"When a Man Lies He Murders
Some Part of the World
These Are the Pale Deaths Which
Men Miscall Their Lives
All this I Cannot Bear
to Witness Any Longer
Cannot the Kingdom of Salvation
Take Me Home"

This blog is supposed to narrate my adventures in Norway... i have MySpace, msn and lots of other possibilities for the other things... but i cannot help changing only for this time the purpose of my blog, to say goodbye to the best bassist ever... Cliff Burton, the one and only true bassist of Metallica.

It was 06:30 in the morning of 27 september 1986... the tour bus travelling towards Copenaghen, maybe for the drunk driver, maybe for ice on the street as he kept on sayin'... had an accident ... Cliff, only 24 years old and already had wrote three masterpieces of metal and a song like "Orion", died...

He was incredibly talented, and got inspiration both from Bach ,from the big ones of jazz like Stanley Clarke, and modern bassists... (even if he always denied to get inspiration from Steve Harris, the only one that could reach him between metal bass players)

But he was also a great person... more intelligent than other people of his age; but still not living like a rockstar, and he hated people dealing with him only because he was famous, he just wanted to play his music and enjoy the emotions of his bass, which sometimes he played all night long until sunset.

After him, Metallica played with Jason Newsted, and many years later with Rob Trujillo, but many fans believe that the only and true Metallica are the ones of the Cliff Burton era. And i am with them.

Rest in peace Cliff and thank you for your music that after 20 years still keeps exciting our hearts everytime we listen to it...

Lola

[I don' t know why, sometimes the blog doesn't visualize the very last sentence of the post and therefore the part to leave a comment... but to leave it; just pass over with the mouse and you will see the text! You don't have to be registered to leave a comment=P]

INTRODUCTION

Before starting this post; i have to tell you that Blind Guardian are my favourite band EVER; they are the band that made me love metal so much and that i won' t never stop to thank my friend Gortholfin (Riccardo) for let me know them... it was AGES i hoped to see them live (and they played in Italy sometimes); but for some reason or another i couldn' t have the chance!!!

So you can imagine how happy i was when Christoph wrote me that him and Thorsten had decided to stop one day further with their course that had a trip in Oslo on 21 september; and we could go to see them!!!

REISE, REISE!

The only very, very, very boring thing was to travel all alone yesterday morning... i didn' t slept at all for the fear of not hearing the alarm; and when it rang i tried to got up, succeeded in it and headed towards the bus station for almost 5 hours travelling.

Finally, at 12.45 i arrived in Oslo station! Luckily i already knew it, 'cause i had been to Oslo last year with my friend Federica... the one that came to find me here in Kristiansand. But i called Thorsten and he said that Christoph was to some friend and we could meet at 6 pm at station.

" 6 pm???????" i said " And you want i wait 5 hours at the station all alone?=P" and he replied "Ok let's meet at 4 then" . But still there was 3 hours doin' nothing in the station (maybe only a little bit less 'cause at half past three i could go and greet the other guys from Gelinor coming back to Kristiansand) and i hanged around for the station and remembering what Federica always want to do when we are in Norway... i went to the hairstyler!!!

a stupid woman from Madagascar made me pay I DON' T WANNA TO TELL YOU HOW MUCH for a stupid black color and a stupid cut of 1 cm... that i told her, 1 cm, and she cut me minimum 3 cm hair!!!! Now my hate for hairstyler is complete and i won' t go to anyone of them anymore=P

Only two good things about it... she offered me a good black coffee (probably to make her forgive in advance of how much i would have to pay) and at least i found a way to make time pass; infact when i got out it was already 3 or later, so i didn't have to wait much and i saw Mario, italian guy that decided to go to Oslo with the German course, soon followed by Gelinor's and other students as Marc, a friend of him, Robert, Bastian, Alena, and Thorsten. Just the time to say "Hello" and all of them took the bus, apart obviously from Thorsten=P he told me that Cristoph would stay to his friend a bit more and we could do shopping in the meantime, 'cause he needed a jacket for the winter that was both suitable for cold and rain. And i can witness that in a CAPITAL CITY such as Oslo he didn' t found one!!! All shop assistanst told him that the winter jacket are going to arrive not earlier than next month. Strange country...

edit: i forgot to say that while searching for the jacket; i met my roomates! IN OSLO!!! without knowing that they would have been there...the world is so small!

