The ground was still wet on Saturday even if it hadn't been raining for at all since Thursday, the hay was absolutely soaked and my boots looked like hairy monsters since the hey kept getting stuck in the soles. Rubber boots isn't really my thing but who needs that when New Rock creates these amazing footwear that can stand against even the thickest mud. Then that I was accused of stealing Gene Simmons shoes are another thing. I guess these types of shoes aren't for everyone! MIND O.D. from Boras plays quite anonymous Grunge/Rock and it's very hard to pinpoint what's special about them. There was something though, some little thing that kept them interesting though their set. Unfortunately, good musicianship doesn't help much if no one is there to listen. People were perhaps hungover still from the day before because the tent was embarrassingly empty right through their set. I can just imagine how uninspired they must have been to go up and play. And that they should have credits for, it's easy to rock when you have a strong support. It's not at all as easy to do the same with a bunch of people eating breakfast, a few passed out and the music police judging you from the back.

DYNAZTY had it a little bit easier, they had their own fan club in the front but all the same they worked hard to get the show going. I had never heard about them before they showed up on the list of announced bands for 'Rockweekend'. Guess the Stockholm Glam scene is a bit outside my area of knowledge. It's a little wrong to list DYNAZTY as Glam also. Back in the early 90's there was the Glam scene and there were bands that were waived as Glam but musically they were far more towards classic Heavy Metal or NWOBHM. Bands like SKID ROW for example. It's absolutely more right to put that label on DYNAZTY. Well played, edgy Heavy Metal. The irony behind it all is that history repeats itself again but I suppose that's natural still I think the retro trend starts to go a little too far now. It's a little too easy to pinpoint bands influences, nothing is really genuine. DYNAZTY is one of the best I've heard but I still wouldn't call them original. The good thing with bands like DYNAZTY is that it shows that Metal is alive and well and there are new people discovering the greatness of the music. Live wise this was a really good gig, high energy and a lot of action and that's always fun to watch but again, nothing really original.

DYNAZTY setlist:

1. "Higher N' Higher"
2. "Adrenaline"
3. "Catch The Night"
4. "Far Away"
5. "Lights Out In Candyland"
6. "The Devil's Shake"
7. "Bring The Thunder"

Music sure is more fun when the sun is shining but one bad thing about it can be for bands as WOLVERINE. Progressive Metal and quite soft such is not the greatest party booster and when the lights are hardly visible in the strong sunlight the overall feeling can be a little flat or even boring. Musically WOLVERINE was really good, they've been doing this for a while and they sure as hell know what they're doing. Also, Stefan Zell is a great singer. His voice has deepened a little over the years but that's only beneficial and creates a lot of deep in the music. But without the show, without the lights and no action what so ever it gets boring to watch. Especially when the competition is as hard as it is on a festival, when all bands are about the same style and fights for the same people's attention. The stage presence is what brings WOLVERINE down and that's a real shame.

A band that really has it with stage presence though is MEMORY GARDEN. Kumla Old School Heavy/Doom does rock. The thing with MEMORY GARDEN that's a little bit of a turn off though is that they have a lot on backtracks. Sure, I get it with the keyboards or a few special effects but extra guitars felt a little overdoing it. The two they have should easily be enough. I'm not sure who of the guitarists won the pose battle, normally no one has a chance towards Simon Johansson but Ante Makela gave him a real match for the title. That together with singer Stefan and bass player Johan this band really fills the stage. It's so nice to see that a lot of bands really got it that it should be fun to watch as well as handling instruments, that shoe-watching suck. The really sad part though was the crowd, to start with not even the first line was full when they started playing. It got better but for from what they deserve. Latest effort "Carnage Carnival" is definitely a lot more straight forward and not as technical as "Mirage" and should fit any Metal head. So it's really time for more people to discover how good MEMORY GARDEN really is.

SCAR SYMMETRY lost their singer Christian Alvestam earlier this year and SCAR SYMMETRY replaced him with two vocalists instead. Both Roberth "Robban" Karlsson - Harsh vocals and Lars Palmqvist - clean vocals have really good qualifications even if Robban have more well know name on his list (EDGE OF SANITY, DEVIAN and FACEBREAKER to mention a few). Those two together works of course and when they get the real hang of it, it will look great too. That was the feeling throughout the show, that this was something new, something unfamiliar, something both band and crowd must get used to. It's absolutely nothing strange with that but SCAR SYMMETRY wasn't the smack in the face they normally are. I'm not the least worried though that they will find that old shape, and that in no time as long as they keep playing. Musically it was as good as ever, super tight and catchy. It's great to see that quite brutal Music works on big stages on a not so extreme festival. It worked and it's no understatement to say that SCAR SYMMETRY is hitting the big league. They're absolutely one of the top brutal bands in Sweden today.

