With new releases out from Children of Bodom and In Flames at the beginning of April, the excitement in me to see these two bands and headliners, Megadeth, at the Gigantour couldn't have been any higher. Let's break it down by bands to see how the night went.

First off was High on Fire. These guys have been pretty hyped over the last year and they did a pretty good job of starting the show off at FREAKIN 5:30! I got there at about 5:40 to catch half of the band's set and I was amazed to see the band having Londoners raising their fists and chanting along.

Music wise, I haven't really gotten into these guys, so their songs were unfamiliar and the bogged down/muddy sound they had didn't do too much to differentiate many riffs. If you like this band, I'm sure you thought they did a good job. Let's just say it was mildly entertaining but not worth a purchase for me.

Next up was (the over-hyped) Job for a Cowboy. Sure, these boys can play, but when you put together death metal songs that aren't catchy, does it even matter? If High On Fire had a muddied sound, then these guys were in the bog. It was almost impossible to hear any guitar riffs over the triggered bass drums and the insane amount of low end in the mix. I wanted to enjoy this, but I couldn't get past the sound issues (and the fact that they weren't the best to watch live). Good light show/syncs, though.

Children of Bodom showed up next. High energy and spot on performances of songs that went through the band's entire catalogue. Alexi was having a great time on stage and I just love how he works a crowd. While the sound was decent, the band was plagued by a hint of what was causing such a horrible sound for the two other bands. Children of Bodom was one of the highlights of the night for me.

In Flames brought their debatable “new” stuff to the table. I love old In Flames tunes and I love the new stuff, too, so the set list isn't something for me to cry about. They did play stuff from their newest release all the way back to Reroute to Remain, but nothing prior. If Bodom and Megadeth can go back to some of the OLD stuff, why can't these guys. Good sound, fun performance, but still not a stellar sound (although they did have the best audio of the night).

Lastly, the big boys... one of the “BIG 4” of the ‘80s once again delivered a kick-ass set. While their performance wasn't as high-energy as the previous bands, it was the music that stole the show. Like Bodom, Megadeth went entirely across their discography pleasing both diehard fans and newcomers. The only thing that made their performance not as great as the last time they hit the JLC was (yep, you guessed it...) the sound.

All in all, it was an enjoyable evening although some sound issues and overpriced beer and merchandise made me a tad grumpy.