Fans of the German giants
GRAVE DIGGER had much to look forward to this month in the German Metal Attack tour. Featuring an outstanding lineup of great bands, the Munich leg of the tour took place on Friday, and was a spectacular way to kick off the weekend.
First up on stage was WOLVEN, who put on a blizzard of a performance, annihilating the audience with a fast and catchy salvo of songs? Even though this was the opening act, the venue was already almost full. Almost just as packed was the miniscule stage, which was made even smaller by the covered up drum kit at the back of the stage, lying in wait for GRAVE DIGGER's performance. With things being that cosy on stage, the bass player was hidden behind the guitarist for the majority of the performance, thereby allowing the frontman ample room to pace around in. This somewhat marred the visual aspect of the performance, but nevertheless, WOLVEN looked as if they were loving every second of their show, and their set seemed to go by much too fast.
Setlist:1. Intro
2. Sea of Sorrow
3. Chosen One
4. Pure Culture
5. Unbroken
6. Irish Brigade
Following on from there was NITROGODS, long standing veterans of the Rock'n'Roll scene. Absolutely stunning musicians, this trio put on a hell of a performance, transporting the crowd back to a time where the Rock'n'Roll was sleazy and dirty and fun! The highlight of my night was their song "Lipsync Stars", dedicated to all the acts out there who lip-sync during their performances. And just to prove that they weren't lip-syncing, the drummer came out from behind his kit, playing on an empty beer bottle, just to jam with the guitarist. These guys really created a party atmosphere looking as if they were having the time of their life, and this infectious attitude really got the crowd fired up, with NITROGODS taking home the for the most entertaining performance of the night.
Setlist:1. Rats and Rumours
2. Wasted in Berlin
3. At Least
4. Back 'Ome
5. Lipsync Stars
6. Nitrogods
7. Damn Right
8. Black Car Driving Man
9. Whiskey Supernova
Next up on stage was HEAVATAR who seemed to be slightly lacklustre after NITROGOD's mind-blowing performance. But then again, having been formed just two years ago, and with this being their first show in Munich, it could also be that their fan-base here was not quite as built up. With just one full-length album out to date, some fans were slightly disappointed with the live performance, saying that the first half in particular didn't live up to their expectations based on the recorded versions of the songs. Nevertheless, HEAVATAR's performance was solid and decent. The song "Luna! Luna!" was particularly catchy, and I caught myself humming it more than once during the days following the show.
Setlist:1. Gobble
2. Replica
3. Abracadabra
4. All my Kingdoms
5. Luna! Luna!
6. Born to Fly
7. Long Way Home
8. Elysium at Dawn
9. The Look Above
And finally it was the moment all had been waiting for: GRAVE DIGGER's set. Stagehands frantically prepared the stage, revealing a looming backdrop of the reaper, with the majestic drum kit flanked by two coffins on either side, all shrouded in swirls of fog. And out of this mist strode death personified to the sepulchre sound of Chopin's "Funeral March": a scowled figure with a skeletal face, carrying a hessian sack. At the sight of him, the room exploded into fanatical chants of "Reaper! Reaper!" And with this epic intro, the rest of the band made their appearance amid wild applause, pausing briefly to greet the crowd before launching into "Hell Funeral". It was amazing to see the transformation in the crowd; gazing up at GRAVE DIGGER with rapt attention, singing along to every line of every song, the enthralled audience were a far cry from the bystanders they had been moments earlier. And the band seemed only too happy at such a warm welcome: taking the camera from a fan in the front row, vocalist Chris gave the fan some one-of-a-kind footage, getting close-ups of the entire band playing their instruments. What followed was a night of blistering of galloping tracks that left the crowd breathless by the end of the night. Culminating the performance with "Heavy Metal Breakdown", the band paused half way through the song, allowing the crowd to release their pent-up chants of "Reaper! Reaper!" before ending off with a killer outro that left the screaming crowd hoarse. All in all, an epic night that won't be soon forgotten.
Setlist:1. Intro
2. Hell Funeral
3. The Round Table
4. Witch Hunter
5. Dark of the Sun
6. Ballard of the Hangman
7. Season of the Witch
8. Lionheart
9. War God
10. The Curse of Jaques
11. Hammer of the Scots
12. Tattooed Rider
13. Excalibur
14. Knights of the Cross
15. Rebellion
16. Highland Farewell
17. Grave Desecrator
18. Heavy Metal Breakdown
