Rock It - Aalen, GER - 12/5 2011:
It's a long road to get to Analen (around 8 hours under normal conditions). But finally there, it's worth it.
It's a long road to get to Analen (around 8 hours under normal conditions). But finally there, it's worth it.
Sometime around 14 we got breakfast served at the venue by the organizers. Of the two guys organizing the show, one turns out to be very familiar to Swedish traditions such as SNUS, being the singer of FLESHCRAWL who recorded in Sweden many times in the past. After breakfast, panic sets in. The back-up stash of vodka disappeared yesterday. Luckily we found an OK supermarket here too, and can gear-up again.
The soundcheck went good, the PA system was really good at this venue, and the mixing dude had a digital mixing console here too so he would save all settings... (no problem).
The tour so far has been above expectations as far as merch sales are concerned and all the LP's and almost all CD's that we planned to have on the tour was sold out already after five gigs (in Belgium). But today our friends from the record label showed up and saved us with some new boxes of records.
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| Cyclone madness... |
After dinner people started coming, and it was time for GLORIA MORTI to do their last show of this tour (they only joined us the first half of this crusade). They did a good gig as usual. As ARROGANZ performed it was time for us to say bye to our Finnish friends for this time, and off they went... FERAL did a great gig too with a good response from the audience, before it was time for us...
The concert was awesome for us this night, the crowd was truly into our stuff and banged like crazy through the whole gig. People already seemed to be very familiar with the new material from "Death Infernal" and we had to do extra numbers once again before we were allowed to go off stage. The other organizer mr Ralf said afterwards it was the best response he could remember here, so what more can you ask for.
Needless to say the sampler and other stuff didn't work today either ("no problem"-guy came afterwards and said he was sorry, but he forgot to put the channels on) but once again it didn't matter to us, thanks to the awesome response of the audience!
Decimo Secolo - Brescia, ITA - 13/5 2011:
Hot, hot, hot... The story continues, it feels like we're doing this tour in July or something. The Decimo Secolo is located a bit weird, the venue is actually in a big shopping mall building... which is kind of good because the AC is top notch... Less top notch is fact that as the shopping mall closes, the light in the "backstage" also goes off (we had the same experience when playing here with other bands last year, but they are working on it...)
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| The Arroganz dudes outside the venue. |
The PA system is a bit smaller than we're used to from our rehearsal room and the in-house engineer don't seem to be best friend with the equipment... But after a mega-long soundcheck, at least we got both speakers in front working, and some of the monitors as well, so lets go...
The owner had placed a couple of spooky looking dudes to take care of the security and prevent the audience from moshing, so needless to say we demanded the audience to mosh like crazy already from the first song... and they did! As the audience got going, the security guys eventually gave up. Mission complete!
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| Widda celebrating! Hadderajjan deluxe!! |
This was actually the youngster of the band's (Sverker's) 30th birthday, so after some celebration on stage, the evening continued in traditional fashion with party at the Decimo Secolo with the cool organizers and some other guys, and the bus didn't leave Brescia until after 05... Ciao!
Pieffe Factory - Gorizia, ITA - 14/5 2011:
Most people woke up around early in a boiling bus in Gorizia. 30 degrees in the shade + no bus electricity (meaning no AC) + hangover from hell = life on the road.
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| David Feral and Pablo. |
Gorizia is actually in Northern Italy (on the border to Slovenia) but according to some locals this is one of the warmest parts of Italy... didn't get any explanation really, but we do not doubt their words. Walking in the city during the day you feel like Corleone checking out Sicily... No people are out, except for some random dogs and two bums having a ball at the stairs to the city church.
But it's a cool place, and of course in true Southern European tradition we do a late show tonight (first band 22.30...). DEMONICAL on stage sometime after midnight, with some parts of the band (mainly the vocalist) looking real hot with pink sun-burned viking-skin. The venue Pieffe Factory is very good, with a cool stage and a PA (and engineer) that is really top-notch. All bands had a killer sound and the gigs are very appreciated by the crowd. Much respect!
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| Soundcheck |
But as the venue closes there is of course nothing to do but to say ciao to our italian friends, and head towards Slovenia... looking forward to another morning in the sun...
