Summer Breeze 2006 Review

Summer Breeze 2006:

After the Summer Breeze had been located in the peaceful city of Abtsgemünd for many years, the organizers of the festival were forced to look for another place. They finally found an area that seemed to meet all demands on an open-air festival. The only question left was: Will the new location be a match for the attractive surroundings in Abtsgemünd? We will get back to that. Now a closer look on the bands, whose music echoed over the location an its visitors for the next few days.

THURSDAY
The first day starts with a small mishap. VOLBEAT are still on the freeway. The car packs up. Thus SUBCONCIOUS and TOURETTES SYNDROM start their shows. After that it´s the Danes´ turn. But due to the delay they can only play five songs – those give an idea of the band´s potential.
UNDERTOW and NEARA are the next two bands on stage. While UNDERTOW belong to the festival´s billing since many years, NEARA from Münster play for the first time on a stage like the main stage on the Summer Breeze. Both are doing well and hot the fans up, although that´s not really necessary regarding the high summer temperatures. Despite of some good songs, ANGEL BLAKE´s not able to keep the atmosphere. The reason could be that most of the headbangers don´t know the band and haven´s got a clue – including myself – that that´s Marko Tervonen´s (Ex-THE CROWN guitarist) new band.
The festival´s first highlight are THE HAUNTED – as far as I´m concerned, because the crowd reacts in a reserved way to the Swedes. The band doesn´t care and so the guys around bandleader Peter Dolving present a tight and nice cross-section of their works. Absolute highlight: Hate Song.
SALTATIO MORTIS serve fans of the Middle Ages, but without the slightest chance of reaching the class of the to leaders in this genre, SUBWAY TO SALLY and IN EXTREMO.
To be honest: MOONSPELL, who are next on the main stage, can be reduced to only one song: Opium. This is the greatest one the Portugueses ever wrote and thus is celebrated. The rest of the setlist is ordenary but goes down well with the crowd – so everyone´s satisfied after all.
Now it´s getting really evil. 1349 enter the stage with full corpsepaint and rock like a hurricane. If only the guitars were a bit louder…well, doesn´t matter, ´cause they leave just as fast as they came.
Folk-Metal fun at FINNTROLL´s gig: the band as well as the crowd are ready to party. The beer consumption grows rapidly, the spell is broken and the party can begin. Wrong: What ASP set loose afterwards can be named gothic pop at its worst. Let´s forget it!
KREATOR are a worthy headliner – but not without cuts. Thousands of light bulbs, blinking like all the colours of the rainbow throughout the show don´t fit in the least the honest thrash of the band from Essen. By the way, some new announcements from Mille wouldn´t be wrong either. Nevertheless, songs like Extreme Aggression are definitely undying.
If you expected a wild show with KATATONIA, you´re wrong. Fortunately they leave their death metal past behind and play only their melancholic hymns. They´re so brilliant that the playing time runs out much too fast. KATATONIA could have played like that on and on for hours!

FRIDAY
I spare myself the first five bands of the day, but according to eyewitness accounts especially EXCREMENTORY GRINDFUCKERS and LENG TCH´E had been the perfect way to wake up and start the day.
With FRAGMENTS OF UNBECOMING I´m back on the festival site. The guys play good death metal and convince many headbangers.
On the main stage follow POTENTIA ANIMI who enter the stage dressed up as monks. Presented is Middle Ages-Metal of the better kind. Especially with their funny announcements the brothers elicit the audience some laughter.
SCAR SYMMETRY remind me in some parts of SOILWORK, so it appears that the crowd joins in enthusiastically. It´s fun to listen and watch the band, ´cause there´s really something going on on stage. Great gig!

