The second day of the Milagre Metaleiro promised to be as good as the first, people were anxious for more metal, more headbanging and more beer!
It was approximately 16:00 when Rageful took to the stage. The Lisbon Death Metal band arrived carrying its latest split with Ruttenskalle, in addition to the album “Ineptitude”. For approximately 30 minutes, this promising group delivered powerful songs featuring social and political analyses of society, filled with frantic rhythms, imposing guitar solos and a worthy vocal performance. The audience was not yet particularly large, but that did not intimidate the band, which gave everything it had onstage.
Hailing from Spain, Ekyrian are a band that pay tribute to warriors of the high seas through their pirate-themed identity, wrapped in a Folk Metal sound with touches of Hard Rock. Led by Jorge Martin, the band captivated the audience with a setlist focused on the 2023 album “Cuentos junto a la hoguera”, although there was also time to revisit 2019’s “Más allá de la tempestad”. Songs such as “El capitán del agua triste”, “La Balada de Wilfred El Enano” and “El Rey Blanco” demonstrated the full potential of Ekyrian, whose songs display considerable creativity through the use not only of conventional instrumentation, but also more traditional instruments such as flutes, accordion and violin.
Also arriving from Spain, this time from Madrid, were Frenzy, a Heavy Metal band celebrating ten years of existence. The Madrid-based group delivered a coherent selection of songs built around numerous well-constructed riffs that fitted seamlessly together as the material unfolded. The songs were drawn from the albums “Of Hoods and Masks” and “Blind Justice”. There was no shortage of catchy choruses, and they encouraged many people to sing along, even those for whom Frenzy had previously been an unfamiliar name.
Next came Speedemon, a Lisbon-based group performing Thrash with touches of Heavy Metal. They took to the Milagre Metaleiro stage with a very positive attitude, a solid performance and excellent stage sound. Following an introduction, the band opened the hostilities with “Messenger Of God”, a song taken from their debut EP, “First Blood”. Curious onlookers gradually allowed themselves to be won over as the band performed songs from “Hellcome”, including “Legion Of Fools”, “Thunderball” and “Atrocity Divine”. Following a virtuosic guitar moment, the band treated its fans to two songs that will appear on its forthcoming album: “Fall Of Man” and “Speed On Fire”. These brought a solid concert by the group from Vila Franca de Xira to a close.
The first Black Metal band of the day were Humanart. Overall, they delivered a good concert, supported by strong sound quality that allowed the songs to make a deeper impact. They provide a good example of how, at times, the least complicated choices are those that work best within their sound. However, some compositions occasionally contain creative decisions that make the structures of certain songs somewhat confusing, which does not help to consolidate their cohesion. Nevertheless, they delivered a good concert that pleased devotees of darker sounds. Particular mention must also be made of the band’s drummer, whose performance was exceptional.
To thrash metal we returned; this time hailing from the same district as Humanart, came WEB, a Thrash Metal powerhouse already well known to Portuguese fans and stages. With an extensive career that began in 1986, Victor Matos’ band arrived and undoubtedly convinced anyone who might not yet have been familiar with them. Carrying the new album “Burden Of Destiny”, the band began its concert with the record’s first two songs, “They’re Coming” and “More Than You”. These served as a powerful introduction to the remainder of the concert by this formidable quartet, whose positive and professional attitude only helped to consolidate a highly cohesive performance. There were further visits to the new album in the form of “A Grave To Be Dug” and the title track, “Burden Of Destiny”, which features an extremely catchy opening riff. Congratulations to WEB on their return to the stage!
Stormlord were the second extreme band featuring symphonic elements to take to the Milagre Metaleiro stage on this day. Performing Black Metal with epic symphonic elements reminiscent of Power Metal, the band watched night fall during its set. The performance began with several technical problems, with the vocals remaining inaudible for some time. Despite the false start during one song, Stormlord quickly demonstrated the ferocity of their compositions, filled with blast beats and epic moments. The overall reception was highly positive, and the concert passed quickly, perhaps a little too quickly. The band treated its many fans to songs from its most recent album, “Far”, including “Crimson”, “Far” and “Leviathan”, while also revisiting the now-classic “The Gorgon Cult” through “Dance Of Hecate” and “Under The Boards” on what was a very solid performance.
