equilibrium, annihilator, dark angel, toxic holocaust, destroyer 666, paradise lost at Hellfest 2014 ((my Maiden Europe 2014 backpacking to Serbia, France & Hellfest 2014 report PART 4)

Bonjour and Bonsoir everyone...My continuation of short reviews, mostly photos and also personal itsy gritty stories and memories that etched on my mind regarding my experience at Hellfest 2014.

On a bloody hot Sunday afternoon which makes me feel dehydrated often,
and by third day, the dust has really dominated the place after the festival's ground being trampled on non-stop since Friday...I was still in two minds of either later watching the more familiar thrash of Annihilator at the mainstage or this unique band Equilibrium from Germany playing at the tents.
After Powerwolf (standby for an avalance of the wolves photos taken by me in coming blogs LOL!) played a lovely wonderful hot shiny bright afternoon set, I sacrificed Repulsion at the tents to go to the merchandise stands that carries the participating bands merch. Please take note the bands merchandise stands is separate and far away from the more prominent and strategically located Hellfest merchandise. So Don't Blow All Your Spending Money At The Hellfest Merchandise Stands if you are on a shoestring backpacking budget like me. Another thing, the three days of Hellfest with different bands means the possibility of the merchandise sold at the Bands stands are rotated daily. So you may want to check it at least once daily if you want to get something that you really like. Also, take note, some bands created wonderful event t-shirts just for their Hellfest or France visits for 2014. (Maiden of course has a brilliant 2014 France event tshirt with Eddie I think wearing the French Napoleon hat, of course you can get the same design on the internet, but the special ones with the dates can only be found in Hellfest and Arras).

Waiting for my turn, at the same listening to Seether who are playing at mainstage 1, I observe the others buying their band tshirts. Trust me, on Sunday afternoon, the most popular tshirts sold by far that I observed were Powerwolf and Equilibrium. Me? I will show one of the tshirt I bought later in the post.

So I decide to watch Equilibrium play first, and then I will proceed to catch some ending of Annihilator where I can have my dosage of Alice In Hell, and knowing Dark Angel will play mainstage 1 immediately after that.
 I was surprised as the Temple stage was packed, and lots of people were cheering for Equilibrium even before they start playing. They got a lady now in the band on bass.
What a blasting time. Equilibrium sounds folksy, definitely metal, singing in German, Wikipedia says they mix German folk music with Black Metal and Progressive Metal, and singing about German folklore and legends. OK, thats fine, Wikipedia can say anything and still I am really liking what I saw and heard of this band very much.

Ooo there is a pro-shot of EQUILIBRIUM full show in Hellfest broadcasted for France TV I guess, here it is... Hurrah... Check them out.... I really really like this band now... Very funny too the singer words and actions...also pouring that water on the lady bassist head..



SUUUPPPERRRRRBBBBBBBBB this Equilibrium.


Unfortunately as it happened often for me, I cannot see the whole Equilibrium show till end as I want to see at least a bit of Annihilator at mainstage 2. So I had to happily frolicking thru the sand dust of Clisson LOL!!.. OK, lets watch Annihilator from a bit far, as I want to be quite near the stage 1, as its another thrash band playing Dark Angel immediately after.

So a bit of Annihilator,
So it means a bit of Monsieur Jeff Waters.

Moving on....to the band Dark Angel with the irresistible special tshirt that they came out with ESPECIALLY ONLY FOR HELLFEST 2014, WITH THEIR BAND LOGO IN THE COLOURS OF THE BLUE WHITE AND RED OF FRANCE and a We Have Returned Hellfest 2014 for te back, How can I no to this tshirt LOL!!!!
Here it is... Anyway I am late so the size is limited, but I really love the tshirt so I have no choice but to buy a bigger size hahaaha. Not so motivational to myself isnt it?? hahahaha.

