The Metal Gods (but not THOSE “Metal Gods”…!)

I took a short little roadtrip from Malmo up to Halmstad yesterday (approximately 1,5-2 hours) to see an All Star-band featuring ex-Firewind and current Spiritual Beggars-vocalist Apollo Papathanasio. One of my favorite singers, without a doubt – a Swedish version of Tony Martin. Can’t go wrong with that!

When he was with Firewind, I would catch a whole bunch of shows each year, but after he left, the gigs have become a lot more infrequent. Just one-off shows here and there that you really need to keep track of 100% not to miss them..!

But we call eachother here and there and that’s when I get a little update on the “latest news”. The last time we spoke, he mentioned these two shows, a very unpretentious event at a local rock bar. Well, hallelujah! Like I had to think long and hard about that (not!!). I went! When I arrived it was really hot in Halmstad and lots of people on the streets.

It didn’t look like there would be a lot of people in the club at first, but that’s pretty common for summer indoor-gigs. There aren’t many people at those. Most people I know are out of the country in vacation now. But, as it started getting closer to showtime, the place was almost full. Not only full, but full of enthusiastic people. :) At some point when Apollo was looking at the crowd, he just laughed and went: “I think I know every single person in here!” I bet he does!

Metal Gods

From what I heard, these guys never had much time to rehearse as they’re busy doing other things, so if you consider that, it was awesome. And for me it was like Christmas! It’s not every day you get to hear one of your favorite singers, sing songs by OTHER bands that I like (and SONGS that I love)! JUDAS PRIEST! WHITESNAKE! 

The setlist was as follows:

And it was a cool lineup too – dudes that know their business:

Apollo Papathanasio – vocals (Spiritual Beggars, Firewind)
Chris Amott – guitar (Arch Enemy)
Ludwig Witt – drums (Spiritual Beggars, Grand Magus)
Pär Wallmark – bass (Last Tribe)

I loved the whole concept of it – small show, not widely advertised maybe, the guys in the band and the choice of songs. BINGO!

After the show, I just hung out for a bit, talked a little with Apollos wife. Not easy to have a conversation in all that noise but what can you do. :)
I had to get going, it was getting late and I had a bit of a drive ahead of me, so she went to get him for me. I’ve left gigs before without saying bye to an artist I know, but because the guest list was super duper mega exclusive (so few people on it, it was ridiculous) and I was on it, I at least wanted to wave and say bye-bye before leaving.

Anyhoo, Apollo came out from the backstage area and said he wanted to introduce me to “the guys”. The only person left by the time we got there, was Michael Amott (Arch Enemy, Spiritual Beggars) who wasn’t in the band, but was talking to someone. Instead, we ended up checking out some photos from Thessaloniki, Greece on Apollo’s cellphone that I was in, and didn’t know about. :)

“Have you said hi to the guys yet?” he asked. I said that I hadn’t seen anyone, and it was okay, they don’t know who I am anyway, haha!
“That’s exactly why I want you to meet them”, he laughed. Well, I guess there’s some logic in that! ;)

Chris Amott and Per Wiberg (keyboards, Spiritual Beggars) were outside talking, so I was introduced to them. Didn’t stay long there though, driving in the middle of the night after having been up since 4 am, is usually not a good idea.

So – I took off. The whole show is on video by the way. Will be up here later, but here’s just a little preview! There will be one more show on the 19th – so guess where I’ll be THAT day? :D

Sweden Rock Festival 2014 – Part 2

Thursday – June 4th……

It was hotter than hell – the absolute opposite of the rainy night we had endured the night before. I got there early, cause I was meeting up with Pontus Norgren, the guitarist of Talisman, to hand over his custom jacket from our own Swedish rock’n’roll designer Svanlund, who couldn’t make it to the festival himself. Pontus needed the jacket for his gig the next day.
There was nobody anywhere, it was almost two hours before any bands were due on stage. Walked with Pontus chit-chatting to the VIP-area where he went his way and I went to the press tent. That tent is my favorite place at Sweden Rock sometimes. I can get away from the noise, stress and drunk, annoying people, I can rest for a while. I can eat without being pushed and shoved. I can work and charge my camera batteries, cellphones, laptop…. It’s just my favorite place when everything else gets “too much”. :D

