A few weeks ago I made a preview for PPIV, now I will make my review.
Pre-Show Party:
It was unfortunate that some bands did not show up (or some members of certain bands) because I still remember how great it was last year when they all showed up and I got to meet the musicians I wanted to meet. But the bands that played this year were a lot better than last year.
Katagory V:
very interesting mix of prog and power metal. They had a very good rythm section and I enjoyed their show.
Stride:
They were great! They have by far been the best pre-show party band I have seen so far. Great Dream Theater style prog metal. The guitarist was insane!!!!!! I could see them opening a ProgPower one year in the future.
Prymary:
Did not sound bad, but I left early into set because I had not slept in over 24 hours (I drove all night Wednesday). Can't really comment on them.
Friday:
Redemption:
I thought they did a pretty decent job at opening the festival. It is definitely not my favortie style of music, but I felt they played very professionally and it all sounded pretty good. I guess the appearance of Ray Adler was cool for many (I am not a big Fates Warning fan) and thus there was some excitement in the crowd (for opening act standards). I guess the weird part was that it was hard to tell who was a permanent member and who was a guest. But still a pretty decent show!
Mercenary:
I really enjoyed their mix of death and melodic metal. They were by far the best non-power/prog band at any PP I have been to (II, III, and IV). I was really impressed by the lead-guitarrist who I believe is brand new in the band and is only 19. He played every single note to perfection!!! Great talent! The sound was very good and clean, and the clean/death vocals at the same time sound really cool and original (I have not heard many bands with clean/death vocals where both sing at the same time). They also had a very solid set list and lots of energy on stage. Great show!!!
Vanden Plas:
I was expecting great things from these guys, but I have to say they exceeded my expectations. I was really amazed by the energy they brought to their show. It is not easy to do that when you are in a prog metal band since the style is not as energetic as power metal, but they did one hell of a job at it. They played everything to perfection and their setlist was great. The guitarrist Stephan Lill was amazing. He played every solo to perfection and his overall sound was heavy and crystal clear. Andy Kuntz (vocals) was flawless as well. I was really impressed by his great "live" voice as well as by his great stage presence. The rest of the band was also rock solid. That was a great show!!! I'm very glad Glenn gave them another chance after PPII.
Nightwish:
You could easily tell they were the most anticipated band at PPIV as the crowd just went nuts seconds before they came on stage. Their live sound was impecable and powerful, and there was a really great vibe in the venue. Tarja is truly a great singer and it was fun to see her since you don't get to see many female fronted metal-bands (I know there are quite a few, but here in US I have only seen Arch Enemy and now Nightwish) She still needs to losen up when it comes to her movements on stage (always does the same hand gestures). The drummer was great and I was really impressed by the bassist's voice. He sang all his parts to perfection and he was quite entertaining, which is good since the rest of the band seems to be very shy. The biggest disappointment for me here was the setlist: in my preview I said they would not play many songs from Oceanborn...well...they only played one and that was a ballad. WTF??? Oceanborn is IMO their best album and they just ignored it. Also, why the hell play two covers??? Over the Hills was great...but Crazy Train??? And where were the classics such as Sacrament of Wilderness, Pharaoh Sails to Orion or Wanderlust???Like I said, great sound, great energy, great vibe, great performance...but very mediocre set-list. It could have been much better.
Symphony X:
One word: WOW!!! What a show!!! I agree Romeo's guitar was to high, but still they did a historical performance. Russell Allen sounded better than ever. Man can he sing!!! And he has the perfect personality for a frontman. And Michael Romeo...he was shredding like a God!!! I can't believe how effortless he plays all this stuff. The entire band was great as always and the set-list was perfect. Without a doubt the highlight was "The Odyssey"!!! I can't believe they pulled it out without the use of tapes...just the instruments. Romeo and Pinella were just amazing and everybody loved it. I also loved the fact that they played both Accolades in a row because many people (including myself) had been hoping to her those two played together in a live show. Of Sins and Shadows, Evolution, Sea of Lies, Out of the Ashed, Smoke and Mirrors, etc. They really know how to pick the best songs. By far the best band of Night 1. I was glad they got to play the 5th slot instead of Nightwish because "The Odyssey" was the perfect ending for a long day of metal.
