Domingo 18 Abr 2010, 21:45

So I don't have keep adding a list to my 'About Me' section I'll make use this journal.

28/02/11 - Now with ratings and comments.

2009:
Dred (Australia) - An excellent band who blew me away live. Live act seemed a little lacking
The Faceless - A little boring but overall a decent performance
Aborted - Average. I have no memory of them live but they must have been alright
Dying Fetus - Ferocious and intense
Necrophagist - Great live, though the backwards red cap Muhammed sported seemed out of place
Switchblade (Australia) - Nothing special. Just some weird death/groove metal
Ouroboros (Australia) - Decent live
Ruins (Australia) - Good
The Amenta - Mind-blowing live performance. The atmosphere and intensity was incredible
Psycroptic - Decent but a little boring live
Roadside Burial - Average
Space Bong - Decent live, though a little small for those 6 or so members
Ebolie - Good and humorous
Darker Half - Nothing special
LORD (Australia) - A fun, great band live
Double Dragon - Generic and boring
Megadeth - Great. The mix was perfect aside from that it wasn't loud enough
Slayer - Good, but the mix was fucked.
Contrive - Bad. Get someone to fit the music instead of getting a shit band, damn it!
Opeth - Great. The band played well and Åkerfeldt was a great entertainer between songs

2010:
Contrive - Sucked. Stop using your connections to further your useless band, Haugie!
Devin Townsend Project - One of the best shows I've been to. Devin Townsend is hilarious and a great musician
Origin - Intense and brutal. Mica was surprisingly good
Misery Index - Very brutal and face-ripping. A recommended live act
Psycroptic - Good. Can get a little boring though
Decapitated - Bar some sound problems, a good performance. A true return from the mighty Decapitated
Teratornis - Excellent thrash metal in the vein of Coroner
Darker Half - Bland melodic thrash metal with nothing special
Boris - Great. An entertaining performance by the Japanese now-quartet
Seth Frightening - Below average. Some weird indie acoustic guitar music
Jónsi - Magical and just awe-inspiring
Lamb of God - Good. Even though I don't listen to them much they put on some show
Metallica - Much better than expected. I know they suck now, but this was a great show

