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MOONSPELL! OSTROGOTH! OMEN MASTERS OF DISGUISE Festival previews
Festival: Sabaton Noch Ein Bierfest! P23 ! CD Review Guilty As Charged!! P24 ! Interview: Omen! ! ! P25-27! CD review: Hell Hounds! ! P28! Interview: Masters of Disguise!! P29-30! Live: Up The Belgians!! ! P31-33! Festival: Wacken Open Air! ! P34-36! Help Wanted! ! ! ! P37! Tips From nurse Luise!! ! P38-39! Interview: Ostrogoth! ! ! P40-42! Metal Scraps! ! ! ! P43-44! Live: Omen - Ostrogoth - Masters of Disguise Fireforce! ! ! ! P45-65
Editorial! SWM is growing fast. Over our first two issues, 5.000 of you have been reading our work. Thank you for that. ! And we keep looking to the future of course. SWM will remain an online rock, hard rock and metal magazine. But in the next issue, there will be some changes. We will no longer deliver our magazine free of charge. We won’t ask for a vast amount rather. Most likely, we will bring you our magazine for no more then 2,95 €. Pretty cheap, isn’t it. And an annual subscription will even be cheaper. For that money, you will be able to read SWM as soon as we publish. You will be able to enter our competitions in which you can win great stuff, and you will get more content then the free version. That’s right, there will still be a free version available. But only the next month, and it will be a reduced version. Less of our great pictures, no chance to win free stuff, and fewer articles. So the choice will be up to you. Follow the scene as it happens, or with a slight delay. !
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How you will be able to purchase the magazine, what the exact pricing will be, and other interesting updates, will be published on our Facebook page. The link is just below this Editorial. !
! ! For SWM - Wim Op de beeck! ! SWM on Facebook! SWM on Twitter! Email us!
Content! ! Cover: Evil Invaders! ! ! Editorial and content! ! ! Live: Hooverphonic! ! ! Live: Hexa Mera! ! ! CD review Civilian! ! ! Interview Moonspell! ! ! Live: Evil Invaders CD release!! Festival : GMM! ! ! Try out: Innervate! ! ! Special: Festivalfood! ! !
P1! P2! P3! P4! P5-6! P7-16! P17-19! P20! P21-22!
Hooverphonic! Live at „De Roma”!
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Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. Deciding wich bands fit in Shutterwall Magazine, can sometimes be a difficult choice. I went to this show with a double intention. I wanted to see Hooverphonic play live again, because I hadn’t since they got a new singer a few years ago. And I wanted to see wether their newest work fits SWM or not. !
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First things first. Noémie Wolfs is a great singer. Her voice is enormously versatile. She can sing in a deep, warm voice, that reminded me a bit of a young Ella Fitzgerald. But the next song, all registers open, and she pulls a high pitched voice out of her troth. And at no time, she seems to have any difficulty doing that. It’s always a pleasure, watching great professionals at work. This was such an occasion. !
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To the music then. There will be a full CD review in this magazine, so I will not go to deep into it, but oh my god. Being a child of the 70’s, I recognized some sounds that reminded me of Queen. The ambient-pop from the early days made room for a more rock feeling. It almost feels
perfectly with modern music. And I guess that’s a perfect mix. !
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The entire show, the atmosphere on stage has been rather intimate. It was a seated show, something I hadn’t seen for a while. Usually I prefer standing up, and banging my head to the music, but for this show, the seated crowd could fully enjoy the delicate music that was played on stage. I’m pretty sure they can convince about every crowd, how sceptic they may be. I know I’m won over. So hope to see you guys play again soon.!
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Wim Op de beeck - Shutterwall Magazine
like the band is coming to it’s full grown age. It’s all a bit more full bodied then before. The harmonies from Hooverphonic have always been amazing, due to the fact that they are great musicians. Nothing changed there. But as I said, I think the band is evolving to a more grown up fase in their existence. They definitely have not left their roots behind. The early fans will stille recognize the old Hooverphonic, but they fit in
Hexa Mera is a Belgian melodic death metal band. I meet the guys at the trix cafe in antwerp. They will be playing the after show for Architects in a few moments. The band could be on a sunny beach. They’re that calm.!
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Same story on stage. As soon as they take the stage, you can see this is a bunch of routined musicians. Calmly but firm, they start playing their set. The location is a rather small venue. The cafe inside the Trix building in Antwerp. The place visitors come to cool down after a great show in the main venue. Wrong this time. The band plays the first notes, and the crowd starts coming in. Not in vast amounts, but what can you expect at a sunday night after show? !
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But the crowd gets a decent set. The rhythm in the songs is not only determined by the drums. The guitars take part in that too. Is so often with death metal, both rhythm and melody form one unity. But in this case, it’s still easy to hear the separate instruments. Not an easy thing to do with a music style that’s so hard. ! Vocalist Yannick Schmit also understands that making noise is not the main thing he has to do. Grunting can be nice, but often it makes it damn hard to understand what a singer is trying to tell you. Not with Yannick. Most of the lines are understood by the crowd, and that makes a show just that little bit more special to listen too. !
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Wim Op de beeck - Shutterwall Magazine
Band: Civilian Album: The Second Release: 12/12/2014 Genre: Hardrock/Heavy Metal Label: Independent
! This Belgian band from Hasselt, had their debut two years ago with the album “Wake-up Call”. Their second album is called “The Second”. The name is not only chosen because of the fact that it is their second album, but also it is referring to “second”. They use the example of the a-bom that was dropped on Hiroshima on the 6th of August 1945. That’s the power of a second, which you will hear on the title track of their album “The Second”. The Album has 12 songs on it. The songs are relatively short, but will all explode right in your face. Starting with “Zusammen”, which has a punky, but catchy sound. A nice sing-a-long. With “Wrong Side Of The Road”, they have written a nice rocksong which reminds me of some songs from “Queens Of The Stone Age”. “The Second” is a great blend of exciting rock songs and more tempered songs like “Dead Man Walking” and “Digging A Hole”. With “Tarantula” they show another style. With the harmonic guitar work, it sounds a bit like a good old British Metal band. There is one other thing to say about this album. The song “The Second” is an attempt to beat the world record of shortest song. It is exact one second, which beats the song “You suffer” from Napalm Death by 0.316 seconds. I’m not thrilled by the album art. The idea is good when I see the bomb and the reaper. But it misses a finishing touch on the drawing itself. My favorite track: Tarantula
Tracklist:
Score: 8.3/10
1. Zusammen 2. Wrong Side Of The Road 3. Love In The Moshpit 4. Dead Man Walking 5. Stars Tonight 6. Break The Chain 7. The Second 8. Digging A Hole 9. C.E.O. 10. Tarantula 11. Closed Door 12. Hallelujahland Double D for Shutterwall Magazine
Moonspell! I meet the guys from Moonspell in their tour bus. It’s parked just outside of the famous Biebob venue in Vosselaar Belgium.!