Oooo Dark Angel, used to be like, on cassette tapes long ago LOL!!!!. Now they had reformed, and a last minute replacement for Megadeth who cancelled as James Ellefson brother passed away.
I took some photos of Dark Angel, here they are..... and live they are fantastic!!!!!!!!!!! ooo the happy tornadoes forming at the center with the audience hahaha.... as usual, I am politely away from any storm brewing LOL!!

Ooo a short video I took,

guitar solo onwards - Burning of Sodom, followed by "how of you here have seen us before?" crowd participation...



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Ahhh, lets continue with the thrash metal bands momentum, though it could be Culture Club or Spandau Ballet and as long as its nice I will like it.
Toxic Holocaust, I watch them from FAR FAR AWAY LAND OF SHREK haha... As I was then checking out the different food that is sold at Hellfest food stalls. Looking at something I can eat... I was bloody starving when Toxic Holocaust was playing. this was on day one I remembered.

Even from a distance, with me in the blazing hot sun, Toxic Holocaust sounds superb and exciting.


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."can you hear can you hear the thunder!!??? you better run you better take cover..." hehehe..
Men At Work has really nice songs isnt....
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Of course something Australia next....
The something Down Under is Destroyer 666,
Something special... I “”caught”” them at the side of the Temple getting ready to start their show. OOOOHH!!! Its those Destroyer 666 guys!!! ME TAKE OUT CAMERA AND ME PAPARAZZZI!!!!!.

I brought my busybody self ( KEPO’NESS) all the way to Hellfest HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

This is when they are properly on stage...

Last but not least for this blog post...
An English band that I really like, PARADISE LOST. A repertoire of wonderful songs has been made by them from the metal to the electronics and Draconian Times is one of the best album ever for myself especially the versions with the added Sisters Of Mercy's cover Walk Away. 
Like I said, Paradise Lost clashed with Soundgarden, so I can guess those who are at the Altar stage are majority Paradise Lost fans, so I am in good company. They played for about 50 minutes so I dont expect many of my favourite songs to be played, but still quite a few. Anyway, they can play any older or newer songs and I would be just glad. Some songs like Enchantment and Say Just Words etc really gets the audience going.

I had such a really enjoyable memorable time during this set. At last I saw Paradise Lost live. Maybe next time I will try stand at Greg Mackintosh’s side of the audience. Though I doubt I will ever see this band play live again.

This is a short video I recorded at start of Say Just Words. Its very very happening atmosphere....




Paradise Lost! Paradise Lost! Paradise Lost! Paradise Lost! Paradise Lost! Paradise Lost! Paradise Lost! Paradise Lost! Paradise Lost! Paradise Lost! Paradise Lost! Paradise Lost!.....

OK to be continued......another 2 post i can complete about the bands i saw at Hellfest I think.

two incoming magazines - classic rock summer 2014 issue & iron maiden fan club magazine no 98

Hellfest can waitttt..Hellfest can waitttt...Hellfest can waitttt...Hellfest can Wait For Another Day...,
(sung like Heaven Can Wait of course..)


OK, all my dumb reports and dumber photos of Hellfest 2014 and my backpack adventures have to waittttt....

because... I want to talk cock about two latest magazines that excites me...

Firstly, Classic Rock Magazine Summer 2014 issue no 199 (Rival Sons on the cover) does not only features some nice bands, but also includes a separate 24 pages magazine on IRON MAIDEN which is really interesting. The British Magazines are writing about Maiden due to the headlining of Knebworth 40 years by Maiden & of course Metallica under the Sonisphere name.

KNEBWORTH is a place I would like to go someday, I am awestruck by Led Zeppelin photos and stories playing two weekends there, the QUEEN helicopter flying in for that Magic Live photo but mostly definitely because of the video of that Robbie Williams three night dates.
Robbie Williams?
Yes, I have to admit, live he is simply awesome. And Knebworth is something of a legendary performance from Robbie Williams and what a very nice intro to that show...
Maybe one day Brian May should invite him to sing for Queen.