Saturday:
Pagan's Mind:
Without any doubt the best opener ever at a ProgPower. Man, I am addicted to "Celestial Entrance" and I was hoping for a great live show...and they managed to exceed all my expectations. They played everything to perfection, as if I was listening to the CD. They also seemed to have a lot of fun in playing live and managed to win over the crowd in 45 minutes. The only disappointment was that they only played 45 minutes...I wanted more!!! (and I am sure many others felt the same way). The singer was hitting every note to perfection, the lead guitarrist was nailing all the solos with ease, the basist was having the fun of his life, the drummer, rythm guitarrist, and keyboardist were all playing great as well. Man, are they a cool band! I would not be surprised to see them again at PPVI or VII playing 3rd or 4th slot. As predicted in my preview, the surprise of the festival IMO.
Secret Sphere:
Man...this was terrible! They were the only band at PPIV that I did not like. Actually, I could not stand them. Everything went wrong...the sound was horrible (couldn't hear any of the two guitars), the setlist awful (I was hoping for songs off the first two albums, but they almost only played the new album, which sucks!), the singer had no idea how to deal with the crowd, and what is up with those outfits??????
The only positive thing was the back-up singer...not because of her voice (which was terrible by the way) but because she was hot as hell. This was the only bad performance of the weekend.
Circle II Circle:
In my preview I had said they were going to be the most boring band this year's festival, but I was wrong. They truly offered a great show highlighted by Zack's incredible voice and the band's overall great stage presence. They really knew how to excite the audience. I am not saying that they were my favorite band because I still don't really dig their music, and I am not a big Savatage fan either, but they did exceed my expectations and made it a very enjoyable show for me. Good job!
Evergrey:
I really love this band, and their performance at PPII was amazing, but I was a bit disappointed by their performance this year. They have become a bit predictable live (this was third time I have seen them) and their sound was not really good (could not hear the melodies, and the only guitar I could hear was Englund's) Their setlist was great, although the Trilogy of the Damned was a bit long. I would have prefered if they would have done one of those three songs only, not all three ina a row.
Also, what's up with that fat guy who was running on stage all the time??? It was funny, but somehow made the show a bit silly, which is not ideal I think for Evergrey's dark style.
ON the positive side: This was the second time I have seen thier drummer live, and I must say he does one hell of a job. He is a great talent and hopefully will continue with Evergrey in the future.
It was a very enjoyable show and obviously the crowd loved it, but they could do better I think.
Rage:
I don't know where to start. First off, it was sad to see so many people leave and turn their back to one of the greatest metal bands EVER!!! I had never seen PP so empty for the closing band. Over 20 years of great metal and that is the reception they get??? When I got back to the hotel (Fairfield) and hung out on the terrace where people were talking (including members from Pagans Mind, Vanden PLas, and Mercenary) I heard one preson say "I'm glad I left after Evergrey. I have never heard Rage so I did not want to go out on a bad note" I had heard a lot of people say that before the festival "I don't know Rage" or "I have one CD from them and do not really like it (referring to a CD from the 80s, as if that represents the history of Rage, a band that has had more different sounding albums than probably any band in power metal history)", etc. What the fuck???? So many people did not even give them a chance!!! Well, to that person in Fairfield, and all the others, I can say 100% "you missed the best performance in ProgPower history!" They fucking kicked everybody's ass!!! They could have played without energy seeing that people had ignored them, but they did exactlky the opposite, delivering the most energetic and kick-ass show I have ever seen in my life (and I have seen a shit load of concerts) The only people I talked to about it, and who also were front row with me, agreed 100% with what I am saying. Terrana was an animal on drums. A machine!!! He had more energy by himself than all the other PorgPower bands put together. Smolski is one of the coolest guitarrists ever!!! He is in the same league as Michael Romeo and what he did Saturday night was nothing short of amazing. Peavy Wagner, the mind behind Rage, sung flawlessly and also proved to be a monster on bass. He never stopped smiling and had constant contact with the crowd. The set-list, which had to be cut short, was great! Every song kicked ass and they played it with so much energy that I forgot about all my aches that I was feeling at the time due to the long hours of staning in line and being front row for the entire festival without leaving my spot one single time. Usually I am not a big fan of guitar/drum solos since it takes away time for more songs, but in this case I was happy as fuck that they did it, because those were probably the coolest solos ever. Especially Mike Terrana on drums. He is not human!!! He said "I have to destroy this drum kit" and he did exactly that. I had to constantly lift my jaw off the floor in amazement of his skills and speed!!! And I was so happy to see them play the instrumental "Unity"...wow!!!
