Milwaukee Metalfest 2004
July 30 & 31 Modjeska Theater
by Dr. Abner Mality
;)
"How did it come to this?"--King Theoden, "Lord of the Rings: The Two
Towers"
The foregoing quote comes as Theoden, King of Rohan, sees his kingdom
under assault by an endless army of orcs, trolls and monsters. It sums
up quite nicely my feelings after attending the 2004 edition of the
venerable Milwaukee Metalfest, the oldest gathering of its kind in the
nation.
Before digging further into the autopsy of this reeking corpse, let me
first extend very heartfelt gratitude to Debbie Sellnow, publicity
queen of Mazur PR. Thanks to her great efforts, I was able to attend the show
on a press pass. Thank you, Ms. Sellnow, you are a true credit to your
profession. Also, I felt a hell of a lot better that I did not have to
spend $60 for two days of cancelled bands, atrocious sound quality and
general ineptitude.
I knew the line-up this year was perhaps the worst ever, but I still
maintained optimism as I made the yearly trek to Milwaukee. However,
ominous feelings increased as I found myself traveling through a
neighborhood more akin to downtown Tiajuana than Milwaukee. The
forebodings then doubled upon seeing the Modjeska Theater, a decaying
hulk whose best years were likely before the Great Depression. The
second stage this year was a tent in the parking lot. Exactly the same
as the kind 70's cover bands play at the county fair. Inside, I kept
looking nervously at the theater ceiling, as it looked like chunks of
it could drop on the thin crowd at any time. A trip to the restroom
required nerves of steel, as it reeked like a stable and the urinals
didn't look like they had been cleaned since Capone visited in the
20's.
The smaller venue did contribute to a feeling of intimacy which had
been lacking at the U.S. Cellular Arena the last couple of years. It also
covered up the lack of crowd. I doubt if the attendance topped more
than 1000 this year, I don't know for sure. It would have been nice if there
had been real air conditioning, though.
In 1997, I attended my first Metalfest at the Eagles Club. The line-up
that year: Venom, Cradle of Filth, Obituary, Napalm Death, Impaled
Nazarene. And a further cast of great bands from all around the world,
large and small. In 2004, NOT ONE EUROPEAN BAND made an appearance. It
used to be that Milwaukee was the place to see these bands. Remember
the likes of Emperor, Sodom, Naglfar, Windir, Darkane, Primal Fear? They
all played great sets at Milwaukee Metalfest. Only a memory this year,
metal fans..."How did it come to this?"
To be fair, this may not all be promoter Jack Koschick's fault. The
heavy-handed security and travel restrictions placed on foreign bands
falling after 9/11 have certainly contributed to the lack of bangers from
abroad. But to the point where not a single band could make the trip? I
think not. Rather, I think Koschick has burned just about all his
bridges with bad treatment of bands like Sodom and Emperor and I
seriously doubt that foreign bands will return as long as his hand is
on the driver's wheel.
Well, that leaves domestic bands and surely there are enough quality
examples of these to choose from when putting together Metalfest. Or
so one would think. However, we are dealing with a promoter who primarily
wants bands to pay HIM, instead of the other way around. You see,
quality bands require money and it seems Mr. Koshick throws around
nickles like manhole covers. Quality bands are not going to come to
Milwaukee and play just because it is Metalfest. They need
transportation money and something to make it worth their while. This
year, it just wasn't in the cards.
Relapse Records used to have a very strong hand in Metalfest but
perhaps seeing the declining trend in Milwaukee over the last few years gave
them the push to pull out. If they would have stayed in, I'll bet
anything we would have seen bands like Suffocation, Mastodon, Dillinger
Escape Plan, Zeke, Exhumed. But such was not to be and the withdrawal
of Relapse...they didn't even have a merch booth...was a brutal blow. It
looks like the only strong supporter Jack has got left is Don Decker of
Anal Blast and that's not exactly going to set the metal world on fire.
