Report

Graspop Metal Meeting 2015: Day Two

Following an excellent start to the festival the day before, it was exciting to wake up to another day of metal music in Dessel. There was once again plenty on display for head bangers of all tastes, from legendary bands to current favourites. There were also plent of cult heroes performing on this day, one of which was the first band on the agenda.

Formed in 1991 under the name Resurrection in Israel, Orphaned Land have gone on to become one of, if not the premier metal band from the Middle East. Part of what makes them such an endearing group is their constant devotion of their music to peace, particularly between the Abrahamic religions that clash more than anywhere around their homeland. They were a great way to start the day, possessing a fantastic energy that got plenty of the crowd moving, which is quite an accomplishment for midday at a festival. Opening with the title track to their latest album, "All Is One," they oozed a positive atmosphere and most heads that were banging were also smiling. Having only a forty minute set, it was impressive that the band were able to fit seven songs into their schedule, with the excellent "Separi" being a particular highlight, in part due to the guest appearance of a Dutch Muslim belly dancer, who also joined the group for their finale, which was a medley of "Norra el Norra" and "Ornaments of Gold." Like several bands the day before, Orphaned Land were highly impressive and one that needs adding to the metal fans list of bands to see live.

After some pottering around, visiting the metal market which is a series of stalls selling shirts, piercings and the like, and checking out a little of Orchid and Hollywood Undead (the former I didn't see enough to comment on and the latter was as terrible as one would imagine,) it was over to the Metal Dome to check out Norway's, Shining, not to be confused with the Swedish black metal band of the same name. This year's Graspop was great for bands that are a little out there and Shining's brand of heavy, avant-garde music, which seems to mostly comprise of metal and jazz elements, was a perfect example of something a little different. What made their eight song set all the more interesting was that three of the songs performed were new tracks from their forthcoming album, all of which sounded very good and fit in perfectly with their performance, which also including favourites like, "Fisheye" and "The Madness and the Damage Done." It was an enjoyable show, with the saxophone solos being a particular highlight and the lighting being used to perfect effect.

Back over to the main stage, we ended up watching the full set of one of the previously mentioned darlings of today's young rockers, A Day To Remember. Having been asked during a conversation about rock music in the pub a week before if I'd seen them, it seemed like something of an obligation to check them out. There will no doubt be a few people reading this and complaining that A Day To Remember aren't metal so let me save you some time by agreeing with you, they're more in the vein of hardcore and even that's being generous. Their brand of inoffensive rock music seemed out of place at a festival which featured plenty of extreme metal and heavy metal icons, and if it weren't for the popularity of the group, they would no doubt be performing on the Jupiler Stage, which staged most of the hardcore and so called "scene" bands. Their performance itself was nothing particularly special, though they were far from bad, merely unremarkable, which is the hardest thing to convey in a review.

While metal head elitists might have shrugged off A Day To Remember, most of them were no doubt looking forward to the next band on the second main stage, thrash metal legends, Exodus. As those who read my review of their latest album, "Blood In, Blood Out," may remember, I'm not a fan of returning vocalist, Steve "Zetro" Souza and the new album seemed wildy mediocre, and sadly, so did this performance. Like Cavalera Conspiracy the day before, it was shocking that music from such a great, high octane band like Exodus could seem like little more than background music. I wonder if it's because of the lineup, which felt wrong for not including guitarist, Gary Holt or that Exodus simply doesn't work on the a huge stage during the day, something I previously said about another thrash metal stalwart, Kreator, but the show just felt flat, with the only exciting moment being "Toxic Waltz," which even I will admit is best sung by Zetro. In fairness, the singer was in fine voice, in fact, all of the band were fine musically, but there didn't seem to be the threat of violence that was there at previous Exodus shows. The band might be soldiering on, but with their long time driving force off with his mistress, Slayer, the group seem severely hurt.

The token surprise of the day came next, as Godsmack took to the first main stage, opening with the title track from their new album, "1000hp." Their performance was tight, well structured and fun for those of us who grew up with the likes of Godsmack, Drowning Pool, Soil and the like to hear songs like, "Keep Away" and "Awake" again. Frontman, Sully Erna interacted well with the audience and helped make the set particularly special by sitting behind a second drum kit as the band jammed classics throughout the timeline of hard rock and metal, with the likes of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath getting the double drum treatment. "I Stand Alone" capped off a solid set which pleased fans, reignited the interest of older listeners and no doubt won over a number of doubters.

Korpiklaani were next on the agenda, as their 2008 slot had been one of the most memorable festival experiences I've ever had, but as the Marquee was jam packed for them, it was over to the Metal Dome to check out Italian gothic outfit, Lacuna Coil, who I've seen at my previous two visits to the festival. As usual, the band were on great form, with Cristina Scabbia in particular getting the audience to eat from the palm of her hand and whipping up a sing along for several songs, including the Depeche Mode cover, "Enjoy the Silence" and anthem, "Nothing Stands In Our Way," before finishing off with a perfect rendition of, "Our Truth."

