{"id":247,"date":"2011-03-07T13:08:23","date_gmt":"2011-03-07T12:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.metal-festivals.com\/?page_id=247"},"modified":"2011-03-07T13:30:06","modified_gmt":"2011-03-07T12:30:06","slug":"rock-hard-festival-review-2009","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/new.metal-festivals.com\/?page_id=247","title":{"rendered":"Rock Hard Festival 2009 Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rock Hard Festival 2009<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Rock Hard Festival has become an important Open Air \u2013 event in the yearly festival-schedule. Of course they\u2019re festivals reaching much more visitor capacity with lots of bands on different stages. This isn\u2019t the concept of the organizers from Germany\u2019s leading Rock- & Metal \u2013 print \u2013 magazine giving this festival its name. Instead of being just another festival they offer a very special event taking place in the unique atmosphere of the Amphitheater Gelsenkirchen.
\nAs the year before six bands appeared on Friday, the following both days eight bands each rocked the stage. And none of those ones canceled their performance due to any problems. Another lucky aspect a festival organizer isn\u2019t able to influence was the weather: No rain, just sun took care about the visitors\u2019 mood. Its number raised for another time, so the organization was able to announce their festival as sold out.
\nAt the Rock Hard Festival appeared 22 bands (each band 45 minutes minimum) on one stage in three days for about 8000 visitors.<\/p>\n

Friday<\/strong>
\nWitchburner<\/strong> It didn\u2019t seem to be a case of coincidence to let this year\u2019s Rock Hard Festival \u2013 edition with the Bay Area \u2013 thrashback – trio get opened by the fivepiece from Fulda. They\u2019re passion is old school \u2013 Thrash, and so they sounded while a few die-hard-fans celebrated \u201cInvisible Violence\u201d, \u201cBlood Of Witches\u201d as \u201cGerman Thrashing War\u201d. Anyway to me they were much too monotonous.<\/p>\n

Angel Witch<\/strong> The NWOBHM – legend started with \u201cSweet Danger\u201d and \u201cConfused\u201d in their set filled with classics from the self-titled output released in 1980 (\u201cWhite Witch\u201d, \u201cAngel Of Death\u201d) or even by its later released bonus tracks (\u201cDr. Phibes\u201d, \u201cBaphomet\u201d). The most support fronter David Heybourne and his three comrades earned for their last self-titled track. I watched the band for the second time after Wacken 2000, but somehow their sound didn\u2019t catch me as the NWOBHM \u2013 lunatics in the first rows. <\/p>\n

Destr\u00f6yer 666<\/strong> Meanwhile many metalheads had entered the amphitheatre. They\u2019re next live-event consisted of an Australian quartet which had moved to the Netherlands years ago where they still live. And although they\u2019re usually a good live-event they disappointed me by an uninspired and motionless show. Black Metal – epics as \u201cAustralian And Antichrist\u201d or \u201cI Am The Wargod (Ode To The Battle Slain)\u201d could as should have been performed much better.<\/p>\n

Prong<\/strong> Prong is back! This conclusion was clear after 45 minutes of the Industrial Metal \u2013 machine from L.A.! The trio opened by \u201cFor Dear Life\u201d and the support by the crowd increased enormously by each song. They considered their current longplayer \u201cPower Of The Damager\u201d by \u201cWorst Of It\u201d, but mainly concentrated on their classics which caused the mentioned support. Tommy Victor and his two bandmates thrilled their fans with \u201cUnconditional\u201d, \u201cBeg To Differ\u201d, \u201cProve You Wrong\u201d as by the \u201cCleansing\u201d \u2013 classics \u201cWhose Fist Is This Anyway?\u201d and the big 90ies-Crossover-club-hit \u201cSnap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck\u201d. Cool gig!<\/p>\n

Jag Panzer<\/strong> US Power Metal of its best got offered by the fivepiece from Colorado. The quintet didn\u2019t hesitate and opened with their hymn \u201cChain Of Command\u201d and the classic \u201cFuture Shock\u201d followed by the \u201cThe Fourth Judgement\u201d \u2013 hammers \u201cTyranny\u201d and \u201cBlack\u201d. What a start! Harry \u201cThe Tyrant\u201d Conklin sang like a god, the band played tight and many fans felt animated to massive support. The great interpretations of songs like \u201cThe Mission (1943)\u201d from their latest \u201cCasting The Stones\u201d \u2013 release, \u201cThe Moors\u201d, \u201cTake To The Sky\u201d and the finisher \u201cGenerally Hostile\u201d and the reactions of the crowd resulted in one of the best Power Metal \u2013 appearances of the last years.<\/p>\n