So that leaves us with the ultimate quantity over quality band line-up,
a seemingly endless array of gullible, hapless "pay to play" bands
whose only purpose is to help pay for Koshick's downtown Milwaukee penthouse
and maybe a down payment on the Lexus. It's no secret that this is the
way Jack likes to operate and I don't feel sorry for any band stupid
enough to pay him $1500 and then get stuck with a Saturday 11:00 A.M.
slot playing in front of the few family and friends willing to make the
trip to Milwaukee. This year, Jack made a mint...any money from actual
ticket-buying fans is just icing on the cake. A nervous and visibly
upset member of Arizona band SOH virtually begged me and Joe Who to see
his band play and buy his merch. He was probably wondering if he would
make it home. Well, I never did see SOH. Welcome to Milwaukee, son.
"How did it come to this?"
And then we have the "name" bands who are advertised and never show.
You payed $60 to see Prong? Ooops, doesn't look like they're going to make
it. Sorry, Charlie. What's that about a refund? Get serious. The
no-shows this year included the aforementioned Prong, Dying Fetus,
Fleshgrind, MOD, Usurper (who had announced weeks earlier they weren't
playing and still their name appeared in advertising) and who knows who
the fuck else. Macabre was off, then on, then playing Friday, then
playing Saturday. You get the picture. This goes on every year, really,
but this year it was worse than usual and made more irritating because
there weren't many great bands to begin with.
Let's talk about the sound quality at Metalfest. Always a sticking
point for some, I've usually been pretty forgiving, even when bands played in
the fuckin' GARAGE at the US Cellular Arena, but 2004 sees an all time
low in sonic quality. We saw our friends from Michigan Summon play on
so-called "mainstage" and if there has ever been a shittier guitar
sound anywhere in the history of humanity, tell me where. It sucked the life
right out of one of the most intense bands to play the show. It is just
pathetic that the one-time major underground metal festival in the US
sounds worse than Mary's Place in Rockford on a Saturday night. In the
beer tent stage, the bass player from Wartorn basically just walked off
because he couldn't get ANY sound. I think the sound crew for this
event should be stripped naked, dipped in honey and tied to an ant hill. They
made good bands sound mediocre and mediocre bands sound unendurable. On
Saturday, Corporate Death of Macabre kept asking for more adjustments
on the monitors. Well, if they didn't work for the previous 70 or 80
bands, they're not gonna work for you.
Was there any redeeming factor to Metalfest 2004? Actually, yes.
Parking was free. I had a pretty good bratwurst for a very reasonable $2.75.
The beer was good and cold.
And you know something else? Despite all the fuck-ups, all the creeping
mediocrity which gave the Fest the feeling of a wake, there is still a
lot of fun and fellowship to be had at this event. It's a great social
event for underground metalheads and I look forward every year to
hanging out with my metal brothers in Milwaukee. This year, I met Joe
Who face to face for the first time, got to rap with DBN Hellspawn
writer Don (thanks for the beer,man!), and talked to many cool people.
I bought some great, hard to find CD's for reasonable prices at the merch
booths and got a vintage Hellhammer shirt for only $20.
You can bitch and moan about the decline in Metalfest all you want, but
while you're there, you might as well try to enjoy yourself. And you
know, I really did. Not all "pay to play" bands suck, despite what some
of the major metal mags may say. Some of them kicked my ass with a
vengeance. For example, Funeral Rites from Texas should be signed to
Earache Records. Deicide would have been proud of their ferocious,
bloodthirsty death metal assault. You can say the same thing about Try
Redemption. They played their hearts out up on that stage and the crowd
gave them a roaring response. For power metal fans, Beyond Glory was a
good bet. This is very strong Omen/Helstar type power metal with
tremendous female vocals. Skeleton Witch was another great unsigned
band whom you will be hearing more about...an amazing combination of
old-school thrash with a black metal feel. Also very worthy of mention
are Deviant, Emaciation and Deflagration.