Remove the extreme elements and keep the folk ingredients and you get… Korpiklaani, one of the most festive bands ever to have performed in Portugal. Far from unfamiliar to Portuguese audiences or stages, the group from Lahti (Finland) had hundreds of people jumping and dancing to its electrifying melodies and rhythms capable of making anyone tap their feet. The band members’ good humour remained evident throughout the concert and quickly spread to the audience. The group brought with it a setlist that served as a genuine buffet of songs taken from several albums across the Finnish band’s extensive discography. Despite carrying a new album, “Rankarumpu”, released in April, the band chose instead to take its fans on a journey through its compositions. From the recent “Aita”, through “Pidot” and “Ievan polkka”, and always concluding with the legendary and iconic “Vodka”, the band led by the amiable Jonne Järvelä sang and danced through fables of Nordic mythology during a night to remember.
Much like Sodom on the previous day, Onslaught demolished Stage 1 of Milagre Metaleiro with a magnificent Thrash Metal… onslaught. The strong selection of songs, combined with excellent sound, quickly resulted in enormous circle pits, frequently encouraged by the vocalist, and a great deal of dust in the air. At times, there was so much dust that it became difficult to see the stage. Crowdsurfing remained constant throughout a concert that left no Thrash Metal fan dissatisfied. Recent songs such as “Strike Fast Strike Hard” and “The Sound of Violence” collided with classics almost 30 years old, including “Thermonuclear Devastation”, “Let There Be Death” and the iconic “Onslaught (Power From Hell)”.
Then, the time had arrived for one of the most prominent names on the 2024 Milagre Metaleiro line-up to take to the stage. Kamelot travelled from the United States to deliver an absolutely memorable concert. Tommy Karevik, the band’s charismatic vocalist, entered the stage and asked everyone whether they were ready. The audience responded with a deafening “Yes!” The band presented a cohesive and well-rehearsed performance with a clearly defined visual component. Vocalist Melissa Bonny impressed not only through her outfit, but also through the power and sweetness of her voice as she participated in songs such as “Veil Of Elysium”, “Opus Of The Night (Ghost Requiem)”, “New Babylon” and “Center Of the Universe”. Throughout the entire show, the symbiosis between the band members and their fans was absolute; such was the positive energy and sense of goodwill flowing between the stage and the audience.
“Forever” produced a “We Will Rock You” moment as the band members were introduced one by one. The band then began “One More Flag In The Ground” before bringing a fantastic night to a close with “Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy)”, once again featuring Melissa Bonny’s beautiful voice. Kamelot came to demonstrate that they possess an enormous fan base in Portugal, and one can only hope they returned home with the feeling: “We must come back soon!”
The atmosphere changed with the arrival of Swedish band Marduk. The positive energy gave way to an oppressive, dark and overwhelming environment. The entrance of Morgan, Mortuus and Co was sufficient to demonstrate that, although Black Metal is not ordinarily the central focus of the Milagre Metaleiro line-up, there were many, truly many, people present to witness the Scandinavian giants. What followed was one hour of pure darkness and electrifying energy, driven by songs inspired by warfare and martial themes. These compositions were consistently defined by extremely fast drumming that supported a genuine wall of sound created by Morgan Håkansson’s lacerating riffs, particularly evident in songs such as “Shovel Beats Sceptre”, the excellent “Souls For Belial” and the martial “The Levelling Dust”.
It is impossible not to mention Mortuus’ vocal performance and stage presence. He is easily the finest Black Metal vocalist currently active, a quality demonstrated not only in Marduk, but particularly through the quality and diversity of his work with Funeral Mist and his participation on Deathspell Omega’s most recent album, “The Long Defeat”. Simon Schilling is the backbone of this destructive machine. What an extraordinary drummer! This performance left out the usual classics like “Panzer Division Marduk” or “Baptism By Fire”, which was somewhat a bit of a surprise.
Marduk brought another night of Milagre Metaleiro to a magnificent conclusion.
Marduk | Photo: @filipegomes.photo
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