2011:
Bleakwood - Much better live than on record. The bass player was crazy!
Naetu - Only the last two songs, but it seemed okay
Thrall - Entrancing
Pestilential Shadows - An excellent live show by a great band
Drowning the Light x 2 - Probably due to my fanboyism of the band, but they were awesome live both times
Erebus Enthroned - Good
Wardaemonic - Good
Destruktor - Intense and entertaining blackened thrash
Astriaal - Majestic and glorious
Nazxul - Epic and just great
The Sword - Much better than expected. A good live band
Sevendust - Sucked. Was jumping da fuck up with my mate in the cloak room line as a big joke
Rise to Remain - only the first and last song, but terrible. Bruce should be disappointed
DevilDriver - Bad. Only for "tuff" moshing skinheads and guys in their 20s with short hair trying to be "so metal, bro"
Bullet for my Valentine - Last song, and it sucked
Stone Sour - Bad. Had to sit through Corey Taylor being a shithead waiting for Primus
Primus - Great. Claypool is both proficient and hilarious
Dimmu Borgir - Terrible and boring. Definitely not "Norwegian fucking black metal" like they say they are
Not Slayer - Goddamn it Tom, stop getting ill on the road!
One Day as a Lion - A very weird performance, but this was because I wasn't expecting this type of music. Decent, I guess
Queens of the Stone Age (technically) - Average
Iron Maiden - as expected, one of the greatest bands to ever grace the planet. Both wicked in the studio and live. Highly recommended!
"Weird Al" Yankovic - An excellent stage show that is entertaining and witty
Steve Hughes - Hilarious as usual, and surprising that he can talk for so long about propaganda and conspiracy. Though I was also concerned for a friend who didn't turn up.
Erebus Enthroned - Good as usual
Innsmouth - Great, to my surprise. I didn't expect much but they were really good
Ignivomous - Pretty good, though it sucks they didn't play Noneuclidean Maelstrom.
Trench Hell - Excellent! For one of their first live shows, they really know how to do it.It was an endless headbanging frenzy!
Portal - Terrifying, enthralling, intimidating, haunting. It's hard to describe Portal live, but it's certainly a unique experience
Raven Black Night - I still don't get how they headlined over Portal. I saw a song or two but it was quite underwhelming compared to the previous band (Portal)
I ended up missing Grave Upheaval due to traffic, but I've been hearing good and bad things about them.
Hellbringer - Finally, I get to see some local thrash and it was great! Lots of headbanging and enjoyment for these guys
Kill for Satan - Another great (blackened) thrash band who played. Unfortunately they only played one track off of their first album and it wasn't Spawn of the Maelstrom, my favourite KFS song, but the set should be a good introduction to the forthcoming album
Impetuous Ritual - Heavy, abrasive death metal. Even with a wall of sound style production, everything was clear and great. Equally as creeping as Portal
Black Jesus - I read they were death metal and I was wrong. Grindcore it should be and I only caught the last few songs, but they seemed good in what they did
Assaulter - Can't get into these guys on record because of the production, but they were great live. They pretty much played their new album and that last track is just killer
Cauldron Black Ram - Caught me by surprise, since I didn't like them on record. Live, these guys are excellent. Some good headbanging, pirate-themed fun. Damon Good is pretty much the god of experimental metal music
d.USK - Amazing. The atmosphere was perfect for the eclectic mix of brutal death and crushing doom, and everything was up to scratch to the original band diSEMBOWELMENT
Sanctium - Good
Starforge - Very good
Anno Domini - Average
A Million Dead Birds Laughing - Funny and entertaining, but alsoweird
Bane of Isildur - Good
Ouroboros - Excellent as usual. A great live band with some ripping new tracks under their belt
Maniaxe - Decent though generic
Desecrator - Great aggressive thrash
Hobbs' Angel of Death - Never thought I'd ever see them live, but it was brilliant.
Forbidden - What a show! Not only were the band great live, the crowd was going insane, stage diving, moshing and whatnot.
Crowned - Average at best. The lead guitar was a little overpowering
Sanguinary Misanthropia - Much better than expected. I was blown away after hearing about some of the symbolism associated with the band.
Erebus Enthroned - Their best show to date. The ritualistic introduction added greatly to the atmosphere of the show.
Eyefear - I heard bad things about them beforehand but that was wrong, they certainly know how to get a crowd going. And the vocalist, his hair!
Black Majesty - Great
Blind Guardian - Magical and awe-inspiring. One of the greatest live shows I've ever seen, and with a hell of a setlist. Sucks about the noise restrictions and having to cancel early, but The Bard's Song - In the Forest has to be one of the most amazing closers ever.
The Veil - Very good post-punk/darkwave/black metal
Pestilential Shadows - Rather disappointing this time around. The intense atmosphere they captured at Armageddon was gone and replaced with profanity.
Heirs - First album stuff was good, second album stuff was just pointless feedback.
Alcest - Simply amazing. A great atmosphere and an excellent setlist to go with it.
Killrazer pulled out, so I didn't see them
4ARM - Surprisingly good for a groove metal band
Mortal Sin - Great live show
Destruction - These guys know how to please the audience! Heaps of moshing and stage diving and the band played brilliantly.
Demonreich - Good and intense show.
Hellbringer - Disappointing. There was something missing from their show compared to when I saw them last.
Assaulter - Great live, just like when I saw them last.
Quiet Child - Really bad combination of djent and softer progressive rock. Would not recommend.
Opeth - They pulled off an all-soft set quite well, much to my surprise. I'd only recommend it for diehard Opeth and progressive rock fans though.

