Gig Review: Rock Imperium Festival, Cartegna, Spain

Live review: Rock Imperium Festival, Parque El Batel, Cartegna, Spain, June 19 to 22 2024

By CRAIG DOWNES

THIS year marks the third instalment for Rock Imperium organisers and it appears they have really stepped up their game in recent years. The festival has expanded its format from a two-day event initially to three in 2023 and this year sees this extravaganza further expanded to  four. Clearly this is a result of  Spanish punters’ seemingly endless hunger and appreciation for all things hard rock and metal.

On paper this line-up is a formidable amalgam of relative newcomers, well established crowd pleasers and genre-defining behemoths, all set to pitch their considerable wares across the three production-perfect stages.

Held within the historically significant Parque El Batel parkland area and with the glistening ebb of the Mediterranean ocean just a stone’s throw away, it’s an impressive location.

Day one, scene set, we enter the grounds with the growing throng. It’s a belting hot afternoon and we’re faced with the traditional selection of festival market fare – grab some merch from your favourite band, get a tattoo, munch on a taco, boutique or lemon flavoured beers, anyone? These modern altars to our musical obsessions have all bases covered for every need of the assembled masses ready to rock.

Now, much like the epic nature of these four-day celebrations, the reviewing of these festivals can be at risk of taking on Biblical proportions so for the sanity of all involved I will endeavour to show some brevity while attempting to give a realistic rendering of events and augment it all with some photos and footage gathered during proceedings.

Our first artist of interest on day one is Ronnie Romero. The talented Chilean has, of late, seemingly been the go-to guy for every other major metal act of a certain heritage needing a new vocalist. He has recently fronted Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Vandenberg, Sunstorm, worked with Priest’s Richie Faulkner in Elegant Weapons and held down his day jobs as leader of Lords Of Black, The Ferrymen and his own solo band amongst a myriad of other guest appearances. This is truly a commendable workload by anyone’s measure and all of it to a very high, ballsy Dio-esque standard. With a set focusing primarily on his recent Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters solo album with a couple of Ferrymen tracks, he and his band put in a solid and enjoyable performance. Ronnie has grown greatly in confidence since I first encountered him fronting Rainbow in 2016. He seems comfortable in his new metalised and tattooed persona and all looks good for him to be one of the trusted torch-bearers for the hard rock genre into the future. Add to that a tasty cover of Dio classic “Rainbow In The Dark” to end the set and this is a fun way to kick off proceedings.

Eclipse are one of the resurgent generation of melodic hard rock bands coming from the endless well of talent that Sweden has gifted the genre. Although active for over two decades, their stature has become international in the last few years and they appear to have gained a decent foothold with the Spanish audience. They play a set of catchy, upbeat songs, not many of which are familiar to me but on the basis of this performance they appear to deserve further investigation.

Ever reliable and one of the many examples in this festival line-up of the old boys showing everyone how it’s done, Uriah Heep have maintained a quality and consistency throughout their long and storied career and it’s a testament to their continuing abilities and integrity that after some 55 years they are still arguably operating at peak form. I’ve used the term evergreen to describe these elder statesmen of rock before and it speaks volumes that today they bound onto the stage full of energy and exuberance and hit us straight up with two new songs from their excellent recent Chaos and Colour album.

“Save Me Tonight” and “Grazed by Heaven” are powerful reminders of the strength of that record – underlining this band’s continued contemporary relevance – and are a great, fresh way to start a set that must be loaded with old classics, purely because they have so many! The relatively recent addition of a fresh rhythm section (haha, both now over a decade in) has helped propel their contemporary output. But it’s the triumvirate of Mick Box, Bernie Shaw and Phil Lanzon that hold the keys to Heep’s signature sound. Box is the sole founder member and with the vocalist and keyboard player soon to clock up 40 years each, it’s the obvious affinity and affection they hold for each other, their musical creations and their audience that adds a little of the special sauce to this joyous performance. Mick throws wizard-y shapes throughout his fiery guitar work, Lanzon’s Hammond organ hum binds it all together and with Shaw’s banter it’s an engaging combination and inspiring to see men of their tenure in such sprightly fettle. “Rainbow Demon”, the singalongs of “Stealin’”, “Sweet Lorraine”, “Free ‘n’ Easy”, the stabbing hypnotic riffs of “Gypsy” and “Look At Yourself” and an epic “July Morning” all add up to a formidable set and when Ronnie Romeo and Richie Faulkner join them for a rousing finale of “Easy Livin”, the icing goes on this memorable showing in the setting summer sun.