Two sets deserve special mention. I had no idea what California's
Striknine was all about but after their thermonuclear blast of a set
finished, I knew I had seen some bad motherfuckers, that's for sure.
These guys REALLY laid down some blistering thrash/death metal,coming
across like an incredibly pissed off and evil Testament. This was a
hungry young band going for the throat and succeeding in ripping it
right out. Massive hails to Striknine and I hope this band gets signed
soon!
That brings me to Stone Vengeance. If you would have told me that three
black guys in their forties were going to be the saviors of Metalfest,
I wouldn't have believed it. But that's exactly what happened. Stone
Vengeance has a pretty amazing story to tell. They were one time
back-up players for the "Superfreak" Rick James, but when Rick decided burning
crack whores' private parts with a hot pipe was a good thing to do,
they struck out on their own. These guys have been playing metal since
1979!!!! And based on what I saw this weekend, they do it better than
most. They took that beer tent in the parking lot and just shredded it
with a fun, frantic set full of blazing speed riffs, killer drumming
and some of the best bass playing I have ever heard in my life. Stone
Vengeance was full of life, energy and heavy metal spirit. This was
something pure as the mountain air. When the band broke into a great
cover of Ozzy's "I Don't Know", every single person in that tent sang
along. Their super charismatic lead singer wiped his brow and laughed
"I'm 41 years old, y'all, and let me tell you...ibuprofen helps!" These
guys weren't interested in some phony tough guy or Satanic act...they
just loved to play heavy metal. It was refreshing. While these guys
were on the stage, I thought this was the best Metalfest ever. Even
Thrash-head was digging them the most!
After their wonderful set, though, it was back to bar bands full of
bald-headed tough guys yelling inspirational stuff like "Come on,
motherfuckers!", "Let's go, motherfuckers!" or the daringly different
"Make some noise, motherfuckers!". Lots of bands weren't really bad,
and they played their hearts out, but it was all so typical. And it
definitely was NOT the best the metal scene had to offer. As high as
Stone Vengeance and Striknine made me feel, Stabcorp brought me to new
depths. How the fuck did it come to this? Two barechested teenage boys,
pants worn wigger style, screaming incoherently at each other while a
half-assed keyboardist and guitar player struggled to make any kind of
coherent pattern at all. I felt ashamed to be a part of it.
How did the "big boys"...those who bothered to show up...do? I thought
Watch Them Die put on a hell of an entertaining show...their maniacally
grinning front man looks like the Devil himself. Cattle Decapitation
was fairly good grind, but Mortal Decay was better, with another extremely
disturbed lead vocalist. However, as he prepared to launch into another
barrage of grunts, the police suddenly walked on stage and told us we
had to evacuate in an orderly manner. It seems there might be a fire in
the building.
Visions of Rhode Island and Great White flew through my head as I left
the Modjeska. But it was only a temporary delay and soon I was back
sweating in front of Deeds of Flesh. These guys are really something
else with their immensely technical form of death metal but once again,
sound problems plagued them. The singer/guitarist lost his cool with
the ignorant buffoons working the stage, but could hardly be blamed. After
this, I was so tired that I didn't even bother to stay and watch Black
Dahlia Murder and Death Angel.
I returned the next day like a dutiful soldier and slogged through more
PTP bands. I was very curious to see old time thrashers Nasty Savage in
the beer tent and their set wound up providing me with the most
memorable experience of the weekend. When for some reason the plug was
pulled on their set, I grabbed one of the prop TV's that singer Nasty
Ronnie destroys on stage and threw it in a rage to the pavement, where
angry bangers helped smash it to bits. I turned to Ronnie and asked
"What the hell is this about? You guys are the last band to play in the
tent tonight, you've got nobody behind you!" Ronnie replied, "I don't
know what the fuck is going on!" Neither does Jack Koshick, that's for
sure.
