Again Reiden invited to the Back to Rock Festival: 2 days filled with good Music, Air guitar contest, market and Signing Sessions with all the bands. As the previous area wasn´t available, it was back to the roots, a smaller location with a big tent. Luckily, as the weather on Saturday turned out to be bad.
Friday 5. 9. 2008 After a long drive through many villages, hills and getting lost once or twice - due to the lack of signs and a Swiss "co-pilot" not capable of reading maps - we finally reached the festival. Some males might be smiling reading this... We checked into our hotel, as camping wasn´t quite our thing and enjoyed the first - pretty hot - festival day.
Unchain Friday evening starts with a band from Bern, playing old school, straight, glitter-free Rock. Those four guys and the Lady on Bass give it all to entertain the still small crowd, with great guitar riffs, a powerful beat, nice tunes and admirable voice.
Check the photo gallery here! Aeonblack Not so unknown in the Power Metal is the German band Aeonblack. They play with a lot of power and passion, so it´s just fun to listen to them. The expressive voice of Holger could not be more convincing. So not only family members, but also many Metal heads cheer to them and join the party.
MotorJesus The band describes their style as mix of Heavy Rock and classic influences, the right sound for singing and banging along. From the first chord you notice your foot tapping, the second song gets you dancing and join in with the chorus. The Germans rock the tent and get the audience warmed up for the last band.
Check the photo gallery here! Sabaton The Swedisch heroes of Melodic Metal. Great songs and great hymns on the set list. Singer Joakim Broden seems to enjoy every minute, as the audience goes nuts. The band became well-known 2007 because of their EU tour with Therion and Grave Digger, opening a new band history chapter with their album „The Art of War“. They play some surprising encores, the singer snatches the inflatable gun from a fan in the first row, but then it´s time to leave the stage, exhausted but happy.
Saturday 6.9.2008 After an almost sleepless night thanks to some noise in the hotel we arrive at the area at 10.00 o´clock. It has already been raining during the night, everything is wet. There are not so many people yet, but the first band will wake up the fans in the camping area.
Nihilo are simply one of the best Death Metal newcomers from Switzerland. Despite their young age they pull it off, and the singer proves to be more than gifted, a real future competition for the big names. Because of their good choice of musicians, great riffs and tunes they will surely make their way.
Check the photo gallery here! They obviously have a lot of fans already. Yet the weather gods don´t like Death Metal, suddenly it´s raining cats and dogs.
Grey Monday This young Heavy Rock/Metal band from Bern has a recipe against "daily grind" and stress: Rockin’ the pain away! (if it was that easy...) Their music is a mixture of many elements, e.g. Alternative Rock, Metal, New Grunge , nicely done and played, with emotional guitar solos and powerful bass and drums. Keep it up!
Gonoreas Another Swiss band, from Aargau, and of course they play nice Heavy Metal. And male fans get some eye candy, guitarist Miriam. No bad band indeed, their sound gets you banging and singing along.
Check the photo gallery here! It seems that everybody is awake and warmed up now, so the party can continue.
Spellbound Old School Thrash Metal played in a modern way, fresh and new - this is how those guys from Überlingen, Bodensee, do it. Not only their music, also the lyrics offer something special, as Songwriter, Singer + Guitarist Dave has a faible for secret knowledge and obscure conspiracy theories. Yet he does not look for scapegoats but analyses the effect on society. Not only their sound is remarkable, also their stage show, therefore we will surely hear more of those guys.
Sencirow Those guys come from Nordrhein-Westfalen and Hessen, and they play a real impressive sound. Power Metal with such energy and passion that you cannot resist and just have to bang your head, show the horns or sing along until you have no more strength or voice left. And there is also vocalist Daniel „Kensington“ with his scratchy, recognisable voice and a certain smile that invites you to give it all and get the pary going.
Contradiction Four guys from Germany draw all the attention, although some eyes might be already a bit tired, with their rough no-compromise Thrash Metal, plus this extra appeal of a certain aggression. Mercilessly they deliver a chain of groovy tracks that turn out to be real ear candy . Just great.
Crazy Lixx Who have all the ladies been waiting for? Yes, those sexy Swedes Crazy Lixx. Crazy they are for sure, but decide yourself about the licking. Their Rock sound surely warms up everybody and has them forget the rain. Their new guitarist Andy is a treat, he adds this certain extra-treat with his solos.
Check the photo gallery here! High class Rock’n’Roll with an energetic singer, this band has everything to be a headliner.
GoDiva Not only in their Swiss home country, also abroad they made a mark in the Metalscene, as Support for the Scorpions and David Coverdale’s Whitesnake. They pull off a great show and play until their fingers bleed, have the fans cheer, until it´s time for the last Back to Rock band for this year.
Eluveitie Few Swiss bands have made a career in such a short time, like those Folk-Pagan Metallers Eluveitie, which might be caused also by the extremely increasing popylarity of Pagan music. They mix authentic celtic folk music with Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal and add a visual spectacle with unusual instruments and a growling Chrigel (Vocals). There is a lot of action on stage, and sometimes you don´t know which of the 8 band members to watch during his/her antics. The fans watch in particular the new members Kay (Bass) and Päde (flutes and trumpet) who pull off a good show. A few encores, a Spaghetti battle and more antics at the signing session, but then the festival is over.
It has to be mentioned that the BTR organizers are "only" amateurs, but they did a very good job and everybody ended up being happy, nothing seemed to go wrong. The smaller area creates a more intimate atmosphere. A big compliment, and we are already looking forward to the next Back to Rock.
Check the photo gallery here!
Sandy Mahrer, transl. K. Weber
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