METALFEST OPEN AIR - Hungaria - 3.-5.6.2011 - Budapest

Incoming

After hours in work, we finally reached time to get in car and stat way to Budapest. The first problem was signing in Hungary that makes me (as a driver) sick because I wasn´t really accustomed at it. God bless GPS. When we finally reach the destination we find out, that there is another problem. Nobody even thought that we came at Thursday. It was really interesting until we find somebody who speaks English. Then no one knows where we can park a car, build a tent or whatever. Because of that, we were building tent for 2 times, parking car for three times and all discussion with organisers and preparing takes us about three hours. The one who saved us were guys from Vicious Rumours who invite us to all night party. I hadn´t laughed that much for many years. Pretty cool guys who can make the party move right way and I want to thank them for their psychical help on that first day in Hungary.

Friday

We are waking up and spending hours before concert by discovering whole festival area. I am discovering that time has stopped there about 30 years ago. Area, cottages, hotel, … everything was marked trace of time. It all was really interesting and amazing memories. When we get to the stage area, it was another shock for us. Open air festival takes place in big tent. But OK, I started to be accustomed with Hungarian surprises. There was only one fan in front of Monster Main Stage when first band started its performance.  That mentioned band was Norwegian-German symphonic folk metal band MIDNATTSOL that surprises me nice way as first really good thing on that whole trip. Great performance was interrupted only by some short intervals of bad sound and by too few people in front of stage. On the other hand, the main temptation was great music and really nice female bass player and female singer. They were real magnet for eyes. Bad sound remained for next bands performance – performance of heavy/power metal CRIMES OF PASSION – as well. They played technically great performance, but half of band seems like they don´t really enjoy the gig. Sadly, because it could be great …

First of more brutal bands was GRAVEWORM that makes people move to pogo for first time. Whole impression of concert was destroyed by very stuffy performance. It was played professionally, but with no heart. Another letdown for me, but at least sound began to be better. When next band – WISDOM hit the stage, Hungarian fans had option to enjoy first home band on main stage. Perfect show was rewarded by great support and crowd started to grow up pretty fast. Some problems with guitars were the only mistake of performance. After Wisdom, the stage has to be occupied by (for us) well known VICIOUS RUMOURS but because of some technical problems, they started with delay over 20 minutes. But when it finally started, everybody saw that it counted to wait for it. Although whole set was cut to a pretty short, it was one of the best performances of first day. They left everything on stage, mainly heart and with some freaky faces of singer it makes us laugh as well. Next show – big disappointment. MISERY INDEX offered us technically good concert with no show, arrogant singer who told things like “You don´t know the words? Go F*CK yourself.” I don’t think that it is normal when someone is playing on festival, but OK. Whole crowd was just looking on static show and I really don’t see a man who enjoyed that.

Special show of home legend POKOLGÉP gets probably best response of whole first day. Energy, professionalism and know-how how to make people enjoy the show are main pluses of band. The only think I really didn’t understand was language, but who cares. Music is what counts. Before end of performance they yinvited Oskar Dronjak and Joakim Cans (both from HAMMERFALL) on stage to play together hit song of Hammerfall – Hearts on Fire and HF song written on basics of Pokolgép original – Send Me a Sign made from Hol Van a Szó?. Pretty nice combination. We are finally closer to the highlights of day.

First of them was folkdeath metal WINTERSUN and it is pretty hard to say something bad addressed to band enjoying stage this way, making great show and playing everything the best way they can. Crowd made performance even better and made me sure, that Wintersun was top of Friday night.

They shouldn’t be disposed from throne nor by heavy metal SAXON, who offered us a lot of solos, light effects (for example crosses on big light boards while band was playing hit Crusaders), playing skills and cooperation with crowd but they still can´t reach energy offered by Wintersun.

