TUSKA 2009: SATURDAY
The sun was shining and the weather looked more than great. The Irish thrashers Gama Bomb was the main reason to drag my ass to the area on time.
Gama Bomb truly relies on the 80’s attitude and look – tight jeans, patches, and of course thrash metal with a sense of humour. Despite the time being hardly noon, the kids were running like mesmerized zombies in circle pits, clashing into one another. The Irish speed thrashers’ playing reminded slightly of a couple of old British speed metal bands from the 80’s such as Acid Reign. Good or bad, but at least the guys have a good sense of humour and funny attitude. Whereas the Finnish thrashers Deathchain doesn’t play with the sense of humour or have funny attitude. Instead the deathchain legions delivered a real umcompromising brutal set of whipping deadly metal with a tight grip. Frankly the keyboardist or whatever guy had an eccentric mask on the face, which didn’t look any evil, more hilarious on the contrary. Maybe they had some hidden sense of humour.
GAMA BOMB ON THE STAGE
DEATHCHAIN ON THE STAGE
Has death metal lost its gravity and dignity? At least when watching a couple of short haired dudes sporting shorts and weathered band shirts, which could have been imaged some faceless let’s’-be-tough emo hard core band.
The Faceless out of California had been placed on the main stage even though some of tent stages would have turned out to be a more idealistic environment for The Faceless. Obviously unexpected changes in the schedule forced the band to switch some places. Whatever as the four piece’s utter brutal death metal obviously didn’t swallow to the more mainstream audience who was willing to have more known names on the stage.
Obviously newer bands try to be having the more down to earth attitude and look, but however sounds were utter boring and literally faceless. The death metal bands of the new generation, take a look at old gems like Morbid Angel to hear and see how death metal is supposed to be played!!!
THE FACELESS ON THE STAGE
How many of you are aware when Savatage visited Finland for the first time? It was back in 1986 at the Kuusrock festival. Since then, neither Savatage, nor Oliva have been seen on Finnish soil. Therefore it was about time at least for Jon Oliva’s Pain to make their debut visit to Tuska. A month earlier Jon Oliva suffered from some kind of flu ruining the Sweden Rock perfomance. Oliva’s gig at Tuska was however briallint and the atmosphere rose up to the roof. Old heavy metal maniacs hugged each other, cried and were in general spellbounded by Oliva’s interpretation of the old Savatage classics. Even though the maestro himself mostly sat behind the keyboard, his strong charisma filled the whole stage. Of course the most expected tunes were Gutter Ballet, Hall Of The Mountain King…
When Oliva had made the Finnish metal masculine audience cry that several die hard metal maniacs desperately tried to dry eyes, the Swedish war/power metallers unleashed powerful metal warfare on the main stage. Sabaton has increased in success tremendously in Finland. When the band was doing the signing session, the line was incredibly long as hell. When time of the signing session was running out, the guys jumped over the table and ran thru the whole line to give quick signatures who were willing to have them. The Swedish metallers did have a real massive pyro oriented show.
JON OLIVA’S PAIN ON THE STAGE
SABATON ON THE STAGE
It seems like Tuska 2009 was one kind of gathering of the new wave of the thrash metal generation as Gama Bomb thrashed a bit earlier on the main stage whereas the young British young thrashers Evile unleashed the fury on the tent stage. Actually they sounded quite Metallica influenced in a way or another. Whereas Amorphis’ melodic metal was well received by the audience. The current frontman has turned out to be a real jackpot for Amorphis to absorb more activity on the stage. Besides Mr. Joutsen is a tremendous great singer able to sing in both a growl and clean. Even small drizzle just crowned Amorphis’ gig when several catchy tunes roared out of monitors such as Magic and Mayhem, The Smoke, Silver Bride, The Castaway, Greed, Alone, House of Sleep and so on". Obviously Amorphis have finally found the lost passion toward the music playing as the long time Finnish metallers will embark on long tours covering from South America via Russia to Europe. Well now rapidly to the opposite direction of the festival area to catch one of the greatest death metal bands which used to rule the scene in the late 80’s and early 90’s with a few nothing, but more than great albums.
EVILE ON THE STAGE
AMORPHIS ON THE STAGE
“Urrgghh Urrggh” growled Patrick Mameli the frontman of the legendary Pestilence to the mic and kids went totally out of their minds in the pit. The Dutch death metal outfit resurrected the echoes of death on the stage tent. The audience deified the four piece by arranging the chaotic pit in the middle of the tent. Obviously Mameli and the company were more than unexpected surprised about the reaction as kept thanking the audience for coming down to check out. As for the set list, it was a real wetdaydream for the old school death metal worshippers, a plenty of classic tunes such as "Chemo Therapy", "Process Of Suffocation", "Lost Souls". For obvious reasons the newer material played a key role in the set. However new songs such as “Devouring Frenzy” truly sounded brutal.
PESTILENCE ON THE STAGE
Originally some teen emo self claimed metal band was originally supposed to conclude Tuska 2009. Due to the recording commitments of a new album, these unnamed emo stars pulled out. Instead the replacement was a much more welcomed choice for sure. Even Suicidal Tendencies may have looked like some kind of question mark on the paper, but Mike Muir came and conquered. The five piece and above all Muir himself was literally on fire throughout the whole gig. The man raged with the intensive passion from side to side of the stage. Taking pics of him was pretty much difficult. The audience was totally insane, going wild and restless in the tremendous huge circle pit. Mike Muir is known for being an ultimate strong person on the stage. His moves on the stage are restless and unexpected, spinning his arms in the air and jumping and running. Above all his speeches just reflects his way of communicating with the audience. Suicidal Tendencies was in the vicious fiery strike giving a pure hate and aggression from the beginning to the end. And so was the audience…
When following the work of the security next to the safety fence, it was more than disgusting how some of them threat these young kids, who were having a little bit fun. Some of the security guys took violently a grip of a plenty of kids and dragged them out of the festival area. What’s the point? These security guys were supposed to be aware of Suicidal Tendencies’ old method by taking the audience to the stage when the last song “Pledge Your Allegiance” roars out of monitors. However the chief of the security crew lost his temper and literally his control entirely. How is it possible a hot temper person allowed to be a security chief. Despite the uncontrolled temper of the security, kids got on the stage, jumped and truly enjoyed every second of gig on the stage. Good for them!
You Can’t Bring Me Down
Cyco Vision
Subliminal
War inside my Head
Possessed to skate
uus biisi
Send Me Your Money
Feel like shit… deja-vu
I Shot Reagan
I Saw Your Mommy
How Will I Laugh Tomorrow
Pledge Your Allegiance
Suicidal Tendencies literally brought Tuska down, so was one of the Finnish metal rules writers literally down that he may have felt like shit in the following morning before the Danish hillbilly falling stars got on the stage and cryed how their Cadillac was shit and if the well oiled hair is in the right shape. Once again the audience headed to the night clubs, most of the crowd didn’t seem to have any hurry to rush, just taking time to relax in the park and enjoy the liquid provisions.
CHAOS AND MAYHEM DURING SUICIDAL TENDENCIES
Raging circle pit
People on the stage
