The day of departure. These are the days when you wake up and ask yourself "what did I just go through?". This question is usually reserved to reflect on the trip you just finished while it is still in your memory fresh. In one way its meant to help the visitor have a better understanding why they came in the first place. In all my visits, Montreal has to be the most familiar place I have been to without never being there. The cars, the city, and even the local people and establishments seem to have a certain familiarity from where I am from.
This trip came about unexpected and was a "on-the-spot" moment that I normally don't do. I also relearned one of the core lessons about Metal Festival Rules (buying the Metal Fest ticket in advance instead of waiting until the last minute). I hope what you see here is something to be learned but most important, should something happen in your trip, you can always improvise.
As I packed my bags in my hostel and departed for the 747 Express Bus Stop, the long ride allowed me to view Montreal one more time. When I got to the airport, the US Customs folks were on the Canadian side waiting to check if I was bringing back anything I shouldn't, making my trip even more convenient as once I arrived to America, all I had to do was grab my checked luggage and head off home.
The day after the PPM Fest. It was a peaceful start to the next journey of my tour. When I went to Wacken 2009 & the Euro Metal Fest Tour 2011, the day after the festivals were hectic, as the 2009 Edition of Wacken I woke up to a fire 10 feet away from my tent, and the 2011 Edition of Wacken I woke up at 4:00AM so me and my best friends can beat the traffic, with the rain pounding the living shit out of the camp grounds & the 2011 Edition of Brutal Assault saw me and some newly made friends camp out in a train station on the last night, with many of the other campers not too far behind us. Waking up at the PPM Fest provided a unusual calm I haven't experienced before at a campground, and it was a huge difference. I soaked in the camp site one more time before breaking down my tent.
I6Z6A6N NOTE: This was posted on January 3, 2013, but the date reflected on the top is for organizational purposes.
The morning after the last full day of Barge to Hell. Just like my previous Metal Festival experiences, this is the day when you leave behind a magical place that can't be replicated. When you look around and see people who understand and get what you're all about, and realize your going back to "civilization", it's a terrible feeling but a necessary evil as moments like these don't happen often for Metal fans (unless you're in Europe, lucky bastards \m/). With this negative feeling comes a positive memory that will remain in the mind for a very long time.
Looking back, the trip was unique but familiar, as it was my first Metal Cruise (and my first cruise ever). To say I had anticipations of what to expect would be an understatement, as my mind was flooded with expectations that were beyond all my Metal experiences, and that's a lot of Metal.
After everything was said and done, it was a \m/ HEAVY \m/ experience that left 4 days missing from my life. It also allowed me a chance to look deep inside myself in a way I never had a chance to do so, and changed me in a way that as of this writing, I still can't figure out.
Onward, to the final chapter of the Barge.
December 7, a day that will live in infamy. While the history books indicates this was the day of the Pearl Harbor Attack, another historical moment was in the making. A historic moment made of Steel. This was the day the Barge to Hell was officially over, ending another successful chapter in the History of Metal.
Upon waking up, the boat was already docked in the starting point of this journey, the Port of Miami, with all the Metalheads either still asleep or waking up and taking advantage of the breakfast the vessel offered before heading off to the next part of their journey (and for some, it was a long one).
The next day, after freezing my ass off in my tent, I awoke to our campground coming to life, and of course, had to have something to start it off right. The REAL Havana Club, straight from Cuba.
One of the many spectacles at Wacken Open Air are the Firefighters Brass Band, which is one of Wackens many staples that everyone has come to enjoy.
An unintentional benefit at Wacken is having pretty ladies help you with the purchase of your schwag.
Wacken had its own outlet store where the goods of previous years are available at a discounted price, this is what we call a Metalheads bargain bin. Right next to it was the Poker Tent where Metalheads can take a chance and win some (or lose some, it's all the same to me, and so sayeth the Lemmy von Motörhead) their spending money.
When I was last in Wacken in 2009, the tent was very small, but this year, it has grown up to become a monstrosity that houses the wrestling ring and one of the smaller stages (the Bullhead City Stage).
Nothing says scary circus more than a creepy dude welcoming you to the entertainment, attraction, and bearded ladies (or in this case, bearded vikings running amok).
This was my first time seeing Onslaught, and there's a good reason why they are the legends... putting on a hell of a performance.
After the Onslaught gig, I saw the same ladies from my last visit to Wacken who were promoting a contest. Even now, I still don't know what that contest is or what is it about, but the chicks promoting it were doing a excellent job as always (and if somebody wants to tell me, please do so at i6z6a6n@hotmail.com).
Remember the smaller viking ship from earlier? These are some of the fine beverages it was serving. The first one is the Wickinger Blut Knochen Shot (Viking Blood Bone Shot), the other was the Wacken Blut (Wacken Blood). Nothing screams HEAVY METAL than some blood from A Viking and a Cow Skull.
Bagpipes and kilts, seems Scrooge McDuck decided to get in on the action.
This day was one of the important days of the trip since it was Matt Barlow of Iced Earth last concert and it was an amazing gig. When the band left the stage, it was the end of a legacy that ended on a very epic note.
Many thanks for the years of good music Matt, you will not be forgotten.
After an intense concert of the likes I haven't experienced in some time, I needed to drown my thirst with the holy water that is the Wacken water.
Mambo Kurt is one of Wacken's legends due to his approach in converting Metal tunes (plus punk and pop tunes) to lounge-style music and all the while pulling it off as a one man show. In this gig, he destroyed a Nintendo DS, with the crowd cheering the slaughter.
