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So over the weekend I watched the livestream for Mad With Power, a NWOTHM/power metal/VGM festival that's held in Madison, Wisconsin. Now, considering the way things have been in the States, I do not want to travel there in person. Fortunately, the organizers have been kind enough to livestream the whole thing. And like I said earlier, I was there for all of it. So I'm gonna spill my thoughts under the cut.
BRIAN KOENIG
VGM cover act; this guy was a last min replacement and it kinda showed - just one guy with a guitar and several backing tracks. Made it a bit awkward when the drum cam view came up and there was no one there. But it did get better over time
Standout tracks: Song of Healing from LoZ:MM (he did some neat jazz fusion/funk stylings in with the metal), Slam Shuffle from FFVI (made it more upbeat/less "boring" = also thanks for reminding me i have to pick up FFVI after abandoning it for over 7 yrs)
ORYAD
Symphonic/doom act; they had a little bit of mixing issues, especially in the beginning (although maybe that was bc the vocalist was trying to sing operatically alongside some goth-dancey choreo), but those issues were resolved later. High school me would've loved this shit for the symphonic/operatic aspects, while present me appreciates it for motivating me to get more into doom (especially since that's a big chunk of what my local scene offers).
Standout tracks: "Blood", "Eve'' (esp. the section in the middle where it kicks up the tempo and the drummer starts going rogue), "Slice of Time"
MEGA COLOSSUS
NWOTHM; the token rocky start seemed to work more in its favour, as the vocal work was probably the least polished of all the bands in the entire lineup, but not at all working against them and just enhancing the passion they gave off performing. Very fansong-laden setlist with tributes to Indiana Jones, Face-off, and other 80s action films. Also I swear one of the vocalists pulled off a "Noblewoman's Laugh" (probably minus the pose tho :( ) in "Showdown". Which was great if true.
Standout tracks: "Fortune and Glory", "Showdown", "Grab the Sun", "Wicked Road", "Razor City" (aka. basically the entire set lol)
THE DREAD CREW OF ODDWOOD
Entirely acoustic folk ensemble, albeit very metal-inspired, hence their self-descriptor as "Heavy Mahogany". I had already known about them from their "Battle Metal" cover, but unfortunately they didn't do that one. Still, the rest of their setlist was hella entertaining. Them introducing the crowd to the "Shit!" "Yeah!" chant in "Sidequest" is definitely a funny thing to think abt without context. I do think they'd benefit from an extra guitar/mandola/bouzouki/etc. for some of the tracks bc there's a bit of a pitch gulf between mandolin and double bass that they'd benefit from filling, but other than that, these folks were solid.
Standout tracks: "Sidequest", "Heavy Mahogany", "Giant Fucking Demon Crab", "Lawful Evil"
NANOWAR OF STEEL
Power metal whose lyrics lean towards parody of the genre's typical lyrical conventions, but still very musically tight and enjoyable. Shoutout to the frontman giving everyone a panty shot first thing in their set before launching into a song called "Uranus". Truly the best start to Pride Month anyone could hope for. Also shout out to the "Wall of Love" set to their version of Careless Whisper. Truly wholesome. Alsoalso shoutout to them writing a song in Javascript as a take-that to AI generated music. Honestly, I'm glad this is virtual so I can look up all the refs on Genius without looking like an ass in front of everything bc some of their stuff is pretty dense with hidden layers to the lyrics (namely, Helloworld.java and Norwegian Reggaeton).
Standout tracks: "Disco Metal", "Helloworld.java", "Norwegian Reggaeton"
FIREWIND
These guys were the Night 1 headliners. I think i tried to get into them in high school but never fully did, and i think i know why... because they're kinda mid. Not at all "bad" per se, but they didn't really give me much to latch onto. Or maybe I was just tired at the time (their set started at 11:35 PM my time and I didn't take my Monster Energy with the appropriate timing), and therefore more easily bored. That said, Gus G is fucking phenomenal on guitar.
Standout tracks: "World on Fire", "Destination Forever", "Mercenary Man", "Maniac"
LUTHARO
Thrash/melodeath/NWOTHM hybrid; I've known about this group for a few months, and was most excited to see them specifically out of the whole festival roster. (especially bc i might be seeing them in July dep. on my host's schedule) Probably had the heaviest material on the bill, which i appreciate. Was surprised abt the guys doing background vox live, because I thought Krista was the only vocalist.
Standout tracks: "Ruthless Bloodline", "Wings of Agony", "Time to Rise", "Born to Ride" (fun fact: I was mentally confusing the last two tracks, and was like "Wait, so they did an alternate car-racing-themed MV for "Time to Rise" and called it "Time to Ride"?" but then they played "Born to Ride" right afterward and was immediately corrected)
AETHER REALM
Melodic death metal; these guys were another one I already knew about, but less so than Lutharo. Mostly thru osmosis via several of my Tumblr moots. Super bold of them to start with The Sun, The Moon, The Star; which I'm psure is the longest song in their discography. A bunch of ppl were joking about it taking up half the set in the Twitch chat. Also funny how they had bi-lighting going on in TSTMTS when i'm certain most of the aforementioned Aether Realm mutuals are bi. lmao. Nevertheless, they fuckin DELIVERED. The moots were indeed right.
