In the beginning
Ruminations.
After LOUD PARK is over, I will be ruminating on this for a while, maybe a month or two.
It was such an enjoyable experience that I would pull it out of my memory drawer night after night, enjoy it, and then put it back in.
Not to mention the great performances by the bands, the freedom to create our own schedule, the delicious food at the stalls, and most of all the comfort of being in a space full of people wearing metal T-shirts.
All of this combined to create this enjoyable trance-like feeling….
I know this is a bit grandiose to begin with, but I went to LOUD PARK16!
Let me write down my report as usual.
This time, I left Aomori at noon on October 7, the night before the event, and first visited Koenji Metal Meshi as my personal eve party.
The delicious food lifted my spirits.
As usual, I drank too much and had a hangover the next morning.
Janne always seems to be very drunk, so this must also be metal.
October 8.
When I arrived at the venue, there was already no line (I guess I was a little overslept), so I changed my 2-day ticket for a wristband and received a drink ticket.
I was happy to get a ticket from a pretty lady again this year.
Lords of Black
We started with “Lords of Black” at the KINGDOM STAGE.
Wow, Ronnie Romero is a great singer.
He is just as good as he is on the CD.
He was discovered by Ritchie.
His performance was perfect, and it was a perfect opening act for my LOUD PARK.
I didn’t see “Lords of Black” until the end, but moved to the ULTIMATE STAGE.
I wanted to see “Aldious” in its entirety.
It was fun to be able to schedule of the show as I wanted.
Aldious
Re:NO, the vocalist, said she was one of the three most nervous people in her life on this stage.
Although she felt awkwardness caused by her nervousness, the girls gradually regained their originality.
It is true that their performance of “Aldious” was not very good.
However, their love of metal more than made up for it!
It’s like the opening line of a magazine’s “Headbang,” a very hot and bitter love of metal!
It would be easy to dismiss this as poor, but I would like to ask you what you are looking for in metal.
Are you only looking for technique?
I wore an “Aldious” T-shirt, and one girl pointed at me and laughed.
I want to say to those people.
You have no right to laugh at “Aldious” who love and love metal and are driven by that love alone!
It was such a frustrating experience that I ended up saying it in a very hot and bitter way.
Let’s go back to the story of “Aldious.”
Ultimate Melodious
This song is also the name of the band, and I guess they brought it up at the beginning of the show because it was the ULTIMATE STAGE.
As I think I have mentioned before, this is an early song, and although it has some rough parts, it is a good song with a perfect metal impulse.
When they were playing this song, they seemed to be nervous somehow.
Sawa didn’t seem to be nervous at all.
White Crow
The introductory guitar harmony was pleasant.
It had been many months since I saw them in Aomori before.
Re:NO’s singing is getting better!
The headbanging by four members was also worth seeing.
Raise Your Fist
The chorus is cute.
It’s a picture-perfect performance by five girls playing metal.
Yes, this “picturesque” feeling is important.
Die for You
I thought they would play loud songs since it was LOUD PARK, but they also played pop songs well.
I felt the singing was especially good.
These songs are also good.
I wouldn’t like it if they played only pop songs.
Yay, yay, yay!
Luft
An early song.
Thrashy riff is very comfortable.
Anyone who doesn’t feel uplifted after listening to this riff is not a thrasher.
Well written song.
Toki’s mist spray also makes me feel good!
Dominator
The last song is also a masterpiece.
If you like Power Metal, you’ll shed tears.
Who doesn’t feel anything when they see the headbang at the beginning of this song?
Don’t they get moved?
And that was how “Aldious” ended.
Although there are still some issues to be solved in terms of performance technique and sound quality, I think the girls gave one of their best performances to date.
This band is still going to get bigger.
After “Aldious,” I went back to the KINGDOM STAGE to see “Cain’s Offering.”
This year, the distance from the inside area where the two stages are located to the outside stage is longer.
The area that I could have passed through last year was blocked off this year.
