“Let the madness begin!” This was the familiar battle cry for over a decade of Ozzfests. Today Ozzfest is back in the con-joined monst fest that is Ozzfest Meets Knotfest. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Sabaton
Slipknot, Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, Korn, Slayer, The Cult, Ghost Booked For Louder Than Life Festival
The third annual Louder Than Life Festival will take place October 1 & 2 At Champions Park In Louisville, KY.Continue reading
The Spoils Of War: Sabaton’s Joakim Brodén And Pär Sundström
Swedish Heavy Metal kings Sabaton have made a career out of examining the history of conflict, be it world wars, or the internal fallout people deal with. Neither cliched or romanticized, the band examines the realities of war and what happens to societies in its wake. They take their themes very seriously, not just capitalizing on a fascination, but reveling in helping keep history alive. One might argue that their new album The Last Stand (Nuclear Blast) is the most fully realized, most concept heavy piece in their entire career. Ghost Cult’s Keith Chachkes chatted with singer Joakim Brodén and bassist Pär Sundström to chat to preview the new album:
Having had an early preview of The Last Stand, we were impressed with with how much story and information is packed into each track. We asked to hear a little bit about the record and the concept for it:
Joakim: Yeah. It’s a bit outside of the comfort zone for us, because normally, it’s the thing in modern warfare except for all of this extra stuff. I think on this one, both musically and lyrically, we are expanding our horizons a bit if you will. We are covering the concept of “The Last Stand”, the Battle of Thermapyle in anchient Greece. We pretty much traveled all around the world both times geographically, and we end up in the Soviet – Afghan war of 1988. Yeah. They’re all from different places on this planet, and different places in time actually.
War is an aspect of society that informs all human life. Sabaton really pays a service through their music to educate fans. People don’t give you enough credit for it.
Joakim: We’re not trying to educate anyone, but I’ll be the first to say if somebody learns something from listening to our songs, then I will be the first person to be happy about it, if you know what I mean. We are of course not teachers or professors, but we can tell so many fantastic stories or about fantastic people in our past, so why make up new ones?
There is a real cinematic feel to this album too. Not just samples, not just the speeches in there, in ‘The Lost Battalion’, or ‘Uncertain’. Was that something that you guys were focused on with the writing, or is that a natural Sabaton thing?
Joakim: I think it comes with the subject. We never think if we are going to go bigger, smaller, faster, harder, slower. We just want to be better. Whatever is necessary to make that dream come true, and to make every, the natural progress … Yeah, we try to focus on becoming better rather than changing because sometimes better is harder, sometimes better is softer or faster. On this level, with those subjects, the epic feel is stuck on a way we didn’t feel, and we hope others feel the same way.
‘Shiriama’ and later album tracks like ‘The Winged Hoosar’ really captured me lyrically. Some of the best lyrics the band have ever done individually.
Pär: Thanks man. I’m happy to hear that.
I loved the lyric video for ‘Lost Battalion’ too: the idea and the execution. I know a lot of bands are on the fence about how effective lyric videos can be.
Joakim: In a sense, for us, having a … I don’t want to say that other bands who do it don’t matter. I’m not trying to say that at all out of respect for others, but for a band like us, we’ve spent so much time on lyrics and the research, and it can give the song a much deeper meaning. I think a good lyric video is really important than carrying camp packs trying to look cool sometimes. We take our music very seriously, but we don’t take ours levels very seriously if you know what I mean.
Sabaton is always a fun band, especially to see live. It seems like they are having a lot of fun out there, despite the often dark subject matter. A lot of bands from the scene, where it’s very dark subject matter, the bands tend to come off as dour, evil, and extreme. To a man, the guys in Sabaton seem very sweet.
Joakim: Yeah. When it comes to metal heads, why would we be aggressive. We can get it out in our music or onstage. In general, nine times out of ten at least, the metal head is usually the nicest one who will stand up and help an old lady across the road.
Sabaton fans are some of the most loyal in the world. What should they look forward to with the new album?
