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2008’s edition of Wacken was really one to remember. From the presence of Iron Maiden to the thrash of Exodus and Kreator, black metal of Watain and Gorgoroth, folk as Ensiferum and funny bands as Lordi, really everyone had the chanche to enjoy his favourite kind of music.
After some problems and the fear of missing the festival, we leave from Italy by car on the 30th of august, and arriving at Wacken we can’t help noticing the organisation is incredibly perfect as every year: everything for just 99 euros.
This is really something Italian festivals should learn…

We have the time to visit the incredible Metal Market, where we would spend a lot of money, and see the different options to eat, from pizza to kebab to Chinese… all the armies of the world united under the flag of METAL!

After noticing with disappointment the cost of the beer, 3 euros (but it’s still less than in Italy, and it’s nice to see as the water costs the same as the beer), getting our pass and preparing the tents, we get ready for a heavy sleep, in order of the 3 days of violence that await us!

31 July

GIRLSCHOOL

These not anymore so young woman have a energy which is impossible not to envy them. From the oldest to the newest songs of their career, they were able to entertain all the Wacken' s crowd, indeed the best way for this festival to begin. While they play “Hit And Run”, “Race with the devil” and “We all love to (rock’n’roll), everyone in the public is just thrilled. A blast!

LAUREN HARRIS

The girl tries to do her job, but it's quite clear that being the daughter of Steve Harris helped her a little bit in her career. Not exactly the best performance of the festival.


NEGURA BUNGET

On the small stage we can admire this black/folk band from Romania, singing in their language about Transilvanian nature and myths. The crowd is very big for being in the small stage, with a club-atmosphere, which is just perfect to enjoy the band. An immersion through the obscure in a completely different situation from the other bands playing that day. A concert not to forget.


ALESTORM

The "pirates" claim still more people to the small stage, at the point that it becomes quite impossible to see anything if you aren't 2 metres tall. But their gig is really funny and people dressed as pirates contribute to make the atmosphere more folkloristic. One of the best gigs of the W.E.T. stage. Perhaps, the error was just the one of the stage, because they surely would have been able to have a huge public on a bigger one!


AIRBOURNE

The australian version of AC/DC offer a good performance: perhaps, originality is not the trade-mark of Joel O'Keeffe’s band; but even though they have been playing together for just 3 years, they manage to offer us a great concert, while the public is screaming with tracks as “Runnin’ Wild”, “Hell fire” and the great “Girls in black”.
Classic metal, just perfect to introduce a name which need no introductions:


IRON MAIDEN

None is in their tent at this point. All the public of Wacken is excited and ready to enjoy one of the best performances they’re going to see in their life. And probably with no disappointment!
The only problem is that there’s really no space to move, or even to breathe.But this small particular disappears while Churchill’s speech starts: none NEEDS to breathe.Then, “Aces high” begins, followed by “2 minutes to midnight”, make the people explode and even creates panic between the few blaspheme people who wanted to come back to their tents but are stuck where they are.After a really exciting “Revelations”, Bruce takes his English flag, beginning “The trooper”.
Everyone is singing so loud that the voice of Bruce risks to be covered… which is not so easy!
“Wasted years” is followed by “The number of the beast”, then “Run to the hills”, and finally “Rime of the ancient mariner”, during which some people really risk a hearthache and some others begin to cry.We are really in another world, listening to this Coleridge-insipred masterpiece. After “Powerslave”, all the artists who were looking at the gig from the Black Stage come on the stage, and Bruce keeps singing “Heaven can wait”, “Can I play with madness”, “Fear of the dark”, and finally “Iron Maiden”, during which we can see a huge Eddie with blazing eyes.
But it ain’t finished yet. The last three tracks would kill everyone: “Moonchild”, “The Clairvoyant”, and Steve Harris’ masterpiece, “Hallowed be thy name”.
They thank us for the awesome gig, but I guess anyone in the public is just too thrilled to understand. Still unbelieving the magnificience we have just seen, we came back to our tents, thanking Heaven for Iron Maiden existence, and ready to an attempt sleeping, before another incredible day.

