Ice Cream Man’s first ever, exclusive live report of one of the biggest summer metal camps, Ozzfest XI, brought me to Camden’s Waterfront in New Jersey. The Philadelphia skyline was dotted with thousands of hands raised in fist or devil’s horns that morning. And yes, it started at 9:30 AM sharp, sets varying in running time with 5 minute changes in between. Even though the bands played short sets, they made certain to pack in all the energy they could so it didn’t feel like you were missing anything. I admit I missed the earlier bands due to traffic and complications with credentials. However, that is probably my only regret from the day. I’m glad I stepped foot into the uncharted territory (for me at least) of the Tweeter Center to bring you Ozzfest. I think the Camden locals were more afraid of us metal heads running around than we were of them.
A Life Once Lost
Philadelphia’s hometown heroes hit the stage running. No stranger to the crowd, Bob led the group through an enthusiastic set rallying the fans on the waterfront with tunes off their latest release, Hunter. Songs like “Vulture” and “Rehashed” grabbed you by the throat and tossed you 30 feet skyward. Time between Graves’ pummeling drums and Snake and Carpenter’s explosive rapid fire guitar riffs included shout outs to family and friends, many thanks and praise to the Philly fans that came out to support. A Life Once Lost made sure to bring the heat for this stop on the tour.
All That Remains
After a short break on the sidelines, I hopped back in front and center for All That Remains‘ set. Phil Labonte strutted out on stage in his blue shades with a smooth, cool attitude. The group delivered a charged set that pumped up the crowd with songs like “The Darkest Nights”, and their new hit, “The Calling”, had the crowd cheering. Bassist Jeanne Sagan shocked the crowd as she held her own in the band of boys; at some points the guys were fighting to keep up with her. You couldn’t help smiling with Phil as he charmed the crowd with his mischievous spirit and solid vocals. Stellar performance by the MA-based band.
Norma Jean
Southern rockers, Norma Jean appeared as if they emerged from a coal mine covered in charcoal. Their choice of disheveled stage equipment and clothing was truly symbolic of how they’ve risen from the ash and soot to become the stars of Ozzfest. Norma Jean pulled out all the stops to make it a memorable performance including pouring 220% energy into every song. I caught a few jaw drops from fans along the barricade. I even had to catch my breath at a few points during their set. And how could you not while watching Jake race back and forth across the stage and Cory come out swinging with mic stand clutched tightly in hand. They ripped open the crowd with “Absentimental” and gutted fans with “Bayonetwork”, both songs from O’God the Aftermath. The double pounding drums of Daniel Davison and Justin Graves (A Life Once Lost) over screaming guitars pushed you into sensory overload. The crowd noted the band’s intricacy of musicianship, but it wasn’t until Norma Jean started into “Blueprints for Future Homes” that they saw the group’s talent and versatility. The tune blended powerful melodies with soaring anthemic guitars, overlaid with Cory’s singing breaking through the calamity. Norma Jean’s set was one of my favorite performances of the day.
Unearth
Bay state metalers Unearth took the stage with the fun-loving attitude they’re most known for. Even early on in their set, Ken Susi and Buzz were taking beer bong hits from Phil Labonte of All That Remains. And they certainly couldn’t go without sharing some with the crowd. Ken Susi had his laughs with photographers as he posed for photos showing off his mind-boggling guitar skills. Trevor Phillips was grinning ear to ear like a kid on Christmas as the crowd roared for more. They threw in a few songs off their upcoming record III: In the Eyes of Fire. My favorite was Giles with its dizzying guitars, crazy solos, and unpredictable time changes; it was unbelievable how they could bounce between the chugging rhythm and the melody so quick and smooth. Unearth’s set was the metal comedy show that lit up the second stage that day. They showed the crowd that metal doesn’t always have to be so serious, there’s always room for fun and laughs.
Atreyu
Following Unearth’s lively set and hilarious stage antics, came Atreyu. I’ve always enjoyed watching them, but today was different. They started out captivating the crowd with their raw energy, but about midway through they started to fall off that initial high. Travis, one of the guitarists, seemed very quiet, laid back, and appeared out of place from the band’s attempts to keep the crowd roaring. Listening and watching was confusing. Don’t get me wrong, the technical work was there, Atreyu has always been insanely tight, and their new songs were phenomenal. Alex really blew the crowd away with “Ex’s and Oh’s” trading off between singing and screaming. Maybe it was me that day, not having enough time between watching Unearth and Atreyu or constantly focusing on Travis’ almost dead expression, but something felt awkward about the set.