I ran back inside to catch Beyond Therapy from nearby Wausau. A very
entertaining bunch, they delivered the goods with some excellent
stomping metal. Then it was time for Macabre, who play Metalfest every
year. But I suspect this year will be the last. These guys are always
hugely popular and the crowd went apeshit for them as usual. But their
set seems predictable and mechanical to me, with Corporate Death doing
the usual spiel about "Albert Fish frying Billy's butt with bacon
strips" and "Jeffrey Dahmer liked to play with roadkill as a boy". Once
again, sound problems hit and Mr. Death was visibly unhappy with the
poor monitor sound.
Attacker hit the stage next and looked like they were going to raise a
hell of a ruckus with their old school power metal, complete with Bob
Mitchell's ear-piercing screams. But enough was enough for this old
boy.
I decided to throw in the towel on Milwaukee Metalfest 2004. I wasn't
going to stick around to see the mockery that Jerry Only calls The
Misfits. Not even Seven Witches could entice me to stay any more.
And so there you have it. How the mighty have fallen. It will take a
miracle worker to bring respectability back to this event and I hope
Mr. Koschick and the harebrained imbeciles who worked the soundboards here
retire and never come near it again. But was it all bad? No, not as
long as there are true metalheads who enjoy the company of those like
themselves, and as long as there are a few talented bands willing to
step above mediocrity.
Metal fans are the most loyal and dedicated in the world. They deserve
the very best. Not to get ripped off and jerked around to pay for some
greedy SOB's luxurious lifestyle. I will let my compatriots relate
their own thoughts on the show...
"How did it come to this?"
Metalfest 2004
By Thrash-head
As I reached exit 312 on Interstate 43, I was lost in the excitement
and anticipation of yet another year of metal festivities. Milwaukee
Metalfest has been something that I have seriously, or probably more
accurately; severely looked forward to since 1999. I have several
fond memories of the fest; from sleeping on the front steps of the Milwaukee
Auditorium in ’99 to in ’03 being drug along to some nameless/faceless
band’s hotel room only to have the vocalist from Enslaved walk through
the door. Also, don’t forget the fantastic sets played by metal’s
elite, the merchandise booths that seemed to cause the $20 bills to fly out of
my wallet, and the North American debuts by bands such as In Flames,
Children of Bodom, Opeth, Soilwork, and Primal Fear.
Let it be noted though, that the Jack Koshick-promoted Milwaukee
Metalfests always had a serious share of difficulties. Yes, there were
instances that couldn’t have been avoided, like in 2002 when rather
than board the plane to bring them to the U.S., Angel Dust decided to just
break up instead. However, those instances pale in comparison both in
terms of overall effect as well as in sheer unbelievable numbers to
those instances where, let’s face it, somebody just plain dropped the
ball. The sound quality on the main stages has always been notoriously
bad for the reverb as well as the lack of any substantial quality
mixer-sound production, period. The schedules always seem to have a
tendency to go completely nuts (although, I believe it was either 2000
or 2001 where the only deviation was that one stage was a set ahead of
schedule on Saturday… bravo for nearly making it).
And let us not forget the numerous complaints from the scene about the
pay-to-play ringer that Koshick runs the unsigned and lesser-known
bands through, presumably to help fund the passage and payment of the big
European names as well as to cover the expenses, of which undoubtedly
there are numerous. Still though, $1000-1500 for a 20 minute set is
unfair any way you cut it. Oh, and that’s another thing, the
ever-shortening set lengths for ALL bands, not just the lesser-knowns.
I still don’t think that Macabre has ever played a Metalfest set for
longer than a half-hour, and if a band with their track record doesn’t
at least deserve 45 minutes, then what hope do we have?
Regardless of these facts, I still manage to hold out in anticipation
for the big weekend. The weekend that I have requested off of work
months in advance. The weekend that I have been saving my hard-earned
and spare change for just so that I can have serious buying power when
the big days arrive. The weekend that everyone I know wishes I would
shut up about because they are sick and tired of hearing about it.
