Ozzfest
Comcast Theatre
Hartford, Connecticut
August 21, 2010
Tony Pijar
For years, Ozzfest the preeminent metal festival in the United States, but with the emergence of other excellent festivals like Metal Mayhem, the Warped Tour, Lollapalooza, Rocklahoma, etc, Ozzfest has taken a bit of a back seat. Of course, offering only mini-tours doesn’t help. This go around, there are only six shows in the US, one in London, and another in Israel. I suppose that’s what made this Ozzfest more special as well. The bands on tap were relatively newish metal acts with only Ozzy, Motley Crue and Halford from the old school era.
Saviours, from California, came across as a stoner/traditional metal act with bottom heavy rhythms and plenty of conventional NWOBHM type riffage; Imagine Tank and Down jamming. Older cuts mixed perfectly with their excellent new album, “Accelerated Living.” Of the six bands on the second stage, Saviours were among the best. Austin Barber, lead vocalist and rhythm guitar, was particularly good; a natural born leader.
Like Saviours, Skeletonwitch is another of the newer metal bands that is poised to make some noise. They’re from what many consider to be the armpit of America in Ohio, but then I suppose that’s what makes them special. They specialize in old school metal with thrash/power leanings. Their latest release, “Breathing the Fire,” is outstanding and the songs came alive at Ozzfest. Vocalist Chance Garnett reminds me of Amon Amarth’s Johan Hegg, both in physical stature and through his guttural voice. I believe that both Saviours and Skeletonwitch will crawl up from the underground scene and become more prominent as they grow and mature.
Canadians Kataklysm were up next and were nothing special; just another hardcore death metal band with incomprehensible lyrics, a louder than hell white noise, and from what many could tell not much talent. Suicide Silence comes to mind as an obvious comparison. Amazingly, they have 11 albums out, yet remain somewhat in the dark as it relates to popularity. Certainly, other bands without the same amount of history have surpassed them and it’s easy to tell why. There’s just not much in way of originality. Perhaps a varied approach to the music they create is the way to move forward.
Kingdom of Sorrow has gained a bit of momentum in a relatively short period of time. They have only two releases out, with “Behind the Blackest Tears” hitting the streets only three or so months ago (there’s even revved up versions of Motorhead’s “No Class” and Running Wild’s “Soldiers of Hell” on it). Forming a bond after fragmenting from Hatebreed and Down, vocalist Jamey Jasta and Kirk Windstein, respectively, have collectively created an interesting hardcore metal act that has the requisite aggression, melody and talent to move to the next tier.
Drowning Pool from Texas hit the second stage next and was a crowd favorite. With six albums under their belt, the band continues to grow in stature. Riding the success of their single, “37 Stitches” and a successful showing at Crue Fest 2 last year, the band seems to be making all the right moves. I think they sound like a hardcore version of Hinder; catchy, hard-edged songs with brutality attached to them. Many thought that vocalist Ryan McCombs’ old-school radio microphone stole the show – a classy, unique touch. Drowning Pool is far fiercer live than on record, especially the chunky guitar tone of C.J Pierce. A fine showing!
Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society closed the second stage in roaring fashion. While all of the other bands before BLS had their moments and in some cases were excellent, they couldn’t touch the professionalism of BLS. The band is a raucously honed machine. Incorrectly labeled as a southern rock band in their infancy, Wylde and company are closer to heavy rock with stoner influences. Anyhow, “Stillborn” kicked ass and Wylde’s voice here was magnificent. “Overlord” from their latest album slayed live as did “Fire it Up.” BLS delivered a very short, but flawless show. Too bad they weren’t on the main stage. In fact, many wondered why BLS was relegated to the second stage while Nonpoint opened the main stage.
Nonpoint was a non-issue. Because BLS attracted such a massive crowd outdoors, the main stage area was almost empty when Nonpoint performed. They’ve been around for several years now, remain a bit of a non-entity, especially given the sparse crowd’s listless reaction. I’ve listened to their new album, “Miracle,” and it’s nothing special, and that’s how they presented themselves on the life front as well.
Devildriver is all about ‘precision aggression.’ The crowd that was quickly making its way to the main stage after witnessing BLS lay waste to the second stage warmly received their fierce Machine Head type metal. The band has consistently built up its fan base over the past couple years, but I don’t really see the attraction. To me, it was tedious speed/thrash metal that was pedestrian at best, but they certainly had their fans there en force.
Finally, the legends! Rob Halford brought his solo act to Ozzfest and dusted off some gems in the process. Dressed from head to toe in leather and studs, the man looked like he meant business! While Priest was experimenting with nu-metal tendencies in 2000, Halford regained his metal roots and pushed out “Resurrection.” The band opened with that title track and followed with “Made in Hell.” “Nailed to the Gun” from his days with Fight sounded more old school metal than in previous years, and Halford’s new single “Made of Metal” is classic Priest style metal with an edge. “Never Satisfied” from, I think, “Rocka Rolla” didn’t cut it live. Surely they could have played another obscurity such as “Island of Domination” or White Heat…Red Hot”! Halford’s still the Metal God, be it with the Priest or without! He stole the show at Ozzfest!
Motely Crue, on the other hand, didn’t even come close to the powerhouse metal-glam band they used to be. Sure, the anticipation was there; the lights, the stage show (with a post-nuclear L.A. backdrop in place), the build up, etc…all glitz and glamour without the guts. Going through the motions was all I could think of as I watched them move stagnantly though “Dr. Feelgood,” “Looks that Kill,” “Shout at the Devil, and “Wildside.” Their latest album is a return to form and the title track and “Motherfucker of the Year” sounded fresh in comparison to the older material. This once menacingly dangerous band has become a bit of a parody of itself. Vince Neil’s voice sounded nasally and strained, while Mick Mars’ guitar parts were, as usual, ordinary. Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee remain the musical strongholds in the band. Lee, especially, maintains his status as one of rock’s best drummers ever. I suppose I’m being hard on the guys but when I last saw them it was back in 1983 on the “Shout at the Devil” Tour when they played some theatre dates as a headliner and were astonishing. Nowadays, we have a tamer, friendlier Motley Crue…Yes; I know we’re all older and wiser!
And finally onto Ozzy. It’s amazing how great he still is! It was simply magical watching the man work the crowd and whip us into a frenzy. The band opened with “Bark at the Moon” and followed with their latest single “Let me Hear you Scream.” With Firewind’s Gus G on guitar, Ozzy’s sound on “Scream” has a more Euro metal feel to it – thank God! It’s heavier and punchier than his previous releases and it is so evident in the live setting. Speaking of Gus G, man, can he tear up the fretboard! I’d love to see him perform in Firewind. Of course, we got “Crazy Train”, “Mr. Crowley”, “Suicide Solution”, and “Mama, I’m Coming Home” from the solo years, and predictably “Paranoid” and “Iron Man” from his time with Sabbath, but the real surprises came in the form of “Rat Salad”, “Fairies Wear Boots”, and “Into the Void.” Who ever thought we’d hear Ozzy sing those gems again? Like Halford, Ozzy is a living legend who continues to deliver on all fronts.
All in all, a very consistent line up with some diamonds in the rough. Saviours and Skeletonwitch are bands to research and watch, while the Crue need some tightening up. In comparison to previous Ozzfest line ups, this one paled slighty, but was good fun nonetheless.