2012:
Remains - Not a fan of the music, but the amount of energy going into the show is fairly respectable.
I missed the next three bands, namely Strike Out, Goatchrist 666 and Demonification.
Nuclear Warfare - Great Teutonic thrash worship and heaps of energy coming from the band and the crowd.
Toxic Holocaust - The music is fairly standard retro-thrash, but they know how to get a show going. Everyone seemed to be having fun and the band know how to keep them entertained.
Batterie - Pretty creative drumming, but the electronic effects were fairly annoying.
Solkyri - Decent post-rock, but the band were trying too hard to make their music look energetic.
Dumbsaint - Great metallic post-rock. Their actions on stage reflected the style of music they played and was accompanied by short films which was complemented by the music.
sleepmakeswaves - Phenomenal, though the loud sections came across as a wall of noise.
Dredg - Standard, predictable alternative rock whose members tried to hard to make their music look enegetic.
Devin Townsend Project - Great like the last time. Kept the crowd entertained with Ziltoid clips played from a projector and my only problem was that it was too short a set.
Meshuggah - A good, energetic set from the band.
Turisas - Better than I'd like to admit. They got the crowd going, but it was completely unfitting to an English doom show.
Paradise Lost - Good show with some nice humour between the sets.
Cathedral - Amazing. All the instruments were clear, everything was heavy as hell and Lee was a great frontman. A great set that was fitting for the end of Cathedral.
sleepmakeswaves - Good. Instruments were clearer than last time but the set was too short.
Boris - The band was good as usual, but it wasn't loud enough and the selection of tracks was mainly off of the newer albums and not enough from the older albums.
Tamerlan - Good, the frontman looked like he was having fun playing with an unexpected but funny sample before one of the songs.
Nontinuum - Great, and surprisingly so for the band's first live show, but I was them look like hipsters.
Moon - The atmosphere of the record didn't translate very well live. The band is much better on record than live.
Wardaemonic - Much better than seeing them last year. Their set translated well to a smaller stage and the vocalist had a lot of energy.
Drowning the Light - Brilliant, much better than last time and they played a longer set.
Sorathian Dawn - Interesting melodic black/death metal, which a good frontman.
Crowned - Unlike last year, they played in cloaks. I couldn't get into the music at first but the atmosphere swept over me in the second half of their set.
Ill Omen - Good music, decent frontmanship from IV but a punkified cover of the Return of Darkness and Evil didn't correspond with the band's aesthetic.
Erebus Enthroned - Much better than their last show. The frontman drinking blood from a goblet was the set's highlight.
Order of Orias - I didn't think that Erebus Enthroned's set could be topped, but this band did. The vocalist and bassist fit the band's performance very well.
Spire - Incredible atmosphere for such a chaotic ambient black metal band.
Pestilential Shadows - A massive improvement from their set opening for Alcest. Frontman Balam knew what to do this time to fit with the band's aesthetic.
Vassafor - Chaotic, crushing, heavy and the bones lining the stage and lit incense added to the performance substantially.
Didn't see Maniaxe live. The Inquisition signing was miles ahead of what would have been them live.
Demonreich - Good, but were better last year.
Innsmouth - Also good but better last year.
Carbon - Alright, didn't stand out much to me.
StarGazer - The band played well, but the sound sucked and the guitar kept cutting out during the first song.
Vomitor - Alright live, but really overrated.
Inquisition - Great, but the sound at the venue sucked and I couldn't hear the vocals.
Mongrels Cross - Came late to their set, but they were good and the sound was fantastic.
Rituals of the Oak - Great, and they had a really crushing sound to them. Much better live than on record.
Heresiarch - Chaotic, intense and generally spectacular.
Denouncement Pyre - Been looking forward to seeing them for a while, and it was very good.
Destruktor - Alright. The sound was good but they were better last year with a longer set.
LORD (Australia) - A really great, fun show with a crunchy sound.
Impetuous Ritual - Still abrasive and heavy death metal, but their performance fits better on a smaller stage with lots of smoke and harsh lighting like last year.
Astriaal - Definitely better this year.
Assaulter - Ducked to the side during their set. It sounded good but seemed just like their previous sets.
Mournful Congregation - Absolutely incredible. The band played spectacularly and though their set was short it was one of the best sets of all three nights.
Hobbs' Angel of Death - Even though they played a shorter set, they played better than last year. The good sound all night really complemented their music and the new line-up.
Inquisition - Amazing! The sound was even better on this night so everything sounded perfect.
Vilifier - Really good black/death metal. Would love to see these guys tour more.
Convent Guilt - Took me by surprise. Sound was good and they played some good heavy/speed metal.
Chaotic Impurity - I saw them, but I can't remember their set at all.
Johnny Touch - Great traditional metal band in the vein of Judas Priest. They really knew how to get the crowd going!
Hellbringer - Much better than last time, but the new guitarist should stick to playing newer songs.
Krömosom - Not my type of music at all, I didn't even like the music but I admired their energy. Especially the vocalist jumping into the crowd mid-song.
Backyard Mortuary - Really crushing old school style death metal, and the crowd and guitarist Stu really knew how to have a good laugh.
Decided to skip The Corps to have dinner, just like last year.
Grenade - Decent, but I was hoping to see Dead Kelly Rides Again. Kind of a bummer ending an excellent three nights with that though.
Electrik Dynamite - Came halfway into their set, but they played really good catchy trad/power metal.
Katabasis - Good progressive/melodic death metal, and their cover of Rebel Yell was near perfect.
Darker Half - Great energetic performance, lots of crowd interaction and clear production. Much better than in 2009.
Lord - Just as good as earlier this year, but their energy and hilarious antics translate better to a smaller stage. Still played an incredible set when LT broke his guitar strings.
Daemon Foetal Harvest - Good.
Odiusembowel - Alright, but funny to see a slam band with a vocalist/drummer/guitarist set-up.
Ulcerate - Amazing. They played everything perfectly and still sounded good with only 3 members.
Entrails Eradicated - Enthusiastic but still wanky tech death.
Disentomb - Good, heavy brutal death metal
Psycroptic - Great. The sound was much better than when they opened for Nasum and it complemented their music.
Cannibal Corpse - What's there to say, they're legends. They played well and knew how to get the crowd going.
Emaciated by Christ - Good for a debut show, but it jumped around too much between black metal and blackened punk.
Dead River Runs Dry - Very good, I was surprised this was their first show.
Tamerlan - More serious than the last time, and were significantly better too.
Crowned - Very atmospheric though the drums were too loud.

