Kadavar (Mantar)

One of the most credible incarnations of the Black Sabbath legacy. I had missed Kadavar twice, now finally.  (FIRST DRAFT, WILL BE EDITED FURTHER)

Buddies: Stolli and Simon

Rating: 4/5

Merch: a very credible Kadavar Patch

Again: yes \m/

For me young bands playing old style music became credible with Wolfmother. Their first years as a trio was pure retro, and very good. Kadavar are heading for similar aims, but with a slightly different twist. Finally at flex after quite some years, and it's the place as always to feel at home.

Mantar first. A band of two, playing to each other side-ways. It is for sure quite unique, but also really convincing.

 

The guitarist/shouter is some hell of a guy, very tough and energy driven. The drummer could be his father, but is by no means less tight. The guitar goes through a long effects route, which makes sense in such a band constellation.

Despite being only two of them, there is a hell lot going on here. 

Kudos to you guys, you were great!

Kadavar rocks the crowd from the very first moment. Though they apparently did not take the sound check that seriously, resulting in a very low volume that cranked up just some two songs later. Also their appearance is peculiar: The drummer takes the front of the stage, the guitarist/singer (the combination I adore most) on the left and the bassisst on the right side.

Oh my god, this drummer. I cannot help, but he seems to be also the human incarnation of The Animal (Muppets). The looks, of course the hair, ventilated by a fan all the time into the air, and the looks - his eyes staring into the crowd. 

So hilarious, still completely credible as a drummer. Means that he plays in the center for a reason. Rock on, Animal!

Kadavar's music is pure Seventies. The guitar riffs, while no mock-up of something heard for a thousand times, are spot on from that area. I mean that in a very positive sense - like with Wolfmother, their interpretation of Seventies Hard Rock feels just right. 

(to be continued)

Deep Purple - The Long Goodbye (Monster Truck)

So it is another farewell gig. I joined my friend Herb with a bit of mixed feelings, but it turned out to be a fabulous night.



Score: 5/5
Buddy: Herb
Merch: three signed Bass picks
Again? It's their farewell.



PS - another farewell: As it turned out, Chris Cornell died this night. He will never be forgotten. "Say Hello To Heaven" - he wrote it for his friend from Mother Love Bone, became reality for him. A very sad end of the day.

Machine Head II

If the first song of a gig starts with a Cirle Pit, you know that it will be a big evening...easily among my top 10 gigs.

Score: 5/5
Buddies: Stolly (thx for driving!), Tom
Merch: none
Again: probably yes



Big kudos to Bratislava and the venue, great place and nice people. Machine Head play the hell of a gig. (more to follow)

Machine Head

So it took me 65 gigs to debut in a Circle Pit :-).

Buddy: Stolli
Score: 5 out of 5
Merch: CD Bloodstone & Diamonds in Digipack
Again? Very likely

Amazing how Metal lives. This Sunday started slowly after an intense Saturday with Cannibal Corpse. Already the first support act from Belgium, Diamond Boulevard, start out very nicely - early prior to 8 pm. What we see we really like, very convincing rockabily style. I seldomly see such good mood and applause with the first act, and they deserve it. Then comes Darkest Hour from the US, and although they are very powerful, the somehow puzzle me because they are missing some consistency in their music. Its a very broad spectre they cover, and that's fine, but somehow it sounds a bit too mixed together.

(to be continued with Machine Head and further stuff)

Queens of the Stone Age

Queens of the Stone Age 

The band has become hugely successful, so they invite into Stadthalle Wien. This has little in common with my favourite locations, such as Arena or Gasometer. 

 

Buddies: Schnee Weißchen, Tom, Rainer

Score: 4 out of 5

Merchandize: nope

Another Gig: not as long as the band is so hyped

I must complain of the ticket price, but it's just as every time in Stadthalle Wien: You pay more for less view and less acoustic. But that's what big music business is apparently about.

Similarly to Them Crooked Vultures some time ago, sometimes also this band is a bit too relaxed on stage. They just let you know that they made it. Don't get me wrong, it's a good gig with great music - hey, I needed to see QOTSA live! 

Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators

Gasometer was packed and the gig was just as expected. And one line given in this interview (German) the day before tells it all: "On stage, my whole damn existence is focused around playing before my audience. It is the ideal form to express myself. Musically, emotionally and corporally. During these approx. two hours of a gig, I am totally authentic, totally with me."

Buddy: Harald

Score: 4 out of 5

Merchandize: nope

Another Gig: after Guns'N'Roses, I guess that this one is just perfect

My personal highlight: 'Gotten', a great ballad from his first solo album.

More to follow...

Ozzy Osbourne & Friends

Well, I was supposed to be there, but I screwed up my planning. As a result, my brother's Christmas present (what a present!!!) went back to him.

