Event:	Wave-Gotik-Treffen
Written by:	Promonex, Shurayukihime, Ven
Published:	02.08.2011
Galleries:	Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2011 in Leipzig, Germany: Days 4 & 5 by Ven (47) Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2011 in Leipzig, Germany: Days 2 & 3 by Ven (56) Wave-Gotik-Treffen - Leipzig, Germany, 9-13 June 2011 by Shurayukihime (88)

Previously on Metal Storm:
WGT Part I featuring performances by Empyrium, Anathema, Tristania, Les Discrets, Diamanda Galás, Love Like Blood, Vreid, Vinterland, Front 242, Rome, Barren Earth, Bilocate, Chthonic, The Eternal Afflict, Ef and Capud Draconis

Table of Contents

Day 4: Sunday, 12.06.2011
4.1 Brahms Requiem
4.2 The Foreshadowing
4.3 Crib45
4.4 October Tide
4.5 Helevorn
4.6 Katatonia
4.7 Heidevolk
4.8 Recoil

Day 5: Monday, 13.06.2011
5.1 Northland
5.2 Coppelius
5.3 Thee Flanders
5.4 Crimfall
5.5 Moonsorrow
5.6 Eluveitie

Conclusion

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Day 4: Sunday, 12.06.2011

4.1 Brahms Requiem (Völkerschlachtendenkmal, 19:30)

Shurayukihime: After three days of metal, rock, folk and EBM it was time for some classical music. So I went to the legendary Völkerschlachtendenkmal (Monument of the Battle of the Nations in English), where the STÜBA-Philharmonie & Ensemble Wilde Jagd played "A German Requiem, To Words of the Holy Scriptures, Op. 45" by German composer Johannes Brahms. In this gigantic venue the philharmonic performance was an unforgettable act. Sadly it was way too full with people to enjoy it properly, so I decided after a while to sit outside on the stairs, savouring the astonishing view over Leipzig and still hearing the requiem.


4.2 The Foreshadowing (Pantheon - Cupola, 17:00)

Ven: After the Pantheon with its great sound and atmosphere has proven its worth during Empyrium's overwhelming performance, one could look forward to most metal bands performing in this venue on this particular day. Italy's The Foreshadowing had the honour of opening this day in the Kuppelhalle which appeared almost nocturnal with curtains keeping out any light from outside. The live qualities of many a band depend largely on its surroundings and these doom metallers belong to said bands who couldn't have played at a more suitable venue. And so their powerful distorted guitars on a keyboard foundation filled out the entire dome-shaped hall, conjured an almost claustrophobic atmosphere and dragged you into the apocalyptic mind of a madman.


4.3 Crib45 (Pantheon - Canteen, 18:00)

Ven: For Crib45 one had to switch stages again. Fortunately they played in the same building, namely in the canteen of the Pantheon. The WGT programme listed them as "alternative prog metal band with a sinister and mellow touch", but plain and simple "doom metal" might have fitted better, at least for the set they delivered, which consisted mainly of songs from their debut album Metamorphosis from 2009. These Finns didn't really offer anything new - slowly ascending atmospheres and deep growls occasionally complemented by clean vocals -, but what they served was done competently and without any real points for criticism.




4.4 October Tide (Pantheon - Cupola, 19:00)

Ven: Back to the dome hall for October Tide. In the mid-90's Katatonia members Jonas Renkse and Fred Norrmann founded this side-project to celebrate archaic doom metal. With a respectable performance, an almost perfect sound and the divine atmosphere of the Pantheon October Tide carried the crowd in the well-filled cupola and gave you chills down your spine with their Swedish gloom and doom.
Setlist: A Custodian of Silence, Blackness Devours, Sweetness Dies, Heart of the Dead, Infinite Submission, Blue Gallery, October Insight, Grey Dawn, Fragile, 12 Days of Rain, The Dividing Live




4.5 Helevorn (Pantheon - Canteen, 20:00)

Ven: Gloom and doom is also what Helevorn delivered, who originate from Mallorca of all places. Looks like this Spanish island, which is normally overrun by German tourists, can also spawn the total opposite of the infamous drunken parties at S'Arenal. Since 1999 these Spanish guys treat the world with their slow, dark and intense tunes. And this quite successfully; after all their latest album Forthcoming Displeasures ended up as second best doom metal album in the Metal Storm Awards 2010, second only to Chilean doom colleagues Mar De Grises, so it was quite understandable that they focussed on said album, with two songs from their debut Fragments thrown in for good measure.
Setlist: From Our Glorious Days, Descent, Two Voices Surrounding, Yellow, Nobody Is Waiting, Sequences, Revelations


4.6 Katatonia (Pantheon - Cupola, 21:00)

Shurayukihime: And so we finally were presented with the headliners of this day: Katatonia gave themselves the honour of closing the night in the Pantheon.
The band seemed to consist of different incarnations of the Addams Family's Cousin Itt. You could mostly see hair. And darkness. If the faces had not glanced through from time to time, one might have thought they didn't have faces at all. Nevertheless Katatonia played a great performance in the intimate cupola hall.

