Nova Rock Festival 2009 – Day One – Faith No More Return, Plus Rain and a Power Outage! (2009)

Location: Nickelsdorf, Austria
Concert date: 18.06.2009
Attendance: 60
Ticket price: €110 for all three days

A year has flown by and the long-awaited Nova Rock festival has finally arrived, delighting us once again with a great lineup of acts. Famous and unknown alike. This year was no different. We got young Aussies The Temper Trap, their slightly more seasoned countrymen The Living End, metalheads Disturbed, Mastodon and Caliban, industrial heroes Nine Inch Nails with Trent Reznor at the helm, the legendary Metallica and comeback kings Faith No More. So day one belonged mostly to the heavyweights, beer, sun, rain, a power outage and an emotional “Nothing Else Matters”.

RED STAGE

ROLO TOMASSI: 12.15 – 12.40
Young English mathcore outfit Rolo Tomassi, who took their name from a character in the film “L.A. Confidential” and whose lead vocals go to Miss Eva Spence, weave together everything that can possibly be woven in their music. Punk, hardcore, post-punk, electronica, jazz and above all metal. If the “mishmash” sounds rather tasteless at first glance, at moments it really does turn out that way when you listen. Maybe it’s the synth that makes it a little more “appealing”. But only until you hear Eva’s growling, which is in total contrast to her delicate voice. The whole thing would sound a lot juicier if the five-piece left the “screaming” to some male throat and the girl’s vocals went from lead to backing. The band, formed in 2005, had put out a whole pile of demos and EPs by last September, when their firstborn “Hysterics” came out on Hassle Records. The songs “I Love Turbulence”, “Film Noir”, “Nine”, “Abraxas” and “Beatrotter”, which the gathered crowd got to hear, were a selection from their releases so far. Sadly, Rolo Tomassi didn’t win the crowd over this time. Better luck next time!

THE TEMPER TRAP: 13.00 – 13.25
Far from their native Australia, rockers The Temper Trap found themselves on European soil. Unlike Rolo Tomassi, these four strapping lads, with their unobtrusive presence and softer rhythms, got the crowd up to working temperature and kept it there. Even though they’re yet another in a line of bands unknown to the wider public, the crowd took to them well, which gave the guys a chance for a quality showcase of their debut album “Conditions”, released in Australia just before their Nova Rock appearance. The record, featuring “Sweet Disposition”, “Science Of Fear”, “Down River” and others, was produced by Jim Abbiss – the very man behind the sound of Arctic Monkeys’ Mercury Prize-winning debut “Whatever People Say I Am, That`s What I`m Not”, as well as Editors’ debut “The Back Room”. It seems Abbiss is one of those producers who hold the key to success, since The Temper Trap’s music already turns up in the Australian mini-series “Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities” and on the soundtrack of the romantic comedy “500 Days Of Summer”. Looks like the BBC TV and radio folks were onto something when they put the band among the fifteen best discoveries of this year. The band, who describe their music as a`cappella-D&B-zouk, convinced and charmed with a solid set. The ladies especially.

JULIA: 13.50 – 14.30
The intro with two English-speaking bands was then spiced up by a local attraction, four young men going by the name Julia. The Viennese rockers made their band fantasies come true at the turn of the millennium and have released three studio albums since. The foursome, who claim that “music is most powerful when it comes straight from the heart” (Kobold), kicked off their set with “A Hell Of A Speech” and “Is This What Makes You Happy?” from their latest, third album “The Scars We Hide”, released last year. From that record the crowd also got “A Cause For Comfort” and “Call The Ambulance”. There’s probably no need to point out how warm the home crowd was toward them, which Julia rewarded with some of their older songs. Their second studio album “Sunrise”, released in 2006, boasts quite a few potential but undiscovered hits, among them “Technology”, “Crash Test Youth”, “Optimistic” and “Turnaround”. The band, storming the stage in the lineup of Matthias “Koma” Kobold (vocals), Karl Mayr (guitar), Alex Schell (bass) and Alex “Sushi” Schuster (drums), didn’t forget their EP “Put A Sleep” (2003) either, home to the song “Noise”. The eleven-song run of folksy rock`n`roll was wrapped up by “Perfect” and “Beautiful” from the debut “Songs About Decay” (2004). It was the latter that introduced the band to a wider audience, as it was chosen as the official song of the ice hockey championship in 2005. Bravo, Julia!

THE LIVING END: 14.55 – 15.40
Punk-rock trio The Living End are yet another Australian band that shook the “red stage” that day. The band, whose roots go back to 1994, has released five studio albums so far, every one of them crowned with at least one platinum record. The guys had their first bigger success just a year after forming, when they warmed up the stage on an Australian tour for American punk-rock giants Green Day. No wonder Green Day liked them so much, since TLE are a slightly more rockabilly version of themselves. The Nova Rock crowd showed its enthusiasm too, singing and dancing along. Starting with the title track of their second, millennial album “Roll On” and continuing with “Second Solution” and “West End Riot” from the self-titled debut of 1998, the set also brought some brand-new tracks. “Raise The Alarm”, “How Do We Know?”, “Hey Hey Disbeliever” and “White Nose” are four of those from their latest, fifth studio album “White Nose”, released last year. The string of newer songs was interrupted by “Prisoner Of Society”, one of the best-selling Australian singles of the nineties, and closed with “End Of The World”, a track from their third album “Modern ARTillery” from 2003. The band, who can among other things boast Jack awards (Australian music awards sponsored by the Jack Daniel`s Tennessee distillery) for best drummer, best male act, best “live” TV performance and best group, presented their potential hits from the latest album in short but sweet forty-five minutes, but didn’t forget the old hits that are staples of their “play” list.

THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM: 16.10 – 17.00
One of the biggest discoveries on the alternative scene in recent years is certainly The Gaslight Anthem, who hail from New Jersey, USA. In their relatively short existence – the band formed in this same lineup (Fallon, Rosamilia, Levine, Horowitz) in 2005 – they’ve gone from their first album “Sink Or Swim” in May 2007 and second album “The `59 Sound” in August 2008 to breaking through on the wider, global music scene and shaking stages practically everywhere. Thanks to their musical style, the foursome have earned the title of successors to the somewhat forgotten “Jersey Shore Sound” – a branch of rock`n`roll that was hugely popular from the late sixties right up to the mid-eighties of the last century. This style, with a bit of an Italian-American flavor, combines pre-Beatles rock`n`roll, rhythm & blues, doo-wop and the urban culture of the mid-Atlantic states such as Philadelphia, Maryland, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. Special mention among the artists goes to “The Boss” Bruce Springsteen, whom the guys list among their role models alongside Tom Petty and Bob Dylan. But on stage, apart from in the songs, you can’t really feel his influence. True, most of the attention is grabbed by singer and guitarist Brian Fallon with his attitude, arrogance and delivery of the songs, but the other three – guitarist Alex Rosamilia, bassist Alex Levine and drummer Benny Horowitz – don’t go unnoticed. Quite the opposite, next to Fallon they come across as incredibly friendly. Then again, if you look at his behavior from the other side, maybe Fallon is even right. Why not poke fun at a stiff, uninterested crowd? The response, apart from a few screaming teenage girls with big glasses right in the middle of the front row, was more or less cold. His shout “Sticky to the man, sticky to the man, cool, cool glasses” was spot on.

In just under an hour the guys played the vast majority of the songs from their second album “The `59 Sound”, produced by former Flogging Molly guitarist Ted Hutt. He’s to blame for the cleaner, more polished sound of “High Lonesome”, “Casanova, Baby!”, “Old White Lincoln”, “Even Cowgirls Get The Blues”, “The `59 Sound”, “Film Noir”, “Great Expectations”, “Meet Me By The River`s Edge”, “Miles Davis And The Cool” and “The Backseat”, all found on that record. Their four-song EP from last year, “Senor And The Queen”, wasn’t forgotten either – the crowd got the title track, whose line “glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife” is a nod to Meat Loaf’s “Paradise By The Dashboard Light”, plus “Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts”. Sadly, their debut album “Sink Or Swim” went almost completely unnoticed this time, with only “We Came To Dance” played, a song that smells way too strongly of Bob Dylan’s “Bring It All Back Home”. Still, that’s not the point here. What matters is that The Gaslight Anthem proved their reputation is deserved and that, thanks to their perfectionism, they promise a lot more to come.

SUNRISE AVENUE: 17.30 – 18.30
Finnish pop-rock quartet Sunrise Avenue, who got Europe-wide, if not worldwide, recognition from the megalomaniacal hit “Fairytale Gone Bad” off their 2006 debut “On The Way To Wonderland”, are returning champions at this year’s Nova Rock. If hundreds of pretty teenage girls were already crowding the front rows in 2007, this year was no different. Which girl wouldn’t want to rest her eyes on four strapping young men who’ve achieved more in three years than many other bands? But the guys aren’t resting on their laurels. Proof of that is their second studio album “Popgasm”, released in May, for which production duties, just like on their debut, were taken over by Jukka Henri Kristian Backlund, who is obviously a real wizard of pop-sugared albums. Even though “The Whole Story”, the first single off the new album, isn’t as punchy as the earlier ones, it has stuck well with listeners since its release in early May, especially the slightly younger ones. At Nova Rock they served up the proof on a plate. And the crowd didn’t sing along to just that one song… There were also “Diamonds”, “Heal Me”, “Choose To Be Me”, “Forever Yours” and of course “Fairytale Gone Bad” from their debut, as well as “Dream Like A Child”, “Welcome To My Life”, “Sail Away With Me” and “Rising Sun” from the second record, to name only a few of the ones that slide easily into your ear. That’s just how it goes with typical instant mixes of such songs. 

GOGOL BORDELLO: 19.00 – 20.10
The nine-piece “gypsy” multi-ethnic collective of descendants of Russian, Ukrainian, Israeli, Ethiopian and other emigrants with American passports, known as Gogol Bordello, took the dreamy crowd with their blend of Roma music, punk, tarantella, ska, Balkan brass, dub, klezmer, kazachok, reggae – or, in short, “gypsy punk” – and spun it in a completely different direction. The New York band, whose roots go back to 1999, is, thanks to all of the above, a rock-ethnological phenomenon of our time. With their lively music, incomparable delivery and dancing, they got the crowd singing along and dancing, and showed for the first time that day what a real rock`n`roll party is. Songs such as “Wonderlust King”, “Not A Crime”, “Alcohol”, “Tribal Connection”, “Ultimate”, “Baro Foro” and “Think Locally, Fuck Globally” were crowned by “Start Wearing Purple”, which seems to be their biggest hit. But GB aren’t special only for their music. It’s further spiced up with a matching theatrical stage show that involves every single member. Frontman Eugene Hütz, besides his acoustic guitar, grabs percussion and a metal bucket, Sergey Ryabtsev tames the violin, Yuri Lemeshev and Steven Iancu season the music with accordions, Oren Kaplan and Thomas Gobena successfully scrub the guitar and bass strings, Eliot Ferguson sits behind the drums, and keyboards and MC duties go to Pedro Erazo. The male majority is shaken up by Pamela Jintana Racine and Elizabeth Sun, who liven up the show with dancing and percussion. Either way, GB are a feast for the eyes, not just the ears. The band, who have been presenting their latest, fourth studio album “Super Taranta” (released July 2007) for more than a year, will say a brief goodbye at the end of summer. The gypsy-punk family will lock themselves in the studio and prepare material for a new studio record, which according to unofficial reports should come out in the first half of next year.

FAITH NO MORE: 20.40 – 22.00
If last year’s “top-of-the-top” comeback went to Zack de la Rocha and his Rage Against The Machine, this year it’s surely Faith No More. After eleven years of rest, the lineup of Mike Patton (vocals) – Jon Hudson (guitar) – Billy Gould (bass) – Roddy Bottum (keyboards) – Mike Bordin (drums, percussion) came back to the scene, despite all the misunderstandings the gentlemen caused in the past. And they delighted! Even with new threads – jackets with a flower pinned on and tailored trousers. Patton spiced things up with a cane, which he used to help himself walk onto the stage and which then served as a prop for slashing at the air during the show. Is that a sign of older and more mature FNM, or just a scarf with which the legendary Americans show off their long presence on music stages? Their history is certainly not young, since the beginnings go back to the distant year 1981, when after a few lineup changes they changed their name from Faith No Man to the current one. Until their breakup in 1998 the gentlemen released six studio albums, the last of which, “Album Of The Year” (June, 1997), was awarded a platinum record. And it was in precisely this lineup, with which FNM wrapped up the tour back then, that they returned this year with the so-called “The Second Coming Tour”, a.k.a. “Reunion Tour”.