The cows near the farm wanted to see Mambo Kurt smash up a DS too.
The Large Viking Ship at night was amazing to look at, and it forced one to come in close to get a better look at the ladies serving the brew.
This was my 2nd time seeing Motörhead (my first time was in Wacken 2009), and as always, the Killmaster delivered the goods with his crew.
The reason we were behind the entrance gate is because the staff locked it up and asked people to go to another entrance. I decided to plop myself there since I was tired of all the walking I did throughout the weekend.
To end my Wacken 2011 appropriately, a huge fire erupted during Motörheads performance. This was my last memory of Wacken 2011, and a proper ending it was.
Now it's time to talk about the goods I picked up during my tenure in Europe.
First up are the goodies (the little figurines and shot glass) I bought in Prague for friends and family. The bottle of Bozkov Tuzemsky was also purchased in Prague and bought as a gift for a good friend of mines, as tempted as I was to keep it for myself =P . The brown frame with the skulls and bones and gray skull was purchased at Kostnice Sedlec and is all mine. A cliff note about the castle on the far end with the tall tower was purchased in Vienna as a last minute gift I almost forgot to buy for a relative of mines.
As with any Metal Festival, the first order of business is to plop down your camp gear and set up a tent. This is the equivalence of a dog marking his/her territory with its urine, different species, same approach (urine and all). I managed to "enhance" the experience of camping by purchasing the Brutal Assault VIP Camp bracelet which was a gated section with 24/7 security, lighting, and even dedicate port-a-potty's and port-a-sinks (which were cleaned and refilled at regular intervals) for exclusive use of the VIP campers. Definitely recommended.
The next order of business is to pick up your bracelet as this will grant you access to the key parts of the festival. Without it, you will be like a toothless tiger. You get a goodie bag with some key essentials that will make your visit to the festival as smooth as possible, if you want to call smooth freezing your ass off in your tent and getting soaking wet to catch a band you have never seen before.
They provided a "T(h)rash" bag to help keep the camp sites clean. Gotta do your part if you want to make these festivals a fun and "clean" (loosely using the term =P ) as possible. Heck, they even recycled the 2010 bags and re-deployed them to the front line for the 2011 edition of this festival.
They also gave the mandatory Brutal Assault sticker. This is standard issue gear (if you want to be considered a Metal festival/band/store/etc.) to put in your mirror/office/locker/any place you deem worthy/etc.
One of the items that came with the bracelet was a lanyard with a booklet that had key info on the festival and some free crucial coupons that hanged around your neck. Plus it helps that it makes you feel like a roadie a la Eddie Riggs or one of the band members performing at the festival, although it won't get you backstage, but still, the feeling is there. A side note, this lanyard with the booklet is why Brutal Assault will one day become one of the premier Metal Festivals not only in Europe, but the world. Actually, considering the 2012 line up, looks like they have made it to the promise land.
First up on the "Holy Booklet of Brutality" was the lineup times and days when all the bands performed. This is something many Metal festivals (all of them if they don't have this in place) can take from as it is proven time and again to give the running order of when a band plays for the Metal fans who were either too lazy or rushed into making their trek to the battlefields.
Than you had your "mini-me" version of a catalog merchandise to show you the goods they had for sale. You also had the opening hours of the places (like the merch stands, the electronics charging stations, horror cinema, etc.) that make going to a Metal festival much more comfortable.
It also told you the times of the meet-and-greets, so you can go into fanboy/fangirl mode. It also showed you who was sponsoring this festival, and aside the usual suspects (Jägermeister), you also had Metal Shop, which is a kick ass store, but why did it have to be all the way in the Czech Republic (jokingly of course).
Than you got the map, which showed you where everything is, if you know how to read maps and know where north is, getting lost wouldn't be a problem, unless your alcohol/drug consumption was on the heavy side.
Remember those free crucial coupons I told you about? Here they are. For those who spoke the tongue of the native land and English, it will explain everything why they are so crucial. I know I didn't utilize them, but since I had lots of spending money to work with, this was a necessary sacrifice. Why did I sacrifice free booze? For you the reader who took time to visit my neck of the woods in cyberspace\m/
I procured these while at Brutal Assault, and aside from the lovely lady who served me a wonderful beverage, she gave me Jägermeisters answer to Hawaiian Leis.
The next 2 items I purchased came with a Nuclear Blast bag and Magazine, which goes to show the folks who sponsor these festivals know how to reach out to the audience and enhance the experience.
First up is the Brutal Assault allover Double-Headed Eagle shirt. This shirt acts in 2 capacities; 1) It makes a great allover shirt and 2) it's like one of those douche-bag shirts you see at the Dolphin Mall all the time, which allows me to blend in with the outsiders.
Next is the main festival shirt. This is a mandatory piece of armory as festival shirts, like the festival bracelet, will indicate to all you went (as in survived) the festival emblazoned on your chest and back.
Then there's the Brutal Assault cups. Like in Wacken, if you bought the cup and returned it to one of the many beer stalls, they'll give you another cup without charging the deposit. They only had 1 design, but this design is "Screaming for Vengeance" \m/
Remember the lanyard that held the booklet that was worthy of being hanged around the neck of the worlds greatest roadie? They also sold a cup holder that can attach itself either to your belt or the lanyard so you can free your hands for a moment or two to either take a pic/flash the horns at someone/look at a hot women, and it even gives the whole lanyard a Metal kick in its visual aspect.