Opeth<\/strong> So the question was if Opeth would be able to fill a headliner position of a bigger metal festival. The one and only conclusion after the show was: Of course they can!!! Starting with the new \u201cWatershed\u201d \u2013 epic \u201cHeir Apparent\u201d and the \u201cGhost Reveries\u201d \u2013 hit \u201cGhost Of Perdition\u201d showed what a fantastic live band the Prog \u2013 gods from Stockholm are before mainman Mikael Akerfeldt presented his entertaining abilities by demonstrating his knowledge about German language (\u201cHallo! Wie geht\u2019s? Fick mich!\u201d). The band as the whole amphitheatre celebrated \u201cA Godhead\u2019s Lament\u201d, \u201cLeper Affinity\u201d, the new \u201cHessian Peel\u201d as \u201cClosure\u201d after which the fronter pointed out: \u201cSome of you may be lucky tonight, fuck someone else in the tent like I did when I was young and went to festivals – or jerk off which might be quite as well!\u201d After this amusing cabaret-style contribution causing much laughter the quintet performed the \u201cWatershed\u201d \u2013 hit \u201cLotus Eater\u201d as tight as all the old and new epics before. Mikael introduced the band to the audience closing this by calling himself Mikael H\u00fcbsch to finish an overwhelming appearance by \u201cDeliverance\u201d. This was the best show I\u2019ve ever seen on the Rock Hard Festival yet! Overwhelming!<\/p>\n

Saturday<\/strong>
\nEvocation<\/strong> It was up to Swedish old school \u2013 Death Metal to wake up the metalheads. And the band which celebrated its comeback two years ago reached a respectable number of spectators as several active headbangers in front of the stage. They began by the same section opening their current album \u201cDead Calm Chaos\u201d consisting of the intro \u201cIn The Reign Of Chaos\u201d, \u201cSilence Sleep\u201d and \u201cAngel Of Torment\u201d. The fivepiece just considered their comeback-album \u201cTales From The Tomb\u201d (\u201cFeed The Fire\u201d) as their self-titled old debut (\u201cVeils Were Blown\u201d) by one song each and focussed on their new material. The present fans celebrated the gig anyway finished by \u201cRazored To The Bone\u201d. By the way: Nice short skull-ornated microphone rack.<\/p>\n

Grand Magus<\/strong> Their fellow countrymen were able to play for a raised crowd. The trio fascinated most of them by their cool Doom. Of course they didn\u2019t have the option to move a lot because both stringers were bound by the vocal parts at their microphones. JB astonished by his clear as powerful melodic voice, bassist Fox did this by his eightstringed bass. Anyway tracks like the title-track of their latest release \u201cWolf\u2019s Return\u201d, the finisher \u201cKingslayer\u201d and \u201cIron Will\u201d for which JB animated the crowd successfully to sing it in German (\u201cEisen Willen\u201d) the trio earned much applause. <\/p>\n

Audrey Horne<\/strong> The Alternative Rock \u2013 act consists of members from the Metal-bands Enslaved and Sahg. Anyway the sound was totally different to the bands of the two sixstringers, but it definitely rocked. Beginning with \u201cDead\u201d and \u201cConfessions & Alcohol\u201d from their debut-longplayer \u201cNo Hay Banda\u201d aroused the interest of several spectators who might have found out what a newcomer jewel appeared in front of them. By earcatchers like \u201cLast Call\u201d, \u201cJaws\u201d, \u201cSo Long Euphoria\u201d, \u201cThreshold\u201d, \u201cBright Lights\u201d from their current album \u201cLe Fol\u201d showed which high potential this auspicious newcomer has. The live-performance convinced completely, too. Especially vocalist Toschie took care about the contact to the fans jumping in the photo pit. Audrey Horne rocks! <\/p>\n