I suppose it's easy to get carried away sometimes but when it happens in a band as NIGHTINGALE it actually came as a surprise to EVERYONE. Dan Swano gives such a calm and serene impression when you see him and it's very hard to picture him as the singer of a band. Even more so a Death Metal band, but it is the truth and I've seen it. EDGE OF SANITY was one of the greatest bands in the genre but still, today NIGHTINGALE seem like Dan personified. Dan's voice is so special which makes NIGHTINGALE's odd type of Metal really unique. The surprise though came from his brother, Dag Swano rips his t-shirt off faster than a strip dancer from any Red Light District. I doubt anyone could see that one coming, especially not from him and not from this band. Even if there's not much of a show, well, apart from that short moment NIGHTINGALE is perfection, also a very good example on how to keep the music alive with sole grace. Dan even keeps his eyes closed for the major part of the whole thing, but it works, it all goes perfectly with the music and it would have been odd to have it any other way. His voice doesn't sound like anyone else and that makes NIGHTINGALE's melodic progressive Metal even more special. Drummer Tom Bjorn / Johansson was on his second shift here too, he also plays with MEMORY GARDEN but that didn't show at all. NIGHTINGALE setlist: "Nightfall Overture" "A Raincheck On My Demise" "Hideaway" "The Fields Of Life" "Alonely" Glory Days" "Steal The Moon" "Black Tears" After NIGHTINGALE we got a well needed break from music for a while.

HOT LEG doesn't qualify as Metal and they're absolutely not more interesting than DARKNESS so why do people seem to like them so much. One thing I have to give them is that when they played they sounded very good so there's no doubt that it could be something cool with this. Still it felt very much like SPINAL TAP so the break from music was still on. Then to another overrated band, H.E.A.T. have gotten extremely much credit the last couple of years and I've really tried to get into it but I can't let go of the feeling that it's not real. That it's some sort of a masquerade and that the masks will come off eventually and they deny all involvement in Hard Rock. Perhaps I'm wrong because from the beer garden H.E.A.T. actually sounded good. That type if hairy arena rock works well in the background, perhaps I need to give them one more, really fair chance before I judge them completely.

One band that can do absolutely anything is QUEENSRYCHE, they absolutely don't get away with it but who can blame them for trying? Three hours worth of "Mindcrime" was a cool initiative, absolutely but I'm not sure that the opportunity was as well chosen. The good thing with QUEENSRYCHE this time is that they'd put together a really cool setlist. They'd selected a few new ones and a whole bunch of old hits, just the lists I normally complain about. That can be for two reasons, first that I haven't seen QUEENSRYCHE live as many times as many other bands or that they're not as good as they used to be. I don't think I've ever heard even the slightest positive comment about tribe, "Operation: Mindcrime II" was almost as slaughtered too but then, "American Soldier". Then at least a few were a bit positive about the band again. I doubt anything would have been different if Chris DeGarmo had rejoined the band once more. A band needs to develop and live on also at this level. Even if QUEENSRYCHE don't seem to have the same spirit on stage anymore this was a very good show. Geoff Tate sounded amazing and he was really performing this time. New guitar player Parker Lundgren seemed to enjoy himself very much and gave Michel Wilton a match for the attention. Perhaps those "Operation: Mindcrime" mastodon concerts brought back some of his passion. Still QUEENSRYCHE completely lacks connection with the crowd. Of course it would have been better if they'd interacted with the audience a little but when they play songs like "Walk In The Shadows" or "Take Hold Of The Flame" everything is forgiven. And this is absolutely one of the best QUEENSRYCHE gigs I've ever seen.

QUEENSRYCHE setlist:

1. "Intro"
2. "Neue Regel"
3. "The Whisper"
4. "Screaming In Digital"
5. "Walk In The Shadows"
6. "The Killer"
7. "Dead Man's Words"
8. "The Thin Line"
9. "Jet City Woman"
10. "Empire"
11. "Take Hold Of The Flame"

As much as I admire Tobias Sammet, his dedication to the music, his ability to put out records I really can't understand the greatness of EDGUY. I really want to like it because Tobias seems to be such a cool person. Of course, it's a matter of taste and to judge by the rest of the crowd because they seemed to love EDGUY. And yes, they are a well oiled live machine, especially on a big stage where they have the space to act out and the possibility to really use the stage, backdrops, lights and the whole package. Since this wasn't really my cup of tea I took the opportunity to rest a little, getting ready for something completely different and enjoyed the show from the beer garden. The songs are getting stuck no matter if I like it or not and it's very hard to not getting caught in the music and sing a little. Still the best thing with EDGUY is the visuals, they sure love to be on stage and that really reflects in the show. One more thing that helps to strengthen the sympathy for the band is that they add humor to it all in a tasteful way. Title of latest release for example, "Tinnitus Sanctus". The tinnitus subject being a very pressing issue in the music scene today with the restriction of volume at concerts to save people from hurting themselves, perhaps a little too overprotective I think since I love loud music and there's a really easy way to protect yourself. But back to EDGUY, they sure must have had a lot of fun writing songs like "Lavatory Love Machine" and "Superheroes" and when a band have fun, they're fun to watch and I guess it's nothing wrong with supporting a band without unconditionally love the music.