Then we went to the nice park in the centre of the city, Karl Johans Gate, the way that goes from Central Station in the East to the Royal Palace in the West (i've been to Oslo twice and i already know it much better than Milan, where i study=P) and we sat on a bench talking, reading some cool metal magazine in German that i have bought and waiting for Christoph

After some time he arrived, and we sat another bit, then went to buy some beer for the evening... but we wouldn't have drunk that one, 'cuz we went to the Central Station to lock our bags and when we went there after the concert we found it closed!!! So no alcohol from the supermarket for the night...

After shopping, Thorsten became very hungry and after threatening of eating Christoph we went to the Burger King to eat something. With our stomaches full and a growing exciment for the concert (even if i think i was wayyy the most excited) , we finally started to search for the gig's venue, the Rockefeller!!!!

THE CONCERTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!

The venue was very near to the Anker Hostel; where Federica and i with our friend Tito lived so many adventures last year. We waited for the gates to open and in the meantime we met very nice metal guyz from Stavanger

One of them had on the leg a tattoo with the "O" of Opeth, the favourite band of my best friend Darkshine (this one's "o"):

and on the arm the second tattoo that i want to do (after my roses) !!!!!!!! ; this part of the cover of Imaginations from the Other Side... from Blind Guardian of course

they sold 100 kroner's unofficial t-shirts of Bg outside, and many people bought them XD

And of course, before going in we took the usual pic with my concert buddies... for this blog, but also to make a comparison of our faces before and after the concert=P

Christoph, Thorsten and me:

At 20.00 the gates opened and we ran in!!! Thorsten was on the guest list (i can't realize how can a lot of my friend  can do it so easily... him and Lucas here; but most of all Federica in Milan, and  my friend Simone... i don' t think i have been many times on any guest list; maybe only for minor bands) but had some problems with it XD so we have to wait until they told him it was all right

The first thing i noticed was that was such a few people for Bg... but of course Norway has such a minor population than Italy... it's not so strange if in Milan you see more people at gigs!!!

Both me, Cristoph and Thorsten didn' t know the support band, Astral Doors ...

when i heard they was power metal (which already i had understood from their name) at first i thought they could be from Finland; but as soon as they came on the stage i thought "No they are too ugly... they CAN'T BE Finnish... they must be Norwegian" and i was right XD XD XD ( ikke hater meg, folker fra norge... ogsaa hvis det er forfeilet=P... og jeg tror det!!! )

Here's some pics i took from them

While they were playing' i wasn't much involved by their music... i didn' t like the voice of the singer; the music wasn't bad but, i don' t know how to explain, not something new and original or particularly better than other millions bands that can allow to be different in a positive way ... and i thought to believe this only because i couldn' t wait for Blind Guardian; so that all the rest couldn't sound good for my ears=P

but when they finished, both Thorsten and Cristoph told with the German frankness that i admire so much XD they were "shit"... so i started trusting my ears again

Do I need to say that the sound check for Blind Guardian was eternal to me??? It lasted about 30-40 minutes and to me it seemed more than one hour... during the last song from the support band i had took the first row,

and i spent the sound check defending my great position, right behind the place where Magnus would have come to play. I spent the rest all the time trying to learn from Christoph the right pronunciations of Blind Guardian's names (Hansi, Andrè, Marcus called Magnus and Fredrik... sigh, he's not one of the band to me, THOMEN THE OMEN will always be in my heart) but i realised that it's not very easy, specially if someone from Germany is ready to correct your (to you invisible) mistakes. Ever tried to pronounce the word "glücklich" ("happy") ??? =P Btw, Fredrik's drums with the Fly cover are GREAT!!! (even if he stole the idea from Thomen XD)

After the eternal waiting; at a certain point the lights turned off and the recording with the intro "War of Wrath" started.... i thought i would faint or have a heart strike (and the band wasn't on the stage yet=P) ... all the public already gone crazy and they shouted, not lower than the famous-for-being-the-loudest italian public, the word of the song...