Anyway, an hour later, after getting breakfast at one of the many stands without dealing with long lines, I walked back to the Rock Stage and Jake E Lee’s Red Dragon Cartel. There’s been so much talk about these guys, and after all… IT’S JAKE E LEE…! :)

photo P1120754.jpg

The band was on stage sound checking and some of the technical problems they had then, haunted Jake throughout his whole set. I felt bad for him, he had to cut the show in the middle of a song three or four times. He took it pretty well though, if he was annoyed he didn’t let it get the best of him. I can think of a few people who would have stormed off the stage for a lot less. Kudos to Jake and his band for handling the (bad) situation like real pros.

photo P1120943.jpg

I went straight to the 4Sound-tent after the show to get in line for the Jake E Lee signing session. That place is another one of my favorites. Since they don’t announce the signings anywhere else but on a sign outside the tent, there aren’t that many people (there are, for some of the artists, but not like the “official” signing sessions a few steps further down).

I did manage to catch a bit of Pretty Maids gig at the Festival stage. One of the best live acts around, I had to at least try to see a bit of their set. Great performance – as always!

photo P1120990.jpg

Was first in line for the Jake-signing but let another guy cut in cause he was definitely a bigger fan than me. He had a bunch of albums that he wanted signed. Jake showed up right on time, smiling. I briefly said “Bad luck with the gear today huh?“. He looked up, laughed and said: “Oh, you SAW that?”. Well yeah – me and a few thousand others. ;)

 

 

photo P1130058.jpg

After the signing I ran off to the next gig I didn’t want to miss – Robin Beck. I love female rock’n’roll voices, and she’s g ot one of the best, for sure. There was a sound check going on there as well when I got there, and I could tell that she definitely still had her voice intact…!

I think that her show was the one I have most pics and videos from, she was brilliant! :)

Unfortunately. that’s pretty much where my festival-day ended. I think I just walked around the area, talked to some friends and colleagues at the VIP area and then went home. It was just in the nick of time too because just after Robin finished, the rain was pissing down – and I mean REALLY bad.

I was soaked by the time I got to my car. I had to leave early, eventhough it was absolutely KILLING me, cause I SO much wanted to see Rob Zombie. That would have been the highlight of the festival for me, but I had an interview with Rob Halford of Judas Priest that had to take place that evening so… It was an unusually short day for me. Luckily, there was more action the next day!

 

Sweden Rock Festival 2014 – Part 1

Sweden Rock Festival came and went, and I never really had a chance to blog about it at the time. Somehow things always pile up and you end up with a lot of “back log”. :)

Going back to the first day of the festival – Wednesday, June 3rd

That’s the laid back day of Sweden Rock. Few bands playing, an opportunity to get your pass without standing in line for an hour, to just check out the area, see if anything has changed since the year before. There’s always some little detail that’s different.

But ONE thing is always the same. The pain in the butt crew-parking… EVERY single year I get a message that the pass has been sent by snail mail, but funny enough, those never EVER reach my address. In all those 20-something years that I’ve been going to the festival, the parking hell has always been the same. If the parking pass had actually been posted and arrived at my address before the festival, there would BE no problem. But that would be too easy. :)

I got there, drove to the crew-parking, said that my parking pass was in the accreditation booth. “You need to get your parking permit before you can park!“, they said

So I went to the accreditation-entrance but I wasn’t allowed in there either, because I didn’t have my passes yet. OK, so I couldn’t park without a permit, but I couldn’t get my permit before I had the pass…… *sighhh*. I kept driving back and forth before calling the head of press to explain the situation. It wasn’t easy for him either and this circus went on for more than half an hour. He managed to fix it though – THANK GOD, but what a waste of time. Another good reason to get there on the “slow” day. :)

My plan for the day was to see Magnum and Queensryche. I didn’t try to get in the absolute front for Magnum, cause I’ve seen them so many times before. They have classic, epic songs, just amazing material. The problem though is that Bob Catley, the man with the Voice was struggling to sin those songs. I don’t know if it was just a temporary vocal problem or if it’s permanent, but it sounded so-so….

