August 4-6th, 2017
“Loud As Hell, Drunk As Fuck” seems to be
the official moniker for this fantastic metal festival held just outside
Drumheller, AB. Even the little kids in attendance were shouting this with
fervor by the end of the weekend, probably much to the dismay of their teachers
when asked what they did over the summer when it’s time to go back to school.
Anyways, if you’re in Western Canada and looking for a festival to hit up, this
is the one to check out. I’ve been to a few Western Canadian festivals (with
plans to check out a few others in the future), and Loud As Hell is my
favourite.
The venue is perfectly suited to this kind
of event. With an indoor stage, it doesn’t matter if it’s pouring rain. Which,
like all festivals, it’s almost guaranteed to do. The indoor venue also
provides a welcome relief from the sun and actually remains a pretty reasonable
temperature even when packed with sweaty moshers. There’s plenty of room for
vendors to set up and the band merch table was well stocked and well-run by
volunteers. A second small stage allowed for short clinics by some of the
musicians and various talks from industry professionals such as promoters. The
festival grounds provide plenty of space for tents and for those camping with
motorhomes and trailers, as well as easy entry and exit if you choose to make
the quick trip into Drumheller to grab something you forgot, to have a shower,
or to check out all the neat stuff the town has to offer. Of course you can
drink your own booze in the camping areas, but alcohol inside the venue was
also reasonably priced with a decent selection if you didn’t want to miss out
on any of the action.
Friday night saw a torrential rainstorm
come through the area. Most people seemed prepared with raincoats and
waterproof footwear, which is a must considering the ground around Drumheller
doesn’t absorb water and quickly turns into a greasy mud pit. (Kudos to the
festival staff who somehow managed to keep the floor inside the venue clean
despite pounds of mud being tracked in). Edmonton thrashers Mortillery and
death metallers Eye Of Horus were the highlights of the night for me, with Eye
of Horus filling in last minute for a band that was unable to make it.
Saturday morning dawned spectacularly foggy
for anyone who was up early enough to witness it. I never thought I’d be
complaining about humidity in Drumheller, but Saturday proved to be sunny and
humid, which didn’t stop the party from continuing. With plenty of great and
varied bands on the bill, there was something for everyone. I tried to check
out as many as I could, enjoying The Lucifer Project and Tyrant’s Demise in the
early evening. Travelling from Winnipeg, it’s bands like Tyrant’s Demise (and
the fans who also travel hours to festivals) that prove that the Western
Canadian metal scene is alive and well. Taking the party into the later stages
of the evening, The Order of Chaos and Planet Eater both played great sets.
They were followed by a performance from Permafrost Suspensions, which if you
like things to get a little strange (a relative term, I might add) and aren’t
squeamish, was worth checking out. The headliner of the night, Vancouver’s
mighty thrash veterans, Aggression, played a blistering set, leaving me half
deaf for the rest of the weekend. A reasonable crowd stuck around until after
three in the morning to enjoy an impressive range of eighties metal covers
performed by Shocker. Seriously, any band that plays a WASP cover and nails it
is good in my books.
Sunday saw more than a few hangovers, and
plenty of people still ready to drink more booze and enjoy more great metal.
Dead Asylum proved to be my favourite ‘undiscovered’ band of the weekend.
Scythia played a set that was very different to any of the other sets I’ve
witnessed them perform, bringing Brian Langley (better known as the vocalist of
Aggression) on stage to play guitar for a few songs. I’d bet some of us didn’t
previously know that he actually played in Scythia for a short time. To cap off
the weekend, Battlecross finished the night to a packed house. Flying in to
play, they managed to re-energize a crowd that had just spent the entire
weekend drinking, partying and headbanging.
Overall, I can’t say enough about how well
organized and smoothly run Loud As Hell was. The venue was fantastic, the
volunteers did an amazing job and the bands played outstanding sets. Although I’m
now completely broke (hence the title of this post), Loud As Hell was worth
every nickel spent.
