Ozzfest 2005 Tour Review

Ozzfest 2005
Review

Ozzfest 2005 Banner

“As A Staple To Many A Headbanger, The Summer’s Never Complete Without Ozzfest!”

Reviewers: Karma E. Omowale, Sharita Lumpkin, and Erika Kristen Watt

Photos: Erika Kristen Watt

Setting: August 6th, 2005; Alpine Valley, Wisconsin. Welcome to this years 10^th installment of Ozzfest, that’s right ten years later, it’s still alive and kicking. Our long journey (as well as this review) began with jacked up, indirect directions from Map Quest via Chicago to East Troy, Wisconsin’s Alpine Valley some two and a half long arduous and laborious hours later. En route to the venue, we stopped by our favorite tollbooth, to pay homage to one of our favorite local bands, Skank. We seriously did not think we could have seen one more cow and cornfield than we did; if we did, if would have transcended itself into a nightmare as in seeing them in our sleep and replacing the once peaceful imagery of sheep. Now that we sit back and think about it, we probably saw some of them too. At least we came prepared for the trip (music wise) with a CD comprised of our favorite songs from acts on both stages. After parking and securing our appropriate passes day, we ran into Dead To Fall’s Jon Hunt at Will Call. We knew the day would progress interestingly enough especially after miscellaneously running into him at the start up gate. As the day progressed, Jon factored in quite a bit throughout the day. Later on Matt Matera, recently departed and ex-Dead To Fall guitarist, met up with Hunt and The Haunted's frontman Peter Dolving. Towards the end of the evening we ran into him one last time as seen to the left with his fellow Victory Records labelmate, Rich Casey, bassist of Bury Your Dead.

Due of our late arrival, we had already missed Wicked Wisdom, Bury Your Dead [Setlist: Top Gun, Vanilla Sky, The Outsiders, Legend, Magnolia, Losing It. (Thanks, Rich!)], The Haunted [Setlist: Dark Intentions/Bury Your Dead, 99, In Vein, All Against All, No Compromise. (Thanks, Peter!)] and Black Dahlia Murder. However feel free to click the link if you are looking for live photos of BYD and here for a previous review that was done on BDM during the Suffocation Tour earlier in the year. Going back to The Haunted, in the backstage area we caught up with the band's guitarist Patrik Jensen and his best friend Sharlee D'Angelo, Arch Enemy's bassist. However, some of the best bands had yet to come. Throughout the day, we would continue to cross paths with another musician, this time it was none other than Mrs. Jada Pinkett-Smith in the backstage area. She also made an appearance on stage left during Killswitch and Mastodon’s performances. One of our fellow journalists interviewed with her today, as our comrade received explicit instructions per her tour manager, not to ask questions regarding race relations or woman issues in metal. Very interesting indeed as it seems that censorship can occur on many levels these days!

Dismay runs throughout the ranks at FourteenG, as our opinions varies on the beast that we all know as Ozzfest. As much as we complain about the elitist view the behind the scenes spin-doctors pull, there is no wonder that somehow your summer isn't complete until you've attended OZZFEST!!! It's the first music festival that comes to mind if you're a metalhead (sad but true). At this point and juncture, we're sure you, the reader, has heard the countless accounts of backstage bickering between bands as well as the generic juvenile genre sects that loom over this year's fest. No matter which side of the fence you straddle, we must confess again that if it wasn't for this fest we would not have been able to witness some of our favorite artists who have shaped our musical tastes. In regards to the promotional side of things, if it wasn't for the individual publicity offices that truly work for their respective bands (and you know who you are) sometimes overzealously, NOTHING would be accomplished by way of press. There are more flaming hoops associated with Ozzfest than at a fetish convention! But we are more than ecstatic that we are able to bring you these images and words for your reading pleasure. In other words, support your faves when they hit the road independently, if possible. It's sooo worth it!!!

Speaking of some hot issues? It was hotter than the second tier of Hades today, not as bad as Sounds or Warped but it wasn’t short stopping either! The grounds of Alpine are infamous for two major things, the ridiculous 45 degree sloped scapes that lead into the bottom of the valley where the main stage resides and being the place where Stevie Ray Vaughn met his untimely demise. Many of the European bands on the bill were in shock to find out that one of the hillsides was the site of the crash. Even thee guitarist guru who put the B in balls received a moment of silence from metal's A-list musicians.