Extreme are a band I can take or leave at times. When they’re on they can be spectacular but catch an average night and they will leave you somewhat flat with their failings clear to see. I guess that could be said of any band really. Tonight they are definitely on the right side of the register. Nuno is quite obviously an exceptionally gifted guitar player and Gary has toned down his more overt Freddie Mercuryisms to good effect. They seem very aware they are in front of a metal-hungry crowd, are playing to their strengths and pulling out the heavy hitters. Of course there are the required couple of ballads that get the singalong treatment but for the rest of the set it’s a blistering shred fest and everyone is lapping it up. Coming on before the mighty Priest in this environment must be a difficult ask but they handle themselves admirably. “It’s A Monster”, “Decadence Dance” and “Rest In Peace” drive the set along nicely, “Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee” is a good showcase for Nuno’s unquestionable talents, “Get the Funk Out” gets the crowd chanting the f word and they end with “Rise”, one of their strongest songs in years. Job well done!

Judas Priest are riding the wave of a late-career seemingly flawless run with a clutch of releases that do justice to, and, some may suggest, even rival the heyday of this genre-defining band. It appears at this juncture they are incapable of putting a foot wrong, so effortless is the mastery of their craft it is a thrilling joy to behold. All guns blazing may be an older song of theirs which they don’t even play tonight but that is truly how they present on this beautiful Mediterranean evening.

The presentation and production values of this festival rig are cranked up to 11 and the band are in fierce form. “Panic Attack”, the lead track from their latest album Invincible Shield kicks things off with a crowd crush towards the stage, easily 80 percent of today’s attendees proudly brandishing their favourite JP shirt, including some well worn gems dating back to the eighties. If there was ever the right time for a cliché like preaching to the converted, now would be that time. “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin”, “Rapid Fire”, “Breaking The Law”, “Saints In Hell”, “Sinner” and “Turbo Lover” all fly by in this essential set of stone cold metal classics. Rob Halford is in upbeat mood and mighty fine voice and between the rock solid rhythm section and the armour-piercing riffs and lethal twin leads of Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap. The band are putting on a masterclass of how classic, trad metal should be presented. “Victim Of Changes”, “The Green Manalishi”, “Painkiller”, “Electric Eye”, “Hell Bent For Leather” and the inevitable “Living After Midnight” … not much more needs to be said about the power and majesty of this performance. I’ve been asked many times by many people what was my highlight of the festival, this set has to be it. The Priest are still at the top of their game and preaching a righteous sermon to their gathered congregation!

A great, great first day!

We enter day two to the doomy, power metal tones of Cirith Ungol echoing around the main stage area. These guys are an institution of the ‘true’ metal scene and their epic Tolkien-inspired sword and sorcery dirge prove a great, horns-up way to start the day. When followed by the psych, alt-rock of Kadavar and a couple of cold beers to kick off proceedings, all is in place for another enjoyable day.

Day two marks the opening of the third stage area up in the fortress type upper level of Parque El Batel. It’s a hive of activity over its three days, presenting a variety of what could mainly be described as the middle tier acts. With a smaller stage than the two vast main stages – but without losing any of the production punch these festivals are so renown for – it is the perfect environment to get up close and enjoy the likes of Praying Mantis, Riot City, Carcass, Tankard, Night Demon, Napalm Death, Blitzkrieg and about 20 other acts over the three days. Additionally this is a great meet up, hang-out area with an array of food stalls and merchandise traders with vinyl, CDs, t-shirts and paraphernalia on display for sale.

