer to his bandmates as they play. They even manage to fit in a few bars of the dissonant tri-tonal opening from 'Black Sabbath' mid-set. Korpiklaani's sound engineer does an incredibly good job at sustaining a fantastic sound for the band as 2 guitars, bass, violin, accordion, and drums can't be that easy to mix into a coherent whole. Crowd members participate in jig pits, moshing, and beer chucking including unopened cans launched 50 feet into the air only to plummet at great speed through the early evening sky before crashing into random metallers' heads. It is, however, all good humoured pandemonium as the audience are united in their enjoyment of Korpiklaani's hugely entertaining live show. Very impressive.

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NEVERMORE

American progressive thrash band Nevermore from Seattle are up next. Suffering from various setbacks in the last year and a half or so, guitarist Steve Smyth remains absent from their lineup today due to recovering from a kidney transplant (although at the time of writing, his permanent departure from the band has been announced, but he's fortunately now in good health and returning to the live scene playing in Hatesphere on their forthcoming tours with Behemoth and Dimmu Borgir). Smyth's regular live session replacement Chris Broderick of Jag Panzer stands in on guitar, while original bassist Jim Sheppard also misses their Bloodstock performance due to prior commitments. As they take to the stage and commence proceedings with opening number 'Medicated Nation' from 2005's 'This Godless Endeavor' (the band's last studio release to date), it is a welcome change of pace from Epica's uninspired performance. Longstanding members Warrel Dane on vocals, Jeff Loomis guitar, and Van Williams on drums, along with the two session players, give it their all, and during an hour long set play a range of material from their last four albums. For me, 'This Godless Endeavor' is their most accomplished to date, so it's pleasing to hear the likes of 'Born', 'Final Product' and 'My Acid Words' in a live context with their dark prog-thrash quasi-complex structures full of original melodies and assimilated metal influences. It is slightly unfortunate that drums are sporadically lost in the mix during most of Nevermore's set with a rather tinny sounding snare prominent in most songs, though the crushing riffs and and virtuoso leads from Loomis and Broderick are refreshingly clear through the PA. Dane is on fine form with an awe-inspiring vocal performance, boasting one of the best voices in metal - his powerful singing ranges from diatonically aggressive to poignantly affective and everything in between - which he exhibits note perfect today. As Nevermore's set nears its conclusion, Dane announces "we've saved our burner 'til last", before the band launch into 'Enemies of Reality' (title track from their 2003 album), which propels crowd members into one of the most lively, intense pits of the weekend. Absolutely brilliant - one of the bands of the festival.

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LACUNA COIL

Goth metallers Lacuna Coil are a band I've liked in waves [...of anguish!!] over the years since their self-titled 1998 debut EP to last year's impressive 'Karmacode', but have never managed to catch them live. As the Italians appear on stage and launch into set opener 'To the Edge', what's immediately noticeable is how much heavier they sound in a live context. While each of their releases contains perhaps 3 or 4 tracks with hard-hitting riffs, original melodies and engaging vocal lines such as the awesome 'Swamped' from 2002 release 'Comalies', or 'Our Truth' from 'Karmacode', I often find a Lacuna Coil album to lack consistency in songwriting throughout. However, material I'd previously deemed weaker and dismissed as comparatively ineffectual comes to fruition through their live performance with far more impact and, tonight, Lacuna Coil suddenly make a whole lot more sense to me! Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro impress with simultaneous strong vocals and dynamic stage presence as both work the Bloodstock crowd into lively mosh pits during the bands faster numbers. Pre-encore set closer is their likeable cover of Depeche Mode's 'Enjoy The Silence' before they return to the stage for 'Heaven's A Lie' and a storming rendition of 'Our Truth'. While Lacuna Coil lack the pace and vitality of Nevermore and Dark Tranquillity's all-out metal vigour, they are the perfect wind-down band to end the second day of Bloodstock. Very impressive.

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TESTAMENT; FIREWIND; HEAD-ON; KIUAS; SIGHT OF EMPTINESS; CHRIS SLADE