FNM kicked off their set on the red stage with “Reunited”, a cover of the soul duo Peaches & Herb, or Mr. and Mrs. with the real names Herb Fame and Francine Hurd Barker, who were active in the second half of the sixties of the twentieth century. Even though it was the opening song, it was only with “The Real Thing” that things really started. The song from their third, self-titled album of 1989 – which, by the way, is also the first album Patton took part in (he replaced previous singer Chuck Mosley) – lit a spark that couldn’t be put out. But why would anyone even try to put it out? Instead, “Land Of Sunshine” and “Caffeine”, tracks from their fourth record “Angel Dust” (June, 1992), fanned it into a blaze – songs where Patton drew his writing inspiration from questions of the Church of Scientology and messages from Chinese fortune cookies (in Slovenian they’re supposedly called “šlogarce”?). A new wave of enthusiasm and revelry was reaped by the slightly more jazz-funk-tinged “Evidence”, the third single off the fifth album “King For A Day … Fool For A Lifetime” (March, 1995), which is one of the few, if I can put it that way, slightly calmer FNM records. “Chinese Arithmetic”, one of the few songs to come from Mosley’s pen, certainly poured oil on the fire. The song, released on the second album “Introduce Yourself” in April 1987, was spiced up in the intro by Patton’s take on “Poker Face”, which in the original is performed by the way-too-hyped controversial pop singer Lady Gaga. For anyone who doesn’t get his sense of humor, this might have seemed anything but a tasteful seasoning for the track, but for everyone else it was just a reason for a burst of laughter. The revelry, with mouths open and ears pricked, continued with “Cuckoo For Caca” (album “King For A Day … Fool For A Lifetime”) and a cover of “Easy”. The gentlemen have just cut loose nicely with the guitars when an enthusiastic fan suddenly appears on stage. How did he manage to slip past security and what the hell is he doing up there?!? His fame didn’t last long, as the law-and-order guys chased him off in a not-so-nice way. If I summarize Patton’s words about the unfortunate incident, they went something like “Is there anyone else who wants to come on stage and make a fool of themselves?”. The show then continued without further complications. The song Lionel Richie wrote in 1977, when he was still the singer of Commodores, was his first bigger breakthrough on the scene – both for the band and for his later solo career. FNM turned it from a ballad into a slightly harsher version, released it on the album “Angel Dust” and made it a “regular” on their live “play-list”. Exactly the same fate awaited “Ashes To Ashes”, released as the first single off their sixth and last studio record “Album Of The Year” (June, 1997), and, in Gould’s words, one of those songs that best captures the band’s sound. But … It would be a big lie to stick to that rigidly and neglect their other work. The “Angel Dust”-sprinkled “Midlife Crisis” was, a good seventeen years ago, one of those singles that charted at the very top of the best modern rock songs. “Introduce Yourself” from the second, self-titled record led into “The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies” (named after a book by James McNeill Whistler from 1890), one of the harshest tracks on the album “King For A Day …”. “Angel Dust”, like the other albums, doesn’t skimp on successful songs. Among them is “Be Aggressive”, a rarity among the songs written by keyboardist Roddy Bottum. As if on purpose, Patton declared during that track “I wanna f_ _ k you all” (no translation needed, probably?) and of course reaped yet another “hundredth” wave of approval. We can imagine similar enthusiasm at the release of their breakthrough single “Epic” (record “The Real Thing”), yet another staple of their concerts, which came out in the distant year 1990. That song is the first and only FNM track to break into the top ten (it reached number nine on the Hot 100) of best singles in the USA. The first part of the set was closed by FNM with “Just a Man”, after which they vanished backstage for a few minutes.

The return was spiced up with yet another cover, this time a somewhat more instrumental one. The song “Chariots Of Fire”, which Vangelis wrote and recorded for the film of the same name from 1981, then flowed into “Stripsearch” from the record “Album Of The Year”, the last single released before their eleven-year break. If it seemed throughout the whole show that FNM wouldn’t even touch their debut “We Care A Lot” (1985), the gathered crowd finally got its salvation at the end. The close of an impressive set went to “As The Worm Turns”, written by Charles Lee “Chuck” Mosley, their first singer. Balm for the soul of the oldest fans, who’ve followed the band since the very beginning. Like a cherry on top of a fruit pile.

NINE INCH NAILS: 22.30 – 00.00
If we’re to believe Reznor’s words that Nine Inch Nails, one of the most penetrating modern “industrial” bands with seven studio albums released, are saying goodbye after twenty years on the global music scene at the end of the “Wave Goodbye” tour, then the Nova Rock show was one of the last in the immediate vicinity of Slovenia. Producer, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Trent Reznor and his crew – whose members are former Guns`n`Roses guitarist Robin Finck, bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen (best known for working with Beck) and drummer Ilan Rubin (once a member of Lostprophets) – are supposed to wrap up the tour in September in Los Angeles. Even though this is a farewell, Reznor doesn’t deny rumors of a new record, which should come out in the coming years. But with no tour. The band that pushed the boundaries of modern industrial music started the summer festival leg of the tour, called NIN|JA, with Jane`s Addiction, the very same band they toured with in 1991. The only difference is that back then Jane`s Addiction, after six years of existence, were leaving the scene, while NIN were just establishing themselves. Today, after almost eighteen years, it’s exactly the opposite. NIN are leaving the scene, Jane`s Addiction are coming back to it. A perfect symmetry of two legendary bands. The most noticeable difference between them is probably just that NIN impress with a discography of albums where the emphasis is on art and quality. That reflects Reznor’s perfectionism and his contempt for artists who only care about selling as many records as possible.

