Hammer Of Doom Festival | Live Review

It’s funny to think that it’s only been three years since the Hammer of Doom festival first swung into being in the small Bavarian city of Wurzburg.

Through hard work on the part of organisers and a dedicated fan following, it’s risen to become one of the premier heavy / doom metal gatherings in Europe. Those behind the scenes have gone full pelt in terms of dedication, with two editions of the festival taking place every April and October.

This pacy one-two of events has helped to provide a diverse and occasionally mouthwatering line-up twice a year, and helped foster a club atmosphere to the event, with many attendees buying discounted tickets for the next edition while attending the current. A mere three years after the first show, it’s got a reputation that many other smaller festivals can look to with some envy.

This year’s October edition has an extra-special draw, with American metal legends Manilla Road performing a two hour set on the Friday night, it’s clear their fans have made the trip from all over Europe and further afield. Theirs is an especially anticipated performance, with a near religious sense of fervor surround the appearance of the US vagabonds.

Hammer of Doom has an atmosphere that straddles the boundary between club event and a bigger festival. With Frankfurt the closest airport, instead of a muddy field to camp in there’s a myriad of cosy accommodation in the forms of hostels and hotels that dot the medieval town. The done thing is to spend the afternoon enjoying beer in one of the local taverns before departing for the venue, the Posthalle, which is conveniently situated adjacent to the main train station and tram lines.

The Irish contingent for this festival have built up quite a reputation over previous years, and it’s well known that the Haus der 150 Biers opposite the train station is the nominated playground for attendees.

FRIDAY

Come Friday evening, and there’s a little consternation surrounding the late opening of the ticket booth at the Posthalle, which people have to visit to get their tickets exchanged for wristbands. As a result, wandering into the spacious venue just after MOUNTAIN THRONE have taken to the stage, and there’s only a small mob of attendees milling around around, with everyone else still filtering up the staircase through security.

The German band quickly garner full attention, as they run through a set of up-tempo, rocking doom metal. The group features two Mirror of Deception members, but the presence of their veteran-looking singer throwing himself around the stage makes for a far more up-tempo experience compared that long-running Swabian group.

The group pound along with a pleasing ease, with tracks from their previous ‘Serpent’s Heathland’ release sounding strong and enjoyable. While there might be a slight lack of really really killer material, there’s plenty of visible enthusiasm and energy onstage, which is exactly what’s required for an opening band. They have a substantial stage time of forty minutes, the end of which most of the people outside queuing have made it inside and we have a proper festive spirit in full swing.

Up next is BATTLEROAR from Greece. While there may be a storm of bad news and uncertainty currently surrounding that Mediterranean country, the group don’t look downbeat in the slightest as they troop out with guitars and visible grins. Indeed there had been doubts aired if the band had the ability to match their strong reputation with a new singer and guitarist only recently joining the ranks.

Thankfully, any fear of a ‘Battlesnore’ was quickly dispelled as the band cranked up the power and blast into a fine set of epic metal. Their singer is a particular joy to watch, air-drumming like his life depends on it and swaggering around the stage like he owns it. There’s a hint of Manowar at their finest minus the personas, as the group air track after track of uplifting metal.

A violin that looks like a BC Rich is particular highlight, and adds an effective air of poise to proceedings, without wandering into any cheesy territory. The crowd is responding in kind at this point, a core of devotees forming dead centre in front of the stage to chant back their appreciation with the first fists of the day banging the air. Wreathed in smoke, the group depart to drunken and sustained bellows of approval.

DOOMSWORD are perhaps the first real heavy-hitters of the weekend. Interestingly, the Italian group have billed themselves as both an ‘Irish/Italian’ band, showing that lead singer Deathmaster has become at home in his adopted city of Cork.

With only a single guitar compared to the many-membered Battleroar that came before, their sound is tight and solid. They lash through the set with barely a pause. It’s mana from heaven for this particular reviewer, with the inclusion of ‘Tales of High Adventure’ from ‘My Name Will Live On’ being a particular highlight, and my beer goes flying, the fist seemingly pounding the air with a life of its own. Other choice cuts include the ever-reliable ‘Heathen Assault’ and ‘In The Battlefield’.

The group lap it up, and have the venue in the palm of their hands by about four songs in. It’s a testament to how strong their set is that the chants for an encore last a full four or five minutes after their departure. Heavy, epic and straight to the point with great vocals, they’re a band you can set your watch by, and hurt your neck to if you’re not careful.

There’s a palpable air of excitement building for the MANILLA ROAD set. True to the name for tonight’s festivities, ‘Friday - Epic Night’, they’re playing a hefty set of two and half hours. When they do come on, wearing matching red t-shirts and whipping the crowd into a frenzy, it’s to a hero’s welcome.

