June 2nd 2012
TRISTANIA - LACUNA COIL - BEHEMOTH - SYMPHONY X - W.A.S.P.

text and photos: Jason

Seems like the LOUD FESTIVAL 2012 people have connections, because Mother Nature chose exactly June 2nd to stop quaking and raining on the Fatherland, or at least to slow it down a bit. So the first most enthusiastic fans were waiting the doors' opening under the warm sun, instead of under rain, hailstorm, tornado or a volcano eruption.

Beer brake, while we are still fresh.



The loud and important part of the festival started right on time and just as thunderous as the name of the event suggests.

TRISTANIA exploded on Bulgarian audience in an epic combination of heavy riffs, melodic vocals and savage roars. It is clear that the combination of Italian and Nordic blood works as a charm, because a) is sounds huge and b) because the fans went crazy from the beginning of Year of the Rat all the way until after the ending of Exile. For 45 short minutes, the band played a tight set, but managed to showcase pretty much all of the vocal techniques in todays metal.



We learned from Mariangela and Kjetil that the band will be working on a new album so there's an excuse, if at all needed, to see them on home soil (or mud).

Beer brake.

LACUNA COIL. They started the year by releasing Dark Adrenaline - a monstrously great album, by the way - and now we were blessed that Bulgaria was along the way of Lacuna Coil's summer tour paths. The audience of Tangra Mega Rock had the pleasure to listen to a special live interview of Cristina and Andrea, a luckier few had the chance to see them from very close distance (and some of me will brag about it until they got beaten up).



On the actual band performance - Lacuna Coil came on stage on time but had to leave 10 minutes earlier. The bassist Marco played with an injured wrist, as we learned from our man Alexander Boyadjiev. I mention it because during the set we couldn't notice. Other than a few amp farts at the end of couple of songs the sound was perfect so the crowd could fully enjoy the Cristina and the guys. As if previously arranged, there was a quick rain, not strong enough to call it actually wet, but just enough to cool down the fans a bit. And with Lemmy as my witness, everyone in close proximity to Cristina NEEDS cooling down.

The set took a walk back and forth along the band's discography with the accent on Dark Adrenaline. I thought it was quite a luck to have only favourite songs of mine, but then I remembered that there are no others...

Beer brake.

Another beer brake for cooling down purposes.



As a proof of the power of contrast came the BEHEMOTH set. Upon appearing on stage after LACUNA COIL they seemed even MORE beastly than usual, and given the photo material provided, there is no need to explain how beastly they usually look.

If you are not deep inside the information feed, you wouldn't find it apparent that Nergal has killed leukemia, raped the carcass and burned the remains. Even deep inside it is still hard to believe. Additionally, Nergal was a special guest in our special festival studio, so with or without corpse paint the man - I mean of course the beast - is well and evil.



This manifested on stage with crushing determination. Starting with the first growl all the way to the last, over the never-ending thunder of drums, over the pounding bass, over the riffs the whole band emmits primal aggression. Audable and visible definition of 'slaughter'.

Beer brake.

The gentle beginning of the day was followed by a brutal continuation and now came time for technicality.

SYMPHONY X, thought, combine pure virtuosity with authentic rock'n'roll energetic attitude, and add instantly likeable melodies to the mix and you've got a progressive band that definitely doesn't fall into the look-how-many-notes-I-can-play stereotype. Nor mud, nor more mud could keep this solidly stacked crowd from its fun. Come hell AND high water, whoever give a fuck?! Not the thousands at LOUD FESTIVAL 2012.



SYMPHONY X hit us with a solid hour and twenty minute set and never even for a second did they stop crushing our solid skulls and I assure you, the front rows felt that physically.

Beer brake.

Muddied beyond the point of care we meet and greet the latest coming of the already traditional guests of W.A.S.P. I don't think that I can tell you something about Blackie & Co. that isn't repeating something already repeated. I will however confirm that he and the guys just won't grow old and that's that. The bands energy was met by the crowd's energy. Front of stage naturally formed a VIP zone only for the true metalheads - the ones with the good boots or the ones that don't care about some lousy eich-two-ohs.



They didn't play us all the hits of course. That would take up till Monday. But they did smash us with a massive cocktail of hits and decibells. We smashed back with beers. Festival style.

Beer brake. With Jack.