"The show, or the magic if you prefer, happens in minutes, and reliving all these songs composed before the 90s live is a journey I didn't want to end."
By Rogerio Souza
See photos from the Liberation Festival in São Paulo.
In the vicinity of Espaço das Américas, you could already feel the atmosphere of this Heavy Metal Sunday in São Paulo/SP. Basically, a lot of people were outside warming up even before the first band scheduled to start at 5:30 pm.
Despite expectations of a full house, tickets were still available, and the line to buy them wasn't too long, as the vast majority had already purchased tickets in advance due to the importance of the festival's headliner and the possibility of a sell-out event. The organization seemed perfect, with the audience entering normally; the line for the men's restroom only grew considerably during the band breaks; there were plenty of ticket booths for purchasing drinks and other various bar service points without any commotion. The only thing that caused surprise was the size of the line to buy merchandise, which lasted until almost the end of the penultimate band's set.
Punctuality prevailed throughout all the shows, and at 5:25 PM the Brazilian band Test took the stage with their guitar and drums duo to present their grindcore for less than 30 minutes. Even before the last chord, the next band's crew was already on stage dismantling Test's equipment and setting up all the paraphernalia for Heaven Shall Burn, who invaded the stage at 6:10 PM. The German hardcore band energized the crowd, which already filled half the venue's capacity.
With a 5-minute delay, Carcass, straight from the Beatles' city in England, took the stage. With their extremely well-played Death Metal and perfect sound quality, the audience, already at 75% of the Espaço das Américas venue's capacity, applauded enthusiastically for this important 80s band. The comical scene was Jeffrey Walker kicking the fan, which was somehow bothering or hindering him, and the roadie going in to secure the device to the floor, but Jeffrey kicked it again, and this repeated itself at least three more times. The roadie must still be confused.
It was 8:40 PM when Lamb of God showed why they are so prominent in the global metal scene and should have their name changed to Riff of God, given the spectacular and rich riffs the band produces and unleashes in their heavy and intense songs. A large part of the audience seemed to have gone to the festival just for them, demonstrating why the band has been active for 18 years with such extreme competence. I attended the Americans' first visit to Brazil at Espaço LUX in São Bernardo do Campo/SP, and it was of such ferocity and quality that I would need another review to tell you what that 2010 concert was like.
Scheduled for 10:15 PM, but Uriah Heep's song "The Wizard" only started echoing from the PA system at 10:20 PM, the most anticipated moment since his last visit to Brazil with Mercyful Fate in 1999 had arrived. With his marvelous harmonies, incredibly rich melodies, unparalleled guitar lines, and perfectly played drums, the king, the master, the maestro, the figure who most embodies Heavy Metal, King Diamond, ascends and descends from the stage. I thought the sound equalization couldn't possibly be better than the other bands', but the crew certainly had the resources. He brought the entire Abigail to the festival, sparing no expense, and it was a set worthy of a horror movie. Some people don't like King's falsetto, and I understand why, but it's perfect for the band's compositions and fits very well.
Another important highlight is the band's synchronicity in performing sometimes complicated songs, especially guitarist Andy La Roque, who has been with King since Fatal Portrait . A true monster on the guitar. The show, or the magic if you prefer, unfolds in minutes, and reliving all these songs composed before the 90s live is a journey I didn't want to end.
It goes without saying that I'm a huge King Diamond fan, but I think it was a sensational and high-quality show for everyone. I believe it will be very difficult to find another opinion that isn't similar to this one.
Band:
• King Diamond: vocals
• Andy La Roque: guitar
• Mike Wead: guitar
• Pontus Egberg: bass
• Matt Thompson: drums
Setlist:
• The Wizard (Uriah Heep)
• Out from the Asylum (Them)
• Welcome Home (Them)
• Slepless Night (Conspiracy)
• Halloween (Fatal Portrait)
• Eye of the Witch (The Eye)
• Melissa (Mercyful Fate/Melissa)
• Come to the Sabbath (Mercyful Fate/Don't Break the Oath)
• Them (Them)
• Funeral (Abigail)
• Arrival (Abigail)
• A Mansion in Darkness (Abigail)
• The Family Ghost (Abigail)
• The 7th Day of July 1777 (Abigail)
• Omens (Abigail)
• The Possession (Abigail)
• Abigail (Abigail)
• Black Horsemen (Abig
*This text was written by a Wikimate and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the site's authors.