WITH FULL FORCE 2008
Congratulations! The With Full Force became 15 years old and celebrated this anniversary with its visitors and fans. The party became very impressing. With one of the best billings ever in the WFF-history still uniting the sub genres of Hardcore, Metal and Punk to a an outstanding crossover of hard music, a good organization and still very fair ticket, merch, food and beverage prices. So it didn’t wonder 30.000 fans wanted to take part in the jubileum festival.
This time the organization installed a wave breaker in front of the Main Stage which still allowed the visitors to walk in the first rows just forcing you not to choose the direction right through the middle of the crowd. For another time the food variety which is very mentionable on the WFF had been raised.
To us it was our sixth With Full Force in a row. We started in 2003 when the WFF celebrated its 10th anniversary. Since then we had enjoyed reporting from and about the unique festival, and so we did at the 2nd WFF-appearance we took part in.
On the airfield of Roitzschjora appeared 64 bands on two stages in three days for about 30000 visitors.
Friday
Main Stage
Misery Speaks The WFF-anniversary was opened by the Melodic Death Metal – hopefuls from Münster. The fivepiece introduced its new fronter Przemek Golomb whose collaboration with his new bandmates worked very well. By “Sentiment Is Missing” and “Lay This Burden Down” they presented material from their new album “Catalogue Of Carnage”. Not all spectators seemed to care about, probably it was too early. Nevertheless the formation did a good job.
Drone The winner of the WOA-Metal-Battle 2006 showed an aggressive performance. After some Hollywood-intro the four guys from Celle mainly considered tracks from their full-length-debut “Head-On Collision” like the video-single “Theopratical” and the final (unofficial Stihl-hymn) “Chainsaw Symphony”. The sympathic fronter Mutz & Co convinced with their Machine Head-inspired Neo-Thrash and earned much more applause bands in such an early billing position usually get. Just the sound got a little disturbed by the wind.
Meshuggah The Swedes started a bit later into their set. And from the beginning Mathcore ruled the whole festivalsite. The quintet which is probably responseable for the most “Fuck, no’”s from musicians as spectators left no doubt about their abilities. New sound-monsters like “Bleed” and the title-track of the new masterpiece “Obzen” astonished the fans as classics like “The Mouth Licking What You’ve Bled” and the set-finishing band-anthem “Future Breed Machine”. Shouter Jens Kidman thanked the crowd “… for listening to us old men from Sweden!” and mugged grimaces while the musicians around guitar-genius Fredrik Thordendal created strange sounds and rocked the stage. We all want to see them much more often!
Caliban The Ruhrpott-Metalcore-sensation is very familiar with the WFF-visitors. In our six years of being guests in Roitzschjora we watched them appearing for the fourth time. The fivepiece completely suited in black performed a best-of-set consisting of the well-known “Forsaken Horion”, “It’s Our Burden To Bleed”, “My Time Has Come”, the current single “I Will Never Let You Down”, the hit “The Beloved And The Hatred” and the final “Goodbye”. The crowd reacted with a wall of death and several circle-pits. I appreciated Caliban’s WFF-appearance the year before a bit more, but that probably depended on me as on the improveable sound. The fans celebrated the show anyway.
Die Apokalyptischen Reiter After a short violin-intro the weirdos from Weimar opened by “Riders On The Storm” and “Es Wird Schlimmer” which is a song from the forthcoming release “Licht”. Supported by the new female sixstringer Lady Cat-Man the formation performed “Friede Sei Mit Dir”, “Revolution”, “Seemann”, “We Will Never Die” and “Der Weg” enthused reactions by their fans. Fronter Fuchs whose face was rouged white ordered 4000 litres of beer he wanted to afford. After “Der Kleine Wicht” the group finished with “Reitermania” while the spume machine didn’t really work, so it shot its whole content in one direction and hit just one small bunch of people with it.
Morbid Angel The Death Metal – legend from Florida entered the stage. Besides classics like “Blessed Are The Sick” and “God Of Emptiness” the band played by “Nevermore” a track from the forthcoming release. But just a small crowd seemed to be interested in their appearance. More and more spectators left the stage walking away. Trey Azagthoth & Co played tight, but there was no special stageacting or contact to the crowd.
