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Official ProgPower XI thread

[Protag]

that is THE SANCTUARY reunion WITH Warrel.  The band is working on a new album.

So does Brian fly or drive from MD.?  Anything that might help keep my expenses down would be a big help! 

[Protag]

I'd like to see Haken too since 2 of the members of that band are from To-Mera.

[Venom]

So does Brian fly or drive from MD.?  Anything that might help keep my expenses down would be a big help! 

Drives and I am sure he wouldn't mind you riding with him!! Talk it over with Brian

[Protag]

Drives and I am sure he wouldn't mind you riding with him!! Talk it over with Brian

Well cue him in on my desire to drive down with him next year & I will give him a call. I think I still have his #.

Now I need to find someone to room with.

[Sgt Rock]

that is THE SANCTUARY reunion WITH Warrel.  The band is working on a new album.

Looking forward to this! 

[Snamu]

Here is your Progpower XII lineup:
Friday
1. Creation's End
2. Voyager
3. Eldritch
4. Mob Rules
5. Arcturus
6. Sanctuary

Saturday
1. Haken
2. While Heaven Wept
3. Red Circuit
4. Labyrinth
5. Dream Evil
6. Therion

 

Screw MDF.  I'm hitting Progpower next year!

[zekeyou]

Great weekend as usual.

Over the past few years of attending ProgPower I've come to a point where I have zero guilt in skipping bands I don't have any interest in seeing or leaving if a particular band is not grabbing me.

This year's "Showcase" was actually excellent-- I only caught a few songs of Six Minute Century-- not my thing.  Canada's Borealis were pretty decent-- lots of Evergreyish things going on, and just when the crowd would seem to be waning, the band would hit some nice chuggah chuggah open E's to get the headbanging faithful back.  The second they were done I made a beeline for the front barrier so I could take in Leprous from a few feet away and also be strategically placed for Accept.

Leprous was my second/third favorite band of the weekend-- lots of quirkiness coupled with nice heavy moments.  At times I felt like I was going to have a seizure trying to take in all the odd shit the band was playing, but, like Borealis, would then hit a heavy section and my head would stop spinning.  I enjoy "Tall Poppy Syndrome" to some degree-- particularly when the album treads into heavier areas-- and live was no exception-- great stuff.  I really regret not picking up their reissued demo that was available at the show...

Accept.
Seriously the band of the weekend for me, and probably my all-time favorite performance of the 8 ProgPowers I've attended.  I never had the opportunity to see them back in the 80's, and wasn't familiar with any of their post-Russian Roulette stuff, and I've always steered clear of solo Udo.  A year and a half ago or so-- whenever that rough demo of Accept with Mark Tornillo doing "Balls to the Wall" surfaced, I was super skeptical.  Honestly it didn't sound that good, and I remember never being too smitten with TT Quick's  "Metal of Honour" album or their songs on the Megavault comps.  When "The Abyss" was previewed many months ago I began to have hope, and then when "Teutonic Terror" was released I was relieved-- the new shit sounded excellent.

Anyhow, the band put on a pretty much flawless show, and played a damn-near 2 hour set and were extremely energetic, enthusiastic, and hell-- they looked like they were having the time of their lives.  I hated "Midnight Mover" when Metal Heart came out, and I never warmed to the song over the years-- until now-- I'm a believer-- that song rules.  I know Venom posted the setlist earlier in the thread, but here it is again.  Just unreal.  I surely hope they record a show from this tour for release.

Metal Heart
Midnight Mover
Teutonic Terror
London Leatherboys
Restless and Wild
Son of a Bitch
The Abyss
Breaker
Bulletproof (never heard this song until this show)
Neon Nights
Losers and Winners
Demon's Night
Princess of the Dawn
Up to the Limit
Burning

Encore:
Fast as a Shark
Balls to the Wall

I actually went out after the show and picked up a "Blood of the Nations" shirt-- I needed to support that ass-kicking band.  Fucking awesome.

Friday:
skipped Illusion Suite

Blackguard-- fun, definitely having a great time-- I would have loved these guys about 5-10 years ago.  Well worth watching, though.