Precisely for that reason, their fourth studio album “The Fragile” (September, 1999) took a whole five years to make. The record, which Reznor describes as an “unfocused sort of bubble”, contains “Somewhat Damaged”, the track NIN opened their festival set with. The instrumental intro, accompanied by loud cries from the excited horde, continued into “Terrible Lie” from their debut album “Preety Hate Machine” of 1989, which marks the very beginning of the band. Reznor, then twenty-three years old, had taken a job as a janitor at Right Track studio in Cleveland, Ohio, USA the year before, which let him get to know how the place worked up close. Following Prince’s example, he started writing lyrics of his own, which then, at night, on his own initiative and responsibility, turned into songs. His effort bore fruit: the record went platinum and, as one of the few independent albums, stayed on the Billboard chart for over a hundred weeks. On top of that, they broke through on MTV too, even though the label TVT Records didn’t think they were all that listenable. So their second full-length “The Downward Spiral” (1994) came out on Nothing Records, a label founded by Reznor and his longtime friend from the band Exotic Birds and later manager John Malm Jr.. His first concept album, inspired by “The Wall” by the legendary Pink Floyd, is about man’s mental struggle against the world and himself. But there was more to it than that. It was also a battle of cocaine vs. Reznor. Luckily the latter won, and the result was another excellent album, which landed at number two on the Billboard 200. From that record the festival got the trio “Heresy”, “March Of The Pigs” and “Piggy”. Maybe the fascinating thing in all this is also the fact that the album was made in the house where, in 1969, members of the infamous quasi-commune Manson, led by Charles Milles Manson, murdered actress Sharon Tate. But the crowd didn’t care about such things. The revelry kept escalating minute by minute, despite lightning and threatening clouds in the sky. The heated atmosphere was spiced up by a cover of “Metal” by Gary Numan, the musician who’d been Reznor’s inspiration all through the past twenty years. Also with “Gave Up”, released in 1992 on the EP “Broken”. It would seem completely unbelievable if it hadn’t really happened. The threatening clouds made good on their promise and it started to drizzle right during Reznor’s most emotional song, “The Day The World Went Away” (record “The Fragile”), which is about the death of his grandmother Clara Clark. As if even the sky were crying. What’s also special about this song is that it has no drums. “The Downward Spiral”, an album you could call a NIN classic, boasts one more excellent track, “The Becoming”. Right on its heels is “Wish” (EP “Broken”), which in 1993 brought Reznor and crew the highly prized Grammy for “best metal performance”. Despite ever heavier rain, the gathered crowd didn’t ease up on the madness for a second. “The Way Out Is Through” and “The Fragile” from the double album of the same name, and “Mr. Self Destruct” from “The Downward Spiral”, are songs that livened things up even more.

For the first time that night, with the song “Survivalism”, Nine Inch Nails touched on their fifth studio album “Year Zero”, released in 2007 on Interscope Records. The record is yet another Reznor concept artwork, containing themes like bioterrorism and government oppression, and is a multilayered approach to the relationship between music and technology. Mr. Internet Genius, as Reznor called himself in one interview, then focused with the song “Burn” on the “soundtrack” record “Natural Born Killers” (Interscope, 1994), which he produced for the film of the same name starring Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis. “The Downward Spiral”, the 1994 album, left its biggest mark on popular music history probably with the track “Hurt”, whose lyrics (“The needle tears a hole/The old familiar sting/Try to kill it all away/But I remember everything”) led many to conclude that Reznor was a heroin addict at the time. The late Johnny Cash certainly left his stamp on the song too, the most covered of all NIN songs. One of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century covered it in 2002, even though it didn’t fit his work up to then at all. Despite what was by now a pretty heavy downpour, the crowd didn’t calm down for a second. The madness continued with “The Hand That Feeds” from their fourth studio album “With Teeth” (Interscope, 2005), recorded shortly after Reznor’s rehab. The song is a direct attack on the previous American government, or more precisely the administration of George W. Bush, longtime president of the USA.

The whole NIN show, if not the whole of Friday’s events, was spiced with an unpleasant surprise when, during “Head Like A Hole”, the second single from their firstborn album “Preety Hate Machine” (1989), the electrical wiring failed because of the heavy rain and the stage suddenly went dark. After a few attempts things started up again, but sadly too late. The stage stayed empty, Reznor & Co. had already disappeared backstage. But the crowd just didn’t get it. Eyes stayed fixed on the stage for a while, where NIN’s support crew had by then gathered and started packing up. Plenty of people were confused, not knowing whether it was some lame Reznor joke – since a few songs earlier he’d announced that Nine Inch Nails are saying goodbye after twenty years on the music scene – or whether the power cut was really just an unfortunate accident. The guessing goes on, NIN have said their goodbye. Let’s just hope not forever!

BLUE STAGE

XENESTHIS: 13.00 – 13.25
The honor of opening this year’s Nova Rock “blue stage” went to local band Xenesthis. The five-piece, named after a type of bird spider, released their debut album “Sick Of Pitch-Black” in 2007, packed with strong Swedish metal influences and neck-breaking riffs, all of it livened up by the vocals of singer Katrin Bernhardt. The crowd that gathered under the stage at such an early hour and gave the band a warm welcome got to hear “Homemade Oppression”, “Death Will Take Us All”, “This Burden” and “Upper Class Romance” from that record, to name just a few.

DRUMATICAL THEATRE: 13.45 – 14.15
Drumatical Theatre. A collective that numbers up to twenty members at some shows played this year’s Nova Rock in a slightly reduced, “only” fifteen-member lineup. Although famous for their exceptional evening shows, where all the accompanying lighting effects come into their own, they put on a first-class half-hour show of noise and light even in daylight. It included songs like “Lu Cas”, “Crazy Army”, “Frodo” and “Aquaria”. Perfect rhythmic and physical synchronization, which at times even feels kitschy, is the hallmark this band can boast, using huge metal barrels instead of classic percussion. And that’s not all. In their string of successes, their collaboration with the famous metalheads Sepultura certainly has the biggest weight. The excellent and meticulously polished arrangements are thanks to director, composer and producer Tom Blue, whose work and recognition are already growing to worldwide proportions.

