Yesterday, Metal Blast Festival said its last goodbye after a wonderful unforgettable night. I still can’t believe thet there is no Metal Blast Festival! I even don’t know how the future of Metal Concerte in Egypt will look like in MB absence! It is a real honor to me to be the final reviewer who got a media pass to cover Metal Blast Festival! I am leaving here a step for history!
A- Meet to Greet
Allow me to move the whole experience to you! Let me start with the Meet to Greet time. I passed the gates with fully power and excitement. First off, I met my great friends, brothers and sister of Dimlight.
Oh my God, this meeting was so warm and emotional! I was about to cry, I missed them, and I will miss them again!
It was warmer than our previous meeting. Actually I avoided mistakes I made through my previous coverage which is not contacting the bands before the concert! So this time, I talked to the participated bands. So it was real great to meet them and know my name and show their welcoming warmly. This made my fear, and worry melt away.
On the other table, there were the great brothers of Medic, they were shining, happy after fulfilling their biggest dream, releasing “Ascension”. I felt the interaction and friendship between Medic, and Dimlight members, it was so easy to feel the energetic nice mood between them.
B- Soundcheck
On the other side of the venue, the soundcheck process was still on its progress! I liked the mood and presence of Segadoras on the stage. They were so focused, so accurate.
While Nightmare’s soundcheck was so fast, and professional. Actually, they were more than great, everything was ready, and checked through only 15 minutes!
So, Are you ready for moving to the performance
C- The Concert
1- Segadoras (The Opening Act)
It was my first time to attend a live performance for Segadoras but I was lucky enough that Segadoras vocalist Bahaa El Kresly sent me their setlist few days before the event.
Segadoras always depend on a Death mood, so it was really scary to see Segadoras’ vocalist Bahaa El Kresly heading to the stage with a Repear’s tool, it was cool then shortly I found myself involved in harsh/echoing deathly tunes with a long scream among welcoming and supporting from the audience in the frontlines.
And that was “The Undefeated 1”
Then Bahaa started to deliver a short speech to the audience and thank those who support the band and the local scene.
The 2nd track was the Reaping! Ghosty, scary mood reflects the horror of death accompanied with hell red fire lights! Long screams, groovy riffs, and blasting aching drum beats! Experience death, see it, tracec it in the music, in the breakdowns! It was blasting and angry!
Third one was my favorite one “The Undefeated” but it wasn’t “The Undefeated” as we heared before, but it was a progressed, stronger one! I saw the whole issue on the stage, I saw it in the shades of conflicted rhyming lines! and in the heart of this war, a sweet clean voice rised to conquer the ears of the exhausted headbangers and gave them a small, deep interlude! Nothing can do that better than Black Swan’s Ahmed Safwan! Who enhanced his voice to be on the top of best Metal Clean voices in Egypt.
While the final track “The Rise” was full of energetic melodies, scary screams, and blasting head banging mood! I liked the moment when the music went down and Safy took us into a journey with his weeping soft vocals, till the moment rage and gentleness were mixed into a high attractive sound of clean high pitch voice with strong powerful screaming.
In my point of view Segadoras were a dynamic opening for such a night and their presence was good for such a Holloween timing. I liked this funeral influenced Keys sound performed by Leo, and the harmony between the guitarists and the vocalist was high, and active.
2- Medic (A journey of a Soul from Death to Ascension)
I can’t deny that I was so excited to watch “Ascension” performed live on the stage, also it was the first time for me to attend Medic performance while I know what I am going to listen to! Also I was lucky enough to stand in the higher level place and to share watching Medic’s performance with the talented saxophonist Youssef Khaled Fawzy.
So, Medic’s performance started with “Ascension” instrumental track “Ramla” with screening “Ramla” video to make the audience more prepared. Through “Ramla” Medic members started heading to the stage among the audience calls. After “Ramla” The whole stage was set on fire with “Downfall”!
Medic’s members Ahmed Khalil, Ehab Khaled Fawzy, and Hossam El Tawdy warmed up theirs performence through energetic jumbs, powerful headbang in the heart of those eye candy colorful lights reflect the mood of the journey.