So I take my exit, and according to my directions I take a left on 11th
St. and then a right on Mitchell. And what do my eyes behold? The
tiniest, little, pissant, piece-of-shit theater I have ever laid eyes
upon, with a battered marquee heading of “Meta lf es t.” This damn
theater is where they expect to hold oh so many bands and oh so many
vendors? I wouldn’t have believed it until I stepped inside, and you
know something? I still don’t believe that anyone could have possibly
thought it was a good idea. Where the hell was the side stage? To this,
my out-loud-thinking was answered by a yellow-clad security guard
pointing towards an exit door and a tent awaiting outside. Unbelievable
that in a neighborhood that makes the ghettos of Rockford, IL seem like
Beverly Hills, someone decided to stick an outdoor stage here.
Now the band listing isn’t exempt from my bitch-and-moan session
either.
Question #1…where the hell are the foreign bands? I don’t even think
there was a single band from Canada, much less Sweden, Finland, or
Brazil. (Canada's Core Device was supposed to be there but I don't know
if they were...Doc) I mean, if this is the reason why unsigned and
lesser known artists need to pay $1000+ just to play for 20 minutes,
then where was all that money going this year? I mean, I could have
probably counted the number of signed artists on my fingers and toes,
and these were just signed American artists mind you. Therefore, if
almost none of the bands are getting paid, and the venue is making
enough money off their food and drinks to keep them happy ($3.50 for a
can of Red Bull, are you shitting me?!?), then who is getting this
money? Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?
Question #2…ok, in years gone by
the sets have gotten shorter and shorter, but why 20 minutes for bands like Seven
Witches, Cephalic Carnage (3 flippin’ songs), Macabre, Black Dahlia
Murder, and many others that the crowd loved and who seriously deserved
more? And what was with the bullshit of everyone getting cut off?
Ask any Death Angel fan what song Death Angel is probably saving to play as
the last song, and they’ll probably say “Bored”. Our bay area friends
even loudly proclaimed it to be the last tune of the evening, and they
were maybe a half minute from finishing it up, when all of a sudden the
houselights were bright as hell and there was no sound but that of muted
drums and guitars with no power
in the amps. Reminds me of when Skinlab played in ’99, but when that
happened Skinlab did the right thing and just kept on jamming like
nothing happened until the sound guy was basically forced into turning
it all back on. Right on!
As far as the bands themselves go, are there really this many naïve and
sadly over-confident and horrible bands out there that are WILLING to
pay to play this thing? (More than ever,obviously... Cynical Mality) I
mean, in past fests there was a lot of good bands that were unsigned,
but the awesome sleeper bands are getting fewer and farther between. My
favorite demo bands this year were Necromis (awesome moshing death!),
Skeleton Witch (a name befitting a doom band, but here you had a sort
of raw hyperthrash band, like a slightly under-developed Black Dahlia
Murder), Funeral Rites (awesome Texas death metal recommended to me by
Doctor Mality), Stone Vengeance (3 black dudes who had more fun onstage
than any other band I’ve ever seen), and Beyond the Flesh (awesome
euro-style hyperthrash/death that didn’t let up). As far as notable
(whether good or bad) sets from the signed bands, allow me to list them
for you:
Summon: my boys from Michigan are one of the few bands that I look
forward to every year. This year they played their hearts out and I
fear it was for nothing. Simply put, the sound engineer should have been
castrated for this atrocity. One listen to the most recent Summon disc
and you know that they are an aural experience unlike any other, but
the sound quality almost took all the fun out, and if you were looking at
the look on Necromodeus’ face, it took all the fun out for him.
Misfits: Jerry, get Doyle on the phone and then find a better singer or
something…Jesus!
Seven Witches: Unbelievable heavy metal the way it was meant to be
played! I about got my head torn off by the searing guitar playing of
Jack Frost and the soaring vocals of James Rivera. And this was the
first time I had ever heard James do a death growl… awesome!