SONIC SYNDICATE: 14.40 – 15.15
Returning from last year’s Nova Rock festival, Swedish metalcore crew Sonic Syndicate were the first that day to fill the space under the stage with an enviably big number of people, if not exactly sober ones. The sextet, made up of the three Sjunnesson brothers (vocals and two guitars) plus drummer John Bengtsson, bassist Karin Axelsson and second vocalist Roland Johansson, released their third full-length at the end of last year, titled “Love And Other Disasters”, their second album on Nuclear Blast and probably the last one Johansson played on. He’s reportedly leaving the band for personal reasons toward the end of this year, or as soon as the summer festival season is over. Still, you can’t feel any annoying pressure from the burden hanging over their heads. What’s more, the guys and the girl have proven, despite only a few years of existence, that they’re extremely professional at what they do. And what makes the band so interesting? First and foremost their music, a sort of hybrid between the Swedish melodic death metallers In Flames and Soilwork. Then there are the two young growlers at the mics, Sjunnesson and Johansson, who are so hyperactive that they’re a bit hard to follow on stage. Their half-hour set and the madness under the stage were fueled mostly by songs from the latest album (“Encaged”, “Hellgate: Worchester”, “Jack Of Diamonds”, “Red Eyed Friend”). Of course they didn’t forget their second record “Only Inhuman” (2007) either. From it the crowd got “Flashback”, “Denied” and “Blue Eyed Friend”. Their debut album “Eden Fire” (2005) stayed untouched this time, and they also (luckily) skipped their cover of the Russian female duo t.A.T.u’s “All About Us”.

CALIBAN: 15.45 – 16.35
German five-piece Caliban, whose new album comes out in mid-August this year on Century Media, were next to shake the “Blue Stage”. Almost literally, as every soul under it came alive and threw a proper little metal party. The band, who broke through in 1997 and two years later released their debut “A Small Boy And A Grey Heaven” on the German label Lifeforce Records, conquers stages mostly in German-speaking countries with the lineup of Andreas Dörner (vocals), Denis Schmidt (rhythm guitar, clean vocals), Marc Görtz (lead guitar), Marco Schaller (bass, backing vocals) and Patrick Grün (drums). The guys kicked things off with “Nowhere To Run, No Place To Hide” from their sixth studio album “The Awakening”, released in 2007 on Roadrunner. The crowd, already nicely warmed up by Sonic Syndicate, was then pushed beyond all limits by “I Rape Myself”, a track that, like “It`s Our Burden To Bleed”, is found on the record released the year before, “The Undying Darkness” (Abacus Recordings). The madness continued with “My Time Has Come”, a song from the already mentioned full-length “The Awakening”.
Despite all the successful albums released so far, the eyes of the metalcore population are on the upcoming eighth record, which the five-piece titled “Say Hello To Tragedy” and which will be their first album released on Century Media. The first “tragic” single is “24 Years”, which the crowd received with more enthusiasm than any of the songs played so far. Looks like it’s lodged itself well in the ears of the gathered crowd since its first play on Caliban’s official myspace page, as they sang along with Dörner (or at least tried to). A bit of Swedish chill then blew in with “I`ve Sold Myself” from the fourth album “The Opposite From Within”, their first album released on the aforementioned Roadrunner. The roughly forty-five-minute romp ended with “I Will Never Let You Down”, also from the sixth studio record. True, that’s by far one of their most successful albums, but the other full-lengths could have gotten at least a little attention too.

BLACK STONE CHERRY: 17.05 – 18.00
Among all the heavyweights that swarmed the “blue stage” that day were the somewhat gentler rockers Black Stone Cherry from Edmonton, Kentucky, USA, whose only similarity with the rest is that the guys are under the same label – Roadrunner Records. On it they’ve released their debut album “Black Stone Cherry” (2006), the “live” album “Live At The Astoria, London” (2007), the second record “Folklore And Superstition” (2008) and two EPs, “Hell And High Water” (2006) and “Rain Wizard” (2007). The foursome, who have been thrilling audiences since their very founding in June 2001 in the lineup of Chris Robertson (vocals, guitar), Ben Wells (guitar, backing vocals), Jon Lawhon (bass, backing vocals) and John Fred Young (drums, percussion, backing vocals), enriched their version of rock`n`roll with a touch of country. In their songs they also bring in zither, harmonica, piano and slide guitar, which is no surprise since Young is the son of Richard Young, rhythm guitarist of the Grammy-winning country-rock band The Kentucky Headhunters. Besides the connection to those veterans, BSC can boast three more big names they’ve shared a stage with. Last summer in Europe the guys warmed up the stage for Def Leppard and Whitesnake, and in May this year they played alongside Nickelback on their “Dark House” tour. They’ve had the chance to present their latest studio record “Folklore And Superstition”, produced and mixed by music veteran Bob Marlette (who has worked with artists like Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Seether, Shinedown and Saliva), at quite a few shows, but the guys said themselves during the set that they were most thrilled with the Nova Rock crowd. It sang along to all three singles from that record, “Blind Man”, “Please Come In” and “Things My Father Said”, as if BSC were the biggest name on the festival. The other songs shouldn’t be overlooked either, like “Rain Wizard”, “Lonely Train” and “Maybe Someday” from the debut album. From what I saw, the crowd’s reactions and their positions on various American and English music charts, I’d say BSC have a nice musical future ahead of them. Keep it up, guys!

DISTURBED: 18.30 – 19.35
After the guys signed some autographs in a special tent, where a strict protocol of no photos and no talking to band members applied, the crowd got the chance to see last year’s Nova Rock returnees on stage again. But this time their show didn’t particularly impress. Except for the entrance. Singer David Draiman was wheeled out in a wheelchair, in a straitjacket and wearing the kind of mask Hannibal Lecter (in Anthony Hopkins’ legendary portrayal) wears in the psychological thriller “The Silence of the Lambs”. What disappointed was the setlist, which was almost completely the same as last year, except that this time a few songs were dropped because of the shorter set. From a band with over eleven million albums sold, three of which hit the very top of various charts in their first week out (only six other bands have managed that so far: U2, Van Halen, Metallica, System Of A Down, Dave Matthews Band, Staind), Grammy nominations and a few other smaller successes, you’d certainly expect more than what was shown.