Agnostic Front In total contrast to the band before the NYC-Hardcore-icon took care playing for a huge crowd in front of the stage. This one celebrated the new hymn “For My Family”, like the classic band-anthem “Gotta Go”. Cult-shouter Roger Miret got support by his brother Freddy Cricien who’s usually the fronter of Madball. Numerous of fans went wild creating moshpits to smashers like “Crucified” while the band realized they were performing a home match.
Bullet For My Valentine The Welsh shooting stars appeared in Roitzschjora for the second time after 2006! And it became obvious from the beginning marked by their new hit-single and title-track of the new album “Scream Aim Fire” the quartet had won much live routine. Lead by cool fronter Matt Tuck they played very tight and showed more live-action than two years before. The band caught the girls with their harmonies and maybe by more as the tough guys feeling animated to react by circle-pits, a wall of death, etc.. With new songs (“Waking The Demon”, “Eye Of The Storm”, “Hearts Burst Into Fire”) and debut-tracks (“Tears Don’t Fall”, “Hand Of Blood”) they left no doubt about they’re Metal as success and that this is no contradiction.
Machine Head Well, for five years I forecasted each year next year Machine Head would have become next year’s WFF-headliner. Well, finally it’s done. And the Oakland-fourpiece definitely kicked ass! Starting with the opener of the current “The Blackening” – milestone “Clenching The Fists of Dissent” the band rocked the stage and animated a furious crowd filling up the festivalsite going wild with the following “Imperium”, “Silver”, “Ten Ton Hammer”, “Aesthetics Of Hate” and “Old” representing Neo-Thrash-hits from all band’s eras. before the Bay Area – stars & Co reactivated the Iron Maiden – classic “Hallowed Be Thy Name. Robb Flynn communicated a lot with the fans. In my opinion he could have renounced the game throwing several cans of beer in the crowd. It’s content had definitely left the can before its arrival. What a waste! With the new hammer-composition “Halo”, the classic “Take My Scars” and the overwhelming “Descend The Shades Of Night” which got dedicated to the band’s drum tech the band finished an outstanding performance containing a great setlist which rocked all spectators for sure. There were just a few worrying about the sound probably depending where they stood because I didn’t have such problems.
Tent Stage: Hardbowl
Cataract The Hardcore – fivepiece from Zürich is a definite live-institution. From the beginning they ruled the Hardbowl tent. Especially with a “Fuck Racism”-statement by shouter Fedi they raised their popularity score enormously, the reactions were positive as loud for sure. Musically the band convinced by “Snake Skin” from the new self-titled album, the “Kingdom”-smasher “Tongues Spitting Hate” and the final debut-hit “Nothing’s Left”.
Born From Pain After the old fronter Ché Snelting had quit the band fourstringer Rob switched his bass with the microphone. So at the WFF it made the impression this decision had been a good one. After the “Gladiator” – intro he and his four comrades acted as a unity and achieved by “Rise Or Die”, “New Hate” and the final “Stop At Nothing” fans’ chants as other crowd actions like moshpits. Rob took his new option to crowdsurf and the supporters celebrated a strong gig.
Tent Stage: Knüppelnacht
Rotting Christ While Machine Head were playing their last tracks of their Main Stage headliner-slot the Greeks opened this year’s Knüppelnacht on the Tent Stage. Sakis and his comrades performed a cool Death Metal – show by new “Theogonia” – material like “Nemecic” as classics like “In Domine Sathana”, “Aeternatus” and “Under The Name Of The Legion” earning more and more visitors spending more applause.
Brutal Truth Grindcore from New York City is not a combination you often meet on festivals. This one worked well. Lead by the barefoot acting grunter Kevin Sharpe and bass-weirdo Danny Lilker (known from Anthrax, Nuclear Assault, S.O.D., etc.) the group got positive reactions for new “Evolution Through Revolution” – tracks like “Turmoil” as for classics like “The Birth Of Ignorance”. Just the backing vocals didn’t work.
Mayhem The Norwegian Black Metal – legend sucked. Especially fronter Attila Csihar should go to the doctor healing his mental problems in case of the return of those strong symptoms! Entering the stage reminding with his ridiculous outfit of a mixture between a far-right-political idiot and a clown which might be the same yelled the tracks like an old railway crossing gate and held a noose in his other hand always pretending to hang himself. Good night, and good luck!
