Sonisphere 2011 Festival Review

Sonisphere 2011

Friday

Japanese Voyeurs kicked things off in the Bohemia tent with their raw, grungy sound. Unfortunately some of the songs seemed a little samey and it has to be said that the lead singer’s vocals didn’t cut through as well as they do on record. Her voice seemed more whiney than powerful at times. Nonetheless, they carve out a unique and interesting sound and showed that they do have some good songs. Their cover of Nine Inch Nails’ Closer was cool as well. (5/10)

Megadeth got the main stage crowd roaring with an exciting set. They showed arguably the most considered performance of all the Big 4, with A Tout Le Monde and Peace Sells sounding particularly impressive. The air guitars were out in force; however, they could have perhaps played a better set list and they didn’t quite have the wow factor that Metallica seem to produce at every show. (7/10)

Metallica’s set was probably the most highly anticipated of the weekend (aside from Slipknot) and they did not disappoint; reeling off the hits such as Master of Puppets, Seek and Destroy and One. They are simply brilliant musicians who seem incapable of playing a bad show. Things really got impressive when they ended the main set with Fade to Black into Enter Sandman, showing their depth of song-writing and awesome riffs. Then came the moment we were all waiting for… James Hetfield invited the members of Diamond Head, Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer onstage for a huge jam on the song Am I Evil – a special moment which will no doubt go down in rock history. They then rocked on with Battery and ended with the brutal Creeping Death. Brilliant band, brilliant set, my only qualm is that they have played so much in the U.K. recently that it was impossible to get away from this being another Metallica set. Although a great performance - made special by the Big 4 moment, I have now seen them three times at festivals without ever buying a ticket directly for them. They really need to take a year or three off touring in Europe so that they seem fresh again. (8.5/10)

Saturday

Weezer were just absolutely great fun. Kicking off the weird but catchy tunes with The Sweater Song, Rivers Cuomo got the crowd going despite the damp weather. They quickly got things going with the huge Beverly Hills followed by their take on the legendary Teenage Dirtbag which somehow just suits the band perfectly. We were also treated to old favourites My Name is Jonas and Hash Pipe before a surprisingly innovative cover of Radiohead’s Paranoid Android. They then moved into recent hit Pork & Beans before ending with one last sing-a-long for the awesome Buddy Holly. Surely, even the most ardent metal-head must have left that set with a smile on their face! (8/10)

The Mars Volta – stunning, simply stunning. The Mars Volta absorb you into their weird, prog-ed up world of Latino melodies, Tribal rhythms, Jazz fusion jams and Rock Epics. The whole set flowed seamlessly into each other and completely took our breath away. Very hard to describe the set without actually experiencing it, it was just one of those moments when your jaw drops to the floor and stays firmly lodged there for the duration of the set. They even played their most epic song, The Widow – truly a joy to behold. Flawless. (10/10).

Biffy Clyro – safe to say this was the most controversial booking of the weekend, there was even a facebook group called “Biffy Clyro to Die Before Sonisphere 2011”, when they were booked to headline alongside Slipknot back in December. The metal-heads just weren’t having any of it, it seemed… That is of course until the ‘Biff actually took to the Apollo stage on the Saturday night. Usually when they open with cheesy single The Captain my heart sinks a little bit, but not tonight: they sound raw and heavier than ever. Somehow live, they lose all of the over-commercial, over-produced pretentiousness that has been all too present recently and just become a great big rock band. Suddenly what seemed like an incredible gamble six months ago just makes perfect sense. Of all the U.K. rock bands that have broken through into mainstream success over the last five years or so there is no doubt that Biffy possess the greatest depth of song-writing, with a show covering (nearly) all bases; from the furious 57 to the dancey sing-a-long Born on a Horse and the epic 9/15ths. Biffy Clyro have deservedly the step up from a weird, cult rock band with a tiny fan base to festival and arena headlining Juggernaught, with second guitarist Mike Vennart adding a depth to their sound previously found lacking. Although there is perhaps too much emphasis on their latest (and in my opinion weakest) album Only Revolutions, old fans’ favourites There’s no such thing as a Jaggy Snake and Glitter and Trauma are enough to satisfy the more enduring Biffy fan. For me, the highlight of the show however, was All the Way Down: Prologue Chapter 1, with the slow, intricate opening building into one huge crescendo. And, while ending with Mountains is perhaps a little too predictable (I’ve now heard them play it ten times!) this is a very impressive Biffy performance and they will have no doubt won a lot of fans over in the process. Inevitably some metal-heads will refuse to give them the time of day, but a Raining Blood snippet, heavy sounding guitars and epic tunes will have done wonders for their reputation. The sky is the limit from here: they just need to release a record that sounds as good as they do live. (9/10)

Sunday

Arch Enemy’s Angela Gossow showed that you don’t have to have balls to sing with guts. Although death metal isn’t really my thing, they do have some impressive tunes and were fairly enjoyable. (5/10)

Mojo Fury performed to a tiny crowd on the Jagermeister stage but carved out an interesting grungy, alternative rock sound with tinges of hardcore and prog not too far away from Biffy Clyro or Pulled Apart by Horses. They also have some excellent songs and are definitely ones to watch, would not at all be surprised to see them on the main stage in two or three years. (7/10)

In Flames really got the crowd going during their mid-afternoon slot. The Swedish melodic death metal group went down a mosh-pit filled treat on the Saturn stage. However, they suffered from a terrible sound, with the bass guitar and the kick drum flooding the low end. Personally, I found them a little bit underwhelming, and only really got into one or two songs despite the reception they got, although in fairness it must have been next to impossible to follow the chilling yet communal experience that was the two-minute silence for Paul Grey. (6/10)

Mastodon have been making a name for themselves in the metal scene for some years now and this performance more than lived up to their reputation. They have an entrancing prog/metal sound which keeps you guessing but arrives where you intuitively want it to go. The contrast of the screamed and sung vocal styles gave the performance a great amount of depth as did the unusual rhythmical elements. Although I didn’t recognise a single song they played I found their set highly enjoyable. (8/10).

