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Wave Gothic Treffen, Leipzig, Germany
May 13th thru May 16th 2005
Apoptygma Berzerk, Tristania, Penumbra, Visions of Atlantis, Midnattsol, Atrocity

The first time at a festival is always very exiting: you get so many impressions, and this time it was even harder because there were about 170 bands all over Leipzig. I was totally surprised when I arrived at the central station; the sun was shining and beautiful gothic people were everywhere. After more than seven hours spent in a train I was happy when I could finally enter the camp site. I missed Penumbra, but did have the change to meet some nice people. I learned very soon that you can’t plan too much, because of all the different locations. This report is not as elaborate as I wanted but the mud and my health held me back.

Together with my colleague and photographer Thomas we reported this day. He was also very surprised about this festival: “My first day on the WGT started with a ride to the parkbühne. One of the outdoor locations in Leipzig. When arrived there I was surprised that there were some changes on the line up. Flowing tears, my local heroes from my home weren’t there. So they changed schedule for the entire day.”

 
Penumbra (by TA)
A French gothic rock band with a new line up on the WGT. They were supported by a new female singer and the singer which used a transverse flute during some songs.


Music

Music which reminds me of Nightwish or Tristania.  Pushing guitar riffs and a dry drum set paired with some classic and traditional elements. Female voices paired with male voices and deep grunts.  They grew with every album they have made since 1996 and finally they have found their own style in between the bands I mentioned above. Diversified compositions with some Gregorian choirs.


Performance

“Only” a solid rock show, which gives consideration to their music. Head banging musicians, a female singer with a mediaeval dress and a male singer who changed his for the transverse flute. A scanty lightshow due to the early time of day.


Rating

Music 6
Performance 5
Sound 7
Light 4
Total  5,5


It was a good choice to spend the day at the “Parkbühne.” It is a beautiful old amphitheatre surrounded by a big park and the atmosphere was very good that day. People were sitting in the grass and had a nice talk or enjoyed the sunlight.

Visions of Atlantis (by SD)

The first band I was able see was Visions of Atlantis. This band from Austria was the support act for Epica last year and after that it went very fast with this band. They brought a good atmosphere among the people, soon after they start the arena was quite full.


Music

There were some sound problems in the beginning, but after a few songs they were solved.
The voice of front man Mario is very strong: as you used to hear in power metal bands. He seems to have no problem with the high and low parts, which makes him more relaxed on stage than Nicole. Her voice is not very special but gives a nice contrast with the sound of the front man. Although she is the face of the band she is not the one who is really into the songs. Maybe it was because of the fact that the stage was very big, but the sound was sometimes very bad. It was hard to separate the different guitar lines, but after all the band managed to play a strong set with many songs from the new record “Cast Away.”


Performance

When you talk about performance the first thing that comes to mind is the fact that Mario is more natural on stage than Nicole. Her attitude is honest, but she can’t move as natural as Mario does. Also the new guitar player moved a lot on stage. Although there was a lot of smoke you could see the drum player too: he was very energetic in the back. The chemistry between the members was very strong, but not enough to compare the coldness of Nicole.


Rating

Music: 6
Performance 4
Sound 7
Light 4
Total 5 (5,3)


Midnattsol (by TA)

One of the new acts in the gothic scene is Midnattsol. They describe themselves as a band that plays “Nordic Folk Metal.” The front woman Carmen is family of Liv Kristine from Leaves Eyes and that is good to hear. Liv had to hurry to get there on time to support her, but she made it and although it was the third live show ever the band made a good impression.


Music

A highlight is definitely Carmen’s voice. Not one of those common voices but a really good voice which is not as high like most female singer. The arrangements of the songs are not too simple and not to complex so you really can enjoy them! One of their Highlights was their single “Desolation”, with some majestic keyboard tunes. The two females on stage were true eye candy, and you can’t dissemble that this was their third concert ever; I think their agitation leaves the stage after the first songs they’ve played.


Performance

For their third show, they presented a good performance. The interaction between the 2 females was really good and you can see them laughing most of the time on stage. Mostly it was a solid and good rock show. Head banging and running all over the stage, but without any technical failures of their instruments. They mastered their set without problems and the audience cheered when they left the stage.


Rating

Music 7
Performance 6
Sound 7
Light 4
Total 6


Atrocity (by SD)

Atrocity is the co-headliner of the evening (they even get more time than the headliner). I had to hurry to see them on time, because relaxing in the park was more what I needed after the long trip. It seems that many German people came to see this band. From the front till the back the arena it was very crowded.


