This year W:O:A edition looked like it was going to be a blast. And it was, indeed. Not even the mud, caused by the heavy rain fallen few days before the beginning of the fest, and that never dried completely before the end, was able to ruin a single note of the experience that has brought thousands of metalhead from all the world in the small yet lively city of the northern Germany.
For a period that lasted from the three days of the fest to six/seven days for those who, like us decided to arrive few days before the gigs, or to leave some days after the end, Wacken was the pulsing heart of European metal. Everywhere you went, was it the concert area, the camping area, the metal market, or the city itself, you heard metal, you saw metal, you breathed metal itself.
A city around the city was born, like every year, and like every year the “ regular ” Wacken population was bring into a spiral of happy, loud people dressed in black, and a strange bond was born, once again. Young child helping to bring you baggage with their bikes for few euros, families selling all the kind of stuff you could need in their garden, old people just sitting on their front door watching to the waves of people passing, and greeting them.
This is the magic atmosphere you live at W:O:A… and then there are the concerts!

This year the fest was opened by the German band SUIDAKRA, from who we have high expectation, after seeing the earlier this year supporting Ensiferum in Milan. The four guys from Dusseldörf were at their third participation in a row, and we were able to see why. Even if the sound was not perfect their show blew the crowd away. New and old glories were played on stage, with, surprise, the help of a real bagpipe player, Alex, who gave to the show that sparkle more.
As always, the front man Arkadius was the centre of the attention. With his speech he leaded the crowd exactly where the band wanted, so the band could blow them away with each and every song performed precisely, heavy and energetically, like we wanted.
We met Lars, the drummer, backstage after the gig, and he was very satisfied with it, and in a good mood, and still hyper for the “great crowd of this morning!” but he didn’t have much time to chat with us, and Arkadius, Marcus and Marcel were not too be seen around, so we stuck on a fast beer and then back to the stages! A perfect opening for a great fest!

Contrary to Suidakra, Norther were at their first performance at Wacken, even if singer Petri Lindroos and bassist Jukka Koskinen both had performed with their other bands, Ensiferum and Wintersun.
The band was in good mood and shape, but for Jukka, who revealed us to have a terrible headache before the show, but who managed to be as solar and precise as usual on stage. The band put up a nice act even before the gig, during the sound-check, entertaining the waiting audience with gags and jokes, revealing little of the agitation they were (and quite understandably) feeling.
The gig began to reveal a band in top form, aggressive and mind-blowing. I won’t hide that these guys are between my faves, being both amazing musician and very down to earth people. The set list was perfectly balanced between old and new, with few nice surprises like “Of Darkness And Light” from their second album Mirror of Madness and “Released” from their debut album Dream Of Endless War.
The five guys from Finland could count from a nice audience coming from all around Europe and the world (we even met a girl who came from Australia mainly for them!), and they knew it, paying their dues with energy and strength. Maybe they weren’t as clean as usual (that doesn’t apply to the frontman Lindroos, Mr. Cleanness himself) but what they missed in cleanness they played back with soul and spirit. For sure one of the best gig of the whole fest.

Set-list:
Intro
Black Hearted
Throwing My Life Away
Midnight Walker
Day Zero
Hellhole
Frozen Angel
Omen
Evil Ladies
Unleash Hell
Released
Of Darkness And Light
Norther
Death Unlimited


Lacuna Coil are one of the most controversial band in the scene at the moment. Many metalheads, expecially in their native country Italy, seem to despise them, and define the pop metal. Someone might agree, but one thing is sure. Live they are a good and precise band. You might not like the music, but Cristina rarely missed a note, and the rest of the band followed its leader with strength and precision.
Among the tunes played at Wacken we might remember their “hymn” “Heaven’s a Lie”, the Depeche Mode cover “Enjoy the Silence” and “Our Truth”.

Stratovarius were the king of Scandinavian power metal, and they still are, but the kings are growing old and grumpy, it seems. As much as every member played his own role flawless, what you could see on stage were five people playing together, not a band, five different entities, not one.
The only member who really kept the spirit and interacted with his mate was bass virtuoso Lauri Porra, know to be an impressive musician and a very special and carefree person. A band who is still beating hard, but is somehow lost part of its identity, identity that we cannot but hope they’ll get back soon.


BLIND GUARDIAN

Blind Guardian are always more than welcome from fans, even though Hansi's voice live is not as perfect as it was once. The setlist included a good range of songs from the bands' discography; even if they didn't play almost anything from the very first works (apart from the masterpiece "Valhalla") the band managed to satisfy both loyal fans and not: infact, the amount of trakcs from the masterpieces "Imaginations from the other side" (the title track, Born in the mourning hall, Script For My Requiem ...) and "Nightfall in Middle Earth" (title track, Into the Storm, Mirror Mirror...) was perfect for the not loyal listeners; but some more-rare-live track as "Lord of the Rings" and "Traveller in time" made the joy of the true Bards from Krefeld's fans.
While Hansi is costantly losing his voice during the years; Marcus and Andrè improve their always more in the choirs.

Setlist: War Of Wrath - Into The Storm - Born In The Mourning Hall - Nightfall - The Script For My Requiem - Fly - Valhalla - Otherland - Welcome To Dying - Traveller In Time - Bright Eyes - The Bard's Song - Time Stands Still - Imaginations From The Other Side - Punishment Divine - Lord Of The Rings - This Will Never End - Mirror Mirror

DIMMU BORGIR

The setlist is quite good and the members not in bad conditions; tracks as "Progenies of the great apocalypse", "Mourning Palace" and the "The serpentine offering" make the happiness of the fans and let the great voice of Vortex ...not to talk of a masterpiece as "Kings of the carnival creation".
A really performance in the whole. They are playing without Hellhammer, and it was not easy not to miss him, but Tony Laureano from Nile is really the right man in this role!
Also the atmosphere and the playing time were perfect. Fans more than happy, in spite of a not very cheerful Shagrath wandering in the backstage :)

IMMORTAL

Not rarely it happens during reunions to find a band without energy, incapable to hide the fans they play together only for the money. In this case, Immortal seem not to lack in this: they play with energy and style, but it's impossible to hide that the band is not the anymore the glacial and row one that in the early 90's gave birth to masterpieces as "Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism" and "Pure Holocaust".
Songs from these two cds and from the incredible "Battles in the North" are re-arranged in a way that is not so pleasant for the old fans and, what's more, they only play about 10 songs.

More are the ones from the earliest works, as "Withstand the fall of time" from "At the heart of winter" or "One by one", "Tyrants" from "Sons of Northern Darkness", and the title track. Apart from these, nothing can be said about the band's condition - good fit for everyone and the unforgettable experience of seeing such a performance, but still, it's a pyrotechnic and formally perfect concert that cannot help to leave happiest the occasional fans than the most loyal ones; also for an Abbath apparently more worried about his look and moves than about the music.

ENSLAVED

After seeing them at "Hole in the sky" in 2005 in one of the best gigs EVER, we were really disappointed by this Wacken's exhibition. Maybe it was because the Party Stage is not the best for for a viking-extreme metal like the one the band plays; maybe for the afternoon is surely not the best part of the day to let them play. But the sounds were really bad, and sometimes it was hard even to hear Grutle's voice...
If we add the fact the setlist was not as good as in the other occasion we saw them, it's understandable how we would need to see them again in a better occasion to appreciate them a lot more.