Unfortunately REBELLION have to struggle with the crowd´s intolerance. As advocates of Power Metal they´re clearly a minority on the festival. Nevertheless they´re doing well and win some applause out of pure courtesy at least. The ONE MAN ARMY with Ex-THE CROWN-Frontman Johan Lindstrand can prove themselves totally and play nearly their whole debut album competently.
You can think about EXILIA whatever you want: Live they´re phenomenal! As far as I´m concerned no more albums but only concerts!
Help, the Vikings are on the way! According to their statements TURISAS play War Metal. Actually it´s Metal, enriched with much folklore, ideal for drinking and dancing.
After that, AMORPHIS present a really great show. Although there are many people in front of the stage, AMORPHIS aren´t really acclaimed. Can´t have something to do with the band, ´cause they play tight and with high motivation.
Maybe the crowd gathered their strength for HEAVEN SHALL BURN, ´cause they sweep across the area like a thunderstorm. Much action on stage and perfect interplay. That´s how it should be!
The next highlight: MORBID ANGEL. What shall I say: Death Metal of the highest quality from a band, whose members play like coming from a different universe.
However, LIV KRISTINE and LACRIMOSA are no use to me. LIV KRISTINE cover Streets of Philadelphia from BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, but there´s nothing for it either. But the Gothic-Fans seem to be taken with both bands.
The DEATH STARS give the final gig of the day with much routine. Some Gothic and some Industrial, that goes down well with surprisingly many people listening at a late hour.

SATURDAY
Finally I´m punctual on the festival area for the first band. THE OTHER = MISFITS? More or less. Good gig in front of few people. Next are PERZONAL WAR, who thrash through their programme competently and surely win some new fans over.
On the main stage follow to bands which don´t need any further comment: LUMSK and VISIONS OF ATLANTIS. Both operate with to feminine would-be opera singers. Horrible!
Fortunately, the french band GOJIRA play in between. With their progressive Death Metal they astonish not few listeners. After that four bands with of the really hard kind are on stage: LEGION OF THE DAMNED, NECROPHAGIST, CARNAL FORGE as well as TOTENMOND. NECROPHAGIST prove themselves most of those four bands. As MORBID ANGEL-Clon often a target of ridicule, it turns out that the guys in spite of all similarity to the Gods of Death Metal have their own character.
PSYCHOPUNCH liven up the programme with their Kick-Ass Rock ´n´ Roll and gain much applause.
Middle-Ages Metal with CORVUS CORAX. Everything already heard, nothing new. At least the band is a treat to look at. The fans like it nevertheless and thus the last night is opened loudly.
I spare myself THYRFING, NEGATIVE and BLOODFLOWERZ, ´cause a huge thunderstorm is coming up and I shelter in the dry.
Before GAMMA RAY I dare to come out again and come across a golden calf. It is followed by some hundred people who kneel down in regular intervals in order to worship it. Oh yes, the alcohol!
GAMMA RAY give a great show, including all Hits of the guys from North Germany.
UNLEASHED follow after them! The name is programme. The guys unleash one Death Metal steamroller after the other and are acclaimed appropriately.
Tension reigns before the gig of FEAR FACTORY. Will the band fulfil the demands as headliner? The Americans have a Best of – setlist with them and supported by a crystal-clear and loud sound they play their songs with consummate ease. A worthy headliner!
With MY DYING BRIDE the Summer Breeze draws to a conclusion. Most Fans think their melancholic songs not to be hard enough, but the English end the festival true to the original style!

UPSHOT:
The Summer Breeze 2006 was a competely successful event. Although the new location hadn´t got the attractive surroundings like the old one in Abtsgemünd, it offered a huge space and thus the 11,000 fans were housed easily. It was fun and we´re looking forward to next year.

Note of the co-chief-editor:
Thanks a lot to the writer of the article Issel and the interpreter Poison Ivy!!!
Cheers go out to the other three planned writers Börgers (photograph), Matthias and Katharina who were all forced to cancel their Summer Breeze-participation due to different serious reasons! So Issel held the flag high for our magazine at the Summer Breeze!

We,ll return in 2007!!!!!