 "

[Sauron:]

The field is lost
Everything is lost
The black one has fallen from the sky and the towers in ruins lie
The enemy is within, everywhere
And with him the light, soon they will be here
Go now, my lord, while there is time
There are places below

[Morgoth:]

And you know them too
I release thee, go
My servant you'll be for all time
[Sauron:]

As you command
My king

[Morgoth:]
I had a part in everything
Twice I destroyed the light and twice I failed
I left ruin behind me when I returned
But I also carried ruin with me
She, the mistress of her own lust "...

and then Into the Storm started and the whole band came on the stage!

I have no words to descrive the emotions of the moment XD XD XD XD

(i picked up a pic with Thomen 'cause as you understood he's for me still the drummer XD)

Just tried to to some pics; but the very not nice guy of the security told me to put away my camera!!!! So in the whole concert i could only take these ones!!!! :

Magnus :

The bassist (not official member of the band, even if always plays with them), is Oliver Holzwarth, brother of Alex Holzwarth from Rhapsody (now Rhapsody of Fire=P) and he really looks A LOT like him!

This one is not him but his brother Alex:

I tried in every way taking hiding my camera pics of Andrè.... i like him so muchhhhh

I have always liked him (even if usually i don' t like guitarists; and even if now he's getting a bit old for my tastes=P) but live he's soooo better... as soon as he came on the stage i fell in love

This pic is not mine of course XD !!! Just searched for it online

This is the setlist of one of their latest gigs in Stuttgart

War Of Wrath
Into The Storm
Born In A Mourning Hall
Nightfall
Script For my Requiem
Fly
Valhalla
Time Stands Still (At The Iron Hill)
Lord Of The Rings
Bright Eyes
This Will Never End
And The Story Ends
Lost In The Twilight Hall
And Then There Was Silence

--- encore ---

Another Stranger Me
Imaginations Form The Other Side

--- encore ---

Bard's Song (In The Forrest)
Mirror Mirror

and i think it was the same of the one of yesterday...apart maybe some order of the song (like Lord of the Rings played before Imaginations in place of Another Stranger Me ...)

edit: oh, and they haven't played This will never end!

I was sorry that there wasn't Lucas to see me this time... because at the Southern Discomfort i still felt so sick from the day before and i stayed so quiet the whole time, which is not usual at all for me at gigs... but YESTERDAY!!! Headbangin' all the time and i was singing every single word of every single song... Magnus noticed it and he smiled at me !!! I also knew all the lyric of "And then there was silence" which is a 14 minutes song =P

Not to tell you about when they played "Lost in the twilight hall"... just think about the fact that my msn adress is lola_in_the_twilight_hall@hotmail.com  (now you can also add me if you don't have it, haha) and you will understand how i long that song!!!! And the worse, just followed by the best, was when they pretended to go away from the stage and then came back and played Imaginations from the other side ; and then THE BARD'S SONG... those 2 songs are to me the best lyrics ever apart maybe from some Pink Floyd's song=P and then MIRROR MIRROR which i had shouted a lot to have , of course not alone XD XD XD

A concert to remember FOREVER... and of course Hansi's voice is becoming worse with the time 'cause he has never been a "techical" singer, but the passion he puts into the work makes the public forget about it ! I think Blind Guardian is the band with the loyalest fans, and i also guess they totally deserves this. They are completely different from all the other bands, they are special!!!!!!!!!!

LOLA GOING CRAZY

After the gig, another episode i will remember for life... i am SURE , i swear, that Marcus wanted to throw his pick to me (i think 'cause he saw me singing EVERYTHING and supporting so much; or maybe it is also possible he recognised me from the band's official forum... once he had replied to a message of mine) , and he threw but the guy on my left took it. Then he threw another one in my direction; but it fell between the 1st row and the stage, so the security guy took it and HE DARED TO GIVE IT TO A FRENCH GUY AT MY LEFT!!!! I GOT COMPLETELY crazy , really, i think i could have hurt someone very seriously... i took the hand of the guy and hurt him a lot trying to steal him the pick, but he also wanted as me... then i start pathetically screaming  " I am from Italy, i am here for them, please give it to me, i pay!!!!" and he replied "And i came from France!" and it was true 'cause before he was speaking French with a friend... then i start being a little bit quiter but really, for a minute i thought i could have killed him=P and i felt so ashamed towards him when i thought back...

