The second day of Summer Breeze Brasil 2024 took place this Saturday, the 27th, featuring a series of artists such as Exodus , Sebastian Bach, Mr. Big Gene Simmons , Lacuna Coil , Nervosa , and Angra .
The festival, of German origin, is being held at the Memorial da América Latina and continues until Sunday the 28th. With a large number of artists from different styles, the second day was more focused on power metal bands.
Wikimetal is covering all days of the event, with reviews of Friday's shows already published, in addition to the first ones that took place on Saturday .
HammerFall
One of the most anticipated artists of the day, HammerFall took to the Hot Stage as the sun was setting, at 5:10 PM, opening the show with "Brotherhood," from their latest album, Hammer Of Dawn (2022), a track that features powerful drumming and very well-executed guitar solos.
Next came the excellent “Any Means Necessary”, from No Sacrifice, No Victory (2009), which features a catchy chorus and gets the audience singing along with the band.
HammerFall knew exactly what they were doing when they composed “Hammer Of Dawn.” It’s also a track from the band’s new album and encourages the audience to, once again, sing along to the song’s “paused” chorus, which is driven by the drums.
“Blood Bound” follows the same line as the previous one, in terms of engaging the audience to sing along. Even if they don't know the entire chorus, the title of the track is attention-grabbing because it's easy to remember and makes you want to shout at the top of your lungs.
With powerful and prominent bass lines, "Renegade" continues HammerFall's fast-paced setlist.
For “Hammer High,” vocalist Joacim Cans asked the audience to raise their fists “like hammers” (yes, what a pun). The song was excellently performed live and continued with the same pattern of making the audience sing at the top of their lungs during the chorus.
This was a very common characteristic in the Swedish band's show. The songs with simpler choruses captivated the audience. Even those who didn't know the words ended up learning them right there and joining in the chorus.
The band's speed is also something that deserves to be highlighted. The guitar duo of Oscar Dronjak — who has a hammer guitar, not the tool, but rather in the style of Thor — and Pontus Norgren execute HammerFall's excellent solos and riffs in an exciting and captivating way, while accompanied by the strong drummer David Wallin who joins bassist Fredrik Larsson in explosive sounds. All this is united by Cans , who never fails to deliver a very well-done performance.
The explosive “Last Man Standing”, from Any Means Necessary (2009), is a major highlight of the band's chosen setlist. With calmer sections, its great distinguishing feature is the contrast between these and the powerful chorus, in one of HammerFall's best performances at Summer Breeze Brazil.
Within power metal, it's difficult to have many differences or subgenres, leading to many similar elements, which makes some songs sound alike. This happens with some of HammerFall's songs, in terms of what has already been pointed out about the choruses. Not that it's a bad thing; it's great to have tracks that we can shout at the top of our lungs, excited and emotional. In my opinion, the issue is more when the songs—truly—sound the same.
In homage to his country of origin, “(We Make) Sweden Rock”, from Dominion (2019), is rather bland and didn't need to be on the setlist, despite pleasing the audience.
The band released the single "Hail To The King" last Thursday, the 25th, which will be part of the group's upcoming album, titled Avenge The Fallen , scheduled for release in August. She was present at the band's show and, if it's a sample of what the record will be like, it's a good sign.
The Swedes concluded their participation in the festival with "Hearts On Fire," in a performance that pleased the audience, featuring several hits and engaging with their fans.
Epic
Changing styles, Epica took place on the Ice Stage, now at night and with a more pleasant temperature. Vocalist Simone Simons took to the stage with great enthusiasm and performed the first song of the set, "Abyss Of Time," in a performance full of contrasts, between the heavy instrumentals—especially Rob vans der Loo and Mark Janssen —and Simmons's part.
The iconic vocalist looked stunning in a sparkly, embroidered jumpsuit with long sleeves and pants that captivated everyone's attention.
With pyrotechnic elements, fire flying through the air, the excellent "The Essence Of Silence," from The Quantum Enigma (2014), followed the band's show. The song is already a spectacle on its own, but with this artistic and visual detail, it became even more vibrant.
Simons' voice is impressive. Reaching high notes—and with mastery—the vocalist also exudes stage presence.
“Unleashed” from Design Your Universe (2009) is another incredibly powerful track, which becomes even more present, remarkable, and beautiful live. Once again, the vocalist demonstrates all her talent in an impeccable and flawless performance. Just when you think she's singing in a high register, Simons shows she can go even higher.
Isaac Delahaye 's guitar solo also deserves a mention; it's very harmonious and complements the track perfectly.
In "The Final Lullaby," Janssen's keyboards are quite prominent, which is a major plus.
Epica's show is full of excitement from the band, who seem to have a lot of fun doing what they're doing. The group appears to be very passionate about music and playing live, which is a beautiful thing to see.
One detail that helps the band deliver such a well-developed show is the use of visual elements. Whether it's lights flashing at a frenetic speed, fire, or smoke, all of this brings a unique aspect to the already good music.
“The Obsessive Devotion”, from The Divine Conspiracy (2007), features Jansen's guttural vocals in a performance that can only be described as heavy.
A highlight of the night was when the group played "The Skeleton Key," featuring another beautiful guitar solo on a great track from Omega (2021).
But it's impossible to compare it to "Code of Life." Simons' introductory vocals alone were spine-tingling, with the vocalist demonstrating, once again, just how talented and technically skilled she is.
Another highlight is the keyboards. Fundamental to music, they are a characteristic element that the track seems to have, appearing to come directly from ancient Egypt.
Bringing together two metal muses, Cristina Scabbia , from Lacuna Coil , took to the stage and together they played "Storm The Sorrow," as a surprise from Epica for their Brazilian fans.
As Simons rightly pointed out, the audience identified "Cry For The Moon (The Embrace That Smothers, Pt.4)" the moment the song started playing, and quickly sang along to the harmony when the vocalist threw it to the crowd.
The audience at the Epica show maintained a consistently high level of enthusiasm throughout, even if it varied in intensity, and they engaged whenever the band gave them the cue.
The Dutch group delivered a great performance, and even those who aren't fans of the genre are likely to enjoy it: all the musicians sound good, but the one who truly steals the show is the vocalist Simone Simons. It's impossible not to be captivated by her voice and stage presence.
Our contributor Leca Suzuki captured the shows with exclusive photos that you can see in the gallery below.