Many of you probably think I am some crazy Rage-nut who would worship this band no matter what, but I am being 100% honest as a metal fan who has seen a lot of concerts. I never had so much fun in my life. I expected to be sad that PP IV was over, but instead I left with the biggest smile on my face (as well as my friends who also were there). They alone were worth the price of the Gold Badge. I'm 100% sure they will never play in US again (I wouldn't if I was them), but I will definitely go see them in Europe again.
Later I met Terrana (What a nice guy - I wish I could have met the other two as well) and he pretty much summed it all up: explaining why he lived in Germany: "For twenty years I have been playing my ass off in this country but people have just ignored what I do" They once again did it on Saturday. What a shame!
Overall this was probably the strongest ProgPower overall since 9 of the 10 bands ranged from good to amazing. As always everything ran very smoothly except for the sampler's that were being played over the speakers in between bands because they were playing the same CDs over and over and over and over again, and on the second night it was so low you could not hear a thing. It was better in previous years. Still, once again ProgPower was a huge success!!! Thumps up to Glenn.
Next year lets see some Grave Digger, Brainstorm (I noticed lots of people got excited everytime Brainstorm got played over over speakers), Adagio (not very likely), Nocturnal Rites, Masterplan, etc
Pre-Show Party:
It was unfortunate that some bands did not show up (or some members of certain bands) because I still remember how great it was last year when they all showed up and I got to meet the musicians I wanted to meet. But the bands that played this year were a lot better than last year.
Katagory V:
very interesting mix of prog and power metal. They had a very good rythm section and I enjoyed their show.
Stride:
They were great! They have by far been the best pre-show party band I have seen so far. Great Dream Theater style prog metal. The guitarist was insane!!!!!! I could see them opening a ProgPower one year in the future.
Prymary:
Did not sound bad, but I left early into set because I had not slept in over 24 hours (I drove all night Wednesday). Can't really comment on them.
Friday:
Redemption:
I thought they did a pretty decent job at opening the festival. It is definitely not my favortie style of music, but I felt they played very professionally and it all sounded pretty good. I guess the appearance of Ray Adler was cool for many (I am not a big Fates Warning fan) and thus there was some excitement in the crowd (for opening act standards). I guess the weird part was that it was hard to tell who was a permanent member and who was a guest. But still a pretty decent show!
Mercenary:
I really enjoyed their mix of death and melodic metal. They were by far the best non-power/prog band at any PP I have been to (II, III, and IV). I was really impressed by the lead-guitarrist who I believe is brand new in the band and is only 19. He played every single note to perfection!!! Great talent! The sound was very good and clean, and the clean/death vocals at the same time sound really cool and original (I have not heard many bands with clean/death vocals where both sing at the same time). They also had a very solid set list and lots of energy on stage. Great show!!!
Vanden Plas:
I was expecting great things from these guys, but I have to say they exceeded my expectations. I was really amazed by the energy they brought to their show. It is not easy to do that when you are in a prog metal band since the style is not as energetic as power metal, but they did one hell of a job at it. They played everything to perfection and their setlist was great. The guitarrist Stephan Lill was amazing. He played every solo to perfection and his overall sound was heavy and crystal clear. Andy Kuntz (vocals) was flawless as well. I was really impressed by his great "live" voice as well as by his great stage presence. The rest of the band was also rock solid. That was a great show!!! I'm very glad Glenn gave them another chance after PPII.
