Metal Discovery: Review + Photos of Bloodstock Open Air 2007

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SATURDAY 18th AUGUST - PART 2

FINNTROLL

www.finntroll.net

As if echoing yesterday's running order, and with the rain falling heavier still, sixth band of the day is more Finnish folk metal (or 'humppa' metal) in the form of Finntroll. With impressive new album 'Ur Jordens Djup' released this year, it is the band's first with new vocalist Mathias 'Vreth' Lillmåns after previous frontman Tapio Wilska was dismissed during the early part of 2006 for undisclosed reasons. With all lyrics in Swedish, the Finns are renowned for playing troll-themed folk metal - in fact, their band name directly translates as 'Troll from Finland'. However, new tracks such as 'Sång', with which they open, conveys a darker, folk-tinted black metal vibe that marks a quasi-progression in their songwriting, whereas 'Korpens Saga' (or 'Raven's Saga'), also aired today, is closer to the idiomatic 'classic' Finntroll sound. Last time I saw the band, at 2005's Thirteenth Day festival in Birmingham, I remember being impressed with the energy levels they sustained throughout their set, so am somewhat disappointed today with their comparatively 'flat' performance. While I cannot fault them musically, and new frontman Lillmåns' vocals are as good as Wilska's (albeit he's antithetic in stature!) they seem to have lost a lot of their enthusiasm for performing, which also mirrors recent live footage I've seen. Matters liven up somewhat mid-set when Lillmåns introduces Sabbat/The Clan Destined vocalist Martin Walkyier on stage as he assumes joint vocal duties for Finntroll's anthemic folk metal classic 'Trollhammaren' (translating quite simply as 'Troll Hammer'!). Walkyier's appearance is perhaps rather apt as the 10 or so years he spent fronting Skyclad engendered the entire folk metal genre, popularising the use of violin in metal (although Finntroll emulate such instruments using keyboards). As Walkyier runs around the stage with his characteristic ardour, the lack in Finntroll's performance becomes axiomatic - Lillmåns, although vocally sound, is not as good a frontman as Wilska was, though given time, he'll hopefully gain more confidence on stage. During the last third of 'Trollhammaren', bassist Sami 'Tundra' Uusitalo walks off stage for no discernible reason which Lillmåns fails to notice as when he introduces the next song and his fellow band members don't start playing, he turns round confused but then observes the absence. Uusitalo returns after five minutes, and with no explanation for his departure, the band finish their set. Overall, Finntroll are musically great, though a little dull to watch through their apathetic performance.

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DREAM EVIL

www.dreamevil.se

As the heavy rain shows no signs of subsiding, Dream Evil are up next. Featuring producer extraordinaire Fredrik Nordström (Dark Tranquillity; In Flames; Opeth; Arch Enemy; At The Gates; Dimmu Borgir etc.) on rhythm guitar, the band play cheesy, antiquated compositions with inane names such as 'Made of Metal' and title track from 2004 release 'The Book of Heavy Metal', which are both aired today. Dream Evil's music is a long way from the Gothenburg melodic death metal sound that Nordström had a hand in developing through his masterful production/mixing abilities back in the 90s. Although it is not for me, and perhaps transcends the cheesiness of Freedom Call, they are well received by a large proportion of the Bloodstock audience who seem to lap up the banality of every guitar riff and cliché-ridden vocal line.

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SABBAT

www.sabbat-uk.com

Reunited British progressive thrash pioneers Sabbat are due next on stage as the wet weather continues. Having caught their third reunion show in December last year supporting Cradle of Filth, I was looking forward to seeing them play a longer set this evening with an allotted hour time slot on the main stage. It was also fairly common knowledge before the festival that Fraser Craske had lost interest in the reunion, so today would only be four fifths of the classic 'Dreamweaver' recording lineup I'd been fortunate enough to witness last December. As the darkly atmospheric, polyphonic intro music from 'History of a Time to Come' resonates pervasively through the PA speakers, Sabbat appear on stage to huge cheers. Opening with the first two tracks from 'History...' - 'A Cautionary Tale' and 'Hosanna in Excelsis', they then switch to the brilliantly diverse 'Dreamweaver' album for 'The Clerical Conspiracy'. Guitarist Andy Sneap is ablaze with energy, and clearly enjoying every moment of his rediscovered love of performing, a passion which he hasn't lost after many years of sitting behind a mixing desk. In fact, like Fredrik Nordström, he's had a hand in producing, mixing and/or engineering albums by a significant proportion of the BOA 2007 main stage bands - Nevermore, Arch Enemy, Rise To Addiction, Benediction, and Testament. Martin Walkyier is on form with his distinctive, and widely imitated, rasped vocals incisively befitting of the polemic latent within the play on words of each song's socio-political lyrics. A man with profound Pagan beliefs, Walkyier sings with sincere conviction and looks like he means every word sung and utterance spoken. Craske's replacement on bass is ex-The Prodigy live guitarist Gizz Butt who does the songs justice with an energetic performance to match, while guitarist Simon Jones looks far more comfortable on stage than in December and affords himself the occasional smile at the positive crowd reactions the band receive. Midway through Sabbat's set, the rain eases off as the clouds start to break, though with the area in front of the stage now a hazardous and substantial mud pit, crowd members still react enthusiastically to every song played as Walkyier prompts huge movement from the audience by informing them that at Wacken 2 weeks previously the band had a "vicious mosh pit" on the go. With an array of strong material including 'The Best of Enemies', 'I For An Eye, ' Do Dark Horses Dream of Nightmares?', and 'For Those Who Died' (with Walkyier poignantly dedicating the latter to his father Orlando who sadly passed away earlier this year), Sabbat's music still sounds contemporary and relevant, and as their set concludes with 'The Church Bizarre', they've proved their main stage worth high up the billing. In short, they are phenomenally good. There's been no mention regarding the duration of the current reunion, though I guess they're just enjoying the moment and sporadic festival appearances. With Walkyier announcing his indefinite retirement from the music business only last year following the untimely demise of The Clan Destined, it seems his passion for performing has been reignited with the latest Sabbat shows, and with the surprise revival of The Clan Destined (albeit with a new lineup), his metal journey is far from over.