Music

They start with a powerful intro. The voice of  Alexander Krull is extremely powerful and the sound of the rest of the band is very good. When I saw them for the first time they just had their first gig of the European Tour this year, and now I hear a much more professional sound. It almost seems as if their front man doesn’t need any microphone. Live Kristine also appears in some songs. The beautiful ballad “Send me an Angel” makes the atmosphere between the band and the audience much warmer. The band shows a lot of energy in their way of playing: the drums and guitars are strong and there is nothing to complain about that. When they play a cover of Marilyn Manson the audience is exited and also the song “Shout” brings it all to a higher level.


Performance

With his long hair and heavy voice Alexander is impressive enough to keep the show interesting. With help from his wife Liv, the show gets a deeper dimension. The contrast in both voices is a strong part of the band. A nice detail is that they have two cage dancers in the back of the stage, it was a bit hard to see how they were moving though.
Thomas’s point of view:
Before their show began they installed some cages on the stage. The whole stage was like their outfits and instruments, silver metal and black leather… In the front of the stage a real big microphone stand was placed with a stylized “A” on it. Together with the band two female dancers performed on stage. In best heavy metal style Alex was banging his long hairs and running over the stage. The dancers shook their bodies and played with Alex. The audience enjoyed what they saw on stage. During the songs “rage hard”, “Deutschmaschine” and “send me an angel” Alex was supported by his wife Liv Kristine. While it was getting darker the lightshow lived up to one’s name. For the first time that day you could see some coloured lights on stage. The audience cheered when Atrocity left the stage after an energetic show.

Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 7
Sound: 7
Light : 6
Total: 7


Tristania (by SD)

Tristania was the headliner of the evening and they had beautiful weather. When they entered the stage it was dark, but dry. They had a busy year being a support act for Kreator and Nightwish and now they did their first headlining festival in Europe.


Music

They played a lot of new songs from the record starting with the heavy song “Libre.”  Immediately the atmosphere was there: raw, dark and I had the feeling it would be a memorable night. It was, because the sound was perfect. I heard many people complaining in the past that they couldn’t hear the voice of Vibeke. Well this time every voice was on top of the sound mix. In my opinion it was even better then on the record. There was only one bad thing on the show. Because of the fact that Atrocity took so much time with the sound check, Tristania could only play fifty minutes. Too short for a headliner and a shame for them, because they flew over for this performance. They were confused and that was good to see on their faces.


Performance

Maybe it had to do with the video cameras or the big stage and the nice surroundings, but it was all very detailed. The little front man Kjetil who always is very energetic and having a great time: screaming and moving, running around and playing with the audience, he did it all. Totally different was the attitude of Osten. The strength is his voice: he just stands there and with his eyes he is looking for contact with the audience. Vibeke made the chemistry complete with her movements and her melancholic voice. It was all perfect this time. It was in the air and it was good to see that the people were really into the songs. The other members played very well and were a strong base. It was a shame that they couldn’t play longer, but they can be proud, because they were stronger then ever.


Setlist

01. Libre
02. World of Glass
03. Beyond the Veil
04. Tender Trip
05. Wretched
06. Sequel
07. Circus
08. Angel lore

Rating
Music: 9
Performance: 9
Sound: 10
Light : 8
Total: 9

Apoptygma Berzerk (by TA)

In the meanwhile Thomas hurried to be on time on the other location. The final station for this evening was the Agra Halle to see Apoptygma Berzerk from Norway. They began about one hour later this evening, because of computer problems on stage. The audience filled up with electro followers who waited in front of the stage while they repaired their pc's to start the show.


Music

The electro band from Norway entered the stage well humoured, and you could not see anything from the problems with their equipment before the show. This evening front man Stephan Groth played together with a drum player, 2 guitar players and the keyboarder Geir Bratland. During their live performance their sound was dominated by the 2 guitars and some synthesiser blasts. They played some songs like “Unicorn” and “Kathy´s song” and the audience celebrated their sound in the Agra. I think the life performance from Apoptygma Berzerk was the first really big highlight for the 14th  WGT .


Performance

The performance this evening was quieter then in the Parkbühne with those rock bands; dark and scanty lights during the entire performance. Most of the performance was done by the front man and the keyboard player. The total time of their set was a bit short, I think because of the problems at the beginning. But they finally played 3 encores and the fans enjoyed what they presented on stage.


Rating

Music 7
Performance 6
Sound 7
Light 5
Total 6 (6,3)




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