Download 2018- The Sunday

I'm going to the Download Festival on Sunday. Well, I went and returned and am ready to share all my experiences of this historical day with all of you. Before I do, I'd like to mention something that happened as I was walking into the festival. I happened to ask one of the security staff if there had been any fatalities or drunken brawls. The security person stated, "No, that doesn't happen at Download, it's a friendly festival." That makes my point which some of you mentioned in my post about the backlash. Everyone thinks awful things happen at metal concerts when indeed, it's the non-metal festivals these things happen at. Anyway, enough of that, here's Sunday Download.
First band up on the day was British hard rock band, Inglorious. They would have been my choice for band whom I never heard of who really impressed me had I not listened to them on Youtube mix. I was really impressed with what I had heard on Youtube and therefore had high hopes for them when they hit the stage. I wasn't disappointed, they won me over straight away. Lead singer  Nathan James really connected with the crowd and has a great range with his voice. I loved it when he got the crowd to chant "Fuck Gene Simmons" before the second song. I don't know what issue the band has with Gene but it must make an interesting story. The guitar work of Swedish born Andreas Eriksson was also very impressive. When they left the stage after a half hour of great hard rock, my thought was that if Inglorious don't make it to the summit of the rock and roll mountain, then there is no justice in the world. I urge all of you to have a listen to them.
[caption id="attachment_4578" align="aligncenter" width="297"] Inglorious open the day[/caption][caption id="attachment_4579" align="aligncenter" width="285"] Drew Lowe, Colin Parkinson and Phil Beaver make a great rhythm section[/caption][caption id="attachment_4580" align="aligncenter" width="282"] Nathan James singing his heart out to the crowd[/caption]
While I heard of the second band on the day, Cradle of Filth, I must I never really listened to them. My most noted experience is their excellent rendition of the Twisted Sister classic, "The Fire Still Burns" on the "Twisted Forever" album. I have also heard several versions of how they were booed off the stage at Bloodstock in 2009. The reason for that, I've been told, was that the Bloodstock crowd considered them too popular for Bloodstock although alternative reasons had been put forward. Therefore, I had no impressions or expectations of them beforehand.
They hit the Download stage in full frenzy. They had the hunger that many support bands I have seen over the years possess. It seems they were out to assault the ear drums from the first moment and they succeeded. I also liked their make up, it did remind me of something out of a zombie B-movie but it worked well. While I can't say that I've been converted to the Cradle cause and intend to buy their entire discography, I won't, I did think they were pretty good and kept things going quite well.
[caption id="attachment_4581" align="aligncenter" width="259"] Cradle of Filth- out to frighten young children[/caption][caption id="attachment_4582" align="aligncenter" width="255"] I thought this was a good shot of them[/caption][caption id="attachment_4583" align="aligncenter" width="254"] Guitars and bass do that 80s rocking back and forth close together thing.[/caption]
Inglorious wasn't the only band I listened to on Youtube in the days before Download. I also listened to some Hatebreed. They didn't impress me as much as the first band did so they weren't on my 'must see' list. After Cradle of Filth, I decided to take a walk and ended up heading over to the Avalanche Stage. It was here that I discovered the band I truly had never heard of before but really impressed me, Puppy. They're a three piece band with the guitarist taking on the vocal responsibilities. His vocals are good and he has a good on stage rapport with the bassist but really impressed me was their power. While not thrash, they could collectively hit the right power chords and they really did impress me. Furthermore, they must have impressed a lot more people because at the end of their set, the guitarist remarked that he didn't expect that many people there to see them. I think that's a sign of things to come for this band. One I urge you to check out as well.
