Location: Ljubljana, Cvetličarna MediaPark, Slovenia
Date: 10.03.2011
The Power of Metal tour brought Finnish power metallers Thaurorod to our shores for the first time, Denmark’s Mercenary back once again, and, for the first time since their reunion, cult progressive metallers Psychotic Waltz (who were supposed to play here a good 15 years ago, but that show fell through back then). The tour name was lived up to by both main names on the bill: Seattle oddballs Nevermore and the big name of progressive metal, Symphony X.
First on stage were Finnish power metallers Thaurorod. Their strange name comes straight from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and means “evil mountain” in Elvish. Of course it does, what else. As clichéd as their name is, their music is hopelessly generic too, sounding like the bastard son of Italian and Finnish power metal. And what could be “better” than a band that’s already this clichéd getting beefed up by posey Italian vocalist Michele Luppi, who previously charmed in the Italian power metal outfit Vision Divine? The guys put out their debut, Upon Haunted Battlefields, last year, and this thirty-minute Thaurorod slot was all about presenting it. They can boast every single cliché that comes to mind with the power metal genre: neoclassical solos from the fingers of a glam-metal-slathered guitarist, wanking all over the keyboard keys, made-up pretty boys, and a strong vocal that, sadly, doesn’t stand out from the flood of similar singers in any way. Thaurorod come across as perfectly confident on stage, if a bit too showy, and they get through their set solidly. But so what, when they’ll never swim to the surface out of the flood of countless identical bands.
The evening shifted up a quality gear with Denmark’s Mercenary, who, despite lineup shuffles, tirelessly crank out albums on the conveyor belt and gig diligently all over Europe. The Danes recently pulled a freshly baked record out of the oven, Metamorphosis, and clearly gave it the most attention in their forty minutes. They played four tracks from it, which sadly doesn’t mean anything good. Metamorphosis is a fitting album title, because with this record Mercenary sail even deeper into the waters of radio-friendly metal. The album is one more confirmation that the guys’ form has been dropping steadily and steeply ever since 11 Dreams, the last truly good release from this band. The decline began with the departure of bassist Kral, who also handled the harsh vocals, and the last nail in the coffin was the exit of excellent vocalist Mikkel Sandager. All vocal duties were taken over by new bassist Rene Pedersen, which sadly didn’t make things any better for the band. The growls are extremely generic, and the aggression, epicness and atmosphere that Mercenary built so well on their first three albums are being destroyed by an ever-growing share of sugary clean-sung choruses and moronic riffs. Rene, sadly, doesn’t come anywhere near Mikkel’s conviction or Kral’s brutality. Mercenary did make up for it a little with two tracks from 11 Dreams, but they came off far more convincingly in 2005, when Mercenary, in the old lineup and also opening for Nevermore back then, presented that very record.
The next act was something special, as the big comeback kids themselves took the stage: cult nineties progressive metal band Psychotic Waltz. The Californian group started out in 1986, put out four albums by 1997 (at least two of which count as some of the genre’s great classics!), and then split up far too soon. Charismatic vocalist Devon Graves (a.k.a. Buddy Lackey) went on to form Dead Soul Tribe, who even played Metalcamp twice but never managed to get close to the greatness of Psychotic Waltz. In the general trend of reviving and bringing back legendary metal names, Psychotic Waltz returned to the scene under Devon Graves’ leadership too. Their long-awaited show was dominated by the hippie look of guitarist Dan Rock and by charismatic vocalist Graves, whose outfit looked like something out of a hippie commune, a suit stitched together from hemp. The good hour spent with Psychotic Waltz passed in similarly psychedelic sounds. The slightly awkwardly chosen setlist, made up mostly of slower, rolling songs full of psychedelia and ethereality, visibly lulled the crowd to sleep, but you can’t deny the band’s magic for a second. Most of the attention went to the unique vocalist Graves, with his one-of-a-kind vocal lines and a truly powerful, convincing voice that moved somewhere between enchanted and dreamy, then reached for impressive falsetto heights. The Rock/McAlpin guitar duo did no worse, especially the latter: Brian McAlpin, wheelchair-bound after a severe car accident, didn’t lag behind his partner at all as the two of them delivered psychotic riffs, psychedelic and otherworldly solos, and broken rhythms. These guys are a bit older now, and it was a pleasure to see Psychotic Waltz on stage in such great form. Sadly they missed the mark slightly with an overly dreamy, sleepy setlist, but on the other hand, this was the real, genuine Into the Everflow!