Pär: I think the roller coaster ride is what you’re looking for. The Last Stand is short as it gets for an album, but we’re going in directions we haven’t gone before. I feel very strongly about it because this is one of the best albums we ever did I think.
KEITH CHACHKES
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Video: Sabaton – The Lost Battalion Lyric Video, Pre-Order’s Available
Heavy metal legends Sabaton have released their new single, the first from their forthcoming new album The Last Stand, due this summer from Nuclear Blast on August 19th. You can with the lyric video for ‘The Lost Battalion’ at this link or below:
The band has provided some background on the lyrics:
‘The Lost Battalion’ is the name given to nine companies of the United States’ 77th Division during the battle of the Argonne in 1918. Even though these 550-575 brave men were completely surrounded by the German Army and subjected to friendly artillery fire, they kept on fighting for a week until they were relieved. Of the over 500-plus soldiers who entered the Argonne Forest, only 194 walked out unscathed. The rest were killed, missing, captured, or wounded.
The record can be pre-ordered at this link: http://nblast.de/SabatonLastStandNB
Or digital: http://nblast.de/SabatonDownloads
The Last Stand can be purchased in the following editions:
– CD+DVD-DIGI
– CD
– 2LP (black, dark green)
– Digital
Sabaton- The Last Stand track listing
CD+DVD-DIGI
CD
01. Sparta
02. Last Dying Breath
03. Blood Of Bannockburn
04. Diary Of An Unknown Soldier
05. The Lost Battalion
06. Rorke’s Drift
07. The Last Stand
08. Hill 3234
09. Shiroyama
10. Winged Hussars
11. The Last Battle
Bonus:
12. Camouflage
13. All Guns Blazing
DVD – Live @ Stereolux, Nantes (France)
01. Intro (The March To War)
02. Ghost Division
03. Far From The Fame
04. Uprising
05. Midway
06. Gott Mit Uns
07. Resist And Bite
08. Wolfpack
09. Dominium Maris Baltici
10. Carolus Rex
11. Swedish Pagans
12. Soldier Of 3 Armies
13. Attero Dominatus
14. The Art Of War
15. Wind Of Change
16. To Hell And Back
17. Night Witches
18. Primo Victoria
19. Metal Crüe
—
CD
01. Sparta
02. Last Dying Breath
03. Blood Of Bannockburn
04. Diary Of An Unknown Soldier
05. The Lost Battalion
06. Rorke’s Drift
07. The Last Stand
08. Hill 3234
09. Shiroyama
10. Winged Hussars
11. The Last Battle
—
2LP – 45 RPM
Side A
01. Sparta
02. Last Dying Breath
03. Blood Of Bannockburn
04. Diary Of An Unknown Soldier
05. The Lost Battalion
Side B
01. Rorke’s Drift
02. The Last Stand
03. Hill 3234
04. Shiroyama
Side C
01. Winged Hussars
02. The Last Battle
Side D (Bonus)
01. Camouflage
02. All Guns Blazing
Louder Than Life Books Avenged Sevenfold, Slipknot, Slayer, Disturbed, Korn and The Cult
Louisville Kentucky’s top flight metal and hard rock festival, the 3rd annual Louder Than Life festival has announced its 2016 lineup. Avenged Sevenfold will headline, with Slipknot, Slayer, Disturbed, Korn and The Cult performing among others on October 1st and 2nd.
Tickets go on sale this Wednesday at noon EST at www.LouderThanLifeFestival.com. Prices will be $79.50 for a single-day general admission, $89.50 for a general admission weekend pass, and $234.50 for a VIP weekend pass. Other packages are available, with prices increases soon.
Other bands performing at Champions Park on River Road are Ghost, Cheap Trick, The Pretty Reckless, Alter Bridge, Pierce the Veil, Clutch, Anthrax, Hellyeah, Sevendust, Trivium and Sick Puppies. More than 50,000 fans attended last year’s sold-out festival, most from out of state.
With the Louisville locale in the forefront, the festival also features on bourbon and “gourmet man food”.
