PHOTOGRAPHED FOR EXCLAIM.CA

I know, I know, I suck at this blogging thing and even more at keeping it up to date. I’m feeling ambitious today, so you’re getting a little recap of my weekend and a couple galleries to wash it down.

One of the most talked about events in western Canada commenced over the weekend of July 26th and 27th; Chaos AB debuted as a large scale metal and hard rock festival in Alberta’s capital which had lovers of aggressive music anxious for it’s arrival. Despite a few hiccups along the way (AKA: Losing Rob Zombie as a headliner) the festival’s first ever weekend went off without a hitch.

Kicking off day 1 in Kinsmen Park with hot temperatures and even hotter bands, the afternoon of metal had folks of all ages eager and wanting more. the lineup for Friday consisted of: Light The Torch, Animals As Leaders, GWAR, Slayer and Disturbed as our headlining act. This being an extra special day for the festival and heavy metal history, metal kings Slayer bid their final farewell to Alberta, making this their last appearance ever in the province. Though skeptics will question whether it’s legitimately their final show in Alberta, Slayer had a sentimental send off that I’m sure no one will forget.

Day 2 of the festival was promising for many. Despite the controversy of shock-rock-god Rob Zombie mysteriously dropping off of the bill 2 weeks prior and being replaced with British rockers The Cult, and despite the weather being rainy and overall total shit, the attendance for the second show was staggering. Starting late due to a lightning stand down and an evacuation from the hour of torrential rain we received, the show kicked off with Selfish Things, who helped warm the crowd up after the cool down pour. The rest of the day consisted of the likes of The Dirty Nil, Royal Tusk, One Bad Son, Headstones, The Cult (no photos) and the dark emperor himself, Marilyn Manson as the closing act.

Even though the rain was on and off all day, it certainly didn’t put a damper on the spirits of festival goers, as Kinsmen Park remained full and alive from start to finish. The festival will certainly be one that people talk about for ages to come, and I truly cannot wait to see what next year has in store!