RAGNARÖK METAL FESTIVAL 04.29.10 - 05.01.10

There was not much to do since the town where this festival was held was extremely small, although beautiful, there were no bars where to have a drink, much less a supermarket where to buy. This changed the next day as the festival put at our disposal a kind of industrial warehouse as a small shop, where we can buy polystyrene fridges, beers, ice and chips, among other useful things for the stay at the festival.

When we got to the festival camping area they put a bracelet on us and gave us a garbage bag, we gave a € 5 deposit and explained that if we returned the same bag but full, they would return the € 5. With this method every person with two fingers in the forehead was dedicated to picking up cans and other things that he found on the ground the last day.

And first of all know that you will find all the photos in:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/camdenclub/sets/72157624150259479

The concerts did not start until 17:00, so we decided to go for a walk around the town, which, as I have said before, is beautiful. Time flew by and when we realized it it was time to head back to the festival. At 17:00 the first group started punctually: Ravenlore. I imagine it must be very difficult to open a festival, since most people do not attend the first concert, but I have to sincerely congratulate the black / death metalheads because they defended their songs and the name of the band to perfection.

In second place they played Thormesis, these already enjoyed a large audience (compared to the first group). The five members delighted us with a mix of throaty and clean vocals, which at times reminded me of the Norwegian band Taake, in terms of riffs and vocals.

The festival already started with great force, and so it continued the rest of the day. In third place they played Imperium Dekadenz. At this time, the room began to fill up much more and it was not for less, since Germans are very loved in their land and in many parts of the world. Imperium Dekadenz performed a spectacular live performance with the band's characteristic repetitive and depressing riff, the singer's unwavering voice and the drums with a constant double bass drum. The public was totally devoted to the band and the band to the public. From my point of view Imperium Dekadenz played one of the best live shows of the first day.

It was the turn of Carach Angren, known perhaps for the recent tour they did with the black metal reference group Dark Funeral and, therefore, those I had seen at Sala Salamandra (Barcelona) in March of this year. The difference was that this time the group interacted a lot with the public and the public responded in the same way. At the end of this group, the audience anxiously moved to the other stage waiting for the Grail Knights, a group that I did not know but that apparently in German lands is all the rage.

The group had planned to start at 8:45 p.m. but here is the first delay of the festival, the group went out to play half an hour late, but that only made the fans who enjoy the band impatient. I didn't know the group so I was surprised by the outfits they wore: they looked like super heroes, each with their own color and matching guitar, and if that wasn't enough to astonish us, in the middle of the songs more characters appeared: a skeleton, a a troll, a horse ... The audience laughed at the jokes that the band played, I suppose that if I understood German it would make me laugh too ... I figured it must be the German Reno Renardo or Gigatron, although with more elaborate outfits than ours Spanish bands.

After this comical group with which we had a good laugh and had some pleasant moments, it was Arkona's time: a group that should have played in the previous edition of this same festival but that for personal reasons (pregnancy) of the singer Masha, it could not be.

Personally, I was looking forward to this performance with great emotion, since as I understood, Arkona has an impressive live performance and it was not for less, since they were awarded the title to the best band of the entire festival. From my point of view, I think this title was highly contested between Arkona and Vreid, who also did a spectacular live show. Arkona, composed of a cello, voice, wind and drums, a somewhat unusual formation, but one that came together perfectly. I think Masha deserves my sincere congratulations for the live show she gave, she did not stop still for a single moment and did not stop encouraging the audience, as a result the audience, already mad from the beginning, did not stop jumping and screaming during almost the hour that the concert lasted.

Arkona had set the bar very high so I did not expect that any of the bands that preceded him could excite me more or like me more. Still it was the turn of Belphegor, a group that is known for its aggressive and brutal music. Belphegor stepped out onto the stage stained with blood and headed to their positions. There was a pig's head nailed to the foot of the microphone, a common thing in props from black / death bands, but it still seems unpleasant to me. Belphegor played on the stage on the left, this stage gave sound problems throughout the festival, problems that the organization did not seem to solve because, as I have already mentioned, they persisted throughout our stay in Ragnarok. The Austrians Belphegor could not give their best themselves because one of the loudspeakers was continually failing, even so the public showed their support and they held the pull as they could by offering us the rod to which they have us accustomed.