End of the night was destroyed by CRADLE OF FILTH. First and last thing that interested me on the show was the microphone stand – it was something impossible to describe, black thing like if somebody scrunch it pretty bad. When band comes on stage, it was bad from beginning to end. Crowd was just staring, what makes Dani really angry and he just looks ugly on them. When speakerphones start to shell out of his ears, he was screaming on sound engineer (who can do nothing with it). We can´t talk about singing in case of Dani as well. He was just making some abnormal screams or rets. His only positive times were songs Nymphetamine and From Cradle to Enslaved. After the second of them, band finally leaves the stage and end whole agony.

Saturday

For someone, it was day like any other. For me – it was about waking up soon, eating instant penne and loading hydration carrier to be able to stay in front of stage all day long. Right before 12 o’clock I go in front of stage. But this time, there was no famous band playing, but Hungarian death metal maniacs called CASKETGARDEN. Technically good, but nothing special. Vocal was featureless and the only resurrection was when singer jumped next to crowd and let the fan (probably only) sing song instead of him. Than, there is thing I have to mention – daughter of one of band members lounging on stage before concert with big earphones and small guitar (in photos). Next band was pleasant surprise made by Spanish sympho-gothic/power metal band DIABULUS IN MUSICA. Males in crowd should enjoy look on really cute female singer – Zubera that makes perfect and energic performance even much more attractive. Perfect beginning … and we still don’t know what will come in few minutes…

After Spanish gothic there comes another uncommon band – Latvian SKYFORGER. Old folk costumes make atmosphere as well as electric bagpipes and tons of pipes. When in best part of performance electricity suddenly turned off, we don’t know what happens, but we can bless electric fail because it makes this performance one of the most epic of the whole festival. Band stands in middle of stage and sing in chorus songs like Migla Migla Rasa Rasa. Until the electricity was OK, the band makes unbelievable atmosphere. There are just no words to describe experience like this …

Thanks to VISIONS OF ATLANTIS we get back to gothic. Even though their performance was delayed of 5 minutes, it won’t help to the quality of their sound. Sound engineer was still trying to do something with terrible sound but it is pretty hard to tune together two vocals if they don’t cooperate as they have to. I have to say that when I look on female singer I have to say that sometimes less is more. Her image was a bit more than more. But let´s say, Visions of Atlantis wasn’t that tragic at all. After VOA – another short break and another home band – STONEHENGE. In case of this band, I was resolving language of songs for a while and really bad sound of vocals didn’t really help me. The one positive thing was good sound of the rest of band. Another thing I have to say is that as home band, they have the fewer fans. But it didn’t surprised me – they were playing common power metal, voice was flat and I didn’t see an original thing on this band. Don’t know how they get on main stage …

First of headline bands of this night was WHILE HEAVEN WEPT but I really don’t know how they get this status. Whole concert was uneventful. Everything was good – sound, quality of singing and playing, but it was pretty boring for me. But performance was terrible.  Guitarist played about 7-8 chords a song and he was pretending like the biggest virtuoso. He just stands on a place and lived his own world. I have to say that this was one of few bands that I was happy when they left the stage.

it goes better with PRIMORDIAL that poured audience with energy. Sound engineer makes his job great from the WHW and offers better to confess greatly performed show. Little problem was that band was static and singer was running thru stage like as he drank too much energy drinks. Atmosphere was made up by his black and white colored head as well. … At this point I have to leave music for a while and talk about some organizing problems – with security. What is normal in our lands, in Hungary no one cares. One really avid fan was aggressive and was interrupting everybody in front of stage. Security doesn’t care the complaints and ignores prayers to get him out. It looks like it was not their job …

Great standard holds STORMWITCH as well. They get on stage in some baroque (or other historical) shirts. Band comes back on stage after a long time so they need a short time to warm up, but then … it was awesome. Drummer experienced it that way that he broke few sticks during the concert. Performance was great, singer makes great job (with his age, it was awesome and unbelievable) and we successfully get to the final of night. First of finalists – ARCH ENEMY. The first thing worth to mentioning is video projection on the back of stage and the second is complex experience from perfect concert started by new song Yesterday is Dead and Gone, continued by song such as Ravenous, We Will Rise or Nemesis and ending with Fields of Desolation. I can continue with describing of energy, whole performance or look on frontwoman Angela that is awesome. It was one of the greatest experiences of festival.

