11-08-2017 Into The Grave

[schema type=”event” evtype=”Event” name=”11-08-2017 Into The Grave” sdate=”2017-08-11″ edate=”2017-08-12″ city=”Leeuwarden” country=”NL” ]

The Charm The Fury is doing well. Been at various festivals this year, getting on board at Nuclear Blast and releasing the album “The Sick, Dumb & Happy”.

So the metalcore formation has a good year so far. Opening today at Into The Grave is surely a nice add to the list for them. Huge queues before the festival gates made us aware that many made sure to be there on time to see them, although still not everyone was in before their set was over. So, clear. The Dutchies spark some interest.

Front lady Caroline knows how to play the crowd and get them energized. Her passionate vocals are bringing people to movement and when they end the set a well-deserved applause is there. You’ll see more of them, that’s for sure!

Flotsam and Jetsam were playing at the preparty the night before Into The Grave and as well were present at this festival for a show. A little green monster was darting over the stage even before the show started, toying around with the audience.

The Thrash formation seems eager to play and when they start it becomes clear they are in good mood of building a great show. The green monster turned out to be vocalist Eric which during his jokes and mimics delivers some quality vocals today. He clearly takes the spotlights today, but not without having the rest of the band support him in that. Last year the guys released their latest, a self-titled album of which the band draws and we can safely say that the band overdid their performance at this festival from a couple of years ago. A nice surprise!

Metal Church released a live album this year. The Heavy Metal formation has quite some years on the counter and an equally long list of releases in which multiple live releases. The band clearly has a reputation live of which we were part several times already, and today another one would follow.

Seeing Metal Church always comes with a lot of energy, the band comes up a varied set list that carries the band’s strongest songs from through the years and also some surprising choices perhaps. Classics like “Beyond The Black or “Gods of A second change are doing quite well with the audience.

The audience seem to agree with the choices the guys make, head banging along. Metalchurch is always a pleasure.

And then there was Alestorm. The bloody pirates sailed over to the North of our country and set foot on stage to create chaos and disorder with their songs and drinks. “We Are Here To Drink Your Beer” is what we hear and all around us are inflatable objects going through the air, a whole bunch of crowdsurfers and the floor is bouncing.

Seems like the audience knows what to do with these pirates. The pirates released this album called “No Grave But the Sea” this year and with the bouncing around of people we surely start to feel at sea instead of Into The Grave. Well, them Scotts have had their fun, the aucience had a whole lot of fun. Mission succeeded.

When Alestorm is always is good for a show, so is Powerwolf. Them guys are taking it on another theme though, and have been going around the world with their album “Blessed and Possesed” since the release in 2015. With them going into the whole a bit more seriously the band gives the Power Metal fan a bit more depth.

The band has a diversity of catchy songs and so it is not strange that many people in the audience are singing them along. Yes, even us are way too aware of the lyrics for them guys have crossed our path so many times before. Getting possesed with these men once again is something we can become comfortable with easily. Luckily for us the guys have a good set prepared and are we enjoying it long enough. Definitely one of the highlights of the day.

Headlining today was Saxon, a rather different band than the two before them, but with so many years ont he counter the band has quite a reuptation of its own.

The show they have seem minimalistic at first, because what happened before them, but with Saxon it is not the show that hypes you up. Some nice lighting was supporting the band though, must be said! Classics like “Wheels of Steel” flow by just as easily as the more recent work and when after a few songs the guys seem more comfortable, seeing the audience is taking them serious as well. This results in a bit more playful performance. Little mimics, the guys growing into their show, Saxon was not the headliner that we expected to have this much of an impact, but they surely surprised us positively this night!