It was another great lineup this year, almost too good as there were so many bands spread out over all the stages that some tough decisions had to be made. For the hardcore fans it was a dream come true with Hatebreed, Biohazard and Cro-Mags all on the same bill but with the sheer amount of bands on offer I didn't get a chance to see any of them. A couple of other bands I missed regretfully were Paradise Lost, Cathedral and Kvelertak. Oh, and Limp Bizkit and Coal Chamber played too. Yay!
Firstly I managed to catch the tail end of Turisas, a folk/power/battle metal band out of Finland, and despite the searing heat they were playing to a decent crowd and putting on a great show. They were kitted out in war paint, full costume and kicking ass. Props to them.
After that I made my way to the metal stage to catch the second half of Gojira. Loud, heavy and sludgy, these guys were awesome. For their last song Devin Townsend made his way on stage for guest vocals and what a performance. These guys are amazing. I'm so sad I missed the start of their show. Please come back.
Next on the list were In Flames. Second time I've seen them at Soundwave and I have to say their last appearance was better. I guess it's pretty safe to say that the old In Flames are well and truly dead and buried, and have been for a long time. They are a band who have no interest in the past, and of course it's up to them but their newer material is just not that good. Certainly it comes across better live, bar the vocals, but overall I think I should have spent my time at another stage.
Next up were Lamb of God who I have also now seen at two Soundwaves. Now LoG are the exact opposite of In Flames. Pure metal, no pretense, and absolute crowd pleasers. No shame in going all the way back to As the Palaces Burn for these guys, they gave the crowd exactly what they wanted. In fact, it was almost surprising considering they've just put out a new album the amount of older stuff they played but it's obvious they know what a festival crowd wants and they gave it. These guys come across as so genuine and passionate, I'll see them every time they're here.
Excuse the terrible photos here because for some reason there was a fuck-ton of sand and dust flying everywhere while LoG were playing. I wasn't even that far away but it's so hard to see the band from the dust storm that erupted when they started playing. In fact, the entire venue was a bit of a let down. The stages were much too far apart and there was plenty of walking to be done in the heat. Plus the terrain was so uneven which sometimes made it hard to get a good view. The previous Perth venue was better, but I guess Soundwave has outgrown it so we're stuck with the Showgrounds.
After Lamb of God it was back to the stage next door for Mastodon. One of my all time favourite bands and my first time seeing them! I think it's fair to say that Mastodon are more of a studio band, and it's a shame because their stage show is awesome. No banter, just a bunch of electro filler between songs and their energy and enthusiasm is genuine. At times their sound seems to get lost in a wall of distortion and noise, the vocals were especially muddy, but once the blistering riffs and underlying melodies kicked in they came through nice and fuzzy. Blood and Thunder near the end really got the crowd going and overall it was a great set.
The day was getting on, the sun was going down and the weather was cooling. It was time to head down to the main stages to catch the headliners. 3rd last was Marilyn Manson. I think Mastodon went a bit over because I only caught 3 Manson songs, and I guess everything I read and heard was true. It was a very lackluster performance. Maybe it was the heat, but I think MM just isn't a festival performer. The music was ok, but Manson was lethargic, complaining about the heat, and then about the crowd as their reaction matched his apathy. His vocals were downright terrible, and instead of closing song Beautiful People being the end of an amazing set it ended abruptly and fittingly closed out a weak performance.
Now we come to the best performance of the night. The crowd swelled and were so tightly packed in as the stage was set for Slipknot. These guys showed just how good a festival performance could be when done right. Admittedly it was now dark and much cooler, but it would still have been damn hot in those suits. You wouldn't have known though as Slipknot performed all of the crowd favourites in an amazing, energetic performance. There were pyros, crowd surfing, a spinning, rotating drum kit, great crowd participation and interaction. Just an amazing show. Slipknot aren't even one of my favourite bands but I knew they would put on a killer show and I wasn't wrong. Say what you will about them, I have gained such a massive respect for them after this show. They are so enthusiastic and genuinely loved being here and playing for their fans. It was an amazing set.
It was almost a shame that Slipknot didn't end the night as it was such an incredible performance. However the final band for the night were System of a Down, and they didn't disappoint either. Certainly their show isn't on the same level as that of Slipknot, but they were in fine form, playing all the classics and they had a superb sound. There's nothing more you can say about SoaD than that. They were great, the crowd lapped it up and it was great to see them out here.
So there it is. Another Soundwave done and dusted. Weary, sunburnt and dehydrated, we exited the Showgrounds for the end of another Soundwave. Although for me nothing will ever top last year's Soundwave where I got to see Iron Maiden and Slayer, two metal legends, Soundwave still delivers the goods. The best festival in Australia keeps going from strength to strength and long may it continue.