The last two performances were by Hellsaw and Slartibartfass both offered a correct and entertaining live performance for all those who saw them. It must be said that, being the last two groups of the day, people began to dwindle until there were almost no people left in the room, even so I have no complaints from these two groups.

The first day already left us with a good taste in our mouths, even so we continued to have expectations for the remaining two days. On the second day, bands of the caliber of: Vreid, Ensiferum, Haggard ...

The first group to perform was Heathen Foray, they delighted us with their virtuoso guitars by Bernd S. Zahn. The Austrians enjoyed a fairly large audience for being the first group of the day. When Heathen Foray finished their concert without any kind of altercation, it was the turn of Ingrimm, one of the last confirmed groups for this festival and who, in my opinion, reaffirmed the seventh edition of this festival was worth it with their confirmation. Ingrimm gave us an impressive live performance and were always delivered to the public, even so the public was not yet very awake and was not too excited. That made me realize that the environment in which a group plays greatly influences the acceptance that it will have on the part of the public, let me explain: the case of Ingrimm was a clear example of what I mean. Playing the second is a festival, where the audience is still in the clouds, where a lot of sunlight enters, etc… it makes the staging difficult for the group.

In the third position of the second day they played Nachtgeschrei, the German band showed us that, when it comes to Rock / Folk fusion, they are one of the best groups on the current scene. I think that most of the attendees, like me, were satisfied almost 100% with the performance of the group, transporting us to a distant place and filling us with feelings for the barely 40 minutes they performed.

At 16:10 Ragnaröek began punctually (not Ragnarök, the black metalheads who would play the next day). This is the case with another of the German bands that attended this annual Pagan, Folk and Black Metal event (in my opinion, the best on the scene). The Germans added to their live a fire show and the simulation of a weapons forge. They wrapped us in a Folk atmosphere in which we couldn't stop jumping. As soon as the Germans Ragnaröek finished their very correct concert, it was Skyforger's turn (who would also play the next day) but this day he offered a folkshow (with Auli) that had us all excited and on edge. The room was very full, and as soon as the first notes of what would be the best Folk show I have ever seen began to sound, despite the simplicity of the staging. His technique playing the old instruments leaves anyone stunned and if we add to that the magnificent voices of the Skyforger components, the sum is practically equivalent to musical perfection.

At 5:50 p.m. the individuals Van Canto played, characterized by their a cappella Power Metal composed of 5 voices, including only 1 female and a drummer. They played versions of Iron Maiden, Nightwish, Metallica, etc. These Germans are a group that bet on a strange formation, since the lack of guitars, bass and keyboard take away a lot of power from Power Metal, even so, this is not their case. Although in their formation we did not find any instrument with metallic strings, their live performance is impressive and the energy they give off is even more so, they got the audience to sing with them and jump to the rhythm of their music. When Van Canto reached the end of their performance, Sólstafir, the musicians from Reykjavik, entered the scene, at first with very present influences from Viking and Black Metal, which later focused on Psychedelic Rock / Metal. They had a large audience, it was not the group that had the most attendance but it was not short. A key example of the crowd at a concert was the following group. Vreid had a large audience and as I said before, they deserved the title of best group of the entire festival. There are groups that require great props both in costumes and on stage so that it is not noticed that they are not really broadcasting and that musically they are nothing to write home about, but this is NOT the case with Vreid. The Norwegians gave us a good lesson in what Black Metal is, or rather what Black should be. Vreid's staging was impressive and musically they stood out for their toughness and aggressiveness. When Vreid concluded their show, the crowd did not dissolve as the next group to play was the Ensiferum Finns, highly acclaimed around the world. I have to say that I did not have very good memories of the last time I saw them in Barcelona, since I found Petri Lindroos really unpleasant and unpleasant with his fans. But I don't know if it's because he was closer to home or because he found the Germans more sympathetic, that this time he interacted with the public and even thanked them for their attendance a couple of times. Musically they far exceeded my expectations and the set-list satisfied most of the attendees.

When Ensiferum finished playing the same thing happened with the audience that was enjoying Vreid, they did not disappear, they only moved towards the stage on the left. It was Haggard's turn, a group consisting of a large number of musicians, usually around 18, which this time only numbered 9. Haggard was a group that I really wanted to see again as they kept a precious memory of the concert which I went to the last time the Germans were in Barcelona, but unfortunately that memory was shattered when I saw them perform this year in Germany. As I have already said, there were only 9 musicians, but it was not the number of musicians that discouraged me, the soprano they had for this show seemed really disastrous to me. Normally, when there is a new component in a group, this is the one that adapts to the group, while adding a personal touch. What happened in that live show is that the group adapted to the soprano in question, let me explain: the Germans performed, among other songs, "Eppus Si Muove" a song where the female voice stands out and that has a very high register worthy of the best sopranos. The "soprano" in question only sang a COUPLE of occasions and in those occasions she demonstrated her few abilities as a singer. As a consequence, the group had a very poor live performance and this was reflected in the public's attitude.