Now let’s touch on the Europeans that Mrs. Osbourne got her hands on, a damn good move on the her part. One can definitely say screw the British Invasion, the Scandinavian Vikings of Sweden took over this year’s Ozzfest. Sweden figured prominently in this year’s lineup as it was surely to put a smile across the face of their sovereign King Carl XVI Gustaf himself. How could he not be to have some of his country’s finest gracing the main and second stages: Soilwork, In Flames, Arch Enemy, and The Haunted. Overall no matter which country had more or even better acts, it was one hell of a day for music. The sadists that we are we must say that we are definitely looking forward to next year’s chapter! And if nothing else, it will be interesting to see how the Ozzfest camp is planning on topping this year’s lineup especially with the likes of the Gigantours and Sounds of the Undergrounds waiting in the wings! Now, on with the show…

Lineup: Sean Kane – vocals; Jason Hannon – guitar; Mike Laurino - guitar, vocals; Kris Gilmore – bass; Jimmie Hatcher - drums

After chatting with Mr. Hunt for a bit, we made our way to the second stage just in the nick of time for the beginning of the last hold out on the second stage, mystery band, Gizmachi’s set. Already hot and confused, we decided to make a quick exit to the concessions and vendors’ area to quench our thirst and to get relief from the blazing sun and lastly the indescribable sounds from the New York quintet. This “music” reverberated throughout the air like vile malodorous vomit. Seemingly, the domino effect was in full force, half of the crowd must have caught a whiff too. What made their set so unforgivable is that not only was quality of the performance brutal on the ear but you could not discern one instrument from another. According to the band’s bio, their sound can be described as “brutal and beautiful”. Well, let's go with the first descriptor!

“Vocalist” Sean Kane’s screams could not be heard; guitarist Jason Hannon’s backing vocals portions worsened the situation, further adding to the oratory confusion. You definitively could not hear bassist Kris Gilmore; he blended in with the rest. Drummer Jimmie Hatcher was the only one whose sound did not meld in with the rest of the cacophony. His performance was good. Before we left we did bare witness to Kane’s cursing of the crowd as he became visibly annoyed with the disappearance of the crowd. Do we detect irony here? In a failed attempt to revive the dwindling audience, Kane spat more expletives at the crowd. Ranging from, “What the fuck is going on” to “Let me see this fucking pit explode!” to no avail as a last ditch effort he resorted to name calling in order to incite the crowd. Again all attempts turned up a less than feeble pit. Guess it was poetic justice considering what the crowd had to work with.

This band has some pretty heavy ties in the Industry, Sean “Clown” Cahan [Slipknot] produced the band’s video for “The Answer” and are signed to his label, Big Clown Records… now we really do not need to go any further with this?

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Lineup: Bjorn "Speed" Strid – vocals; Peter Wichers – guitar; Ola Frenning – guitar; Ola Flink – bass; Sven Karlsson – keyboards; Dirk Verbeuren - drums

Sweden's Soilwork, we're one of the band's we looked forward to seeing especially since one of our writers missed their headlining tour in April shows when they were here earlier this year. For those of us that have seen the band before, we wanted to make a fair comparison. In which not only did we find the band to be very entertaining, it was almost like night and day from their performance during their headlining tour. The energy that lead singer, Björn "Speed" Strid gives to his audience is amazing; the crowd really responded to every minute of their performance. Guitarist Peter Wichers had nothing but life in him, far cry from last time we saw the band in Milwaukee during the same headlining tour in April.

Touring in support of their newest release, Stabbing The Drama, this six-piece outfit has a lot to offer traditional metal heads and new ones alike; they definitely won a lot of new fans during today’s performance. It is not hard to see why this band has so many fans amongst their peers as well. We agree with Speed, you could tell the band is a lot more comfortable performing the new songs. Read more as he shared his take on this and more in our interview with Björn himself. We look forward to seeing the band take the stage soon! [It looks that we shall get our wish sooner than later, they will be heading back to our shores in support of Fear Factory in the autumn. YEAH!]

Partial setlist: Stabbing The Drama, Nerve, Follow The Hollow.

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Lineup: Steve Lemke – bass; Nicholas Brooks – vocals; Nick Mirusso – drums; Mike Hatalak – guitar; Chris Cappelli – guitar

This would be our second encounter with the hardworking New York based hardcore band, It Dies Today. The band opened to one hard to rouse crowd. It was most unfortunate that the less than exuberant crowd was more concerned with relief from the blazing heat as opposed to watching the band perform. Let us not forget that a vast majority had yet to return from the previous band’s performance. However, that did not deter Nick Brooks and company who are in support of their latest release, The Caitiff Choir off Trustkill records.

