Mario’s Metal Meeting II – A heaven for every metalhead

The second edition of Mario’s Metal Meeting (MMMII) will go down as a successful one. The number of visitors has increased and the quality of the bands has also gone up a notch or two. All five bands are firmly set into metal. Varying from old school metal to power to authentic U.S. metal. Mario himself is a real metal lover who has a nose for finding the right sort of bands. That’s why I tell you to check it out yourself next year, because this festival is put together by real metal fans. And it shows, because for only €13,- entrance fee you are served five very strong bands. That sounds like a good deal to me.

After a short break it’s up to Arctic Flame, a USA band who apparently comes over and plays without being paid. That to me is a sign of real commitment. This U.S. metal band with a slight prog touch is definitely worth while. The singer is very good, but has problems finding the right stance on stage. Who knows … he might always be like this. It all comes down to the music eventually and there’s nothing wrong in that department. The more recent and heavier songs are the ones I approve of most, as I feel their slower parts just aren’t that interesting enough. The new material they play has been composed a lot better, with a lot more diversity. That makes me expect a lot more from these men in the future.

After this attack it’s to Shadowkeep to follow it up properly. Right from the start they actually succeed in doing just that, which is astounding, as drummer Omar has only just joined the ranks of the band, but the keyboard player (whose name is unknown to me, not even traceable on the site) and singer Richie Wicks are also new to Shadowkeep. Add to that the fact that bass player Stony G (Grantham) has been flown in especially from Austin, Texas, and that the band’s base is in Guildford, Surrey, England, and you’ll understand that it can’t all have been plain sailing to appear here well prepared.

The first few songs go remarkably well and the band has apparently convinced a lot of fans to come and see them in 013. Halfway the set the singer all of a sudden has voice problems. He did have a throat infection the week before and it unfortunately rears its ugly head tonight. The audience can live with it as he refuses to capitulate and of course because the rest of the band sounds really good. As time goes by it gets less apparent that there are any problems. This superb band finishes a smashing show in a dignified manner. Now it’s just a case of hoping that they will return soon to show us that this was nothing more than an incident, and that Richie is a world class singer, as he showed us at the beginning of the show.

Then Wolf jumps up on stage. This band catches you by surprise with their very tight and inspiring show. Where colleagues like Hammerfall use one cliché after another, Wolf is proof that commitment and joy of playing is enough to put down one hell of a show, without bringing in all the fancy stuff. Bass player Bassist Anders Modd jumps off the stage enthusiastically, just to give everyone the chance to touch him and be photographed alongside him. He runs around the venue without ever stopping, and the audience is enjoying it thoroughly. This is what is possible at a small and cosy festival. This professional band is old school with new blood, as they themselves describe on their site.

Let’s see if headliner Vicious Rumors (V.R.) is capable of giving this festival a dignified ending, as it deserves. These metal veterans shoot out really hard and fast with the monster Digital Dictator, followed by other oldies like the classic songs Soldiers Of The Night, Abandoned, Don’t Wait For Me, The Crest and Ship Of Fools. The guys play a lot of heavier stuff, which I think is a good choice, as they are the best ones. Drummer Larry Howe is a remarkable appearance; he rams and thrashes everything in his sight with his rugged drumming style.

He’s talking a lot, cracking jokes with everyone. He is obviously enjoying himself. Geoff Thorpe, the Neanderthal Rumors man, founder and the man who is the centre of the band is playing in a very inspired way and regularly fights guitar duels with his colleague Kiyoshi Morgan. For singer Ronnie Stixx this is his second appearance at the MMM festival. He was here last year fronting his former band Divine Ruins. Het fits in perfect with V.R. and is a cross between Carl Albert (R.I.P.) and James Rivera. He convinces by approaching the James Rivera screams nigh on perfect. I remember that he really didn’t impress last year with Divine Ruins. He seems to have undergone a complete metamorphosis. What he does tonight can only be put don as a class act.

The band regularly plays songs from the superb Warball album (the latest to date). These are also played heavier than ever and the audience is singing and shouting with full throttle. V.R. is a real metal institute and they prove that tonight. That’s when you realise that after more than 20 years we’re still not rid of them. Thank God for that, and if they continue to blast out like they did tonight I wouldn’t mind if they lasted another 20 years. When they play the extras we get the title track of this tour, Hellraiser. It is a worthy ending of the show and of course of this brilliant festival.

I hope it has all been financially viable, so that there w ill be a MMIII next year. Let’s be honest, if you are presented with such good bands for a mere 13 euro’s, it can only be heaven for every metalhead. And is more people start turning up it will be a challenge for the organisers to produce an even better line up. Let’s make a deal: next year we all attend Mario’s Metal Meeting (again).

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