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Guys, first things first. When I entered the bus, I immediately loved the smell. ! Fernando: That’s the smell of rock.! You guys are considered to be the band that brought darm metal to Portugal. You even scored a golden CD in doing so. How popular is metal in Portugal today?! Fernando: Compared to the 80’s and 90’s, today, a lot more people love metal music. And a lot more people actually consider metal as a valid music style. Back in the days, heavy metal was seen as just a curiosity. The press, the media, didn’t make room for it. It even was hard to get in touch with the international seen. Here and there you heard about a band, Local or international, but there were no real channels trough witch we could get information. When we started Moonspell, there was no internet. Today, there’s even a Portugese metal magazine, „Loud”, who are running for a couple of years now. ! The biggest difference between now and then, may be the change in vision. back then, there was mostly a lack of vision, as opposed to today. In the 90’s, everybody just wanted to be the Portugese Metallica or Iron Maiden. Moonspell always wanted to be Moonspell. An original band. Obviously we were influenced as well. But we had our own ideas. And we followed them.! I would love to see more big Portugese metal bands. Our record happened to be number one in the charts, and that only happened with a few metal bands. But the more metal bands in the charts, the better.! You said there used to be a lack of vision. Napalm Records is your fourth record label. Does that have something to do with your vision?! Fernando: I think it was important to get outside of Portugal, that’s why Century Media was essential. Then it was our dream label. When Robert from Century Media called us, we new something was about to change. We ended up doing six albums with them. At a certain point in time, we wanted to do something else, and we moved on. I knew Napalm Records for many years. From back in their underground days. They have something that attracted us. They have
ambition, and are willing to expand. They could stay in their comfort zone, and keep producing the same kind of records they always have. But they want to be a bigger player, they want to broaden their market. Some of the changes over time weren’t really planned, but just sort of happened. We always had good results with the labels we were with. ! Moonspell evolved from dark, maybe even doom metal, a bit more to melodic death metal. Is that just the times changing?! Ricardo: I never understood the doom thing. We are a band that essentially loves the dark side of metal. We’ve flirted with black metal, we’ve flirted with goth, But one thing stays the same. Our genre, our emotional content always has been the same. It doesn’t really matter if Moonspell plays harder or softer songs. Our identity is there. ! For this CD we may have flirted a bit with the religious theme. Maybe because it was such a big mark in our career. We don’t want to make another record like this, because it just fitted this point in our lives. That’s also why we made it sound like this. We wanted to go back to the beginning in 1996. The original atmosphere of jamming and just playing together. Songs just grow like that. We didn’t want to overproduce this album. Just keep it clean. ! You have this track called „Alma Mater”. In English you can translate this as „The Virgin Mary” Are you guys fans?! Fernando: Not the biggest ones in Portugal, for sure. When we were writing „Alma Mater”, we were thinking more in the way of the Latin expression. It means „your essence”. It’s what matters for you. It’s what separates you from your brother or your sister. For Ricardo, I believe his alma mater is playing the guitar. For me, I’m not really sure. I’m still searching I guess. ! But the Virgin Mary, she is really important in Portugal. There’s this big holy place in Fatima where people come to pray to her. It’s a really big thing over there. People turn up by the thousands. It gives them strength. Nowadays, religion is decreasing in Portugal, because of the crisis, and people maybe just are more realistic today. These cults like for example Fatima are still prosperous. In a way it’s ironic. ! Ricardo: But it’s great for tourism. It attracts a lot of people. ! Friends of my parents run a project in Amadorra, where you come from. It’s a project called „Moinho Da Juventude”. They work in a problematic neighborhood. How is the situation overthere these days?!
Fernando: I actually know that project. It’s a big thing in Portugal. I come from a similar neighborhood. When people started to come back from the ex-colonies, in the 70’s, there first was a colonial war, and then a very bloody civil war. A lot of African people came to Portugal, and build houses wherever they found the space. So you got these getto-style neighborhoods. Most of them are bona now, people moved elsewhere. This project is actually one of the most famous to get people out of the getto’s, and help them to start a decent life. ! To what extend do you think a bad economy is a reason why people look for more extreme music genres like metal.! Fernando: I’ve always seen metal as blue collar music. It’s something that belongs to the working class, like rock and roll. People always try to generate an elite, but for me, metal is still really down to earth. Black Sabbath is a nice example. They were working in factories, and I believe their dark music originated in that situation, and that timeframe. ! Oustide of Portugal you scored big in Germany and Finland. How did that happen?! Fernando: Germany happened by hard work. It helped that at the time our label was a German label. But a lot of people discovered us on tour. The crowds were looking for an alternative for power metal. They wanted something new. I guess we gave them that. touring with Type O Negative helped us step up in Germany and Finland. That was a big breakthrough for us. From that moment on, countries like Germany, Finland or Poland, never lost track of what we were doing. They always supported us. Our previous record ended up in the German and Finish charts, and we expect this one to do the same. ! Your last CD, „extinct” has been compared to work from Dimmu Borgir. Do you see the comparison?! Ricardo: I see the comparison. It might have to do with the orchestrations. But that’s definitely the only reason. We are to totally different bands. We’re not the same bands, and we don’t sound the same. Maybe in some arrangements it might sound a bit similar. But then, there may be thousands of bands that may sound alike in some of their songs. And in others they don’t. ! How was „extinct” made?! Fernando: We don’t write a lot on tour. We like to keep those things separate. When we tour, we tour. When we get home, we work on new stuff. Everybody brings in their own bits and pieces. Everybody was working at the same project, at
the same time. We didn’t write in front of the computer. This CD actually grew out of our rehearsals. It felt really organic. Fast and intense, but really organic. ! For me, „The last Of Us” fits the CD the least. Why did it make the CD?! Fernando: First of all because we like it. It was released as a first advance. It was picked up by a national radio station in Portugal, and immediately, it went viral. We had great responses. Some people didn’t like it, like you, but when they heard the whole album, they saw the bigger picture. And it fits in nicely. It works with the flow of the album. We always want our songs to be able to stand on theirselves. but Moonspell CD’s have to be listened to as a whole. That’s when our music shines. ! My personal favorite is „The Future is Dark”. Even though it may suit my style the least. It touched me in a way. Is it an important song for the band?! Fernando: I think it is. For me especially, because it’s the most personal song I ever wrote. There’s nothing fictional in it. Even though it’s really dark, it had to be fragile. I think it can touch people in different sub genres of metal, because of the way it’s written. A French black metal reviewer wrote that he was totally out of his comfort zone while listening to the track, but in some way, he loved it. ! Fernando, your voice is well recognized amongst fans. Does it take much care?! Fernando: With the lifestyle we have, you have to take care. There’s all these interviews, a lot of talking. So you have to look after your voice. One thing I do, is put in some silent moments. Just to give my voice some rest. At show days I drink up to seven liters of fluids. And of course you have to warm up your voice before a show. ! You guys play Alcatraz this summer. What else brings 2015?! Fernando: We’ll go to Mexico and Canada, then some festivals in Europe. Alcatraz, Wave Gothic treffen… We still are looking out for the second part of 2015, but we will go to Scandinavia for sure. ! Anything you want to add for the fans?! Fernando: We wish you all a great festival summer. And thanks to come out and see us. !
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Wim Op de beeck - Shutterwall Magazine.
Album release Biebob
Evil Invaders! !
With a powerful begin Grumphf opens the show. Their Heavy Metal style with a twist of Iron Maiden gets the audience moving bit by bit. The catchy songs and the rhythm lead to a head banging audience and I even can’t stop banging my head myself. With the pitch of his high voice Stef sings the songs like if it easy. During the problems with the drum tech he tried to force solo’s out of the guitarist and bassist and just before he can tell a joke the tech problem is solved. Ending the show with the last of their energetic and dynamic tracks. A good start for a crazy evening.! ! Second of the evening, Incarceration. This death metal band is an enormous contrast with the
previous one. Their pressing songs and rhythmic guitar lines get lifted by the numerous guitar solo’s preformed by the 1st guitarist and singer. They give an energetic and powerful show with the die-hard fans in front banging their heads from their necks. The long lasting echo gave the singers a very unique sound only heard by this band this evening.!
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Before the show comes to it’s headliner we get the old-school thrashers Distillator.! After a calming instrumental intro the show starts with no restraint and the audience goes wilder and wilder. With a variety of static poses reach down (yes, literally down) to the mikes and running around like a cat and mouse game between the bassist and guitarist/singer, they fill the stage with energy and you almost forget that there’s only two of them. A bit of Slayer sets the mood for the whole evening. Even Joe from Evil Invaders was enjoying the show for the side line.!
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Everyone gets very excited/annoyed when the Evil Invaders crew lift a curtain in front of the stage so no one can see what’s happening on the stage, at least I got a little peak. With at least a 10 person crew they start building the decors and props. From chain mike stands, smoke machines and the backdrop with their recognizable artwork, to chains hanging around the drums. Everyone, including the band members themselves are getting everything ready for an unforgettable show.!
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At the beginning of the evening I got a chance to talk to them in the Metalzone close to the Biebob venue. Three humble, skinny, young men stand in front of me. Nothing gives away what craziness they can produce on stage.! And then they start. Like an explosion on a battlefield their thrash guitar work, drums and bass erupts out of the speakers and there is no possibility you can stand still in the crowd. Later more about the craziness of the crowd. Their songs burst one after another through the speakers with a huge amount of energy and get reflected right back. Joe only needs to say the
title of a song, old or new, and the enthusiasm is everywhere in the venue. Even during a problem with the tech, the crowd shouts and yells the silence away. Luckily the problem was solved and they go on as if nothing happened. The two guitarists and the bassist run around the stage from left to right and back. I doubt if I ever saw them standing still on stage.! During my few years of being in the metal and hard rock scene, I’ve seen a lot of crazy and untamable crowds. But I dare to say that this evening I saw how insane Evil Invaders can make a crowd. At this venue, Biebob, there is no frontstage, so the crow can go from the ground floor right on the stage. Result? Over a dozen stage divers or crowd surfers a song. One after another they fly from the stage on (and in) they crowd. Sometimes they catch, sometimes they don’t. And I really don’t want to know what happend to the ones that jumped and never were seen again. The numerous moshpits showed the band it was a successful gig, and it was. After a soothing break, with only the bass playing and some intervals of the guitar, they wrap up the show with two last
songs where hell descended on earth. But even thats is not enough for the crowd. „We want more” they shout. Too bad the members are exhausted after an exuberant gig like this one.!