Hail Of Bullets<\/strong> Like the year before with Asphyx Martin Van Drunen and Paul Bayens invaded with their old school \u2013 Death Metal \u2013 all-star-commando Hail Of Bullets consisting of members from Gorefest, Houwitser, Thanatos and as mentioned Asphyx. Their serious main theme of their debut-release \u201cOf Frost And War\u201d focusing the second world war, especially the east front, built up a total contrast to the sympathic aura of the fivepiece live. So \u201cRed Wolves Of Stalin\u201d, \u201cNachthexen\u201d, \u201cStalingrad\u201d and \u201cBerlin\u201d got celebrated by many headbangers. So the sympathic fronter Martin dismissed with the nice slip of the tongue \u201cWir sind am Ende gekommen!\u201d before playing the last title by \u201cOrdered Eastward\u201d applauded by the fans.<\/p>\n

Dragonforce<\/strong> The total posing excess was supposed to follow. There\u2019s probably no band which polarizes more nowadays. Their sound is pretty close to the so-called Spaghetti Metal (my copyright) like Rhapsody (Of Fire), just even faster. So their two guitarists played much more tones than most of the bands did together that day for sure. And they celebrated this with several acrobatic acts like playing guitar with the tongue, using trampolines while playing, etc. Before ending the show by \u201cThrough The Fire And Flames\u201d vocalist ZP left the stage and ran the stairs of the amphitheatre up to animate the fans. A high talented band with a very entertaining show, just the music was definitely not my cup of beer.<\/p>\n

Forbidden<\/strong> After their reunion shows on last year\u2019s Bang Your Head the Bay Area Thrash \u2013 icon was ready to thrash the amphitheatre. As the year before Russ Anderson, Craig Locicero & Co concentrated on their first two albums \u201cFobidden Evil\u201d and \u201cTwisted Into Form\u201d containing the debut\u2019s title track, \u201cStep By Step\u201d which caused the first circle-pits (Does that really work with Thrash Metal?), \u201cMarch Into Fire\u201d and the final \u201cChalice Of Blood\u201d being announced with the suggestion to let all swim in the canal behind the stage. The band obviously had a lot of fun on stage while the crowd went wild. I just need to worry I wasn\u2019t the only one who missed third album\u2019s title track \u201cDistortion\u201d.<\/p>\n

Jon Oliva\u2019s Pain<\/strong> Jon Oliva returned to Gelsenkirchen, this time with his new project which made me as many spectators fear Jon would consider just a few Savatage \u2013 classics. But not at all: Jon Oliva\u2019s Pain took the right choice to present by \u201cThrough The Eyes Of A King\u201d. \u201cManiacal Renderings\u201d and \u201cAll The Time\u201d three newer tracks to complete the rest of the setlist by the Sava \u2013 evergreens like the opener \u201cCity Beneath The Surface\u201d, \u201cSirens\u201d, \u201cOf Rage And War\u201d, \u201cChance\u201d with a worse interpretation of its choir-part, \u201cGutter Ballet\u201d, \u201cTonight He Grins Again\u201d, \u201cThe Hounds\u201d, \u201cBelieve\u201d, \u201cJesus Saves\u201d and \u201cHall Of The Mountain King\u201d. The song choice spoke for itself. Supported by his tight band, a clear sound (Just the piano sucked once for a short time!) and enthusiastic fans one of the most important voices in Heavy Metal celebrated with his musicians the most surprising as amazing performance of this year\u2019s RHF! I have just the question why the three Pain-tracks got chosen from their first two releases instead of introducing some song from the current one. Anyway this show was fantastic!<\/p>\n

Children Of Bodom<\/strong> So it became difficult to hold the level for the headliner. Anyway mainman Alexi Laiho and his comrades performed a powerful gig containing the opener \u201cNeedled 24\/7\u201d, the following \u201cBodom Beach Terror\u201d, \u201cAre You Dead Yet?\u201d, \u201cHate Me!\u201d, \u201cBodom After Midnight\u201d, \u201cAngels Don\u2019t Kill\u201d and the encore \u201cDownfall\u201d all the classics except for the not played \u201cSilent Night, Bodom Night\u201d as \u201cHatecrew Deathroll\u201d. The fivepiece also considered three tracks from the latest studio album by \u201cSmile Pretty For The Devil\u201d, \u201cBanned From Heaven\u201d and its title track as hit \u201cBlooddrunk\u201d announced as \u201cBlack Jack\u201d. The backdrop with the lime-red big COB-letters looked very cool in the dark and took care about the right visual atmosphere. Just Alexi\u2019s fuck-affected comments between the songs were for another time very childish. Besides that it was a good appearance, but the real headliner of the day certainly was Jon Oliva\u2019s Pain!<\/p>\n