But for now it’s off to the main stage to check out Richie Kotzen. Kotzen is clearly a very talented musician but today something is a little amiss. I have followed Kotzen’s career since his early guitar shred days at the Shrapnel label, marvelled at his soulful vocal delivery with Mother Head’s Family Reunion and greatly enjoyed his solo work and albums with The Winery Dogs and Adrian Smith.  But it appears that today all that talent is not quite translating so well to a day time slot on the big festival stage. It may be that the bright sunny day and all the other activities are proving a distraction to the crowd and this performance is falling a little flat. His rhythm section are adequate, he sings and plays well and I would love to see this in a small dark, sweaty club.

TNT are back together with original vocalist Tony Harnell for what they are saying will be the final iteration of the band .. however long that lasts. Together they achieved significant success in the late eighties into the nineties with their catchy brand of melodic hard rock and have kept up a reasonable profile since. But TNT have struggled to maintain consistency across a steady flow of line-up changes. Incredibly this is Tony’s fifth or sixth time fronting the band but at this late stage it’s good to see him back as his voice marks all of their best material. And with the unique guitar style of Ronnie Le Tekro this seems to be the only line-up anyone really cares about. After some early sound gremlins they settle into a good groove and put together an enjoyable set with tracks like “Desperate Night”, “Tonight I’m Falling”, “Downhill Racer” and “Seven Seas” getting a good crowd response.

Glenn Hughes has long been designated the ‘voice of rock’. The power and intensity of Hughes vocal delivery has been unquestionable for more than five decades and most would agree the zenith of his many achievements would be his time in Deep Purple. Although not always the primary vocalist during his tenure with the band – sharing the spotlight with one Mr D Coverdale – his contribution was substantial, his songs some of the highlights. And it’s this material that is the focus of his set today. Attacking the stage with “Stormbringer”, he is full of vim and vigour, thumping at the heavy strings of his Fender Jazz bass with thunderous intent and exercising that always-impressive larynx. Glenn’s energy and enthusiasm is infectious as he spurs the baying crowd and his super effective backing band is seriously locked in in support. “Might Just Take Your Life” and “Sail Away” fly by in all their classic rock majesty and when the band launch into a hybrid extended blues jam mashup of “You Fool No One” and “High Ball Shooter”, it really allows them to stretch out and show their mettle. 

Very much in keeping with how Deep Purple approached the live setting, the songs are fleshed out and jammed to the extent that this 90 minute set is made up of just eight extended songs and this gives guitarist Soren Anderson, Bob Fridzema on keys and drummer Ash Sheehan the opportunity to showcase their substantial talents alongside their formidable band leader. The archetypal classic rock blues ballad “Mistreated” gives Soren the opportunity to channel his best Blackmore while showing his own Euro styled Stratocaster flair to epic effect while Glenn stuns us again with his vocal prowess. A soulful “You Keep On Moving” gives way to the irresistible fiery bluster of “Burn” and everyone present is aware they are witnessing one of the greatest vocal powerhouses of all time, still very much at the height of his abilities. As always Glenn Hughes has provided one of the high points not only of the day but of the entire event.

Avantasia, the revolving door rock opera super group fronted by Tobias Sammet of Edguy are tonight’s major headliner. I’m not overly familiar with the band’s material but having seen them live at another European festival I know they are wildly popular on the continent and put on an elaborate stage show. They have toured Australia in rooms of around 1,000 capacity but here they are a massive deal – as evident by their headliner status and the massive turnout for their performance.

Tonight they bring along Ralf Scheepers from Primal Fear to guest and it’s also great to see Bob Catley on stage again after the recent sad demise of Magnum. I won’t go into a track by track analysis as I am not across their catalogue but from what I see they put on an enjoyable big production show and my ignorance allows me to head away mid-set to check out an excellent showing from old Brit hard rock stalwarts Praying Mantis in the more intimate surrounds of the third stage.

For the late post-midnight show Kamelot take to the main stage. Symphonic power metal is a big deal in Europe but has never really been high on my radar. Being more of a trad metal, seventies classic rock, eighties hard rock appreciator comes with the timeline for my generation.