Deeds of Flesh: Further proof that if you are from a state famous for
it’s oranges, then you very well might have a bitchin’ death metal
band!
Watch Them Die: I was very pleasantly surprised by these Oakland
hardcore thrashers. Very impressive display of attitude and heaviness.
Cattle Decapitation: Holy Shit!!! I am now converted. These guys were
amazing and their frontman was one of the few in death metal that
actually tries to be a “frontman,” and not just some dude who stands in
one spot and grunts in between headbangs.
Origin: I was very much anticipating their set to see how the new
drummer and guitarist panned out. I mean, how do you replace Jeremy
Turner and John Longstreth? I dunno, but they obviously found the right
dudes to do it. Unbelievable set and I loved the new songs that will be
on the next CD. I can’t wait!
Oh, and the award for most out-of-place-looking-band-member goes to the
drummer for Mortal Decay. He was an amazing drummer, but with his buff
bod and the visor he was sporting, he reminded me of the football jocks
from a private high school more than he did of a death metal drummer.
Now, as if the scheduling wasn’t bad enough…here is Thrash-head’s most
major complaint. See, my ever-expanding waistline can be attributed to
boredom. When I get bored, I eat or drink something. Simple as that!
The same can be said for my Metalfest purchases. When I get bored of the
bands on stage and the food that is making my wallet gasp for breath is
no longer interesting, I go and buy something from one of the vendors.
If I go to the vendors and nothing interests me right away, I will
politely ask for a recommendation (Chas from the band Summon runs
Blackened Moon Productions, and when I asked him for a recommendation
last year he gave me Hegemon… Who kicks ass? Chas kicks ass!!!). Now
this year, I kid you not, that was next to impossible. Most of the kick-ass
booths from last year, including mainstays like Relapse Records and
Dark Symphonies as well as internet distro gods The End Records, were
nowhere in sight. Don’t you worry, though, as the vastly over-priced Rare
T-shirts booth still had them piled high and the Nightfall Records
booth was still taking up space.
I literally bought EVERYTHING that
interested me that I didn’t already own from the Century Media
booth. I’m not suggesting at all that Century Media had a bad selection
(although cramped conditions made it next to impossible for them to
have a seriously good one like in years gone by), but none of the other
booths had anything I wanted really, so instead I kept going over to
the same booth over and over again, talking to the cool girl that had the
red and black hair, only to leave her sad and dismayed that I didn’t
buy another CD or poster. One fourth of all the CDs I purchased over the
weekend (8 out of 32) came from the Century Media booth. This should
not happen!
Don’t get me wrong, they are some of the coolest people I ever
had the pleasure of handing my money to and getting a good
solid-quality product from and they do deserve my money, if not for the product than
definitely the service, but there should have been more booths there
that were competing for my dollar with awesome stuff.
All in all, I have this to say. If anything positive resulted from this
fest, let it be that maybe, just maybe Jack Koshick finally got the
necessary kick in the ass to maybe change his business practices, (fat
chance) or to just stop doing these fests altogether. I believe the
Midwest needs a metal festival, but let’s give a promoter in the
Chicagoland area a go at something that is along the lines of the
metalfests from a few short years ago, where you have about 100 bands,
among them many of the top names and a lot of foreign bands, a few
stages, and fantastic support and sponsoring from the top names in
metal record sales and distribution. If there must be a pay-to-play type of
deal, let’s drastically reduce the price and put some serious cash into
advertising and see if we can’t get by on ticket sales alone. It might
work if we get a promoter with a day job, but if we get one who only
does promoting, like Koshick and co., then I have a feeling we’ll get
shafted again.
A big thanks to Debbie Sellnow for hooking us up again, and a big
thanks to Don Decker for not kicking my ass from the incident with
Crystal (I like the magazine you gave me, bro…thanks!). Oh, and thanks
to Dr. Mality and Joe Who (cool meeting you, man!).