Grand final comes with great pyrotechnics and fire show. It was only performance with this kind of show. It was SABATON – one of the best live bands of nowadays. Atmosphere was awesome – nearly crazy – since first Ghost Division. As we used, whole show was spiced by humor of frontman Joakim, stupid notes and stagediving of Joakim. Bad was that that they didn’t play songs like Coat Of Arms, Attero Dominatus or new hit Swedish Pagans. Good was that they played rarely played Into the Fire. Big surprise for me was when Joakim threw his glasses to crowd. Program has ended and we left the area to get sleep before last day of festival …

Sunday

Morning is here and it means that we are packing tent, getting all our stuff to car and viewing area for last time before getting in front of stage. First band was Hungarian again. And I have to be honest – TŰZMAGYAR was bad for me. Drums were too loud to hear anything else, singer sings in Hungarian, everything was Hungarian and the only thing I like was energy they left on stage. What comes next was … well … a bit crazy. There come three goats and wolf on stage – MILKING THE GOATMACHINE. They were the only band playing core (goatcore) on main stage and they were jumping, swinging and it really doesn’t matter that I can´t find out difference between song about goats and surfing (singer told that it was about surfing but I really don’t know). It was funny and it looks like it counts. And I like it although I really don’t like core music. Back to power metal we get with ASTRAL DOORS, but as many others – it has quality, energy, but it was static. Sadly. But sound was really great. Rest of day was than mainly about trash metal or more brutal genres. First trash metal band was SUICIDAL ANGELS who were trying to jolly people to make a mosh pit. People don’t care. It was trash metal in all ways – played on top and there is not possible to talk about any show, just headbanging. Next band was the last Hungarian band on Monster main stage. Trash metal BLOODY ROOTS singing in Hungarian was uncommon experience for me. Home audience enjoyed it more than great so it has to be played OK. But I don’t understand a word. Next great band – EQUILIBRIUM – makes one of the best atmosphere of brutal bands and many bands should learn from them about quality of performance, coordination with crowd, … they succeeded to push people to make wall of death – first and last of Metalfest 2011.

First of last is coming – KATAKLYSM – whole their performance was recorded on tape so band made their best. Everything was great and singer likes it that way that he sang about half of concert kneeling on his knees.

Last of more melodic genres – progressive metal of virtuosos RAGE. It is unbelievable what a show can 3 men do on stage. I don’t think that it is important to talk about quality of their performance. Victor Smolinski was playing one solo after another on his traditionally unusually tuned guitar and Peavy wasn´t behind. Set was built up on virtuosity and classical hits, some Lingua Mortis songs and it was ended by one of the biggest hits of band – Higher Than The Sky.

Time was running pretty fast and it comes to the last minutes of festival and to the last band of festival – trash metal legend called KREATOR. Stage was rebuilt the most of all Metalfest and on back of whole concert was projected visualisations, videos and sometimes I´ve got a feeling that adapted shots from concert (but I have to be honest … I don’t see a one cam anywhere). Basses were grumbling in tent and Mille Petrozza with band made this show the best trash show I had ever seen. They take it really seriously and by classical hits like Endless Pain, Enemy of God and Phobia made crowd crazy. The experience from that Sunday night when I´ve seen Kreator is really hard to describe. When final song of whole festival – Tornmentor – ends, I realize for once again why I like those festivals that much and the only thing I should do was to start my journey back home … 

To make a long story short

We passed a few shocks in Hungary and finally, the option to make a open air festival in tent seems to be right one in case when only few thousand people came in there. If you want to eat, you don’t need to wait in long row and food was cheap and tasty. Except of mentioned problem with security, there wasn´t a big problem in organisation of festival and once for all, I really enjoyed it. Area was awesome and its historical feeling made it even more interesting. If I can compare with Metalfest in Czech Republic, it wouldn´t be easy, but I think that Hungarian had far better location but there were more problems in organisation (but mainly small problems), mainly about lacking English. But let’s say – who cares?! It´s all about music, isn´t it?