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Zum dritten Mal verfolge ich den alljährlichen Bandcontest im Tanzschuppen meiner Wahl:



Oh, sorry, ich meinte natürlich das Steinbruch-Theater in Darmstadt, welches wieder anderthalb Dutzend Bands die Chance gibt, sich in einem knallharten Wettkampf um eine ordentliche Finanzspritze und einen Support-Slot für namhaftere Bands zu verdienen. Die Mittwochabende im Oktober sind allesamt reserviert für die Vorrunden: Pro Abend steigen vier bis fünf Kapellen auf die Bühne und versuchen, sich die Gunst der Zuhörerschaft zu erspielen. Für zwei Truppen geht es weiter ins Halbfinale, der Rest hat bestenfalls noch die Chance auf krankheit-/unfallbedingte Ausscheider.

Für den ersten Abend wurden sämtliche Bands gegeneinander gesetzt, welche in die Kategorie "Rock" fallen - die späteren Vorrunden fassen dann die -corebands und Metalorchester zusammen. "Rock" ist damit ernst gemeint - Röhren, Schweinegrunzen und infernalisches Geschrei sind heute fehl am Platze. Schade eigentlich ...


Applaus, Applaus, das wird heute wieder eine tolle Show heute Abend ...

Der Ansager und Oberschiri des Abends, DJ Doom, führte uns durch das Programm - statt fünf Bands gibt es heute nur vier, und jede hat 30 Minuten Zeit, die Zuschauerstimmen einzufangen. Man durfte/musste/konnte für zwei Bands votieren, die Erststimme zählte doppelt, so einfach geht das.




1. Band
Anny .

So schnell kann es gehen, gestern noch legten Vaderund die Kreischsägen von Marduk den Bruch beinahe in Schutt und Asche, heute stehen Anny . (mit Punkt) auf der Bühne. Die versuchten es mit poppigen Rock und deutschen Texten. Anhören kann man sich das auf ihrer Webseite ... zumindest theoretisch, denn live gefiel mir diese Art von Tonkunstdarbringung eher weniger, bis gar nicht.


Anny. In. Aktion.

Unter uns - das hatten wir schon letztes Jahr mit In-Human . Feuerzeug, softe Texte, Hände zur Decke empor gestreckt - ich kann mich dafür leider Gottes nicht begeistern. Was ich aber aus Konzerterfahrungen weiß, ist, dass gute Bands die Zuschauer nicht auffordern, die Feuerzeuge auszupacken - entweder tun die das automatisch, oder sie lassen es. Anny. brachten reichlich Support mit und sollen dem Hörensagen nach viel Zeit mit Werben verbracht haben - jedenfalls findet man öfters Aufkleber von ihnen in der Innenstadt. Positiv anzumerken ist, dass die Jungs professionell und souverän auftreten und nichts verkrampft wirkt. Eben halt nicht mein Geschmack. Als Lokalmatadoren waren Anny. aber auch so auf meine Stimme nicht angewiesen.


2.Band

Crystal Finch

Ihre offizielle Webpräsenz ließ nichts Gutes erwarten. Heruntergelassene Hosen, Spiegelsonnenbrillen und Atzenlook - gut, die heutige Jugend, wir waren früher ja auch nicht weniger affig unterwegs. Crystal Finch aus Egelsbach betonen ausdrücklich, einen Schuss Heavy Metal zu ihren Songs hinzuzugeben. Nun denn ...


Goldener Käfig, Leute ...

Live sieht das nicht so prickelnd aus. Sicher, einige Passagen sind souverän heruntergezockt, aber der Gesang war gräßlich. Ehrlich, meine Begleitungen fanden das Gegniedel in Ordnung, aber dann kam der Text, und der wurde nicht gerade angenehm vorgestragen. Songs wie "Valley of Ashes" hatten für mich nichts, was erinnerungswürdig war, höchstens dass ich mich an Damiera, Dance Gavin Dance und LoveHateHero erinnert fühlte. Ärgerlich fand ich "The Golden Cage" - wahrscheinlich ist damit der "goldene Käfig" gemeint, und der Ausbruch aus selbigen wurde schließlich auch besungen. Nur heißt der auf Englisch eigentlich "The Gilded Cage". Ich weiß, Übersetzungsfaschisten haben keine Freunde ...
Immerhin war das Gezocke annehmbar und erträglich, das fand auch die Jugendabteilung unter den Zuschauern. Nur am Gesang müsste ein wenig gefeilt werden.