Sunday<\/strong>
\nTracedawn<\/strong> The Finnish newcomers offered a refreshing start in the last day. Suomi\u2019s candidate for this year\u2019s Eurovision Song Contest convinced by their variable Melodic Death Metal \u2013 sound. The sixpiece played songs from their debut release \u201cWithout Walls\u201d like its title song or \u201cOut Of Violence\u201d and also showed new material from the forthcoming album by \u201cIn The Name\u201d. The band should improve their stage-performance as their tightness. Besides that this was a nice appearance of an interesting newcomer. <\/p>\n

Firewind<\/strong> The Greek Melodic Metal \u2013 quintet had evolved over the years. Especially the songwriting had developped a lot. Their catchy melodies won spectator by spectator while their appearance. Considering nearly all outputs guitarist Gus G. & Co presented a good mixture of their discography by songs from the new album \u201cPremonition\u201d like the opener \u201cHead Up High\u201d, \u201cAngels Forgive Me\u201d or the hit \u201cMercenary Man\u201d as older tracks like \u201cDestination Calling\u201d from their debut or the set finishing \u201cFalling To Pieces\u201d. And they even introduced by \u201cLosing Faith\u201d a brandnew song. Just the cover \u201cManiac\u201d could have been replaced by an own composition. But anyway: A very solid gig!<\/p>\n

Bullet<\/strong> So the time had come for some party in the sunny afternoon. The Swedes from Bullet returned to Gelsenkirchen after they had surprised by their amphitheatre-debut two years ago. Their Retro Heavy Metal – \/ Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll \u2013 style infected several spectators to rock to material from their new output \u201cBite The Bullet\u201d (the opener \u201cPay The Price\u201d, the title track and video-single, the encore \u201cRoadking\u201d) as to classics from their debut-longplayer \u201cHeading To The Top\u201d (\u201cTurn It Up Loud\u201d, the second encore \u201cBang Your Head\u201d). Fronter Dag Hell Hofer knew how to entertain the little crowd, so to many this appearance still was too short.<\/p>\n

D-A-D<\/strong> The appearance with the most and biggest show elements of the whole festival wasn\u2019t shown by some headliner or co-headliner, no it was done by the Danish Hardrockers from Disneyland After Dark! Their performance consisted of an impressing stage set, several cool created basses of Stig Pedersen and lots of special effects. And of course of a killing setlist beginning with \u201cRiskin\u2019 It All\u201d, \u201cRim Of Hell\u201d and \u201cNo Fuel Left For The Pilgrims\u201d. The quartet around the Binzer \u2013 brothers also presented tracks from their new album \u201cMonster Philosophy\u201d like its title song and \u201cBeautiful Together\u201d which caused sympathic applause. This one raised when they played classics like \u201cReconstrucdead\u201d, \u201cBad Crazyness\u201d and their biggest hit \u201cSleepin\u2019 My Day Away\u201d. Supported by pyros and other special effects like Stig\u2019s sparking helmet the fans watched an unforgettable Hard Rock \u2013 show.<\/p>\n

Heathen<\/strong> Another important Bay Area Thrash \u2013 legend showed off on the amphitheatre stage. And the fivepiece got celebrated from the first track \u201cMercy Is No Virtue\u201d on. Lee Altus & Co set the main accent on their first two releases performing \u201cHypnotized\u201d, \u201cOpiate The Masses\u201d and the set finishing \u201cDeath By Hanging\u201d. The band also introduced with \u201cDying Season\u201d a new track from the unscheduled forthcoming album. The crowd became curious creating a circle-pit which seemed to be the newest weird fashion in Thrash Metal and celebrated their gods.<\/p>\n