Finished the concert; my new hairstyle was completely gone, my voice also gone, my headache TERRIBLE, but i was the most "glücklich" woman in the world... realizing this SO BIG DESIRE to see Bg live; and finding everything was really as i had expected (apart from the very big problem that Thomen is not anymore with them... i think i would always regret not having seen them with him... but i' m gonna hope forever one day he' ll join again the band as well=P)

NACHSPIEL?

I found Thorsten and Christoph, who were in the 2nd or 3rd row, and they also said it was a fantastic concert to them; Thorsten said one of the greatest he had seen, even though Hansi's voice is not the best - but i really didn't care about his "low" of voice during the concert; i think i would have like them also if they played badly... and they DIDN'T PLAY BAD AT ALL!!!!!!!!=p

By the way i don't have to forget posting you our faces post-concert!!!!!!!!!!!

Tired but happy=P (and with my new GREAT just bought longsleeved A Twist in the Myth's t-shirt!!! ->  with this image on it!!!)

And for some time i spoke a lot about the gig and Andrè and Marcus' pick like if i was drunk... but it was only for the gig's emotions!!! I drank only one beer, but i was drunk of music XD XD XD

After the concert, we needed a place where to spend the night... 'cause the bus left only at 9 in the morning, and it was some minutes after midnight=P and i remembered the cool pub where Federica and i spent our nights in Oslo last year, also meeting Fenriz and Nocturno Culto from Darkthrone, and the nice guys from Roma's band Eyeconoclast... the pub where black metal scene was born about 15 years ago... ELM'S STREET!!!

So i suggested to my crucchi ( a north-italian word for "Germans" ) friends to go there and they said ok. The only problem is that i didn't remember the way well... but i just asked... norwegian people are a bit weird, but always kind^^

That place is quite small but with GREAT things at the wall ( posters, cd, a guitar... ) but yesterday it was much more full of people than last year when i used to go there during my holiday in Oslo with Faith and Tito. We drank a bit, played table-soccer (dunno the right name), and we also met a nice girl and his boyfriend which invited us to a Nachspiel ( post party ) at their place, since we had discovered that the station, where we had put our bags, only opened at about 5... the only problem was that of course after some time they got drunk and at the end none decided to follow them ; and we just decided to spend some time hanging around for the city, waiting for the station to open. We went again to the Karl Johan's gata park

and then to the Aker Brygge (the harbour)

We WEREN'T TIRED AT ALL, as you see XD XD XD

i don' t know where i find the gut to publish this pic XD

Things around the harbour...

Boats in the harbour:

After walking 3 or 4 times around this BIG CAPITAL CITY; it was almost 5 o' clock and we headed to the station... here you are great pics where we can witness the time thanx to the clock in the back!

THE REVENGE OF THE NERDS

How can a nerd like me spend the hours until the bus' s arrive? But going on internet , of course... ( just joking... THEY had the idea! Even if this doesn't mean i couldn' t have the same idea as well XD )

SUNRISE

We watched some of the video i put on youtube; and most of all funny stupid video that Thorsten found writing "funny clips" on you tube as well ... but at half past 6, Christoph and I wanted to see the sunrise and so we left him watching the video and headed again towards the harbour=P

"Where is the sun???"=P

the deserted main Karl Johans gata at 7 am...

HOME, SWEET HOME

Some time again at the computer; and then at half past 8 it was time to search for the bus... but before i had to wake up some people!!!

and then 5 hours of bus; and finally some rest...

Me with glasses, no make up and not sleeping from 2 days... you won't see this pic in any bigger size=P

... finally we arrived in Kristiansand and i took a Taxi to come home... too long way home XD XD XD

Do I have to repeat that i was infinitely happy to see Blind Guardian live?

And now, i hope to convince someone to come and see Entombed here in Kristiansand, on Thursday!