3.Band

Mortal Existence

Wie mir aus sicherer Quelle zugetragen wurde soll es noch eine zweite Band gleichen Namens geben, zudem aus Langen, was auch quasi um die Ecke liegt. Die hier auftretenden Mortal Existence kommen aus Frankfurt, sind keine brachialen Knüppler, sondern verstehen sich als Progrocker im Stile von Symphony X , Dream Theater und Threshold - wie man auf ihrer Homepage nachlesen kann. Zu sechst geht es auf die Bühne, Sängerin Isa darf freihändig vortragen, dazu gibts einen Keyboarder.


Mortal Existence

Zu Recht beschwerte sich die Sängerin mit Dolchblick beim Soundmann, denn der erste Song wird durch böse Nebengeräusche verhunzt. Danach aber gibts endlich Angenehmes fürs Ohr - die Sängerin (immer ein Pluspunkt, IMMER) und ihre Kapelle wissen zu gefallen. Songs wie "Hexenhaus" hatten es in sich und bestachen durch Abwechslung im bisherigen Einheitsbrei des heutigen Abends. Ab und zu fühlte ich mich was das Keyboard anging an Eisregen erinnert, von denen waren Mortal Existence allerdings stiltechnisch und textinhaltlich Galaxien entfernt - gut so, das hätte auch irgendwie nicht gepasst.

Bis dahin die beste Vorstellung des Abends, und nur noch eine Band stand aus:

4. und letzte Band:

BLÄUEN SZööK

Ab einem gewissen Promillegrad verliest man sich schnell und denkt, hier würden heute Abend die Bläck Fööss auftreten. Oder eine dänische Eismarke. Tiersprachliches aus Köln oder nach Pappkarton schmeckendes Straciatella blieb uns erspart, stattdessen gabs Bock Rock aus Mainhattan.


Stimmt für uns, sonst Betonschuhe!

Mein erster Eindruck war, dass die Anzugträger schon ein wenig Druck auf dem Kessel hatten. Sechzehn Jahre schon sind sie im Geschäft, laut eigenen Angaben, länger so mancher Fan von Crystal Finch alt ist. Ihre Homepage versprach einiges, und sicherlich hat eine erfahrene Gruppe wie Bläuen Szöök jene Abgeklärtheit, welche den Jungspunden fehlte.

Und es ist wie schon bei Anny. auch dieses Mal nicht deren Schuld, wenn mir ihre Musik nicht zusagt. Drei Songs, bis zum vertrauenerweckenden "Spend More Time Naked", dann zog es mich trotz Nichtraucherseins in die Raucherecke. Ich war für den Abend auf Metal eingestellt, und nicht auf Rock.



DAS URTEIL

Fleißig sammelte man die Stimmzettel ein, ich trug an erster Stelle Mortal Existence und an zweiter Crystal Finch ein. Mit Anny. und Bläuen Szöök wusste ich nichts anzufangen, sorry.

"Dank" zweier ungültiger Stimmzettel rauschen Anny. am Tagessieg vorbei und werden Zweiter hinter Mortal Existence, beide mit ordentlichem Abstand zu dem Drittplatzierten. Bläuen Szöök haben noch die minimale Chance als Nachrücker, für Crystal Finch endet der diesjährige Bandwettbewerb. Zurück in den goldenen Käfig. Glückwunsch an die beiden Halbfinalqualifikanten.

Nächste Woche gibt es dann fünf Bands, diesmal aus dem Core-Sektor, u.a. die Bionic Ghost Kids und The Green River Burial . Das liegt mir schon mehr.

this are or were my favourite bands. i try to keep it chronologically, besides that i name for every band 3 albums:
1. the one that made me love the band
2.my favourite album when the band was one of my favourites
3.my favourite album now (only if i dont listen to the band much nowadays)

Manowar
1.Louder Than Hell
2.Louder Than Hell
3.Warriors of the World

Marilyn Manson
1.Eat Me, Drink Me
2.The Golden Age of Grotesque or Holy Wood

Endstille
1.Endstilles Reich
2.Navigator

Rammstein
1.Reise, Reise
2.Herzeleid

Lifelover
1.Pulver
2.Pulver

Subway to Sally
1.Herzblut
2.Hochzeit

Eisregen
1.Krebskolonie
2.Krebskolonie and Wundwasser

1349
1.Liberation
2.Beyond the Apocalypse

Lamb of God
1.Ashes of the Wake
2.Burn the Priest (originally released as "burn the priest")

So last.fm (or the staff thereof) has decided that enough is enough: trolling is now officially not ok. You may have seen the effects of this on some shoutboxes, you may have not - the latter being the idea, I suppose. But why? Have the 'intentional logical fallicies' really got to The Man? Are the moderators purple in the face and ready to kill after one too many 'ur faev band is geh''s?