Standout tracks: The Sun, The Moon, The Star; Should I?, TMHC, Guardian
BIT BRIGADE
Another VGM cover group, playing thru the entirety of Mega Man 2. And I mean *literally* playing thru = they had someone doing a live speedrun while the band plays. Really fun, brought me back to when i was at the height of my MM Classic era in early uni. Regretfully, my internet was having issues during this set so my enjoyment was semi diluted. Still fun tho
Standout tracks: Flash Man stage, the MM3 weapon get arrange they threw in for whatever reason, Air Man stage, the Spark Man stage arrange that they played halfway thru Crash man stage (holyshit there's a lot of MM3 themes they keep throwing in), Heat Man stage
STRIKER
"Big stupid fun" type arena-NWOTHM in similar vein of early Battle Beast? That's best descriptor i can get for their type of sound. Absolutely infectious energy, super fun to watch. But once again, Internet issues were messing with my enjoyment. Gonna have to do a more thorough check-out of these folks later.
standout tracks: "Blood Magic", "Ready for Anything", "Phoenix Lights"
LORDS OF THE TRIDENT
These guys were the organizers of the fest, providing more Big Stupid Fun, albeit of a slightly different flavor. This was more capital-P power metal as opposed to the more NWOTHM leanings of Striker. Shoutout to the drummer's fit incorporating extra sticks in the backpack, as well as the frontman holding a prop axe dangerously close to the guitarist's neck during a solo. Also props to coining the term "Grocery Store Banger" for covers of 80s pop tunes.
Standout tracks: "Power of Evil", "Complete Control", "Kill to Die"
DREAM EVIL
Day 2 headliners; had much more to offer me music-wise. (sorry for the indirect Firewind slander guys (pleading emoji)) Shoutout to the Yaoi Moment (TM) between the vocalist and bassist just after Master of Arms ... which i guess conditioned me into mishearing "fire" as the F slur in the "Fire! Battle! In Metal!"... only for the Yaoi Moment to be shattered by the "even my wife" moment in Made of Metal. Been sleeping on these guys SO fuckin hard. They fuckin delivered. Great cap-off to an awesome fest!
Standout tracks: "In Flames You Burn", "Fire! Battle! In Metal!", "Immortal", "The Prophecy", "Into the Moonlight"
BRIAN KOENIG
VGM cover act; this guy was a last min replacement and it kinda showed - just one guy with a guitar and several backing tracks. Made it a bit awkward when the drum cam view came up and there was no one there. But it did get better over time
Standout tracks: Song of Healing from LoZ:MM (he did some neat jazz fusion/funk stylings in with the metal), Slam Shuffle from FFVI (made it more upbeat/less "boring" = also thanks for reminding me i have to pick up FFVI after abandoning it for over 7 yrs)
ORYAD
Symphonic/doom act; they had a little bit of mixing issues, especially in the beginning (although maybe that was bc the vocalist was trying to sing operatically alongside some goth-dancey choreo), but those issues were resolved later. High school me would've loved this shit for the symphonic/operatic aspects, while present me appreciates it for motivating me to get more into doom (especially since that's a big chunk of what my local scene offers).
Standout tracks: "Blood", "Eve'' (esp. the section in the middle where it kicks up the tempo and the drummer starts going rogue), "Slice of Time"
MEGA COLOSSUS
NWOTHM; the token rocky start seemed to work more in its favour, as the vocal work was probably the least polished of all the bands in the entire lineup, but not at all working against them and just enhancing the passion they gave off performing. Very fansong-laden setlist with tributes to Indiana Jones, Face-off, and other 80s action films. Also I swear one of the vocalists pulled off a "Noblewoman's Laugh" (probably minus the pose tho :( ) in "Showdown". Which was great if true.
Standout tracks: "Fortune and Glory", "Showdown", "Grab the Sun", "Wicked Road", "Razor City" (aka. basically the entire set lol)
THE DREAD CREW OF ODDWOOD
Entirely acoustic folk ensemble, albeit very metal-inspired, hence their self-descriptor as "Heavy Mahogany". I had already known about them from their "Battle Metal" cover, but unfortunately they didn't do that one. Still, the rest of their setlist was hella entertaining. Them introducing the crowd to the "Shit!" "Yeah!" chant in "Sidequest" is definitely a funny thing to think abt without context. I do think they'd benefit from an extra guitar/mandola/bouzouki/etc. for some of the tracks bc there's a bit of a pitch gulf between mandolin and double bass that they'd benefit from filling, but other than that, these folks were solid.
