Let's see... Wacken Open Air festival. Located at the Northern edge of Germany, some dozens of km above Hamburg, this 15-year-old summer gathering of (generally speaking) Metal bands from all over the world, this 2-3 days happening has now been established as the Mother of all Metal fests. The 1st edition of W.O.A. featured 6 bands as participants (obviously an one-day event) whereas the upcoming 2005 issue will mark the performance of 55-60 acts (42 confirmed 'till now). To write down who's played in this Mega Metal celebration is out of point, 'cause I'd have to issue a separate webzine. The point is that the world's leading force on where to bang your head on some warm August nights is at a level difficult to be beaten by any other live happening across the globe.
If you've attended any of the previous issues, then you can understand the meaning of transferring the vibe of this Metal carnival into some soulless audio format. Thus, this specific release - a tribute to (most of) the bands performing at last year's W.O.A. - features bands/artists from (nearly) every Metal sub-genre, in an attempt to: a) remind the attendees of what a helluva time they had there some months ago, b) punish everyone who didn't make it there, c) warn all for the upcoming massacre. From Anthrax to Zodiac Mindwrap, from Mayhem to Satan, from Dio and Motorhead to Unleashed and Ektomorf, the well-surprising sound of this 3-CD set (although only 2 Discs are featured in the promo issue - really silly, don't you think?) really captures the moments recorded in a way that you can easily start packing your bags, trying to find a cheap plane to go there next August.
It's a fact that the sequence of the songs is not an easy task to come with, still I believe that a better pile could have come out with better inlook, not only judging by the studio mark of each band but also by the live feedback gained by the thousands of fans. Of course, the level of performance of each participant is not the point here, so some mistakes here and there are of x-th thought and judgment. No worries...
Still, I see releases such as this W.O.A. Armageddon as a souvenir for everyone having the chance/luck being there last summer. It's not easy to put yourself into the pit if you've not virtually been there. So, take this step and follow the path of Wacken Open Air, or this live set will only be of minor importance. You know, it's a little bit different to hear your own fuckin' growl...