[caption id="attachment_4584" align="aligncenter" width="306"] Puppy- Sorry, this was the best shot I could get of the band under all of those lights.[/caption]
Puppy proved a good warm up to one of the bands I was dying to see. After eating an overpriced burger and watching the first bout of the NXT Wrestling, I headed over to the Zippo Stage to see the band I've been wanting to see for 32 years, Kreator. I managed to get almost to the front so I was in a great position to see them when they came out. Kreator hit the stage running at about 250 mph with "Phantom Antichrist" and didn't look back. They might have only been on stage 30 minutes but they didn't stop from start to finish treating the audience to "Hail to the Hordes," Hordes of Chaos," which Mille referred to the crowd as and "Suicide Terrorist" and ended with my all time favourite "Pleasure to Kill." Two things surprised me on what I saw. One was that most of the shredding was done by Sami Yli Sirnio. Don't get me wrong, Sami can smoke the six string but I've always thought that Mille Petrozza was just as capable. Saying that, it worked for them. The other thing was that Mille does know how to work a crowd and get them participating, he's a much better front man than I expected. Like I said, the band gave their all because when they left, Mille looked like he needed to use a different underarm deodorant and drummer Ventor was drenched in sweat. Thirty-two years and it was well worth the wait.
[caption id="attachment_4585" align="aligncenter" width="267"] Mille leads Kreator onto the stage[/caption][caption id="attachment_4586" align="aligncenter" width="266"] Mille supports while Sami shreds.[/caption]
Still buzzing by Kreator's performance, I returned to the main stage in time to catch the final couple of songs of In This Moment. Lead by lead singer Maria Brink, the band backed up what looked to be an interesting theatrical stage show. Because I got there at the end, I couldn't get what the story was about but it looked like a woman who looked like Maria was acting like Maria's slave while she sang but while it would have been interesting to see the entire show, I don't regret giving it up for Kreator.
[caption id="attachment_4589" align="aligncenter" width="259"] In This Moment performing their theatrics.[/caption]
Rejoining my stepson Teal who had remained at the main stage, he did say that In This Moment's show was quite good and he thought Hatebreed were pretty good as well and they paid tribute to Kreator. That was cool but we both awaited the appearance of Black Veil Brides. These were on my "I have to check out" list so I made it a point to see them. I wanted to see if they were really Motley Crue for the twenty-teens. They weren't they were better and I must say that I was very impressed with their often melodic, sometimes power metal. Of course, they played the song they're known best for, "Fallen Angels" and I sang the chorus along with everyone else in the crowd. "Faithless" was played very brilliantly too and I found myself harmonizing the "Whoa-oh" along with the crowd. When they left the stage, they had definitely made a believer out of me and Teal because he wasn't too keen to see them at first, he said he didn't regret it after.
[caption id="attachment_4591" align="aligncenter" width="253"] Black Veil Brides make their appearance[/caption][caption id="attachment_4592" align="aligncenter" width="260"] Bassist Ashley Purdy comes to my side of the stage[/caption][caption id="attachment_4593" align="aligncenter" width="251"] Andy , Jinx and Jake in action[/caption][caption id="attachment_4594" align="aligncenter" width="257"] Andy comes our way.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4595" align="aligncenter" width="253"] Guitarists rocking out on centre stage.[/caption]
