I can't think of a bad thing with 'Bang Your Head'. It's conveniently close to the city if the supplies run out faster than expected or if the Festival food doesn't appeal. I mean, no matter how nice a Festival is it still can be nice to sit down at an air-conditioned restaurant. Here that's possible and it's still possible to get back in time for the next band. Balingen city center is just a 10 minutes walk away from the Festival. I doubt that the food will be the biggest reason to visit the center though, the Festival serves a very nice selection of Festival food and with a bit of luck there's a spot open in the bier garten. Almost the same as a restaurant, without the Air-condition of course. But on the other hand it's possible to enjoy the atmosphere the whole day instead.
And there's absolutely no risk in waking up freezing in your tent either. 'Bang Your Head' serves almost Tropical heat. Ok, with an occasional rain-shower but trust me, 9 out of 10 times that one is very much welcome. And no, since the ground is asphalt the Festival area will not be a mud-wrestling arena after the rain. The ground dries in an instance and it's alright to sit down again within minutes after the rain has stopped. The sun will be back before you know it and the beer will look even more tempting than it did before the shower. That's one more benefit with the Festival. It's big enough to have all the good facilities but still not crazy-big with the bother of just getting from one side to the other, toilet lines, food queues and probably most important. There's no waiting for the next beer!!!
With only one stage the stress over choosing what band to see is gone, it's actually possible to see all bands. No anxiety attacks needed for this one.
The Messegelande in Balingen serves a nice variation of music, anything from melodic JOURNEY to some old school thrash in the likes of LAAZ ROCKIT and SACRED REICH but also some true classics as WARRIOR and CLOVEN HOOF. The line up should fit anyone with a good taste in Metal.
And if the Festival itself isn't enough, there's always the possibility to party the night away at the War,-Up Show which this year has moved to Messehalle Statt instead of the WOM Metal-Disco but still with a great line up;
KREATOR
JON OLIVA'S PAIN
EVILE
SNAKE RIDE RODEO
Of course there are bands that appeal more than others and yes, there MUST be time to just hang out and party but it would be a great mistake to miss these bands;
PRIMORDIAL
Perhaps they are one of the more extreme bands on the bill. Not necessarily when it comes to how hard the music is but their style might not be what people feed their recordplayer with every day. The Pagan styled Black Metal might scare people off to start with but do the opposite this time. Stay and just let the music suck you in, have a beer and just go with the flow. If you manage this will be the experience of the Festival. No, it's not commercial in any way but still, As Rome Burns is one of the mightiest concerts experiences I've ever seen (or heard). The power of the crowd in the chorus-line, as they chanted Sing Sing Sing to the Slaves, Sing to the Slaves that Rome Burns was just pure magic.
Y&T
Even if I prefer Y&T at a club stage, with more time, with the intimacy a small stage brings to the show I don't think anyone should miss this. Sure, it will be a lot of hits. So what, most anything Y&T has ever written is purely killer tracks. How I'm sure of that? Besides listening to them from the start of my career as a Metal Head, a 2 day event in Sala, Sweden, with close to 6 hours of music and it never were any low points, none so ever.
EXODUS
No, Rob Dukes is neither a copy of Paul Baloff nor Steve Zetro Souza. He's just Rob and I admit having a hard time accepting him to start with also. But the more times I've seen them with him the better they've been. On the tour with OVERKILL earlier this year they kicked serious ass at Markthalle in Hamburg. Well, until the last two songs at least. Then Rob started screaming and the hardcore attitude broke through. But with the statistics he should hold for the full show here. Besides that, EXODUS has never sounded better, super tight and a wonderful attitude.
SODOM
Old faithful, you sure know what you will get when you go and see SODOM. A whole set of straight forward old school German Thrash. Not so much style, not so much fines but that's what this is all about. They're raw, straight forward but still not plain or boring in any way. Not at all, it's really amazing that a band can write songs in the same style year in and year out and still not repeating themselves.
JON OLIVA'S PAIN
Last but certainly not least in any way, the mighty Mountain King. Jon Oliva! No, no SAVATAGE reunion in the works. Or? Doesn't matter anyway! This band is just amazing to start with, Matt LaPorte is one of the best guitarplayer's I've ever seen and he certainly fills Criss's shoes but that's not all. Just listen to his work at their latest release Global Warning, if you're not convinced see it live. If you still not sure, the statement from Chris Kinder will convince even the most hesitant individuals. JOP will seek to conquer all stages... We are pulling out a few oldies from the Tage Mahal record including The Dark and All The Time as well as some SAVATAGE classics including City Beneath the Surface and Of Rage And War, and of course we will do all the hits that the fans expect. We are ready and determined to own this event... Let's boogie!
So, see you all in Balingen in June!
