Swedish power metallers Sabaton close Hammerfest II in gung ho style
Hammerfest 2010 review
Tuesday 23rd March 2010
Few things seem to clear a heinously disgusting hangover as well as a dose of Maiden-esque heavy fucking metal, and White Wizzard are on hand to provide just that on the second stage. Their live set loses some of the epic grandeur of this year's ruddy brilliant 'Over The Top' album, but tunes like 'High Speed GTO' and '40 Deuces' are still worth a bleary-eyed headbang or two. Soon after, the tiny, pub-based third stage sees riff lords Godsized provide one of the best slots of the weekend with a glorious slab of dirty rock 'n' roll. Pontin's favourites Attica Rage provide a similar if more Mötörhead-friendly thrill by opening the main stage for the evening, and even manage to just about get away with a 'Fear Of The Dark' cover. Cheeky bastards.
Orange Goblin were one of the most memorable bands at the second Hard Rock Hell here in 2008, and they don't fail to disappoint in their Pontin's sequel. The UK's premier stoner metal act prove yet again why they have remained a central part of London's metal scene for nearly 15 years, and if it were anyone other than Skindred set to arrive next on stage, you'd have to fear for whoever had to follow this. As it is, the Welsh ragga-metallers completely steal the weekend just as they did at this very festival last year. 'Stand For Something' is a hell of a way to start a set, but it's when the quartet launch into 'Ratrace' that things really go postal. Benji Webbe reaffirms his status as one of the most likeable and unique frontmen in Britain, and his tendency to lead a typically mental crowd in drum 'n' bass breakouts and renditions of Luniz dance floor filler 'I Got 5 On It' only heightens the party atmosphere and spouts of dodgy dancing.
Floridian metal legends Iced Earth don't play these shores nearly enough, and the reactions to anthems like 'Pure Evil' highlight why this is nothing short of a travesty. Matt Barlow's return to the fold after Tim 'Ripper' Owens' four-year stint on vocal duties elated some and shocked others, but he is on scintillating form; hitting the kind of notes that would one-up a eunuch in nipple clamps.
Suicidal Tendencies might be a lot less po-faced then their Tampa counterparts, but as a musical force they should be taken no less seriously, and Mike Muir's crossover thrash veterans kick the party back up a gear with an irresistible set that culminates in a ridiculous stage invasion. It leaves Sabaton with a hell of a task in closing the stage and the festival, but the Swedish power metallers do not disappoint thanks to a performance that is the epitome of gung ho. By the time singer Joakim Broden has the entire crowd jumping like idiots to 'Primo Victoria', it becomes all the more difficult to imagine just how a heavy metal festival at a Pontin's holiday camp wasn't mooted about twenty years ago. Another year, another superbly drunken mess of a weekend. Hard Rock Hell rolls into town in December - miss it at your peril.
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