Standout tracks: "Sidequest", "Heavy Mahogany", "Giant Fucking Demon Crab", "Lawful Evil"
NANOWAR OF STEEL
Power metal whose lyrics lean towards parody of the genre's typical lyrical conventions, but still very musically tight and enjoyable. Shoutout to the frontman giving everyone a panty shot first thing in their set before launching into a song called "Uranus". Truly the best start to Pride Month anyone could hope for. Also shout out to the "Wall of Love" set to their version of Careless Whisper. Truly wholesome. Alsoalso shoutout to them writing a song in Javascript as a take-that to AI generated music. Honestly, I'm glad this is virtual so I can look up all the refs on Genius without looking like an ass in front of everything bc some of their stuff is pretty dense with hidden layers to the lyrics (namely, Helloworld.java and Norwegian Reggaeton).
Standout tracks: "Disco Metal", "Helloworld.java", "Norwegian Reggaeton"
FIREWIND
These guys were the Night 1 headliners. I think i tried to get into them in high school but never fully did, and i think i know why... because they're kinda mid. Not at all "bad" per se, but they didn't really give me much to latch onto. Or maybe I was just tired at the time (their set started at 11:35 PM my time and I didn't take my Monster Energy with the appropriate timing), and therefore more easily bored. That said, Gus G is fucking phenomenal on guitar.
Standout tracks: "World on Fire", "Destination Forever", "Mercenary Man", "Maniac"
LUTHARO
Thrash/melodeath/NWOTHM hybrid; I've known about this group for a few months, and was most excited to see them specifically out of the whole festival roster. (especially bc i might be seeing them in July dep. on my host's schedule) Probably had the heaviest material on the bill, which i appreciate. Was surprised abt the guys doing background vox live, because I thought Krista was the only vocalist.
Standout tracks: "Ruthless Bloodline", "Wings of Agony", "Time to Rise", "Born to Ride" (fun fact: I was mentally confusing the last two tracks, and was like "Wait, so they did an alternate car-racing-themed MV for "Time to Rise" and called it "Time to Ride"?" but then they played "Born to Ride" right afterward and was immediately corrected)
AETHER REALM
Melodic death metal; these guys were another one I already knew about, but less so than Lutharo. Mostly thru osmosis via several of my Tumblr moots. Super bold of them to start with The Sun, The Moon, The Star; which I'm psure is the longest song in their discography. A bunch of ppl were joking about it taking up half the set in the Twitch chat. Also funny how they had bi-lighting going on in TSTMTS when i'm certain most of the aforementioned Aether Realm mutuals are bi. lmao. Nevertheless, they fuckin DELIVERED. The moots were indeed right.
Standout tracks: The Sun, The Moon, The Star; Should I?, TMHC, Guardian
BIT BRIGADE
Another VGM cover group, playing thru the entirety of Mega Man 2. And I mean *literally* playing thru = they had someone doing a live speedrun while the band plays. Really fun, brought me back to when i was at the height of my MM Classic era in early uni. Regretfully, my internet was having issues during this set so my enjoyment was semi diluted. Still fun tho
Standout tracks: Flash Man stage, the MM3 weapon get arrange they threw in for whatever reason, Air Man stage, the Spark Man stage arrange that they played halfway thru Crash man stage (holyshit there's a lot of MM3 themes they keep throwing in), Heat Man stage
STRIKER
"Big stupid fun" type arena-NWOTHM in similar vein of early Battle Beast? That's best descriptor i can get for their type of sound. Absolutely infectious energy, super fun to watch. But once again, Internet issues were messing with my enjoyment. Gonna have to do a more thorough check-out of these folks later.
standout tracks: "Blood Magic", "Ready for Anything", "Phoenix Lights"
LORDS OF THE TRIDENT
These guys were the organizers of the fest, providing more Big Stupid Fun, albeit of a slightly different flavor. This was more capital-P power metal as opposed to the more NWOTHM leanings of Striker. Shoutout to the drummer's fit incorporating extra sticks in the backpack, as well as the frontman holding a prop axe dangerously close to the guitarist's neck during a solo. Also props to coining the term "Grocery Store Banger" for covers of 80s pop tunes.
Standout tracks: "Power of Evil", "Complete Control", "Kill to Die"
DREAM EVIL
Day 2 headliners; had much more to offer me music-wise. (sorry for the indirect Firewind slander guys (pleading emoji)) Shoutout to the Yaoi Moment (TM) between the vocalist and bassist just after Master of Arms ... which i guess conditioned me into mishearing "fire" as the F slur in the "Fire! Battle! In Metal!"... only for the Yaoi Moment to be shattered by the "even my wife" moment in Made of Metal. Been sleeping on these guys SO fuckin hard. They fuckin delivered. Great cap-off to an awesome fest!
Standout tracks: "In Flames You Burn", "Fire! Battle! In Metal!", "Immortal", "The Prophecy", "Into the Moonlight"