The first group to play were the Norwegians Midnattsol, which unfortunately did not have a large audience, even so Carmen Elise (Liv Kristine's sister) gave what she could and more of her so that the little audience she had felt very agusto, and so it was. The Norwegians transported us to distant worlds through their Nordic folk, at times boring if you don't take it as a background melody, even so Midnattsol more than met my expectations.

When the Norwegians left the stage we moved to the stage on the left, which, as I said at the beginning of this chronicle, was the worst sounded in the entire festival. It was Helfarth's turn. It must be said that seeing a group of Black play in broad daylight is already horrible, but if we add to that that the singer wears an ugly plaid shirt, things get even worse. I have to say that I did not know this group so I can say little about their career. The Germans gave a correct concert without more, they did not make an effort to communicate with the public, they only limited themselves to headbanging. When the black metalheads, who passed without pain or glory, disappeared from the stage a little more people entered the room, not because Helfarth had finished, but because it was the turn of the death metalheads Akrea. They showed us that being young doesn't mean making a good live show. It must be said that they were not very communicative with the public, even so I liked them a lot and I would see them again any day, in fact I hope to be lucky enough to be able to see them again and to be able to say then that they have improved the only thing that they have. You can blame your inexperience as a band in the staging.

At 14:30 it was up to Fjoergyn to defend his name and show that despite the changes they have undergone in the group's formation, they were still at the same level as always. Fjoergyn came to present their latest work 'Jahreszeiten'. Personally I liked this last CD a lot since it perfectly combines the musicality with the aggressiveness that the band has, a clear example of this is the song "Ich Bin Der Frost", and Fjoergyn may be a costly group to "catch" the point, but personally I like each direct of them more and I hope things continue like this, since I hope to see them many more times.

Agathodaimon was the group that played after Fjoergyn. Despite the gothic looks of the members of the group and the singer's slick hair, I loved them. The singer was all the time aware of the public (and his cigarettes, I have to say that I leaned to HIM and I don't know why ...) and the public responded perfectly to the energy transmitted by the "captain" of the group, I call him captain because he really was the one that drove the group through the whole concert. They showed us that they are worthy of being in any festival since they measure up perfectly. Agathodaimon despite the difficult pronunciation of his name (for us Spaniards), they performed a concert without any altercation, and I think I speak for everyone if I say they did really well.

The next to play were Riger, the Germans offered us a boring bantante live show: they began with an intro that diminished the ecstasy in the atmosphere. It is one of these groups that tries to mix the melodic and the extreme, which many groups do, but it must be said that with better results. Even so, the public did not dissipate and stayed until the end of the concert and it must be said that there were many people, already on the other stage to see their compatriots.

Suidakra, one of the headliners and who are very difficult to see, at least in the peninsula, but they had the bad luck to play on the left stage that, as I have been repeating from the beginning of the chronicle, the sound was horrible . Even so, Suidakra gave everything they could and more to satisfy their audience and they did it perfectly by performing songs from their new CD and, of course, from their old ones. I have to point out that the female voices were sampled and that took away a lot of charm depending on the songs, but as I have already said, the Germans did it perfectly and I would not dislike seeing them again a few more times.

After the Germans, the Norwegian black metalheads Ragnarok appeared from the darkness, with an aesthetic worthy of any trve group and with music worthy of the best Black Metal groups. It was really one of the groups that I really wanted to see since (like half of the groups that perform in a festival of this caliber) this type of group does not come by any means to Spain because they do not have enough public. Ragnarok offered us a concert full of double bass drums and guttural voices where they connected a lot with the public and made us have a great time accompanied by this music, not to everyone's liking, but with many lovers at festivals of this type.

