Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of reviews by Beacon reporter Matt Bower on his recent trip to Germany for the Wacken Open Air music festival.

SKYLINE

The first band to open things up on one of the main stages on Thursday was Skyline. Skyline was another opportunity to see a rare band because some of the band members are the very same people responsible for organizing and hosting the festival itself. Twenty years ago when the band couldn’t find any festivals to play in, they decided to start their own and that’s how Wacken Open Air was born. It’s now grown to become a four-day festival of music and attracts nearly 70,000 to 80,000 fans worldwide each year. Skyline mainly played covers of metal classics such as Iron Maiden’s “Fear of the Dark,” AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock n’ Roll)” and Thin Lizzy’s “Whiskey in the Jar.” Skyline was a lot of fun to watch and I enjoyed getting to see one of the main festival organizers and hosts, Thomas Jensen, playing bass with a big smile on his face.

SCHANDMAUL

Next up was a unique band of German origin. I don’t quite know how to describe Schandmaul’s sound other than it’s a mix of rock and folk music. All the lyrics were in German, but the crowd really got into these guys and I’m glad I was able to see them since I don’t think they ever tour the United States. It was really something when they got the majority of the 40,000 or so fans to jump up and down.

RUNNING WILD

After Schandmaul came one of my favorite bands, the pirate-themed Running Wild. Running Wild’s performance was extra special since it was the band’s final live performance, celebrating 25 years of music. The entire two-hour set was filmed for an upcoming DVD and not even the rain showers could dampen the spirits of the fans head banging and crowd surfing to Running Wild’s pirate metal. Songs for the setlist were chosen beforehand by the fans themselves and included such classics as “Port Royal,” “Bad to the Bone,” Prisoners of Our Time,” and the ever-popular closer “Under Jolly Roger.” Running Wild will be missed but their legacy will live on in this final bow of a performance.

HEAVEN & HELL

Following Running Wild’s special two-hour set, it was time for headliners Heaven & Hell to take the stage. Heaven & Hell consists of the members of Black Sabbath but instead of Ozzy Osbourne handling vocal duties, it was Ronnie James Dio, famous for bands such as Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow and his own solo band, DIO. This was the third time I’ve seen Heaven & Hell and the fourth time I saw Dio and it was by far the best performance I’ve seen them put on. A large video screen sat behind the drum set and projected images to back up the songs the band bashed out on their instruments. Black Sabbath is considered by many to have created heavy metal and with songs such as “Children of the Sea,” “Falling Off the Edge of the World” “Follow the Tears,” “Die Young,” title track “Heaven & Hell,” or closer “Neon Knights” –it’s hard to argue. A perfect way to end the night.