When Magnum were done, people left the area for beer, food and toilet visits, so I got in the front/middle for Queensryche. I was crazy curious about the new lineup with Todd La Torre. The weather was getting worse, dark clouds, rain was on its way… but there was no way I was moving. As I was standing there, two guys from the stage crew approached me with big smiles. I thought they looked familiar but couldn’t for the life of me figure out why.

– Do you recognize us? said one of the dudes.
I did actually, but didn’t know exactly where from…

– You wrote about us a while ago. We’re from the band Charlie & Fredrik.

BAM! I remembered! These guys were competing in a talent show (Emergenza) in Malmo a while ago and they were by far the best act. Musically, no one else came even close. If it had TRULY been about MUSIC, those guys would have been the given winners. Unfortunately, as the contest was about getting the audience to vote for you, it was almost impossible for a band that was from out of town, to compete with those who brought all their pals from school, work, families and so on…

They came in last and I thought it was absolutely scandalous. But that’s the way it works, it’s not a talent show as much as it is a popularity contest. Anyway, I heard that they had new projects in the making which I was really happy to hear. I do wish them the best, those were talented guys (and girls).

The guy standing right next to me was super excited about everything, it was his first Sweden Rock and he was a big fan of  good VOICES. So he was curious to hear what Todd La Torre would bring to the table with Queensryche. He was abit of a sceptic but still had an open mind.

It started raining when it was time for Queensryche to hit the stage, but that pretty much goes with the territory. No festival without rain! :)

And when the band entered the stage…. it was just totally worth the wait AND the rain!

photo P1120611.jpg

I’ve been a fan of Queensryche since the Rage for Order album. I’ve thought that Geoff Tate was one of the best in the business, and let’s face it: He was! Nothing can take that away from him, he left his mark on Queensryche and dispite all the crap and the whining between him and the rest of the band the past few years, that didn’t do anyone any good, he’s had a long career being on top with that amazing voice.

But – there’s a new kid in town. The last time Queensryche played Sweden Rock festival with Geoff, I couldn’t even stand listening to it. It was horrible. I left after three songs because it was so embarrassing that I just had to go find some other band to watch.

Now they were back with another singer. Would it be like a cheap karaoke-version of Queensryche, would it be a sad reminder of what used to be, or what would the verdict be?

I don’t have to think long or hard to answer that. It was clear from the word go that Queensryche is one of the very few bands in metal that has managed to replace their singer and get away with it. Not only get away with it – but actually WIN doing just that. I can’t think of too many bands that have been as lucky.

Todd is amazing. Nothing short of a-mazing. His voice can do everything Geoff could do – and more. And better. He’s got so much energy on stage, a presence that makes people watch him and follow every move he makes.

photo P1120726.jpg

There were times when he sang like such a GOD that I just wanted to HUG the guy! Oh my GOD! What a gift – what a TALENT! And to think that he’s actually…. originally….a DRUMMER! Multi-talent, indeed!!

That gig was fantastic. I loved hearing all the classics, all the new songs, hell, I would have been happy hearing Twinkle, twinkle little star, as long as Todd was singing it!

The guy next to me even CRIED to some songs, he was so moved. Yes. Queensryche knew what they were doing when they hired Todd. He’s given them new life – there’s absolutely nothing stopping them now!

Here are a few glimpses from that show! Enjoy – and crank it up!

 

PHOTOS FROM THE QUEENSRYCHE SHOW:
http://s1186.photobucket.com/user/InTheRearviewMirror/library/QUEENSRYCHE%20-%20SRF%202014

THAT blew me away!

So I was talking to a member of a band that are planning a comeback. He asked if he could send me a few songs (just demos, but it would still give me an idea) just to get someone else’s opinion.

I know the feeling, when you’re in the middle of a creative process, sometimes you can’t see the forest for all the trees. Even Rob Halford said that recently when we were talking about Priest’s new album “Redeemer of Souls”. It took him a month to be able to just listen to and enjoy the album without thinking about all the things he would like to change.

I’ve gotta be honest… The cynic in me thought that the material would probably need a bit of polishing, simply cause the band hasn’t been active for so long.
At first I figured there was no rush – I would listen to it the next morning. I was on my way to go to bed and was tired. But then, being the curious mind that I am, I couldn’t resist opening just ONE of those songs, what the hell, it couldn’t hurt…

I’m not kidding when I say that I just sat bolt upright within seconds with my eyes wide open going: “FUCKING HELL…! This stuff is GREAT!!” I rarely get that excited about anything nowadays.