Ven: The initially terrible sound got fixed after the second song, so the overwhelming atmosphere of these Swedes could finally unfold its wings. That the guys had to borrow some equipment from October Tide because their own stuff got lost somehow wasn't even particularly of consequence, albeit vocalist Jonas Renkse felt the need to apologize for the unusual sound. All in all this terrific show deserves only praise despite these minor flaws. After a total of 15 songs clearly the perfect conclusion of the concert day in the Pantheon.
Setlist: Leaders, Liberation, Chrome, Clean Today, My Twin, Longest Year, Ghost of the Sun, Right Into the Bliss, I Break, Sweet Nurse, Nephilim, July, New Night, Day & Shade, Forsaker




4.7 Heidevolk (Pagan Village, 23:00)

Ven: Only because the gigs in the Pantheon were over didn't mean that there weren't any other venues to go to. Next mission: reaching the Pagan Village to catch Heidevolk. After 60 minutes in public transport and a lavish mead break to get in the mood, I went to said village which was once again rather overcrowded. Measured by audience's party factor Heidevolk's gig might just be the biggest show of the whole festival! Their opener "Ostara" created quite a stir already and the following songs "Saksenland" or "Het Gelders Volkslied" pushed the crowd over the edge: everyone sang along (even though the lyrics were in Dutch), banged their heads and raised their drinking horns into the night air. Of course an encore was mandatory, and so "Krijgsvolk" and "Vulgaris Magistralis" closed the night. Both Heidevolk and the audience would have loved to go the extra mile, but unfortunately the law prohibited any concert noise after midnight. Whatever, absolutely awesome stays absolutely awesome!
Setlist: Ostara, Saksenland, Het Gelders Volkslied, Het Wilde Heer, Dondergod, Een Geldersch Lied, Beest bij Nacht
Encore: Krijgsvolk, Vulgaris Magistralis




4.8 Recoil (Agra Hall, 00:50)

Shurayukihime: Just opposite of the Pagan Village I went to the Agra Hall once again to witness the "midnight special" of Recoil. Actually it was just Alan Wilder (ex-Depeche Mode) and Paul Kendall standing behind their laptops, but the sounds they charmed out of them was mighty indeed: an interesting mix of avantgarde, industrial and trip hop, just good experimental electronic music with a fascinating video show in the background. The sound in the Agra Hall was quite good for a change, but due to the late hour - at this time most goths either went to bed for another day of gigs and activities, or went straight to the clubs downtown for one last night in the pulsating city - relatively few people found their way into the venue. Those who did were obviously happy to be part of this show, and when Douglas McCarthy of Nitzer Ebb joined the band for a rendition of Nitzer Ebb's "Family Man" and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band's "Faith Healer" - Recoil's first single back in 1992 - everyone knew that this show was worth the wait.

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Day 5: Monday, 13.06.2011

5.1 Northland (Agra Hall, 17:30)

Ven: After an extensive breakfast in downtown Leipzig I found my way once again to the Agra Hall, which was to host most of the metal shows for today. Upon arrival Northland were already busy with their soundcheck. And only a short while later it was time to shake that hair once again! The audience followed this invitation - depending on clothing - more or less. Nonetheless these melodic folk metallers from Spain got a whole lot of applause. Their live performance was quite respectable, even if one is used to more action on other concerts of theirs. Probably they just decided to take it easy on the gothic audience. The sound wasn't as gallant and two lengthy outages of the guitar were quite a stain on an otherwise decent show, but didn't impair the mood of the audience, partly due to vocalist Pau's humorous approach towards the problems: "It's because of the beer, too much is not good for your health". A likeable show and a great way to start into the last day of the festival.