1 August

On this day, we need to make some choiche, ‘cause really a lot of bands are going to play.
The finnish scene, which has increased so much during the last years, has a predominant role during this day, with bands as Ensiferum, Sonata Arctica or Children of Bodom.
And these are quite the bands we’re more looking forward to see, together with Tobias Sammet’s project, Avantasia.

After waking up quite soon (at least considering all the energy spent the day before), at 10 o’ clock, and crossing all the way until the stages, we’re just in time to enjoy

GRAVE

It’s the perfect band to wake up! Ola Lindgren and his Swedish mates offer really an awesome and energetic performance, and their music is a blast to see live.
There couldn’t have been any better gig to full your ears of extreme metal before a day full of power and folk metal.

After a couple of hour shopping in the huuuuge Metal Market, where a lot of medieval stuff gets us in the right mood for what awaits us, we’re just ready for

ENSIFERUM

Petri Lindroos is never tired of touring with Ensiferum and Norther, and the band seems to be in the best conditions.
Starting with songs from the first album “Ensiferum”, “Hero in a dream”, they offer tracks from the second one, “Iron” and don’t forget to play the long and beautiful “Lai lai hei”, Jari Mäenpää’s masterpiece, and “Victory Song”.
“One more magic potion” releases a bunch of metalheads jumping and dancing with their beers and kilts.
The final song is “Iron”, best one to close a really funny and well-played concert.

KAMELOT

Not a bad performance the one offered by the band at Wacken, but I guess Ron Kahn’s voice was not in the best conditions. A good setlist, starting with “Rule the world”, with great moments as “March from Mephisto” (with Atrocity’s Alexander Krull) and “Center of the universe”, and a great scenography couldn’t convince this wasn’t one of the band’s best moments.
But the apparition of the stage of Epica’s Simone Simons, perfect as always in the duet of “The Haunting ( Somewhere In Time )”, contributed to the overall impression of a good gig.


SONATA ARCTICA

One of my favourite bands, and surely one of the one I was more looking forward to see.
Starting with “In black and white” from the last album “Unia”, which many of the fans considers to be a masterpiece and many others dislike, the band unluckily didn’t offer the best of their performance.
Tony’s voice was quite low and they all seemed to be tired, not in the best mood to play on a such great stage as Wacken. The setlist was good, which tracks from the all discography, but the rain didn’t manage to get better a gig which already was not the best.
Luckily, we managed to go to the meet and greet (under heaviest rain) where at least the impression of some arguments or something between the band members disappeared after noticing their usual kindness.

OPETH

Probably not the best band to see to a live festival: according to my opinion, Opeth’s awesome music would be best enjoyed in a club atmosphere. But it depends also on the setlist. They played a classic one, starting with “Demon on the fall”, playing “Masters apprentices”, “Her apparent” and “Wreath”, and closing with “Dreapery falls”.
Mike is nice as always, talking with the public and saying funny things, and the fans are just excited. I guess it was a good performance, but not the best.


CHILDREN OF BODOM

I heard from some people that their gig didn’t convince them at all. In my opinion, it was just a blast.
A simply terrific scenography, with blood and fire, awaits Alexi (drunk as always, but in great conditions) and mates on the stage, and we’re going to be delighted by old tracks as “Silent night, Bodom night”, “Follow the reaper”, “Hate me, “Downfall” ; with only a few tracks from the last and imho not as good as the old works “Bloodrunk”.
Alexi talks and talks (saying “fuck” every 2 words) and can’t stop a minute. We even can hear Rhianna’s cover’s “Umbrella” and the intro of Van Halen’s “Jump”.
Who says Children of Bodom’s time has gone, probably hasn’t seen and heard this gig.
Awesome!


CORVUS CORAX

We had the time to enjoy a few of the german band’s performance before going to Avantasia’s gig.
A good idea to relax and getting excited at the same time: Corvus Corax’s music is awesome, with incredible sopranos, good choirs as in “Numus”, and incredible tracks from “Cantus Buranus I”, but also anticipations from the new album. Probably a not enough well valued band.