That’s never exclusive and the ears are always open to anything of worth but I do find some of this sub-genre can be a little over-wrought and melodramatic with its reliance on bombastic, chanting, operatic-style singalong choruses and the theatrical, symphonic themes from which it draws its inspiration. That being said this is extremely well played, goes over well with the remaining early morning revellers and provides a dramatic soundtrack as we disappear into the darkness to get some rest and prepare for the following day’s festivities.

Day three kicks off with the sturdy sounds of New Wave Of British Heavy Metal pioneers Blitzkrieg. Leaning heavily on their debut album A Time of Changes, this is classic old school Brit metal like it’s still 1980. With original vocalist Brian Ross fronting a band featuring some new young members, these guys sound better than I remember back in the day and it’s a fun way to start the day.

Beast In Black are another of the newer breed of power metal bands that are making such an impact on these contemporary festivals and the modern metal scene as a whole. Again, not overly familiar with their material except via a friend’s recommendation, it appears they’re a splinter from another band, Battle Beast, that are also making big strides on the Euro scene. They are quite enjoyable with their material showing a direct lineage back to traditional metal, featuring some nice guitar work and their vocalist has a mean set of pipes!

Accept: on paper the Teutonic titans three-guitar assault combined with the barking rasp of Mark Tornillo and their litany of great, hooky metal anthems should be the perfect match for this big stage festival environment. Except it appears their front-of-house production team didn’t get the memo. When such a lead guitar-dependent band has their guitar sound smothered by an oppressive bottom end, it borders on travesty and it’s clear through their gritted teeth that the band are fully aware of how things are sounding. In fairness things improve dramatically for the second half of the set and the band are able to rectify matters with a ball tearing selection of classics “Losers and Winners”, “Princess Of The Dawn”, “Metal Heart”, “Fast As A Shark”, “Balls To The Wall” and others. They’re all there and can finally be heard in all their grandeur.

The addition of Joel Hoekstra is a masterstroke; his dexterous stylings and melodic sensibility are a perfect counterpoint to the darker Wagnerisms of Wolf Hoffman’s more classical approach. A truly deserved and consistently great band pulled this one out of the fire to end with a resounding victory over some early audio demons!

No such issues for tonight’s major headliner Saxon. Contemporaries of the mighty Judas Priest and just as essential to the NWOBHM story, Saxon have been a staunch, dependable heavy metal war house for almost five decades. 

Recent albums have only cemented their reputation as they have routinely put out rock-solid releases over the years. They always bring the goods live, justifying why they now appear to be somewhat of a permanent fixture on the annual festival circuit. Tonight they come smashing out of the gates, hammering us with title track from the new album Hell, Fire and Damnation and as vocalist Biff Byford screams “make some fucking noise’’ the crowd duly responds and it’s heads down and off we go. The impressive production belches forth smoke, fire and a blazing lightshow appropriate to this beast of a track. Segueing into a frenetic “Motorcycle Man” and the riffy blast of “Power and the Glory” it’s obvious that tonight the band are on blistering form and intent on making this a night to remember. 

“Madame Guillotine” represents the new material admirably but when you have a chest full of genre classics like “Heavy Metal Thunder”, “The Eagle Has Landed”, “Strong Arm Of The Law”, “Dallas 1pm”, “Denim and Leather”, “747 (Strangers in the Night)” and others in your arsenal it’s clear what needs to be played. A cover of “Like The Wind” seems a unnecessary choice among such a killer set list but I guess it was a minor hit for them and as they plough into “Wheels Of Steel”, “Crusader” and “Princess of the Night” to bring this set to a close, Saxon have once again shown they are one of the great, defining British heavy metal acts.

 

Emperor are up for the final set of the day on the main stages that operate until 2am each festival evening. One of the most influential bands of the black metal genre, a genre that in all honesty has been of limited interest to me, I’ve maintained an interest in their career and particularly that of front man Ihsahn as he has pursued more avant-garde, progressive leanings in his solo work. It’s increasingly apparent that those influences have comfortably fused well with the development of Emperor’s sound and with the enhancement of the circulating local hemp. This is quite a mesmerising display and proves a powerful way to end another fine day.