2013:
Troldhaugen - Very bouncy, fun music with a lot of stage presence
Barbariön - From what I saw, it looked like generic trad metal with a warrior gimmick. Decent music.
Alestorm - Even though the music is stale as all hell, it's a very fun live show and the band really gets into the music.
The Sword - Alright live, but generic stoner metal.
DragonForce - Much better than what detractors say, the band plays with lots of energy, plays everything near perfectly and overall was an awesome, fun show.
Katatonia - Good, but the mix was underwhelming at times.
Opeth - A better setlist than last time, but the vocals were too soft and I hated the crowd.
Crone - Pretty good doom, especially for their first live show.
Skipped Pale Sage, but it sounded like okay trad metal.
Consummation - Very good black metal with an awesome mix.
Erebus Enthroned - They put on a good show as usual, but they really suit a smaller stage.
Nocturnal Graves - Intense, savage, ferocious, there's no other way to describe the band's set.
Portal - Years later and the band are still something to behold live.
Midnight - They had energy, but that was it. If you're into fine, but I didn't enjoy it.
Hordes of the Black Cross - Pretty good black/thrash, and a nice way to start off the day.
Bleakwood - Great set from them as always, and I thought it went by too quickly.
Didn't catch Stand Alone, but they got the crowd going with their brand of pub rock.
Dead Rivers Run Dry - Like the last time I caught them, but had a better sound.
Whitehorse - I was blown away by their style of sludge metal and noise, and the sound was perfect.
Inverloch - Amazing as usual, good visuals and crystal clear sound but once again they're a band suited to a smaller stage.
Ignivomous - Heavy as hell, the sound was intense and their cover of Celtic Frost was awesome!
Buffalo / Dave Tice - Groovy hard rock and trad metal, the members were all energetic and enjoyed playing at every minute.
Grave Upheaval - Absolutely crushing with great visuals and the end with Vassafor's frontman was incredible.
Vassafor - Just as chaotic and crushing as their last appearance. The sound was perfect, even for two basses.
Cruciform - Caught a bit of their set, it sounded good.
Cauldron Black Ram - Took a seat for this performance, but the band was just as heavy and engaging as the last time.
Archgoat - The band wasn't much to look at but they played good war metal and got the crowd going.
Sadistic Intent - Awesome old school death metal with a heavy sound that knew how to work the crowd.
Boris - The best show I've seen of them to date. More tracks off the older material, the sound was amazing and Flood live was absolutely amazing.
Devin Townsend Project - The setlist had more light tracks from Epicloud but it was a good length for the set. Devin was hilarious as always, but nothing could top his 2010 show.
Hour of Penance - They played a good set, but the mix was so bad I couldn't hear most of it. I don't blame the band, but it was a shame.
Behemoth - Awesome. Brilliant stage presence and they got the crowd going.
The Faceless - They had some energy live. Some songs had cool parts but the music was ultimately boring.
Nile - Heavy as hell and the band really got into the music. Would see again.
Departe - Good, through I wasn't convinced until halfway through.
Cruciform - Decent mid-paced death metal. Seeing them now makes up for missing them at Evil Invaders.
The Amenta - A great performance from these guys. It's good to see them live with the new vocalist after many years.
Ulcerate - Incredible. A significant improvement from last year's show with the band managing a great sound with only three members.

2014:
Germ - They weren't much to watch, but the band played well and Tim's vocals were top-notch.
Adrift for Days - Quite an interesting band live. Lots of experimentation, the sludge sections were great but the soft sections tended to drag on.
Deafheaven - Decent. The band had energy and the crowd loved it, but playing all of Sunbather meant going plodding through the dull parts.
Innsmouth - Killer sound from a band that always delivers live.
Denouncement Pyre - Very good blackened thrash, the new material really worked well live.
Portal - I missed the first half of the set, but they were as they always are live: haunting.
Absu - The band had heaps of energy, didn't care about appearances and overall this was a fun, ferocious band to see.
sleepmakeswaves - This was the best set I've seen them play. Tons of energy, great mix and a lot of crowd interaction.

2015:
Thantifaxath - Intense performance which simulated a bad acid trip.
Make a Change… Kill Yourself - I was surprised at how well the music translated to a live setting since it was quite chilling especially with a projector showing cemeteries. They had a goofy image of escaped asylum inmates but the theatric suited the band.
Shining - They played an entertaining live show despite myself not being a big fan of theirs. They suited the theme of self-destruction very well.
Mitochondrion - The band had a very heavy sound which conveyed the overwhelming feeling of their music across well.
Angantyr - The band had good stage presence and knew how to get people going despite the sort of black metal they played.
Samael - Their peformance of Ceremony of Opposite was executed perfectly and the industrial elements were carried across well, though the second half of their set was lacklustre.
Cult of Fire - The perfect band to end the fest with. They set up the perfect atmosphere for their music and had the hairs on my neck standing up the whole time.