Neither the heat nor fatigue could keep us away from Ghimbav on the fifth day of the festival. After all, how could they, with a line-up that still had plenty to offer and several names we were not about to miss?
Official announcement poster
© Rockstadt Extreme Fest
For me, Day V began with Feuerschwanz. German folk metal, properly put together and delivered with plenty of appetite for the stage. The Germans had chosen their repertoire carefully, giving the crowd exactly the kind of energy it needed to keep going. From start to finish, there was hardly a moment when nothing was happening on the Brașov Stage. I would genuinely recommend seeing Feuerschwanz live at least once.
I stayed at the Brașov Stage for Carcass. I have always had a soft spot for the Londoners’ older goregrind albums, but I have also enjoyed the later material, when they turned towards melodic death metal, so seeing them live had been on my bucket list for quite some time. I was not disappointed in the slightest. It was a well-put-together show, with several moments that stood out, while the crowd showed appreciation from the very first song.
I particularly enjoyed hearing “Buried Dreams” from “Heartwork” [1993], but “Exhume to Consume” from “Symphonies of Sickness” [1989] was just as welcome.
Then came the moment for all those teenagers still hiding somewhere inside us, the ones who grew up with Death playing in the background. It was time for Left to Die, bringing together some of the American scene’s most recognisable figures: Terry Butler [Obituary, ex-Death], Rick Rozz [ex-Death], Matt Harvey [Exhumed] and Gus Rios [ex-Malevolent Creation].
I made my way to the Andrei Calmuc Stage and found plenty of fans already gathered in front of the stage. The Americans came prepared with a selection of covers that took us from “Pull the Plug”, “Zombie Ritual” and “Evil Dead” to “Witch of Hell” and “Infernal Death”. They were every bit as imposing as I remembered, with the vocals and instrumentation sounding absolutely savage and leaving the crowd with little choice but to surrender to the assault. Death metal in its purest form, just as it should be.
After all that headbanging, I switched gears and made my way to The Gathering from the Netherlands. The Gathering, a group of people who have gone through several periods, from death/doom metal, atmospheric doom metal to atmospheric progressive rock, with inevitable changes in the line-up, came to the Brașov Stage alongside Anneke van Giersbergen.
For many of the people, this was the moment of the night.
It was touching, indeed, free of unnecessary theatrics that would not have done the show justice, with the music left to speak for itself. As expected, they performed songs from the album “Mandylion” from 1995. Of course, the singer’s voice drew much of the attention, powerful and haunting, but the rest of the members, especially during the instrumental passages, also showed their mastery.
The Prodigy came next at the Adrian Rugină Stage, the English act bringing together several parts of the audience, from metalheads to rappers. Known for their much-praised stage presence, they followed the path they have set for themselves at so many of their concerts, leaving little doubt about what kind of show we were in for. They fired up “Voodoo People” and “Poison” from “Music for the Jilted Generation” [1994], both sounding impeccable live, before bringing in “Light Up the Sky” from “No Tourists” [2018], which fit naturally into the set without feeling out of place beside the older material. Keith Flint was also honoured through projections, and seeing him appear on the screens made for a genuinely emotional moment for the fans.
At the same time, Insomnium from Finland were playing at the Andrei Calmuc Stage. I had already caught the melodic death metallers at a recent edition of Rockstadt Extreme Fest, and since I was curious to see what they had to offer this time, I made my way over to them as well. They gave “Gleam in the Black” from the forthcoming album “Netherworlds” its live debut, while also taking us back to older material such as “Pale Morning Star” from “Heart Like a Grave” [2019]. For me, however, the highlight remained “While We Sleep” from “Shadows of the Dying Sun” [2014].
Since I wanted to catch the Americans of Soulfly from the very first riffs, I arrived at the Brașov Stage in good time. Soulfly have a long history behind them and a relaxed air whenever they take the stage. I found Max Cavalera and the rest of the members with all their old fire, with plenty of appetite for delivering their blend of thrash, groove and nu metal. They took us on a brief journey through the history of their discography, but among all the songs that made it onto the Rockstadt Extreme Fest setlist, “Eye for an Eye” from “Soulfly” [1998] was the one that stayed with me most.
The night ended with Nergal and the members of Misþyrming performing the debut album of Behemoth “Sventevith (Storming Near the Baltic)”. It was another moment for the books, not only because of the nostalgia of hearing this early chapter of the black metal group brought back to life, but also because the performance itself was impeccable.