I hate to say that I’m jaded, cause my passion for music hasn’t faded one bit – it just takes a lot for me to react so spontaneously and so strong to anything nowadays. I review albums regularly and most of the time it’s with a surpressed jawn as the quality of albums in general is either lower now than it was 20 years ago, or maybe I just have higher standards, I don’t know.
Every once in a blue moon, I react this way. I think that the last time it happened must have been maybe 3-4 years ago.

If these songs are just DEMOS, I can’t WAIT to hear the finished production! I sat there with a silly grin absolutely loving what I heard. Why the hell haven’t they done anything with this material all these years?! What a waste of time and resources! If this had been out in the stores right now, as a full-length CD, I would have been hanging at the door right now to get it. Or, well… downloaded it at least, like we do nowadays. ;)

I get such a kick out of this, because it so rarely happens that any band surprises me this way. Three songs is all it takes sometimes – if it’s the RIGHT songs. I wish I could share them with everyone here and now, but my hands are tied. I promised to keep a low profile and I will. I’m looking forward to the day when this is officially released. Patience is not my forte, but stuff like this is worth the wait!

I just hope that the band can wash off any old stigmas, old preconceptions of what they’re about and what they “probably” sound like – cause I’m pretty sure that some people won’t give them the time of day when they hear the band name and remember what they used to be about all those years ago. This is a refreshed band, turning a new page, starting with a clean slate. And they deserve a break.

The nearest comparison would be Blackie Lawless trying to wash off his “blood and guts”-image with W.A.S.P. It took a long time but I think he did well.

My fingers are crossed so hard for this band now, cause the material is just way too good to be collecting dust in a drawer somewhere. It’s new, fresh and kicks ass! And I won’t be the first or last to love the new songs. One of the few things I would gladly pay for today.

I hope to god they find a good label in Europe for this! Until then, I’ll be spinning those demos, digging like a true Beavis & Butthead! :)

 

 

Sweden Rock Festival – where people never age!

Four days of LOUD! Sweden Rock Festival is now over and this is when work begins for me (and many others). Reviews to hand in. Articles to write. Videos and photos to upload. Blogs to write.

All of that, just not enough hours in a day to do it!

But I will be back as soon as I’m done with the Priority One assignments. Mainly the Rob Halford interviews that I did recently – face to face in London and by phone during the festival, that I really want to do my best with.

One of the most lasting impressions of the festival this year, is that ROCKERS NEVER seem to AGE!
I guess one can always speculate in what the reasons might be that a 50-year old rocker usually looks way younger and cooler than a 50-yeear old non-rocker.

My guess is that when you have a passion for something, when you have something that you love to do – you forget to grow old. The grandfathers of metal, Black Sabbath, dispite living tougher lives than most (drug- and alcohol abuse, deadly diseases and what have you…) they look cool as hell and they’ve all still got their HAIR!

Tony Iommi is 66 years old, it’s hard to believe. Very classy, still looking good.

Billy Idol is easily the sexiest 58-year old dude I’ve ever seen…! And I don’t even like blonde guys (or guys older than me for that matter!). But come – ON…! Are you kidding? Most people his age look older – Billy Idol never got the memo.

Last year the festival had Rick Springfield visiting. He is 64! Yes. Sixty-fucking-FOUR!!!

Madam X reunited after 30 years and I remember their “outrageous” look from way back when. That tall, monster-looking bassplayer guy Godzilla was, in my teenage mind, a metal version of Chewbacca with that crazy “fingers in the socket”-do.

Now, all these years later, when he’s passed 50 with one, two or six years,  he looks like THIS:

Doesn’t look like a “fifty-something” to me.
Some people seem to age in the opposite direction and just look better and better as the years go by.
These dudes are more fit than some guys in their freaking twenties! Man…!

And it’s not only the MALE rockers. The FEMALE ones are not getting a day older either. Since we’re on the subject Madam X – this is drummer Roxy Petrucci, 52 – and cooler than ever! Her sister Maxine never let herself go either.

And last but not least, for now – Robin Beck, 59 (!!!!) years old. Yeah right?!

Photo

 

They sold their souls to rock’n’roll… For eternal youth!