W.A.S.P. - Unisonic - Magnum - Girlschool - Graveyard - High Spirits - ´77 - Alpha Tiger

[Dajana] Tommyrot… No interesting bands, but yet a few with imponderables. At the end it’s all about musical taste ;)

:: pics ::

[Dajana] So, let’s try again ;) On time to get the wake-up call from :: ALPHA TIGER :: we join in. ALPHA TIGER’s singer got full-bodied announced as the new Geoff Tate (Queensryche), what let my eyebrows raise. But yeah, comparison perfectly suits. Singing of fronter Stephan Dietrich was just too loud and in the foreground.
[Sui] Despite of Psycho’s sacrificially car service I only got the last tunes and colored fringes on spandex pants. Unmistakable 80’s-rooted Heavy Metal. Well done and as an opener perfectly made to heat up the crowd for another sunny day. Those who like this kind of retro metal with a touch of hairspray can’t do it wrong with ALPHA TIGER.
Setlist: Starriders, Crimson Desert, From Outer Space, Along The Rising Sun, Karma, Flight Of The Warrior (Riot Cover), Black Star Pariah

[Sui] Is it a streaker who forgot to take off his pants? Is it Angus Young? No, it is the guitarist of :: ’77 :: who storms over the stage, jumps, hobbles and wildly throws himself on the ground, having either an epilepsy attack or playing his first guitar solo. AC/DC with Bon Scott are surely cult. But they are also the originals. Cult can’t be copied. Especially when you already copy everything from stage-acting up to songwriting so shamelessly, that the crowd is wondering if an AC/DC cover band is playing here. No, ’77 is actually not a cover band, although every song made thoughts popping up like “that sounds now like TNT” or “ah, that’s a version of Let There Be Rock”. I’m afraid they though put everybody in good mood. All show no substance.
[Dajana] Allowedly, it wasn’t any original but entertaining. If you can’t get AC/DC, better ’77 than some of the other epigones. Besides, the Spaniards made us puzzling out several conspiracy theories, when the guitarist suddenly appeared on the camera platform (opposite of the stage in the middle of the tiers), thinking about secret trap doors and passages underneath *laughs*
Setlist: Your Game Is Over, High Decibels, Less Talk (Let’s Rock), Things You Can’t Talk About, Gimme A Dollar, Big Smoker Pig

[Sui] During the set of :: HIGH SPIRITS :: I was hunting for food. What I heard was classic Heavy Metal with doubled lead guitars. Well done, but not captivating.
[Dajana] What I heard was deathly boring...
Setlist: Torture, Full Power, I'll Be Back, Wanted Dead, I Need To Know, Another Night In The City, Running Home, Nights in Black, High Spirits

[Dajana] …As more I was looking forward to :: GRAVEYARD :: ;)
[Sui] GRAVEYARD turned everything retro. For the first time I saw a guitarist playing a Semihollow guitar at RHF. Unfortunately also GRAVEYARD were suffering from a bad sound. Shortly after 3pm brains of the crowd definitely were not that washed-out as the sound was. The Doors leanings and Blues influences in the hard Rock music of the Swedes anyway suited better to dope than beer. Thumbs up though!
[Dajana] Hahaha, yeah. To smoke something here would have been perfect. But already the backdrop (especially when focusing on it closely from the photopit) left me dizzy. And again we got caught and started discussing about translations of band names into German and their meaning and sounds. Burst of laughter I tell you. I need a beer…
Setlist: Buying Truth, Ungrateful Are The Dead, As The Years Pass By, Uncomfortably Numb, Ain't Fit To Live Here, Hisingen Blues, The Siren, Evil Ways