Krisiun Sao Paulo’s finest blasted the fan-crowd away by their technically impressing sound. Meanwhile the three brothers can call a few slower passages between their up-tempo-massacre their own to verify their sound. Presenting their new release “Southern Storm” by “Slaying Steel” as “Twisting Sights” without ignoring classics like “Bloodcraft” and “Refusal” the trio convinced totally and animated masses of headbangers to do their best.
Belphegor So did the sympathic Austrian fivepiece, they just animated a few headbangers less. Anyway their Black / Death Metal was welcomed by the still awake fans banging their heads to the title track and “Stigma Diabolicum” of their brandnew output “Bondage Got Zombie” as to the classics “Belphegor – Hell’s Ambassador and “Swarm Of Rats”. Musicians as supporters were motivated and the result was action.
1349 Because of the late or even early time it wasn’t really as dark as a Black Metal – formation would usually prefer. So the Norwegians didn’t show the same motivation as the two bands had done before and they lost fans minute by minute. So this appearance didn’t become a highlight of the band’s career.
Saturday
Main Stage
A.O.K. The fun-band from Middle Western Germany opened the second day by a weired show. The two frontiers acted naked most of the time when they didn’t try a new outfit to take it off a few minutes later. Some laughed about “Baguette Attack”, “Stromausfall” and “Brombeerhagel”, some didn’t.
Illdisposed The Danish dynamite rocked the WFF! Three years after their Knüppelnacht-Inferno they prevailed on the Main Stage by the opener “The Tension” after which front-madman Bo regretted Germany lost the European championship final to conclude in German: “But who wants to be on second place except for Hatesphere in Denmark. The five guys continued by “Weak Is Your God”, “Dark” after which Bo made fun about their new guitarist Franz Hellboss (formerly known from Volbeat) finishing the song by an alternative end, “There’s Something Rotten …”, “A Child Is Missing” and “Throw Your Bolts”. “Ich Bin Verloren In Berlin” Bo announced by a story he lost his way in Germany’s capital after he had eaten a Döner Kebap. Before the quintet finished their gig by “Like Cancer” the front-weirdo animated the fans to shout “Flughafen” (= airport) instead of the similar sounding word “Zugabe” (= encore). This was the best appearance of the festival with a very tight band interpreting their great songs by a very entertaining performance.
Job For A Cowboy I can’t follow why this band from Arizona is still called Metalcore by a few confused people. Because of their look or their band name? Come on! This fivepiece plays Death Metal for sure. And so the fans reacted typically by headbanging to the newer “Genesis” – tracks “Reduced To Mere Filth” and “Bearing The Serpent’s Lamb” as to the debut-products “Knee Deep” and “Entities”.
Entombed The Swedis institution around fronter LG Petrov and Alex Hellid celebrated their unique Death ‘n’ Roll like they had done at the same place five years ago. After a piano-intro the band started with their hit “Chief Rebel Angel” to let follow “Demon”, the new “When In Sodom”, “Crush” and the title track of the current album “Serpent Saints”. Besides the fact a second sixstringer was missed again this appearance rocked especially when LG & Co surprised by the classics “Out Of Hand”, “Revel In Flesh” and “Stranger Aeons”. After “Damn Deal Done” and “Supposed To Rot” a rockin’ show found its end with much applause and jubilation.
Devil Driver The band around ex – Coal Chamber – fronter Dez Farfara magnetized a lot of fans filling up the festival ground in front of the Main Stage. I just still ask myself why. Sure, the band acted motivated and understood how to animate the crowd creating a wall of death as several moshpits, but the musical performance sucked. Nevertheless tracks like “I Could Care Less” and “Clouds Of California” excited their fans.
Heaven Shall Burn This fivepiece is pretty familiar with the WFF. So each time the band from Thüringen appears in Roitzschjora numerous of visitors fill up the festivalsite to support Heaven Shall Burn. This time they even created a circle-pit around the wave breaker while “Behind A Wall Of Silence” and probably the biggest wall of death of this year’s WFF while “Voice Of The Voiceless happened while this gig which was started by “Final Resistance”. It was obviously a home match for the agile shouter Marcus Bischoff and his colleges getting wild support while “Forlorn Skies”, “Counterweight” and the hit of the new “Iconoclast” – album “Endzeit”. After the quintet had performed their hymn “The Weapon They Fear” they dismissed with the Edge Of Sanity – cover “Black Tears”. Great gig!
