After a 12 hour day at work (and the same two days previous) I was seriously contemplating not going to this show. But since I promised coverage to the audience of my site I figured it was my duty as a metal journalist to attend regardless of my physical state. The wind was blowing like crazy so it took me almost an hour to drive the twenty miles to the venue, not a very good omen as far as I am concerned. As soon as I was admitted into the Graceland I headed for the bar. Since I wasn't planning on leaving the front until I was ready to go home so I had about 15 glasses of water to hydrate thoroughly and headed to the stage to claim a spot.

After a 45 minute wait Goatwhore took the stage to a fairly sparse crowd. By the midway point of the bands 30 minute set a somewhat reasonable pit formed (or at least seemed that way from the pushing against my back) and the crowd began returning some mostly positive feedback for Goatwhore's relentless attack. For an opener Goatwhore had pretty good sound, probably because they got to use their own equipment unlike the next two bands to play. The mix was a little messed up as the clean vocals were often difficult to hear. Ben did a kickass job on vocals though, and roamed the extremely cramped stage as close to the front as possible to get nearer to the fans. Goatwhore got me headbanging on a number of occasions which is always a good thing as I never headbang unless I am truly enjoying the music and the performance.

Goatwhore photos

Goatwhore set list:
Nocturnal Holocaust
Blood Guilt Eucharist
All the Sins
The Serpent that Enslaves what is Worshipped
Sky Inferno
Desolate Path to Apocalyptic Ruin
The Beauty in Suffering
Baptized in a Storm of Swords
Graveyards and Dead Angels

Next to play was Sweden's Amon Amarth, who got a pretty decent reaction when the now clean-shaven Johan the rest of the band came on stage. They opened with "Death in Fire" and made the most of their short time slot by keeping between song chatter to a minimum. Their final song "Versus the World" indicated that the band is getting over well with the fans as the place felt pretty packed and there were a number of people singling along to the title track from their latest album. It seemed that Amon Amarth played a pretty tight set, however that was somewhat hard to tell as the sound was muddy as all get out, making the guitars and bass come out sounding as though the sound all three instruments were put in a blender then shot out on the audience with no separation. If you caught the band on this tour and were put off by the sound be sure to catch them playing on their own gear sometime as they are much heavier than Goatwhore's amps would allow them to be.

Amon Amarth photos

Amon Amarth set list:
Death in Fire
Last with Pagan Blood
For the Stabwounds in our backs
Where Silent Gods Stand Guard
Masters of War
Versus the World

The kings of Polish death metal, the mighty Vader, were next to hit the stage. The audience responded very well from their first song to the last, moshing and thrashing with abandon. New bassist Novy (formerly of Behemoth) was definitely the rockstar of the band, having more stage moves the poses than the rest of the band combined. Vocalist/Guitarist Peter seemed to be having a great time through the whole set, smiling more than any death metal musician I have seen previously. They covered as much of their material as possible in their short set, from old favorites like "Sothis" to newer songs like "Litany" and "Torch of War". The audience reaction was strongest when they played their last song, a blistering rendition of Slayer's "Reign in Blood". It puzzles me that a cover song (albeit one done very well) can cause fans to get so crazy when the originals can't command even close to the same reaction. I guess it's all about giving the kids what they want. Vader definitely put on the set of the evening up to that point. I hope that they can come back as a headline act; it would be nice to see them with a longer set time so they could cover more material from the huge discography. Sorry, no set list for Vader.

Vader photos

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting the kings of German thrash, Kreator, hit the stage in all their Teutonic glory. The faces up front seemed to change to a much older group as would be expected when a band that has been around as long as Kreator has. Their sound didn't impress me much and they just didn't seem to have the same energy as they did when they played the Catwalk with Destruction last year, perhaps they were just tired. Mille was quite the entertainer regardless and was all over the stage, getting right in the faces of audience members with what seemed like every solo. Despite the sub-par performance and sound (and exclusion of some songs I consider mandatory like "Coma of Souls" and "Riot of Violence") I found myself headbanging furiously throughout the set as Kreator's music simply compels me to do so, I have no choice in the matter. I'm still paying for it two days later with a very sore neck. We need to get Kreator back for another headlining tour!

Kreator photos

Kreator set list:
The Patriarch
Violent Revolution
Extreme Aggression
People of the Lie
Phobia
Pleasure to Kill
Terrible Certainty
Betrayer
All of the Same Blood (Unity)
Flag of Hate
Tormentor

Nile didn't get started until after midnight so I only stuck around for the first few songs. While they are usually one of the tightest live acts they seemed to be a bit off from what I saw, even the mighty Tony Laureano appeared to be worn out and not quite in synch with the rest of the members. In my opinion Nile needs to take a break from their relentless touring and at the same time giving the fans a break, they play far too often causing fan enthusiasm to be far less than the bands who only play once a year.

Nile photos

Partial Nile set list:
Execration Text
Unas, Slayer of The Gods
Howling Of The Jinn