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After Pre-Tuska: Turmion Kätilöt, June 26th 2008, Helsinki, Finland - Tavastia Nightclub

Note: This is part of the Tuska Open Air - March 2009 Feature, so you can read the whole thing here

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We made our way out of Kaisaniemi park and since we picked up the tickets very close to Tavastia we knew where to go. When we arrived at Tavastia I was like a little kid at Disneyland, because of all the tradition and impact this club has had in the Finish metal scene. So, we left our coats and small backpacks at their coat check. The place was already pretty crowded, so we scrambled to find the best viewing spot we could. We located the stairs to the second for it had a great view of the stage and you could sit on the steps if you wanted to.

We had no idea what to expect from the band that we were about to see. Besides, the comments from some people we met outside of the club were that it is a great band and that their performances are interesting.
After Tuska: Amoral + Battlelore + Morian, June 27th 2008, Helsinki, Finland - Nosturi Nightclub

Note: This is part of the Tuska Open Air - March 2009 Feature, so you can read the whole thing here

This one was a really hard decision to make, since Swallow the Sun was playing at Tavastia that night. I influenced my decision based on the fact that Swallow The Sun had already toured the US and they are more likely to tour again (and I was right!) than having a tour involving Amoral, Battlelore, and Morian.

After Tuska: Horna + Enochian Crescent + Alghazanth, June 28th 2008, Helsinki, Finland - Nosturi - Nightclub

Note: This is part of the Tuska Open Air - March 2009 Feature, so you can read the whole thing here

Today’s decision was also very hard to make, since I really wanted to go and watch Before The Dawn perform. But like the previous day, 1 vs. 3 bands made me go for the ‘bigger bang for the buck’ and I picked the show at Nosturi.

Amorphis + Samael + Virgin Black + Guests – October 9/10 2008, Seattle, Wa - El Corazon

 

Arsenic Addiction + Cvltvs Mortem – June 25th, Bozeman, Montana

After not attending a show for almost 3 months we were starting to feel the need to drive somewhere and listen to some live Metal. Luckily for us Salt Lake City’s Arsenic Addiction, and Idaho-based Cvltvs Mortem where playing a show in town. There are NEVER decent Metal shows in Bozeman, Montana, and this one was a great opportunity to not have to drive 15 hrs for a show and check out two promising American bands that we would normally never get the chance to experience unless they opened for a bigger act.

Dark Tranquillity + The Devil Wears Prada + Killswitch Engage - March 13th, 2010 - Denver, Colorado

During our road-trip across the country, Dark Tranquillity was our second show in our agenda. After having a terrible time at the previous show in Denver, CO, we were a bit skeptical about how this venue will play out. However, being a part of the live nation theaters and arenas, you can be assured that the Fillimore will be way better than the POS Marquis Theater.

Dragonforce, Cynic and Dååth - April 19 2009, Missoula, MT – Wilma Theater

I was very excited to find out that Montana was going to get a real metal show. This meant that I did not need to drive more than 10 hrs to go to a show. The drive this time was only 6 hrs round trip and they where well invested.

Having heard that Dragonforce is known for giving bad live performances I was skeptical about this one, but I was not going to let the opportunity to find for my self if this is true. And you will read through to know how their performance was.

Epica + Blackguard + Threat Signal – February 14 2010, Seattle, Washington

Taking advantage of the long President’s day weekend, we made it out of our snow caves in Montana in order to attend Epica’s show in Seattle, WA. After a grueling 11 hr ride we arrived in Seattle a day before the show.

The show was set to be at El Corazon, a venue that might appear not very big but surprisingly the capacity is around 800 people. We have been to shows before in this place and never seen it very full, most notably during the amazing show that Amorphis played here back in 2008.

Fangoria’s Trinity of Terrors – Las Vegas, Nevada October 30 and 31, November 1st

Fangoria’s Trinity of Terrors – Las Vegas, Nevada October 30 and 31, November 1st.

With the imminent rollout of our Horror section, we decided to take a ‘small’ road trip to Las Vegas, Nevada for the first Fangoria Trinity Of Terrors event at the Palms Resort and Casino.

Hatesphere + Augury + Obscura + The Black Dahlia Murder – March 12th, 2010 – Denver, CO

The first stop in our road trip across the country was at Denver, CO, so we tweaked our travel dates in order to make it to this magnificent show that offered us the opportunity to watch some great bands in a small venue, something that probably will not happen in the future.

While we are followers of Hatesphere, Augury and Obscura, we never cared much for The Black Dahlia Murder and their Death-core music. So we basically attended this show for the foreign talent.