Six Feet Under Same procedure as every time? Not at all! Usually we know the Death Metal – machine from Florida rocking their usual set. This time the band mainly concentrated on their first three releases. The fans enjoyed it and celebrated the opener “Victim Of The Paranoid”, “The Enemy Inside”, “Fear Of The Dead”, “No Warning Shot”, “Torn To The Bone”, “The Day The Dead Walked”, “Human Target”, and many other classics. The three newer ones “Deathklaat”, “Revenge Of The Zombie” and the final AC/DC – cover “T.N.T.” achieved their celebration, too. But the band acted to motionless and grunter Chris Barnes’ breaks between all songs stuck on my nerves as on many others’.
Ministry The Industrial gods invited to their last show in Germany which attracted many fans to take part in for “The Last Sucker”. The stage annoyed by a fence behind which the band acted what meant no fun for the photographs in the pit. The few little gaps being necessary for the monitor boxes gave Tommy Victor and Mike Scaccia the opportunity to rock between the fences and to have a little bit more contact with the fans. Anyway Al Jourgensen & Co played a phenomenal show. Its main part just consisted of their three latest albums. The classic hits “So What”, “Just One Fix” and “Thieves” followed in the encore section in which only “Jesus Build My Hotrod” was missed. Supported by a massive as loud sound this farewell show was a special one to all the fans. So good-bye, Al & Ministry!
In Flames For the second time the founders of the typical Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal sound headlined the WFF. With a gigantic pyro and light show they left no doubt about who the headliner was. Musically they even excelled their visual effects. After opening with the well-known hit “Cloud Connected” the band. After the new single “The Mirror’s Truth” from the masterpiece “A Sense Of Purpose” the band offered familiar material mixed with new compositions by “Trigger”, “Disconnected”, “Transparent”, “Delight And Anger”, “Ordinary Story”, “Alias”, the band-anthem “Only For The Week”, “I Am The Highway” and “The Quiet Place”. After this the guitarists played short riffs’ beginnings of The Scorpions and Accept to finish the fabulous performance by “Take This Life” and “My Sweet Shadow”. When the last tone had been played some kind of mortars shot little pieces of paper into the air. For another time In Flames showed how a real headliner show can look like without being too cheesy. Some people might have disliked the surprising plenty of new songs. It didn’t disturb us at all. The show definitely rocked!
Tent Stage: Hardbowl
Fall Of Serenity In their home state the Deathcore – fivepiece had an easy game to convince the early-afternoon-crowd with a wake-up-call consisting of the biggest hits of their current “The Crossfire” – album like “Knife To Meet You” and “The Crossfire” as the Slayer-cover “Raining Blood” which caused a circle-pit.
Destiny Program I had my expectations about this Metalcore – band from North Germany. On CD like on their newest one “Subversive Blueprint” the guys sound cool, but especially shouter Sebastian Formella didn’t have his best day. Hopefully they’ll do better next time like their new (“The Frequency”, “Escape The Living Plan”) as older (“Reyes”) songs deserve to.
Lagwagon The Goodtime – West Coast – Punkrock – band rocked with their bubblegum-melodies the Hardbowl and found much sympathy. “Memoirs And Landmines”, “Choke”, “Owen Meaney”: This is how I expect a band from Santa Barbara has to sound like. Nice and entertaining!
Tent Stage: Saturday Night Fever
Danko Jones What followed after the Main Stage – headliner was pure Rock ‘n’ Roll! Danko Jones left no doubt about his attitude to rock each spectator in the tent. And that worked absolutely enthusing a few thousands by his funny comments as by the stirring song – hits like “Code Of The Road”, “Sticky Situation”, “Baby Hates Me” and “First Date”. Well, Canada’s finest definitely rocks!
Psychopunch The Suebe band had the comfortable chance to rock in front of a still pretty crowded Tent Stage. And they took it by “Everlasting”, “No One Really Knows”, “All Over Now” and their hit-single “Overrated”.