Then it was finally time for the first of the eagerly awaited co-headliners to take over the stage, Seattle heavyweights Nevermore. The band that grew out of the ashes of cult Sanctuary finally managed to introduce itself to a wider audience with the new record The Obsidian Conspiracy, though I think Nevermore still remain the top pick for deep-pocketed connoisseurs who know exactly who can satisfy their high demands for brain-melting metal. Riding the success of the new record, Nevermore returned after six years to the scene of the crime, where in 2005 they left body outlines all over Cvetličarna after spectacularly presenting their then-current album This Godless Endeavor. The Seattleites, who at the start of the turbulent nineties flipped a big middle finger to the necktie-wearing suits who told them they expected something a bit more grungy from them, hit like a tsunami with the opener Inside Four Walls. This claustrophobic destroyer, about a friend of the band who ended up behind bars for possessing the wrong substances, got the crowd on its feet. After the catatonic effect of Psychotic Waltz, the crowd woke up instantly and limbs were flying everywhere. Nevermore proved they’re still in top form! Warrel Dane, who suffered a bit from throat trouble at past festival appearances (Metalcamp, for example) and consequently delivered weaker vocal performances, this time lived up to his reputation as one of the best vocalists around right now. Dane, who even trained as an opera singer, strung together phenomenal lines with brilliance and delivered emotion-charged vocals to perfection, built on his brilliant lyrics. He needed a little help only for the highest falsetto screams, when the mixing desk lent a hand, but otherwise we hadn’t heard a Warrel this fresh and convincing in a long time. Besides Warrel, the essence of Nevermore is built around the brilliant lines of guitar wizard Jeff Loomis. Without his “out of the box” inventive riffs and spectacular, breathtaking solos, you simply can’t imagine this band. New session guitarist Attila Vörös slalomed deftly through Jeff’s lines and proved he’ll fully earn a spot as a permanent member. The 24-year-old visibly enjoys himself on stage, living the dream of playing in his favorite band, which you could plainly see from the wide smile that didn’t leave Attila’s face until the end of the show. Nevermore also wouldn’t be what they are without a full, mighty rhythm section, and the madman drummer Van Williams showed how to pound a drum kit. Van is surely one of the most inventive drummers around right now, since his fills are thought-out and full of excellent ideas. Only the charismatic bassist Jim Sheppard was missing this time, as he’s battling health problems again. They found a tumor in his brain, but luckily it turned out to be benign, and Jim is already recovering well after surgery. Jim was replaced confidently and assuredly by Dagna Silesia, who plays bass in Warrel Dane’s solo band, and it’s precisely because they know each other so well that Warrel treated himself to her more than once, hehe. Nevermore delivered four tracks from the new album, which come off devilishly well live, plus the classics Born, The Heart Collector and The River Dragon Has Come. The peak was the incredible ten-minute epic This Godless Endeavor, and they wrapped up far, far too soon with the crushing, cataclysmic Enemies of Reality. The only minus of this Nevermore show is truly its shortness, which forced them to skip plenty of gems from their discography. But as Poe’s raven already croaked: “Quoth the Raven, ‘Nevermore’ … And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor Shall be lifted – nevermore!”
And the American veterans of progressive metal had a truly tough job stepping on stage after that hellish Nevermore set. Symphony X walked out confidently and assuredly, just as is fitting for one of the bigger and more important bands in the genre. Under the leadership of the excellent Russell Allen, Symphony X kicked off with the punchy Of Sins and Shadows, which showed off the band’s phenomenal form, but sadly also the worst sound of the night. Thanks to the dirty, muddy sound, the instrumental masters Michael Romeo, Michael Pinella and Michael LePond (has this band ever thought about renaming itself Michael, hehe) and Jason Rullo didn’t shine as much as they should have. The neoclassical solo adventures of the incredible Romeo came out quiet and flimsy, and so was his stage presence, as Romeo didn’t move a single centimeter. Luckily the fantastic Allen provided the dynamics, animating the crowd with incredible ease while they ate out of his hand, and he clearly proved why he’s counted among the best vocalists in (progressive) metal. Angry and aggressive one moment, light, calm and emotional the next, the Americans sailed through songs that mostly came from the still-current record Paradise Lost. Somewhat surprisingly, almost half the set was made up of this record, which is excellent in its own right, but it meant Symphony X completely ignored what is probably their studio peak, the album V: The New Mythology Suite. Maybe that’s even for the best, since the awful sound completely buried Michael Pinella’s keyboards, which otherwise brilliantly build Symphony X’s unique atmosphere. The New Jersey band also played two tracks from the upcoming record Iconoclast, which from what we heard promises another excellent release. But besides the bad sound, Symphony X had one more flaw, and that’s the short set. I truly hope we can expect this band again here in the future, with much better sound and a proper headline show that gives the band time to play the unrepeatable epic The Odyssey.
The Power of Metal package delivered a varied lineup and two phenomenal co-headliners. Sadly, this time the concert experience was spoiled by bad sound for absolutely all the bands, and it’s simply fair to demand sets at least half as long again from both tour headliners.
author: Rok Klemše
photos: Nina Grad
MERCENARY:
1. Intro
2. World Hate Center
3. The Endless Fall
4. Through the Eyes of the Devil
5. In a River of Madness
6. In Bloodred Shades
7. The Follower
8. Firesoul
PSYCHOTIC WALTZ:
1. Ashes
2. Spiral Tower
3. Haze One
4. Into The Everflow
5. Morbid 6. Halo Of Thorns
7. Nothing
8. I Of The Storm
NEVERMORE:
1. Inside Four Walls
2. Moonrise (Through Mirrors of Death)
3. The Termination Proclamation
4. Your Poison Throne
5. Born
6. The Heart Collector
7. The River Dragon Has Come
8. Emptiness Unobstructed
9. This Godless Endeavor
10. Enemies of Reality
SYMPHONY X:
1. Of Sins and Shadows
2. Domination
3. The Serpent’s Kiss
4. End of Innocence
5. Paradise Lost
6. Inferno (Unleash the Fire)
7. Smoke and Mirrors
8. Dehumanized
9. Set the World on Fire (The Lie of Lies)
10. Sea of Lies