Throughout their thirty-minute set, Brooks would urge the remainder of crowd to sing along or at least bang their heads. Few complied, the rest waited for the next band to come on. IDT turned in a credible performance today especially despite their given circumstances, especially on “Threnody (A Modern Romance)”, “Severed Ties Yield Severed Heads”, and “The Depravity Waltz”. However, the band finally got the stoic crowd to respond to “Threnody”; it was the biggest crowd pleaser by far.

Overall, we encourage you to see this band next time they come through your town, which should be soon. Rumor has it that the band will open for Fear Factory in the fall with Strapping Young Lad and Darkane.

Partial setlist: Severed Ties Yield Severed Heads, Threnody (A Modern Romance), The Depravity Waltz, My Promise, Freak Gasoline Fight Accident.

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Lineup: Angela Gossow – vocals; Michael Amott – guitars; Gus G. – guitars; Sharlee D'Angelo – bass; Daniel Erlandsson – drums

Besides Wicked Wisdom's lead singer Jada Pinkett-Smith, another frontwoman was on display for this year’s fest however; Arch Enemy’s Angela Gossow has already earned her stripes as she was showered with lots of love by the Ozzfest faithful. Even though Doomsday Machine was just released a mere week and a half ago, the crowd responded to “Nemesis”. The new track received the same favorable reception just as the older and beloved ones did. Gossow was clad in brown leather pants, she may be tiny, but the growls that she puts out are three to four times bigger than she is. In which it seems her growls have deepened since the last performance last year on the Headbangers Ball Tour. Pacing the stage like a dictator, Gossow urged the crowd to pump their fist and sing along which they did obediently as she commanded. Her band led by bassist Sharlee D'Angelo and guitarists, Michael and Chris Amott and drummer Daniel Erlandsson. D’Angelo and the Brothers Amott banged out the riffs and notes to push the crowd into a frenzy. It seems baby Erlandsson must have taken some hellified tips from his big, badass Cradle of Filth ex-At the Gates drumming brother, Adrian Erlandsson.

Wait; let’s go back for a moment, shall we. That was so not Chris Amott on stage, and if it wasn’t Chris Amott then who in the hell was it? The unknown player was Gus G., guitarist for Nightrage, etc. Here's the skinny, Christopher Amott may or may not be in Arch was not able to make Ozzfest due to his pursuit of educational enrichment back home in Sweden, or at least this is the story that is currently being circulated. In the meantime, Gus G. [Kostas Karamitroudis] is taking Chris’ place for the tour in which it is not clear on whether or not Chris will return next year. Mike sheds some light surrounding the mystery of his brother’s whereabouts. In a recent interview, he said, “I don't know if he will come back next year, we don't really know yet. We are just taking it step by step now, using replacement guitar players for the tours and so far everything is going well. The whole momentum of Doomsday Machine and the impact it is having right now is really cool and we are just going to keep touring." Gus used to be in Fire Wind, Mystic Prophecy, and Dream Evil but more over is currently in the Century Media Records’ Greek/Swedish band, Nightrage.

Despite the rave reviews, the band’s performance was still a little flat. Perhaps it can be attributed to Chris’ disappearance and the band having to work with Gus, the new and honorary member. D’Angelo, too agreed that the band’s performance was “off”. No matter what, this band is amazing and continues to wow the crowds. You can’t always have stellar performances, but we will say Arch Enemy is one the premiere bands to leave the shores of Sweden. Their upcoming tour in the fall, the Doomsday Tour, will not be one to miss as they are taking MNEMIC, A Perfect Murder, and All That Remains out with them.

Setlist: Dead Eyes See No Future, Enemy Within, Nemesis, We Will Rise.

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Lineup: Matt K. Heafy - lead guitar / vocals; Paolo Gregoletto – bass; Travis Smith – drums; Corey Beaulieu – guitar

Nothing short of spectacular, as always, however nothing unbelievably memorable occurred but they did have a successful set including the flawless in synch headbanging. The crowd was more than responsive to this Florida based quartet. Nice to see their popularity is still on the rise. Lead vocalist and guitarist Matt K. Heafy and guitarist Corey Beaulieu had a bit of a friendly duel of the six-strings. It was rather amusing to say the very least. A bare chest Travis Smith tried his best to keep cool despite the heat however, his performance was searing per usual, and bassist Paolo Gregoletto gave their set an added touch by breaking free from his safe haven of stage right to stomp his way onto the stacks, exciting the girlies in the front row. Every little bit helps.

