I don't know what's needed to entice people to see good bands. Promotion through posters, press and internet don't seem to be enough. I don't see how a regular nightclub, which serves exactly the same weekend after weekend can interest people when there's a possibility to see real live music.

So yes, the floor in front of the stage was completely empty when DEAFMAZJIN kicked start their set. Perhaps they weren't the perfect match stylewise compared to the others but they served a lot of energy and attitude. Also they managed to wake the tiny crowd up. MARILYN MANSON with a lot of D.A.D. in it is a good concept even if it never will end up at the top of my list. One thing they should be raised for is that they managed to pull the whole concept off. The stage-out fits were there, a little naughty and provocative at the same time to have cowls or perhaps nun-outfits together with undies outside of the costumes. I didn't get the point with that white lace bra though, it rather more made everything to a joke than adding more angles to the show.

Next up was MACHINERY who were one man short this evening. Keyboard player Fredtik Klingwall couldn't make it so they played without him. His work is an addition to the music but at a venue like Wasteland where the sound isn't the best it didn't matter very much in the whole picture. Also the boys got some more space to move on. They didn't use that very much though, it felt like they backed away little, not at all the same attitude MACHINERY normally have. Ok, the gigs I've seen has been on stages where they hardly can move without killing each other and then it's not easy to back away from the crowd. But, as always MACHINERY sounded amazing and the setup with Michel Isberg on vocals only really felt like the right concept. Kalle Stenberg and Mano Lewis handled the guitar duties with grace. Apart from the lack of in your face attitude this was anyway a really good performance. MACHINERY felt like a complete band for the first time in a while. Of course, line-up changes are the cause of that but now they sure have something to build on. And I'm glad they listened to Oddleif's request and closed the set with Waiting For The Wave.

I rated COMMUNIC as best band on 'Wacken Open Air 2007'. It's so amazing that a three-piece can kick ass so hard and sound so thick and full and make that massive stage look tiny. It was the same at Wasteland too. Oddleif Stensland (guitar and vocals, Tor Atle Gabrielsen-Andersen (drums) and Erik Mortensen really did yet another kick ass gig. Well, now you don't need to do much to fill that stage but to manage to create that thick wall of sound with the limitation one guitar has is truly amazing. Of course, there are advantages with that too, less instruments for the soundguy to balance and a lot more air in the whole sound. That can surely be needed at Wasteland since most of the time it's just a massive wall of sound coming out of the speakers. And with the type of music COMMUNIC is playing, a dynamic sound is a must. COMMUNIC's latest release Payment Of Existence ended up as No 2 on my favorite albums from last year. In fact, all their releases can be counted as my favorite albums so of course, I had really high expectations for this show. I can't say anything else than that COMMUNIC really pulled it off. The heavy Thrashy parts were so thick and massive you could really feel the riffs and when they took everything down a bit it still sounded full but still with the crisp and clarity recognizable from the CD's. Very close to perfection it was and almost never before I've experienced such good sound at Wasteland. Sure, the venue isn't perfect for concerts but with this standard it can absolutely grow in status.

There's nothing at all to complain about when it comes to performance with COMMUNIC, neither visual nor musical. Of course the fact that they have been quite thrifty with gigs and was given 50 minutes to play didn't really satisfy my need. It must be really hard for COMMUNIC to select songs for a concert like this, with such limited time to play. No song is shorter than 5 minutes and I'm not lying if I say the average is around 8 minutes. But still, I thought it was quite odd to pick most of the songs from latest release. Normally I support that fully but since I hardly have heard the older material live I really missed songs like Frozen Asleep In The Park, A Dewy Prime, Conspiracy In Mind, Ocean Bed. The more I think of it the longer the list will get. On the other hand, clocking in on close to 11 minutes, Silence Surrounds balanced it out all a little. So did Raven's Cry. Still I doubt it would have been enough even if they added another 50 minutes to the set, it still wouldn't be enough.

Even if the floor filled up during the night I'm still surprised the place wasn't packed. Sure, both MACHINERY and COMMUNIC are very much in my taste and I understand that these bands probably are a little to much for the mainstream crowd but I find it very strange that people rather go to a bar with only a crappy DJ and pay big money for that when the place across the street offered great original music for a bargain price.

(photos by I know how to get the glass refund... Erika)

DEAFMAZJIN

MACHINERY

COMMUNIC