Michael Mullenix
Summer has officially landed with the arrival of Milwaukee Metal Fest, three full days of ear-splitting Metal and head-cracking headbanging. After surviving the sheer chaos of it all the current landscape of the metallic world has been made clear, as all the most gripping and relevant bands showed up to the Rave. And now only one question remains: “So Mike, what did you make of this year?”
A few key things felt like they worked better this year compared to the past.
The changeovers seemed to flow seamlessly from one stage to the next, and no times were held up by malfunctions due to an elaborate 50-piece drum kit (not that we don’t all love the individual cymbals and what they add to a song). The day never seemed to drag and one stage was fired up ready to go as soon as the last band on the prior stage finished their crescendo. Seems like a minor point, but this year the staff were a well-oiled machine who gave the fans a non-stop carousel of Metal, and they deserve to have their efforts glorified!
In addition, the lineup seemed to have a more unique mixture that kept the day from feeling predictable. Death Metal met Prog Metal, and Thrash met Metalcore. The stages didn’t necessarily have a consistent theme each day, but this added to the wild spectacle of seeing the kind of combinations like deathcore pioneers Suicide Silence and Sludge all-stars Down being saddled together, or the prog-rooted Between The Buried And Me playing before Black Label Society on the mainstage. Don’t get me started on the head-scratching pairing of Speed, Harm’s Way, Amigo The Devil, Scour, and The Dillinger Escape Plan on the Rave stage the last day (specifically in that order). Each one of those bands is virtually a genre unto themselves.
The headliners also were more evenly balanced, with more easily digestible sets capable of bringing the midwestern Metal Tribes together for an agreeable headbanging experience. Down and BLS have the right alchemy to be bold Metal institutions that few devoted Metalheads can turn away from, and Gwar….. is damn good theater! The only chance to see Gwar permitted to paint the Eagle’s Club red was worth the weekend alone. On top of that you got to see them impale their pet T-Rex onstage.
If there is one area that feels like it could be improved it would have to be with the marketplace in the basement. While the meet and greets are a massive draws and the Merch table will forever be your way to show immediate support to your favorite bands playing that day, it feels like there is room for more than just assorted clothing and back-patches. Great independent brands, but the lifestyle of Metal goes beyond clothing. One of the clear winners of this is Concept Cafes Coffee, blending distinct coffee roasts with the direct input of your favorite Metal artists. I hope that more unique sellers within the Metal orbit find ways to take advantage of this space and become embedded into the fold in exciting and fresh ways.
Finally, deserving it’s own point of discussion: The Rave Bar Stage is a beast in its own right and criminally smaller than it should be for the caliber of bands playing on it. Was it impossible to get inside? Not without being a brute and bulldozing your way in…. the door. Which one? YES! Bands like Nekrogoblikon, Eyehategod, Toxic Holocaust, and Ov Sulfur were destined to be main attractions as soon as they were announced, but this was the one place to find sleeper hits like the Wraith, Brat, Full Of Hell and Snafu.
The most savage surprise came in the form of Wormrot, a Grindcore extravaganza from Singapore who turned the barroom into a complete warzone. Stage divers and crowd-killers galore, my shoulder still hasn’t fully recovered. However, the reigning kings of “Standing Still is a Good Way To Get Hurt”, the stage was ultimately concluded by the Acacia Strain. Forever the most prominent example of Hardcore guys who sing in Death Metal tempos, it was amazing to see the final explosion of energy from kids who waited all weekend to give it everything they had, even if it meant risking bodily injury flipping off from the stage.
All in all, Milwaukee Metalfest is a Metallic Audiophile’s true retreat, one weekend full of the best a genre can throw out at you (maybe including the bodies of other Metalheads). Jasta has resurrected this regional gem of a festival held at one of the most historic venues in the country and the attention and zeal he brings to it are unmistakable. Between returning lost-cherished acts to the people or reminding every crowd-surfer to give him a high-five when they get to the stage, this festival would not be nearly as much fun if not for his careful stewardship. What will the 4th year bring, with the venue’s 100th anniversary? Already chomping at the bits to find out!
Comments