Title: Powerwolf at the Download festival
Date: 2018-06-18 23:30
[]({static}/images/powerwolf.jpg)
The last week-end, between the 15th and 17th of June 2018,
I enjoyed the third happening of the [Download festival
paris](https://www.downloadfestival.fr/en). The weather was perfect: 20°C all
days long (yay sunburns!), and the place was *surprising*: it was taking place
on the (now defunct) [Airbase A17](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Br%C3%A9tigny-sur-Orge_Air_Base).
Hence why there were several containers with [warplanes perched on
them]({static}/images/download2018_plane.jpg)!
The line-up was [pretty dope](https://www.downloadfestival.fr/en/lineup-poster):
- [Ghost](http://ghost-official.com/) that I wanted to see since years, but
unfortunately, they had some major feedback issues, making their [whole
show]({static}/images/download2018_ghost.jpg)
hard to tolerate, even with earplugs.
- [Billy Talent](http://billytalent.com/) and [the
Offspring](http://offspring.com/) that I listened to something like 10 years
ago
- [Betraying the Martyrs](http://betrayingthemartyrs.com/), despite their
utterly disappointing last album, are still impressive.
- [Alestorm](http://www.alestorm.net/) felt less than a pirate-metal band than some cheap garage
band.
- [Alcest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcest) as expected was terrible:
playing post-black metal live outside is always a great way to generate noise and disappointment.
- [Avatar](http://avatarmetal.com/) was fun, I'm a big fan of their whole
equally grotesque and colourful imagery and it's impossible to not jiggle to
their super-duper-goovy sound!
- [Hollywood undead](https://hollywoodundead.com/) while being super-far from
being my cup of tea was full of energy. Apparently,
*[rapcore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rap_rock ) * is a thing.
- [Crossfaith](http://crossfaith.jp/overseas/), from Japan, were impressive. We
were emptying beers while looking for some friends, when suddenly, on the
main stage, a cover of Prodigy's Omen! I'm usually not a big fan of
electronic music, but Crossfaith manages to blend it perfectly. At least
live: I tried to listen to their studio productions, and it sounded kind of
*meh*.
But the _real_ surprised of the festival was (as hinted by the title of this
post) [Powerwolf](http://www.powerwolf.net/)! I never really listened to it
but my best friend told me that they were "pretty decent". And damn they were!
A German power/heavy metal band, all dressed in black worm cassock but the
frontman who's wearing a heavy ferraiuolo, singing about werewolves and
vampires, with imageries mashing wolves and the catholic church? The singer has
a powerful voice (he apparently studied classical opera at the university of
Bucharest, I wouldn't be surprised, but I failed to find any reliable source
about this): no growls nor chorus here, yet it doesn't feel like it's lacking
anything to their songs. Cherry on the top: he did his very best to speak in
French between the songs, and not the usual "comment ça va Paris ?" but
announcing the dates of their next show in Paris as the beginning of their new
tour, in French!
Their songs are catchy as Hell, and even if their
latin (they naturally have some songs/parts in latin) is a [bit
broken](https://heavylatin.blogspot.com/2015/07/powerwolf-blessed-possessed.html),
but it's still fun to hear several thousand people yell their chorus!
The lyrics are as expected darker than the night, but they of course are full
of second degree, with songs like *All you need is blood* and *Dead Boys Don't Cry*.
About the music, it does sound a bit like blind guardian, but without cocky
solos way more powerful and generally more pleasant ;)
I do recommend [We drink your
blood](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpxFUo7oxWM), [sanctified with
dynamite](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhiSgXz_l20), [demons are a girl's
best friend](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhK2ev_O-pc) despite its shitty
clip and if you had only one to listen to, it would be [Armata Strigoi](https://youtu.be/3zx1ZtxUbGE)!