Day four.

If some of each day’s early undercard are perhaps a little non-essential viewing to some this can be a positive on a number of levels. Not only does it allow some opportunity for much needed rest over what can be, however exhilarating, a potentially exhaustive four-day, 60-plus band program, it also allows exposure to up-and-coming talent and puts them on a bigger stage amid better production values than they could normally not hope to find themselves. It’s important for the scene and for these events’ longevity that they are the breeding grounds for the stars of the future at a time when we are seeing many of our established favourites heading towards the end of their monumental careers. The more some of these newer acts are exposed to the big stage the sooner we will see the potential headliners of the future.

After a mid-afternoon entry to check out some of Lovebites and Spidergawd we head to the third stage for a super solid classic metal set from Riot City, then to the main stage for the atmospheric modern prog of Riverside, a nice ethereal way to see in the twilight.

As a long-time pioneer for women in the hard rock/metal genre, Doro Pesch has had a long and successful career fronting her namesake band. But it really all started 40 years ago with her singing for German/US combo Warlock. That’s the name the band is billed as tonight and it’s their Hellbound, True As Steel and Triumph and Agony albums that are the focus of the performance. 

Always vibrant and energetic, she is an engaging onstage presence, masterful at working the large crowd, with her solo band providing solid support for this anniversary opportunity to celebrate fist pumping tracks like “Earthshaker Rock”, “All We Are” and “True As Steel”, this is a fun set and the crowd lap it up.

Yngwie Malmsteen can be an acquired taste for some. His precocious, histrionic mastery of the guitar may be a trial for people but to these well-worn ears the natural progression of his love of Blackmore infused with an obsession with Paganini and Bach is always breathtaking. 

He is quite literally the natural progression of that technical perfectionistic mentality brought forward to the modern day. To my mind musicians of his ilk have had a very real contribution to keeping the classics alive and bringing them to a young audience. He is a contemporary musician using contemporary equipment displaying the technical prowess of many of the greats from centuries past, and if it ain’t Baroque it don’t need fixing. 

He storms the stage, throwing his guitar around and kicks off the set with signature song and former band moniker Rising Force, arpeggios and crochets fly and as he kicks and flicks his picks into the crowd. They show their wild appreciation throughout a set packed with such necessary classics as “Now Your Ships Are Burned”, “Far Beyond The Sun”, “Seventh Sign”, “You Don’t Remember, I’ll Never Forget”, “Evil Eye” and others. He references his heroes with snippets of Bach, Paganini, Hendrix and Purple thrown in to spice things up. While his virtuosity on guitar is doubtlessly staggering, the same cannot be said for his vocal abilities. But that has never been the point. Much like Uli John Roth, the vocal is a condiment, an additional flavouring to enhance the banquet. He is adequate with some sub Hendrixy baritone and ably assisted on the key vocal tracks by longstanding player Nick Marino. The entire band are a very solid unit and boy does he make that Stratocaster sing!

 

The Darkness have the responsibility of closing this monumental event and they have brought all their attitude and swagger. The crowd don’t want this party to end and have crushed the main stage area for the last hurrah. “Black Shuck”, “Growing On Me”, “Get Your Hands Off My Woman” make up a kick-ass, punchy start to the set and with “Motorheart” and the pseudo Viking legend of “Barbarian” they show their rocking intent. 

The necessary hits from the first album are represented but there is a resolute and irreverent objective to show their harder edge in this performance that works well. There has of course always been a jokey element to The Darkness but it’s a joke that translates well into rocking good fun and they provide a perfect light-hearted pounding party atmosphere to bring an end to this most excellent of festival events.

So, this has been yet another mighty fine example of the fun and frivolity, brotherhood and celebration that these wonderful festivals represent. The next generation is clearly alive and well and it’s a joy to see the old guard still leading the way. It’s clearly evident that the appreciation and connection that exists at these events is a part of the elixir that is fuelling these masters of their craft to continue to show us all how it’s done. Long may they reign !