Louder than Life is the extreme festival you have been waiting for. Whether it’s the bourbon, epic styled, “Man Food”, or the multiple heavy hitting bands that bring you to the festival, Louder than Life does everything to the extreme.
While the summer festival season is coming to a close, Louder than Life made sure that it went out with a bang. Fans showed up in droves to attend the two-day event in Louisville, Kentucky. The colder September weather didn’t turn anyone away as most fans welcomed the chill in the air dressed in black hoodies, denim “battle vests”, and of course leather jackets.
I stated out my day by checking out New Year’s Day’s set. Even though it was early in the day, this female fronted heavy metal band took the stage with a No Holds Barred attitude and instantly hyped up the crowd for the rest of their hard-rocked filled day. Lead singer, Ash Costello, sang a fantastic cover of Pantera’s Fucking Hostile to a sea of fist pumping and devil horns.
Steel Panther is hard to describe. Are they a loving tribute to 80’s sleazy glam metal or a parody of the genre. One thing that Steel Panther is though is FUN. Opening with their sing along anthem, “Eyes of the Panther,” the sunset strip styled group played with a cock rock swagger to a large group of festival attendees.
Lead singer Michael Starr noticed a few children in attendance and was quick to quip, “If you brought your kids to this show, they will get a lot of pussy.” Pretty much the type of response fans of Steel Panther would expect. Steel Panther played a great set with the usual fun band banter which included several playful jabs at their bassist. With the smell of weed in the air, the flow of alcohol and amount of women flashing their breasts at the band, you’d think you time traveled back to 1984. And speaking of 1984, one of the highlight’s of their set was a fantastic cover of Van Halen’s Aint Talkin’ Bout Love.
If you are going to run a successful hard rock music festival, you have to include the Astrocreep himself, Rob Zombie. The former White Zombie frontman decked out in his famous Halloween/ Monsterman look was in great spirits playing out the Louisville crowd. Zombie may not have had many of the over the top stage prop that usually adorn his stage, but still put on a performance worthy of his name.
Zombie played all of the classics you’d expect like, Meet the Creeper, Living Dead Girl and More Human than Human. A cover of the Ramone’s Blitzkrieg Bop was played with a little more “Zombie” flavor as they song was slower and sludgey compared to the original.
Ending the night was the Prince of fucking Darkness himself, Ozzy Osborne. Black Sabbath may have given their final bow and retired, but the Ozzman showed no sign of slowing down anything soon. Opening with Bark and the Moon, the crowd cheered as Ozzy was reunited with former guitarist, Zakk Wylde. Playing on his famous yellow and black bumble bee looking axe, it was as if the duo had never missed a step as they pummeled the crowd with hit after hit.
Ozzy was just as kooky as ever giving the crowd an eerie grin as he powered through such hits as Mr. Crowley, I Don’t Know and of course, Crazy Train. Black Sabbath may be finished but Ozzy kept the spirit alive by performing, Iron Man, War Pigs and Paranoid.