Disturbed started their set with the slightly harsher songs “Voices” and “The Game” from their debut “The Sickness”, released in 2000 on Giant. Both songs were released as singles, and that album is by far their most successful record. Despite a not-too-convincing entrance, after the rather “pussy” intro to the first festival day, the crowd was already itching for a heavy metal party, at times seasoned with hard rock rhythms. Draiman and his comrades – guitarist Dan Donegan, bassist John Moyer (who in 2004 replaced Steve “Fuzz” Kmak, one of the band’s founding members) and drummer Mike Wengren – went on with Draiman’s favorite track “Remember” from the second, double-platinum record “Believe” (Reprise, 2002), which shortly after release took the very top of the Billboard 200. The same happened with the third album “Ten Thousand Fists” (2005), released, like its predecessor, on Reprise. From that record the madness under the stage was heated up even more by “Just Stop”. That then continued without any unnecessary chatter into “Indestructible” from their self-titled… sorry, their latest, fourth album, released in early last summer on the same label as all the other records except the debut. 

If the songs in the first part followed the chronological order of the albums’ release (was that intentional or coincidence?), the second part was no different. “Stupify” from “The Sickness” continued into “Liberate” from the record “Believe”. The latter was sent out into the world in its year of release with a video made of footage from a concert in Aragon in Chicago, later released as the “live” album “Music As Weapon Tour II”. More than to the last one, Disturbed devoted themselves to the third album “Ten Thousand Fists”, from which three songs followed. “Stricken” is known mainly for the fact that scenes from its video were shot in an abandoned hospital, the very same building where they filmed the horror movie “A Nightmare on Elm Street” from 1984. The heavy metal party was then seasoned further by the title track, which Draiman once said was written in the hope of bringing people together, of togetherness, power and revelry at their concerts. That undoubtedly came true, and as the crowd thrust fists into the air, a satisfied smile was drawn on his face. It grew even bigger during “Land Of Confusion”, as the many-thousand-strong crowd gathered under the stage by then sang along with them. Disturbed covered that Genesis song from their album “Invisible Touch” of 1986 in 2006 and released it as a single. Why the gentlemen decided on this cover isn’t entirely clear, even though Draiman mentioned in an interview that it was a challenge to rework a song that has absolutely nothing in common with their work up to then. Mission accomplished! With “Inside The Fire” the foursome then focused on their latest “indestructible” artwork, and closed the show with “Down With The Sickness”, the song that brought them worldwide recognition.

MASTODON: 20.05 – 21.15
Mastodon, Grammy-nominated heavyweights from Atlanta who named themselves after an extinct mammoth-like animal, released one of the best albums of the year in March. Many critics rated their fourth studio record “Crack The Skye” as the most cohesive album, song-wise, the foursome has ever made. From what we heard and saw, that surely holds true, even though sales statistics reveal the sad fact that a “meager” 170,000 copies of the album have been sold worldwide to date. One of the most influential bands of the new wave of American heavy metal, formed in 1999, is made up of Troy Sanders (vocals, bass) – Brent “Danger” Hinds (vocals, guitar) – Bill Kelliher (vocals, guitar) – Brann Dailor (drums). Since 2007, when we first saw them at Nova Rock, their popularity has grown drastically, thanks also to four excellent albums, numerous nominations, successful tours with bands like Slayer, Against Me! and Metallica, and a collaboration with Josh Homme of Queens Of The Stone Age. Because of the song choice and order, their set at this year’s NR could be split into three chapters arranged by album, plus a finale. Which isn’t surprising, since the albums (including their logo) are each dedicated to one of the five elements: fire (“Remission”), water (“Leviathan”), earth (“Blood Mountain”), aether (or air; “Crack The Skye”) and metal.

The first chapter was marked by their latest fourth studio record, released in March, “Crack The Skye”, in memory of Dailor’s late sister Skye, who took her own life at the age of fourteen. The album, like its predecessor, came out on Reprise. Production duties went to Brendan O`Brien, a true veteran in his line of work, who holds many big names in his collection, e.g. Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine, Bob Dylan, AC/DC, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen and others. Mastodon chose “Oblivion” as the overture to their set, a song released as a single in February, announcing the new album. It was followed by “Quintessence”, another great track that Mastodon placed among the seven on the record. Even though “seven songs” sounds quite blasphemous, you won’t be disappointed when you listen, since the whole album runs a good fifty-one minutes. “The Czar: I. Usurper – II. Escape – III. Martyr – IV. Spiral”, at almost ten minutes, justifies itself and rounds out the trio from the latest album.

The second part went to the third record, “Blood Mountain”, which saw the light of day in September 2006. It’s their second concept album, about climbing a mountain and the things that can happen during the ascent. The madness already stirred up by Disturbed before Mastodon was boosted further by “Bladecatcher”. That then flowed into “Colony Of Birchmen”, and if Dailor’s words are true, it’s a tribute to the song “The Colony Of Slippermen” by the legendary Genesis. That song is on the album “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway” from 1974, supposedly his favorite album of all time. The next track was announced by a short Dailor drum solo, and it wasn’t hard to figure out it was “The Wolf Is Loose”, the first single from that record. The crowd, by now many thousands strong, “rippled” enthusiastically under the slightly harsher rhythms, which carried on into “Crystal Skull”, another song with a very interesting theme. It’s about the search for a crystal skull supposedly located on top of Blood Mountain, which would allow its “owner” to reach a higher level of human evolution. Who knows, maybe the gentlemen watched too many Indiana Jones adventure movies? The third record’s “chapter” was closed by “Capillarian Crest”, which once again earned the applause of the excited crowd.

Next came the chapter from their second, likewise concept album “Leviathan”. The record, released in August 2004, was based on Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick, as the cover also shows, with its white whale and Captain Ahab’s ship fighting the raging waves. To the singles “Seabeast”, “Blood And Thunder” and “Iron Tusk” Mastodon added “Megalodon”, where they proved how superbly tight they are. The run of four was interrupted by just one song, “Crack The Skye”, from their latest, title-sharing album.

