So after milling around for 10-15 minutes, Children of Bodom came out and fucking blew me away. Plain and simple. They have always been one of my personal favorites, and the set list accommodated both long time fans and newcomers. If I remember correctly they opened with needled 24/7 from Hate Crew Deathroll. A fast and aggressive song to give listener’s a taste of their speed right out of the gate. They had a great sound and although Alexi's guitar work was not the sharpest I've ever heard it, they still were the first band to really tear things up.

After Children of Bodom, I couldn’t wait to see what Dimmu Borgir would be able to do. Whether you love them or hate them, their mastery of symphonic black/death is undeniable. The keyboards screamed and the drums roared… and that was all. They were instantly plagued by a horrible sound mix. The vocals and guitars were virtually non-existent, and Nick’s drums completely overpowered everything except the keyboards. The setlist kicked ass, spanning Enthrone Darkness Triumphant through Death Cult, including my own favorite Mourning Palace. The band itself was on from what I could tell, but it couldn't save the fact that you couldn’t hear shit.

I am not a Superjoint fan, nor do I like their studio material at all. I saw them at New England Metal and Hardcore earlier this year, and felt pretty much the same after seeing them live. However, this time, they put on a damn good performance. It's interesting, when I was down on the floor listening to them, there was a lot of energy and a huge pit going, but once I exited the crowd (I was getting a little bored), whatever bit of appreciation they had been garnering from me was completely lost. There was nothing out of the pit, and Phil's vocals once again sounded like they did on American Dose of Hatred, which was pretty damn unsatisfactory. I ended up leaving the venue during Superjoint, and didn't see Danzig after either.

The next day we headed out relatively early so we could catch some bands on the second stage early on. I was particularly interested in seeing Scar Culture and Fleshgrind. However, first band on the agenda when I got there was Mastodon. I had heard really good things about this band from quite a few people, and decided I'd see what it was all about. I don't quite know what to think of the band because the mix was such shit, that you really couldn't tell what was going on. A complete lack of guitar volume, vocals fading in & out, and a generally blurry mix made it really difficult to hear what was happening in the songs.

After the disappointment concerning Mastodon, I hustled over towards the 2nd stage and made it during Scar Culture’s first song. It went over relatively well with me; I wasn't blown off my feet, or turned off from them. They gave a mediocre performance and the music was generally good. They had one of the best mixes I heard over at the second stage. The second stage was basically at the end of a corridor in which popcorn and hotdogs are sold at other events, so it was nearly impossible to get a good sound for any given band. But they managed pretty well and the result was a pretty active crowd of hardcore kids and metallers alike.

Fleshgrind had a poor mix, I'm a fan of their music, but I had a really hard time getting into it because a lot of it came out jumbled, while the vocals were overpowering.

I saw Unearth next on the main stage and was entirely unmoved. They played well and got the largest hardcore pit I saw all fest. If I had been a fan of hardcore music, perhaps I would have appreciated the set, but I found it largely uninteresting. The mix was very good and everything could be clearly heard throughout the entire performance. The act itself was tight and never missed a beat.

Hate Eternal never ceases to amaze me. I've seen them three times now, and each time their energy and the sense of speed and anger grows stronger. I believe I said to my friend, "Hate Eternal is a well-oiled machine fueled by hatred." And while it was put into comical phrasing, it is a true statement. Hate Eternal is one of those bands with an on-switch. The second they start playing, its on, and its non-stop. Erik Rutan's blazing guitar work was stunning and flawless as usual, and the mix was excellent. Overall: kickass.

Next up was Moonspell, which is also one of my favorite bands. They seem to be a kind of love them or hate them band, but regardless of which applied, they came out excited and got the crowd that way quickly. A couple of Portuguese speaking people made annoying shouts like "VIVA PORTUGAL" (myself included) and generally enjoyed the music even more because of its nostalgic qualities. But the crowd reaction in general seemed really good. Playing a great set list of material including Opium, Vampiria and Full Moon Madness, which were accompanied by a near perfect mix, they gave the show that I had always hoped they would.

Deicide… where can I possibly start? Having adored their music for some years, it was hard not to be excited. Definitely one of the more involving performances of the fest, it was nearly impossible for a large part of the crowd to resist bashing each others brains in. A damn good mix and a killer set list quickly demolished the pit.

I’m a little biased in a review for a Nile live performance, because like all metal heads everywhere, I’ve seen Nile live over 4 times now. Now, the band itself performed superbly, rushing quickly out of the gate and never slowing down. They closed their set with the all-powerful Black Seeds of Vengeance (a wise conclusion) and had an all around nice mix. They worked around some technical difficulties with the laptop and its necessary sound effects clips without much hesitation, and managed to get me hyped up which they hadn’t done the two most recent times I saw them. They’re very fucking tight, and despite the fact that their music itself never grows old (at least not on me), the live performance can get tiring once you’ve seen it more than once.

I decided to keep my spot in the second row from Nile for the remainder of the evening since I wanted to be up close for the next band in line, Type O Negative. First of all, Peter Steele had his hair tied back and was sporting a Texan Cop moustache, what’s with that?! Either way, the majority of the crowd was well acquainted with the band as it instantly took up the “You Suck” chant. The band came out in orange prison jumpsuits, and Peter was accompanied by a wine bottle and a headband that matched his outfit. This mix was also good, with overpowering low ends (trademark Type O) and clear vocals. They wisely chose a full setlist, covering most of their albums and hitting several key songs, including Christian Woman and Black Number 1. Overall: Great.

The last band to come out would be the very essence of a love them or hate them band, Cradle of Filth. They have changed a lot of the years, but have relatively retained their own take on black/death metal (Principles of Evil Made Flesh excluded, which was of course raw black metal). Their overpowering and over-budget stage act was at best distracting, including a circus performer who suspended herself seductively from two hanging extra-long scarf-like things. No comment on the gargoyles, which were all too predictably inhabited by people. The mix wasn’t all that great, but it wasn’t horrible either. Dani’s vocals were on and his screams pierced as well as I’ve ever heard them. They performed all of the material well, and I was both surprised and ecstatic to hear The Forest Whispers My Name. Their execution was good, but the damn stage act was too gaudy and detracted too much from the music and the band itself.

The fest turned out to be a great success, and I didn’t regret the 3+ hour drive in the least. The highlights for me were definitely Children of Bodom, Type O Negative and Moonspell.