Celebrity chefs will be Edward Lee, Tom Coghill, Bill Kunz and Jonathan Schwartz, while the Gourmet Man Food Village will have several dozen choices, including Doc Crow’s, El Luchador,: 502 Café, Aporkalypse Now, Hi-Five Doughnuts, Holy Mole, The Comfy Cow, Gelato Gilberto and Cheese Louise.
Bourbon World, presented by the Louisville Courier-Journal, will feature Angel’s Envy, Basil Hayden’s, Benchmark, Buffalo Trace, Bulleit, Eagle Rare, Evan Williams, Four Roses, Jim Beam, Knob Creek, Maker’s Mark, Michter’s, Old Forester, Town Branch, Willett, Wild Turkey and Woodford Reserve.
Here are the daily line-ups:
Saturday, Oct. 1 – Avenged Sevenfold, Slayer, The Cult, The Pretty Reckless, Pierce The Veil, Cheap Trick, Chevy Metal, Anthrax, Motionless In White, Hellyeah, Sick Puppies, The Amity Affliction, Avatar, Neck Deep, Young Guns, Being As An Ocean, ’68, Twelve Foot Ninja, Dinosaur Pile Up.
Sunday, Oct. 2 – Slipknot, Disturbed, Korn, Ghost, Alter Bridge, Clutch, Biffy Clyro, Pop Evil, Skillet, Sevendust, Zakk Sabbath, Parkway Drive, Trivium, KYNG, Skindred, Adelitas Way, Crobot, Smashing Satellites, Sabaton.
Ozzfest Meets Knotfest To Feature Black Sabbath, Slipknot, Disturbed, Slayer
Two of the biggest heavy music brands in history have joined together as Ozzfest has returned and will team up with Slipknot’s Knotfest as a conjoined two-day festival. Ozzfest Meets Knotfest will take place Saturday, September 24 (Ozzfest) and Sunday, September 25 (Knotfest) at San Manuel Amphitheater and Festival Grounds in San Bernardino, California.Long-rumoured to be making a comeback, Ozzfest is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Knotfest which debuted in 2012 and has spawned other versions in Japan and Mexico. Tickets for the Live Nation produced fest with a multi-stage, two-day weekend camping event with more than 40 acts — go on sale Friday, May 20 at 10:00 a.m. (PST) at Ozzfest.com and Knotfest.com.
At a press conference earlier today the event was announced, followed by a performance by Zakk Wylde’s Zakk Sabbath. Present were Ozzfest founder Ozzy Osbourne and Slipknot’s Corey Taylor and M. Shawn Crahan. The event began with a movie screening, followed by a question-and-answer session with artists.
Ozzy commented on the event:
“We are here to create havoc and history. Let the madness begin…”
Slipknot’s Corey Taylor added:
“This could be the one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of. Starting out as an Ozzfest band, coming into our own with Knotfest and now combining forces to make a little metal history…it was meant to be and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Shawn Crahan also commented:
“Playing with BLACK SABBATH is always an honor. Merging both festivals will be a legendary experience that will be life-changing for all fans. We are excited to bring all the families together again.”
Cory Brennan, President, 5B Artist Management also added his thoughts:
“The impact of Ozzfest on heavy music and on Slipknot, cannot be underestimated.For 20 years, Ozzfest has given fans their first glimpse at bands like Slipknot, Disturbed and countless others, but also bringing new fans and bands together every year. Ozzfest inspired Slipknot to continue this vital tradition with Knotfest, and it’s an honor to celebrate our genre alongside them in 2016.”
The Ozzfest Meets Knotfest 2016 Lineup Is As Follows, with a “Lemmy” stage included on both days for Lemmy Kilmister Of Motörhead, who passed away this past December 28th.