AVANTASIA

Sammet likes grandiosity, and during the performance he invited on the stage just a few small guests… such as Masterplan’s Jörn Lande, Andre Matos and Magnum’s Bob Catley!
In spite of the promises, there are a few problems: Jörn Lande’s voice is almost impossible to hear, because it seems the technician didn’t do their work well. But, after solving this situation, the show keeps on with a lot of energy and Sammet’s ability to make the public happy. They mostly play new songs, so who loves the first cds is a bit disappointed, but in the end we all manage to sing aloud with Tobias and the others.

While the true blacksters go to see Gorgoroth at 2 o’ clock, we are really to tired and go to bed before the last day.


2 August

The last day starts with violence too:

EXODUS

Great performance the one offered by the American band, even if of course we’re not anymore in the eighties. But that is the impression!
With old tracks as “Piranha” and “Another lesson in violence”, masterpieces as “Bounded by blood”, and new songs as “Blacklist”, the band probably doesn’t disappoint anyone.
And we’re ready for the last Wacken day!


OBITUARY

Good show, but nothing different from the other gigs… usual setlist, good performance but just the mere impression they’re always the same stuff…


CARCASS

I heard completely different opinions: who said the performance was terrible and who amazingly loved it. I strongly support this second category. First thing to be noticed was their look, original and different: they all looked like members from different bands, put by chanche on the same stage. But the impression disappeared when they started playing!
Also a perfect setlist, with old works, less old ones, and the masterpiece “Heartwork” to end a great gig.
Not to forget Angela Gossow on stage! I sat on the grass and I could believe it was her singing only when I raised my eyes to the stage. Great show.


AT THE GATES

Surely the last Wacken’s day best gig. I’m still excited remembering it.
They played ALL “Slaughter of the soul”, the public is completely crazy, headbanbing and mosh everywhere. There are even tracks, as “Kingdom Come”; from “The Red in the Sky is Ours”. We were all tired but we completely forgot it during this incredible concert.
Tompa kept thanking the people who were there and we just thought the same towards the band.
Perfect.


NIGHTWISH

After all this violence I needed to relax, and Nightwish was the best band to do it. I never seen them live with Anette before, and I was just curious.
Unluckily, I can’t really manage to stand her voice. She’ s really, really a good singer but at the same time her voice just doesn’t fits Nightwish’s songs. That is my opinion!
Many songs from the last album, obviously, but also good moments as “While your lips are still red” sang by Marko, Emppu and Jukka. Marko is the one who saves the situation, with his great voice and his energy. Infact, the moment I enjoyed the most was the last track, “Wish I had an angel”, sang by Anette together with Marko.
Exciting show for the fans, but Tarja is still in the memory of many of us.


KREATOR

Unluckily, I was too tired to enjoy their gig and I relaxed in the backstage. I just managed to see a few of the performance, seeing their violence in the final songs of the performance: “it’s time to raise the flag of hate !!!”.
Just great, and just the same impressions from all the people: one of the best shows.


LORDI

Last band of Wacken 2008, and without any doubt the best band to close such a great festival.
It’s 2 o’ clock, and many people is already preparing to leave, but most of them is under the stage, under the rain, and still with the will to enjoy a funny and thrilling performance.
The scenography is incredible, as in an eighties horror movie, with fire, fireworks, axes… and the scary masks of the Finnish band’s members!
In spite of the late hour, they’re all in the best conditions, starting with “Bringing Back The Balls To Rock” and playing great songs as “Devil Is A Loser” and “Would You Love A Monsterman”.
Not to forget the duet with UDO on “They Only Come Out At Night”!
I cant’ imagine a best conclusion for Wacken than Lordi’s “Hard Rock Hallelujah”.
Everyone Is singing and there is disappointment seeing that this edition is already over…


The morning after, the incredibly efficient German have already cleaned most of the trash, and we get ready on the way home…
Looking forward to the 20th edition of the festival, Wacken 2009!