KUFO Rockfest X at Columbia Meadows 8-10-05 - St Helens, OR
By Robin Steeley
We drove out to St Helen’s from Portland in the morning and the first thing you noticed were the police, stopping people randomly on their way to the show, so for any Columbia Meadow show goers, be careful on your drive! We had a major hassle getting in the door, our tickets and photo passes weren’t arranged and we had to wait forever before we got it straightened out, and as a result we missed Ten years and locals Filthy White Trash who won the right to perform the opening slot at Rockfest by their vocalist beating the crap out of all the other local singers in Portland, check out our Crave NW section for that review and pictures.
We also missed Trivium’s set almost entirely, we ran in as they headed into their last few songs. I love this band, they are probably my favorite new Roadrunner signing and as young as they are they are already paying their dues and climbing the ladder of the metal community. They are blistering metal, a full onslaught and energetic performance. My favorite song is “Like Light To Flies” and I caught that as well as “Pull Harder on The Strings of Trepidation” another song that has a huge sound. With such a new and young band, it’s amazing they pull off such a huge stage presence.
All the hassle of the beginning of the day began to wear away as Sweden’s In Flames turned up the heat on the audience, taking the stage just as it began to really get hot outside and the crowd is really starting to build. In Flames just tears up this huge stage, it’s amazing they just crush the meadow with a melodic yet technical ferocious metal; Sweden can produce some serious metal that can rival anything in the U.S., proof of that is that there are FOUR Swedish bands on the Ozzfest bill this year. In Flames is incredibly dynamic, a tight unit, their music every bit as good live as it is recorded.
Ill Nino blows up the stage next, one of my favorite acts who hasn’t visited our area in several years. This band is organized chaos, in your face metal that is raw and primal in nature, a driving force of pure brutality. They are 100% better then they have ever been live, Ahrue is all over the place, and their whole set is just phenomenal.
Next Shadowsfall just destroys this crowd, who already wound up from Ill Nino’s set, showed the band what a true metal crowd is all about, crowd surfers everywhere and a huge circle pit in the middle of the stage. Brian fair is injured tonight, hopping on one foot, yet still managing to deliver some of the most brutal vocals yet heard in this meadow today. The band delivers a vicious attack of sonic fury, being hurled into the audience through their entire set.
Mudvayne is up next and I got so excited I almost couldn’t take pictures. This has been one of my all time favorite bands ever since they toured with Depswa a few years back and I got to hang out for a couple of dates. Their music is always familiar, yet not commercial, powerful and driving, a pummeling force of energy that enters your ears and infects your blood. They are touring in support of their new album ‘Lost and Found’ and their hit single “Happy” is climbing charts in all of the countries. This is a band that while they have stayed with their original formula, they have consistently added new elements to the mix to create a crushing sound that created chaos with this crowd.
Closing out the night is Disturbed, a band that always gives a stellar performance, they are out touring in support of their latest release “Ten Thousand Fits” and they played hits off that as well as their first successful album. The crowd might have been tired by then, after a full day in the hot sun, but they gave Disturbed plenty of love, singing along the choruses, moshing, and surfing the top of the crowd.
Overall, it was another incredible Rockfest, congratulations to KUFO for pulling it off the tenth year in a row.