For a more in-depth review, you can refer to the Roadrage 2005 review or when the band opened for Danzig earlier in the year.

Setlist: Rain, Like Light to the Flies, Gunshot To The Head of Trepidation, Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr.

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Lineup: Bucky Garrett - vocals; Marc Serrano - guitar; Joey Turner – guitar; Keith Reber – bass; Mike Miller - drums

These Texas natives did not only come up victorious in Ozzfest Battle of The Bands as big winners, but they seemingly won over the crowd as well. According to their performance, they were still trying to prove they deserved the coveted award, which included a spot on the second stage. From what we could see they, the band more than deserved to be the victor!

Lead singer Bucky Garrett tore it up. We ran across somewhere in print that Garrett’s vocals being compared to that of Shadows Fall’s lead screamer, Brian Fair. In all honesty Mr. Garrett fairs better. No puns intended. The band was obviously geeked to be there, to grace the stage as well. We cannot say enough how this band impressed us. Speaking of stages, hopefully the band will hit the touring circa again. It would be awesome to see them in a more intimate setting so that their technical nuances will not be lost to the open air. Other than that, this act sent us into metalcore bliss to the heavens above! Come back to Chicago soon!!

Partial setlist: A Concept From Fire, The Gift, Awake and Lifeless.

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Lineup: Troy Sanders – vocals, bass; Brann Dailor – drums; Brent Hinds – guitar; Bill Kelliher – guitar, vocals

Mastodon may be new to the Ozzfest but that did not stop them from doing their thing. Still touring off the one of the best releases of last year, Leviathan, Mastodon had the crowd going from the beginning until the very end of their set. Exorcising the beast within, vocalist Troy Sanders whaled through their set effortlessly despite the heat. In which Sanders always seems to look possessed, at all times putting on his best death metal performance face for his audiences.

Drummer Brann Dailor sporting a polka dotted drum kit (an ode to Randy Rhoads) whom graced his kick drum amazed the crowd with his almost inhuman speed and matching drumbeats. While guitarist Brent Hinds, who unfortunately sprained his ankle due to a skateboarding incident, hopped on one leg, he still managed to jam as if he had full mobility. Again, many of the other bands stood off too the side to witness and great performance by a band who is finally getting all the credit that they deserve.

Partial Setlist: Iron Tusk, Where The Strides Behemoth, Blood and Thunder, Aqua Dementia, March Of The Fire Ants, Workhorse Puncher, Hearts Alive.

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Lineup: Jordan Mancino – drums; Tim Lambesis – vocals; Phil Sgrosso – guitar; Clint Norris - bass, vocals; Nick Hipa - guitar

The hot sun glistened off this energetic quintet from San Diego as they lit up the Second Stage. They were more than pleased to be in front of their ever-appreciative audience. Primarily performing songs off the band’s latest release Shadows Are Security, the band was very well received. Vocalist Tim Lambesis worked up a sweat as well as his bandmates, never standing still.

These lads have quite a fierce touring schedule ahead of them, as they will be on the road from here until damn near the end of the year. The biggest one will be their stint with Slipknot during the Final Volume Tour. Look out for these young men, they are sure to get ya singing along to their tunes.

Partial setlist: Confined, Meaning In Tragedy, Forever.

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Lineup: Howard Jones - vocals; Mike D' Antonio - rhythm guitar; Adam Dutkiewicz - lead guitar; Justin Foley - drummer; Joel Strotzel - bass

Howard Jones of Killswitch Engage (Photo: Erika Kristen Watt)

Howard Jones and company have been touring feverishly since the release of End Of Heartache. They performed at 2004's Jägermeister in the fall, toured Europe, then did Taste Of Chaos, and now Ozzfest again this year. Lucky men!

