I will never forget when I was living in Oslo, Norway, in 2004-2005, and I had a neighbour who was obsessed with TOOL, and I really mean OBSESSED!
This guy was literally trying to get me to love this band as much as he did, and he tried to brainwash me every single day for almost six months. He actually even took the time to burn two CD’s with his favourite TOOL songs and banged on my door, begging me to give them a listen (I still have the CD’s).
He told me to just keep my mind open, sit down by myself in peace and quiet and just give them a chance, and simply LISTEN (this guy knew I was a music lover).
After about six months, I sat down with a beer, turned the lights down in my apartment, totally realxed and focused and thought to myself; Ok, if someone is this passionate about this band and their music, there has to be something to check out, so let’s see what’s so special about them.
I remember listening to the first few songs, thinking that this was not really my cup of tea, but the stubborn side of me thought that I know that sometimes you need to listen to more than a few songs to actually get the message a band is trying to bring out, so I kept listening and the band started to grow on me.
TOOL playing live at Copenhell 2019 is a huge thing for many people. TOOL is one of the most wanted bands for Copenhell and that they are playing the Copenhell 10th anniversary is something I wouldn’t want to miss.
I can feel the anticipation from the crowd a few minutes before the band enter the stage.
The band finally enter the stage at 22:30 CET, and I feel I am standing too close to the stage, so I need to take a few steps back to be able to see the entire stage and the amazing light show going on. And the stage is totally lit up, so it is difficult to see the band on stage, but OH do I hear them! They start up playing Ænema and they do it close to perfection! These musicians are SO talented and they provide that mood that is typical for this band. A little bit dark, melancholic and emotional.
Although singer Maynard James Keenan is the front man of the band, he seems to be distant from the crowd. And of course this could be something they want to do as a band to keep focus on their music, but after seeing other bands today with front men and women giving it their all, trying to connect with the audience, it’s a bit of a “downer” that Keenan is literally staying at the back of the stage.
But his voice and way of singing is close to perfect.
I just wish there was more of a connection between TOOL and the audience, more than “just” the music they are playing, and that makes me think that I would love to see them live in a full concert, with only them as a headliner instead of watching them live for the first time at a festival.
There is absolutely nothing bad to say about the musical talent of these four guys. They are really good at what they do, and their light show is amazing and totally in sync with the songs. I just wish there would have been more interaction and talk between songs.
But for me this is a good, calming end of my first day at Copenhell.
In a time where Download has outgrown even its own borders in the UK and is up and running in Australia, Spain and France, the original has set the bar high and that’s why Download Madrid 2019 looks like such a temptation. What’s better than warm weather, a few cervezas and listening to the greatest metal bands of all time?
Let’s look at the most important part, the line up:
First of all on the main stage at prime time we have three killer bands; SCORPIONS, SLIPKNOT and TOOL. Rolling Stone magazine described Scorpions as “the heroes of heavy metal” and it’s hard to argue with that. With a career that started in Hanover, 1965 and now rumours that an incredible NINETEENTH studio album might be on the way, Download Madrid kicks off on Friday night in the best way possible with support from Americans Papa Roach and homegrown six-piece Vita Imana.
Out in August is a headliner album, Slipknot’s sixth studio album, We Are Not Your Kind, has already released a teaser video in the form of single Unsainted, directed by Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan, which sounds heavy even with the operatic intro. They may have new masks this year but the sound is its typical awesome self and Saturday night on the main stage should be one to remember especially with Perturbator, Redfang and Amon Amarth to open for them. I remember the first time I saw Slipknot in Dublin opening for Metallica and my appetite is already whetted to see what they bring to Spain’s capital.
To my knowledge this is Tool’s only show in Spain this year and comes ahead of their highly (to put it mildly!) new album also slated for August 2019. Opening for them on the main stage on Sunday night are three bands that everyone should make time for; Architects, Madrid’s own Toundra and Fiend.
If the main stage isn’t your cup of tea (are you mad?!) then there are plenty of great bands on other stages around the festival; Sabaton, Children of Bodom, Sum 41, Soulfly, Chevelle, and Stone Temple Pilots as well as many others. All in all Download Madrid is growing from strength to strength, better to get in on the action now to be able to say you were a part of it!
If all this isn’t enough to make you want to be there this year and every year in the future check out last year’s review video!
