MILWAUKEE METALFEST PART 3

Part 3: Saturday May 18th, 2024 – Day 2 of Milwaukee METALFEST 

Once again, I set out to explore the vibrant city of Milwaukee before heading to the festival. My first stop was a coffee patio beside the Milwaukee Public Market, which was bustling today since it was the weekend. Wearing my Wacken Open Air shirt, I was approached by a group of metalheads from Florida and Texas who asked if they could join me. We all sat together, enjoying coffee and muffins while discussing everything metal and our journeys to Milwaukee. I love this about the metal community; no matter where I travel for festivals, there’s an instant connection with fellow metal fans from around the world. After an engaging 90-minute conversation, we parted ways, and I continued my exploration of downtown. The city features a fascinating mix of historic architecture, especially the churches, alongside modern buildings. Next on my agenda was a visit to Explorium Brewpub in the Third Ward, where I was excited to try some delicious New England Hazy IPAs.

Getting into the festival on Day 2 was just as smooth as the previous day—quick lines, friendly staff, and I was in the venue in no time. I picked up another festival-branded shirt to give away on my podcast, “Thrashcast,” and there were hardly any merch lines today. I even met a guy at his merch table who runs a vinyl pressing plant right inside the venue—it’s incredible how massive this place is! The crowds were noticeably larger today and it was going to be a H-E-A-V-Y day! No more Power Metal on the agenda like yesterday.

Terrorizer

Unfortunately, late starts for the bands were a recurring theme again on Day 2, but I had come to expect that by now. The first band I caught on the main stage was the legendary Grindcore group Terrorizer, featuring drumming powerhouse Pete Sandoval and David Vincent from Morbid Angel on bass. Pete and David are the only original members still with the band. I was surprised to see new vocalist Brian Warner sporting dark face paint, which I didn’t anticipate. They delivered a special set focused on their debut album, World Downfall, from 1989—an album I grew up with. They played the entire record, which consists mainly of 1-3 minute tracks, resulting in a fierce performance that set an excellent tone for the day.

Clearly, today was all about Death Metal, with many legendary bands on the lineup. However, I found it a bit strange that Terrorizer was in the large main room, as there was quite a bit of empty space unused. The Century Media Stage might have been a better fit for the band, allowing for a more intimate atmosphere where fans and the band could really feed off each other’s energy.

Death To All

Speaking of legendary bands, it was time to see the Death tribute act Death To All take the stage at Century Media, which was packed and overflowing into the hallways. For those unfamiliar, Death To All honors the iconic Chuck Schuldiner, a pioneer of death metal who passed away at the height of Death’s fame and musical creativity. The lineup includes bass player Steve DiGiorgio, drummer Gene Hoglan, guitarist Bobby Koelble, and Max Phelps on guitar and vocals—each a standout in the metal community, essential for delivering Death’s legendary progressive music. This was the first of two performances, with a second full set scheduled for Sunday. Today’s focus was on the Sound of Perseverance album, and the band executed it flawlessly. It’s remarkable how much Max Phelps sounds like Chuck; close your eyes, and you could easily imagine this performance happening back in 1998 or 1999. As a treat, the band played their cover of Judas Priest’s ‘Painkiller’, that was so much fun.  This was undoubtedly one of the standout performances of 2024 for me. The musical precision was breathtaking, leaving the crowd in total awe.

Municipal Waste

I had to rush back to the main stage to catch Municipal Waste, and my first impression was that this was the most packed the large venue had been all festival so far. Fans of all ages came together for this crossover thrash performance. The show started late, and I found myself in the photo pit while the stage crew set up with zombies and radioactive garbage cans. Having seen Municipal Waste many times, I knew things were about to get wild. I nearly got crushed multiple times as crowd surfers poured into the press photo pit around me—definitely something the newbie photographer manual doesn’t prepare you for! But enough about me. The band only had 35 minutes but packed in an impressive number of songs. I was thrilled to hear almost half of The Art of Partying, my personal favorite album, along with four tracks from their latest album, Electrified, and at least one song from each of their previous albums. The mosh pit was pure chaos, and Municipal Waste definitely knows how to crank up the energy. At one point, vocalist Tony Foresta urged the crowd to find things to throw, and soon garbage pails, massive five foot blue recycling bins, shoes, shirts, and beer were flying everywhere. You can’t beat a Municipal Waste show—I had an absolute blast!

Possessed

It was time to dive back into old-school metal with Possessed. While there’s some debate about their role in creating Death Metal, they undeniably belong on this stacked lineup. Unfortunately, all the stages were running behind at this point, leading to another long wait, but it was worth it. Possessed had 40 minutes on stage, and they ripped the place apart. Vocalist Jeff Becerra performed from his wheelchair due to an incident that left him paralyzed from the waist down, yet he always delivers a fierce performance, engaging with the crowd and moving around the stage. It’s clear that Jeff has a deep passion for performing, and he often has a big smile as he interacts with fans. The Century Media stage was packed, with everyone headbanging to Possessed’s signature death/thrash sound. The crowd erupted whenever they played tracks from the legendary Seven Churches album from 1985, which happened about four or five times. The rest of the set mainly featured songs from their 2019 album, Revelations of Oblivion. As I left the photo pit, I passed by “The Atomic Clock” Gene Hoglan, who gave me a nod and a smile while I stood beside him in awe. Today was filled with incredible performances. By this point, it was around 8 PM, and I was getting hungry, but my first break wouldn’t come until 10 PM after Testament.       

