Over the past months and especially the last weeks our mailbox was bulging out. Why it took so long before we come up with some new names? Whether we could not proceed selling tickets already? Along with a lot of other questions it seems Alcatraz Metal Festival really lives and the metal fans are eagerly looking forward to the new edition. The festival summer is approaching rapidly and behind the scenes there’s a lot of hard working going on. Moreover, our headliner is finally confirmed. It’s therefore we are really proud to announce the mighty Twisted Sister will headline the festival on Saturday. Not that we ever doubted the qualities of this American band but since their double passage in Dessel EVERYONE agrees that no other band on this planet can put a festival field on fire like Twisted Sister. It is even not difficult if you know the repertoire of the band are notorious sing-alongs like “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock”, songs which are deeply etched in the collective memory (remember MTV?) of many metal heads. Those are also songs with a view behind. Dee Snider is known to spit on everything that affects the credibility of rock and metal and has a free speech in general.
Metal Thrashing Mad with Sacred Reich
No Alcatraz festival without a reputable thrash band, and that’s no different this year. Testament was on our wish list, almost confirmed but at the end they called off. One of the members from the Bay Area thrashers couldn’t make it. Pity! We asked around and many thrashers among our visitors would love to have Sacred Reich into the line-up…so it will be done! And not without any reasons. The historical influence from this band from Phoenix should not be underestimated. The band name is emerging as a source of inspiration to countless young thrash bands. Once they started as speed demons (“Ignorance” and “Surf Nicaragua”) but then the emphasis was put on groovy mid-tempo thrash with albums like “The American Way” and “Independent”. It was infectious for sure.
Prong confirmed for AMF 2014
In 1994 as the album “Cleansing” was released, we got smashed up. Obviously we were fan of the earlier work from the band around Tommy Victor, but when they beat us with songs like “Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck”, “Whose Fist Is This Anyway” and “Broken Peace” to name a few, our appreciation for the band increases. And we are not alone, “Cleansing” turns out into a commercial success in the mid-nineties. Prong is suddenly considered as a top act and manages to charm more alternative as well as metal fans with their ‘alt-industrial’ metal.
Think This, Think Toxik
As with Sacred Reich the roots from Toxik are going back to the blessed year 1985. And also like Sacred Reich, Toxik is a thrash metal band but one of a different kind. The New Yorkers draw a line through the progressive music with pounding guitar riffs and melodic harmonies. In that period it distinguishes Toxik of many emerging bands which particularly the term ‘fast’ and ‘hard’ prevails. The talent scouts from the famous Roadrunner Records discover their abilities and offer the band a contract. Their debut album “World Circus” is a big success and receives high scores in the year-end lists from 1987. Also in Eindhoven they appreciate the band from overseas and Toxik is playing the Dynamo Open Air festival in 1988. According to those who were there it was a memorable concert. As soon as the masterpiece “Think This” was released in 1989 we became even bigger fans. The album is a mix with technical aspects from bands like Fates Warning and Queensryche, and at the other hand the better pounding riffs from bands like Nuclear Assault and Death Angel.
W.A.S.P.
Blackie Lawless, the controversial frontman of W.A.S.P. celebrates his 58th birthday in September. But you certainly would not give the tall singer / guitarist his age. Blackie is still one of the most vital frontmen in the metal scene, also we experienced during the passage of the band a few months ago. Nevertheless, Blackie is on old warhorse who has been on stage for almost forty years (already in 1975 with the New York Dolls) and with several classics on his name. The band instantly hit sparks with their debut album “W.A.S.P.” And our festival is just the place where Blackie & co would like to set up the celebration for the thirtieth anniversary of the acclaimed album.
Arch Enemy
In the past years on the Alcatraz stage we had several ladies with their beautiful voices and ditto appearances which could tempt many visitors.However, far away from here there ‘s a young lady reigning with her chilling voice and beautiful appearance as a Khaleesi of the darkest depths of hell. Her name is Angelo Gossow. Since the millennium, the German front lady managed to lead her Swedish wild men and to conquer Europe and the rest of the world, slowly but surely. ‘Black Earth’, ‘Doomsday Machine’, Rise Of The Tyrant’, ‘The Root Of All Evil’ or ‘Khaos Legion’, those are album titles which typify the desire from those bloodhounds, led by the blond bastard. Meanwhile Arch Enemy is a popular guest at festivals and continuous to deliver new albums regularly. There will also be a new release in 2014 and we suppose to hear some new songs at the festival in Kortrijk. On the question of who is the true metal queen now, we remain guilty for the time being. Let the game of thrones begin…