LIVE REVIEW – MILWAUKEE METALFEST (PART 2) 

Part 2: Friday May 17th, 2024

Since the event didn’t start until the afternoon, I woke up early to explore Milwaukee. I wandered through the Historical Third Ward district, stopped by Lakefront Brewery for a couple of pre-show beers, had a meal at the Milwaukee Public Market, strolled along the river in downtown Milwaukee, and checked out the bronze Fonzie statue from “Happy Days.” It was my first visit to Milwaukee, and I was struck by the friendliness of the people, the beauty of the city, and the quality of the craft beer. I enjoyed it so much that I tried to extend my stay by a few days before heading to the Maryland Death Fest the following weekend. Unfortunately, I couldn’t change my flights as there were no available seats on later flights. Looking ahead, though, I think it’s safe to say I’ll be back next year.

I arrived at The Rave / Eagles Club around 1:30pm, and it looked even more impressive in the daylight. It was a massive concert venue filled with heavy metal goodness this weekend. Getting into the festival was smooth each day, which isn’t always the case at events like this—check mark for that. My first priority was to snag a long-sleeve festival shirt with all the bands listed on the back. Unfortunately, this turned out to be my first negative experience at Milwaukee Metal Fest. There were two extremely long lines, each leading to a single employee handling all aspects of sales. All festival-specific merchandise and band merch were lumped together, making it a slow process for the lone salesperson to locate shirts and sizes. People started cutting into the lines, which added to the frustration.

After waiting for an hour and 20 minutes, I finally got my shirt. It seemed like adding 1-2 extra staff members could have sped things up significantly. Despite the long wait on Friday, I decided to stay because I assumed the lines would be similar each day. However, it turned out to be a rookie mistake as there were limited lines on Saturday and Sunday. That said, many attendees mentioned that certain shirts and sizes had sold out early.

The first show I attended took place on the third floor in the main hall, marking the beginning of my weekend stair-climbing odyssey at The Rave/Eagles Club. Navigating between venues involved constant ascents and descents of stairs. While I didn’t spot any elevators in the building, there must surely be some available. It’s advisable to inquire about accessibility options beforehand if you have limited mobility. Night Demon was already on stage when I arrived; having seen them play only cover songs at Texas’ Hell’s Heroes festival a few months earlier, I was eager to hear their original material this time. A standout moment of any Night Demon performance is their infectious and memorable song ‘The Chalice’, where their mascot, dressed in black with glowing eyes, joins them on stage. With only a 25-minute set, they managed to perform 6 songs, including 2 tracks from their latest album Outsider: ‘Obsidian’ and ‘Outsider’. The main concert hall, which could accommodate a large audience, appeared about half-full during the 3:50 PM show. Throughout the weekend, the hall was never completely packed, although some shows attracted larger crowds than others.

I dashed down the stairs to catch 1-2 songs from the Nunslaughter set at the Century Media stage, before I hurried back up to the IndieMerch stage to catch the Power Metal band Visigoth, who’s start time was delayed. It had been a few years since I last saw Visigoth, with their latest album released in 2018, so I was eager to see them again, and they did not disappoint. Vocalist Jake Rogers’ voice soared above the twin guitars’ shredding. The songs were catchy, and the band was incredibly tight. Like many afternoon bands, Visigoth was limited to a 25-minute set. They focused mostly on their 2018 album Conqueror’s Oath, performing tracks like ‘Outlive Them All’, ‘Steel And Silver’, and ‘Traitor’s Gate’.

Friday’s band lineup heavily featured power metal and traditional metal bands, setting a distinct theme for the day. Saturday leaned heavily towards death and black metal, while Sunday showcased a concentration of modern “core” or “alt-metal” bands. Day passes were available for individual days if you wanted to attend a single day, or you could opt for a three-day pass to enjoy the entire festival. I did notice some differences in the crowd composition each day suggesting fans were using festival day passes.

Next on the schedule was the mighty Incantation at 5:55 PM, set for a 30-minute performance on the Century Media Stage. Unfortunately, they started late, which meant I couldn’t catch their entire set because Overkill was scheduled to begin at 6:20 PM upstairs on the main stage, and I didn’t want to miss any of their songs. Despite my abbreviated time at the show, Incantation delivered a powerful performance, with band leader John McEntee’s vocals cutting through the heavy, guitar-driven riffs and thunderous drums. I was treated to tracks like ‘Carrion Prophecy’, ‘Shadows Of The Ancient Empire’, and ‘Concordat (The Pact) I’.