[Sui] The oldest schoolgirls in the world had to fight some problems. ¾ of :: GIRLSCHOOL :: were already on stage and had loudly to call for their bass player Enid Williams.
[Dajana] Oh, there was still some time left, because Mrs. Jackie Chambers killed her amp, which needed to be replaced first.
[Sui] Why this band was so successful in the 80s (together with Motorhead) gets clear after a few minutes. Mercilessly beating Rock music. Sophisticated is something different, but that’s nothing someone expected. Unfortunately the sound engineer not only created a bad sound but also forgot bassist Enid as lead singer. It took 3 songs till he finally opened the micro for her. After Graveyard GIRLSCHOOL was the perfect band to herald the festival finale.
Setlist: Demolition Boys, C'mon Lets Go, Hit & Run, The Hunter, I Spy, Never Say Never, Screaming Blue Murder, Future Flash, Kick It Down, Watch Your Step, Yeah Right, Race For The Devil, Emergency

[Sui] Too bad the finish only lasted for the first tunes of :: MAGNUM :: who then thwarted all energy and power. I’m in for a maximum of stylistic scope during a festival and 30 years ago the seniors probably rocked the house but rheumatism ointment was to smell even on the upper tiers. Since I didn’t expect anything I got not disappointed. Solid melodic Rock from times long forgotten…
[Dajana] I agree but have to admit that these old gentlemen still had ants in their pants and offered rather some action on stage, especially singer Bob Catley couldn’t stand still. I have seen bands way younger but acting way older than MAGNUM.
Setlist: All The Dreamers, When We Were Younger, Wild Angels, Brand New Morning, How Far Jerusalem, Les Morts Dasant, All My Bridges, All England’s Eyes, Vigilante

[Sui] Now the disappointment of the day followed with :: UNISONIC :: What was meant to be a coup from the mighty Helloween legacy, emerged as an anxiously cling to forgotten greatness. Not that Kiske, Hansen and Co. wouldn’t have been in a playing mood. Much the opposite, the show in fact had a high entertainment value. And none of the musicians need to prove his skills. So, the endless guitar solos were quite exhausting and nothing else than foot-dragging. Even 3 Helloween songs had to be served as UNISONIC doesn’t seem to trust own songs. Were they afraid that their own material wasn’t heavy enough for the ROCK HARD FESTIVAL? As measured by the crowd’s response I can’t be totally wrong. Because it has been the encore (Future World and I Want Out) that brought up some co-headliner feeling.
[Dajana] I was totally free of expectations. I never liked Helloween and so never dealt with them. As a co-headliner UNISONIC was definitely out of place and the band overrated. What I found interesting was the fact that Kiske also has a deep voice I actually liked and he could use more often.
Setlist: Unisonic, Never Too Late, King For A Day, My Sanctuary, March Of Time, Souls Alive, Star Rider, We Rise, Never Change Me // Future World, I Want Out

[Sui] From the highly anticipated headliner :: W.A.S.P. :: I just saw the first half hour. So I can’t say much, except that W.A.S.P. finally had a really good sound. What Tankard’s Gerre has lost in weight, Mr. Lawless seemingly has gained. As measured by this he was much active on stage. And, with a handful of firework you can still create some ah’s and oh’s.
[Dajana] W.A.S.P. was the band with the biggest imponderables to me. How often I had to delete tour dates, events or festival appearances coz they cancelled for picayunish reasons. I wasn’t even sure if Lawless really would play tonight. And when W.A.S.P. actually play shows than there was much nagging afterwards due to bad shows, playback and his rock star attitudes. So, expectations down on 0 and… low and behold! Blackie Lawless is still able to sing and he is still able to rock! Of course not only some drama queen and bitching shit (winners on stage who got their won guitars and some verbal slender towards the crowd). However, I was positively surprised. I did not expect such a great show, then got into it and had a blast ;)
Setlist: On Your Knees/The Real Me, L.O.V.E. Machine, Crazy, Wild Child, Hellion/Need No Doctor/Scream Until You Like It, Babylon's Burning, The Idol, I Wanna Be Somebody // Chainsaw Charlie, Heaven's Blessed, Blind In Texas

[Dajana] Some more firework and that’s how the 10th ROCK HARD FESTIVAL 2012 found its end. Way too quick. Once again. Thank you ROCK HARD for this marvelous weekend. Thank you Buddha for this formidable weather. I’m already much curious for the next year and look forward :)

story © Dajana & Sui • pics © Dajana