Report: Vagos Metal Fest 2018 – Part 2

After the first day of concerts, which had a good amount of audience, came the second day, with more bands, more Metal and more beer!

It was up to the northern In Vein to start the concerts. The quintet had a good amount of audience that quickly adhered to the groovy themes that these guys presented on the Stairway stage of the Vagos Metal Fest. The entire performance was focused on his debut album “Resurrect.” It was a short, but intense concert that ended, as always, with “Satan.”

Then came Blame Zeus, coming from the city of Porto. With a calmer and more relaxed sound, the band managed to captivate some audience, despite the softer sounds. Over the course of the 30-minute performance, we could listen to songs like “Slaughter House”, “Speechless” or “Miles”, all taken from their latest album “Theory Of Perception”. For the final, a new song “Déjà Vu” and “The Apprentice”, the last track of the debut album “Identity”. Overall, it was a solid performance but lacked some energy and some more movement.

The first band to step on the main stage was Invoke. A trio who presented a good attitude, but unfortunately was harmed by the bad sound and some technical problems. This set of reasons eventually resulted in a concert in which it was difficult for the listener to understand what going on. However, this did not detract Invoke’s confidence, which, after all, seemed to be dedicated to making a good concert, giving all they had. Unfortunately, It was a very unlucky performance due to technical issues.

Dollar Llama came from Lisbon, stepped onto the Stairway stage and quickly grabbed the audience who reacted with a moshpit. Practising a kind of muscled Stoner Rock with a lot of groove, they performed very competently, without failures. The promotion of “Juggernaut” went well and during the concert full of groove, and energy, there was time to form a Wall of Death at the request of vocalist Tiago. When it comes to making people headbang and mosh, Dollar Llama showed how it is done, in a simple, yet effective way.

The legendary Punk pioneers Ratos de Porão played earlier than expected, catching some people by surprise. Despite the change of schedule, there was a crowd gathered to see João Gordo and Co. What followed was a pounding session of over 45 minutes of total anarchy. Despite their 37-year-old career, these Brazilians continue to raise lots of dust wherever they go. Although things on stage are no longer as chaotic as they used to be, they unleash a fury that only a few can match. Throughout the set, we could witness old classics like “Aids, Pop, Repressão”, “Beber Até Morrer” or one of the biggest Punk hymns “Crucificados Pelo Sistema”.

Entering the world of Power Metal, the Germans Masterplan, who started as a side project of Helloween members had a legion of fans waiting for them. The flight delays which forced Ratos de Porão to play earlier than originally planned only created even more expectations about the concert of this band. Soon after “Enlighten Me” we could verify that this is a very well-balanced band, cohesive and with many years of touring. The response from the fans was excellent, there was chemistry and band-public empathy. “Crimson Rider” and “Keep Your Dream Alive” continued the good mood. The band included in their setlist a Helloween song “The Time of the Oath”. In conclusion, it was an excellent performance by these veterans.

Then came one of the most anticipated bands of this edition of Vagos Metal Fest: Moonspell. Well known to everyone, the Portuguese band was also unlucky throughout their concert, with some sound problems and power failures which seriously undermined their performance. Promoting the latest album “1755”, Moonspell began their concert with “Em Nome do Medo”, followed by “In Tremor Dei”. Soon after, they returned to the iconic “Irreligious” from where they extracted the combination “Opium” / “Awake”, a combo that always turns out well. With the audience warm and reacting well, came the song “Ruínas”. And it was in this song that there was an unfortunate breakdown of electric power. The charismatic singer Fernando Ribeiro addressed a few words to the public as a consequence of the flaws, saying that it was not an easy day for the band. Anyway, the band maintained a professional attitude and continued with the performance. Quickly approaching the end, there was time for the classic “Alma Mater” and then the grand finale “Full Moon Madness”.

Brief moments after the end of the concert of the Portuguese icons, one of the most schizophrenic bands of the whole festival took to the stage. Converge! The American band brought their furious Mathcore mixed with technical Metal and spread the chaos on the Stairway stage. There was not a single moment of peace, and as Jacob Bannon and his comrades razed everything on stage with their frantic energy, the audience responded in exactly the same way. There was dust in the air, a lot of dust. An incessant number of crowdsurfers who did not let the festival security team have any rest. Half the concert was dedicated to his most recent album “The Dusk In Us”, but there was time for the classics that made Converge into a pillar of the most violent Mathcore. “Heartless” in the middle and the timely “Concubine” ending, were the best moments of the whole concert.

British veterans Cradle Of Filth finally returned to Portugal, this time as headliners of this year’s festival. Dani Filth and Co. were target of a lot of speculation and anxiety about the band’s performance. Loved by some, despised by others, what matters is that Cradle Of Filth played a concert that impressed many people. The band was incredibly tight throughout the whole concert. Rick Shaw and Marek Šmerda are a pair of high-quality guitarists who know how to entertain while playing the songs flawlessly. Marthus is a real monster on the drums. Dani Filth’s voice is back to the old days and this was noticeable during more complicated songs such as “Bathory Aria” from the timeless “Cruelty and the Beast”. Speaking of this record, Dani conveyed the happy news that the band will be remixing and remastering the whole thing again. This will be done directly from the original master tapes. He also mentioned that there will be a big difference in the overall sound, especially on the drums. Focusing on a pretty varied setlist, Cradle Of Filth visited almost all their original records. This served as an efficient presentation to those who did not know the discography that well. Unfortunately, there were a lot of classics missing, such as “Haunted Shores”, “Funeral In Carpathia”, “Queen Of Winter, Throned”, “Malice Through The Looking Glass” and “Black Goddess Rises”. A fantastic return to Portugal, hopefully, it won’t take so long to return.

The Germans Attic brought their Blackened Heavy Metal filled with theatrics and obscure scenario. Clearly influenced by King Diamond and Mercyful Fate, this band has proven that it is not just a generic clone. No. “Sanctimonious” established Attic as a high-quality band, led by Meister Cagliostro, a man endowed with a voice with incredible breadth. Even though they sound very similar to King Diamond, there is room for innovation, especially in the tempo of the songs. Some are faster than the Heavy Metal you’re used to hearing from the mighty creator of “Abigail”. “Sanctimonious” and “The Hound of Heaven” served as excellent introductions to the sound of the Attic, which over the course of one hour brought the audience back to ancient times with their horror stories. Great performance on stage, excellent presentation. A great concert.

Finally, the biggest party was coming. Serrabulho took the main stage, and they made a huge party, with hundreds of people jumping, dancing, and throwing confetti or the fluffy filling of cushions. All this to the sound of “Pentilhoni nu Culhoni”, “B.O.O.B.S.” with the participation of Sérgio Páscoa (Shoryuken), Guns’ n Roses cover “Sweet Grind O’Mine” dedicated to a birthday friend. The classic “Quero cagar e não posso!” echoed all over the venue, not only during the Serrabulho concert. To end the parody, “Pubic Hair in the Glasses” gave birth to an unprecedented “Ass of Death”, a bizarre variation of the usual Wall of Death. It was the best way to end a concert night.

The cover band Abaixo Cu Sistema were responsible for closing the 2nd day of concerts. This is System of a Down cover band. And for an hour they entertained everybody playing those classical SOAD songs that everybody knows. Overall it was an entertaining gig.

The 2nd day was over and there were two more days to go… hang in there, buddy!

Photos by: Filipe Gomes
Text by : Ana Duarte

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