I doubt it.

The only people who really care about that kind of bullshit are thirteen, or particularly insecure. Sure, I'm willing to concede that thin-skinned teenagers are the lifeforce of the internet (especially the social part), but are their feelings such a pressing concern to last.fm that entire posting histories of other users are the expense of their happiness?

Could it be, perhaps, that the powers-that-be are simply fed up of receiving poorly-worded, poorly-translated PM's from every fucker whose musical pride and joy has been in some way slighted by bigger boys? And that they now, for the sake of less pendulous inboxes, prowl where opinions would dare to gather, seeking to weed out the problem at its source? Surely the sensible option would be to send out pre-written warnings to offenders, taking as it would a similar amount of effort as the deletion of Everything You've Ever Posted On Last.Fm would (allegedly, it's done "with a single click in under 1 second"). But no. There's me off on one of my flights of fancy again. It's pure fiction to think a moderator would act in moderation, as opposed to just wading in, internet hard-on waving in the wind.

But what construes trolling? If I go to, say, Eisregen's last.fm page and say "This is dire", is that trolling? No, because I'm just telling people who don't care that I dislike the music of Eisregen. If, however, I was to go to Manowar's page, and post with a view to saying words to the effect of 'the notion of a 'true' metal is absurd', then I've trolled. And, naturally, my comments will be the price of my misdemeanour (not all of them, thank god, but still). Now, there's an interesting argument raging (somewhere) regarding the notion of Freedom Of Speech on last.fm, and I think it's pretty near the root of the problem. Some people want to treat the website like they'd treat any other site where strangers would be: with their opinions impaled on battlements for all to gaze upon. This not being enough, they'd want to lash their opinions to the back of a dung cart and then drag it through the town square on sunday, making sure everyone gets a good look.

By which tortured analogy I mean: they'll want to tell people what they think. And then when they take it too far, measures will be taken to stop this. And then they will decry said measures, insisting on their right to free speech. And those who enacted the measures will insist that what they have claimed is not so. And they will be right.

However, it comes back to the concept of moderation over enforcement. Sure, people don't have the right to freedom of speech on private websites. But they have the privilege to be able to tell people what they think. As I've heard so many times, they're called 'shoutboxes', not 'fanboxes'. Which I guess means that criticism should be expected, especially on a site devoted to music (music being the most common synonym for 'subjectivity').

There'll always be people who take...


...oh god.


The perspective...



I see it now.




In the grand scheme of life.....




Who cares what people think about bands?









I'm going outside.

1.How did you get into no.29?
Breaking Benjamin...I think a friend was really crazy about The Diary of Jane and made me listen to it :) great band!

2. What's the first song you ever heard by no.22?
Subway to Sally - Mephisto probably

3. Whats your favorite lyric by no.33?
'Cause I'm looking at you through the glass.
Don't know how much time has passed.
All I know is that it feels like forever (Stone Sour - Through Glass)

4. How did you get into no.49?
Strike Anywhere were the support band of Rise Against:)

5. How many albums by no.13 do you own?
umm...there are two albums by the Rolling Stones in my pc-library...but I do not own any original cd of them...shame on me :D

6. What is your favorite song by no.50?
Wohlstandskinder - Ein kleines Märchen ...nice lyrics ;)

7. Is there a song by no.39 that makes you sad?
AFI - Endlessly She Said... :'-(

8. What is your favorite song by no.15?
Danko Jones - When Will I See You or First Date...both great songs :)

9. What is your favorite song by no.5?
Anti-Flag? Die For Your Government! or Turncoat. Or One Trillion Dollars. I don't know :D many really good songs!

10. Is there a song by no.6 that makes you happy?
Placebo...when I think about it, it seems that they only have sad or melancholical songs ôÔ

11. What is the worst song by no.40?
Jack Johnson does not have bad songs :D they are all so nice and beautiful :)

12. What is your favorite song by no.10?
Green Day - She's a Rebel i think, but they have many great songs as well^^

13. What is a good memory you have involving no.30?
The Offspring were at Rock Am Ring 2008 and it was my first RaR, so it was greeaat!