5.2 Coppelius (Agra Hall, 18:30)

Ven: From the stereotypical rock and metal armamentarium to cello, contrabass, two clarinets and a drumkit. Coppelius, who were founded in the 18th century (if their own biography can be considered a reliable source), merged the e-strings sound popularized by Apocalyptica and Rasputina with the elegance of The Vision Bleak and the feeling and humour of German medieval metal and brought it to the stage in a classy manner and sartorial elegance. Watching these guys in formal attire going totally off is certainly a sight to remember! Much fun was had both on stage and in front of it, even the band's very own butler joined the crowd in the middle of the set and the band carried the audience away with such captivating songs as "Schöne Augen", "Gumbagubanga", "Risiko" and - referring to Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni's "Servant of Two Masters" - "Diener 5er Herren" ("Servant of 5 Masters"). Chapeau, chapeau!




5.3 Thee Flanders (Werk II - Hall A, 19:00)

Shurayukihime: Contrabass sounds could also be perceived in the Werk II: Thee Flanders treated the audience with psychobilly and the corresponding splatter aesthetics. Especially singer Norman Winter looked like he spent a few hours at the make-up artist's, with flamboyant latex wounds adorning his face (which made this gig quite a treat for photographers!). The venue was not cracked, but well-crowded with people who had a blast. No one could stand still, listening to the short songs with catchy rhythms and melodies. Sadly the set was way too short. Thee Flanders - a name that should be remembered. Go and see them, if you have the possibility!




5.4 Crimfall (Agra Hall, 19:30)

Ven: Back in the Agra Hall symphonic folk metal band Crimfall were up next. According to the Finns themselves their new material is supposedly "more epic, more grandiose, more extreme & more dramatic" than their debut album. Were they aware of the fact that they raised the expectations to a point which they just couldn't fulfil, at least not at this specific gig? The duo of Mikko Häkkinen and Helena Haaparanta was nice to look at, but the vocals were another story altogether. Especially the female vocals were quite off most of the time and the somewhat muddy sound (which hadn't been that great at any gig we've seen in the Agra Hall) didn't do her any favour either. And so it was no surprise that the rows in front of the stage were dwindling.




5.5 Moonsorrow (Agra Hall, 20:30)

Ven: And so it was up to Moonsorrow to save the Finnish reputation. Bathed in blood the Sorvali Bros. & Company entered the stage, and the whole venue was back in a great mood again! It looked like a lot of visitors made the journey to WGT just for this band, so that people were standing all the way to the main entrance. Once again the sound was quite an issue; but eventually all you could do was ignoring it as good as possible and just banging your head instead. Cheers were ensuing throughout the venue when Moonsorrow announced the fan-favourite "Jotunheim", longest song and centrepiece of the band's set. After 20 minutes of eargasm one could dance along some more to "Kylan Pääsä" before Moonsorrow closed their set with the bleak "Kuolleiden Maa" of their latest album Varjoina Kuljemme Kuolleiden Maassa. Due to the overall length of their songs there was unfortunately no time left for the much-demanded encore.
Setlist: Tähdetön, Jumalten Kaupunki, Jotunheim, Kylän Päässä, Kuolleiden Maa




5.6 Eluveitie (Agra Hall, 23:10)

Shurayukihime: And now showtime for the last band of the festival! Accompanied by deafening cheers, Helvetians Eluveitie took the stage to tickle the last remaining energy out of the metal and gothic visitors. Well, it was obvious which faction the guys behind the mixer unit belonged to as metal still wasn't their forte, so the sound turned out a bit tinny this time around. But this didn't stop the audience from soaking up the otherwise perfect show which included an interactive singing part during "Slania's Song", in which the visitors were taught to sing the song's chorus in Gallic language. And during the faster songs there was even something like a moshpit! Probably even the gothics didn't mind messing up their sophisticated outfits anymore, seeing as this was the last concert. Bottom line: two thumbs up for the band, but as closing gig this was definitely too short.

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Conclusion

And thus ends the 20th edition of the Wave Gotik Treffen. A big thank you to the organizers for the many grandiose bands, and the world premieres in particular! But here's also hoping that they will get a knack of the many yet minor organizational flaws when it comes to scheduling. For example adding the stages of the Pagan Village to the (otherwise well-crafted and elaborate) programme would have been much appreciated, and considering the immense variety of bands it should be possible to avoid the state in which two bands with exactly identical target audiences (e.g. Les Discrets & Dornenreich) play at the same time in different venues. But all in all Wave Gotik Treffen has been a very successful festival of a different kind.