Leaves' Eyes-- left after a couple songs-- not my thing

Seventh Wonder-- skipped

Tyr-- probably the band I wanted to see the most when the lineup was announced last year-- and overall, a bit disappointing.  Progpower typically has excellent sound but they started out muddy and only got a little better-- and honestly, their more uptempo stuff comes across the best live, to these ears.  Of course "Hold the Heathen Hammer High" and the opener "By the Sword in My Hand" came across really well.  Chain maille, an alehorn, and a heathen hammer were spotted in the crowd.  Oh, and an overzealous pagan chick stepped on my foot about 30 times while she be-bopped around during their set.

Nocturnal Rites-- skipped

Kamelot-- checked out a few of the songs near the end, and watched a bit on the lobby monitors.  Didn't care for Kamelot or Conception when I saw them before and am waning in my like for Circus Maximus.  Despite Khan not being there, the crowd (which was huge) seemed to be really into it.  

Saturday

Stormwarrior-- kind of fun, opened with "Heading Northe" which was the only Stormwarrior song I was familiar with-- again, super fun live band and I can see why they are popular with the Euro-gallop minions.  I watched most of their set from the floor.

Oceans of Sadness-- when they were announced last year they were one of my "Who the fuck?" bands but I gave the new album a shot and was smitten.  I watched their entire set from the second row and Zeke's Neighbor/Mr. Rogers/Big Ben from Miami kept me alive by keeping a stream of Red Strip tall-boys coming my way.  Anyhow, amazing set-- the culled most of their set from "The Arrogance of Ignorance" but also pulled tracks from "Mirror Palace" and "Laughing Tears, Crying Smile".  Someone last year referred to them as Riverside meets Amorphis and that still seems like a suitable comparison.  

DGM-- skipped
Delain-- skipped
Tarot-- skipped
Hammerfall-- skipped

I did manage to watch about 5-6 hours of some prison documentary during the final 4 bands last night...

As always, it was great to see 'the usual' folks, and look forward to next year's installment.  If I'm excited by 2 of the bands, I consider that a winning percentage.  This coming year I'm already already batting half of .666-- Arcturus, While Heaven Wept, Sanctuary, and Therion-- it, in the words of Bromley, will be "A M A Z I N G!"

Some pics:

Leprous/Medusa




Metal Heart


Oooh, Midnight Mover


We will, give 'em the axe


London Leatherboy by way of New Jersey


Someone plugged a bomb up Wolf's ass


The master





Fin


Tyr


Stormwarrior


Oceans of Sadness with Iggy Pop








And another Woods of Ypres supporter/Wolf Hoffmann wannabe

[Protag]

Nice partial review, zeke! I wouldn't have skipped Tarot since I enjoy Gravity of Light quite a bit. I should have the Accept album sometime next week. Glad Oceans of Sadness didn't disappoint. Question on OoS though did the have any of their back catalog going backwards from Mirror Palace available?  I would have loved to pick up some of that stuff especially from when they were considered more of a black metal band. Looks like I want to see a lot of the same bands that you do next year. I hope we get the opportunity to do that together then! 

[zekeyou]

Nice partial review, zeke! I wouldn't have skipped Tarot since I enjoy Gravity of Light quite a bit. I should have the Accept album sometime next week. Glad Oceans of Sadness didn't disappoint. Question on OoS though did the have any of their back catalog going backwards from Mirror Palace available?  I would have loved to pick up some of that stuff especially from when they were considered more of a black metal band. Looks like I want to see a lot of the same bands that you do next year. I hope we get the opportunity to do that together then! 

Yes, they had their entire catalog and I still didn't buy the 2 I don't own.  I did pick up a Mirror Palace shirt, though.
Hope you make it next year-- it's going to rule!

[Snamu]

Have the exact dates been announced yet?
I am so pumped about this, even though it's a year away 

[Protag]

Yes, they had their entire catalog and I still didn't buy the 2 I don't own.  I did pick up a Mirror Palace shirt, though.
Hope you make it next year-- it's going to rule!

If I'm working soon I'll be there. I'm going to try to drive down with Metalshock but I still need to find someone to share room expenses with.

Maureen, if I do make it down there it will be nice to see you again! 