The Turbo AC’s While the Punk Rock – combo from New York City the tent became emptier. The quartet presented a best of – program of their career considering “Nothing’s Forbidden” and “The Future”.
Hardcore Superstar It was about the Swedish Glam Rockers to finish this special Rock ‘n’ Roll – package presented by a well-known German print-mag. They had to handle the problem the tent had become pretty empty before, but supported by new sixstringer Vic Zine they caught the attraction of the left few hundred people by a strong rocking show including their hit-single “Medicate Me”. Cool!
Sunday
Main Stage
Mambo Kurt In the meantime everybody in the Rock and Metal scene knows the hammond organ god interpreting Rock-, Pop- and Metal-songs in his very own way. So the audience had the opportunity to listen to very entertaining variations of Slayer’s “South Of Heaven, Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” or Depeche Mode’s “Can’t Get Enough”.
Enemy Of The Sun After the funny day opener the serious Main Stage – program started with a new band from Dortmund with the Finnish vocalist Jules Naveri. Lead by his variable voice and his agile stageacting the fourpiece around the well-known guitarist and producer Waldemar Sorychta rocked with songs from their debut-album “Shadows” like “Weak”, “Twenty Three Feet” and “Lost In Time”.
Volbeat For the third time in a row the Danish shooting-stars acted at the WFF. And the organizers know why! The quartet rocked the festivalsite which had become pretty full because of the popularity of the band with “Pool Of Booze, Booze, Booza”, a short Morbid Angel – persiflage, “Radio Girl”, “The Garden’s Tale” and “Soulweeper”. Very emotional became the announcement of singer Michael Poulsen dedicating “Sadman’s Tongue” to his father who had died a week before which earned very much applause. The band which renounced on tracks from the forthcoming album played and succeeded for the third time in a row like they certainly always do!
The Exploited The indestructable English Punk – bastion didn’t have nearly as much fans in front of the stage as Volbeat. Anyway fronter Wattie & Co performed an aggressive show by the opener “Fight Back”, “Beat The Bastards” and “Fuck The USA”. So the smaller audience got entertained as well. Just Wattie’s comments between the songs were incomprehensible like they always are.
J.B.O. The Erlangen – humor – commando attracted a lot of fans. The steady WFF-guest combined in their setlist new material (“Gänseblümchen”, “Kuschelmetal”, “Keine Lust”) with popular classics (“Roots, Bloody Roots”, “Ein Guter Tag Zum Sterben”, a medley consisting of “Bounty” and “Autobahn”). The fans enjoyed it. To me watching the tight Bavarian band too often on festivals it was nothing special or even funny.
Life Of Agony The innovative NYC-hardcore-heroes are back! And this time much stronger than before. Besides newer tracks like “Love To let You Down” the fourpiece rocked the festival ground by classics like the opener “River Runs Red”, “This Time”, the almighty “Method Of Groove”, “Other Side Of The River”, “Weeds”, the biggest hit “Through And Through” announced by a ‘Live Free, Live Proud’-statement of the voice Keith Caputo and “Underground”. Although he didn’t really look well Keith showed an outstanding lead singer’s performance. Joey Z. and Alan Robert rocked the stage always pushing the crowd and Sal Abruscato turned out to the tight rhythm machine. Despite the bad sound in the beginning of the gig and the emptier festivalsite because of visitors leaving the WFF the band prevailed!
Avenged Sevenfold Was the billing position too high for the Californian Glam Rockers? Probably they could have been switched with LOA. But anyway, musically the fivepiece convinced absolutely by songs from their breakthrough – album “City Of Evil” like “Beast And The Harlot” and “Bat Country” or newer tracks from the current self-titled “Avenged Sevenfold” – release like “Scream”, “Almost Easy” and “Afterlife”. Vocalist M. Shadows impressed by his variable voice as lead guitarist Synyster Gates did by his excellent guitar playing. The band also had to fight with sound problems in the beginning of its set as against rainy weather. Anyway the five massively tattooed guys showed they’re a live-band!
