01.08.2012 Epsilon

Wacken Open Air XXIII

Wacken (Germany)

(Pentax K-5 with Sigma AF 70-200mm 2.8 EX DC APO HSM II)

On Wednesday evening to a late hour (at least it was already 21:30) I opened for me the Wacken Open Air 2012. Traditionally on the first inofficial day only the Metal Battle bands as well as some medieval bands on Wackinger Stage are playing but this year due to the huge number of newcomer contest competitors they already started around noon.
And so I was standing being not a very small guy with open mouth inside that huge tent called Bullhead Tent which shold be the succession of the W.E.T. Stage tent (also known as Headbangers Ballroom). Related to that there was on the one hand the W.E.T. Stage and directly next to that the Headbanger Stage between which just like on the main stages rapidly can be changed between two bands. The mouth remained wide open when hearing the axes roaring by the guys of Epsilon. The band starting in this competition for Austria entered the stage in orange colored road builder clothes and already during the first song the people in front of the stage went nuts. The tent was half filled (and roughly 10,000 people can find place there!). It did not directly get to first pits but you could not overhear the crowd pulling heavily for the band around front men Krise. These rocked and all swirled across the stage wildly. They did not care much about announcements between the songs as the Metal Battle bands only have very limited time available. This was very good as there remained more time for music.
There was coming one death metal broadside fired towards the audience after the other and these went completely crazy and opened the evening very lively. If it started like that, who would be the rest of the festival? Overall it was fulminant getting started which afterwards unexpectedly even should get better.