Hellfest Open Air 2009 - June 19, 20 and 21 2009 – Clisson, France

Hellfest Open Air 2009  - June 19, 20 and 21 2009 – Clisson, France

Hellfest Open Air 2009 was the second festival of our summer festival extravaganza. We had a few weeks to travel and rest after an exhausting 5 nights camping at Wave-Gotik-Treffen.

Lacrimosa live June 25th 2008 St.Petersburg, Russia – Port Club

I was visiting St. Petersburg, Russia on my way to Helsinki, Finland for Tuska 2008, and it was a great coincidence that Lacrimosa was playing live on the days I was there. So I could not let the opportunity of attending a show in Russia go away!!!

The tickets to the event were 1300 rubles which came out to be 52 dollars around that time. I thought it was expensive for only 1 band, but then again I was there and I might not get this opportunity again. Let me tell you I’ve seen shows of different bands in many different places in the world and this one was a unique experience.

Pagan Knights Tour - March 16 2009, Salt Lake City, UT - Club Vegas

I usually don’t drive 6 hrs to see a show, but this tour provided enough bands that I wanted to see so I made the drive to Salk Lake City. The drive was well worth it because of the great performances put up by the headlining bands.

I had to miss the first two local bands because I was interviewing band members from: Suidakra, Alestorm and Týr. But from the last few minutes I got to listen to one of the bands and I regret that I missed them.

Pagan Knights Tour - March 9 2009, Albuquerque, NM - Launch Pad

If you have never been to The Launch Pad in Albuquerque, you probably wouldn’t understand the unique environment the venue presents for concerts. The venue consists of a bar front, a loft (21+) and a main floor with a small stage in back for the bands. House capacity is around 300 people, so whomever you’re going to see, you know it will be an intimate experience with the bands. The Pagan Knights Tour was an excellent example of this band-to-fan interface.

Tuska Open Air Metal Festival 2008 - DAY 1 - June 27th 2008, Helsinki, Finland - Kaisaniemi Park

Note: This is part of the Tuska Open Air - March 2009 Feature, so you can read the whole thing here

After a long first day in Helsinki (we arrived back to our hotel at 3:30 in the morning), we decided to sleep until late and recuperate our energy for the first day of Tuska. We woke up a bit late and went to walk around downtown Helsinki and do some shopping in some stores downtown. We also found a place to eat in the outdoor market next to the ferry/cruise ship arrival area. The food there was pretty good and not crazily expensive like in other restaurants around the area.

Tuska Open Air Metal Festival 2008 - DAY 2 - June 28th 2008, Helsinki, Finland - Kaisaniemi Park

Note: This is part of the Tuska Open Air - March 2009 Feature, so you can read the whole thing here

Tuska Open Air Metal Festival 2008 - DAY 3 - June 29th 2008, Helsinki, Finland - Kaisaniemi Park

Note: This is part of the Tuska Open Air - March 2009 Feature, so you can read the whole thing here

Tuska Warm-up : Nightwish + Amorphis + Epica, June 26th 2008, Helsinki, Finland - Kaisaniemi Park

 

When I was planning to attend Tuska during my vacation last year, the concert that sealed the deal for me was this one. I don’t think anywhere else in the world I would be able to see a show of Nightwish, Amorphis and Epica! At least not in a festival bill. So I had to take advantage of this and attend this concert no matter what. And it was also a perfect fit in my traveling schedule since I could attend the Lacrimosa show in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the next day take a train to Helsinki, Finland for this show and the Tuska festival.

After arriving in Helsinki, we quickly found our hotel and left our backpacks there, since the concert was scheduled to start 4:00 pm. We arrived at 12 pm and had 4 hours to figure out how to get to our hotel, find something to eat, find the place we had to pick up our concert tickets (next to Kampi shopping center) and find the site of the concert (which turned out to be right next to the train station where we arrived). We made it on time and were standing in line to get to the concert area in Kaisaniemi Park right on schedule.
Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2009 – May 29, 30, 31 and June 1 2009, Leipzig, Germany

WGT

Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2009 – May 29, 30, 31 and June 1 2009, Leipzig, Germany

I was pretty excited about going to WGT 2009 since I’ve wanted to attend this festival since 1999 when I saw a VHS tape of this festival.

Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2009 – May 29, 30, 31 and June 1 2009, Leipzig, Germany - Day 1

Day 1: Friday, May 29

Location: Kohlrabizirkus

15:30 Unsun

With Full Force 2009 – July 3, 4 and 5 2009, Löbnitz, Germany

With Full Force 2009 – July 3, 4 and 5 2009, Löbnitz, Germany

After a very long and amazing trip to Europe our last stop was the 2009 With Full Force festival.

After a great Dream Theater and Cynic concert in Prague, Czech Republic I headed back to my rest spot in Prague and got my stuff ready to wakeup early and take the train to Dresden, Germany for some sight seeing on the way to my final destination of the day: Leipzig, Germany.