There’s no doubt that the group occupy a special place in the hearts of many metallers, and with the hyperactive frontman activities of Hellroadie and Mark ‘The Shark’ Shelton’s gravel-voiced exhortations, it kicks off with the crowd already roaring at the top of their lungs.

It’s a host of classic songs that we’re treated to. The likes of ‘Metalstorm’, ‘Divine Victim’ and ‘Lost in Necropolis’ from their classic period was always going to stir up the metal multitude and hair and beer is whipping in every direction.

Truth be told, that’s a set-length that requires a break, so after a breath of fresh air and a beer, it’s back up the front, just in time for the venue to start, as a unit, lit cigarettes and engage in total intoxication and head-banging oblivion. It’s a crowd of fans that are eager to forgive Shelton’s forays into singing, which with his battered voice sound more than a little ragged, but his soloing and riffing remain so solid that it’s hard to stay angry.

They have a great frontman in the form of Hellroadie, demanding and receiving more action from the front, all the while grimacing like a lunatic. They depart to much roaring, with some people unable to believe they’ve witnessed such a feast of archaic metal.

We’re soon ushered from the venue, and those in know quickly run around the corner to the IMMERHIN club, where rumours are flying that a Bathory tribute band will be performing. After wandering around the concrete tunnels of the club, which looks more like a metro station than a venue, a bartender points to a small room off the main bar where a bunch of musicians are quietly setting up. The band quickly takes form, introduces themselves as BLOOD FIRE DEATH and blasts into a set of epic-era Bathory covers.

Opening with ‘Twilight of the Gods’ was always going to be a good move, and this is swiftly followed by the likes of ‘Under the Runes’, ‘The Woodsman’ and many more from that hallowed era of Quorthon’s output. The singer takes to the stage in a black cowl, but this is offset by guitarists who looks like computer programmers in their daily lives, and a jolly-looking keyboadist with a madonna mic.

While this causes some grumbling from those who demand a more authentic looking show, the rest of the crowd simply accept finely played songs. What was to be expected in this hidey hole - a re-enactment of the Road to Asa Bay video?

The group are gracious and appreciative, and lash through a set as the room eats it up, the roof of the venue shaking to all the vocal ‘Ahhh!’s that mark the best songs in the set. It’s a great little ending to the night that many are simply unaware of until the last minute, which is probably just as well as the space get jam-packed as the set progresses.

But of course it doesn’t end there. Soon it’s back to the pub for several more hours of drinking and merry-making. Eventually staggering up the stairs of the local hostel around 6am, only a brief nap can be got before other guests’ children start running around the room with hellishly loud chattering. With a heavy groan and the sun beginning to burn off the fog that’s wreathed Wurzburg overnight, it’s back up to take part in day two.

SATURDAY

There’s a feeling of today being a somewhat more leisurely affair. A trip to the impressive local market and to a fine record shop in the form of H20 records off Karmelitenstrasse is duly carried out, with a decent breakfast also achieved in a local café which makes shaking off the cobwebs easy enough. Nonetheless, it’s a jam-packed schedule that kicks off early down at the Posthalle, which has already attracted the early beer drinkers to its doors.

Things get going so early in fact that this reviewer shamefully misses the vast majority of English doom band SERPENT VENOM. Arriving in to the very last bars of their set, the general impression is that it’s pretty standard doom fare in the Electric Wizard vein of things.

A few conversations with those few who arrived in time confirms this, with a fellow attendee confirming it’s pretty standard fare, but enjoyable enough in a foot-tapping kind of way. It’s unfair to fully assess a band from such a short segment, so berating myself, I vow not to miss anyone else for the rest of the day.

Full and undivided attention can be given to Norway’s DEVIL. The group troop onstage and deliver a set that can be accurately described as fitting in the occult heavy rock thing that seems to be doing the rounds lately.

That’s not to say that it’s gimmicky, the group certainly having the ability to pen a tune, but it’s the clichéd song titles and tame stage presence that fails to ignite the swelling crowd. You know it’s not the greatest when a shout of ‘We are Devil, from a country called NORWAY!’ goes out, only to be greeted by a cough and a single ‘Woo’ from down back.

They plod through a set and while they certainly have some neat instrumental passages, it’s all somewhat pedestrian. A song is introduced called ‘Crazy Woman’, which sounds neither crazy nor sexy, and which somewhat sums up their set. Maybe it was an off day for them, but something a little more energetic is required to get the crowd onside.

The first of two Maltese bands of the day, NOMAD SON are that perfect antidote to that somewhat lacklustre start to the day. With their lead singer packing a great set of pipes and rushing out to embrace the crowd with a pitch-black hood over his head, they blast into a brace of tracks that has everyone looking around with glee and excitement.