Shinedown was another band I had only heard on Youtube just a few days before Download and as a result, which was also down to my not wanting to lose my place for Marilyn and Ozzy, I remained in place to see them. A wise decision this turned out to be. Shinedown were another band I had no familiarity with but really impressed me on the day. I'm probably way out of the ball park on this but they reminded me of classic 1970s hard rock. Their hour on stage went by too fast, playing a combination of old material and some from their latest album. Brent Smith is a good vocalist and showman as any of them and the band behind him played very well. I was quite impressed when bassist Eric Bass (no that's not a pun) played acoustic guitar. For some reason, it's what I remember most about them, probably because the song played to it was good.
[caption id="attachment_4596" align="aligncenter" width="276"] Shinedown begin[/caption][caption id="attachment_4597" align="aligncenter" width="275"] Playing in the smoke[/caption][caption id="attachment_4598" align="aligncenter" width="271"] A good shot of Eric Bass[/caption]
As the evening progressed, the excitement mounted for the top two acts on the card. Marilyn Manson came out first, stating that he hates the daylight but that couldn't be helped. He had the crowd eating out of his hand from the outset and all the things I heard about his kick ass live shows were true. I was personally pleased when he performed my personal favourite of his, "This is the New Hit" but the day had been going like that. He sang many other of his best hits as well and what surprised me a little was that while he performed his version of 80s synth pop song, "Sweet Dreams," he didn't do "Tainted Love," not that it bothered me. He did have several background and costume changes as well. Starting with the upside down black and white flag with the crosses, then a picture of himself and following that, the upside down cathedral. His final costume choice was bold because it was a large frilly black coat and it was still quite hot outside. While his show was top rate, I was a little disappointed about the end because he exited the stage without any thank you or acknowledgement of the crowd.
[caption id="attachment_4599" align="aligncenter" width="287"] Marilyn commands the stage[/caption][caption id="attachment_4601" align="aligncenter" width="274"] Manson comes to the centre of the stage but too many hands got in the way.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4602" align="aligncenter" width="303"] Cool lights and Marilyn's guitarist and drummer[/caption][caption id="attachment_4603" align="aligncenter" width="287"] Marilyn singing without a shirt on[/caption][caption id="attachment_4604" align="aligncenter" width="291"] I used the large screen to get this shot of him.[/caption]
Finally, the main event: Ozzy Osbourne came to the stage. Before he came out, however, he called out from backstage, "I can't fucking hear you!" two times before he came out and only when the audience was good and loud. Once he did, it was Ozzy mayhem from beginning to end. While he wasn't doing acrobatics on stage, he still moved around fairly well for someone approaching 70. It was no surprise he began the show with "Bark at the Moon," he did that when I saw him 32 years earlier. It was the second song that got me going, probably my all time Ozzy favourite, "Mr Crowley." If that wasn't enough of a surprise, instead of "Iron Man" he sang my all time favourite Black Sabbath song, "War Pigs." So, you can imagine my euphoria after that. It was after that classic that Zak Wylde dazzled with his guitar skills. The funny thing was that during his solo, he started playing the opening riffs to "Perry Mason" and I thought that would be the next song. Unfortunately not, but it wasn't a disappointment. Instead, Tommy Clufetos went into a massive drum solo, thus further wowing the crowd. When Ozzy returned, there were more of the classics, "Road to Nowhere," "Dreamer" and I was a little surprised when he played "Shot in the Dark," It was overdubbed with keyboards but it still sounded okay. In all cases, he got the crowd fully involved and there was plenty of shouting and hand waving along to his songs to be had. When he left the first time, no one was surprised to see him come back quickly and when he did, he treated the crowd to "Mama I'm Coming Home" and of course, "Paranoid." However, when he left for good after all the good byes and fanfare, I realized his show was twenty minutes shorter than what it was billed for. Yes, he could have done a few more classics, but he went out on a major high.

