GMM2018 Review

GMM2018 was the biggest Graspop edition ever. With 4 sold out days, the grounds of Dessel were overflowed with metal heads...oh well, many were not really metalheads actually. We saw several people coming for the first time and a good proportion of the crowed was not wearing black. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but due to that we faced several long lines, some logistical challenges (e.g. bathroom) and musically several alt rock bands that were not that great and shows like At The Gates or Corrosion of Conformity ended up being very empty. The days were long and an old chap like me had to plan very strategically in order to survive 4 days and watch my preferred bands. Unfortunately, I did miss some very cool shows like Ozzy and Meshuggah. Weather-wise, it was the driest edition I've been to. Not a single drop of rain. However, some days were really cold. Overall, a good edition, some amazing shows but it left me with a concern: In what direction is this festival going? Will it remain a "Metal Meeting"? or is it becoming a alternative and hard rock meeting?

****

Iron Maiden: The best Maiden set-list I have ever seen live. Great production and performance, as usually, but even more so now with The Legacy of The Beast Tour because they didn't have to stick to one album concept. If that wasn't enough, watching "Where Eagles Dare" and "Flight of Icarus" live was one of the greatest live experiences of my entire music life.

Guns N Roses: A 3.5-hour show with Axel delivering his best performance in many years and Slash shredding away was an unique experience. Believe it or not, this was my first time ever seeing a band that was so influential to me in the late 80's. Most of my favorite songs from that time were in the set-list so I can't complain.

Zeal & Ardor: I know their songs, I have been digging their new album, but still the live experience was way beyond any expectations. What an emotional and well executed show. Bravo!

TesseracT: with 3 songs out of their suberb new album and a vocal performance as impressive as in the studio, TesseracT hit this one out of the Dessel grounds.

***

Judas Priest: The show was great and Halford was at the top of his game. But it was shorter than Hellfest and the two songs out of the three that I wanted to see the most were left out (The Ripper and Saints In Hell). So I can't help it but feel disappointed.

Ayreon: Unique and amazing experience. Great set list and roster of singers. Damian Wilson and Tommy Karevik were the highlights. But of course the show was much shorter than the 013 shows and some key singers were missing e.g. Floor Janssen.

Arch Enemy: Great show, I hadn't seen them in a while and as far as I remember it was their first time on the main stage. I would've liked to see a bit more classics and less new songs though.

At The Gates: Killer performance, as usually, mainly focusing on the classic Slaughter of the Soul and last two albums. The bad news was that the sound failed a few times, the Marquee was empty and many people that were there didn't seem to know the band. All and all, the energy level wasn't great.

Kreator: The fact that I saw their headline show not long ago took a bit out of the fun. No surprises on the setlist. Also Kreator during a sunny day doesn't go that well. But despite all of that, it's a top band and delivered a top show.

Ghost: I love 3 of their 4 albums and I think they put a great live spectacle. Consequently, 60 min set is not enough. Besides I didn't get a good location to watch it. Regardless, the show was great and left me with the desire to see them headlining.

Galactic Empire: Prog metal treatment to the Start Wars soundtrack played by the band dressed as the dark side characters. The lead guitar player being Darth Vader and even talking like him during the transitions. Oh, by the way, it included a short sketch. No need to say more!

Killswitch Engage: One of my favorite modern metal bands did not disappoint. They played the classics and a few ones from the last two albums. The energy level was sub optimal but did not compromise the overall experience.

Avenged Sevenfold: I like most of their albums and I think they make a very good live performance. This year was no different. The interruption to attend a hurt fan was the right decision but it did kill the mood (no pun intended). Besides I was far and too anxious to see Maiden.

Accept: Same comments as for Kreator, I saw their headline show not long ago and no surprises on the setlist. Nonetheless, I had lots of fun.

Savage Messiah: Not many traditional metal and thrash metal bands this year, so this was a nice surprise. It was very early on Friday, but very solid performance with a setlist with songs I knew. Good times!  

**

The Contortionist: It was a good show, but not as good as when I saw them before on a small venue. Even the Metal Dome was a bit big for them.

Arkona: I'm still getting to know this band, so far I like what I know. The show itself didn't really get my attention but I can't say it was bad.

Tyr: Another band that I am not too familiar with. The show was early and the sound failed a few times.

Corrosion Of Conformity: A great band and the last album is making a lot of noise. But the Sunday's audience was a weird one and the Marquee was half empty. Despite not knowing their catalog well, it was enjoyable.

Bullet For My Valentine: I only know them because they play every other year in this festival. Then I got to like some of their hits. But the latest albums are not good at all and several songs were out of those.

*

Iced Earth: One of my favorite bands of all times, but probably their worst show I've seen. By far, it was the worst sounding band of the weekend and the short set-list was full of new songs which was kind of a bummer.

Asphyx: Not a bad band but it didn't catch my attention for more than a couple of songs.