The group have a gifted keyboardist in their ranks, who attacks his instrument with gusto and aggression for the entirety of the set. They have an ease about them onstage, and the songs are perfectly crafted, full of power and changes in pace. Long passages of sweet lead guitar are backed up by the piping keyboard and a pounding rhythm section.

There’s an accented edge to the singer’s voice that adds so much character to the tunes, sounding somewhat like a cursed Rock ‘N’ Rolf who’s been dragged into a very tight Doom band. Both sonically enjoyable and a outright spectacle, they are exactly what the doctor ordered at this stage of the afternoon.

It’s worthwhile pointing out the alcohol policies of the festival at this point in time. Like everywhere in Germany, drinking in public is perfectly acceptable, so long as you don’t litter or are literally rolling around the ground in drunkenness.

There’s constantly a decent crowd of people just outside the entrance to the venue indulging in booze from the local supermarket, with a stereo blasting tunes. This makes the festival much easier on the pocket, and the possibilities for drunken waffle are very and truly realised. Indeed the prices inside are far from expensive, but this alternative means popping in and out is very much the done thing, and adds immeasurably to the craic levels.

Nipping back inside for THE 11TH HOUR, and it’s a totally different atmosphere that the Dutch band are conjuring up in the venue. They recently played Dublin Doom Day and pulled off an enjoyable set, but today they seem to sit much more comfortably on the bigger stage. It’s melancholic, slow doom with no less than three guitars, frontman Pim towering over the stage with gray locks flowing.

There’s no doubting that the group know what they’re doing, but the love-them or hate-them clean vocals are the main deciding factor, sounding slightly nasal against the backdrop of heavy doom. Still, the raft of black-clad men deliver a strong set, perhaps just coming up against a more positive vibe from the proceeding band.

It’s certainly gothic in its atmosphere, with the likes of Daylight Dies coming to mind as the chords crash down and the vocals soar through a fantastic sound. They give a good account of themselves today to sustained applause and look genuinely humbled by the reaction.

ORCHID are a band who’ve constantly been on peoples lips for hours leading up to their performance. The group have seemingly succeeded in bringing Black Sabbath worship to a whole new level, and the big swell in numbers in the hall for their set is a good indication of their growing reputation.

‘Capricorn’ sounds like a dream mix of Witchcraft blended with Master of Reality-era Sabbath, and gets the heads banging all over the room. It’s when they get stuck into the longer numbers of their set, with tracks like ‘Masters of it All’ from their recently released full-length, that the blinders really come off.

The crowd eat up every passage from lead singer Theo Mindell, who has the ability to drop jaws with a set of platinum pipes that are bang on the money. The Americans have a coolness surrounding them that even their singer’s fiery coloured jumper can’t dispel, and it’s a joy to watch their bassist grin from ear-to-ear with pure rock fury. It’s all over so quick, and it’s clear that the group are going to be in demand. Watch out for their appearance at other European festivals in the near future, it’s only a matter of time.

FORSAKEN are up next and have the unenviable task of following up that performance. The Maltese group take to the task like a duck to water though, with lead singer Leo Stivala holding court and accepting nothing but total headbanging dedication from the crowd.

They certainly share many similarities with Nomad Son from earlier in the day, but are perhaps a bit more up-tempo and dynamic on the whole. The air of classic Candlemass lies heavy over their set, and we’re treated to some very tasty interplay between guitar and drums, tight as anything with the members in their element onstage.

This reviewer had previously seen the group perform at a small club in Bradford several years ago, and while that was a very good set, the big venue and sound system here gives great life to their songs. Another fine performance from the Maltese band, who work the crowd into a frenzy of first-pumping.

Canada’s BLOOD CEREMONY hit the stage next. It’s a nice change of pace to have a female band-leader whippin the crowd for a change, and by now this young group has amassed a collection of songs that means that there’s barely a dip in quality for their entire set. Alia O’Brien cuts a beguiling figure onstage, twisting and gesturing in a velvet dress and occasionally letting loose short but sweet passages of flute playing.

There’s a bunch of cuts aired from their newest record, ‘Living with the Ancients’, which to these ears is sounding like a step up from their debut release. It’s an enjoyable set because the group have the riffs and power to lift the songs and grab attention, but there’s a smooth, retro 70’s vibe to it that O’Brien’s flute and lilting tones accentuates.

They’re clearing paying homage to the likes of Coven and other female-fronted occult acts, but this isn’t a festival where simulation is to be sniffed at, as long as it’s done well. Blood Ceremony have it down to a fine tee now, and it’s a long, organ-soaked and pleasing set that they perform tonight. The likes of ‘Great God Pan’ from the new record is a particular charmer, ending with a spectacular medley of guitar and organ that shakes the rafters.

