{"id":538,"date":"2011-03-09T21:00:29","date_gmt":"2011-03-09T20:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.metal-festivals.com\/?page_id=538"},"modified":"2011-03-09T21:00:29","modified_gmt":"2011-03-09T20:00:29","slug":"rock-hard-festival-2003-review","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/new.metal-festivals.com\/?page_id=538","title":{"rendered":"Rock Hard Festival 2003 Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rock Hard Festival 2003 (20th ANNIVERSARY)<\/strong>
\nRock Hard which is the leading hard rock and metal-magazine in Germany celebrated their 20th anniversary of holding the metal-flag high through the highs and lows of the music scene. As their festival location they chose the beautiful \u201eAmphitheater\u201c in Gelsenkirchen. At the Open-Air played 18 bands (each band 45 minutes minimum) one surprise act on the stage which was set right in front of the \u201eRhein-Herne-Kanal\u201c-canal. About 4000 spectators created a relaxed atmoshere (We didn\u2019t meet one guy stucking on my nerves which is usually pretty imposssible on an open air festival with thousands of drunk metal fans including us.).<\/p>\n

Saturday<\/strong>
\nGod Dethroned<\/strong> Our Death Metal-neighbours from the netherlands started the programme. They didn\u2019t seem to care too much about the big heat which throned over festival area and played an intense set (\u201eBoiling Blood\u201c, \u201eThe Warcult\u201c, etc.). Their new drummer didn\u2019t have any problems with older material and kept the machine rolling. Cool opener!
\n
\nTribe After Tribe<\/strong> The most political band of the festiaval as probably of the hole scene is used to those hot conditions. Bandleader Robbie Robb had moved from South Africa to L.A. a few years ago. To his band (including bassist Joey Vera known from Amored Saint, Fates Warning and Engine) it felt difficult to impress the spectators by their spiritual rock music combined with tribal-rhythms and percussion. They have good material (\u201eOut Of Control\u201c, \u201eBuild A Subway\u201c), but by this gig they didn\u2019t win much new fans.
\n
\nCircle II Circle<\/strong> Zak Stevens is back! The ex-Savatage singer, in my small opinion the greatest voice with the most charisma in Heavy Metal could have said: \u201eVeni,vidi, vici!\u201c His new band began with the material from their debut album and the crowd seemed they had just waited for this gig. Especially \u201eWatching In Silence\u201c built up the first big choir of the festival. After the \u201eCircle II Circle\u201c-part special guest \u201eMountain King\u201c Jon Oliva entered the stage, replaced the CIIC-keyboarder and performed with Zak and his bandmates the Savatage-hits \u201eTaunting Cobras\u201c, \u201eEdge Of Thorns\u201c and \u201eGutter Ballet\u201c. Finally they excited the fans by the Metallica-cover \u201eWelcome Home (Sanitarium)\u201c. Great gig!<\/p>\n

Trouble <\/strong>It\u2019s a long time ago the doom legend around fronter Eric Wagner performed in europe. To me it wasn\u2019 the big show – I just enjoyed songs from their latest\/last (?) album \u201ePlastic Green Head\u201c (especially the title track) – , but those who have waited for a long time got satisfied. So finally there was (and still is) just the question: Was this gig unique or the beginning of a big comeback? We\u2019ll see!<\/p>\n

Nevermore <\/strong>What shall I say about a Nevermore-show at a festival? It\u2019s always a highlight! This time the guys from Seattle had a bad sound. But they didn\u2019t seem to care too much about that fact and spread action on as in front of the stage by \u201eInside Four Walls\u201c, \u201eSeven Tongues Of God\u201c, \u201eThis Sacrament\u201c, the Simon & Garfunkel-cover \u201eThe Sound Of Silence\u201c and presented new stuff form their forthcoming album \u201eEnemies Of Reality\u201c. Besides the agile fronter Warrel Dane the new gitarist Chris Broderick who had excited me by his fantastic playing at the Jag Panzer-gig in Wacken \u201999 as he did today striked a lot in one of the tightest metal-bands. Again I have to say: Excellent!<\/p>\n