Biohazard Reunited in its original-line-up with guitarist Bobby Hambel the NYC-fourpiece presented themselves much stronger than the latest few years. Performing very agile “Black And White And Red All Over”, “Down For Life” and “World On Fire” got celebrated by the fans enormously. The atmosphere raised when Keith Caputo and Joey Z. from Life Of Agony entered the stage to shout together with their NYC-Hardcore-companions “Tales From The Hard Side” while a rainbow had built itself in the sky. Billy crowdsurfed and the whole crowd went wild to “Shades Of Grey”, “Five Blocks To The Highway” and the Bad Religion – cover “We’re Only Gonna Die (From Our Own Arrogance”) before leaving with the hit “Punishment” sung by thousands and “Hold My Own”. Strong show!
Cavalera Conspiracy The reunion of the Cavalera-brothers without the conjunction with Sepultura was special enough to catch a headliner-role on the WFF-billing. They offered a set consisting of tracks from the Cavalera Conspiracy – debut – release “Inflikted” like its opening title track, “Sanctuary”, “Black Ark” and “Must Kill”, Sepultura-classics like “Territory”, “Desperate Cry”. “Propaganda”, “Inner Self”, Troops Of Doom”, “Arise”, “Biotech Is Godzilla”, “Refuse / Resist” and “Roots Bloody Roots” which got assistance by Biohazard’s Evan Seinfeld and with the Nailbomb-track “Wasting Away”. The crowd of course celebrated the Sepultura-hymns the most. The Cavalera Conspiracy showed a motivated and tight show, caused a huge wall of death as several moshpits and left most spectators very happy.
Tent Stage: Hardbowl
Death By Stereo The quartet from California convinced by their Melodic Punk Rock. The clean voice of singer Efrem Schulz and the catchy melodies created by the band inspired me as the whole festival crowd to rock the tent. A few moshpits were the reaction to songs like “Voice Of The Voiceless”. One of the big surprises of WFF 2009!
Tent Stage: The Last Supper
Primordial The current shooting stars of the Metal – scene opened the last chapter of this year’s WFF in front of a pretty big crowd waiting to watch the Irish band live. And this one performed probably one of their best shows. From the opener of the new masterpiece “To The Nameless Dead” “Empire Falls” over “As Rome Burns”, the “The Gathering Wilderness” – hit “The Coffin Ships” and the classic “Gods To The Godless” the quintet around the charismatic vocalist Alan A. Nemtheanga left no doubt about their live qualities by an intense show. One of the big WFF 2009 – winners!
Moonspell Beginning with new material from the new album “Night Eternal” (“At Tragic Heights”, the title track) the Portuguese Gothic / Black Metal – institution started in a 40 minutes lasting thrilling gig continued by the “Memorial” – song “Finisterra”, the hit “Opium” and another new track (“Scorpion Flower”). This also very intense appearance found its terrific end in the classics “Vampiria”, “Alma Mater” and “Full Moon Madness”. One of the best shows of Fernando Ribeiro & Co I’ve seen!
Ensiferum After these two overwhelming performances it was supposed to become worse. And the Finish Viking Metal – band around Petri Lindroos realized it. The two bands before caught the whole tent crowd, this combo just their fans. So they stuck on my nerves for another time by “Ahti”, “Iron and “Battle Song”.
Subway To Sally The Folk Rock / Metal – sevenpiece from Potsdam had shown too much presence in the last few years. So again just their fans and a few drunk guys had waited to see their show containing tracks from their current output “Bastard” as classics like “Feuerland”, “Henkersbraut” and “Sieben”. The light and pyro show impressed a bit, but the musical show didn’t.
Conclusion:
The 15th anniversary of the With Full Force became a great success! The high-class-billing fulfilled our expectations absolutely! By the way this year no short-term-cancelation happened. And the weather god must be a With Full Force – fan. Besides little rain we have never experienced bad weather in Roitzschjora over the six times we reported from their. So we did this time.
For another time the organization worked well. So the WFF 2008 rocked!
The prices for food and beverages had been for another time as fair as the WFF is well-known for it (e.g. 2,40 Euro for a 0,4l beer or softdrink).
We appreciated the WFF for another time and we are looking forward to With Full Force 2009!!!
Special thanks go out to Bogo Ritter, the production-office and the WFF-team!!!!!
At the With Full Force 2008 rocked, drank and partied Tobi Wan Kenobi and Sebi Sebericks!!!!!