HA DET BRA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and comment... so i know you read and maybe enjoy my "efforts"=P

p.s. that's for people who likes Blind Guardian or are/understand German... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTn-jBflcY0&search=blind%20guardian 

it is a very short movie they shot when they were sooo young and even if i don' t understand anything, to me it's sooo funny!!!  It's about competitions like one where who drinks more beer wins as far as i could understand=P it's called "Drei Schuesse im Leberknoedel"

p.p.s. a great cheers to my friend Alessandro... the only i know that likes Blind Guardian as well as me, maybe! When are you coming in Kristiansand?

 

"Mother north - how can they sleep while their beds are burning ?
Mother north - your fields are bleeding

Memories...The Invisible Wounds
pictures that enshrine your throne... gone...

A Future benighted still they are blind
Pigeonhearted beings of flesh and blood
keeps closing their eyes for the dangers that threat...ourselves and our nature
And that is why
they all enrage me..."

I am way too tired to start now the report of a wild weekend like this; but the energy gave me from the Southern Discomfort - and Steve Harris' bass in my ear at the moment (even if now i am listening to Mother North from Satyricon) can help me doing this. Do you know when you are tired but don' t want to go to bed? Well, now i am feeling exactly like this, even if it's 4 in the morning...
Sunday has just started, so the weekend is not over yet; but i would have pages and pages to tell about the last 3 days!!! Of course, i will try to summarize them for my faithful readers (wo sind ihr? hehe)

I would start from Thursday night... we just went to Statoil and had a quiet but alcoholic pre-party in Mario's, Geddas' and Lucas' rooms;

but of course on Thursday you pay less in pubs and so we went to downtown .

I went to the Charlie's pub to see if it was mine the scarf they had found, but it wasn't ... btw whatever, 'cause as i told you Gedas (maybe for the first time i write his nickname in the right way) found me one very similar during the cruise to Denmark.

Later on, we went to dance in the Twist and Shout...

Can you imagine me dancing? I did it... the best was when i danced on Born to be wild, or Jump by Van Halen... instead of dancing i did headbanging; and i still have terrible pains in my neck! (That's why tonight at the Southern Discomfort i didn' t headbanged... sigh)

After some time i was a bit drunk and some wild things happened... but i won' t tell you more... let's go directly to tell what happened yesterday night!!!

It was Gedas birthday at midnight of the 16th; and i had asked him "Pleaseee Geppas, take your party on Friday night and not on Saturday, 'cause Saturday i go to the concert and i really don' t wanna miss your birthday ... you are God".

God Geppas listened to my prayers; and he asked to a German but living in Norway friend of Lucas called Niels to have the party in his house on Friday night (last night).
This looks like a strange guy, he has a huge collection of war trucks' models and produces vodka by himself; but also seems nice. We arrived at his place ( i had drunk two beers so far ) and a guy saw my t-shirt of Guns' N' Roses and when i also told him that i study Norwegian he told me "then you are into heavy metal" and he took me in his room where he showed me the most amazing cd collection i have ever seen in my life (in the pic you only see a very small part of it)

He let me listened to a black metal band of his friends called Vreid and to a power metal one; Galloglass , and he adviced me a good metal-cd shop. And then he gave me a bottle telling me "Drink something". I was already drinking when he said "Beware of it; it's quite strong" ...but it was too late, my tongue was beating and my throath in flames... homemade vodka... sooo strong!!!!

But i had decided to get drunk, so i got again to the balcony, when Lavinia and the others were drinking a delicious vodka with juice, and started drinking that, Doodleys, beer and cider all together.

At 22 my head was already terrible and i started not to understand anything. From this moment i only remember me filming Lucas and Niels who were fighting by joke;

and then Lena, a german girl, came and i started telling her that we should go more often to metal places and things like that.

I don' t remember anything else, but they told me that i was lying on the floor, speaking about the cd collection of that guy,

asking people if they like bands like Dropkick Murphys; talking Norwegian; asking Christoph the money back for the train to Oslo; doing lots of stupid things and then Luigi and Angelica took me outside to breath some fresh air, but i wanted to come back , i got so sick and went to puke at least twice, and finally i've been told they took me home and i kept on saying "but tomorrow you have to wake me up for the concert

PLEASEEE!"
Oh God, what a wild night.

