Vagos Open Air 2014 – Day Three

Being the first band to perform on the last day of a festival is a tough place for anyone to find themselves, and the audience for Opus Diabolicum was a little sparse to begin with. Sound problems during their first song didn’t help, but these minor faults were quickly and professionally rectified and  Opus Diabolicum

Vagos Open Air 2014 – Day Two

The first band of the day, Requiem Laus, formed in Madeira in 1992 but didn’t release their first album until 2005. During that time they have garnered a reputation as a solid death/black metal band, so it was a shame to see such a small audience at the start of their performance. However, as everyone

Vagos Open Air 2014 – Day One

While fans of Dance, Electro, and Hip-Hop were heading down south for the MEO Sudoeste Festival, metalheads from Portugal and beyond were heading north, to Quinta do Ega in Vagos. Since the festival officially became known as Vagos Open Air in 2009, a trip to the Quinta do Ega has become an annual pilgrimage for

Vagos Open Air 2013 – Gamma Ray

The last band we saw at Vagos Open Air was the German Power Metal band, Gamma Ray. The band was actually here as a replacement for the British band, Saxon, one of whose members had an accident, but Gamma Ray delivered a fabulous performance which delighted the audience. Setlist: (Welcome): Anywhere in the Galaxy, Men, Martians and

Vagos Open Air 2013 – Iced Earth

The first band of the evening was the American power metal band, Iced Earth. This was their first visit to Portugal for a long time, and they seemed to be enjoying their visit to Vagos Open Air immensely. With a hugely enjoyable set, Iced Earth performed two encores and left the crowd wanting even more.

Vagos Open Air 2013 – Rotting Christ

The rather unusually named Rotting Christ, an extreme black metal band from Greece, took to the stage at Vagos. Fronted by Sakis Tolis, on guitar and vocals, Rotting Christ were magnificaent, delivering a frenetic set which the crowd enjoyed immensely, setting up the festival for the evening performances. Setlist: The Forest of N’Gai, Athanati Este, Kata ton Demona Eautou, King of

Vagos Open Air 2013 – Interlude

On the second day of the festival, the crowd really started enjoying themselves… During the performance of the Greek black metal band Rotting Christ we had the first crowd surfers, which everyone, surfers, band and crowd alike, really joined in with. Of course, of all of the photographers in the pit one of the crowd

Vagos Open Air 2013 – Tarantula

Keeping up the arachnid theme, Web were followed by the veteran Portuguese Heavy Metal band, Tarantula. One of the first heavy metal bands in Portugal, Tarantula, fronted by Jorge Marques, provided a powerhouse performance. Setlist: Spiral of Fear, Afterlife, Dark Age, The Nature of Sin, You Can Always Touch the Sky, Changes Coming, Face the Mirror

Vagos Open Air 2013 – Web

Day two of Vagos Open Air kicked off in style with the Portuguese Thrash Metal band Web. Setlist: Life Aggression, Mortal Soul, Awake, (In)Sanity, Beautiful Obsession, If Only There Was Light

Vagos Open Air 2013 – Evergrey

Keeping up the Scandanavian influence, Moonsorrow were followed by the Swedish progressive metal band, Evergrey. With an epic 14 song setlist, Evergrey haunted the audiencee. Sadly, I had to leave before the end of Evergrey’s performance, so missed the last few tracks, and also the bands Sonata Arctica and Lacuna Coil. Setlist: When the Walls Go

Vagos Open Air 2013 – Moonsorrow

After Bizarra Locomotiva at Vagos Open Air came Moonsorrow, a pagan metal band from Finland. According to Wikipedia, the band ‘incorporates elements of black metal and folk metal in their sound’, and call their music “epic heathen metal”. They certainly got the approval of the crowd, and gave a rousing performance. We even saw some Finnish flags being waved. Setlist: Unohduksen lapsi, Köyliönjärven Jäällä, Taistelu Pohjolasta, Sankaritarina, Kuolleiden Maa

Vagos Open Air 2013 – Bizarra Locomotiva

The second band of the first day at Vagos Open Air were Bizarra Locomotiva, an industrial metal band from Portugal. Fronted by vocalist Rui Sidónio, and accompanied by Miguel Fonseca on guitar, Alpha on keyboards and Rui Berton on drums, Bizarra Locomotiva took the festival to a whole new level. Set List: A Procissão dos Édipos, Egodescentralizado, Desgraçado De Bordo, Gatos Do Asfalto, Engodo, O Anjo Exilado (guest

Vagos Open Air 2013 – Secret Lie

Last weekend (09-10 August), Vagos hosted the annual Metal Festival, Vagos Open Air. With a strong line up, as ever, the festival opened with the Portuguese band Secret Lie. Including adaptations from Vivaldi, and a sneak listen of a song from their new album, Secret Lie got Vagos Open Air 2013 off to a buzzing

Vagos Open Air 2013 – Iced Earth

The first band of the evening was the American power metal band, Iced Earth. This was their first visit to Portugal for a long time, and they seemed to be enjoying their visit to Vagos Open Air immensely. With a hugely enjoyable set, Iced Earth performed two encores and left the crowd wanting even more.

Vagos Open Air 2013 – Rotting Christ

The rather unusually named Rotting Christ, an extreme black metal band from Greece, took to the stage at Vagos. Fronted by Sakis Tolis, on guitar and vocals, Rotting Christ were magnificent, delivering a frenetic set which the crowd enjoyed immensely, setting up the festival for the evening performances. //embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js Setlist: The Forest of N’Gai, Athanati Este, Kata ton Demona Eautou, King

Vagos Open Air 2013 – Gamma Ray

The last band we saw at Vagos Open Air was the German Power Metal band, Gamma Ray. The band was actually here as a replacement for the British band, Saxon, one of whose members had an accident, but Gamma Ray delivered a fabulous performance which delighted the audience. //embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js Setlist: (Welcome): Anywhere in the Galaxy, Men, Martians

Vagos Open Air 2013 – Tarantula

Keeping up the arachnid theme, Web were followed by the veteran Portuguese Heavy Metal band, Tarantula. One of the first heavy metal bands in Portugal, Tarantula, fronted by Jorge Marques, provided a powerhouse performance. //embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js Setlist: Spiral of Fear, Afterlife, Dark Age, The Nature of Sin, You Can Always Touch the Sky, Changes Coming, Face the Mirror

Vagos Open Air 2013

Yesterday was the first day of the Metal festival Vagos Open Air where we covered Secret Lie, Bizarra Locomotiva, Moonsorrow and Evergreen. Today is Web, Tarantula, Rotting Christ, Iced earth, Gamma Ray and Testament. It promises to be a rocking day, and a big thank you to the organisers for a fabulous event. The atmosphere