Hatebreed

Next up was Milwaukee MetalFest organizer Jamey Jasta, performing with his hardcore-influenced band, Hatebreed. Similar to Thursday’s pre-fest party with the Jasta Band, I wasn’t very familiar with their music. Not surprisingly, Hatebreed attracted a large crowd given Jamey’s deep connection with Milwaukee and the festival. Jamey is a standout frontman, full of energy and commanding stage presence. He sprinted around the stage, jumped on the front monitors headbanging at high velocity, and actively engaged with fans between songs. Despite his role in organizing the festival, Jamey and Hatebreed adhered to their 45-minute set time—no special treatment here! While the songs were all new to me, they featured strong crunchy guitar riffs, a dynamic rhythm section with plenty of tempo-driven breakdowns, and some melodic elements. Their sound blended old-school punk and hardcore influences with a modern metal style. I enjoyed the set and plan to check out more of their music. However, I had to leave early because things were about to get serious—Deicide was set to take the Century Media Stage, and that was my priority.

Deicide

After a long wait, it was finally time for Deicide to take the stage at the Century Media venue. I’ve seen them a few times this year, and they’ve delivered every show. The new lineup seems to have reinvigorated vocalist and bassist Glen Benton, while guitarists Taylor Nordberg and Kevin Quinn effortlessly handled the classic tracks, they added a fresh, thrash-oriented flair to the newer Deicide songs. I was thrilled with the setlist, which leaned heavily on older albums. The band revisited an old-school set they played at the Philadelphia Decibel Metal & Beer Fest earlier this year, focusing on their self-titled debut, Legion, and Once Upon the Cross. Glen was all business, keeping crowd interaction to a minimum, but his vocals were on point, delivering his signature growls and high-pitched demonic screams flawlessly. Surprisingly, they only played one track from their latest album, Banished by Sin, released this year. The audience, myself included, was more than satisfied with the focus on older songs. The mosh pit reached peak intensity during “Satan Spawn, the Caco-Demon” (one of my favorites), “Dead by Dawn,” “Once Upon the Cross,” and “In Hell I Burn.” I loved every moment of this performance.

Testament

Even after an incredible lineup of bands, the highlight of the day came when Testament took the main stage by storm. In my opinion, this drew the largest crowd of the entire festival, with minimal open floor space in the massive venue. Like Blind Guardian, Testament kept their stage setup simple—just the band, their mics, and a drum kit surrounded by Marshal stacks. They kicked off with “Over The Wall,” and the crowd went wild. Steve was in great form on bass, even though it was his second performance of the day (with Death to All), while Alex struck his signature pose, playing solos on the front stage monitors. Chuck, usually seen air-guitaring during his non-vocal parts, surprised everyone by air-drumming this time, and Eric delivered his riffs with impressive precision dominating the right side of the stage. Chuck introduced the new drummer, Chris Dovas, to enthusiastic cheers from the audience. The band played every track from their debut album, The Legacy, which was an absolute treat. My only minor complaint was that the smoke machines were cranked up to 120% the entire show, making it hard to see the band clearly, and the dark blue and red lights didn’t help. However, this did create an eerie stage presence that added to the experience. Hearing the entire first album live blew my mind. This was definitely the show of the festival so far—no contest.

   

Mr. Bungle

After a non-stop day and night, I decided to skip Katatonia to grab a seat outside, enjoy a beer, and get some fresh air—my first break in 8-9 hours. I wasn’t in the mood for greasy late night food options at the venue (at 52, I know it’ll keep me up, plus I had another full day ahead). After a 30-minute rest, I headed to catch the final headline show of the night—Mr. Bungle on the main stage. The crowd was smaller than for Testament, likely because some people had already left the festival. Their setlist mirrored their 2023 tour but was limited to just an hour. I recognized many of the same songs from Metalfest and their Toronto show last year. Mr. Bungle isn’t afraid to mix it up, performing classic pop hits like “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” “Summer Breeze,” “I’m Not in Love,” and “All by Myself.” Mike Patton’s vocal range truly shines on these tracks, which must be a surprise for the audience, especially with metal legends Dave Lombardo (Slayer) and Scott Ian (Anthrax) in the band. Still, they delivered plenty of intense thrash tracks like “Sudden Death,” “Raping Your Mind,” “Anarchy Up Your Ass,” “Bungle Grind,” and a killer cover of Slayer’s “Hell Awaits.” It was a fantastic way to close out day 2, showcasing a band that doesn’t take itself too seriously while still delivering enough metal intensity to satisfy die-hard fans like me.

Wrap-Up

That wraps up my coverage of Saturday – Day 2. This ended up being my favorite day of the festival, filled with iconic bands I grew up listening to, and the focus on their classic albums was an added bonus. Everything was fantastic, except for the band start times, which ran 30-45 minutes late by the end of the day. Unfortunately, no luck finding healthy food options on my walk back to the hotel after midnight. In my hometown, everything would still be open at this time. Oh well, breakfast buffet at the hotel in the morning will fix everything.

Stay tuned for Part 4…