I seldom buy entertainment magazines nowadays, but this one is simply irresistible. I was going to purchase Terrorizer's latest special focussing on Norway bands, simply awesome issue this one if you are into that, but nope... I end up reading it at Kinokuniya instead LOL!!. Yes, I am a cheapskate, but again, we must always remember our priorities in life. hahaha.

OK, a short round up of this latest issue of Classic Rock magazine content, below are some articles that I read and enjoy. (As usual on any rock magazines, there are quite many bands articles and reviews that I completely ignore as I have no interest in them.)
- Rolling Stones touring US in 1969 makes a fascinating read LOL!!.
- Judas Priest with some very nice new photos...new articles... ah...and there was a mention of Desert Plains. I love this song, then and now.
- Chrissie Hynde - Why??? WHY ARE YOU SO SAD??? Something in your eyes........sob sob I stand sob.. sob...by...sob sob sob you...... A long article about her.
- EXTREME - Now this is a superb few pages articles on Extreme. Very nice story about all their problems and setbacks.
etc etc etc etc... plus lot of other bands, lots of reviews of releases, and lots of concert reviews, and actually I love to ogle all the advertisements of new releases, musical equipments and instruments, and of course all the beautifully designed incoming festivals and shows ads.

now for the Iron Maiden mini-magazine that came with this latest Classic Rock, (the ultimate guide to the World's Biggest Heavy Metal Band).. really?? the biggest? I am not sure, but the greatest, consistently awesome and forever the best? 99.9999% probability.
- pre Maiden years has quotes from friends and members of bands that Steve Harris was a part of during his teenage and younger years before he created Maiden.
- Fancy and nice merch and tickets..
- start of Maiden and how they got their record deals and all the stories back then and HM Soundhouse and all that
- short articles and quotes from those in Maiden from 1975 to 1980..
- Remembering World Slavery Tour, times when Maiden appears on national tv, children shows, 1988 DONINGTON PARK happiness and tragedy...
- I love the two pages on some history, literature, legends, fictions figures, events, and stories that influenced Maiden songs..
- the auditions to replace Bruce...and Bruce return is flashbacked...
- I think this is definitely new, Classic Rock had asked their readers to nominate the top 50 Maiden songs of their choice...
The top 50... its something inconceivable for me..... I cannot even nominate a Maiden top 100 or even a top 150!!!!!!!! , but its interesting choice this top 50...
ok... Enjoy some of these.... I think this is a very good buy magazine content if you are fans of the bands featured in this magazine's issue.

The top 50 as polled by this magazine's readers sometime back is really interesting...
Myself, it would be terrible to have to firstly narrow down the top 50 songs that I like, and then arranged them from 50 to 1st. LOL!!!
Out of spite, I would maybe select Black Bart Blues as number 1, LOL!!!!!!
(Exsscuse Me, Are you in a band or something cause its really cool googgle gaggle gooo..)
(Here Comes!!! The Geeetarrrrrr Soloooooo!!!) haha.
Come to think of it, that Anthrax song on the Beavis and Butthead soundtrack, that alphabet magazine thing which Butthead brings to the toilet with LOL!! its like Black Bart Blues really, a boy knocking on a bus. OK OK...I am out of topic..
I was wondering too, how many people votes in for Mission From Harry? hahaha.

Secondly,
Now for the latest Iron Maiden Fan Club Magazine number 98.
The front cover is actually the back design on the last year Event Tshirt of Maiden headlining Donington Park Download Festival 2013,  and the memory of being there still delights me.
The back cover is the artwork to commemorate the Maiden headlining of Knebworth 40 years with Metallica as part of Sonisphere. Its the front design for the Event Tshirt for Knebworth show anyway last Saturday.

So the contents as usual is simply awesome. 40 over full colour pages of many nice things.
I think the best is the few pages on Janick Gers answering and telling about his guitars and gears, his set ups and also his tech Justin sharing informations too.

Plus I think a very nice tribute to the memory of the late Andy Matthews, who was so nice when he walked with me to the Frankfurt Festhalle from the city center, and I really cannot identify his face, and I was puzzled when fans from Poland stop us and to take photos and then I realise who he was as we parted ways.