Ozzfest Lineup – Saturday, September 24
Main Stage
Black Sabbath
Disturbed
Megadeth
Opeth
Black Label Society
Rival Sons
Lemmy Stage
Children Of Bodom
Hatebreed
Devildriver
Goatwhore
Huntress
Dead Cross
Nuclear Blast Stage
Municipal Waste
Kataklysm
Nails
The Shrine
Still Rebel
Knotfest Lineup – Sunday, September 25
Main Stage
Slipknot
Slayer
Amon Amarth
Anthrax
Trivium
Lemmy Stage:
Sabaton
Suicide Silence
Overkill
Emmure
Butcher Babies
Man With A Mission
Nuclear Blast Stage
Whitechapel
Combichrist
Death Angel
Sim
Oni
Bloodstock Festival: Day One – Catton Hall, UK
With humble origins as a smaller, indoor festival in 2001, and being headlined then by metal legends Saxon due to connections to organiser Paul Gregory, Bloodstock steadily grew and grew until eventually in 2005 it saw an additional (not solitary) open air version. It is now the UK’s biggest open air metal (not rock) festival. Now, in the open air’s 10th year, a cursory glance at the line-ups throughout the years show its size and stature growing with bigger names from the likes of Slayer, Megadeth and this year’s closer Rob Zombie alongside the underground, the extreme and even the silly (hello Korpiklaani).
Crowd at Bloodstock Open Air 2015, photo credit Sabrina Ramdoyal
Much smaller than the likes of Download Festival, Bloodstock benefits from its close proximity to the campsite meaning if you do fancy a nap to fight off that expected hangover then you are only five minutes away. As you do enter the main arena you are firstly greeted by a cordoned off circle which later in the weekend will see infamous Knight fighting, as illustrated by the many in full knight’s armour throughout the weekend because, you know… metal!
A few paces beyond is the Sophie Lancaster Stage which proudly supports the S.O.P.H.I.E Campaign, and just beyond is the smaller Jagermeister Stage which sits just next to the grounds of the main stage, and even past that is the Hobgoblin New Blood Stage, all within a few minutes walking distance, easy and convenient. Coupled with one of the most consistently pleasant, easy going, and friendly festival goers you will hope to meet (with plenty of families about) and you can’t help but have a fantastic weekend. Welcome to Bloodstock!
As per usual, the festivities really kick off on the Thursday with several bands on the Sophie tent; and a glance at the shirts about show that openers Reign Of Fury have a tonne of fans about. Later on in the day if Welsh death metal hoodlums Desecration don’t get you in the mood for debauchery then nothing will as they deliver a sterling set.
Nuclear Assault, photo credit Sabrina Ramdoyal
Friday arrives and the rescheduled Nuclear Assault start off the main stage as it would continue throughout the weekend; with troubles, as they play with borrowed gear due to airport confusion. Still they play with intensity and ferocity, if you can get past John Connelly’s cartoon like voice which verges between cringe worthy and suiting.
Despite the glorious sunshine its back to the Sophie tent for the loveable Pronk duo Oaf as they deliver the first truly great moment of the festival with a set chock full of obscenities, humour and incredible songs. Very little will top the image of a packed out sea of Cheshire Cat grins bellowing out the chorus to brand new song ‘Disgusted By Your Genitalia’ this weekend.
The New Blood Stage over the weekend will play host to numerous winners of Bloodstock’s Metal To The Masses winners as well as other great new talents, proving a very worthy place to go if there is a gap in your schedule. Early on in the day is Brighton’s winner, thrashers King Leviathan who combine the pace and energy of thrash/death metal with black metal’s fascination and imagery of the occult. With impressive numbers and a formidable display, it seems the future of metal is in good hands.
Arnocorps vs Alien vs Predator, photo credit by Sabrina Ramdoyal
Shortly after, the sunshine doesn’t appear to be helping the black metal bands of the weekend as they vividly corpse painted Belphegor seem to be greeted by not only it brightening but butterflies flying around the stage, which proves too hilarious.