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ARCH ENEMY

www.archenemy.net

By the time Arch Enemy take to the stage, the rain has finally, and thankfully, stopped. Having been a fan of the band for many years, since 1999's awesome 'Burning Bridges' album, and caught many of their gigs, I had high expectations as the Swedes (+ German!) are highly accomplished performers and one of the best contemporary live metal acts on the circuit. Commencing with 'I Am Legend/Out For Blood' from 2005 release 'Doomsday Machine', the song's lengthy instrumental opening section serves as an effective build up to vocalist Angela Gossow's appearance on stage. She runs out to deafening cheers from the crowd and looks fired up from the offset, an energy which she sustains throughout the set. Her hands look taut as if innervating all the affective intensities from the music, and runs around the stage, occasionally crouching on the front PA speakers to scream at the crowd, which is astonishingly audible without her using a microphone. Gossow delivers one of the most genuinely passionate performances I've ever witnessed. Christopher Amott, now back in the band after taking time out to concentrate on his studies, together with brother Michael, delights the audience with awe-inspiring displays of virtuoso guitar playing. The tall, imposing figure of bassist Sharlee D'Angelo strides around the Bloodstock stage while bashing out pulsating tones tight against the skilful drumming of Daniel Erlandsson. Playing material only from the Gossow-era albums, it is disappointing not to hear any older tracks, though with every song infused with crushingly huge, melodically original riffs, this doesn't really matter. Two tracks aired from forthcoming album 'Rise of the Tyrant' sound just as impressive alongside the likes of 'My Apocalypse', 'Burning Angel', and 'Enemy Within'. Gossow also hails the crowd as "true warriors" for hanging out in spite of the awful weather and states "it's time to say 'fuck you' to the skies...when I count to 3, I want all of you to say 'fuck you'", to which people oblige en masse. Tonight, Arch Enemy personify metal sublimity in what is one of the best performances any band has delivered in Bloodstock's seven year history. They are flawless in every imaginable way and, like Dark Tranquillity who occupied this slot the previous evening, as the final bars of 'We Will Rise' resonate through the PA, an hour's set seems woefully too short. Arch Enemy are a band in their prime, and look set to continue for many years to come. Sheer fucking brilliance!

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IN FLAMES

www.inflames.com

Back in the mid-90s, In Flames were considered part of the Gothenburg big three in helping pioneer the melodic death metal subgenre, along with Dark Tranquillity and At The Gates. The latter obviously disbanded years ago, bowing out on a high with their seminal release 'Slaughter of the Soul' (and the band's ex-drummer Adrian Erlandsson is present at the festival with new outfit Nemhain appearing on the unsigned stage earlier today). Dark Tranquillity have progressed as a band yet remained faithful to their roots, whereas In Flames gradually lapsed into more commercial songwriting territory a few albums back. Although this has prosperously attracted the Swedes a much larger fanbase in recent years, their almost anti-progression with each new album has distanced them even further from the essence of their early sound and the scene they helped create. Tonight, my opinion remains unchanged. Amusingly, and somewhat jarringly, In Flames appear on stage to the Tom Baker narrated introduction from 'Little Britain', and put on a good, solid live show. However, with a set primarily constituted by material from the last 4 albums (with the exception of 3 earlier tracks), I find their music expectedly unengaging. Although songs such as 'Cloud Connected', 'The Quiet Place' and 'Take This Life' are likeable enough, they're a long way from what the band were once capable of. However, with a huge following, and an obvious attraction for many fans at Bloodstock, they receive positive, lively crowd reactions. Overall, a great performance, but their latter day material just isn't really to my taste, so it's largely lost on me.

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