Plus stuffs about football, fans adventures in regards to Maiden, the management recruiting new staff who is a Maiden fan and writes for magazines before, and of course very very nice photos of Maiden for me to ogle.
I think I will stop.

 Enjoy some of these pages ...

heretic, gorguts, emperor, black sabbath, skyclad, schirenc plays pungent stench at Hellfest 2014 ((my Maiden Europe 2014 backpacking to Serbia, France & Hellfest 2014 report PART 3)

Moving on from the - World Cup dates happening during the Muslim Fasting Month of Ramadhan and its impact on Muslim players - article of the previous blog post, lets continue with Hellfest 2014 from the point of view of Yours Truly.

Continuation of short reviews, mostly photos and also personal itsy gritty stories and memories that etched on my mind, - My opportunity to be at Hellfest 2014 to see Iron Maiden headlining a French festival, and a glorious abundance of bands that I love, like, or just plain curious playing the type of intelligent, beautiful, wonderful, sweet, heavy, speedy, hard, slow, melodic, brutal, thrashy, no-compromise take no prisoners, entertaining, thrilling, lovely, LOUD music which I enjoy all my life.

One band that I really was looking forward to check out live is the Germans “URFAUST” which I am not really familiar but I know I will like them live as I kind of enjoy what opprotunites I heard of their music.

So there I was full of anticipation on day three entering the Temple Stage and I guess its “lucky me I got a clue something is not right” as behind the stage is the HERETIC banner. What? A check on my personal timetable and I got it right, correct timing correct location. So something is wrong, and anyway in Hellfest you don’t expect any master of ceremonies or announcements, you jolly well must know your own schedules and timetables. Be there at the location, and the band you expect will be there starting on the DOT!!. 
Everyone seems to be carrying their own sets of timetables and unfolding and checking their timetables often, and this is completely undertatandable with more than 150 bands playing from late morning till the early morning for the 3 days and nights. There is a BLACK EAGLE statue or is it a BLACK CROW sitting on the schedules at one area of the festival but its not really updated, Iced Earth is still on the bill according to the Black Eagle.

Another Side story I want to share was on the Monday, a Hellfest festival goer whom I spoke to at the train told me he was at the Opeth performance and asked me how was Iced Earth? As these two bands were supposely playing at the same time. (YES, Another Awesome Clash).
He have no idea Jon Scaffer has a recurrence of his medical condition and Iced Earth did not play. I told him I was already on the bus back to Nantes during that timing. Sorry Opeth, maybe another time LOL!!.
Thats an example of the happy-stress in the lineup of Hellfest 2014.

So HERETIC it is....

then I realised when the Heretic singer ‘informed that they are not Urfaust but still we got HALF OF URFAUST on stage’. The bassist. OK I learnt something new.
Anyway, dont confuse the Germans Heretic with the American Thrash Metal Band.

I like them. This is a short one minute video of Heretic that day.



OK, GORGUTS.. the Canadians... Annihilator was also at Hellfest (more of this band in coming posts) . I wish I got time to see Gorguts whole show. I think I have to leave because I really want to see the rockin Status Quo playing at mainstage 1. (another evil clash).
And Status Quo are really a very fun entertaining band. More of that next time, if I remember LOL!!

The clash of bands at Hellfest 2014 is crazy for me,

Here is a bit when Gorguts first came out on stage, I had a plan to record some videos of the bands I see as memories, so I try to record them at the start for a minute, take a few photos, and then enjoy the rest of the time.




Moving on.... and I am just jumping around writting about the bands I choose to see for the 3 days...

EMPEROR. Now, in Hellfest, they headline Mainstage 2. PRIME TIME. They play just before Sharon Osbourne's BLACK SABBATH plays Mainstage 1. As Iced Earth's Jon Scaffer had to go to hospital for another operation on his neck, and Iced Earth UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME has to cancel Hellfest, that means Emperor closes Mainstage 2.
So pretty pixs of them by yours truly. Anyway, its a nice experience. Ooo and again I stick to the left wing this time LOL!!.