Through “Road to Oblivion” some fans started to sing with Ehab and Khalil who moved his guitar vitals up and down with greetings from the audience.
Medic’s preformence reached a higher level of excitement and enjoyment with “Wandering in the Wasteland” as it is more oriental themed! Sounds of Percussions dancing in the heart of flying colorful sounds! I felt that everyone in the venue is detached away the reality and dive into a historical magical world.
Actually, I don’t know why I didn’t think of making use of my AAA pass more and stand before the stage directly :(:(:( eghhhh but anyway I watched the full performance clearly :):)
I think, it was the first time to be that close as a person and friend to Medic in addition Medic was closer to the audience than the last time. Ehab kept delivering warming up messages to the audience through this special, historical night.
Moving to “ Of a Blessed Memory” emotional, spiritual sense. I faced a wave of strange feelings, I don’t know why I cried when saw Medic on the stage performing this one! Just watched them but I looked a deep look into themselves.
I imagined their feelings to perform their long-waited album, after long years of hardworking! And cried because we are going to miss Metal Blast Festival, and we are going to miss those day at El Sawy Culture Wheel.
After that, Ehab announced that the upcoming one is “Rise Above” which is the most known track of the band. Vocal performance, OMG, the shifting between clean, and growling, high pitches.
High calls from the audience, looks of pride, and joy from the eyes of Medic’s supporters, and active dynamic jumps, group head banging, the active interaction between the audience and Karim Wassim.
Before performing “Colors", Medic asked the audience to guess what Colors mean. Charming performance, the whole journey is magnificent.
The moment we reached “And the Sun Rises" I felt so proud of those guys, they made a great job, a great release performance: The combination of beautiful guitar sounds, fresh gears shifts, killing melodies.
It is almost a whole play performed before your eyes, images of rising, images of light, images of sun, images of vividness. It is the concept of RE-BIRTHING!
Finally, this vivid stage, theatrical mood enriched with comforting, harmonious sound of Saxphone backed with magical Keys tuned! Sound of tears and joy, the sighs of relief in this part carried a million unspoken words.
After the show I down the stairs fast to see the guys after the show, NOBODY can imagine the mood of warm, friendship, pride we (as Medic friends) had. I was so proud of them, seeing those drops of sweat, and exhaustion after long years of hardworking, shouting high MEDIC!!!!! You did it MEDIC.
3- Nightmare (The French Warriors who bring our energy to life)
The third band was French Heavy/Power Metal Nightmare. They opened their show with a scary, darkened intro gave me the impression of being involved in a real darkened night time, darkened Nightmare with their darkened blue, white enlightened stage. Shortly, the Band performed “Dead Sun” track with fully powerful gears! Blasting drums, very strong vocals! Dynamic stage movements by Maggy who gave this performance more vivid shape!
She moved in all stage places, kept supporting and greeting the audience to join her mood through high “heys”, jumping, and going more crazy.
Her light, humble, string vocals were unified with the rest of the members, Matt is a great stage-crazy guitarist who attracted the whole eyes through his killing stage interaction through his vocals, guitar playing style, powerful echoing solos.
When they doubled vocals all together it was the really influential, everyone is in the venue lost his/her mind.
“Ikarus” was the climax of the performance as Nightmare revealed that they will perform it so mostly of the audience was familiar to the song at its beats. By the way, many of the standing gang sang with Nightmare with a great, humble,powerful support from the band especially through “Red and Marble Gold”and “Seeds of Agony”.
Before one of the songs, Maggy asked the audience to keep quite, she repeated "shshshsh” but some fans managed to guess the song, I can’t forget how Maggy’s face looked like when they called the name of the song high :)
What’s really amazed me is the performance of Nightmare guitarists and Bassist Yves :):):) their dynamic headbanging, humble guitar greetings, and it looked like the classic heavy Metal performances we watched on YouTube! A YouTube experience was moved in details to the stage! I was high, surprised and speechless!