Calls and shouts ring out as LORD VICAR set up onstage, and the group quickly slam into a set of celebratory drunken doom metal. It’s heartening to see the group clearly having the time of their lives up there, with guitarist Kimi Kari, who’d performed a tentative solo set in Dublin the previous Thursday, looking totally in his element up there and rocking through the songs one after another.

The group pick from their acclaimed first album, ‘Fear No Pain’, but there’s also new stuff in the form new album opener ‘Sign of Osiris Slain’, which we’re assured is due for release very shortly. Their frontman is an arresting figure, all wrinkles, wild beard and wounded vocals, but there’s not a moment of the set that they take the foot off the pedal.

Even when their bassist breaks a string during the closer, he simply stalks the stage and raises his arms in fury at the cheering crowd. It’s a stripped-down, honest kind of metal that the band play that was always going to go down a storm and they deliver tonight, as if anyone doubted they would.

YET SO FAR are basically Revelation mark III in disguise. It’s a bit strange seeing a trio, who aren’t very active, set up on such a broad stage. Indeed, they’re not really into providing a visual treat, but they have the power and ability in their songs to impress.

It takes a few tracks, but when they hit their stride, it’s powerful stuff, with clarion-like vocals and progressive tinges to the guitar that inexplicably bring the likes of Rush to mind. I’m not overly familiar with the group’s material, so picking out singular tracks wasn’t an option.

Instead, the band get the heads down and keep pounding down track after track, giving a satisfactory account of themselves. Somewhat naturally, people are going to be paying somewhat less attention to such a static band. so there’s a general rise in the background chat level and at the bar as people stock up for the headliners. It’s a performance that has this reviewer making a mental note to get more familiar with their back catalogue, which is surely a positive enough outcome.

The minor furore that surrounded THE DEVIL’S BLOOD in the run up to this festival was somewhat ridiculous. The former headliners, Cathedral, had decided that performing with a band that used animal blood in their performance was simply not acceptable and pulled out.

That mindset, when there was going to be a hot dog stand located right next to the stage anyway, was nothing short of baffling and smacked of an excuse to cancel a performance. It seems fitting then that the ‘offending’ group, who’ve grown exponentially in popularity in the past two years, should find themselves elevated to a higher standing in the line-up.

Their theatric, visual flair was always going to make for a good finale and expectations are high when they walk out to a packed venue. Their build-up however, with the group standing onstage under orange lights, is overlong, with creepy tunes and a very slow start to proceedings stretching out minute after minute.

Their singer is a sight to behold, all frizzy hair and with a blood-splashed bosom standing out a mile off. Once they get going though, it’s perfectly enjoyable rock ‘n’ roll, with the three guitars adding to the impact with note-perfect tightness.

A cover of Rainbow’s ‘Gates of Babylon’ fits nicely into their set, complete with eastern sounding keyboard theatrics. Maybe it was the copious beer, but the stage antics are just a little much at times, standing out against the more honest rocking we’ve witnessed today.

Really, there’s only so much dramatic staring with outstretched arms that can be withstood before a case of the giggles occur, but at the very least this is music that can be danced to, and impromptu doom boogies break out everywhere to the right-hand side of the stage. It’s party-time when they hit the latter part of the set, with ‘Christ or Cocaine’ resulting in a mass singalong.

Ultimately, The Devil’s Blood still lack a little something. Perhaps their personas means that crowd interaction simply can’t be done, but there’s still a slight whiff of an ‘x’ factor missing. They crucially do have the songs to hold it down, and a commitment to visuals that can only be applauded.

Maybe if they find a better way of interacting with the crowd, the sense of it being a sideshow will dissipate. Either way, they make for a perfectly enjoyable end to the festival, with people seemingly split down the middle, some unimpressed with the pomp and extras, others simply happy to have been rocked by honest rock songs. They put on a show well worth seeing, so their trip to Dublin early next year should produce both the same opinions and positive reactions.

By now, the festival is all over bar the shouting. There is plenty of that to be done though, as a crowd of attendees hit the local pub, only to later evacuate it for a local Wurzburg niteclub that simply didn’t know what hit it. By the time the Irish contingent crawl onto the waiting coach the next afternoon, there’s a rake of stories being told, merch and new purchases being compared and lot of hungover waffling being done.

It’s only the latest installment for a proven festival, but with talk now seeming to centre on the fact that there’ll be no April edition next year on account of it being so difficult to find suitable bands twice a year, it seems like it’ll be a full year before the pilgrimage can be done again. This Bavarian city is getting a reputation as a metal city though, with a lot of people discussing the upcoming Metal Assault festival there in early January. This could make a fine stop-gap for those who simply can’t wait for another weekend along the lines of this one. Really, who could blame them?

- Review by Lorcan Archer with photos by Arkadi Borrisov ::: 06/11/11