Tons of Rock Festival in Halden, Norway – June 24th 2016
Photos by Marie Solheim. After two days of clouds and downpour, the weather gods have taken mercy upon us, gracing us with the warmth of the sun as we prepare for the final day of Tons of Rock. Hearty amounts of meat and ale is consumed in the hot summer weather, gearing up for the arrival of longships on the shores of Halden. At the fortress main stage, runestones and huge carved dragon heads have been erected, and the Swedish melodic death metal Vikings Amon Amarth take the stage to a bombastic soundtrack. Bearded frontman Johan Hegg raises his horns to an eager audience, and the norsemen tear right into the brutally catchy “Pursuit of Vikings”. Hair and beards are windmilling everywhere, and soon Hegg is headbanging on the top of one of the dragon heads. Depending on how you feel about Amon Amarth’s music, it’s all either very cheesy or really badass. Hegg happily banters between the songs, revealing that his recent ancestors are from the area, but mostly about Vikings. A bit of a one-track band, they play a couple of older songs and a few cuts from their new album Jomsviking, which departs from their usual fare by taking a heavy metal-ish approach. A consistently solid live act, Amon Amarth bring the goods with minimal pillaging or plundering.
When industrial metal veterans Red Harvest called it a day back in 2010, they left a juggernaut-sized hole in the Norwegian scene. As luck would have it, however, the Oslo band reformed in 2015, and the Tons of Rock crew spared no time booking the reunited gang of cyberpunks. While the tent stage crowd gives the group a warm welcome, the menacing apparatus of Red Harvest consists of cold hard steel. Creating a grim and apocalyptic atmosphere in the shade of the tent, the band drones on with their hypnotizing wall of sound. Giving one of the finest and loudest shows of the festival so far, it’s good to have this well-oiled and slow-grinding machinery back on the road.
Returning to the main stage for something completely different, people are already lining up to see the classic hair metallers Europe make their Halden debut. Touring and recording again since 2003 with the same lineup that played on their massive 1986 hit album The Final Countdown, Joey Tempest and his boys have been more than a quick cash grab reunion. That the band isn’t just doing this for the money is exceedingly clear as they play through material from their entire career, with a majority taken from last year’s War of Kings. Tempest in particular looks to be having the time of his life on stage, smiling from ear to ear as he belts out classic tracks and dances around with his characteristic white microphone stand. The band’s energy is infectious, and all around us people are singing and clapping along. This, of course, peaks as the band returns for an encore – their monster earworm “The Final Countdown”. A stark contrast to many of the heavier bands on the lineup, Europe nevertheless provide some welcome fun in the sun.
Returning to the tent, we arrive a little late to catch the beginning of the Finnish melodeath-gloomsters Insomnium. Although the band has a new album coming out soon, today’s show is mostly dedicated to their 2014 record Shadows of the Dying Sun. With a large crowd of dedicated fans singing along, the somber Finns pull all the right strings, ripping through a series of melodic yet fierce riffs. The gig is pulsating with energy and warmth as the warmth of the June sun drifts in amongst the shadows. As the band nears the end of their 40 minutes show, we take our leave back toward the main stage.
In 2014, Slayer and Anthrax both played the main stage, and last year Venom and Testament did the honors. It’s a fitting continuation of the tradition that the headliner for the evening are none other than Dave Mustaine’s Megadeth. Having pulled off a return to form with the fresh album Dystopia, a lot of the night’s entertainment is naturally pulled therefrom. Showing a surprising sense of self-awareness, Mustaine has scrapped his less celebrated work from the set, dedicating the rest of the show exclusively to the first five albums. The band is on point tonight, cruising through an impressive set in front of an increasingly enthusiastic assembly of onlookers. Although Mustaine has claimed to be tired of the touring life, he does an amicable job together with fellow old-timer Ellefson and the newly enlisted Angra-guitarist Kiko Loureiro. Unfortunately we have to begin the trek up to the elevated Huth stage as “Symphony of Destruction” resounds in the background.
Although we try to play it safe by ascending early, a sizable group of people who like their thrash slightly harder have already gathered by the small stage. There is also a very long and slow-moving queue for the single beer tap on the fortress apex, meaning a lot of fans are still standing in line during the first two or three songs of Kolbotn thrashers Nekromantheon’s set. To the credit of the Tons of Rock crew and organizers, this was the only time during the entire festival we spotted people waiting in line inside the festival area, an impressive feat considering all of the tickets were sold out. With a slew of killer thrash metal cuts in their repertoire, the guys soon get a moshpit going, instantly putting their crowd interaction above hardcore titans Converge. The dual frontmen Arild and Sindre both played at Tons of Rock in 2014 with their death metal band Obliteration, but the fast paced riffing of Nekromantheon is a better fit to kick things up a notch. This ferocious four-piece are going to have a lot of aching necks and bruised bodies on their conscience on the dreaded day after.
The final headlining spot of the festival goes to what is probably the biggest death metal band in the world at the moment, the Polish adversaries Behemoth. Although by no means strangers to playing in Norway, tonight they have something special planned for the thousands of drunk and excited metalheads who have gathered in Fredriksten Fortress. Performing their last album The Satanist in its entirety, the fans are rabid as Nergal and his astonishingly tight band make their grandiose entrance. With plenty of pyrotechnics and blasphemous stage props, Behemoth always aim to give audiences value for their money, and they are repaid with a roaring response. After finishing off The Satanist with the blistering “O Father O Satan O Sun!”, the band makes their triumphant exit with an additional four fan favorites.
Any sane person would return to their campsite or hostel after Behemoth’s thundering performance, but we decide to make one last stop by the tent stage. The Norwegian group Bodies are getting ready to make a racket, and although everyone is either tired, wasted, or both, a good old Sex Pistols cover band is not the worst way to grab a second wind. Forty-five minutes of seminal punk tunes later, and we’re stumbling back to sleep it off. Another successful instalment of the heaviest festival in Halden has gone by in what feels like a flash, and we’re already looking forward to coming back to the old fortress by the sea.