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With the first time seeing the band, I doubt after a concert like this you cannot be persuaded to go buy their CD, T-shirt or see them again. And I’m sure the world will hear more from Evil Invaders soon enough.!
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Suzan McLee - Shutterwall Magazine! Pictures: Wim Op de beeck - Suzan Mclee
Graspop Metal Meeting! !
History Established in 1986, this is one of the older festivals in Belgium. Originally, Graspop was a popfestival, but after ten years of succes, the times changed. The family festival was no longer appealing to the crowds, and both „Graspops” Peter Van Geel, and „Midsummer Metal Meetings” Bob Schoenmaekers, joined forces. They started Graspop Metal Meeting in 1996, and ever since, it has been the great metal festival we know. !
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Since the early days, where GMM had around 15.000 souls wandering the grounds at „De Witte Berg” in Dessel, much has changed. These days, GMM can welcome around 135.000 visitors. The location changed to „Boeretang”, and more recent, to „Stenehei”, just around the corner. All these locations have had their pro’s and con’s. From the small location in the beginning, to the huge festival site today. They all had their charms. Off course I would love to wander around on the small site at „De Witte Berg” again. Listening to Iron Maiden. Off course I would enjoy a sunny afternoon at „Boeretang”, while Guns’n Roses gives it their all at the main stage once more. But today, we will enjoy those bands or others at the great festival site that’s been used for a few years now. ! Living in the area, I see GMM being build up every year. And every time, it hits me. This is not just a festival… It’s a company. And a big one I
might say. The last few years, there’s this neverending rumor, about a move to St-Truiden, in East Belgium. There’s a small airport in the area, that could be the location as soon as from 2016. I see the benefits for the event, such as space, space and loads of open… euhm… space. Being close to Liege Airport could be beneficial for the bands, who have to transport loads of stuff, and maybe, it will be great for the fans as well. But it would mean GMM would no longer be held in Dessel, and that saddens me. The festival that was born in the „Campina” region, will no longer be the same, I think. Or maybe, the nice atmosphere will make the move with the festival… And then it won’t matter at all.!
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But in 2015, GMM will still be GMM. With loads of great bands, at the „Stenehei” in Dessel, and hopefully, with great weather. Over the 20 years GMM exists under this name, the weather (thank you Thor) has been great or terrible. There was not much in between. It was hot and dusty, or wet and muddy. And sometimes even both. Well, thats what the Belgian weather is like. We are used to it, and it won’t hold us back from partying big time.!
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2015! This year, as ever, there’s at least as many opinions as there’s fans for the GMM-line up. As with every festival, you can’t please them all. However, I think Gmm hits it big time in 2015.! Bands as Faith No More, Judas Priest, KISS, Marilyn Manson, Scorpions, Slipknot, Body Count, Alice Cooper, Motörhead, Within
Temptation, Five Finger Deathpunch, but also Arch Enemy, Papa Roach, Children of Bodom, Cradle of Filth, Godsmack, Evil Invaders or Black Stone Cherry. They all have their place on this years GMM. And they all deserve their place. Graspop, like last year, has chosen to bring you a great mix of big headliners, and starting bands. Bands you all know, and some you might not. I’ve
never seen Winterfylleth, Sylosis, The Sword or Den Saakaldte live. I might just go check them out this year. Or maybe, I’ll just stick to the big names, and camp in front of the main stages for four days. Stages, because yes, there are two again this year. The system we know from some other festivals for some years now, has worked so well at GMM’14, they will bring it back this year. !
As with many large festivals, GMM also evolved from a smalle scale festival. I dont know many festivals that attracted over 100.000 fans at their first edition. And growth is exactly what a festival needs. They need the income to pay artists. And artists charge more today, than ten years ago. But there should be a limit to the size of a festival, and the fares for the bands. You can’t keep growing infinitely. And bands can’t keep charging more and more. So, i don’t know what the future will bring us, but GMM will keep growing. Maybe not only upwards. It might be sideways. They may keep searching for other bands and other genres. And I think they should. As long as they keep track of where they came from. The rock and metal scene. That’s where GMM belongs. That’s where their fans are. And that’s why they exist. To bring us the greatest bands, let us find great new names, and bring us the best metalfestival in Europe, and maybe even in the world. In 2015, they do just that as far as I’m concerned. Or at least, the line up gets pretty fucking close. The rest is up to the metal heads. !
! See you at Graspop Metal Meeting.! !
Wim Op de beeck - Shutterwall Magazine
Recently, we were invited to visit the try out of a new metal formation. Most of them are no strangers to me, and I liked their work in the past, so I was anxious to see what they cooked up this time. !
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Innervate is a melodic death metal formation with a basic setup. ! Jelle Van Loo - Vocals! Glenn Van Loo - Guitars! Zjesse Van Hool - Guitars! Ian "Husky" Huyskens - Bass! Frederik Geuvens - Drums!
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I won’t discuss every song they played, but I liked what they played for us. Often, their music is rather strong, maybe a bit on the heavy side, but at the same time they never loose track. Innervate sounds melodic where they need to, and death where they can. ! The overall sound of the band was already pretty good. Innervate sounded actually really forcefull. Something I didn’t expect at a try out. At that time, they were ready to jump on stage, and play the crowds. ! Being a percussionist myself, I have always appreciated a drummer that can give you the idea he’s playing a large kit, while he’s actually kicking ass behind a rather basic setup. Frederik does just that. !
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Already, the band played some shows. I hear positive sounds from people who’ve seen them. I’m sure I’ll see them perform life in the future again. Bring it on guys.!
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Wim Op de beeck Shutterwall Magazine.!
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Photo’s Jolien Krijnen.
Spice up your festival food Everybody knows the horror stories about the food that's being served at festivals all over the world. The main ingredient seems to be grease, mixed with whatever is left over from animals, iff we even can be that lucky. Luckily, those stories are part of history on most festivals these days. However, a summer spent on festivalgrounds, can end up showing on your scale, at the end of the season. Largely, this can be due to the vast amounts of alcohol you (ab)used, but the food will have it’s part in the scale-tipping story as well.! To make sure you don't have to go shopping for larger clothes after the summer, we would like to serve you a nice, healthy menu, that you should be able to make at every festival.!
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Today, yo can find reasonable food, on most festivals. Rice, pasta, quality hamburgers or even a vegetarian dish are no exceptions anymore. But still, you can make sure to eat more healthy. By taking some goods with you, and serving yourself a healthy breakfast, you will need to eat less on the festivalgrounds, so it will be cheaper. Not an unimportant issue, I believe.!
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Start your day with a healthy omelet. ! You will break every egg in your basket, iff you carry whole eggs to a festival. Obviously, we don't suggest to do so. On some larger festivals, there's an on site supermarket. If not, you may be able to
buy some eggs from a local farmer. Ad if all else fails, you can always look for some dried eggs. You may find those in some supermarkets. Ad some water. Done. Bring some vegetables with you, and your omelet is born. Even some canned vegetables can be rather delicious. I like my omelets with loads of mushrooms and onions. Easy to cook, and definitely a good and healthy way to start your day. But with omelets goes what goes with most meals. Add to your own taste. Want some bacon, tomatoes or herbs in it? Just add what you like. It’ll taste good. Serve with some bread, and off you go. !
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Speaking about bread. That’s probably the easiest, and most versatile thing you can eat. And the best part is: you can keep it for up to a week, without any problems. As long as you keep it dry and cool. Not cold, just cool. Okay, after a few days, it will turn a bit crispy around the edges, and it may not taste as good as when you just bought it, but there are solutions for those problems. The first few days, you can do just about everything with your bread. Make a healthy sandwich with some salade, tomatoes, a boiled egg, some kind of meat or cheese… and make sure you invite your friend. They will love you for it. !
When your bread starts getting crispy, you can still eat it. Just put it on the barbecue for a few moments. Some like it still licht colored, but already a bit more crispy, some like it golden brown and almost like a toast. The golden rule is: If it looks like a cigarette, it will probably taste like one too. As with any food goes: don’t burn it. ! When shopping for your festival trip, make sure to buy some different kinds of bread. And be sure to buy some dark kinds. They will help you get trough your visits to the smelly room. !
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Finally, I would like to advice the dried foods department. It’s not the same as fresh food, but it is really fresh when they drie it. So most of the important stuff is still inside the food. The vitamins, the minerals… It’s all there. You will find pastas, rice dishes, even whole meals if you look for it. Just add some water, boil it, and enjoy your meal. !