Milwaukee Metalfest 2004
By Joe Who?
It all started eighteen years ago. Promoter Jack Koshick had an
idea, to assemble a show that catered to the die hard metal fan.
If you've never been to a Milwaukee Metalfest, it's always a
colossal event. Usually consisting of multiple stages, 100+ bands from around
the world, a large vendor area, (mostly record labels - for your shopping
needs!)and other stuff like autograph signings - which have included
porno stars and wrestlers. Held the last weekend of July every year,
it's always a blast to hang out with friends, and see some awesome bands.
Metalfest has played "Musical Chairs" within the last few years. The
majority of them were held at the Rave / Eagle's Ballroom, but
eventually it out grew this venue. It served its purpose for a while,
but Metalfest was growing and needed a new home.
From there it moved to the Milwaukee Auditorium a larger venue, that
lasted for about two years. The building was eventually closed down to
be remodeled, causing Metalfest to move once again. Next up was The
U.S. Cellular Arena. A giant sized building that would last for another two
years. (Where many great bands wound up playing in the garage.--Dr.
Mality)
That takes us to this year, and the latest venue for Metalfest - The
Modjeska Theatre. This year was definitely a lot smaller then
previous fests. So what exactly caused this decline?
The main factor to blame is the concept of "Pay To Play". A lot of
these younger bands have to pay to be on the fest. Every year with so many
bands playing, the schedule can never run on time. So you're going to
have some bands play longer, and some get their time cut short. I'd be
willing to bet a lot of these bands don't even break even what they had
to pay to be on the fest. (Guaranteed! The only winner is Koshick!--Dr. M)
So let's try to analyze this, pretend your a band playing the fest.
You have to pay to be on it, the schedule is messed up - your band is
only allowed to play two songs, and to top it all off the sound is
really bad. Would you want to play Metalfest again?
Attending this year's fest, I noticed some things Missing In Action:
1. No European Bands - At past fests they were the first to bring in
bands like; In Flames, Cradle Of Filth, Anathema, Katatonia etc... Not
even one this year.
2. Lack Of Vendors - Compared to the past, their were hardly any
vendors this year. The major one was Century Media, everyone else was
small mail order distro's - very disappointing.
3. Band Cancelations - A lot of bands "No Showed" this year. Friday
wasn't bad, but Saturday was terrible. (examples; No - Fleshgrind,
Dying Fetus, Prong, Diabolic, M.O.D., Meat Shits, Nuclear Winter)
If you can look past all of this, and try to make the best of it,
eventually you'll find some good bands to check out. Highlights for me
included:
Friday:
Without End - Decent thrash band from New Jersey.
Skeleton Witch - Good thrash band, with an In Flames type sound.
Stone Vengeance - Great "Old School" Rockin' Band. (The band usedto
be Rick James back up band!)
Black Dahlia Murder - Great performance, crowd was really into it.
Cattle Decapitation - Good stuff, they definitely threw down for
sure.
Deeds Of Flesh - Always crushing.
Death Angel - Great live band, I really enjoyed the old stuff.
Saturday:
Beyond Glory - Good Power Metal band with female vocals from North
Carolina.
Kaos - Great thrash band from Califorina.
Vesperian Sorrow - Death / Black Metal from Texas. Enjoyable, but no
keyboard player? (sampled keyboards)
Origin - Brutal! I was really surprised by Origin, they definitely
delivered - even with a revolving door of new band members.
Nasty Savage - Kicked Ass! Total "Old School".
Macabre - Always fun, crowd favorite for sure.
Attacker - Decent "Old School" Power Metal.
Cephalic Carnage - See Macabre.
Overall I'd say Metalfest this year was very disappointing, it was
for the most part a "Spot Fest", where you really had to explore.
Could this be the final Milwaukee Metalfest? Let me ask my Magic 8 -
Ball, and see what it predicts - "Sure Looks That Way".
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