Out of all the extreme metal outfits we caught on the first day of Alcatraz, especially the show of Possessed really stuck with us. The absolutely legendary death metal band, that supposedly is responsible for the subgenre’s moniker, was a delight to see on that big Swamp Stage. About a week before, we caught them in Helsinki at a steaming little club show that was incredibly intense, so we were wondering if the show was going to be as good when they were playing high up, further away from their fans. And while the vibe and intensity clearly was different, the show was not lacking at all. They know how to play, and they know how to do it good. That groovy, kind of thrashy style of death metal that almost seems not extreme and heavy enough to be called death metal compared to most contemporary acts, simply works like a charm. We were all shouting along to the metal classics with an always impressive Jeff Becerra, what a presence!

We were not going to sit out a show of one of the contemporary black metal scene’s most promising acts around, despite the relatively early hour. Gaerea has consistently been impressing people all around the world and are building a massive army of dedicated fans with their artistry. And live that every single time translates in an intense and extreme yet beautiful experience. The band, and especially the vocalist, are captivating in the way they manage to express themselves despite their faces being obscured by the masks they’re wearing. There is a certain desperation that permeates the whole performance, only adding to the overall atmosphere. This is top level modern black metal, it doesn’t get much better than this!

On the other hand then, there is Taake. They were this year’s best representation of the trve kvlt Norwegian black metal. Hoest and his companions are holding the banner of old school second wave of black metal high, and he’s a rather legendary character of the scene that is impressive to see marching around the stage with a certain level of ferocity. Added to that the huge tattered Norwegian flag he has draped around his shoulders as a cape that flaps and twirls around him while he’s frantically moving and screaming like a demon straight from hell, and you know you found the perfect show to fulfill your need for pure and unadulterated black metal.

How could we not go see Amorphis as the band to wrap up our second festival day? While we regularly get to experience the awesomeness that is this band, as the only band on the line-up from our second homecountry Finland, we couldn’t skip on them. And what we got was a show that was a bit more back to basics, but musically above anything else. This band has become a household name within the Finnish scene, and you can see why. With Tomi Joutsen bringing the high energy to the stage with his passionate performance while his bandmates back him with absolutely stellar music. What a way to end your day!

Despite having had already 2 really long days behind us, we put some extra effort in getting to the festival ground early enough to catch Serpents Oath on the Swamp Stage by noon. These guys have been somewhat of a revelation within the Belgian (black) metal scene and could easily be described as a Belgian version of Watain both in music and aesthetics. But they’re not a mere clone, they have their own identity, and do what they do incredibly well. We haven’t seen another black metal show this weekend that radiated as much of an occult ritual vibe as this one! After 2 already excellent albums, they’re gearing up to release their third full-length with ‘Revelation‘, and we couldn’t be more excited about it! Keep your eyes out for these guys, they’re going to get big!

They got the crazy Canadians of Archspire to Alcatraz, how could we say no to that? These tech death guys make some of the most extreme and most complicated/intricated metal there is, and we just had to experience this live. Despite taking their music serious, they don’t take themselves or the band too serious, as was proven yet again with all the hilarious samples that were played and almost dad joke level speeches between the songs they played at blistering speed. Whether you’re into this kind of music or not, you couldn’t help yourself from walking away from the Swamp Stage with a huge grin on your face, because that is what an Archspire show does to you…