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I’m sure you will get very creative when you start looking for some good and healthy stuff to eat at the festival. And maybe you’ll get home, and be happy to see that scale again. !
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Wim Op de beeck - Shutterwall Magazine
Sabaton Noch Ein Bierfest Exporting a succes formula is always a risk, unless you translate it to the market your trying to enter. Having a strong base in that market certainly helps. This could be taken from a marketing paper. It isn’t. But it does apply to Sabaton these days. !
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As you will know, Sabaton has got some well build formula’s in Sweden for many years now. They have their cruise on the Baltic Sea, and of course, there’s Sabaton Open Air. The last they will bring to Germany this year. They could have chosen to simply name it Sabaton Open Air Germany, but they didn’t. Instead, they chose to go for Noch Ein Bierfest. Clearly a reference to the oktoberfest tradition, where drinking vast amounts of beer is just the beginning of all the fun, well known in Germany. ! The location couldn’t be better. The famous Gelsenkirchen Amphitheater. This location used to be the venue of choice for the Rock Hard Festival. As you will know, that festival is no more.!
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This one day festival will be something to look forward to. Sabaton announced it will be something very special. They will headline the day, supported by Powerwolf, Korpiklaani and Civil War. The last band has got some former band members in it, and the other two are touring
with Sabaton extensively. So you will imagine the styles to be complementary. !
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Sabaton is a band thats known for their strong fan base, especially in Germany. The fans line up outside the venue, hours, sometimes even days before the show. And as soon as Sabaton hits the first notes, they almost literally explode into one vast mass of head banging craziness. So even if Sabaton is not your band of choice, you will have a great time at any of their shows. What selfrespecting metalhead can’t enjoy a good night of waving hair, lots of beer and maybe even a bruised rib or two. And I suspect that’s exactly what you will get in Gelsenkirchen. ! As I said before, Sabaton announced something special for this show. The band has been trying to set up an event like this in Germany for a few years now, so I guess they will go all out. There will be a lot of fire, smoke, CO2, and other craziness on stage. There will be great attributes too. But that’s just any Sabaton show really. What do they mean by something special? Short of Joakim levitating, or Pär suddenly spitting fire, I can’t imagine. I’m sure it will be worth the travel though. Just check youtube for full shows by Sabaton. They all look amazing. And when they look amazing on stage on a normal show, I’m sure they’ll look epic when they go all out.!
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Wim Op de beeck - Shutterwall Magazine
Band: Guilty As Charged! Album: Leap Of Faith! Release: 13/06/2014! Genre: Heavy/Thrash Metal! Label: Independent!
! “Guilty As Charged” is a Belgian Heavy Metal band with a touch of Thrash Metal. They were formed in 2008. In the summer of 2009, they recorded their first demo which had five heavy songs on it. They’ve already shared the stage with big names like Soulfly, Death Angel and Propain on Alcatraz Metal Festival 2011 and Masters @ Rock 2012. IN 2014 they got back into the studio to record “Leap Of Faith”.! The Album has 8 songs on it. From start till finish, it is a 32 minutes headbanging experience. ! As a Metallica fan the voice on “I’ll Never” reminded me a lot of James. But that’s a good thing right? It’s nice to hear influences from other bands in such songs.! “Lonewolf” has some nice sing along potential , the melody at the end and the “oohoho” will make you automatically sing along with it. ! You can take a breath with the song “Elysium”. The dreamy riffs will take you to another place, where the next song “Lack Of Control” will put you right back into reality. ! I really like the album art. Nicely drawn. You can really fantasize about the cover.! “Leap Of Faith” is an overall great album with a lot of good, heavy, Iced Earth/Metallica inspired riffs. With all the diversity on this album, you will not get bored listening to it. Nice job!!
! ! My favorite track: Lack Of Control!
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1. Preach To The Masses! 2. Last Chance! 3. Leap Of Faith! 4. I’ll Never! 5. Lonewolf! 6. Elysium! 7. Lack Of Control! 8. Down!
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Double D
- Shutterwall Magazine
Omen! US heavy metal band Omen, are presented to me by their promotor. I wasn’t booked to interview them, but hey, sometimes things change. I can’t say I did mind very much. As the band assembles, I start talking with Andy about his jacket. He’s wearing a leather bike jack. Aparently he has a few Harley’s. I love this guy already.!
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Guys, you’ve been touring all over Europe. Belgium, The Netherlands, Greece, Slovenia. How was the support?! Kevin: We’ve had Masters Of Disguise with us for a longer time. ! Andy: Great guys, they were kind enough to let us use most of their gear. They worked their ass off every night. Set the shit up, rocked their ass off, and then tiered it all down again. All we had to do, is show up and be rockstars. We love doing that. !
Kevin: Walk on to the stage, do our gig, and then „thank you and good night”. For real, those guys are kick-ass. ! Andy: We’ve known them for a while. They’re like family now.! Does all that mean that you guys had a holiday tour this time?! Andy: Of course we still had to play. ! Kevin: And the hard job of remembering the songs. ! Andy: Seriously, it’s been a great tour. Especially since Kevin is back in the band. We had some singer issues, and of course Kevin was in the band before that. So he was the perfect replacement.!
should sound like. Definitely the older Omen sound. ! Andy: We definitely learned our lessons.! Kevin: Yeah, we learned not to fuck around too much. ! Andy: With this old school sound, I don’t think anyone is going to be disappointed. So far, everybody that’s heard any of the tracks, have
Kevin: You know, every band has to be a good team. This is a team that has already been proven. It’s good to be back.! You guys are working on a new CD. Is there a timing yet?! Andy: Any day now. ! And for how many years will you keep saying „any day now”?! Andy: Actually, the main problem was to do the vocals. Now since Kevin is back, we have done the studio work, and we have already given a few tracks to the label. They loved it. It’s mixed now, and it only needs mastering. So actually it’s about finished. It should go out to the label in a few days, and we think to release the CD by June or July. Without any natural disasters, it should be out by Bang Your Head. We are playing there, and we have every intention for the CD to be released by then. ! Kevin: I think that’s the record labels intention to. If I’m not mistaken, they are gonna use Bang Your Head as a CD release show. ! Andy: What better place to have a release party.! Kevin: Exactly.! It’s been a while since the last CD. Can the fans expect a totally different sound? ! Andy: It’s the follow up to „The Curse”.! Kevin: This is the CD we think we should have made after that CD, at that time. If you listen to the sound of „The Curse”, that’s what this one
really enjoyed them. Actually there’s a song on you tube all ready. We didn’t leak the single though. We didn’t leak the radio hits. But it could give you an idea about what’s it all going to sound like.! Did you leak the song yourselves.! Kevin: Actually, the song got released without us knowing about it. It was about a month before we came on this tour. It made it’s way to the internet. And you know how that goes. Once it’s there, it’s THERE. It worked out in a good way for us. Because the fans began asking about it. And about the new work that’s coming up. And it just gave them a chance to hear what we were doing.! Tonight, you guys are playing with Fireforce, Masters of Disguise and Ostrogoth.! Kevin: Three great bands. Oh my god.! Andy: Masters Of Disguise is a really good band, Fireforce, Oh my god. ! Kevin: They’re my favorites, and they’re first tonight.! Andy: We did one show already, in The Netherlands I believe, with Masters and Fireforce. It was amazing. We better bring our A game tonight. Fireforce are killer. ! Kevin: And Ostrogoth are killer too. Whoever will come to see the show tonight will get a really special show. All four bands are kicking some real ass. ! I know comparing bands is always difficult, but if you would…!
Steve: Oh we’re the best by miles of course. ! Kevin: Musically, we all come from the same camp, but we all have our own spin to it. That’s what makes each band unique. But obviously, we fit together. Like hand and glove. All four bands come from the same kind of background. We all have the same kind of influences. To me, that’s what makes these four bands work well together. There are some differences, but it wouldn’t be like putting Britney Spears with…! … Slayer?! Kevin: Yeah, exactly. ! Andy: At the end of the night, it will be obvious that the other three bands rehearse, and we don’t.! Besides Bang Your Heads, what else is on for 2015?! Kevin: We are talking about some more touring in the fall. October is being town up, but nothing is for sure now. It will mostly be in Europe though. When it comes to music, America is SO trendy. That makes it so hard for bands like us. ! Andy: And I have a business and what not. So we have to get home every now and then. When we’re not touring, I’m protecting the universe. I can’t tell you how though. I’d have to kill you if I did. !