Nightwish:
You could easily tell they were the most anticipated band at PPIV as the crowd just went nuts seconds before they came on stage. Their live sound was impecable and powerful, and there was a really great vibe in the venue. Tarja is truly a great singer and it was fun to see her since you don't get to see many female fronted metal-bands (I know there are quite a few, but here in US I have only seen Arch Enemy and now Nightwish) She still needs to losen up when it comes to her movements on stage (always does the same hand gestures). The drummer was great and I was really impressed by the bassist's voice. He sang all his parts to perfection and he was quite entertaining, which is good since the rest of the band seems to be very shy. The biggest disappointment for me here was the setlist: in my preview I said they would not play many songs from Oceanborn...well...they only played one and that was a ballad. WTF??? Oceanborn is IMO their best album and they just ignored it. Also, why the hell play two covers??? Over the Hills was great...but Crazy Train??? And where were the classics such as Sacrament of Wilderness, Pharaoh Sails to Orion or Wanderlust???Like I said, great sound, great energy, great vibe, great performance...but very mediocre set-list. It could have been much better.
Symphony X:
One word: WOW!!! What a show!!! I agree Romeo's guitar was to high, but still they did a historical performance. Russell Allen sounded better than ever. Man can he sing!!! And he has the perfect personality for a frontman. And Michael Romeo...he was shredding like a God!!! I can't believe how effortless he plays all this stuff. The entire band was great as always and the set-list was perfect. Without a doubt the highlight was "The Odyssey"!!! I can't believe they pulled it out without the use of tapes...just the instruments. Romeo and Pinella were just amazing and everybody loved it. I also loved the fact that they played both Accolades in a row because many people (including myself) had been hoping to her those two played together in a live show. Of Sins and Shadows, Evolution, Sea of Lies, Out of the Ashed, Smoke and Mirrors, etc. They really know how to pick the best songs. By far the best band of Night 1. I was glad they got to play the 5th slot instead of Nightwish because "The Odyssey" was the perfect ending for a long day of metal.
Saturday:
Pagan's Mind:
Without any doubt the best opener ever at a ProgPower. Man, I am addicted to "Celestial Entrance" and I was hoping for a great live show...and they managed to exceed all my expectations. They played everything to perfection, as if I was listening to the CD. They also seemed to have a lot of fun in playing live and managed to win over the crowd in 45 minutes. The only disappointment was that they only played 45 minutes...I wanted more!!! (and I am sure many others felt the same way). The singer was hitting every note to perfection, the lead guitarrist was nailing all the solos with ease, the basist was having the fun of his life, the drummer, rythm guitarrist, and keyboardist were all playing great as well. Man, are they a cool band! I would not be surprised to see them again at PPVI or VII playing 3rd or 4th slot. As predicted in my preview, the surprise of the festival IMO.
Secret Sphere:
Man...this was terrible! They were the only band at PPIV that I did not like. Actually, I could not stand them. Everything went wrong...the sound was horrible (couldn't hear any of the two guitars), the setlist awful (I was hoping for songs off the first two albums, but they almost only played the new album, which sucks!), the singer had no idea how to deal with the crowd, and what is up with those outfits??????
The only positive thing was the back-up singer...not because of her voice (which was terrible by the way) but because she was hot as hell. This was the only bad performance of the weekend.Circle II Circle:
In my preview I had said they were going to be the most boring band this year's festival, but I was wrong. They truly offered a great show highlighted by Zack's incredible voice and the band's overall great stage presence. They really knew how to excite the audience. I am not saying that they were my favorite band because I still don't really dig their music, and I am not a big Savatage fan either, but they did exceed my expectations and made it a very enjoyable show for me. Good job!