 

And here we come to today!!!
You can't believe it, but i wake up at 7 in the morning, 'cause it wasn't late when i got drunk (they say they took me home at about 1) and i really couldnt' sleep anymore. But when i wake up i was so sick and i didn' t want to puke again, so i stayed in bed for lots of hours, not sleeping, almost not thinking, doing anything, in one of the most terrible conditions i had experiences so far, and thinking as the main character from Euro Trip "I am never driking again!" (He punctually got drunk even the following night).

For some moment i was so bad that i thought not to go to the concert; but then this stupid thought went away from my mind; i woke up, drank 2 or 3 coffees, tried to eat something but nothing entered in my mouth, so i just ate an apple today... and finally at 18.45 Lucas came here and we went to Ostsia, the University Pub, for the great metal happening called Southern Discomfort!!!

Of 5 bands i knew well only one, which are Dismember. The other ones are not famous, apart from Communic, and all from Norway: In Minor; The Middle End and Thundra.
I really didn' t know what to expect from it; i only had some songs on My Space, and thought they seemed good and great to hear live. But the thing i would have never expected; was that in such a small pub like Ostsia there would be such a great sound and equipements.
When Italian metalheads think about Norway, they think it' s the paradise of Metal... i have to say probably it's not like this; and maybe in Milan the metal scene is much bigger... but when it comes to places to play and bands, of course it's true, the Scandinavian quality is undefeatable!!!
To play such a big band like Dismember, there was reallllly a few people! But it was better 'cause we enjoyed the gig withouth moshing (this would be impossible in Italy).

The first band playing was In Minor, great live full of energy

the second ones were The Middle End. They are crazy onstage!!! and great! And i thought they looked so young, but Lucas' friend (that made him enter free) told him that they are REALLY 17 years old... i told him, they couldn' t just listen to their own concert by law, 'cause there's age limit of 18=P damn' good for their age.

Then the band i liked most...

I know you all will say it' s for the effect that long-haired man has on me (and the first 2 bands had short hair), but Thundra played a kind of symphonic and epic, but also aggressive and somewhat raw that for me is one of the best kinds to see live; 'cause it creates a great atmosphere.

And i just discovered that the drummer played in Enslaved before!!! (who knows me, knows also that i adored the live gig of Enslaved i saw at the Hole in the Sky; and met the guitarist and singer in Bergen).

Here you can see a guy that tomorrow is going to have pain at the neck as well as me

After them Communic played (i stared at the singer when he was offstage 'cause i had recognised him, and he smiled to me=P) ,

I wouldn' t know exactly how to define their style, they have lots of different influences but they weren't agressive as the previous band, and i felt like something was missing in their exhibition... Lucas said that the music was great but the voice "bullshit"... i am not sure this was the problem to me; btw a cool band but i was not satisfied at 100% from them.

Dismember, instead, were incendiars!!! (citation from Almost Famous, one of my fave movies).

The greatest thing in Norway is to see how much the band speaks with the public and viceversa... the singer twice came towards my place and showed me that i had to do horns with my hand.

 

Great concert and energy!!!

The only problem was that i already had too much pain in my neck to headbang... terrible to go to such an extreme concert and not to headbang; but i also have to save my metal energy for Blind Guardian in Oslo next Saturday=P

Maybe i should better go to bed now,' cause it is morning... Stay tuned and please leave some comments sometimes... so i am sure that somebody is interested in my beautiful reports=P

Ha det bra
Lola

p.s. you see the post only now, 'cause this stupid account didn' t work tonight...

"Sometimes in the dead of the night I mesmerize my soul
Sights and visions prophecies and horror
they all come in one

Mother north - united we stand (together we walk)
Phantom north - I'll be there when you hunt them down"

 

 

 

Ok guys... here i decided to put also some of the videos i took so far!!!

This one is my masterpiece... it is Lucas and Soma dancing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwtZTuHFWew

then you have this, with guys playing football at St. Olavsvei:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l1I2NIJb_Q

and these ones are from the last jam session at the school' s pub:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR3IdvltSJ0

Andy, a great violinist from Usa:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tEaSL96IyE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa1yCqywqLo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFnTo9ma5LI

 

I hope you are going to enjoy the video and like the new layout of my blog.

Leave comments !!!!

Ha det