Believe it or not, but we all have jobs and family’s. So that makes it hard to tour for longer stretches of time. ! We all do it for the interaction with the crowds. No matter where we play. Small venues or big festivals. We love the interaction with our fans.! Anything you want to get out there for the fans? ! Andy: Come out and see us now. It’s the best we’ve ever been.! Kevin: And you can always buy us a beer. !
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Wim Op de beeck - Shutterwall Magazine
Band: Hell Hounds Album: Promotional Tracks 2015 Release: 06/02/2015 Genre: Symphonic Metal Label: /
! Hell Hounds is a Canadian band, founded in early 2013. Influenced by different styles, they play a mix of Power metal, Melodic Death Metal, Progressive Metal and Thrash Metal. This review is about two promotional tracks from 2015. “Birthright” and “King Beneath The Mountain”. “Birthright” has a symphonic sound with female vocals and a few male grunts. The first feeling I’ve got was that the drums were a little out of rhythm. I get the impression that the drummer is running behind the rest of the music. It’s not a smooth sound. It has some brutal guitar riffs in it, which will make you forget the sloppy drum sound. “King Beneath The Mountain” begins with a nice melodic guitar riff. Followed by the symphonic voice and grunts from Viviana. I really like the classical part at the ending of the songs. Followed by a nice guitar solo from Ryan and keyboard solo from Emma. My overall impression is good. Nice riffs, good solos, heavenly vocals. Too bad that the drums are not always tight enough. Is this a recording mistake or a production error, I don’t know.
! My favorite track: “King Beneath The Mountain” Tracklist: Score: 6.8/10
1. Birthright 2. King Beneath The Mountain
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Double D for Shutterwall Magazine
Masters Of Disguise! This is the last show of this tour. What’s it been like?! Kalli: It’s been awesome. It’s been a short sevenshow tour with Omen. We were joined by some local support here and there. For a small, starting band like we are… (Laughing) We didn’t expect too much from this tour. You never now what to expect actually. You never now how many people will show up at your shows. It can always be the case that you lose money on a tour. But actually, this tour we were overwhelmed by the turnout. The crowds were pretty large every time. Omen is a headliner that has been around for a few decades now. They were very positive about us supporting them. We were on tour with them five years ago when we were still in savage grace. at that time it was already a superb package, having both bands together. Our styles are very much alike. We both play US (Speed) metal. ! How did the transition from Savage Grace to Masters Of Disguise go?! Kalli: That’s a story on it’s own, actually, you could fill a book with it. In 2010, we were touring as Savage Grace. At that time, we wanted to bring a new album. We started writing new stuff. The bandleader at Savage Grace, Chris Logue, decided to go in to the studio without any of us knowing. So basically, the band split up because of difference in opinion. The problem was that Chris had signed two different record contracts at that time. So two different labels had the rights on our work. He left Germany, and we never heard about him since then. After that, we decided to bring out the new songs on another band name, and Masters Of Disguise was born. We revived the cop from the first Savage Grace album, to become our band mascot these days. ! The Savage And The Grace is out since Februari. How did you guys make that CD?
Mario: We only started writing when we went to the studio. We had just lost our second guitar player in summer 2014. We already planned the studio time at the end of that year, so we had to rush. At the end, we decided to do the recordings with only one guitarist. Because we just didn’t have the time to find a replacer. We have by now though. We are all pleased with the result of our work in the studio. ! It actually sounds really tight. Has that something to do with using one guitarist?! Mario: I think it’s part of our style mainly. We all grew up in the 80’s. The metal music from that time is what we transpire in our music. That’s what we want to deliver. I guess we succeeded in doing so. The music is really tight, but it’s open enough to invite you to listen. ! Kalli: I think that definitely has to do with using one guitarist. It’s easier that way, to see the whole picture. You know what your doing, and how it fits in the entire song. And that’s just easier when it’s done by one and the same guy.! What happens later in 2015?! Mario: We’re going back to work and our kids. ! Kalli: But later on, we’ll be playing some festivals in Germany. Some underground stuff. The Bavarian metal heads festival is one of them. We’ll go to the studio as Roxxcalibur this year. ! You guys are putting out CD’s at a high rate. That’s quite exceptional.! Mario: Like it was in the old days. Saxon released two albums in 1980. Black Sabbath did the same in 1970. ! Is that a strategic choise?! Mario: Partially. Also because we like doing it of course. ! Jens: The energy on stage, the energy a crowd gives you, they’re both great. But the rush you get when finishing an album is equal. We always play at 150% on stage and in the studio.! Do you want to say anything to your fans?! Kalli:Thanks for supporting us, and for watching our shows.! Thank you guys.!
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Wim Op de beeck - Shutterwall Magazine
Up the Belgians - De Kreun Kortrijk! ! Line up: Ostrogoth - Evil Invaders - Rik Priem’s Prime - Trouble Agency - Eternal Breath!
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If you could describe this one day festival of old school metal for me, that would have been something in the line of „It’s been a while”. It’s been a while, since the last time I’ve seen most of the bands play, but it also has been a while since the headliner was popular for the first time. The 80’s are long gone, and for me, the big question was if Ostrogoth could bring them back.!
le. But I think the band was more hardcore then 80’s trash. Technically, they played a great set, and I would go to a concert of them. I just don’t know if they were the right band for this event. The crowd seemed to like them though, so who am I… Maybe I’ll have to listen to their upcoming CD for a better review on this band.!
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Rik Priem’s Prime was the big unknown for me. Never seen them, hardly ever heard about them. Shame on me. Unlike Trouble Agency, Rik Priem’s Prime kicked me right back to the 80’s with their melodical hard rock. Screaming guitars, great vocals, kick-ass drums, and rumbling bass… I had some backstage obligations during their set, but oh my god. Did these guys give the crowd what they came for. Even backstage, and one floor up, I could hear the crowd go wild. A well deserved „thumbs up” for you guys. A band you should keep track of.!
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Opening the stage were Eternal Breath. These guys know how to pull a crowd in. As from the first songs, the crowd came crawling from whatever hole they were hiding in, and started a great party. The uncomplicated music from Eternal Breath made sure the crowd had something to bang their heads to for the first time of the day… It won’t be the last. Having seen them a few times last year, I couldn’t help but notice the progression the band has made. It all sounds a lot tighter and more professional now. I can’t wait till these guys hit the studio.!
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Trouble Agency might have been the band that fitted the line up the least for me. Most of the other bands were 80’s trash metal bands, or play music closely related to that period. For me, these guys were not playing 80’s metal. It was good, the least you can expect from a band that played at Wacken 2014, winning the Belgian Wacken Batt-
Second to last, it’s nine o’clock already, is Evil Invaders. Not speaking in superlatives about this band is hard. We’ve published an interview with them in our first issue, and it won’t be the last
needed to be lifted, or made the mood calm where the song demanded it. ! I’m sure Evil Invaders will tour extensively in 2015, and you should make sure to go and see them. Even if your not into 80’s metal, they will give you a great show, using every square inch of the stage. And the next day? Go see a doctor. Your neck will thank you for it.!
time we bring them to you. Since we’ve first introduced them in Shutterwall Magazine, they have entered the Belgian music charts at a 33th place. I’m not sure if that’s ever been done by a metal band. And if it has, it’s been a long time ago. ! This concert, is actually their second CD-release show, following their well received first one in Biebob last week. Both concerts were very crowded, if not sold out. ! Tonight, they blew the crowd away. Evil Invaders already played Japan in the past, they toured large parts of Europe, played both small and large venues, and have set fire to stages on Graspop Metal Meeting , and they will again this year. Today, they showed the crowd why. Their 80’s trash metal still stands strong. They all are too young to have been playing at that time, but they certainly got the blood running trough their veins. This set showed the way they want to go in the future. The smoke remains, and is even brought to the next level. They added some great CO2 canons to it. There’s still a lot of smoke on stage, what makes the photographers job a bit harder, but the CO2 clears much faster, so I like it. The lightshow was great, and placed accents where the music
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Finishing in beauty might seem difficult after the set from Evil Invaders. Unless your called Ostrogoth, and you actually were part of the music scene in the 80’s. These guys are well on their way to be very popular, once again. They can build on decades of experience, and they have seen it all. Touring with Def Leppard in the 80’s makes for a good foundation to build on. Even when you put the band on a hold for a long time, the experience remains. Since 2010, they are back, and they clearly love playing live. The show they bring,
borders to geniality. No big special effects, no flames coming out of the stage or no flying drummers with Ostrogoth. Just a clean stage, five great musicians, and a crowd that loves them. And of course their new album „Last Tribe Standing”. The band recently lost their longtime frontman Rudy „Whitesnake” Vercruysse, after a short but terrible illness. Even without „Whitesnake”, the tribe really does still stand. Not the least, because of Geert Annys. He was handpicked by Rudy to replace him in the future. The band and the fans will never forget „Whitesnake”, but on stage, I saw a new Ostrogoth. One that still brings the old work, but mixes it seamless with the new tracks. I’m sure new fans can’t tell the difference between both periods. The sound lives on, the tribe is still standing strong.!
