The Austrian band Serenity could make the start at an unfortunately very weak filled Atak at Enschede. This is maybe also due to the fact that the concert started roughly half an hour earlier than originally planned. I talked after the concert to some other people that arrived only at Midnattsol as they simply did not know about it.
Although it was meanwhile the fifth time during one and a half years that I was watching Epica it was never getting boring. Just the opposite as I am again and again looking forward to see them as the shows are never 100% identical and Epica imagines always something special (like e.g. the belly dancer beginning of 2010, an album show like on last years Metal Female Voices Fest VIII or pyro shows).
For me it was after their gig together with Revamp at the Atak at Enschede already the second time that I was able to watch Sin7sinS live. Unlike to their gig in december singer Lotus was again at good in voice and the band found a new drummer with Heresy 101 wo replaced Armada XTC who left in January.
The band Arafel around Ex-Equilibrium singer Helge I skipped (the day would anyhow be long enough) to have a short break. So I continued with the second special guest of the day: the Dutch folk metal band Heidevolk with their two singers Joris Boghtdrincker and Mark Splintervuyscht. Although they were only singing in their national language Dutch there were many people at the audience knowing the lyrics and singing along loudly.
Blow on blow it directly continued after a short break for changing the stage setting with Kivimetsän Druidi. The Finnish symphonic / folk metaller around front woman Leeni-Maria Hovila entered the stage and she directly was pointing out with her outfit. A short black top with black and white ribbons and a long black skirt.
It is long time ago since I have been at the Turbinenhalle for the last time but for this years Paganfest (at Oberhausen even in an extra long version as additionally to the normal lineup Obscurity, Heidevolk and Eluveitie are with them) it finally was again the time.
Around 22:00 finally Revamp entered the quite narrow and small stage. First only the guys (Mathias Landes on drums, Jaap Melman on bass, Jord Otto and Arjan Rijnen on guitars as well as Ruben Wijga on keyboard) and shortly afterwards also Floor Jansen.
Support act of the evening was the Dutch newcomer band Sin7sinS with their debut album "Perversion Ltd.". The singer Lotus entered the stage with the excuse that she was having a sore throat and the performance would not exactly be like the audience would be used to but you could not really hear that during the concert.
The solemn closure of the eighth Metal Female Voices Fest edition was performed by the Dutch symphonic metal band Epica. They are the only band that took part on all Metal Female Voices fest editions and had considered for this year a special "The Phantom Agony" show. In it they played several pieces of their debut album and combined them with a great cross section across all other albums.
After they played the last year only a short acoustic set this year Leaves' Eyes were back for a longer gig. The band that is formed by the German group Atrocity together with the Norwegian former Theatre Of Tragedy front woman Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull has continued a nice tradition. Each time I saw them or Atrocity live they have played in a different setting.