Kreator <\/strong>The thrash-legend from the neighbour city Essen has been a permanent companion of the Rock Hard through all these years. So it\u2019s more than just logic that bandhead Mille and his comrades played after starting with new smashers (\u201eViolent Revolution\u201c, \u201eReconquering The Trone\u201c) played many thrash-classics up to 15 years old (\u201eTormentor\u201c, \u201eBetrayer\u201c, \u201eExtreme Aggression\u201c, \u201eFlag Of Hate\u201c, \u201ePeople Of The Lie\u201c, \u201eTerror Zone\u201c). Great best of-show which began by blowing up a few red and blue smoke bombs at the edge of the stage which caused some fog around the musicians and the first rows.<\/p>\n

Anthrax <\/strong>The co-headliner acted like a headliner of a hole festival. \u201eLongbeard\u201c Scott Ian, Charlie \u201eMr Supertight\u201c Benante and their band pushed the excitement to a new level. They started with their new hit \u201eWhat Doesn\u2019t Die\u201c, played classics like \u201eCaught In A Mosh\u201c \u201eMadhouse\u201c and the Trust-cover \u201eAntisocial\u201c and added newer songs as the new single \u201eSafe Home\u201c, the fantastic ballad \u201eBlack Lodge\u201c, \u201eKing Nothing\u201c, \u201eInside Out\u201c and the evergreen \u201eOnly\u201c. I just missed \u201eBring The Noise\u201c, but who cares (This wasn\u2019t a three hours show!). Led by John \u201eMetal-Sinatra\u201c Bush and bassist Frank \u201ethe biggest fan\u201c Bello this band showed they are getting more and more fantastic by any year of their existence. Great!<\/p>\n

Blind Guardian<\/strong> The fantasy metaler from the neighbour town Krefeld did a good job and played a best-of programme consisting of the opener \u201eWelcome To Dying\u201c, both parts of the \u201eBard\u2019s Song\u201c (\u201eThe Hobbit\u201c and \u201eIn The Forest\u201c) or the epic \u201cImaginations From The Other Side\u201c, but I noticed they don\u2019t have the same charisma and effect on the spectatorship like Nevermore or Anthrax. Nevertheless they earned choirs by the crowd each song and finished a good show with \u201eMirror, Mirror\u201c leaving the fans in the warm summer night.<\/p>\n

Sunday<\/strong>
\nDarkane <\/strong>The death-thrashers from Helsingborg started the second day and it felt hot like hell again. Under this sun-conditions it is astonishing which high energy this fivepiece is able to create considering all the fine and complicate details sticking in the strong material of their three albums.<\/p>\n

Threshold <\/strong>The bad luck band of the festival. The weather had turned from biggest heat to a strong thundery shower. The Proggies from the bad weather island UK started with \u201ePhenomenon\u201c while the fans tried to get under the stage roof. But at the fourth track they had to surrender to the weather because the storm drove the rain from the sides on the stage which was open on all sides. This fact endangered the musicians too much, so a long break followed…<\/p>\n

Arch Enemy<\/strong> … which was stopped after an hour by hot sunny weather again (Unbelievable!) and by the swedish shooting stars, who replaced Death Angel in the runing order, continuing the programme. I like the riffing of the Amott-bothers, I enjoy the drumming of Daniel Erlandsson and bass-monster Sharlee d\u2019Angelo has become to a real scene icon in the meantime, but the new (fe?)male singer\/grunter Angela Gossow from Cologne didn\u2019t show a real progression for the band. In my opinion the old fronter was better. But what she really has to improve are her ridiculous commentaries between the songs (\u201eDo you want blood?… Do you want more blood?…\u201c (in German). Whatever! Most fans enjoyed the definitely great songs (\u201eRavenous\u201c, \u201eBury Me An Angel\u201c).<\/p>\n

Soilwork <\/strong>The band from Helsingborg was one of my favorites of the festival. The fivepiece around singer Bj\u00f6rn \u201eSpeed\u201c Strid who wore a red ferrari shirt introduced their new dummer Richard Evensand. They presented a good mixture between songs from the new album like \u201eDistortion Sleep\u201c or the title track \u201eFigure Number Five\u201c and hits from the further outputs (\u201eNeedlefeast\u201c, \u201eFollow The Hollow\u201c, \u201eAs We Speak\u201c). I had seen better shows, but this one was cool and rocked a lot anyway.<\/p>\n