[caption id="attachment_4606" align="aligncenter" width="256"] Ozzy's stage[/caption][caption id="attachment_4607" align="aligncenter" width="262"] Ozzy's kick ass show[/caption]

I regret that there's only two photos of Ozzy's piece of history. That was because my memory card was full. Nevertheless, he ended what was a glorious Sunday at Download.
I did take videos of Kreator and Ozzy but stupid Wordpress won't let me upload them here. They won't even let me paste a link to it on Facebook.
Next post: Bryan Adams- Reckless
To get Rock and Roll Children for free, go to: http://allkindlecloud.com/register/14510967-Rock-and-Roll-Children_pdf_free.html

Great New Metal Album: Greywind- Afterthoughts

Apologies for all of those who were expecting to be reading my thoughts on the "Fugazi" album from Marillion. Trust me, that will be coming very soon. What has thrown a metal spanner in the works was my getting and listening to the debut album, "Afterthoughts" by Greywind after seeing them dominate the Avalanche Stage on the Saturday and Download. Now, that I've had a couple of listens to it, I am even more impressed and now want to spread the word about this band.

[caption id="attachment_3947" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Greywind making their mark at Download[/caption]

At first listen, one might be tempted to compare Greywind to Paramore and there are similarities in the sound beyond the fact that both are fronted by female lead singers. Only similarities though, as I find Greywind to be much more in your face than what Paramore ever was, no disrespect to that band. There is some powerful forces at work on "Afterthoughts" in between some flashes of prog metal. The best example of this is on the tracks "Circle" and "The Lake." The latter uses a piano in a very seductive way that lures you into a possible mellow out before belting you ear drums with more guitars. However, those aren't my favourite tracks on the album. The title track is a definite candidate as well as being a great opener for the album. I also like the track "Desolate" for its start like a ballad before ripping your head off power chords and then going back and forth between the two and "Car Spins" is a very interesting track to say indeed.

One thing I learned after purchasing the album was that Greywind are actually a brother and sister act fronted by guitarist Paul O'Sullivan and singer Stephanie O'Sullivan. The rhythm section get a mention in the Special Thanks part on the label as they should. Mark Chapman and Adam Perry make a very good one here. Guitarist Paul is a very good guitarist which is paradoxical for me. I usually like ones who do blistering solos ala Van Halen, Nugent, Blackmore, Iommi, Page etc. I had to stop there before I got carried away naming all the great axemen. He does play some intricate little riffs throughout the songs that don't escape your attention.

For me though, it's the dominating voice of Steph that makes this album for me. In comparison to Paramore, Hayley Williams' vocals don't even come close! Steph O'Sullivan can do it all. She can sing soft or belt you with her raw power vocal chords. She did that at Download and she does it here on the album.

Track Listing:

1. Afterthoughts
2. Forest Ablaze
3. Circle
4. Safe Haven
5. The Lake
6. Car Spin
7. Stitch On My Wings
8. Desolate
9. In Autumn
10. Wander

Stephanie O'Sullivan giving it her all.

Stephanie O'Sullivan- vocals

Paul O'Sullivan- guitars

Mark Chapman- bass

Adam Perry- drums

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1AWdF1R0oQ

The whole point of my writing "Rock and Roll Children" and starting 80sMetalman was to get everyone to get out their old albums and listen to them again. I know a lot of you never stopped listening to them. In this case, I'm hoping that you will give a new band a chance and listen to their debut album because I think it's worth it.

To buy Rock And Roll Children go to: https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Roll-Children-Michael-Lefevre/dp/1609763556/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1499276423&sr=8-8&keywords=michael+d+lefevre