14. What is your favorite song by no.38?
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Snow :)

15. Is there a song by no.19 that makes you happy?
Slipknot...hard one^^...Before I Forget, because it reminds me of an old friend that I really love and hope to see again soon...

16. Is there a song by no.25 that makes you sad?
The Killers - For Reasons Unknown

17. What is the first song you ever heard by 23?
Kilians - The Lights Went Off I think...Don't really know much from this band

18. What's your favorite lyric by no.11?
Must it take a life for hateful eyes
To glisten once again? (Flogging Molly - Drunken Lullabies)

19. Who is a favorite member of no.1?
Rise Against? Tim McIlrath because he has just the best voice ever :) *shivers*

20. Is there a song by no.14 that makes you happy?
Die Ärzte - Hurra, Westerland, Junge, many...^^

21. What is a good memory involving no.27?
Good memories of Rammstein? ôO hmmmm...well, both, my mum and my dad love this band. I think that is a good memory :)

22. What is your favorite song by no.16?
Mando Diao - Ochrasy :) a song to dream :)

23. What is the first song you ever heard by no.47?
Irie Révoltés - Soleil. It is also the only song I really like by this band, because they sing in french and I hate french :D

24. What is your favorite album by no.18?
Eisregen - Blutbahnen :) this band has just the most morbid and dark lyrics :]

25. What is your favorite song by no.21?
Zebrahead - The Juggernauts or Hello tormorrow. But all in all this is not one of my favourite bands^^

26. What is the first song you ever heard by no.26?
My father listens a lot to Black Sabbath, so I think I heard many songs when I was a child ;) But as I can remember it might be Black Sabbath

27. What is your favorite album by no.3?
Farin Urlaub - Endlich Urlaub! But Die Wahrheit Übers Lügen is just as well

28. What is your favorite song by no.2?
Die Toten Hosen...favourite? hmm...every? :D no there are really too many, sorry ;)

29. What was the first song you ever heard by no.32?
Beatsteaks - Hello Joe (on mtv or so)

30. What is your favorite song by no.8?
Marilyn Manson...also very hard to name one fav...If I Was Your Vampire...Sweet Dreams (cover I know)...Just A Car Crash Away...Count to 6 and Die...The Beautiful People...argh have to stop :D

31. How many times have you seen no.17 live?
Papa Roach? Once I think as 'support band' of Iron Maiden^^ ...I had the chance to see them again at RaR in 08, but they played at the same time as Placebo...too bad.

32. Is there a song by no.44 that makes you happy?
I only have the soundtrack of The Lion King by Hans Zimmer, and every song of them makes me happy :)

33. How did you get into no.12?
Volbeat...I think a friend once sent me a song by them...I did not really like it and nearly forgot it...but then another friend sent me a song and I really liked this one, so I got more songs by this band and now I really love Volbeat :)

34. What is the worst song by no.45?
Worst song by 36 Crazyfists? hm. Don't know, I only have 11 and I like everyone of them^^

35. What was the first song you ever heard by no.34?
Schandmaul - Das Duell

36. What was the first song you ever heard by no.48?
Rob Zombie - Dragula as far as I can remember^^

37. How many times have you seen no.42 live?
Korn...Once at RaR :) GREAT performance =) the Korn circles :D

38. What is your favorite song by no.36?
Bob Marley - I Shot the Sheriff

39. What was the first song you ever heard by no.28?
by Down? I think Temptation's Wings, because it's the first track on the only cd I have by them :D

40. What is your favorite album by no.7?
Die schönste Sprache der Welt by Montreal...But I can't really say that I like this album more than Alles auf Schwarz :D Both have great tracks on it :)

41. Is there a song by no.31 that makes you happy?
Muff Potter - Die Guten, because it made a friend of mine really happy at a concert :)

42. What is your favorite album by no.41?
Tyrannosaurus Hives by The Hives

43. What is your favorite song by no.24?
Limp Bizkit - Behind Blue Eyes... :) Beautiful.

44. What is a good memory you have involving no.46?
I don't know, I don't really have memories linked with Mono & Nikitaman..but they always create a good mood :)

45. What is your favorite song by no.35?
Stone Sour - Through Glass

46. Is there a song by no.9 that makes you happy?
In Flames - Come Clarity. Don't know why.

47. What is your favorite album by no.4?
Böhse Onkelz - 20 Jahre Live in Frankfurt. Because I never had the opportunity to see them live :'-( Reunion? Please??

