Day 1
Kodi: Local Detroit band and Metal Blade artist Battlecross was stellar, as expected. They owned a cover of “War Ensemble” that was a worthy tribute to Slayer and Jeff Hanneman, and as the first serious metal act of the day, they were tight enough and fun enough to be an awesome representative for metal and for Detroit both. They deserved an even bigger crowd, but if that Kickstarter campaign of theirs is anything to go by, the crowd is coming.
B: It was a great show for Battlecross. They’ve got a new album coming out soon, and to play the biggest hometown show of their career after being introduced by James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett would be exciting for anyone, but this is the best possible way to kick off an album cycle possible.
K: I’m one of the few people I know who was really excited to see garage rockers The Orwells on the initial lineup announcement, and they wasted no time in showing why they deserved a spot. They were kind of my favorite way to start the day off, because to me, they’re everything you could ask for in a not-metal, not-punk band at Orion. They have a noticeable amount of Stooges influence (they even closed with a location-friendly cover of “I Wanna Be Your Dog”) and generally sound like they’re playing creepy, noisy-ass doo-wop 90 percent of the time, so it’s easy to imagine them winning over some unsuspecting Metallica fans. And guess what? That’s exactly what they did. Songs like “Halloween All Year” are kind of like Danzig-era Misfits playing a high-school dance, and that aspect of their sound helped The Orwells convert a few early hecklers into some of the people most vocally cheering for them by the end of their set. I have no doubt that The Bronx owned it across the field from them, but I have no regrets.
K: Foals was an interesting, dancier indie-rock band, and one that I would’ve really liked to see at an indoor show. I’m not sure if I was that into their set on the whole, but as a band that’s always had a shoegaze side to them, they threw out a couple of denser songs that made me glad I stopped to catch them. For a band that can pack out New York’s Terminal 5, they didn’t have a huge audience, but it’s also hard to imagine Metallica’s crowd being won over by their relative politeness.
B: Foals were interesting, but following through on our hunch meant getting to the “Damage Inc.” stage to stake out a claim for Dehaan. Dead Sara were playing, and I’ve got to admit, I missed the boat on this band. It doesn’t help that their name sounds like a boring active rock band, but I’d completely ignored the band until now. Singer Emily Armstrong has an amazing voice, and the band’s heavy swagger won me over. See, that’s the great thing about festivals like this – the opportunity for discovery is everywhere.
