Danko Jones: Live At Wacken

Three Canadians and a shitload of Germans rock out

Danko Jones

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If you want to know how a fiery rock’n’roll trio from Toronto ended up being insanely popular with diehard metalheads, Live At Wacken provides compelling evidence.

Danko Jones could easily have focused their energy on conquering cooler cultural enclaves, but as an obsessive metal fan himself, Wacken clearly seemed like a more worthwhile challenge. Smartly shot and sonically monstrous, this band’s third appearance at Germany’s metallic epicentre sees them winning over the main stage crowd with relentless Uzi-blasts of short, sharp and instantly memorable anthems.

The response is euphoric and, suddenly, not being a heavy metal band at the most metal festival of all seems like a pretty snappy idea. The package is bolstered by the inclusion of Danko’s lecture on the subject of Kiss drummer Peter Criss (which he delivered at Wacken two years earlier) and an amusing but excruciating post-gig interview where Danko endures being repeatedly grilled while still visibly out of breath from performing.

It’s a feast of entertainment, and another reason to hail the true king of rock’n’roll.

Dom Lawson
Writer

Dom Lawson has been writing for Metal Hammer and Prog for over 14 years and is extremely fond of heavy metal, progressive rock, coffee and snooker. He also contributes to The Guardian, Classic Rock, Bravewords and Blabbermouth and has previously written for Kerrang! magazine in the mid-2000s.