by King Hazard
The third and final day of Hellfest saw Volbeat as the main headliner. I don’t know, Volbeat draws its own crowd, but as I said when they played Gigantour, they should probably stay away from metal events. I guess no one listens to me.
Thank the gods that our correspondents at Hellfest didn’t cover Volbeat, and opted for the newly formed Newsted and the legendary Danzig, with Doyle. Read on to know what Yell! Magazine has to say about these two stellar acts.
Newsted
Heavy Metal
This is an odd one. Jason Newsted is a man, first and foremost, best known as the bassist for Metallica during some of their most successful years. The thing is that he’s also quite famously known as having little-to-no input into the band during this time. Yet these songs bear much more than a passing resemblance to Metallica’s enormous self-titled hit.
The songs are a catchy mix of the aforementioned, maybe a little Motorhead and something of its own. If I were to choose a word for it, I would choose “sellable.” It’s got most, if not all, of the hooks that helped make that black album so huge. There’s also that same clinical-like approach to songwriting and structuring.
Besides a brief hiccup (the bass dropped out for a bit at the start) the sound was perfect. Everything was supremely tight. During the set there were a few more obvious nods to Newsted’s Metallica history: Halfway through one song they broke into the “DIE! DIE! DIE!” chant of “Creeping Death” and finished off the night with “Whiplash,” songs he often had a part in singing back in the day.
Overall, though, I think this feels like a challenge to Metallica rather than a nod in their direction. He may be trying to outdo them at their own game, and I think he might just pull it off.
Newsted at Hellfest 2013 (PICS)
Danzig
Hard Rock
What a show! Glenn Danzig has had a long and influential career; the Misfits and Danzig mean a lot to a lot of people. This show landed right on his birthday, but it felt more of a present to the crowd than anything. The show was a celebration of all that was and is Danzig.
The tone was set mostly by all of his faster up-tempo classics, with a quick break in the form of “Blood and Tears” off Lucifuge. What was great to see was guitarist Doyle up on stage, and smash out a bunch of old Misfits with Danzig. And it wasn’t just one or two songs; the set was cut straight in half Danzig/Misfits. And Doyle looked like an absolute giant next to Danzig.
Danzig’s show had been shifted from the second open air main stage to inside the more cosy “Temple” stage. For whatever the reasoning, I think this was a great move for Danzig. The sound didn’t suffer from the wind and it felt much more up close and personal, though I’m sure more than a few people would have missed out fitting inside the tent for it. It was full of energy and Danzig sounded in top form. I think he was really enjoying himself.
Everything else was sounding great too. The guitars, drums, and bass all sounded perfect. A highlight of the festival for sure.
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