Wacken’s last stand: Amon Amarth’s finale on the Holy Ground

Usually, the saddest day of the whole year is Blue Monday, but for metalheads that couldn’t be further from the truth. The saddest day of the year is when the gates of the Holy Ground close and we must begin our journey back home. This report of the final day will be obviously sad, but after another spectacular year, we will treasure many memories and performances in our hearts. Let’s start a bit earlier…

Amon Amarth

The Swedish melodic death metal giants were chosen to headline the event with a performance that would go down in Wacken history. Amon Amarth kicked off with “Raven’s Flight,” and the audience understands that this show is not going to be the same as the others. When people say that bands perform differently on Wacken than in the other festivals they are absolutely true. The thunderous riffs and Johan Hegg’s authoritative voice established the tone for the evening. The set was a carefully chosen mix that included a few surprises, such as “The Last With Pagan Blood,” which had been absent for quite a long time from their gigs. And then, a moment that everyone was waiting for, the rowing pit on “Put Your Back Into The Oar“; this was especially funny because on the merchandise stand, there were t-shirts sold there that said “I Was In The Row Pit At Wacken”. Now I wish I bought one of those!

Photo: Sabrina Ramdoyal.

Primordial

If you’re thinking that after the headliners nothing is interesting to see at Wacken, you might need to think again because the following groups that I’m about to write a report for have shown that the statement is wrong. One of them is Primordial from Ireland, which they proudly stated almost after each song. The group delivers a very strong black metal with folk sounds that are very enjoyable. Their setlist was a good combination of old and new tracks, but the stage lighting was not completely ideal, as the members were visible only in certain spots. Not sure if this was intentional or not, but it added another layer of complexity to the performance.

Photo: Sabrina Ramdoyal.

Architects

Then we take just a small trip from Ireland to the UK to witness the majestic performance of Architects. Before I saw them, I originally thought that they were one of the overrated bands, taking up spots that could be very well filled with other groups of my preference. Boy, was I totally wrong. With just a couple of songs, they managed to breach their way into my heart and ears by playing and performing a massive show. Each song was met with enthusiastic headbanging and chanting from the crowd. They also dedicated “Curse” of Spiritbox‘s former bass player Bill Crook who passed away just recently, and that was something very meaningful to do. As the final notes of “Animals” rang out, the crowd erupted in a thunderous ovation. I am most certainly looking forward of catching Architects another time quite soon!

Photo: Sabrina Ramdoyal.

Insomnium

From the first day to the last, my constant at Wacken (and everywhere else) are the bands from Finland. Not only because the website is based there, but because they are extremely good and are capable of preparing grandiose shows. So, it was only fitting that the last band I ever saw at Wacken was Insomnium, one of their finest death metal band. Maybe it was my mood that was already in a stage of denial mixed with sadness, or maybe it was my unwavering love for their country, but their concert was awe-inspiring. The group played with such passion, dedication and commitment, that I didn’t even want it to end. We didn’t even want it to end. Nobody wanted it to end. It had to, but not because of us. Because we had to move on from Wacken to tell you about this. Still, it would have been nice if it lasted a bit more; they earned it. Wacken, I always thank you and all the organization for hosting us and for giving us the best time, and this time it won’t be different. I can’t wait to be back once again on the Holy Ground.

Photo: Sabrina Ramdoyal.