Though the next band which was deemed unmissable were on the Metal Dome after Lacuna Coil, it was still another hour until their set, so it was decided to head back to Main Stage 1 and check out another of today's younger names, Five Finger Death Punch. Though they weren't vastly different from A Day To Remember in terms of stage presence, there was something about FFDP that was a lot more enjoyable, particularly the decent cover of Bad Company's eponymous song. Credit also must be given to them for soldiering on after a technical issue cut their sound off for a few minutes, with the group taking it in good humour and continuing their set in good spirit. All in all, Five Finger Death Punch are a band there for their fans and people who like the modern style of popular metal and most likely didn't win over too many people with their music, but they did prove that they belong on a big stage.

Finally the time had come to go back to the Metal Dome and check out another of my main reasons for going, Primordial. The band far surpassed expectations, with singer A. A. Nemtheanga boasting a stage presence to rival that of Gaahl or Tom Warrior, as well as absolutely perfect corpse paint which created an eerie impression that a risen, angry spirit was on stage. Opening with the title track from their latest album, "Where Greater Men Have Fallen," the cerebral assault never stopped, Nemtheanga interacting with the audience in character, for lack of a better word, allowing the crowd to enjoy themselves all the more whilst still being encapsulated by the dark atmosphere that spread from the stage. It's a shame that Primordial don't perform as often as other metal bands, but on the other hand, that's what makes their shows crucial to attend. There are hundreds of great live bands in the world, but Primordial are a real treat.

Over at the second main stage was another man who always delivers. It doesn't matter what you may think of his music, Alice Cooper is the ultimate showman. It's a real testament to his talent as well as his stage show that a set featuring the classic uses of guillotines and the like that it works so well in broad daylight, something which severely damaged the effect of Rob Zombie's live show the last time I was at Graspop. Of course, there were the classics such as, "Under My Wheels," "Eighteen" and your girlfrend's favourite rock anthem, "Poison," as well as songs from albums such as "Dirty Diamonds." Unsurprisingly, the set was closed with "School's Out," but what did catch many off guard was the inclusion of another rock classic, "Another Brick in the Wall" into the song and expertly I might add. Alice Cooper is almost like the anti-Kiss when it comes to stage shows. Both put on great shows but while Kiss is like the circus, Alice puts on a twisted cabaret, straight from your childhood nightmares. The man is nearly seventy years old and shows absolutely no signs of slowing down, still the crown prince of shock.

Though the prospect of Korn performing their debut album on the first main stage was an interesting one, I headed to the Marquee to see one of the most popular names in death metal, At The Gates. Technical difficulties meant they were delayed by ten minutes or so but proved worth the wait, playing a good number of songs from their latest album, "At War With Reality," as well as popular songs such as "Under a Serpent Sun" and the title tracks from their excellent, "Slaughter of the Soul" and "Terminal Spirit Disease" albums. At The Gates is pure death metal and they don't pretend to be anything else, so there isn't much in the way of a stage show to really talk about, they let the music do the talking, which was all played very well indeed. Well worth newcomers checking out, as well as seasoned fans.

Alice Cooper was previously mentioned as an example of an icon that is still impressing people of all ages and the same can be said of tonight's headliner of the second main stage, Judas Priest. The British metal gods took to their stage with the opening track, "Dragonaut," from their excellent latest album, "Redeemer of Souls," which was also promoted with performances of the title track and the epic, "Halls of Valhalla." Of course, pretty much all the classics were on display too, from "Victim of Changes" to the encore performance of "Painkiller," which was a fine showcase to prove that Rob Halford can still hit the high notes, sustain them and rock them like no-one else.

As good as Priest were in 2011, the recruitment of guitarist, Ritchie Faulkner seems to have revitalised the icons and this set blew their 2011 show out of the water, with everything sounding better, including Rob Halford's voice, proven on this night by his singing "Breaking the Law," whereas in 2011, he used the song to rest his voice, holding the microphone out for the crowd to sing the whole song. The set was kept interesting by classics like "Hell Bent For Leather" and "You've Got Another Thing Coming," being performed earlier than usual, keeping the audience guessing as to what was coming next. Back in 2011, it was believed that Priest were on their retirement tour but judging by this performance, there is no need for them to retire, at least when it comes to the quality of live shows, not to mention how good "Redeemer of Souls" was. Although Slipknot were next up on the first main stage, I decided to head back to the campsite, having decided that such a wonderful show from the metal gods was a perfect way to end the night.