There is even plenty of Prog over the weekend, with a wide range of progressive minded metal bands across the stages, which brings up your scribes’ first major clash of the weekend. It wouldn’t be Bloodstock if a stage or two wasn’t plagued with sound issues, and it’s a testament to the loyal masses that Enslaved’s inaudible vocals did not detract from the raucous response from a crowd who adore this darkened, Nordic prog. Outings from newie ‘Building With Fire’ and old favourites like 1997’s ‘Alfablot’ amalgamate perfectly to create one of the sets of the weekend, proving that the spirit and character of a band can cast away sonic snags. An entirely different beast, Australian tech metallers Ne Obliviscaris pack out a rapturous Sophie tent with a rare visit to these shores, and a mind bogglingly complex but stunning set which has everyone in attendance hooked.
Ihsahn, photo credit Sabrina Ramdoyal
The main stage gremlins make yet another appearance as they wreak havoc on Ihsahn, causing a long pause during the set to sort out monitor difficulties. Not that you would have noted the band’s distraction at all as aside from this delay they/he perform an absolute masterclass. Plus it’s a testament to his deity like reputation and the open minded crowd that he can close with a brand new song in ‘My Heart Is Of The North’. The Prog continues with relative newcomers Diatessaron on the New Blood Stage with, sadly, some signs of nerves kicking in and a sound that feels too out of place for the festival, the band seeming too thin and reward with a somewhat disinterested crowd.
Sabaton, photo credit by Sabrina Ramdoyal
Making good use of the close proximity to the campsite means it’s time for a rest to recover from the heat. A few drinks in and it turns out we have accidentally missed the mammoth heaviness of Conan (dammit), but its back in time to see Swedish power metallers Sabaton continue their ascent to one of the UK’s favourite metal acts. Kicking off, as ever, with ‘Ghost Division’ they charge in with the subtlety of a Panzer battalion as the likes of ‘Carolus Rex’ and a rare UK airing of ‘No Bullets Fly’ cause sing-alongs a plenty. The band themselves are certainly having the time of their lives up there, but the set derails somewhat by their insistence on rehearsed comedy routines which are completely unnecessary, especially with the songs they could have played in their arsenal. Still even this cannot take away from one of the most fun sets of the day; plus they have a huge fucking tank on stage.
Sabaton, photo credit by Sabrina Ramdoyal
Since they have been huge favourites in the UK since their inception, and the history they have with UK festivals (that infamous main stage opening slot at Download), it seems about time that Trivium are given the challenge of headlining a major UK festival, in what seemed like it could have been another historic and defining moment for both the band and festival. Sadly they hit problems immediately as they choose to open with the live premiere of brand new song ‘Silence In The Snow’ which has not only been out for only a few weeks but also does not prove captivating enough a song. Things are unaided by the absence of guitarist/growler Cory Beaulieu due to microphone difficulties which result in him getting electric shocks (those gremlins again).
Trivium, photo credit Sabrina Ramdoyal
When issues settle however and they hit their stride they show strong a band they are with quite the arsenal of anthems, from stirring renditions of the likes of ‘Like Light To Flies’ and ‘Into The Mouth Of Hell We March’. However the set does prove very inconsistent as for each great moment, there are those that fall flat, like ‘Strife’ and ‘Black’, plus another new airing in the trudging ‘Blind Leading The Blind’ towards the end of the main set. It’s a real shame as at times they are almost exquisite, but at others they seem tired and daunted by the event. The crowd is firmly behind them, but what could have been a monumental occasion sadly proves frustrating.
WORDS BY CHRIS TIPPELL & SARAH WORSLEY
Into The Grave Festival Concludes, Exodus Named As First Band For 2016
Into The Grave Festival, one of the yearly highlights of the heavy music circuit in the Netherlands, took place last weekend in Leeuwarden. A sell-out crowd of over 7,000 people in attendance (not counting bands and crew) witnessed great bands such as headliner Sabaton, Sepultura, Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, Ensiferum, Avatar, Betraying The Martyrs, Audrey Horne, and more lite up the stage.
Sabaton live, from Facebook.
Exodus has already been confirmed For Into The Grave 2016. Early Bird Tickets are on sale now for Into The Grave and its sister festival City Rock for next year at their website.
