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Events and Reports - Sweden Rock Festival 2010 - Wednesday - F.K.Ü., Steelwing, Carnival Sun, Katana and U.D.O.
Sweden Rock festival - 8th to 11th of June - 2010 - Sölvesborg, Sweden.
Sweden Rock festival is something of an event for me personally. In the last ten years, I've only missed one Sweden Rock Festival; otherwise I have been there loyally each year. Because Sweden Rock always deliver. I know I'll get all the great Metal I yearn for, often with bands in the line up that won't play any other Scandinavian shows, or haven't played in our part of the world for a long time. Apart from the excellent selection in bands, the festival is located in the beautiful Swedish nature, and I am usually joined by a large group of friends, ready to party and celebrate Heavy Metal!
This year, my husband and I met up with fellow RevelationZ staffers Steen and Stuart, as well as a bunch of great Danish and Scottish Metalheads, and headed for the festival on Tuesday, ready for almost an entire week of great music.
The Tuesday was spend partying at the camp, basically just celebrating that we had arrived, as well as seeing a few smaller bands at the so-called Restaurant stage. This is a small stage located outside the festival area, where new hopeful bands can show what hey are made of. A very good idea, it is interesting seeing something new and fresh, and always nice for up and coming artists to get this kind of exposure.
Wednesday, the 9th of June, 2010.
F.K.Ü. (Dio stage)
F.K.Ü. equals Freddy Kruger's Underwear, which should clue you in on the twisted humorous universe of this Swedish Thrash act, who was to be the opening band of this year's festival for me personally. The guys took the newly christened Dio stage, dressed in Freddy Kruger's trademark red/green striped sweaters and dirty brown pants, even incorporating a little corpse paint into the gimmick.
The band play energetic and well executed Thrash, and their humorous, tongue in cheek approach work even better live than on record, on stage the songs really come alive and get the crowd going. Today, even a small mosh pit was forming in front of the stage, a great joy to the band, who's favorite word must be mosh - and the fans certainly did today!
Agent Amy Steel spoofs Agent Steel, and borrows most of its riffs from their album "Unstoppable Force", a great energetic opener, that got the crowd moving. F.K.Ü. is a band masters the humorous side and at the same time is able to get the crowd going, making great Thrash and topping it off with a fun stage presence and attitude. The Pit And The Poser, Faster Than The Shark and Twitch Of The Thrash Nerve marked other highlights of an entertaining show!
Steelwing (Dio stage)
The newest contribution to the "young bands playing old school 80's Metal movement", Steelwing, have already made waves within the Metal scene with their enjoyable songs, presented on myspace, as well as their freshly released debut, Lord Of The Wasteland. Singer Riley is a real scream machine, and live, his voice cut through the air like a hot knife through butter. Dressed in appropriate 80's attire like spandex, denim and high tops, the band put on a performance that was highly enjoyable both musically and on a performance wise level. Steelwing deliver the old school feeling completely, spandex pants, tennis socks, high top sneakers, hair flying wildly, cool riffs and air raid siren-vocals included.
The only tiny criticism, I can come up with is, that the vocals become a tiny bit predictable, as Riley sings in the same screaming way all through the show, but I got to hand it to him; it does sound really cool! I just hope the band evolve a bit in their own personal direction, if they do, the future could be looking very bright for these guys! A cool show from a promising band.
Carnival Sun (Restaurant stage)
Wanting to check out Swedish metallers Katana, we arrived a bit early at the small Restaurant stage, and caught a few songs with another Swedish act, Carnival Sun. The band has some nice material, but seems a little inexperienced on stage, which is understandable, taking their young age into consideration. However, I wish for a little more movement and energy on stage. The songs sounded good, very melodic and easy to get into, especially what seem to be the band's signature song Sun Of A Bitch, made an impact. The crowd was pretty absent and didn't really seem to know the music or care too much, which I am sure didn't exactly inspire the band to be more aggressive on stage. In all, I enjoyed the show and despise the slightly insecure performance, the melodic music of the band sounds very promising, a band to watch in the future.