The ticket was for Black Sabbath, but everybody knows what happened then. It seems that Tommy Iommi is back again, which is very good news. I still feel awfully sorry for not being there with my brother. From what I saw on YouTube, a rather big and spectacular gig.

Uploaded with Blogsy

Them Crooked Vultures & And So I Wach You From Afar

Look at the price tag! Yes TCV has been hyped for their first album. Performance was flawless, anyway. And many thanks for the perfect turtle neck!

Buddies: Pez

Score: 5 out of 5
Merchandize: a very cool hood sweater
Another gig? TCV are no longer...

Paul Di Anno + Guests

Wait a second, EUR 15.10 for seeing the original voice of Iron Maiden (some would say, the only voice)? Sad, but true. Viper was packed with some 350 fans, who are honored to see a good performance despite Mr. Di Anno's apparent health problems.

Buddies: Rainer, Harald, Action, Pez, Michael

Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Another gig? Why not?

Eagles Of Death Metal

I joined Pez to this gig on last minute, and I had not been aware of this band before. Arena was packed to the last corner, for good reason.

(Although the sound of this video is not that great, I like how the bass hammers into the mic of the camera if you listen with headphones ;-)




Buddy: Pez (thanks so much for taking me with you)

Aother gig? Yeah

More to follow, ticket missing currently

Uploaded with Blogsy

Wolfmother

A summer concert of a brilliant live band in Open Air Arena. It only can be perfect. Wolfmother, still a classical rock trio, with only one CD in their tourbus. It was brilliant.

Buddies: Frantischek, Tom
Score: 5 out of 5
Another Gig? Maybe (they no longer exist as a trio...)

Detailed review to follow.

Uploaded with Blogsy

Guns N'Roses, Faith No More, Soundgarden

Probably the primary reason for my persistent dislike of xl-gigs.

Buddies: quite a few, I remember Flyingsheep, Pez, Action, Han (Rainer was also there)

Score: 2 out of 5 stars

Another Gig: No

It has been one of these gigs that you would not want to miss in those days. Guns N'Roses just released their double 'Use Your Illusion' and are too big to fail. Faith No More are also highly successful, still the 'Angel Dust' release followed just a few days thereafter. And Soundgarden, still in their beginnings, showed the way to grunge rock.

Everything was too big here, the crowd, the lines before the beer and the toilets, the distance to the stage. The only thing that was too small was space, far too small. High temperatures added to my overall unease in this concert. Waiting times before each gig were quite a nightmare.

So finally Soundgarden, in retrospect the most enjoyable gig. Although the sound was far from perfect, the potential of the band was quite evident. Chris Cornell, still with long hair, still has much potential for improving his live vocal performance. It has been quite enjoyable.

With Faith No More on stage with much delay, the trouble already started. To many people on too little space. It might sound a bit grumpy, but it was no real joy to survive this crowd. The band's performance was very good, apparently I only remembered the songs from the first two albums, but whether the Angel Dust songs were well played, no idea.

Then another endless break, the main act with much fanfare. It's show time, not gig time. The crowd cheers up, probably because you must cheer up for such ticket price. Slash is good in any band, also Guns N'Roses. Certainly, this is a perfect mega-show of a mega-band, but not my show. I am wondering how anybody else feels. Time-wise, it's value for money, as far as I am concerned it took too long. End of rant, don't crucify me for this. It hasn't been my day, not at all.

Uploaded with Blogsy

Guest Review by Flyingsheep: Alice Cooper

By: Flyingsheep (many thanks, mate)

Alice ´88, what an event. Of course, his biggest times (regarding his influences in the rock scene, at least) were in the early and mid-seventies, but this is the tour after "Raise Your Fist And Yell", which was (and is) a great record. Songs like "Gail", "Prince Of Darkness" and "Freedom" are very fine ones. 

Alice´s band is a tight rock band, almost "heavy metal"; of course, the lead guitarist is a particular eye-catcher, being a kind of metal-version of Arnold Schwarzenegger (his name is Kane Roberts, if my memory´s correct). The show is awesome, especially I you´ve never seen Alice before. I´m not quite sure about the way he died on stage, but I think he got hanged, as shown on the very pretty ticket. 

The funniest part is, of course, getting some of the fake blood that came in big balloons which are thrown above the audience at the end of the concert. One of these balloons explode right above me, and blood is on my hands and on my shoes! I won´t clean my shoes for a long time - but can't save the blood on my hands, though, for obvious reasons...

Iron Maiden & The Waysted & Guests

It is my very first heavy metal gig, and in these times, I am already completely into the music. These are the times of Iron Maiden, so the stage was very impressive and the entire gig is a blast. Open air on Donauinsel, just great (as I read on a Maiden fanpage, it's been their largest and only open air gig in Austria of their career so far).

Buddies: Action, Han+Lisi (THX MATE FOR THE TICKET), Herb, Pez, Wal and other buddies from HL
Score: 5 out of 5
Another gig: Rather not in these times :-)