Always exciting and hardly ever disappointing, Killswitch kept the crowd going and got the pits flowing again. Several of the other bands members watched them do their thing and banged their heads along with the crowd. Of course the wild and crazy antics of Adam D. were not to be missed. Speed of Soilwork has a valid point, Dutkiewicz is definitely starting to act more and more like a frontman even though he is only the guitarist. Dutkiewicz ran about the stage like a man possessed in a vampire cape over a black wife beater and cutoff shorts. Quite an eccentric outfit for the amazing guitarist!! Not to say Mr. Jones' performance was nothing short of stellar, because it was. He has a quite effective silence in comparison to Adam D. Their set was rousing to say the very least, the crowd never stood still and neither did we!

Setlist: A Bid Farewell, Numbered Days, Take This Oath, Rose of Sharyn, Fixation On The Darkness, Breathe Life, The End of Heartache, When Darkness Falls, My Last Serenade.

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Lineup: Rob Zombie – vocals; John 5 – guitars; Tommy Clufetos – drums; Rob “Blasko” Nicholson - bass

Rob Zombie (Photo: Erika Kristen Watt) Although we were pleased as punch that Rob n' Friends performed at all to celebrate Ozzfest's Decade of Deceit as well as being given a lengthy set, we're just sorry that this may be the last time we see the Lord of Gloom and Doom performed his musical devices for a while. But what a way to go! Rob Zombie has made statements regarding a temporary hiatus from the music world to focus on creating more cult B movie horror classics. With House of 1000 Corpses on DVD and Devil's Banquet receiving critical acclaim, there is no wonder why Rob has taken the road to gore stardom. And damn does he wear it well!

The jazzy hellbilly, decked out in a ragged tee, studded torn jeans and a straw hat, performed acrobatic moves that were NEVER seen before. Guess he could not perform so freely at previous gigs due to the over the top corpse attire from yesteryear. Now, he has nothing to prove. He's been there, done that and showin' the youngsters how it’s done! Having the piss scared out of us thanks to John 5's creepy guitar performance with a little taunt action from bassist Rob Nicholson, it was an adrenaline-filled gig. Thunderous beats from Tommy Clufetos' kick drum made the 70's pinup girl posters pulsate throughout the set.

Oh, and did we state Rob was in tiptop shape? Well, allow us to retort. Mr. Zombie sprinted across the stage as if he were on some doomsday time restraint, making sure he covered all his bases in the pits of the fans in the front row. Each stomp he gave onstage was to summon some horror-ho-down! Looking to his mates to hype himself and the audience further. He and the band were so elated to have played for us; it certainly brought Ozzfest 2005 to a perfect close. For the second stage at any rate but that was surly enough for us. We could've gone home. And some really did, but for us, the show had to go on one more act, because we had yet to be blessed by one of Sweden’s finer offerings, In Flames!

Partial setlist: Dragula, Super Beast, Living Dead Girl, Demonoid Phenomenon, Scum of The Earth, Thunder Kiss '65, Black Sunshine, Electric Head, Pt. 2 (The Ecstasy), More Human Than Human.

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Lineup: Anders Fridén – vocals; Jesper Strömblad – guitars; Björn Gelotte – guitars; Peter Iwers – bass; Daniel Svensson - drums

The valley at Alpine's main stage was not completely full when In Flames took the stage. The shy Swedes slid quietly onstage. The sound was amazing! You could actually hear the music, what a novel concept! Anders Fridén's vocals were sooo tight, pacing the stage in a shy, confining manner (body wise). He slowly erupted into the electrifying talent that he is well noted for, taking in his surroundings of the stage to the audience's vibe. Shadows Fall's vocalist Brian Fair hung out in the rafters screeching along to every song. Talk about respect!

The members of the band slowly came out of their shells striving to take up the space of the Alpine stage. Guitarists Jesper Strömblad and Björn Gelotte looked to one another in some sort of awe as well as rooting each other on with laughter and the showboating their axes. Although it wasn't a packed house for their set, they received a warm reception from those who were there and promising new fans who started out the set sitting down later rose to their feet to rock out. In Flames' set was the last of the night for FourteenG and it was a satisfying ending to a salute Ozzfest's 10^th anniversary. Luckily for us it was. From what we could hear across the glen Black Label Society and Mudvayne's sets were off the hook… After much hype surrounding the Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath controversy, Iron Maiden killed. As far as Ozzy's "performance" was concerned, we were told by many participants in this year's lineup that if we couldn't find anything nice to say… See ya next year!

Setlist: Cloud Connected, Touch of Red, Pinball Map, The Quiet Place, My Sweet Shadow.