Black Label Society
The stage was cloaked in a black curtain adorned with what else, an enormous skull. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I waited for that curtain to drop. I definitely felt like the oddball as I was probably the only person who had never seen Black Label Society or the legend of metal, Zak Wylde. The crowd let out one giant scream as the stage crew yanked the curtain down to reveal a stage filled with chains, skulls on stands, and The Black Label Society all covered in black leather, black boots, and black tattoos. Zak Wylde was center stage cloaked in long wavy blonde hair. It was just the right time too as the wind kicked up and clouds rolled in threatening a storm. While Black Label Society didn’t thrash on stage like the other bands I had seen earlier, it really wasn’t necessary for Wylde and his misfits of metal. The Black Label Society is an institution of metal, a religion, a part of the metal family tree. everyone in that crowd both young and old knew it.
There was a short break between the second stage and main stage acts. Just enough time to cool off, get some food and water, use the bathroom, and relax. I went with the Dominos Pizza and a giant chocolate chip cookie. While most would scoff at the cost of the food at the Tweeter Center, I was impressed to see that they reduced the bottled water from $4 to $2 (ed. Two dollar, or less, water should be mandatory at all festivals). It was great to see that they really wanted to keep people hydrated in the extreme humidity. So how much did I pay for two slices of pizza? 7 bucks. And the cookie? 3 big ones. When I’m hungry, money is no object.
Dragonforce
London’s speed demons Dragonforce took the stage at 4:00. I had first heard of Dragonforce last November. A few friends of mine and I were driving into New York City for a show, going through the Holland Tunnel, and he had them playing on his iPod full blast. It felt like we were going over 100mph through the tunnel. I was anxious to see if their live performance was just as incredible as their record. Combining the fastest guitar stylings I had ever seen with keyboards just as crazy, the group dazzled those that were filing into the amphitheatre. Keyboards and guitars were racing each other through the entire set. There was an inherent mystical and magical aura among all six musicians. And the vocals just enhanced this quality even more. Their first US appearance was early this past spring so Ozzfest had catapulted Dragonforce into the hearts of metalers across the entire country by now. It was so entertaining watching them with their wild expressions. I was wide-eyed watching guitarist Herman’s face light up. Herman and key-tar player Vadim’s playing was impressive. Dragonforce were truly the “metal magicians” of Ozzfest.
Lacuna Coil
Next up on the main stage, one of the most anticipated bands of Ozzfest.Lacuna Coil. Singer Cristina Scabbia showed the crowd her incredible range of talent both vocally and emotionally. The Italian progressive metal band had the crowd in the palm of their hand. Lacuna Coil was an incredibly powerful group on stage. Two words come to mind when I think about how I would describe Lacuna Coil: beautiful metal; rich sweet vocals, heavy guitars, and surreal keyboards. Their style of metal stood apart from every other band on Ozzfest. Lacuna Coil played songs off their latest record Karmacode like “Our Truth”, “Devoted”, “You Create”, and “The Game”. They even did a cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence”. I also loved the duet between Cristina and male vocalist Andrea Ferro. I first saw Lacuna Coil in the fall of 2003 on a WSOU radio event at Birch Hill Niteclub, a tiny club known by just about every New Jersey native. Even back then, I was blown away. Since then the crowd size has gone from 1500 to 50,000. Their entire set I kept getting flashbacks (especially in “Heaven’s a Lie”), I couldn’t believe how much I remembered; the memory was so vivid of meeting their bassist Marco outside the club introducing myself and rambling about something to later discover he didn’t speak any English. To see them come full circle and rock the main stage at Ozzfest, gave me chills. Three years later and their English is great, they have a killer new record, and 20 times the fans.
Avenged Sevenfold
I had previously seen Avenged Sevenfold in April on tour with Coheed and Cambria. Even then I wasn’t really “wowed.” The guys really love to pose for the crowd and it’s easy to photograph them, too easy to photograph them. I turned back to look at the crowd on and off during their set and the expression on their faces was not there at all. The crowd looked just as unimpressed as I was. The sound was unbearable, like they were having some technical problems. All the guys seemed as if they were all on different planes; not playing together, not listening to each other, and not connecting with each other enough throughout the set. The last I had seen them the energy was top notch, the crowd was going wild. This time around it was very strange to see that energy drop and the crowd to reciprocate with zero interest.
System of a Down
Headlining Ozzfest, System of a Dow appeared at 9:00 out of the dark and fog. Seeing them brought back memories of high school, we were all into them back then and it was awesome getting to see System live after all those years gone by. I loved, and still love, their catchy tunes like “Aerials”, “Sugar”, “Chop Suey”, “Toxicity”, and “Spiders” which they included in their set. Going into it, I was more unsettled by having to be that close to Serj as his mannerisms and facial expressions scared me. I was extremely nervous and excited all at the same time. System was fun to watch, playing back and forth off of each other. They totally showed me what a difference years can make on the stage presence and musicianship of a band. It was a complete 180 from A7X. My favorite tunes from their set were “Lonely Day” and “B.Y.O.B.”