UFO<\/strong> The Blues-orientated Hardrock – legend showed an interesting performance causing very different reactions. To the majority their pretty motionless show didn\u2019t really inspire, to the minority including me their tight appearance combined with the always present blues-feeling transported a special vibe. So the extended version of the classic \u201cRock Bottom\u201d containing a long jam session in its middle might have bored most of the spectators, but thrilled a few others. The 30-years-old band from Great Britain rocked with the opener \u201cMother Mary\u201d, the ballad \u201cSaving Me\u201d as by the classics \u201cOnly You Can Rock Me\u201d and \u201cToo Hot To Handle\u201d. So in the end there was just the question why they didn\u2019t play their biggest hit \u201cDoctor, Doctor\u201d. Anyway: Thumbs up for singer Phil Mogg who looked pretty wasted and who demonstrated the audience some of his German speech knowledge he had learned in school for three years, guitar-genius Vinnie Moore & Co!<\/p>\n

Sacred Reich<\/strong> After their much jubilated appearance in Wacken two years ago the expectations were high concerning the show of the Thrash Metal \u2013 icon from Arizona. And the quartet fulfilled them definitely. The hammer beginning consisting of \u201cOne Nation\u201d and \u201cIndependent\u201d blasted a lot of fans celebrating their heroes from Phoenix by headbanging and moshpit action. So they did while \u201cCrimes Against Humanity\u201d, \u201cWho\u2019s To Blame\u201d and the longplayer-debut\u2019s title track \u201cIgnorance\u201d. The sympathic statements of fronter Phil Rind as the inspiring stage-action of the whole band took care about the best festival show besides Opeth. So after a dedication to the \u201cbeer country\u201d Germany they thrilled the crowd by the Black Sabbath \u2013 cover \u201cWar Pigs\u201d, the Thrash-hymn \u201cThe American Way\u201d and the debut-classic \u201cDeath Squad\u201d before the quartet left the stage to return with their biggest hit \u201cSurf Nicaragua\u201d as the encore earning loud reactions even minutes after the show.<\/p>\n

Saxon<\/strong> The NWOBHM \u2013 evergreens always guarantee a cool Heavy Metal – party. So they did at the Amphitheater in Gelsenkirchen for the second time. Introducing material from their new album \u201cInto The Labyrinth\u201d by its opener \u201cBattalions Of Steel\u201d, \u201cDemon Sweeney Todd\u201d and \u201cValley Of The Kings\u201d Biff Byford and his bandmates of course concentrated on their classics like \u201cHeavy Metal Thunder\u201d, \u201cStrong Arm Of The Law\u201d, \u201cMotorcycle Man\u201d, \u201cThe Eagle Has Landed\u201d or \u201cWheels Of Steel\u201d which found much applause by the audience. So the quintet could afford to renounce hits like \u201cCrusader\u201d and \u201cDogs Of War\u201d. Supported by the eagle and a good light show the band offered a nice closure marked by the encores \u201cDenim And Leather\u201d and \u201cPrincess Of The Night\u201d.<\/p>\n

Conclusion:<\/strong>
\nThe seventh Rock Hard Festival turned out to the most successful one yet. It got sold out on each day, the weather itself seemed to be a RHF \u2013 fan, too, each announced act finally appeared on stage and the atmosphere impressed for another time as a big family meeting of peaceful rocking madmen as \u2013women!
\nFor another time the festival organizers were able to hold their high standards offering a very good as clean toilet \/ restroom-situation for free and an uncomplicated security. The Rock Hard \u2013 members were always close to the fans as to their questions. The RHF-organization kept the prices for food and beverages constant (e.g. from 2,30 \u20ac to 2,50 \u20ac for a 0,33l beer or softdrink).
\nSpecial Thanks go out to Dani Lipka, Jenny R\u00f6nnebeck, G\u00f6tz K\u00fchnemund, Manni Glamowski and the RHF-team!!!!!
\nAt the Rock Hard Festival rocked, drank and partied Tobi Wan Kenobi, Lotte and Yvi!!!!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rock Hard Festival 2009 The Rock Hard Festival has become an important Open Air \u2013 event in the yearly festival-schedule. Of course they\u2019re festivals reaching much more visitor capacity with lots of bands on different stages. This isn\u2019t the concept of the organizers from Germany\u2019s leading Rock- & Metal \u2013 print \u2013 magazine giving this … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Rock Hard Festival 2009 Review”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":23,"menu_order":20,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/new.metal-festivals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/247"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/new.metal-festivals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/new.metal-festivals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/new.metal-festivals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/new.metal-festivals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=247"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/new.metal-festivals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":271,"href":"http:\/\/new.metal-festivals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/247\/revisions\/271"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/new.metal-festivals.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/new.metal-festivals.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}