Evergrey:
I really love this band, and their performance at PPII was amazing, but I was a bit disappointed by their performance this year. They have become a bit predictable live (this was third time I have seen them) and their sound was not really good (could not hear the melodies, and the only guitar I could hear was Englund's) Their setlist was great, although the Trilogy of the Damned was a bit long. I would have prefered if they would have done one of those three songs only, not all three ina a row.
Also, what's up with that fat guy who was running on stage all the time??? It was funny, but somehow made the show a bit silly, which is not ideal I think for Evergrey's dark style.
ON the positive side: This was the second time I have seen thier drummer live, and I must say he does one hell of a job. He is a great talent and hopefully will continue with Evergrey in the future.
It was a very enjoyable show and obviously the crowd loved it, but they could do better I think.
Rage:
I don't know where to start. First off, it was sad to see so many people leave and turn their back to one of the greatest metal bands EVER!!! I had never seen PP so empty for the closing band. Over 20 years of great metal and that is the reception they get??? When I got back to the hotel (Fairfield) and hung out on the terrace where people were talking (including members from Pagans Mind, Vanden PLas, and Mercenary) I heard one preson say "I'm glad I left after Evergrey. I have never heard Rage so I did not want to go out on a bad note" I had heard a lot of people say that before the festival "I don't know Rage" or "I have one CD from them and do not really like it (referring to a CD from the 80s, as if that represents the history of Rage, a band that has had more different sounding albums than probably any band in power metal history)", etc. What the fuck???? So many people did not even give them a chance!!! Well, to that person in Fairfield, and all the others, I can say 100% "you missed the best performance in ProgPower history!" They fucking kicked everybody's ass!!! They could have played without energy seeing that people had ignored them, but they did exactlky the opposite, delivering the most energetic and kick-ass show I have ever seen in my life (and I have seen a shit load of concerts) The only people I talked to about it, and who also were front row with me, agreed 100% with what I am saying. Terrana was an animal on drums. A machine!!! He had more energy by himself than all the other PorgPower bands put together. Smolski is one of the coolest guitarrists ever!!! He is in the same league as Michael Romeo and what he did Saturday night was nothing short of amazing. Peavy Wagner, the mind behind Rage, sung flawlessly and also proved to be a monster on bass. He never stopped smiling and had constant contact with the crowd. The set-list, which had to be cut short, was great! Every song kicked ass and they played it with so much energy that I forgot about all my aches that I was feeling at the time due to the long hours of staning in line and being front row for the entire festival without leaving my spot one single time. Usually I am not a big fan of guitar/drum solos since it takes away time for more songs, but in this case I was happy as fuck that they did it, because those were probably the coolest solos ever. Especially Mike Terrana on drums. He is not human!!! He said "I have to destroy this drum kit" and he did exactly that. I had to constantly lift my jaw off the floor in amazement of his skills and speed!!! And I was so happy to see them play the instrumental "Unity"...wow!!!
Many of you probably think I am some crazy Rage-nut who would worship this band no matter what, but I am being 100% honest as a metal fan who has seen a lot of concerts. I never had so much fun in my life. I expected to be sad that PP IV was over, but instead I left with the biggest smile on my face (as well as my friends who also were there). They alone were worth the price of the Gold Badge. I'm 100% sure they will never play in US again (I wouldn't if I was them), but I will definitely go see them in Europe again.
Later I met Terrana (What a nice guy - I wish I could have met the other two as well) and he pretty much summed it all up: explaining why he lived in Germany: "For twenty years I have been playing my ass off in this country but people have just ignored what I do" They once again did it on Saturday. What a shame!
Overall this was probably the strongest ProgPower overall since 9 of the 10 bands ranged from good to amazing. As always everything ran very smoothly except for the sampler's that were being played over the speakers in between bands because they were playing the same CDs over and over and over and over again, and on the second night it was so low you could not hear a thing. It was better in previous years. Still, once again ProgPower was a huge success!!! Thumps up to Glenn.
Next year lets see some Grave Digger, Brainstorm (I noticed lots of people got excited everytime Brainstorm got played over over speakers), Adagio (not very likely), Nocturnal Rites, Masterplan, etc