Why?
Cain’s Offering
So when I arrived at the KINGDOM STAGE, “Cain’s Offering” was already playing.
I was happy to hear “The Best of Times”
and “My Heart Beats for No One,” two of my favorites.
Fast songs are good, but this band has great middle songs.
The interlude makes it more progressive.
However, after “Aldious,” I felt the band played very well.
There is a definite difference in technique.
Also, the guitarist sang well, and in the chorus, the vocalist sang the bottom part of the song, which felt strange at first, but gradually became more comfortable.
I didn’t know there was such a way to divide the songs.
Well, I went to buy a T-shirt, and the place was empty, but most of the T-shirts were sold out!
Hmmm, should I get up early and wait in line?
In the end, I couldn’t find the shirt I wanted, so I postponed my purchase until tomorrow.
After eating and drinking beer, I went to the BIGROCK STAGE where “Rage” was going to perform.
On the way to the venue, I ran into Yasunario of Koenji Metal Meshi.
Well, it’s a big venue, but it’s still nice to see each other.
Thank you very much for your help last night.
Rage
Then “Rage” started.
This time, “Rage” was really good.
I was so excited!
As I wrote in a previous article, I love the album “Black in Mind”.
When I think of “Rage,” I think of this album.
It’s completely different, in my opinion.
So when the title track “Black in Mind” came on as the third song, I cheered.
Not only that, “Untill I Die” was played on the sixth track, and with this song, I was excited.
I love the simple but well-directed composition that kept me from getting bored.
Peavy can still hit the high notes, can’t he?
The singalongs of “Don’t Fear the Winter”
and “Higher Than the Sky” at the end of the show were also very enjoyable.
Well, “Rage” was great, really.
So, after a meal and beer (which I’ve been eating all night), it was on to “Exodus”.
Exodus
This year’s LOUD PARK is lacking in thrash bands.
Many fans had been looking forward to “Exodus” so much that they were restricted to the front area.
The crowd was really excited.
It was just a pity that Gary Holt was not there.
The intro of “Rainning Blood” from “Slayer” was played in the middle of the show.
The performance ended when the circle pit started with excitement.
I was impressed that both the members and the audience were laughing.
I am sure that it would have been a big party if the band had played until the end, but it would have been a loss of honor if the other band’s song was the most exciting one.
Children of Bodom
Now, after another round of drinks and food, it was time for “Children of Bodom”.
I have always thought that the second album was the best, but recently I have come to love the fourth album, “Hate Clue Death Roll”.
I can’t get enough of the excited and well-crafted riffs.
Silent Night , Bodom Night
Starting off with one of my favorite second album song!
I was quite excited, but the reaction of the audience around me was not so good.
I wondered if the fans who liked the early songs were in the minority.
The riff that folds at high speed is cool.
The solo is sparkling, too.
In Your Face
One of the most frequently played songs.
It starts with a Pantera-like riff and gradually shifts to Children of Bodom style, which is cool.
The slow intro and then the fast part is a great composition.
Trashed, Lost & Strungout
Children of Bodom-like melodies and heavy riffs intermingle.
This one is good, too.
Genius in making pop death metal.
Scream for Silence
The middle tempo song.
I don’t remember much about it due to lack of study.
Follow the Reaper
Alexi is too cool, playing guitar solo vertically.
I don’t know why I missed the third album, but I have to buy it.
It’s between the second and fourth albums, so I’m sure I’ll like it.
Needled 24/7
Here it comes, here it comes, song that never fail.
A big circle pit right next to it.
Singalong of the main riff.
This song is so energetic!
It’s a great song to listen to, shaking my head and singing wildly.
Morrigan
A song from the latest album.
It’s a slow song, but the weird modulations and breaks that make me feel like I’m on the edge of my seat are gradually becoming addictive.
It doesn’t have the same intensity as in the past, but I guess he has a good sense of music.
Hate Me!