48. Who is your favorite member of no.37?
Foo Fighters? hm, Dave Grohl I think, since he's the only member I know :D

49. What is the first song you ever heard by no.43?
Don't know. The Gaslight Anthem - Old White Lincoln maybe, but I really don't know

50. What is your favorite song by no.20?
Billy Talent - Pins and Needles. But played live Red Flag for sure! I love it when they play this song live *woohooo*

When I visit a concert, the most important thing for me is getting autographs =)
Here is my collection:

Atargatis









I've got more of Atargatis, but the comments they wrote on it are to privat...sorry!

Amberian Dawn




Darkwell



Deathtiny



Delain




Eisregen



Epica








Krypteria



Lacuna Coil



LastDayHere



Leaves' Eyes/Liv Kristine








Passionworks



Queensberry






Yes, they are a pop band, but I like them xD

Tarja



Untoten

01. Eisregen - Vorabend der Schlacht
02. The Distance - Phase Two
03. Moonspell - Moon in Mercury
04. Bonded By Blood - Immortal Life
05. Hold X True - Coward
06. Ensiferum - Little Dreamer
07. Emeth - Folly And Weakness
08. Helheim - Jernskogen
09. Nunslaughter - Death by the Dead
10. Benümb - Intergration
11. Kreator - Pleasure to Kill (live)
12. Nasum - Fight Terror With Terror
13. Behemoth - At the Left Hand ov God
14. Brutal Truth - I See Red
15. Ni Ju San - Antinquisation (Live)
16. Matchbook Romance - Monsters
17. Sick of It All - Disco Sucks Fuck Everything
18. Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Centipede
19. Beatsteaks - Hey Du! (live)
20. Aborym - Metal Striken Terror Action
21. Raunchy - Show Me Your Real Darkness
22. Bloc Party - Positive Tension

2009:

-

2010:

15.01.2010 Eric Fish Alles im Fluss
18.01.2010 Imperium Dekadenz Procella Vadens
20.01.2010 Versailles Jubilee
22.01.2010 Varg Blutaar
17.02.2010 Finntroll Nifelvind
19.02.2010 Unheilig Grosse Freiheit
30.04.2010 Eisregen Schlangensonne

Eisbrecher TBA
Happy Days The Wackness
Helrunar ?
Schock ?


?

ASP ?
Eisblut ?

Today I want to show you my Top 25 of bands I love!!

1.Atargatis

....

2.Untoten

I like their style, music and lyrics! Great band!

3.Leaves' Eyes

Great music, can't wait for their new album!!

4.Eisregen

Extreme music - that's why I love them!

5.Haggard

Their earlier stuff is amazing!!!

6.Elis

R.I.P. Sabine!! I'll never forget you!

7.Darkwell

I don't like the sound that much, but the voice is the best^^

8.After Forever

It was such a great band :(

9.Sirenia

Monika was my favorite Sirenia singer...but I also like Aylin!

10.Stream of Passion

Their new album is just WOW!!!

11.Midnattsol

They are great!!

12.Imperia

Helena is one of my favorite singers!

13.Delain

I saw them live two times..great band!

14.Epica

Just Epica :)

15.Persephone

I can't listen to them everyday, because it makes me sad...

16.Nebelhexe

She's a great artist, I like her very much!!

17.Lacuna Coil

The first band I've seen live!

18.Amberian Dawn

I really love them, the new album is GREAT!

19.Theatre of Tragedy

I love everything Liv Kristine does/did.

20.Blutengel

Sometimes I like them, sometimes I hate them xD

21.Draconian

Beautiful dark music...

22.Xandria

One of the earliest Gothic Metal bands I've listened to.

23.Katra

I really like her voice!

24.Todesbonden

Wonderful music

25.Factory of Dreams

Interesting new project!!!

I hope you enjoyed this report! But it was not easy for me to make this list! But there are a few bands that MUST be mentioned: Amatris,Anubiz,Within Temptation (:D),Sinphonia,Dawn of Destiny,Erben der Schöpfung,The Flaw,....

Dark Greetinx, your

Ice Queen