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Text and pictures:! Wim Op de beeck for SWM
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!Wacken Open ! Air 2015 preview
Northern Germany. In the area leading up to Denmark, the fields are glowing. As soon as you get past Hamburg, there’s not much left, besides field bulking with crop, forests giving shelter to wildlife, and a small village here and there. !
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And then, one week each year, the region changes. The quiet townsfolk seem to be replaced with man and women, dressed as vikings and pirates, painted as warriors, carrying enough gear to survive a 100 year war. Have we been teleported to Scandinavia? Did someone finally invent a time machine? Hell no!! It’s Wacken baby!!!
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Wacken Open Air is more a city then a festival. It’s got it’s own supermarkets, it’s own drinkwatersystem, it’s own restaurant streets, it’s own medical station (at a certain time I counted 35 ambulances last year, kid you not), it even has it’s own broadcasting company… Wacken is
amazing in every aspect. With around 80.000 visitors, this all is more then needed. And it’s all part of the experience. !
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Even when walking around the site, amongst 80.000 others, I never had the feeling last year that this is such a huge event. Ok, the distances you have to walk are a bit longer then on most festivals, and iff you start walking the camping grounds, you will see people wandering like if they were lost. And probably they are. But hey, they will find their tent as soon as they sober up. If you really want to have an idea of the size of this festival, just look at the air shot on this page. It is HUGE!! And some parts aren’t even on it. The press camping and the artist village for example.!
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Previewing a festival with so many bands, is just impossible in a few pages. We will bring you the bands you may miss if no one tells you about them. And here and there some big names.!
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The few videos I could find from BALTIC SEA CHILD, show a folk band with its own interpretation of some all time rock classics. It all sounds very happy. Maybe a good one to cool down from the heavy head banging.!
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W.O.A. is also the festival of the crazy acts. Last year, there was Mambo Kurt, in 2015 we will see BLAAS OF GLORY. This heavy metal marching band will march right up to the gates of hell, to get everybody banging their heads. Just don’t be surprised if you see no guitars, but a glockenspiel and a sousaphone in stead.!
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For the horror-enthusiasts, W.O.A brings you BLOODBATH. Both members from Katatonia and Opeth are in this band, what should tell you enough about the levels of death metal running trough their veins. Loads of grunting, fast drums and a wall of guitar rigs will come to you straight from the wall of speakers.!
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CANNIBAL CORPSE is another band that delivers horror in bucket loads. The band needs no introduction, because of all the controverse around previous album art and lyrics. I’m sure the German government will allow the band to play at W.O.A. so we all can enjoy their great show.!
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Having replaced Motörhead in 2013, when they had to cancel their Austrian show, ALKBOTTLE promises to bring a great show. Famous in their home country, but not so much outside Austria, they will be fighting to win the crowd. This heavy metal band supported Kiss, Deep purple and ZZ Top in the past. I’m sure they will bring you a great show. !
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Finland has brought us a busload of great bands. One of them is AMORPHIS. These vikings have started out as a death metal band in the 90’s, to evolve into a heavy metal / folk metal band. Often, they use Finish Kalevala, a kind of epic poems, for their lyrics. It makes for a great combination with their theatrical sound.!
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Of a different breed, are ARMORED SAINT. These Americans play straight on heavy metal. Their track „Reign Of Fire” made me think I was in the 90’s again. If you like Maiden or Saxon, you will not regret seing these guys live.!
Malevolent kings of British metal. Masters of the darkest arts and crafts. CRADLE OF FILTH have been firmly positioned at the front of the metal scene for the last two decades. Dani Filth and his fiendish cohorts will turn the pit into a boiling soup of metal heads.!
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DREAM THEATER needs no introduction. If you don’t know them, I’m sure you’ll know their music. Their symphonic metal has gone around the world, to bring them to W.O.A. this year.For every Whitin Temptation fan, this can be a good alternative!
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Finish Household favorites ENSIFERUM has had a turbulent start, but since 2000, they are hitting the crowds time after time with great CD’s and even better live shows. These Swordbearers bring you great battle metal, with epic orchestration and influences from pagan and viking metal.!
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In our first issue, we brought you an interview with Charlotte Wessels from EPICA. Not sure if
we tell you the truth? Not sure they are as good as we think? Go check them out at this years W.O.A.!
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Honestly, And I say this with all kinds of respect: I thought the guys of EUROPE died a few years ago. Or at least that they stopped playing. Hadn’t heard about them for a long time. But they are alive and kicking. And how. This year, they will be bringing you old and new work on the holy Wacken ground.!
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Amongst all these guitar and drum powered bands, you can also find IN EXTREMO. This German band has got the traditional instruments, but they combine them with harp, bagpipes, tromba marina and the hammered dulcimer. Ceriously, I haven’t got a clue. And with me I guess most of you. They got me wanting to see them play.!
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This is the bio from Norwegians KHOLD:! Down tuned, rough, mid paced, painful… A strong musical backbone and clever musicianship... The groove, the drive and the heavy guitar riffs... Raw and primitive... Old school? Maybe, but yet so much more. The way you know them, the way you want them... The way they always have been and always will be... True to the soul of Norwegian black metal!! Norwegians. Why use ten words when you can say it in one. !
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Another band we brought you this year: OBITUARY. Their down to earth attitude impressed me at the interview they did wit SWM. The show later that night was a long row of
superlatives worthy. I’m not going to give you that row. Make one for your selves.!
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QUEENSRŸCHE is one of those bands I’ve got on my wanted list for a long time now. I’ve never seen them live, and I can’t give a descent reason why. They are a great band, bring intelligent music and play with passion. This time at W.O.A. I will see them. I hope.!
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For your daily dose of high powered, energetic metal, I suggest SABATON. Be careful, only use on supervision of at least a drunk friend. These guys kick some serious ass. No stage is to small, no stage is to big. Every stage is theirs after the show. ! Of course Wacken is more then the few bands I just listed for you. And of course yo will make up your own wish list. But If we get acces to W.O.A. this year, we will make sure to visit at least some of these bands. Because this years line up does what it has to do. It made us want to go… NOW.!
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Wim Op de beeck - Shutterwall Magazine
Recruits! Shutterwall Magazine is a music magazine run by volunteers. And we are looking for some new blood. Have you always wanted to work for a magazine? Have you got the skills? Contact us, and tell us what you can do, and why you want to work for us. We are looking WORLDWIDE!!! When selected, your contributions will be posted on our facebookpage, and may end up in the magazine you are reading now. Depending on available space, importance of the topic, and quality of the work. Working for SWM means you will visit the same concerts and festivals you always visit, but now, you can build a portfolio as a journalist, photographer, lay outer or reviewer. When applying for a job in media in the future, this may turn out to be a plus. !
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Photographers:! - You have your own DSLR. Full frame is a plus, but not the only way.! - You edit your pictures in photoshop or lightroom before admission.! - Pictures are admitted without tag, your name is mentioned on publication.! - Most likely you have some experience in concert photography. !
For all of the positions, the following is the same:! - Before you start a job, communicate it with our office. Just to make sure you don’t do unnecessary work, and everything fits for the next issue. A google agenda will be shared, where everyone can see who does what. Details about the job at hand will be shared in the events. ! - An online „meeting room” will be shared with you. This is the place to share your brainstorms, discus possible treads, ask for help,…! - A Shutterwall laminated pass will be sent to you after acceptance. This is a way to identify yourself with organizers or bands. It’s NOT an official press pass. Just a way to show you actually work for this magazine.! - All press accreditations will be taken care of by the office, unless we decide different. We already have a well built network in the music scene. Some major managers, bands and festivals have already agreed to work with us. This does not mean you can’t suggest leads to us. We don’t know them all of course.!
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Feel like this is an opportunity for you? Feel this is what you are looking for? Send us you application.
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Journalists:! - You are a native speaker. (English)! - Your writing style is easy to read, and keeps the reader interested.! - You dig deep during interviews, and are not afraid to search for news.!
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Editors - Layouters:! - You are used to work with indesign, illustrator and office.! - You have a creative vision on layout and are not afraid to develop a house style. !
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Reviewers:! - You will look at a concert or festival with an open mind, and report on it for the magazine.! - You listen to CD’s or online music tracks, new and old work, to share your opinion with our readers.!