If you hear the cacophony of keyboards, this is the song for you.
A singalong like Needled 24/7.
A popular song.
This one is also very exciting.
Everytime I Die
This show has been played a lot since the third album.
I didn’t know about this one, but I didn’t get it.
I Worship Chaos
The title track of the new album.
The latest album is not so impressive, but it still has a lot of hooky riffs.
This is not a simple band.
Angels Don’t Kill
This is the only slow song in the fourth album, and is often played.
The strange chord progression gives it a creepy feeling.
Hmmm…how could they come up with such a thing?
Children of Decadence
Another song from the third album.
Yeah, I’ll buy the album after all.
I wonder if the music is in between the second and fourth albums.
Downfall
The last song is the usual one.
I knew it would be the second album song.
It is a flood of beautiful melodies.
It’s always good no matter how many times I listen to it.
Well, I enjoyed “Children of Bodom” to my heart’s content and rushed to the KINGDOM STAGE to see “Blind Guardian.”
Blind Guardian
When I arrived at the front of the stage, the performance had already started.
This is “A Past And Future Secret.”
While I was waiting in line to buy beer, “The Script for My Requiem” started.
What’s that?
This is the same order as the fifth album, isn’t it?
Is this a reproduction of the classic “Imaginations from the Other Side”?
I looked up and saw the jacket of “Imaginations from the Other Side” in huge letters!
Wow, is this for real?
I couldn’t help myself and rushed to the front.
Was there an announcement that the album would be reproduced?
If I had known about this, I would have cut out of “Children of Bodom” halfway through and come here!
After all, this fifth album came out when I was a freshman in high school.
A direct hit to my youth.
I was listening to HM Syndicate at that time, and this album was introduced to me.
I was shocked by it and became a fan at once.
I still vividly remember the song “I’m Alive” being introduced on the radio.
“I’m Alive” was the second song on the album, which means I missed it.
Damn, that’s too frustrating!
But Hansi’s voice was better than I expected, and above all, they played well!
I guess they did a service for the Japanese fans.
They played all 9 songs from the album and ended with “Mirror, Mirror”.
This setlist was divine.
The old fans must have been in a frenzy.
It was a great surprise!
So, after watching “Blind Guardian,” we moved to the BIGROCK STAGE.
Finally, the headliner “Scorpions” appeared on stage.
Scorpions
It was my first time seeing them, and they looked so young!
It was hard to believe that it was the band’s 50th anniversary.
And they were so popular!
The crowd was so excited!
Thanks to my diligent preparation, I knew about half of the songs.
The songs were all rock exemplars, and I thought it was nice to see something like this.
The stage was set up with huge monitors, and the atmosphere was gorgeous.
I guess that’s what a top-notch band is like.
I was especially impressed by the performance and video of “Big City Nights.”
The one with the sexy ladies dancing with the beautiful cityscape in the background.
I loved it so much, I could watch it all the time.
They played for over 100 minutes, so it was almost a one-man show.
I usually don’t like to listen to this kind of music, but they left such a great impression on me.
The cover of “Motörhead” dedicated to Lemmy, the appearance of Uli John Roth, “Kojo No Tsuki,” and many other memorable scenes.
This is the headliner of LOUD PARK.
This is how it should be!
At the end
After “Scorpions,” my feet were killing me.
I went home, drank some sake, and went to sleep to prepare for tomorrow.
October 15,2016 Freakz
(Postscript)
I’ve been talking about “Aldious” with some passion.
Toki’s special fog spray is a powerful weapon to enhance the atmosphere of a live performance, but of course we haven’t seen it since we entered the Corona Disaster.
I hope to see Toki’s fog spray live again someday.
I miss those days when “Children of Bodom” was a common sight.
The band might break up tomorrow.
Or even die like Alexi.
You should see them while you can.
There is a rush of metal bands coming to Japan for this year’s festivals, and you should attend them even if it costs you your life.
January 12,2023 Freakz
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