Powerwolf – Blessed & Possessed
Blessed & Possessed (Napalm) the sixth studio album by German band Powerwolf opens with a majestically bombastic title-track that is everything you could hope for in a Powerwolf album as the choral vocals just add that extra classical touch to the power metal onslaught. And yes, the melodies are super catchy, like the genre requires. But Powerwolf is not all symphonic bombast; ‘Army of the Night’ really sounds like Sabaton’s combat style, reminding of ‘Ghost Division’, but with far better vocals than Joakim Brodén was then capable of. It is effective in raising both spirits and your heartrate!
On ‘Armata Strigoi’ the riffs are incredibly tight, the melodies have just enough cheese to make this incredibly enjoyable to listen to, and the guitar solo is effective and varied. ‘We are the Wild’ is a Power Metal anthem, as the chorus is perfectly suited to chanting along from the audience. It also features a really nice orchestral break before the solo.
‘Higher than Heaven’ is an up-tempo and highly energetic piece – I couldn’t help but grin madly during this song as the contrast between the fast-paced singing, smooth vocal melody, and pacey music is just immensely pleasing – the slower break does not lose any of the power, but gathers it for the final chorus.
The vocal talents of Attila Dorn are well showcased, in the more battle-oriented songs they sound like a cross between Joakim Brodén and Hansi Kursch, in others, like ‘Let There Be Night’, his voice takes on a very classical quality, with great clarity and vibrato. However, the best parts are the combination of rough and classical, which lends great power to the music and the lyrics.
In case you hadn’t realised yet from the other songs, ‘Christ & Combat’ should make it abundantly clear what the theme of the album is: religion and war, and the lyrics seem to describe some sort of Christian Valhalla. It also has features some excellent bass lines.
While I really love ‘Sanctus Dominus’ for its choral bombast with Latin lyrics and the customary clipped pronunciation, by the time I get to ‘Sacramental Sister’ the religious themes become tiresome with an entire album on the subject hard to swallow
However, the music is fun, the sound is good, and I heartily recommend it to people who love cheesy power metal and have no aversion to the glorification of holy wars and religiousness.
7.0/10
LORRAINE LYSEN
Tuska Festival 2015 Part III: Suvilahti, Helsinki FI
Warmen, or “Children Of Bodom keyboard player Janne (Wirman) & friends”, was the early showstarter for Sunday. With a vast array of lightning fast melodic hooks and catchy choruses delivered by a super star group of singers (namely Alexi Laiho, Pasi Rantanen and Jonna Geagea), what’s there not to like on a sunny Sunday afternoon?
Fans at Tuska Festival,
The second full album theme show of the weekend was delivered by Stratovarius, who played their Visions album in its entirety. Honestly, especially in the case of Visions, if you’re not a die hard fan of the band that’s doing something like this, it’s hard to justify having the filler tracks on the set that they’d never play otherwise. It seems like shows like this would be better suited for a club environment.
Alice Cooper, photo by Timo Asoaho
Alice Cooper’s bombastic show saw all his famous, over the top rock and roll antics taken to the max. The slot was well chosen, as some people were showing some members in attendance were showing some wear and tear from the weekend. It was nothing short of a real snake, apparently borrowed from Mr. Lordi, a guillotine, and what have you to keep people’s spirits up before the day at the office tomorrow creeping closer and closer. Alice closed his set with local living legend Michael Monroe of Hanoi Rocks fame to join his friend Alice for ‘School’s Out’ to close the weekend.
The festival reported seeing 25,000 visitors during the weekend. It’s pretty difficult to pinpoint what it precisely is that gives Tuska its loyal following and good reputation from some other European festivals, but yet again plenty of Tuska first timers I had the pleasure of sharing beers with swore to come back next year – and mainly for the occasion, only secondly for the bands.
WORDS BY LH
PHOTOS COURTESY OF TUSKA FESTIVAL/Timo Asoaho/Aku Axel Muukka