The foursome ended their Nova Rock set with “March Of The Fire Ants” from their debut “Remission”, released in 2002 on Relapse, which got them noticed even back then. This time they again lived up to their reputation, throwing yet another first-class party that many will remember for a long time.

SLIPKNOT: 21.45 – 23.00
If Slipknot, the nine-piece masked band from Iowa, thrilled the neighboring city of Zagreb a few days earlier, Nova Rock was no different. Despite the unpleasant weather (the sky threatened rain the whole time), a crowd of many tens of thousands gathered under the stage and greeted the band enthusiastically. The band, formed in 1995, released their self-titled debut four years later on Roadrunner. It was followed by “Iowa” in 2001, “Vol. 3” arrived on the scene three years later, and last year the guys hit with “All Hope Is Gone”, an incredibly mature record that’s a “MUST” in the collection of every true heavy music fan. The formation, who wear unique grotesque masks during shows, has for the last few years consisted of Corey Taylor (lead vocals), Mick Thomson (guitar), Shawn “Clown” Crahan (“custom” percussion, backing vocals), Craig “133” Jones (samples, media), Jim Root (guitar), Chris Fehn (“custom” percussion, backing vocals), Paul Gray (bass, backing vocals), Joey Jordison (drums) and Sid Wilson (“turntable”). But the band isn’t special just for the masks, which represent their alter egos and their connection to the music. Besides their real names, each member has a number, running from zero to eight. The “custom” percussion is also a real attraction, made out of some sort of barrels and constantly moving during the show (rising, lowering, spinning).

Multiple Grammy nominees and 2006 winners in the “Best Metal Performance” category, they started their set, after two linked “intros”, “Iowa” and “742617000027”, with “Sic”, a song from their debut “Slipknot” (Roadrunner, 1999). The band that got noticed with that album went on with “Eyeless” and “Wait And Bleed”. The latter was released as their first single, which earned them their first Grammy nomination in 2001. Another success of that record is that it’s a double-platinum album. Its place on the list “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die”, which features the most groundbreaking albums between 1950 and 2005, shouldn’t be overlooked either. The most enthusiasm was then reaped by Grammy winner “Before I Forget” from the third record “Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses” (Roadrunner, 2004), during which quite a few not entirely innocent “circle pits” broke out in the crowd. But who cares – the pain goes away, the memories of one of the wildest shows that day stay. For the first time that night it was the turn of their latest studio album “All Hope Is Gone”, released after four years, which is a kind of fusion of the first three records. “Sulfur”, released as the fourth single off that full-length only a few days before Slipknot’s Nova Rock show, got its chance to ring out live. Even though the presentation of the harshest record was cut short, the nine-piece also played “Dead Memories” and “Psychosocial”. The songs, accompanied by pyrotechnics, were by the crowd’s reaction one of the highlights of the show. The breakneck party was then seasoned further by “Disasterpiece” and “People = Shit” from the second, “home-turf” album “Iowa”, and “The Blister Exists” and “Duality” from the third record “Vol. 3”.

As the nine-piece began, so they ended their set – with “Surfacing” and “Spit It Out” from the debut album. But before the end, the crowd had the so-called “Zero Bullshit”, a.k.a. “The Crazy Test”, waiting for them. Shortly before the end of the song Taylor addressed the crowd with “Are you ready for the crazy test?” and asked it to squat down. After a few minutes, like a time bomb, to repeated shouts of “Jump the fuck up!”, it shot into the air. Taylor & Co. just know how to weave a bond between band and crowd and bring it to a peak. And that peak was surely “The Crazy Test”.

METALLICA: 23.30 – 01.30
The first day of this year’s Nova Rock festival was closed by one of the biggest names on the world music scene – Metallica, who since 2003 have been storming stages in the lineup of James Hetfield (vocals, lyrics and rhythm guitar), Lars Ulrich (drums), Kirk Hammet (lead guitar, lyrics) and Robert Trujillo (bass). Their almost thirty-year career has been marked by many lineup changes, nine studio albums, two “live” albums, two EPs, a covers album and over forty singles. They’ve topped the rich discography with many music awards, such as Kerrang!, MTV, Billboard and others. The most valuable among them is certainly the nine Grammys out of seventeen nominations. Even though that night a few of their (slightly weaker?) albums, “Ride The Lightning” (Megaforce, 1984), “Load” (Elektra, 1996) and “St. Anger” (Elektra, 2003), didn’t get any attention, Metallica caught the best handful of songs in their body of work.

The crowd, which had been basking all day in the sun and in authentic metal rhythms, was finally ready to be served the legendary foursome. Thunderous applause, enthusiastic shouts and whistles already with the first song, “Blackened”, poured into two hours of breakneck revelry in downpour and mud. The song is on their fourth studio album “… And Justice For All” (Elektra, 1988), which was declared double platinum just nine weeks after release. With it Metallica had their breakthrough commercial success, which they still cherish today. The already fired-up crowd was set slightly more ablaze by the second song, “Fuel”, the only song played that night from the record “ReLoad” (Elektra, 1997). Although “Load” and “ReLoad” were released as separate albums, they make up what’s called a double album, since most of the songs were written while recording the first one. With “No Remorse” their debut “Kill `Em All” from 1983 (Megaforce) shone for the first time that night. Balm for the soul of the oldest fans, who were a bit hurt by later releases. A new wave of enthusiasm was reaped by “Leper Messiah” from the third album “Master Of Puppets”, a platinum classic among heavy metal records and another album from the “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die” collection. The book also contains the record “… And Justice For All”, since with the song “One” Metallica won their first Grammy. Just as this song holds a special place for the band, it holds one for the fans, and when the opening riffs rang out, the crowd carried the song on even louder. A similar reaction came with “Broken, Beat And Scarred” from the long-awaited latest, ninth studio record “Death Magnetic”, which saw the light of day last September. It’s also the first album Trujillo contributed to, and the first album released with new producer Rick Rubin on Warner Bros. Records. Among the string of successes the record has reaped in a relatively short time, it’s worth mentioning one more Grammy, in the “Best Metal Performance” category, with the song “My Apocalypse”. With that, the revelry continued despite heavy rain and mud into “Sad But True”, that night the first song played from the self-titled fifth record, better known as “The Black Album” (Elektra, 1991). If anyone in the crowd was wondering how “No Leaf Clover” sounds live, Hetfield and company handed them the answer on a plate: the way they do best. How could it be otherwise, since it’s a song from their “live” album S&M (Elektra, 1999). A return to the latest record was signaled by “The Judas Kiss” and “The Day That Never Comes”, the track that announced “Death Magnetic” toward the end of last summer. The crowd of many tens of thousands then experienced one of the highlights of the night with “Master Of Puppets” from the full-length of the same name. The song, which has been covered almost as many times as it’s been played, is considered one of the best heavy metal songs in the history of modern music. Far behind it comes “Dyers Eve”, even though the crowd’s reaction denied that. The first part of the set was closed by Metallica with songs from the “black album”, the ballad “Nothing Else Matters” and the slightly punchier “Enter Sandman”, staples of their concerts.