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Photo’s by Suzan Mclee
Take a Nurse to the festivals Hey, I'm Louise. In real life, I’m a nurse. I’m not 18 years old anymore ( and not 28 too, a friend once said). In summer I love to go to some Metalfestivals and I often have the same problem: what to take with me to make sure I’ll enjoy the festival the best way possible? Especially for the little ailments which annoy me after the all-night and all-day-parties. Are some painkillers enough, if yes, which ones? Over the year's I compiled a list, so that my "older" and "afflicted" body can have a good party too…!
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The most famous festival-disease probably is the hangover. Who didn't know it, has done something wrong ( as a misconstruction of a festival ). I know many people, who survived a festival without alcohol...For all others: the universalized symptom is a headache. Chief cause for this is the dehydration of your body. It means, the best way is drinking, drinking, drinking! For some of you a counterattack with beer will suffice, but I could puke, even only by the idea. Best is, to drink a lot of mineral- and alcohol free drinks during and after the alcohol consumption. For all the barbecue-fans between us, greasy food before,
during and after the drinking lets your body absorb the alcohol slower. ! Those, who aren't helped by this, may gratefully take some painkillers. There are many of them but most are with the active components Paracetamol (Acetaminophen), Acetylsalicylic acid and Ibuprofen. Because Paracetamol is liver-toxic in contact with alcohol, and we need our liver for a few more years, and Acetylsalicylic acid has a blood-dilutive effect, I advise Ibuprofen (in a sensible dose!) ! With headache mostly comes sickness and heartburn. Reason is the irritated gastric mucosa, which produces more gastric acid because of the alcohol. In many cases a teaspoon of mustard, baking powder or a cup of milk will help to neutralize the acid and some tea’s with Ginger, fennel or Melissa de-oxidise the mucosa and abate the sickness. In pharmacies you can buy many things that help, containing alkaline components. In general: the higher percentage of alcohol, the higher risk of heartburn. ! From your stomach further down because, the time will come you are sitting, staying or cowering on a Dixie-toilet and it abruptly happens‌ either nothing or too much. The problems with purging. The reasons are clear: the high alcohol consumption again and the irregular and unhealthy food. With Obstipation, to call a spade a spade, helps primarily, every smoker will confirm this, coffee and cigarettes. But for the nonsmokers I approve some coffee too. Also apples, milk, sugar and a lot of water. A clean toilet, they do exist on most festivals, helps for relaxation and therefore the defaecation too. The opposite is squits. If it really gets you, you can't feast anymore. Banana, Rusk and some tea of chamomile are limited effective if you drink more alcohol. So, raise the hydration and down with the alcohol supply. In a pharmacy you will find some medication which is available over the counter, if nothing else will help. It's important to drink a lot of water and take some minerals to you, like sodium ( salt sticks ) and potassium ( banana ), thereby circulatory problems will stay away. ! Most of us are at festivals because of the music. That's why neck pain is well-known. This
effectively is a muscle ache caused by the, trough headbanging, stressed musculature. There are analgesic salves which help well for now. A scarf or a towel keeps your neck warm, which counteracts the muscular tension and immobilizes your neck. ! If you are lucky and the sun shines at the festival, I think, I'm not the only one who knows sunburn. Of course, prevention is the most important. Always cream up well with a sun blocker, protection factor 30-50. It will largely increase the time you can stay in the sun without getting a sunburn ( from ca. 5 minutes without to 150 - 250 minutes with sun blocker ). The maximum time without sun cream is 3 minutes for pale skin types to 15 minutes if you have a dark skin tone. Because we spend most of the time outside, you should stay in the shadow and especially protect your head and shoulders from the sun. If it's already too late, and the skin is red and hot, cool your skin and use some salves with panthenol in it. ! If you had bad luck and it's cold and rainy at the festival, please dress yourself warmly. Dry and warm feet are essential, so pack up your rubber boots and thick clothing. If you still get a cold, you need to drink a lot of water once more and relax a bit. And please, do not mix cold remedies with alcohol, it could be very dangerous ! !
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I hope, this article can make the festival season even better than it is. Be careful and have fun ! !
! Luise WĂźnsch for Shutterwall Magazine! !
Editorial note: ALWAYS read the included notice to the user when using medication. Medication can be dangerous when combined with alcohol. When in doubt, contact a doctor or medic post.
OSTROGOTH ! !
As soon as we sit down for the interview, the guys start examining my gear. They are really attentive. ! I hope they pay as much attention when I start asking questions.!
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Guys, this being the last interview of the day, I guess you’ve heard the same questions over and over again.! Band: Actually, today was ok. ! Dario: We tend to forget really fast these days. Who were you again?! Wim from Rolling Stone Magazine…! (The band bursts into laughing. It won’t be the last time.)! Grizzly: What is Rolling stone again?! Interviewing a band that is around almost as long as I’m around. That doesn’t happen every day. The times have changed. How about Ostrogoth?! Grizzly: Our looks have changed.! Dario: Especially the size.! Grizzly: The music hasn’t changed that much. We were joined by some young and dynamic influences, what I can only applaud. The faces
have changed over the years, but the Ostrogoth legacy remained I guess. I think we’re making nice sequel for our 80’s period. Maybe we do things a bit more professional these days. I guess the future will tell us. We restarted the band as a gag. We wanted to see what it would be like I guess. And now, we have new songs, and even a new album.! You say the faces changed, but the sound remains. What makes that Ostrogoth is as popular today, as it was in the past?! Geert: The strength of the songs. ! Grizzly: What we did in the 80’s, definitely made an impression on people. And maybe the crowd was waiting all that time for us to come back together. ! Dario: Now and in the past, we’ve always been working class heroes. We’ve always been very accessible for our fans. ! Grizzly: Drinking beers with them after the show.! Dario: And we go see loads of other bands at their shows. I think all of that is part of who we are, and how the fans see us.!
What has changed that shouldn’t have?! Grizzly: I don’t really miss anything. But times change of course. In the 80’s, we were performing in a starting metal scene. In fact, we were part of the pioneering bands at that time. I guess we had to fight prejudice more at that time. Today, metal is a widely accepted music form. Maybe not worldwide yet, but as a sub genre, metal is accepted much more now then in the early days.! Dario: We always talk about nostalgia, when we talk about the earlier days. Now we remember the legendary venues, and the great bands we played with. But in fact, those bands weren’t that big at that time, and those venues were often so crowded, people urinated against the walls, because they couldn’t get to the toilets. Nostalgia makes you remember only the best things. I guess today,
everything is a bit cleaner.! Then let me be a bit nostalgic. Is there a show you would like to play again? For any reason?! Grizzly: I did so many great shows with Ostrogoth. But Heavy Sound ‚83 was special. Around that time we made our EP, and the promotor arrived at the festival with boxes full of it. We started selling them to the crowd, over fences, that was great. We played at 11 in the morning. But there was already a large crowd in front of the stage. And of course the times where we played with Toxic, Deff Lepard and Loudness. ! Josey: And of course Rock For Specials (festival that benefits people with a handicap)! Dario: Yeah, thats always great. The love and the purity those people have. That’s amazing. ! „Last Tribe Standing” is your first CD in 27 years. Did you guys remember what it feels like to be in a studio?! Dario: Over the years we all have had our projects. We did play with other bands, besides Ostrogoth. It felt good to return to the studio as Ostrogoth. But besides that, we knew the feeling well. We still knew what to do, and most important, what not to do. Pete Mussche is our regular sound man, and he did a great job in the studio. He could really steer us in the right direction. Jacob Hanssen is a great musician himself. Our musical preferences are rather similar, so that combination worked out perfect as well. I don’t see why we wouldn’t work with them again in the future. !