[Snamu]

If I'm working soon I'll be there. I'm going to try to drive down with Metalshock but I still need to find someone to share room expenses with.

Maureen, if I do make it down there it will be nice to see you again! 

 
It will be fun!  I'm not sure if AI is into it, but my drummer is freaking out over Arcturus too so he might be there too. 

[Metal_King]

I am now back in So Cal.  Plane flight with the stop over in Houston was wayyyy too long.

So, here is how I viewed the weekend.

THURSDAY:

The bill was Six Minute Century, Borealis, Leprous, and Accept.  I do believe all of us decided to skip Six Minute Century, so there is no opinion about them.

I dug Borealis, and like Zeke said, they do have an Evergrey quality to them, but a bit more heavy power metal to my ears anyway.  I do like their music.

Leprous easily gets the 'most bizarre band of the weekend' award.  Basically they covered every subgenre of metal you could ask for, which tells you how flexible they are as a band.  A crazy band for sure, but likable.

ACCEPT were absolute monsters.  Band of the weekend.  The show was just flawless.  Wolf and the band sounded awesome.

FRIDAY:

Illusion Suite:  skipped

Blackguard - Sort of a heavy power metal band with extreme vocals.  Definitely enjoyed the show and I am starting to warm up to the more extreme vocal stylings.  I liked their set and they are a good band.

Leaves' Eyes - Stayed for about 5 songs and then headed back to the hotel room.  I would have loved this band a while ago, but with the Saturation of Nightwish, Epica, and After Forever, I really do not need to hear anymore of these bands with the female Opera vocals unless the music is SUPER heavy, which this band is not.

Seventh Wonder - SKipped

TYR - I will now be holding the heathen hammer high in the future.  To me, this was the 3rd best band of the weekend. :beer:

NOcturnal Rites - I skipped this band.  I am just not a fan.

Kamelot - Skipped most of their set and really would not have saw their set if Glenn wasn't making the announcement for the bands for next year's fest.  Wasn't impressed at all.  I am now starting to feel the oversaturation of these power/prog bands out there in the world.

SATURDAY:

Stormwarrior - If you're going to play power metal, play it fast like these guys.  :beer:  An enjoyable set and I will be Heading Northe holding the Heathen Hammer High.  :beer:

Oceans of Sadness -  Kind of an extreme/doomy band with symphonic tendencies.  Not a bad band but the vocals were starting to get annoying for me after awhile.

DGM - Skipped.  I know this band is pure prog and I did not feel like dealing with this band.

Delain - GORGEOUS singer, but too cookie cutter for me personally.  Once again, EPICA they are not.  None of their songs stood out.  Radio oriented female opera metal....I found it dull.

Tarot - I was calling this band "Tarrot, rhymes with Carrot" this weekend.  I watched their set and don't remember a single frickin' song.  A complete bore to me.  Oversaturation. 

Hammerfall - The surprise of the weekend for me.  Now, I have Hammerfall CDs in my collection, but haven't taken them out in a few years probably.  If you're going to play oversaturated power metal, play it live like these guys.  I was very impressed.  Impressed enough to say they were the 2nd best band of the weekend for me.  A SOLID way to end ProgPower XI.  But, the tr00 SHOCKER of the weekend was WHO showed up for the HAMMERFALL set.  I was sitting behind Venom and he leans toward me and points to this older guy sitting in Glenn's box.  "Guess who that is?"  V, I have no clue.  He tells me to guess sports.  I still have no clue.  Guess baseball.  I said he's too old for a player.  "No, he's a manager!"  Of all people....TONY LaRUSSA is sitting in Glenn's box.  He sat there for about 10-15 minutes and now Venom and I can't concentrate on Hammerfall.  I was hoping that Tony would raise a fist or at least nod his head.   
None of that happened and he was gone.  Yes, I wanted to approach the guy, but I could not.

[Klschmann]

Sounds like it was a great fest this year. 

Not big on next years lineup really.

[zekeyou]

Snamu-- mid September

Protag-- here's the Oceans of Sadness set list.

Subconscious
Between The Lines
From Then On
For When You Sleep, My Love
Accepting Our Weakness
In the End
Some Things Seem So Easy
Roulette