I am so greatful for Nightmare’s members, it was the first time for me to stand few steps away the stage, before the frontline! I was enjoyed to the most enjoyment limites, maybe above them! Medic members, Metal Blast crew stood happily, energetic watching Nightmare, I am so grateful for Maggy who talked to me warmly before the performance to be stronger and move positive :) and I am grateful for Medic’s Karim Wassim who shared with me headbanging XD and getting crazy before Mightmare :D alongside the great Metal Blast Team Guys Yara, Mahmoud Ezzat, and Wevil.
4- Dimlight (The Headliners)
For the second and the time in Metal Blast Festival Dimlight stood on the stage here in Cairo! This time the band came back to Egypt with two lovely gifts: new wonderful epic album “Kingdom of Horror” and a new lively, active female vocalist Mora.
Personally, I had a good relation with Eva (Dimlight’s Ex Vocalist) but this time was different to me as I now could call myself a friend for Dimlight :) and to call myself Mora’s friend :). Few days before MB Fest I contacted Mora for an interview and I was lucky enough that me and Mora became good friends in a very short time.
Through our conversations, I touched the massive energy Mora has. She is so active, talented, and has a good physical power give her the features to be a real Greek stage goddess! And! Nobody can deny that Mora was absolutely awesome!!!
Her strong vocals, her active movements on the stage, her way in attracting the fans to be more active, she had expressive strong voice that can attract the audience. In addition, her powerful performance in headbanging with Nikolas and Peter.
I liked the intro of the band, the sounds of Narration with flashing light and the screened video about the hero of their new album “Kingdom of Horrors”. The orchestral epic mood is enough to warm up your head for Dimlight’s music.
We somehow used to Dimlight interaction! Peter stands up high then headbang, speaking to the audience directly, asking them to headbang, shouting high! Peter is not only a great vocalist but he is a great story narrator too! As stories from the past or myth influenced stories, so Peter does that perfectly on the stage, he can lead a live show, he can direct a whole theatrical show!
Also Their power are really backed with the blasting, killing Drum beats by Jim! He is a really Drum-machine who can rise adrenaline level in your bloods!
While, Nikolas or as Egyptian call him “Niko” is a real Greek stage soldir, and theater hero, he control his guitar well, writes very active lines, when he appeared, we all shouted his name! He enriches Dimlight presence on the stage with his tunes, and interaction.
D- Final Words!
It was a great epic night! Nothing is better than this one to write the final chapter of Metal Blast Festival! I am so grearful for everyone who is around! Every band! Metal Blast Festival backstage, soundcheck was a gate for me to meet a lot of lovely people, to made more friends, to earn great brothers and sisters as Medic, Nightmare, Dimlight members! I still remember Big sister- young sister time I had with Maggy, and how she expressed her happiness because she played in Egypt on the stage!
Can’t forget funny time with Metal Blast team backstage!
Metal Blast 2016 was my first time to cover a Metal concert and to attend a Metal concert! I was young, I was still a young name in Metal Scene in Egypt, I had no international work, I was worry, afraid!
But in Metal Blast 2018, I returned in a media team consisted of one person me! Depending on my phone, and what its camera captured! After interviews with Katatonia, Nargaroth, Septicflesh, Carach Angren, Amorphis, Infected Rain, Inner Missing, Ocean of Grief, October Tide, and more!
It was a great to me to talk to the bands day before the event, when I met them and called my name, “hey Rana” even without knowing anything about my career! They welcomed me warmly!
I can’t find any words to say or how should I thank Wevil, the MAN!!! Or thank the rest of the team!
Thank you Metal Blast Festival and thank you family because you allowed me to make it, and thank you Mora, Niko, Peter, Jim, Menna, Yves, Maggy, Matt, Ezzat, Youssef Khaled Fawzy, Ehab Khaled Fawzy, Ahmed Khalil, Yara, Menna, Bahaa, Karim Wassim, Ahmed Safwan, Khaled El Demerdash, Hossam El Tawdy! You made my night, you gave me a lifetime experience!!!
Stay up bright in our memories and hearts Metal Blast Festival!
Originally Published on 28/10/2018 at 2:37 am
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