EDGUY setlist:

1. "Dead Or Rock"
2. "Speedhoven"
3. "Tears Of A Mandrake"
4. "Lavatory Love Machine"
5. "Vain Glory Opera"
6. "Ministry Of Saints"
7. "Superheroes"
8. "Save Me" "Babylon"
9. "King Of Fools"

DIMMU BORGIR took Black Metal to the mainstream, sell out the underground moan but I must say I like it. One thing these bands are great at is creating an atmosphere live too, that really fits with the music, that really strengthens melancholy and anger portrayed in the music. And when there's a thought through concept of the visuals that will boost the show. There's no question that DIMMU BORGIR is an excellent live act on their own, without all effects though. The sound of the main stage had been on and off the whole festival and a band like this really needs a good sound. If not, everything will be a blur. Everything sounded excellent though and it's not often, after 3 days of music you'll get goosebumps from a band that's not one of your favorites. Sure, it started to get chilly outside too but that wasn't the reason. Everything was in place, the lights, effects and pyro. Yes, they promised a grand closure of their concert with a lot of effects and I admit it was a little scary to walk into the photopit with all the gas-tanks and restricted areas in there. I'm not sure if the ending could be called spectacular but sure, there were explosions and sparks both from the floor and the roof. Even if we were standing quite far in the back we could feel the heat from the flames, I can only imagine how the first row felt, or the band for that sake. This evening the crowd was a little bigger but that's the way it should be at the final night. I doubt the band has the most to do with that though, a nice Saturday with sun and Rock 'N' Roll sure will drag even the most at ease person from their TV's.

DIMMU BORGIR setlist:

1. "Intro"
2. "Spellbound (By the Devil)"
3. "Cataclysm Children"
4. "The Serpentine Offering"
5. "The Chosen Legacy"
6. "The Maelstrom Mehpisto"
7. "Relinquishment Of Spirit And Flesh"
8. "The Sacrilegious Scorn"
9. "Kings Of The Carnival Creation"
10. "Indoctrination"
11. "Allegiance"
12. "Puritania"
13. "The Mourning Palace"
14. "Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse"

The cool thing with odd locations is that it will entice a very miscellaneous crowd. One lady that we talked to told us she'd been listening to her students excitement about the festival and decided to and check it out. She claimed to have had a really great time and told she'd talked to people form a lot of countries and cities in Sweden. I doubt she enjoyed all the bands as much as the event though. It was really funny to see the expression on people's faces when NAPALM DEATH kicked of their set. Their stage was on the way to the exit and people started leaving after DIMMU BORGIR. NAPALM DEATH was a good way to empty the area. Well, not exactly because the old English Grind Core band do have a strong following even here, and even at this hour. I can't say they're one of my favorite bands but I do admire that they still are going as strong as they've been since the late 80's. It's great to see that a type of music fit everyone, normally the extreme is for the young and since NAPALM DEATH has been spreading Gore around the world for 30 years or so it's amazing to see that can do it with the same intensity and attitude today. Another day at work for Shane, Barney, Mitch and Danny perhaps but since this is no ordinary punch in and out job it's admirable that they still can go as strong as they are. The quite roomy area between the stage and mixing table allowed a HUGE moshpit and that was exactly what happened. Just to get around it one lap must have been half a work out. Such things as this are great to watch and it's great to see that more and more people joined in and ended the Festival in a great way.

NAPALM DEATH setlist:

1. "Strongarm"
2. "Unchallenge Hate"
3. "Suffer The Children"
4. "Silence Is Deafening"
5. "Life and Limb" "Diktat"
6. "When All Is Said And Done"
7. "It's A M.A.N.S. World"
8. "From Enslavement To Obliteration"
9. "On The Brink Of Extinction"
10. "Scum" "Life? "
11. "The Kill"
12. "Deceiver"
13. "You Suffer"
14. "Mass Appeal Madness"
15. "Nazipunks Fuck Off"
16. "Time Waits For No Slave"
17. "Siege Of Power"

Then 'Rockweekend' 2009 was over. What started out extremely wet and cold turned out to be a warm event, a lot of great moments hanging out with friends and foe. There are still things for the promoters to learn. A press area and some conferences would be nice. Also a little bit about the layout of the area. The passage to the beer tent was way too small and in the deepest puddle of mud. In the end it was only that part and one more part of the area that didn't dry up. Also, some more toilets, or more frequent cleaning of the ones available would have done the trick. Looking at the running order before the festival, last year's concept with two days would have been better. Afterward looking back it was three really good days, a lot of great music. Perhaps not the biggest names but it's great that the Crew gave the opportunity for bands to play the really big stages who normally are deported to the independent areas. Another visit? Absolutely!

(photos by wolverine Erika)