The return to the stage was marked by a cover of “Last Caress/Green Hall” by American punks Misfits. The song, which Metallica released on the album “Garage Inc.” (Elektra, 1998), once again drove the gathered crowd wild. The close of a rainy but more than excellent evening went to “Hit The Lights” and “Seek And Destroy” from the debut “Kill `Em All”. The ecstasy in which Hetfield, Ulrich, Hammet and Trujillo held the crowd for a good two hours finally let go. The gentlemen vanished backstage, and the crowd… Went wherever the party kept going until the early hours of the morning.

 

And so the first day was behind us. A thrilling lineup of famous and slightly less famous acts passed the crowd around between different genres, ruled mainly by the heavyweights Faith No More, Nine Inch Nails, Slipknot and Metallica. Four legendary bands. A perfect end to a perfect evening, if you ignore the rain, which really did play a nasty trick on us.

Photos: official Nova Rock festival photos and Lea Lesar

Setlist

RED STAGE: ROLO TOMASSI THE TEMPER TRAP JULIA THE LIVING END THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM SUNRISE AVENUE GOGOL BORDELLO FAITH NO MORE NINE INCH NAILS BLUE STAGE: XENESTHIS DRUMATICAL THEATRE SONIC SYNDICATE CALIBAN BLACK STONE CHERRY DISTURBED MASTODON SLIPKNOT METALLICA Setlists: JULIA: 1. A Hell Of A Speech 2. Is This What Makes You Happy? 3. Technology 4. Crash Test Youth 5. Optimistic 6. A Cause For Comfort 7. Turnaround 8. Call The Ambulance 9. Noise 10. Perfect 11. Beautiful THE LIVING END: 1. Roll On 2. Second Solution 3. West End Riot 4. Raise The Alarm 5. How Do We Know? 6. Prisoner Of Society 7. Hey Hey Disbeliever 8. White Noise 9. End Of The World THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM: 1. High Lonesome 2. Casanova, Baby! 3. Old White Lincoln 4. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues 5. The ’59 Sound 6. Senor And The Queen 7. Film Noir 8. We Came To Dance 9. Great Expectations 10. Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts 11. Meet Me By The River’s Edge 12. Miles Davis And The Cool 13. The Backseat FAITH NO MORE: 1. Reunited 2. The Real Thing 3. Land of Sunshine 4. Caffeine 5. Evidence 6. Poker Face / Chinese Arithmetic 7. Cuckoo for Caca 8. Easy 9. Ashes to Ashes 10. Midlife Crisis 11. Introduce Yourself 12. The Gentle Art of Making Enemies 13. Be Aggressive 14. Epic 15. Just a Man —– encore —– 16. Chariots Of Fire / Stripsearch 17. As the Worm Turns NINE INCH NAILS: 1. Somewhat Damaged 2. Terrible Lie 3. Heresy 4. March of the Pigs 5. Piggy 6. Metal 7. Gave Up 8. The Day The World Went Away 9. The Becoming 10. Wish 11. The Fragile 12. Mr. Self Destruct 13. The Way Out Is Through 14. Survivalism 15. Burn 16. Hurt 17. The Hand That Feeds 18. Head Like A Hole SONIC SYNDICATE: 1. Encaged 2. Hellgate: Worcester 3. Flashback 4. Jack Of Diamonds 5. Denied 6. Red Eyed Friend 7. Blue Eyed Friend CALIBAN: 1. Nowhere To Run, No Place To Hide 2. I Rape Myself 3. My Time Has Come 4. 24 Years 5. I’ve Sold Myself 6. It’s Our Burden To Bleed 7. I Will Never Let You Down DISTURBED: 1. Voices 2. The Game 3. Remember 4. Just Stop 5. Indestructible 6. Stupify 7. Liberate 8. Stricken 9. 10,000 Fists 10. Land of Confusion 11. Inside the Fire 12. Down With the Sickness MASTODON: 1. Oblivion 2. Quintessence 3. The Czar: I. Usurper – II. Escape – III. Martyr – IV. Spiral 4. Bladecatcher 5. Colony Of Birchmen 6. The Wolf Is Loose 7. Crystal Skull 8. Capillarian Crest 9. Seabeast 10. Megalodon 11. Blood And Thunder 12. Crack The Skye 13. Iron Tusk 14. March Of The Fire Ants SLIPKNOT: 1. Iowa (Intro) 2. 742617000027 (Intro) 3. Sic 4. Eyeless 5. Wait and Bleed 6. Before I Forget 7. Sulfur 8. The Blister Exists 9. Dead Memories 10. Disasterpiece 11. Psychosocial 12. Duality 13. People=Shit 14. Surfacing 15. Spit It Out METALLICA: 1. Blackened 2. Fuel 3. No Remorse 4. Leper Messiah 5. One 6. Broken, Beat And Scarred 7. My Apocalypse 8. Sad But True 9. No Leaf Clover 10. The Judas Kiss 11. The Day That Never Comes 12. Master Of Puppets 13. Dyers Eve 14. Nothing Else Matters 15. Enter Sandman —– encore —— 16. Last Caress/Green Hell 17. Hit The Lights 18. Seek And Destroy

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