It was disappointing to have to leave early again, a recurring theme throughout the day due to delays in all the band start times. The staggered delays among the three stages made it challenging to predict when to leave one performance to ensure arrival at the next on time. This was my main critique of the festival: each day saw more delays than I typically encounter at other festivals worldwide, even outdoor ones that contend with weather issues. The delays were particularly troublesome on Friday and Sunday, causing me to miss some of the bands I had been eager to see. It was unclear why these delays persisted, especially since the festival organizers didn’t have to contend with outdoor conditions.

I headed back to the main stage to catch the thrash legends, Overkill. This marked Bobby Blitz’s second performance in as many days, following his appearance at the pre-party jam on Thursday with the Jasta band, where they played a few classic Overkill tracks. With a tight 40-minute set ahead of them, Overkill wasted no time launching into ‘Scorched’ from their latest album, followed by ‘Electric Rattlesnake’ and ‘Hello From The Gutter’. Bobby Blitz’s vocals were as powerful as ever, reminiscent of their peak in the mid-80s. The excitement in the audience peaked when Overkill delivered a flurry of live classics, including ‘Ironbound’, ‘Rotten To The Core’, ‘Elimination’, and closed with their signature anthem, ‘FU’. Overkill’s performance was flawless, showcasing their mastery with effortless precision. For me, it was easily the standout set of day one, with Blind Guardian and Autopsy coming in a close second and third.

It was time for my first show in the smallest venue, where Heathen was set to perform on the Martyrstage. Upon arrival, the venue was already overflowing into the hallways, with no clear way to get inside. This intimate venue, which likely held around 200 people, posed a constant challenge for festival-goers. I managed to enter through a side door and found a spot beside members of the band Hatriot at side stage. Due to the delayed start of Overkill and the struggle to enter the venue, I missed much of Heathen’s set, but I caught their brilliant 9-minute epic ‘Hypnotized’.

About forty-five minutes later, Havok took the stage in the same packed venue, but it was impossible to squeeze in. Fans held open the venue doors, and people listened from the halls, unable to see the performance. While this venue suited many bands on the lineup, popular acts like Heathen and Havok clearly needed a larger space. I would have liked to see Hammerfall, but they were scheduled at the same time as the delayed Overkill and Heathen sets.

Feeling hungry, I grabbed a couple of pizza slices from the food truck area. There was a decent variety of food options available in the front outdoor space, though some were better than others. It was refreshing to eat outdoors and enjoy some fresh air, especially since the indoor concert venues could get quite warm when crowded. It was a great opportunity to chat with other metal fans, although with so many fantastic bands playing back-to-back, there wasn’t much time to linger here. Typically, I had lunch outside the venue before arriving and relied on the onsite food trucks in the evening. Now fueled up, I was ready to tackle the next five bands of the night.

I made my way back up the stairs to the IndieMerch stage to catch the progressive metal legends Symphony X, and they delivered an outstanding performance. The band heavily featured songs from their 2015 album Underworld, opening with ‘Nevermore’. Crowd favorites included ‘Set The World On Fire (The Lies of Lies)’ as the closing piece, and the exceptional and personal favorite ‘Sea Of Lies’ from The Divine Wings Of Tragedy album. Vocalist Russell Allen was phenomenal, showcasing his powerful voice and impressive dynamic range. Guitarist Michael Romeo, known as one of the best in the prog/power metal scene, commanded the stage with shredding solos and emotive guitar lines. Their set provided a refreshing change of pace for the day.

Unable to catch Havok, I headed over to watch Doro perform at the Century Media stage. The venue was packed to the brim with fans eagerly awaiting the Metal Queen’s show. This marked my third time seeing Doro live in the past year (also at Hell’s Heroes and Wacken Open Air), and her passion for performing and delivering an exceptional show remains evident even after forty years in the industry. It’s always a pleasure to see Chris Caffery, guitarist of Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra, play alongside Doro; his skillful playing adds another layer to her performance. The audience enthusiastically sang along to every song, creating a vibrant and communal atmosphere. The show was billed as a special Warlock set, featuring classic Warlock tracks like ‘All We Are’, ‘Burning The Witches’, ‘Earthshaker Rock’, ‘Hellbound’, and the crowd-favorite ‘I Rule The Ruins’. Doro‘s newly released song ‘Time For Justice’ was also well received alongside her classic hits. Personally, I’ve been enjoying Doro‘s latest album Conqueress – Forever Strong And Proud.

