I got into metal kinda late. I was into the shitty radio rock and nu metal and all that, but I didn’t really get into the seedy underground until I was 15 or 16. Not like the old schoolers who listened to metal since age five or ten. I can’t play an instrument. I can’t sing. I got nothing. Well, that’s not true. I have passion. I love metal. It sounds cliché and cheesy, but heavy metal has been the anchor in my life.
Manowar’s “The Gods made Heavy Metal” could be my theme song or something.
This song started my fest addiction!
I’ve been lucky. When I was 15, turning 16, one of my birthday presents was an Iron Maiden comp. One of the bonus tracks was the Rock in Rio version of “Fear of the Dark.” I think I listened to that song every night, hoping one day I could attend something that epic. Hearing the audience’s collective voice almost drown out Bruce Dickinson just had me completely in awe. I could hear the camaraderie. Almost four years later, my Maiden dream was a reality. At 19 years old, some friends and I trekked across Germany to attend Wacken and Party.San 08. Fests, let me tell you, are a more addictive and expensive experience than tattoos. I saw Maiden and Fear of the Dark in 2008. It was everything I had hoped. World drama, language barriers, life bullshit, all of it was put aside for that one singular moment, when 60,000+ voices echoed across the German countryside. The whole experience brought tears to my eyes. Metal does that sometimes. And sometimes, music can be so transformative and emotional that it changes something inside…
Those two fests changed what I thought about metal. This global, bonding experience. Every single person I met was my new friend. We drank beers, shouted lyrics, napped on the lawn. Some of the friends I made in 2008 are still close friends. Like I have always said- there is NO experience that compares to a European fest. I’ve since been to MDF 09, 10 and 11 (this year) and while Ryan and Evan do an amazing job, a European fest is otherworldly.
All that said, I am ecstatic to announce that I, The Pitgoddess of Scrapyard magazine am going to Hellfest 2011! Our own Dangrind is going to be playing his first ever fest with POSSESSED and I want to be there to see it! This is a very long winded way to announce that there will be a huge Hellfest diary coming end of June/July. I could not be more excited or proud. J
:) :) :) :)
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