Wolves in the Throne Room: a somewhat special group since from the beginning they warned that they did not want flash to be used in their show, so as you can imagine it was very difficult to take photos of them. Apart from that the bass player was the whole concert with his back to the public and the singer to the left of the stage. These things make me very funny, the WITTRs are a group that I love musically but I can't stand these groups that go from "the public's sweat me" that is, I understand that they don't want to be like the stars of the pop that they can't even take a step without half the world knowing about it (which they honestly don't want they could be) but the other thing is that they disrespect people who buy their CDs and who actually admire them in a way. way or another. The fact that they did not allow the use of flash annoyed us the photographers, but the truth is that it is worse for them because the groups live on their image, since no matter how much the trves groups defend that the image of the group does not matter, they all They do photo sessions and everyone wants to sell their CDs and earn money with what they do, which after all, apart from enjoying making music, they want to charge for it. Well, the Wolves in the Throne Room are a clear example of this hypocrisy since if you don't want to be seen or you don't want your audience, you don't do concerts. Apart from all this, WITTR musically sounded as heavy and depressing as we are used to, but the truth is that I was very shocked by their staging.

When WITTR finished playing they took the Skyforger stage. The Latvians, who had already performed the day before, appeared dressed in their usual clothes. I had very good memories of them from when they performed in Barcelona 2 or 3 years ago, and in Ragnarök I remembered why I liked them so much and that is that they are a group that love their audience and give themselves 100% to them. Besides, it is a group that unquestionably possesses great gifts as musicians incorporating old instruments. What I liked the most was that they played with the audience in their legendary song "Skyforger". Latvians are impressive and fill any stage wherever they are.

The end of the festival was approaching and the atmosphere was already really hot. It was the turn of EQUILIBRIUM, one of the clear headliners, and the audience was agglomerated on the left stage cheering the name of the group. As soon as the Germans appeared on stage the audience went wild. Equilibrium was a group that clearly had to be part of the cartel, as they are currently booming. In addition, at this concert they presented their new singer Robert Robse Dahn. Personally, I was quite disappointed, since in the first songs his voice sounded very "mousey" and he was not very comfortable on stage. Luckily this changed throughout the concert, so towards the end of the performance, his voice began to adapt more to what he sounds on his CDs but without sounding so good. The other members of the group were perfectly integrated into the stage and shared their enthusiasm with the audience, who became more excited with each passing minute. In their set-list they did not neglect songs such as "Blut Im Auge" (in which, as I understand it, the Barcelonan Karlahan participated in its recording). The truth is that Equilibrium had a lot of hysterical fans, a great example is the girl in the front row and, as soon as a pick fell in the photographers area, she asked me for it, almost crying.

It was then the turn of Sarke, a Black Metal group characterized by their pounding riffs and their drums with the constant double bass drum, with the presence of Nocturno Culto (Darkthrone, Satyricon, Vidsyn), who this time did not play the guitar but that acts as a vowel. I really have to assure you that Nocturno Culto is a truly versatile musician since he defends himself perfectly as vocal and frontman of the band. As you can imagine, a group that has the collaboration of personalities such as Cyrus (Susperia, Old Man's Child, Satyricon, Dimmu Borgir) on guitar and Asgeir Mickelson (Borknagar) on drums, could not be a group that It will leave no one indifferent, at least they made me enjoy the best Black Metal live.

Gorgoroth: a group that as we all know has been the subject of controversy among its own members after "fights" between Gaahl and Infernus over the prestigious name of the group, which finally "stayed" Infernus. I have to say that I have never been too interested in the music made by the Norwegians Gorgoroth, but the figure of Gaahl gave the band some interest, both because of his private life mentioned in many of their interviews and because of his voice. The truth is that the Gorgoroth GENTLEMEN had no desire to go out to play, even so the audience was large and they kept cheering on behalf of the group with the same enthusiasm and enthusiasm. The Norwegians came out with their usual corpsepaintings, but they left their love for the fans and all those who adore them in Norway.

Gorgoroth came to present their new work "Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt" which really isn't bad at all since it more or less follows the Gorgoroth line. Even so, as I have said before, they did not want to surprise us with their new CD or anything like that, they only limited themselves to "doing the job" and the people who wanted to see them get annoyed.

The festival was coming to an end, a festival that one more year leaves me with a fabulous memory that nothing and no one will change. Also add that this year the festival has managed to improve some aspects that were pending last year, such as that the camping area was grass, since last year it was impossible to drive a "pick-ax" and they also made a supermarket available to everyone at the same festival.

So now you know guys and girls! cheer on you next year because it is an awesome experience!