Download 2017: The Sunday

[caption id="attachment_3978" align="aligncenter" width="270"] I wonder if anyone obliged them.[/caption]
Sunday, the final day of Download., we all thought we better make the best of it. Most of the bands I wanted to see this day were playing on the main stage so I didn't have to travel very far, especially with the headache of packing and loading the car. Everyone in my group all wanted to catch the day's opener on the main stage, Fozzy. I had seen them at Bloodstock in 2013 and was very eager to see them again and when they came out on stage, they were determined to impress. Lead singer Chris Jerico, now with darker hair, still was the main attraction to this band. Like when I saw him at Bloodstock, he has a stage presence that singers with greater vocal talent don't. However, he did give his band a little more of the limelight this time around. After all, he does have a good band behind him and I have to say that they seemed to have better material this time around. Check out the new song, "Judas." A great start to the final day.
[caption id="attachment_3980" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Fozzy begin[/caption][caption id="attachment_3981" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Jerico goes to the front[/caption][caption id="attachment_3982" align="aligncenter" width="225"] With the rest of the band behind him[/caption][caption id="attachment_3983" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Chris came my way[/caption]
The rest of my group returned to camp but I stayed because I very much wanted to see the second band of the day, Orange Goblin. I have some of you bloggers to thank for that, I'm looking at Stone and HMO specifically, because what I have read about them made that decision for me. I have been told that while their music was good, they lacked stage presence, however, I saw no evidence of that when they hit the stage. True, singer Ben Ward is not the showman that Chris Jerico is but he sings well and can get the audience motivated behind the band. I thought they had some good stuff with their combination of doom metal and stoner rock. Will definitely be listening to these guys more and I'm serious about that.
[caption id="attachment_3984" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Orange Goblin do have the presence[/caption][caption id="attachment_3985" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Ben Ward serenading the Sunday morning crowd[/caption]
After being wowed by Fozzy and Orange Goblin, it was time to head back to camp, finish packing and load up the car. We managed to do this but because one of the assistants sent us to the wrong car park, we were late in getting back so when only caught the last twenty minutes of Devil Driver on the Zippo Stage. Still, twenty minutes of hard core thrash from Devil Driver is miles better than none at all.
[caption id="attachment_3987" align="aligncenter" width="225"] The closest I could get to Devil Driver[/caption]
After Devil Driver, I headed back to the main stage to see the remaining four bands on the night. The first of these were Australian hard rock band, Airbourne. Remember what I said about Northlane are evidence that not all Australian bands are influenced by AC/DC?  Well, forget about that in this case because the AC/DC influence came through the minute Airbourne was out on stage. The other thing I noticed straight away was that lead singer/lead guitarist, Joel O'Keeffe was the main attraction in the band. Like, Devin Townsend and another artist I would see later on in the day, O'Keeffe was good at both. However, he wouldn't be so great without the rest of the band behind him. Most of the songs they played were from the "Breaking Out of Hell" album but that's not a bad thing. I did like the song "It's All For Rock and Roll, so it's another album on my to get list. Airbourne warmed things up nicely in preparation for the rest of the evening.
[caption id="attachment_3986" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Joel O'Keeffe going straight to the front[/caption][caption id="attachment_3988" align="aligncenter" width="225"] O'Keeffe belts out a guitar solo with rhythm section in support[/caption][caption id="attachment_3989" align="aligncenter" width="225"] The album cover alone is worth getting the album.[/caption][caption id="attachment_3990" align="aligncenter" width="225"] O'Keeffe leading the finish[/caption]
After Airbourne, I was totally pumped for the next band, Steel Panther, and my feelings were justified. Steel Panther were the unsung heroes on the day. I loved them start to finish and let me put to rest any doubts about their ability, these guys can play, they proved that the second they stepped out on stage with "Eyes of the Panther." Sure, there is a lot of humour in their songs and I was quite surprised they played, "Thar She Blows" live but whoever said that there can't be humour in metal? I laughed and rocked out at the same time to the Tiger Woods song. In addition to the great metal, there was some great banter with the crowd and between the band themselves. Bassist Lexxi was the butt of most of the jokes, with constant insinuations he was gay but it was also said that lead singer Mike Starr was 72 years old. If that's true, then all the power to him I say. Besides I believe them when they say the reason all the other bands hate them was because they sleep with all their girlfriends. I only had to wait halfway through the set to hear the famous "Death to All But Metal" and they played "Fuck All Night, Party All Day" straight after. The biggest surprise was when they played "17 Girls in a Row." While playing it, they invited ladies up from the crowd on stage and before you knew it, there was a wall of young women across the entire stage and four deep. Most of the ladies seemed content with taking selfies with the band and giving them kisses, not that they minded. Once the girls were back off stage, they ended with what's for me, the best song possible, "Community Property." You bet people sang along to that one. So, after seeing them, anyone who insists Steel Panther are a joke band can come see me and I'll show them my US Marine Corps training.