Joe Cullen
Writer and photographer
The Power Of Metal.dk
Find the way to Download Madrid:
]]>
All Souls, the Los Angeles based band who released their “gritty” (New Noise) and “epic” (Revolver) self-titled debut album in 2018 (stream here: https://spoti.fi/2GzQWNG), have been tapped to support Tool on their upcoming U.S. tour.
Meg Castellanos (bass/vocals) said of All Souls being offered the coveted slot: “When one of the most epic bands in the history of music asks you to tour with them what do you say? We couldn’t be more thrilled. We are incredibly honored to be chosen… our heads are still spinning!”
The live pairing isn’t the first time the All Souls’ band members have crossed paths with Tool, having had Tool drummer Danny Carey play on the track “Sadist/Servant,” which appeared on All Soul’s nine-song album.
Watch the All Souls video for Never Know , where things are not quite what they seem , watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NeH4uLII3g
All Souls/Tool US tour dates:
May 7 Birmingham, AL Legacy Arena at the BCC
May 8 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
May 10 Hampton, VA Hampton Coliseum
May 13 St. Louis, MO Enterprise Center
May 14 Kansas City, MO Spring Center
May 16 Lincoln, NE Pinnacle Bank Arena
May 17 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
All Souls is Antonio Aguilar (vocals/guitar), Meg Castellanos (bass/vocals), Erik Trammell (guitar) and Tony Tornay (drums).
http://facebook.com/allsoulsband
https://twitter.com/allsoulsband
http://www.instagram.com/allsoulsband/
]]>COPENHELL adds two huge headliners to the 2019 poster with the highly requested and popular bands SLIPKNOT and TOOL – and ROB ZOMBIE reports ready next year as well. Ticket sales for COPENHELL 2019 started earlier today.
Ever since the beginning of their wild rampage, SLIPKNOT have embraced enigma and worked with a rarely seen combination of aggression and provocation in their distinct style and powerful music. Concerts with this masked ensemble feel like a grotesque musical stage play, with the hyperactive frontman Corey Taylor as the protagonist who is constantly whipping the audience into pure ecstasy.This American band embarked on their illustrious career in Des Moines, Iowa in 1999 and through the last two decades, they have achieved 10 Grammy nominations (and won one with ‘Before I Forget’ in 2006), as well as made 13 platinum and 44 gold albums all over the world due to their super-efficient mix of heavy metal, hard rock and nu metal. Their latest album, ‘The Gray Chapter’ from 2014, went straight into Top 5 in 19 different countries.
SLIPKNOT will celebrate their 20-year anniversary when they return to COPENHELL in 2019, and we can expect one hell of a party together with them. Early next year, they will enter the studio and produce new material for their upcoming album, and we look forward to an explosive cocktail of their existing mega hits and great new songs this summer.
TOOL is one of the absolute heavyweights on the international rock and metal scene and the single most requested band by the COPENHELL audience through the years. With only four released albums during 25 years – and a fifth one coming up – these eccentric Americans have managed to establish themselves as one of the greatest rock and metal bands ever. And with good reason, as intellect and emotions melt together at an unbelievably high level in their completely unique sound and fascinating universe.
TOOL’s progressive, experimental music vibrates in the sparkling tension field between rock and metal. It is carried by a superior combination of complex rhythmics, crushing riffs and brilliant songwriting, where everything melts together and forms an incredible synthesis. The band is respected by everyone, and it is therefore the perfect headliner for a festival that celebrates solidarity, community and music culture across both genres and generations.
TOOL’s last visit in Denmark was more than 12 years ago, and we are therefore immensely proud to present this seminal, ultra-ambitious band as the COPENHELL 2019 headliner. This will be an absolutely phenomenal experience.
The amazingly entertaining music artist and film creator ROB ZOMBIE delivered a formidable concert at COPENHELL 2017, and we are very happy to welcome the metal wizard back to the festival next year. We look forward to experiencing his impressive music horror show again – and we can hopefully count on hearing lots of songs from his new 2019 album.
SLIPKNOT, TOOL and ROB ZOMBIE join HALESTORM, DIMMU BORGIR, ELUVEITIE, DEMONS & WIZARDS, BAEST, WHITECHAPEL, ALIEN WEAPONRY and many, many other bands in the heaviest and most varied music schedule in COPENHELL’s history.
]]>