Rammstein

support Slayer + Accept + Hammerfall
author MS date 10/07/05 venue Gentofte Stadium, Copenhagen, DEN

It was Sunday the 10th of July 2005. The place was Gentofte Stadium outside Copenhagen, Denmark. The show was Giants of Rock 2005, and the bands were Hammerfall, Accept, Slayer and Rammstein. Unfortunately, we arrived a bit late, so we didn't get to see much of Hammerfall. Just half of it from afar.

Hammerfall

Hammerfall sound like some of the great 80's Power Metal bands like Manowar, but they were actually formed in '93. They are from Sweden, and back then they featured In Flames guitarist Jesper Str?mblad and Dark Tranquillity vocalist Mikael Stanne. Since then their lineup has changed radically. Despite our late arrival, we got to hear classics like "Hearts on Fire" and "Riders of the Storm". Their performance in general was solid, although they did feel a bit too much like a warmup act.

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Accept

Next up were German Accept, substituting Mot?rhead, who had cancelled their show a few weeks before. Accept is an old band, originating all the way back from the late 70's. They play Power Metal, or what some would call Leather Metal. Seeing them was almost the same as seeing Judas Priest, as their onstage performance, their vocals, lyrics and riffs were very similar to those of Priest. They actually officially broke up in 1997, so this was a reunition tour, although they didn't play with their original drummer. These old boys of Heavy Metal certainly didn't lack any spirit, and though they surely were in their fifties, it was very obvious that their hair once was a lot longer. Accept's lead singer Udo Dirkschneider is a short chubby guy with a squeeling voice similar to Brian Johnson of AC/DC's. Their constant syncronous movements when lined up in the front of the stage proved their roots in Heavy Metal, and it really made my day. They really got the crowd going more than i expected, especially during their classic "Balls to the Wall".

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Slayer

Next up were Slayer, who delivered an always solid metal show. Starting out with "South of Heaven" followed by "Silent Scream", their brutal guitar work and vocals really got the crowd moving. They lived up to all expectations, although the set was a bit shorter than what they usually get to do. As Tom Araya put it; "Short but sweet". The set was finished off with "Angel of Death". Slayer delivered a kickass metal show as always, for the fans and every metal head out there.

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Rammstein

The Rammstein set started at about 10 pm. A curtain was covering the stage as an atmospheric sound was played over the speakers. It lasted at least 5 minutes, before the usual Rammstein security guys entered the stage, and the intro of "Reise, Reise" emerged from the speakers. The curtain dropped, and the Rammstein stage was revealed. It looked as always with elevators, the circular door in the middle of the stage, and the drum kit placed on top of everything. The band entered the stage and started playing the heavy intro riff of "Reise, Reise", whereafter the door opened and frontman Till Lindemann entered the stage. Just as when they played in Forum earlier this year. As a matter of fact, the setlist was almost the same as then. Only a few songs had been removed, one added and some songs rearranged. The new song was "Asche zu Asche" from their debut "Herzeleid". Awesome song by the way. The fact that you have heard the setlist before at a Rammstein concert really doesn't matter, because of the ever-entertaining stage show. Seeing Rammstein is not only listening to the music. It's an apocalyptic inferno of flames and light. To mention a few examples, during "Mein Teil", which is the first single off of "Reise, Reise"; their latest full lenght effort, the keyboard player crawls into a giant pot on stage, and then Till Lindemann flamb?es him with a flamethrower. After this, he crawls out of the pot and runs around stage with firecrackers going off attached to his suit. Not only awesome, but also hilarious. During "Feuer Frei!" Till Lindemann and the two guitarists enter the stage with flamethrowers attached to their faces, and breathe fire into the air. The show also involves the bassist literally sailing out over the crowd in a raft, carried by the eager hands of the spectators. The setlist included new songs like "Amerika", "Stein um Stein", and "Keine Lust", as well as old classics like "Du Riechst so Gut", "Sehnsucht", their title track "Rammstein", "Du Hast" and "Sonne". You can always see a Rammstein show without getting bored.

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Overall, the arrangement was great, and I for one really hope for a "Giants of Rock 2006", since it's a great initiative, and it's good to see that at least 20.000 people still listen to rock and metal in the Copenhagen area. The only negative side of the festival itself was the lack of beer booths. The queues at the only boothe at the stadium were way too long for anyone who just wanted a beer between acts. On the other hand, the food stands were great. No more than 100 meters from the stage you could find all kinds of fast food, and even what in Denmark is known as "warm canes", which you can typically get in Tivoli, Copenhagen.

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