Candlemass <\/strong>The doomsters from Sweden around Messiah Marcolin entered the stage and what followed was definitely not my barrel of beer. But it was nice to see my older friends, who hadn\u2019t seen them on their reunion show in Wacken last year because of short-term changes in the running order, celebrating \u201eSolitude\u201c, \u201eBewitched\u201c, \u201eWell Of Souls\u201c, etc.<\/p>\n

Sodom <\/strong>Bolt Thrower had to cancel their gig because of the birth of singer Dave Ingram\u2019s son. They were replaced by the German thrash legend who had the chance to rock the mass in their own hometown. And they did: Bandleader and thrash icon Onkel Tom Angelripper, guitarist Bernemann and drummer Bobby played songs from the current album \u201eM-16\u201c as the evergreens \u201eWachturm\u201c and \u201eBombenhagel\u201c. Onkel Tom is cult!<\/p>\n

In Flames<\/strong> The co-headliners brought spectacular show elements as great music to Rock Hard\u2019s anniversary. The Mr\u2019s Frid\u00e9n, Str\u00f6mblad, Gelotte and co. played tracks from the new album \u201eReroute To Remain\u201c (\u201eTrigger\u201c \u201eCloud Connected\u201c) as old tracks (\u201eBehind Space\u201c, \u201eMoonchild\u201c) and all-time-faves (\u201eEpisode 666\u201c, \u201eColony\u201c, \u201eOnly For The Weak\u201c) and filled the crowd with much enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

Doro <\/strong>The surprise guest was no other than the german metal queen Doro Pesch, another constant companion of the Rock Hard like Kreator or Sodom. Her short set was consisting of \u201eBurning The Witches\u201c (with guest singer and german metal co-queen Sabina Classen from Holy Moses), \u201eF\u00fcr Immer\u201c and \u201eAll We Are\u201c. The surprise succeeded!<\/p>\n

Saxon <\/strong>The legend from the UK around cult singer Biff Byford with his eternal voice always guarantee exciting shows. So they did at the amphitheatre with the eagle-show and undying classics like \u201eThe Eagle Has Landed\u201c, \u201eDogs Of War\u201c, \u201eSolid Ball Of Rock\u201c, \u201eCrusader\u201c and \u201eDenim And Leather\u201c (including the Rock Hard editors Holger Stratmann, Frank Albrecht and G\u00f6tz K\u00fchnemund as the background choir!). Meanwhile my friends, me and many others posed around and celebrated the band which we\u2019ll hopefully meet again on Rock Hard\u2019s 30th anniversary!<\/p>\n

Conclusion:<\/strong>
\nWe have visited a lot of festivals, but this one counts to the very unique ones. The organizers chose the perfect idyllic area for a pleasant festival party atmosphere. The organisation was top, the drink, food and merch prices were low and the always clean toilets were for free. Generally it was easy to notice the festival team tried hard to let the fans feel comfortable what they realised without any problems besides the weather which showed all its variations. So we hope the Rock Hard didn\u2019t make too much loss, so they hopefully return to this area (probably with camping opportunities) to turn this birthday to a constant festival institution. And – after I forgot to bring my reserve-shoes to Gelsenkirchen – in case of a revival I promise I\u2019ll take two pairs of shoes with me to the Open Air after this thundery shower on sunday noon (Huhu!).
\nAnyway: What a festival! Really phenomenal!!!!!<\/p>\n

At the Rock Hard festival rocked, drank and partied Tobi Wan Kenobi and Melli!!!!!<\/p>\n

At least we want to send a very special thanks to the Rock Hard-chief editor G\u00f6tz K\u00fchnemund for the great uncomplicated collaboration making this report possible!!!!!<\/p>\n

Thanx a lot and let\u2019s rock for another 20 years!!!!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rock Hard Festival 2003 (20th ANNIVERSARY) Rock Hard which is the leading hard rock and metal-magazine in Germany celebrated their 20th anniversary of holding the metal-flag high through the highs and lows of the music scene. As their festival location they chose the beautiful \u201eAmphitheater\u201c in Gelsenkirchen. At the Open-Air played 18 bands (each band … <\/p>\n

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