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Whiteshark… I imagine his death must have been a serious uppercut for the band. Even when you guys new he was seriously ill. And now?! Geert: And now? Trying to honor the Ostrogoth legacy. I was honored when Rudy asked me to be
his successor. You can’t replace a guy like Rudy of course. Most people say that it’s no gift to replace him. And I would have preferred playing with him of course. But for me this is a whole new opportunity. I dreamed of playing with a band like this for years, so yeah. Most people of our age stop playing in bands. We all come from the same era, the same influences in our youth. Our taste can differ, but our styles are compatible. And the memory of Whiteshark is a common ground in the band. He always is with us on stage.! You guys always thought courage, perseverance and family are very important. Rudy used the word „vikings”. Is that feeling still alive in Ostrogoth?! Grizzly: I think „Last Tribe Standing” says it all. It’s the title of the album, and it’s also the titeltrack. Rudy had a lot to do with that song, and I know he loved the idea of singing about a tribe. He finished the entire CD with us. Even during the editing he was with us in the studio. And in the end, he even had the first CD in his hands. The last CD from Ostrogoth with him. The 6th of december, he even was with us on stage, Morphine in his body. That was Rudy. The tribe was the most important for him. Whether that tribe was Ostrogoth or his family. It was equally important to him.! Grizzly, you and Rudy founded Ostrogoth the way the band went to the studio for the first time. Who was the tribe leader?! Grizzly: I started Ostrogoth with Bronco. Whiteshark joined shortly after, before we went to the studio. I think everybody that helped Ostrogoth grow at that time, has got an equal part of the leadership over the tribe.! Your sound is often described as heavy and melodically. Any changes on the new CD?! Grizzly: After 27 years, it’s not the time to bring something entirely new. Ostrogoth remains Ostrogoth. ! Dario: Heavy and Melodically are two key words for this CD. Just like they have been in the past.!
Geert: when we were writing the song, we knew that some fixed elements would be in the music. There would be breaks, melodic singing, second guitar. But there were no real rules we had to follow. We all new where we wanted to end up. I think we succeeded.! You guys played with some amazing bands. Wich one would you guys like to play your support?! (The band start yelling to each other, as if they had to convince the promotor on the spot wich band would play)! Dario: For me, that has to be Deff Leppard.! Grizzly: I can second that name. There is a story about that. In the 80’s, we supported Deff Leppard. Before the show, their drummer was looking at my drums a bit with an attitude like: poor Belgian with your small drum kit. At the end of our set, the crowd went nuts. They kept shouting our name. Suddenly the guy looked totally different at me. So yeah, why not let them play our support?! Is there anything you want to tell the Fans?! Band: Do what you want, and live your life the way you want to!
Interview and pictures! Wim Op de beeck - Shutterwall Magazine.
Metal Scraps Dreamless Soldier by Velvet Moonlight (BRA, picture) is a rather easy going song, to open these pages with. I loved the clearness of the guitars, the basic rhythms of the drums, and the sometimes creepy vocals. Didn’t know them, want to see them live now. The contrast can’t be bigger then with the next track: Dead Weather by Lifecurse (US). Speedy drums, doom style vocals and loads of epic guitars. But still, even this song has it’s easy listening parts. And that contrast made it to a song I listened twice in a row. And both times, I loved the melodic side of the song.
another, this Spanish formation succeeds in making this track sound great. Calm Before the Storm by Zeroshift is what I call a nice crossover. It brings you some nice rock sounds, while the backing vocals give the song a bit of a metal sound. Supported by some nice drums and warm guitarsounds, this track is worth your time. Dead Animal Detail by Neverwasis might sound a bit different then the title suggests. It opens with some nice guitar rifs. The song actually appears to be a happy-sounding rock song. The punk-sound of Waste of Time by Wallow Sound only won me
over towards the end of the song. I don’t really like the first notes of the track. but towards the end, I actually started googling for more. Devil Dressed in Black by Blinddryve is what it has to
Heavy Metal High by Man Unkind gives you about every rule there’s in the metal book for dummies. Great guitars, ad a catchy chorus, basic but tight drums and you get a sweet metal track. Maybe not the most original, and the lyrics become a bit boring, but still. A nice entry level track for entry level metal fans. Spain is know for beaches, sun and great food. Now you will know it for Flames at Sunrise. This band surprised me with their track Take It Down. Usually, I’m not a big fan of metalcore, and the vocals give this track a particular „corey” sound. But one way or
be. Progressive metal from the States. Heavy sound, mostly because of the great guitars. Well supported by some modern drumming, and a
Metal Scraps great vocalist. If a band can blow you away with a demo, they have a pretty risky future ahead. They can ether confirm or disappoint. High Voltage’s demo Desire has had some great follow-up by for example Love Hate or The Unknown. Hypochondria by The Hyra opens with riffs that made me think of Iron Maiden and Fear Of the Dark. Maybe the opening riffs even sound alike a bit too much. But hey, judge for yourself. The song still sounds great. And every reason is good to listen to Fear Of the Dark one more time. When you’re up for some good old heavy metal, I suggest you listen to Liar by American Zeros. This metalband from Milwaukee definitely got the hang of it in this track. On the other hans, the
what I like. The song has got great potential, but it doesn’t convince me as it is. Maybe it’s the fact I can’t really put a tag on it. Still, it’s a strong piece of music. Who doesn’t like female voiced metal? There’s something about woman dressed in black that always catches my attention. In the case of This Wicked Tongue, there’s more to that. In Mick Hucknall’s Hair, the band actually brings a great song. There’s a lot of dept in the singing, and the music is great. I added them to my favorites in reverbnation. Anything for you by Open Fait is a nice rock ballad. I heard some nice garage rock in it, combined with a great metal-like solo. Bring us more please. Red Tape Poetry made a great song with Unraveled. An easy listening track, that was mastered very good. Easy to hear each individual instrument. I like that.!
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Wim Op de beeck - Shutterwall Magazine
vocals are done via some distortion device. It gives the song a modern touch. Inheritance by Brain Dance has me in doubt. In theory it’s got
Omen (US) - Ostrogoth (BE) - Masters of Disguise (GER) - Fireforce (BE)! !
Often, the world of bikers and metal heads share common grounds. Tonight you can take that literally. One bikers clubhouse and four great bands make for an interesting mix. !
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Fireforce opened the stage with their strong combat metal. Many of the band members have their roots in the Belgian army, and often their songs depict famous battles or military scenes. In their music, you can hear the canons burst, and the troops marching the battlefield. ! Today may not have been their strongest set, but it was definitely one to remember. The band brought us a stage filled with great looking artifacts. Sandbags, artillery shells, creatures with perching red eyes blowing steam towards the crowd… It all fitted the band in a great way. Their performance warmed the crowd for the following bands well.!
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Masters of Disguise granted me an interview before the show. These Germans are one great bunch of guys. Rather unlike the German nature, they are very open people, wo can keep talking and talking and talking. The same goes on stage. From minute one, they really pull you in their show. Their speed metal pumped up the bloodpressure of many metalhead in the room. The band coms from the remains of Savage Grace. The US metal they inherited, shows trough in the intensity of this set. From the first note, a gulf of metal rolled over the crowd. And it would keep rolling until the last song was played. The fun the band had, playing on this stage, rubbed off to the crowd easily. I loved seeing them play, and many did with me.!
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This show had two headliners. Both bands have equal rights to play any show as the band everything leads up to. Both bands have played so many shows in their existence, they can blow any crowd away on every next show. And so they did.!
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On stage are Omen. These American power metallers live life as a sort of newborn rock & rollers. They breath music as we do with air. They all have their daytime jobs, but as soon as they see an opening in their agenda, they start touring. Today, that tour brought them to Hamme, a little place in Belgium. After today, know as the place
that was host to a memorable event. These guys are playing live for around 30 years, and that shows. Their frontman, Kevin Goocher, sometimes moves around the stage in a way that made me think of Ozzy Osbourne. Same black hair, same black clothes, same slightly bent posture. And the comparison didn’t end there. He brought a show to remember. Kevin can really be powerful on a stage, and two seconds later turn into a soft or kind granddad. When i was editing the pictures earlier, I noticed his eyes. They tell a story of pleasure, experience and wisdom. I love him for that. And I love the band to still be around. Keep bringing us your powerful music, keep giving us your energy on stage, and keep coming back to Europe. The crowds love you here.!
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Last on stage are Ostrogoth. I’ve seen them two weeks ago, where I had the pleasure to interview them. Today, they would confirm or disprove their last show for me. And confirm it was. From the first note, the first guitar stroke, the first kick on the drums. Just as easily Mario had been sitting behind his drums, looking at the crowd, and making funny faces at them, he turned in to a real force on stage. Behind his kit, he brings you the greatest rhythms with the most ease. ! The band needs no lessons in entertaining, nor in rocking your ass off. Hell, I can’t imagine many people teaching them any lessons. They are a band, a unity, on stage. They need only a quick glance at each other to understand what they mean. And that makes it so much easier to perform well. Actually, I noticed their singer, Josey Hindrix, casually talking to the stagemanager, as the rest of the band was already on stage, the intro playing. No worries, no stress, no rushing… and then, he walked on stage, and gave the crowd what they came for. Great metal, a great atmosphere, and a great time. I’m sure they all miss „Whiteshark”, but for new fans, this band is complete.!
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Wim Op de beeck for SWM.! Fireforce! Masters Of Disguise! Omen! Ostrogoth!
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