Next on the main stage was Kamelot. I must admit, I had lost touch with the band since vocalist Roy Khan’s tenure from 1998 to 2011, but I’ve always enjoyed their material. Kamelot is known for their rich, multi-layered symphonic power metal style. I was pleasantly surprised to see them bring their massive touring stage show, although it did contribute to the day’s delays due to the lengthy set-up and removal process. The stage featured elevated risers arranged in a castle-like stone design, adding to the visual spectacle. The stunning lead vocalist of Ad Infinitum (Melissa Bonney) joined Kamelot on stage for 3-4 songs, showcasing her powerful voice which contrasted well with Kamelot vocalist Tommy Karevik. The only original member and guitarist, Thomas Youngblood, exuded charisma while delivering the band’s catchy riffs and shredding solos. Overall, I found myself enjoying the set more than expected, though I had to leave early to catch Autopsy next.

I made my way back downstairs to the Century Media stage to catch death metal legends Autopsy, who were performing a special 35th anniversary Severed Survival set. Despite arriving on time, the band started over an hour late, which was very frustrating. Autopsy spent a considerable amount of time on their sound check, particularly drummer and vocalist Chris Reifert, causing me to miss half of their set in order to make it upstairs to see the day’s headliner, Blind Guardian. It’s unclear if the band was being extra meticulous or if there were legitimate sound issues; part of the delay was likely due to the previous band finishing late on the same stage. Nevertheless, Autopsy proceeded to deliver a powerful performance, focusing on songs from their 1989 album Severed Survival. I was thrilled to hear tracks like ‘Charred Remains’, ‘Service For A Vacant Coffin’, ‘Disembowel’, and ‘Gasping For Air’.

Afterward, I had to hurry over to the Indie MerchStage for Blind Guardian’s set. It seems I’ve had some bad luck catching entire sets lately, as I only saw half of Autopsy’s performance at Hell’s Heroes in Texas due to extreme weather evacuations. Despite these challenges, Autopsy proved they haven’t lost any of their brutal and vicious edge over the years, delivering a live show that was just as intense as it was in their early days.

The day was winding down with the final band, Blind Guardian, a renowned mix of power and speed metal from Germany. Interestingly, I had seen them just 1-2 weeks earlier in Toronto on their current tour. They had an hour for their set tonight, which meant their usual tour setlist was trimmed down. The stage setup was minimalist compared to Kamelot and other bands, featuring just the drum kit and the band performing in the open space (similar to what Testament would later do the next day). It had a cool aesthetic.

They kicked off with one of my favorites, ‘Imaginations from the Other Side’, which instantly brought a smile to my face. They also performed ‘The Script For My Requiem’, another favorite from the same album. Classic tracks like ‘Nightfall’, ‘The Bard’s Song’, ‘Mirror Mirror’, and ‘Valhalla’ elicited massive audience participation, with singer Hansi often letting the crowd take over lead vocals. They also showcased two tracks from their latest 2022 album before wrapping up the night: ‘Violent Shadows’ and ‘Blood Of The Elves’. Despite hints of a cold affecting Hansi’s voice, he gave it his all, reaching 110%. As always, the band’s performance was exceptional, and I appreciated Hansi’s dry sense of humor inbetween songs. It was a fantastic set and a perfect conclusion to the day.

That concluded Day 1 of the 2024 edition Milwaukee MetalFest. I thoroughly enjoyed the day, thanks to a diverse lineup of metal bands delivering exciting performances. The two main stages offered excellent views from every angle in the venue. Despite frustrations with sound check delays, most bands managed to achieve good sound quality in the concert halls. The festival staff and security were efficient and pleasant to interact with throughout the day. Attendees were notably respectful, despite coming from diverse age groups and backgrounds, which created a welcoming atmosphere. It was refreshing to see such diversity among festival-goers.

The bands seemed to genuinely enjoy playing at the festival and expressed gratitude to Jamey Jasta for inviting them. Many shared nostalgic memories of performing at previous editions of the festival. As mentioned earlier, my main criticism pertains to the significant delays in starting times throughout the day and night. Given that this version of the festival is only in its second year, it appears organizers are still refining their approach to managing a large, multi-stage event. This was my fifth multi-day festival in 2024, and none of the others experienced such extensive delays. I hope this operational issue improves in the coming years because most other aspects of the festival were outstanding. 

Check out Part 1 here. Stay Tuned for Part 2 & Part 3 coming shortly.