Arigato LOUD PARK

Last year, LOUD PARK was held for the first time in six years since 2017 on March 26, 2023. LOUD PARK (also known as "Laupa") is one of the largest heavy metal festivals in Japan. After many years of silence, the festival has returned in the form of a limited revival in 2023.

I, as someone who lives and breathes heavy metal and will most likely be in a coffin with heavy metal, of course attended the festival!
I'll only write about the performers I was able to see, but I'll try to give you a brief impression of the event and my appreciation for LOUD PARK and heavy metal.

Jason Richardson & Luke Holland

The top performers of the night were Jason Richardson, one of the hottest guitarists in the world today, and Luke Holland, who played drums on his solo album.
Although the sound was a bit unbalanced at times due to the fact that it was their first show, Jason's technique was unwavering on stage. The arena was filled with guitar players who wanted to catch a glimpse of Jason's technique. In fact, when Luke asked during the MC, "Who's playing guitar?” Shredded guitars and bouncy drums made me feel "Laupa is starting!”

Bleed from Within

After taking a lunch break and buying some stuff, I went to see the Scottish metalcore band Bleed from Within. I am ashamed to say that I first heard of the band when they were announced at Laupa, so at first I thought I would watch them in the back area, but it was a big venue and the loudness of their music was too much for me. But metalcore is so loud in a big venue, it's not fair. I couldn't help but go to the front area.
The melodic riffs just caught my ears, along with the metalcore shouts, the choruses and the breakdowns, which are the best part of metalcore. All of these really got me pumped up.

Carcass

After a short break, "Liverpool's King of Cruelty," Carcass, was arguably the most extreme performer at this year's LOUD PARK. He played an aggressive set for the festival, including many songs from his albums Necroticism and Heartwork, as well as songs from his latest album, Torn Arteries.
Listening to the song "Heartwork" live, I was reminded once again that it is a classic. It was a stage where I could feel the greatness of a master who created the template of melodic death metal.

Stratovarius

Stratovarius, one of my favorite power metal gods, finally appeared on stage!
Starting with the title track from their latest album, "Survive," the set list was a chorus of popular songs, and the audience sang along with them from start to finish. There were not only the songs, but also Matias Kupiainen and Jens Johansson's performance of the instrumental "Stratosphere" was a highlight of the show.
Asking“Genki?” and saying other phrases like “Saikou!" in Japanese was also a delight for Japanese fans. To be honest, I felt that the time allotted for the festival was not enough for me, so I would definitely like to see their solo show…

Nightwish

Nightwish was scheduled to perform in Japan in January 2023, but due to the health reasons of the band members, the concert was canceled.
What really caught my attention on stage was the presence of Floor Jansen. He sang not only the songs after he joined the band, but also songs sung by the previous vocalist, perfectly fulfilling his role as the face of the band. This was the first time for me to see the band even though I like symphonic metal music, so I was glad to see a set with many of their classic songs.

Kreator

Kreator, the king of German Thrash, came to Japan for the first time since the bassist was replaced by Frederic Leclercq (Fred), formerly of Dragonforce. I was impressed by the cheers from the audience.
In fact, it was at the 2014 LOUD PARK that I first got hooked on Kreator. It has been 9 years since that day, and Mille Petrozza's charisma was a big hit with me. The day she called out "Enemy of God" in that voice that knows no decline, the circle pit was inevitable. Kreator will remain in my opinion as the best thrash metal band.

Pantera

Pantera played the last show of the limited revival of LOUD PARK, and had such a huge influence on the bands that followed that some people divide the history of metal music into the period before and after Pantera. Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul, who were the core of the band's sound, has already passed on, and the reunion came to fruition with Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, etc.) and Charlie Benante (Anthrax), who were close friends with each of them, as support. Dimebag and Vinnie.
The reunion without Dimebag and Vinnie was controversial, but I personally think the performance was out of this world. The band was in a lower key, but the down-tuning made the guitars sound more evil, and the trigger-happy drums sounded like nothing more than classic Pantera. Phill Anselmo and Rex Brown seemed to be well, and they took it all away from the audience at the end of the show. I feel like I will be bragging about seeing Pantera for the next 10 years.

It has been a long time since the event was held, but here are my impressions of LOUD PARK!
I have many impressions of each band, but the fact that I was able to participate in a festival that bears the name "LOUD PARK" was the greatest joy of all. It is the first metal festival in Japan, and the feeling of fulfillment of going to the festival with the signboard "Japan's largest metal festival" for many years is something you cannot get anywhere else.
I was thrilled to see Bleed from Within, which I had seen without any preparation, win the show at Stratovarius, which I was looking forward to seeing, and end the festival with the great Pantera, who played the last show of the night. I think I am not the only one who would like to see LOUD PARK continue next year, and the year after that, instead of just being a limited revival.
I would like to conclude this article with a word of thanks, hoping that LOUD PARK will return again. Arigatou LOUD PARK!