The most under-rated band of the weekend, Amplifier played an absorbing set to couple of hundred fans and onlookers on the Jagermeister stage. One of the most interesting British rock bands around at the moment, it was just a shame was that they were only given half an hour. Playing mostly material from their latest album, The Octopus, they create a wonderful prog-rock soundscape similar to the likes of Oceansize and Porcupine Tree with the driving rhythms of A Perfect Circle. This band deserves to be MUCH bigger than they are. (8/10).

“Hello Castle Donnington!” Opeth’s frontman Mikael Akerfeldt amusingly proclaimed as they took to the Saturn stage, somewhat setting the scene for their quirky and original performance. Taking wide-reaching inspiration from prog rock to death metal to jazz, no-one sounds quite like Opeth. Although they have a steep learning curve from a musical perspective, when you listen to the music live, as a primary activity, all the initial hesitancy about their recordings washes away. While perhaps not to everyone’s taste, the change of pace and build up of their songs are simply phenomenal. Moreover, Akerfeldt possesses an uncanny amount of wit and charisma which makes the stage banter almost as enjoyable as the songs themselves. I was uncertain what to make of this band before I saw them live, and although the music is all too easy to let wash over you, tune in and you will be as impressed as I was. (8.5/10).

Not a band to be taken too seriously, Limp Bizkit have the fun factor in spades. Opening with Hot Dog, from the Chocolate Starfish and Hot Dog Flavoured Water album that we all grew up with, before ‘Jarnardo’ (drummer John Otto) takes us to the Mathew’s Bridge in My Generation, the packed out Apollo stage loves every minute of this performance. Their heavy riffs and cheesy choruses start wild but friendly mosh pits and Fred Durst even takes the audience’s request to launch in to the frenetic Break Stuff and then the awesome sing-a-long My Way.  We even get treated to a cover of George Michael’s Faith before EVERYONE is Rollin’ with their hands in the air for Limp Bizkit. (8/10)

While the tension and anticipation was noticeably building to a peak for headliners Slipknot, Bill Bailey offered some light entertainment on the Saturn stage. Unfortunately, while his performance was great fun the sound on the stage completely let him down. His voice was almost inaudible for large parts of the set and it wasn’t until later on that he could be fully appreciated.  His uniquely British sense of humour and his knowing ability to play on musical clichés was at times exceptional, especially during his Love Ballad and a couple of brand new songs such as The Majesty of Emo and Asda. Bailey’s love of metal shone through on his ‘Rammstein’ version of Scarborough Fair and his tooting horns cover of Enter Sandman but the show was sadly let down by a dreadful outdoor sound. (7/10).

The rain clouds gathered and so did the masses. The 60,000 Sonisphere attendees (not to mention the half a million fans watching on the live webcast) collected around the Apollo stage to witness the return of the mighty Slipknot, an event which many feared would never happen after the tragic death of bassist Paul Grey just over a year ago. The atmosphere had clearly been building to this one moment all weekend but to be honest the ‘Knot got off to a slow start despite the classic red boiler suit costumes. It wasn’t until the third song Wait and Bleed that the main stage became loud enough for the band to make the impact that they wanted to. From then on in it was a ride. And what a ride. Before I Forgot rang out across Knebworth Park as the multi-instrumentalists tore it up in impressive style, with each member possessing as much charisma as most entire bands. It was lead singer Corey Taylor however who really stole the show, seamlessly following heavy screamed vocals with pitch perfect clean sections. The Pulse of the Maggots and Left Behind really turned the screw as the heavy, thick and dense industrial sound of this band stole the weekend. Clearly an incredibly emotional set for both the band and its spiritual family Psychosocial and Disasterpiece were nothing short of epic. Sid Wilson then climbed the sound desk and threw himself into the crowd on the first drop on the chorus of Duality. As the concert progressed, the riffs only got heavier, building on each other like an incredible weight about to be released. The release came during Spit It Out as Corey invited the entire crowd to simultaneously get to its knees before JUMPING THE FUCK UP. A completely breathtaking moment as 60,000 fans found themselves jumping around in one giant mosh pit. They weren’t quite done however, emerging to complete the set with the awesome People = Shit followed by the frantic Surfacing. The band then gathered together for an emotional and fitting tribute to Paul Grey, with his mask and boiler suit remaining on stage over a recording of Till We Die. In conclusion, Slipknot’s set was almost too intense; a staggering end to a staggering weekend, none of which will be forgotten any time soon by anyone who was privileged enough to witness it. (10/10).

Reviews by Asher Kenton