Katana (Restaurant stage)
Another one of Sweden's "new, old school" bands took the stage. Katana mixes the best from Iron Maiden and Saxon, creating a blend that is both catchy, epic at moments, and most importantly have that timeless, classic Heavy Metal feeling to it. The band put on a splendid performance, lifting the rooftop off the tent! Having never seen the band live, I was skeptical to begin with, as the band entered the stage in their spandex, animal prints, and leather. But, boy, did they know how to wake up the audience and put on a convincing show! Delivering classic riffs topped with splendid, high wailing vocals, the band transformed the hall from laid back onlookers to raving maniacs, heads banging and fists filling the sky!
One of the secrets behind Katana's ability to get the crowd going is the blend of original songs, sounding really great, but unfamiliar to the crowd, and a few well-known cover tracks. The band had chosen to play Angelwitch (Angelwitch), We Rock (Dio) and Midnight Highway (Accept), all three receiving wild responses from the hungry fans. Personally I went completely nuts for the Accept classic, which Katana delivered with punch and nerve!
Katana's own material is really strong as well, with the epic, melodic Quest For Hades as the most impressive track. Live, the songs are easy to get caught up in, and the performance was energetic and full of nerve! Compared to a lot of same generation bands, Katana adds their own touch and make something original with their influences instead of just copying mindlessly.
Setlist, Katana:
Livin' Without Fear
Blade Of Katana
Phoenix On Fire
Neverending World
Angelwitch (Angelwitch Cover)
Rebel Ride
Quest For Hades
Heart Of Tokyo
We Rock (Dio Cover)
Midnight Highway (Accept Cover)
U.D.O. (Sweden stage)
U.D.O., my old hero, the classic Accept singer, the German tank, the legend. Many times have I seen this aging gentleman perform, and never has he delivered a half assed show or let me down. He's one of those performers that get a bit predictable after a few shows, but also always deliver the goods! Tonight was no different, as the charismatic frontman screamed his way through a selection from his impressive backcatalogue, with his recognizable, rasp and aggressive voice.
A funny thing about U.D.O.'s setlists is that he seems to have a preference for all the titletracks of his albums, and tonight he delivered great tunes in the form of Holy, Dominator, Animal House, Thunderball, Man & Machine, among others. To me, almost all of U.D.O.s stuff is awesome; he keeps making great records, and doesn't seem to be running out of inspiration any time soon.
The classic Accept stuff is a must and always goes down well with the crowd, a song like Princess Of The Dawn is bound to put a spell on you, and standing among other Metalheads, with a beer in your hand, I dare everyone who ever felt something for Rock 'n' Roll not to get a little emotional. That's how it makes me feel, anyway.
Udo is a great stage character, though his moving around can seem a bit mechanical, his sincerity and love for the music always shine though. The encores didn't really give us any surprises, just as the rest of U.D.O.'s show it was rock solid, but also not providing any new features. It's same procedure as last time - every time. And you know what? Few artists can do that and not making the crowd, or at least the long time fans, yawn eventually, but U.D.O. can! I've seen quite a few of his shows, and never have I felt bored for a minute, because the German pitbull still has the bite of a werewolf! U.D.O. has a charismatic stage presence, a great band, and some of the best songs ever written in his set, so despite the predictable routine, the show was a highlight of the festival! The last four songs were like spending time in Heavy Metal Heaven! Classic Accept, as we would expect the show to end with, and carried out with intensity and emotion.
Accept will go on the road shortly, fronted by new singer Mark Tornillo. I have my doubts, whether they can rival the shows of their former singer.
Setlist, U.D.O.
The Bogeyman
Dominator
Independence Day
The Bullet And The Bomb
Flash Rockin' Man
Thunderball
Vendetta
Princess of The Dawn
Midnight Mover
Infected
Man And Machine
Mastercutor
Animal House
Metal Heart
Encores:
Holy
Balls To The Wall
I'm A Rebel
Burning
Fast As A Shark
· Day 1
· Day 2
· Day 3
· Day 4
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U.D.O.
U.D.O.
U.D.O.
All pictures taken by Steen | Written by Nina
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 |
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RevelationZ Comments
| Comment by Stuart (Staff) - Thursday, August 12, 2010 | 
View Profile
Comments: 116 | | Princess, Princess, Princess of the Dawn!!!
It's got to be one of my all time favourite live tracks too!
Posted by Stuart (Staff)
Thursday, August 12, 2010 |
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