Faust (its him right?), Samoth, Ihsahn.. I hope I goht tehe sspeeling coreccttt....

The next best thing about Emperor at Hellfest 2014 besides me watching them LOL, 
is that there is a very nice multiple camera Pro-Shot of them playing broadcasted by a France TV station and its already on youtube. Here it is... anyway, when I was there I was not expecting quite often Pyros for Emperor's set. Very nice surprise. Anyway I am worried for the keyboardist neck when I was watching from the left side. Seriously.




I am trying to imagine DEPECHE MODE plays immediately after Emperor. That would be simply breathtaking. Like I say if Depeche Mode was slotted into this Hellfest 2014 bill, it would be as complete as possible. I guess Depeche Mode is not rocking enough for Hellfest LOL!!! Evil enough most definitely, just not rocking enough :)  :)  :)

OK, since I mentioned Black Sabbath, lets talk a bit of Black Sabbath headlining mainstage 1. I GOT THE CURSE FOR CURSING SHARON OSBOURNE. BECAUSE BLACK SABBATH PLAYS TWO NEW SONGS, and for the next few days, that new song Age Of Reason melody keeps looping in my head LOL!!!.
They start with War Pigs as I guessed because I got my handphone ready to record this Air-Raid Siren Of War Pigs, it sounds so magical live this air-raid siren, but sorry not here with my handphone hahaha. This is where I stand most of the time.


Really not optimum location where I am standing. But I was tired, the people around me are too calm for Black Sabbath, maybe I would have more fun if I am more in front, but I dont think its worth it, at that time I was still in two minds to say goodbye to Sabbath and proceed to see 1349 plays instead at the tents LOL!!!.

If the original timetable of Paradise Lost clashing with Black Sabbath still stands, now that is a confirmed attendance for me at the tents hahahahaha. Really really incredible bill this Hellfest 2014.

Anyway, since they already big enough and can already afford Iron Maiden, I am not surprised Hellfest 2015 will have bigger rock bands ACDC and Metallica headlining the main stage next.

Anyway, I wish it was Bill Wards or at least Vinnie Appice  and I sit down when the drummer does his solo. I guess its just me being dissapointed LOL!. Still Ozzy Osbourne sounds wicked and evil at times, and he does his squat jumps a few times, and I was entertained.

So finally I kind of complete watching the trilogy of Tony Martin/Ronnie James Dio/Ozzy Osbourne fronting the band at last. I kind of just missed Cozy Powell plays for them thats all. But still I got to see Bobbi Rodinelli with them. I really am into Rainbow guys really. Long Live Rock N Roll Long Live Rainbow!!.

 anyway its been like so long since I listen properly to any Sabbath, and yet I remember the whole lyrics of NIB (LOL!!!) as I was like mouthing along, Snowblind got played, one of Black Sabbath best ever songs for me this one. Most of their popular songs got played anyway. I already start moving towards the exit when Sabbath plays their Sabbath Bloody Sabbath teaser with Paranoid. Then thats the trouble starts, "Age Of Reason" starts looping in my head. LOL!!!
I wish Sabbath records another album as their original Fab 4 and settle their difference with Bill Wards.
Ok enough of Sharon Osbourne, 

but continuing with a lady's involvement this time on stage.

SKYCLAD. I used to read about them, but now I got a chance to see how they really are. I love it. They are sort of a heavy rockin drinking songs band. For the last six songs they got I think an ex-guitarist to join them on stage.
What I never realised before was this band got a lady on violin who rocks the stage. She also plays the keyboards on some songs. I really like the band live. Its so much fun...

Oh ok as I think I better hurry up and finish all these Hellfest thingys postings...
another band I choose to check out was this one Schirenc Plays Pungent Stench, a word play on the singer plus the band's name due to some contractual issues. I like what I see and hear.

To Be Continued....