[caption id="attachment_3991" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Feel the Steel[/caption][caption id="attachment_3992" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Michael Starr sings while Satchel hammers a solo[/caption][caption id="attachment_3993" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Starr and Lexxi come my way[/caption][caption id="attachment_3994" align="aligncenter" width="225"] The ladies answer the invite to come on stage[/caption][caption id="attachment_3995" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Ladies on stage[/caption]
I only became familiar with Alter Bridge a week before I went to Download but after hearing their mix on Youtube, I made up my mind to go and see them. Myles Kennedy was already known to me on account of his work with Slash so that made me more determined to see them. He is a great singer but what I never knew was that he can play a guitar a bit as well. He really wailed away on quite a few of the songs so I was doubly impressed. While I can remember specific song titles, I can say that the songs I heard were absolutely brilliant. I think that after seeing them onstage, they are quickly becoming a favourite with me.
[caption id="attachment_3996" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Welcome Alter Bridge[/caption][caption id="attachment_3997" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Myles came my way to play a solo[/caption][caption id="attachment_3998" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Don't forget, there are three other great musicians in Alter Bridge[/caption][caption id="attachment_3999" align="aligncenter" width="225"] We all know Myles is a great singer too[/caption][caption id="attachment_4000" align="aligncenter" width="225"] More great guitar work[/caption][caption id="attachment_4001" align="aligncenter" width="225"] They played on til the end[/caption]
Now common sense says that I should have stayed put after Alter Bridge so I would have a spot for headliners, Aerosmith. However, who says I have any sense? What did I do? I went over to the Zippo Stage to catch twenty minutes of headliners Slayer. Sure, I have seen them twice recently but who in their right mind would pass up any chance to see Slayer? I didn't and don't regret it.
[caption id="attachment_4003" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Slaaaayyyeeeerrrrrr![/caption]
I did manage to get back well before the main event and managed to jockey into the best place possible to see the band that helped me through high school. Aerosmith came out to all the royal fanfare a band of their magnitude deserved. While I knew that their set would be a 'greatest hits' one, neither I or any of the tens of thousands there to see them cared. The hits came straight away, their was "Crying," "Love in an Elevator," "Living on the Edge" and "Jaime's Got a Gun" for starters. It was common knowledge that the last song was about domestic abuse but I was a little surprised at Steve's revelation that he got the idea for it while he was in rehab. Sometime in the middle of the set, guitarist Joe Perry was allowed to sing lead on a couple of songs, the first one was a blues number and the second one, Brad Whitford played a guitar solo. I always suspected Brad was capable of such things. After all, he's been a brilliant rhythm guitarist for over forty years! After Joe's spot, Aerosmith went back to the hits starting with the film classic, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." It was here that Steve Tyler introduced guest keyboards player Buck Johnson. Believe me, he went well with the band. Tom Hamilton played a bass solo but there was no surprise which song was to come after when Steve introduced him as Mr Sweet Emotion. This was the icebreaker for more of their 70s and 80s stuff. There was "Dude Looks Like a Lady" and of course "Dream On," which the band left the stage. No fooling they would come out for encores and the audience was treated to a song I can't remember before "Walk This Way." The night ended with confetti and great fanfare. Now, there are rumours that this would be Aerosmith's last tour. If so, they went out on an absolute high.
Aerosmith ended a night and a weekend of great metal! I went home feeling very satisfied and fulfilled. Download was great but I will not enter into any debate as to which is better between Download and Bloodstock. Both offer me everything I look for in metal. One thing, I must do in the future is to save my pennies so I can go to both festivals in the same year.
[caption id="attachment_4005" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Steve and Joe in the front[/caption][caption id="attachment_4006" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Aerosmith rocks![/caption][caption id="attachment_4007" align="aligncenter" width="225"] They rock some more[/caption][caption id="attachment_4008" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Cool lights[/caption][caption id="attachment_4009" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Tom's bass solo[/caption][caption id="attachment_4010" align="aligncenter" width="225"] More Steve and Joe[/caption][caption id="attachment_4011" align="aligncenter" width="225"] A great end to the night![/caption]

Rock and Roll Children is still available on Amazon.