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2016 |
SUICIDAL ANGELS, EVIL INVADERS, SKULLFIST & CRISIX (7 October 2016)
Biebob, Vosselaar, Belgie Review by Mario van Dooren Long time ago for me to visit this famous club in Belgium! Why? Simply because most of the bands overthere also play nearby Tilburg OR are not interesting enough for me. Well tonite it was time to return to the Biebob to see 4 great bands which I follow already for a long time. When I arrived around 7:15 PM the first band CRISIX was already playing. I booked the band myself in 2015 as support for Nervosa and that time they rocked the place down! Well now they did it again! These Spanish guys are so enthusiastic on (and off) stage! During the 2 songs I saw the band was triggering the audience to make a circlepit and they managed to do it with the help of a few balloons they threw into the pit! And their frontman was standing in the centre of the pit! These guys know how to party! Pitty enough they had to stop after I saw 2 songs.. At 19:45 SKULLFIST (Canada) entered the stage to spread their typical style of heavy metal. Ive seen the band several times in the past but to be honest; this was the worst time I witnessed them. Why? Well simply; their singer had some serious problems with his voice and was singing out of tune regularly. Pitty because they normally never disappoint... Around 20:45 EVIL INVADERS came, saw & conquered! Didnt see these Belgium guys for a long time so I was surprised by their professional attitude and stage performance! And what a nice show! Full speed ahead from the first till the last minute! For me THE highlight of the evening! So much energy! Incredible!! I have to be honest to say that Evil Invaders are ready for a headliner tour! After that it was nearly impossible for headliner SUICIDAL ANGELS to top this. Well they came close. Suicidal Angels from Greece is a great band too but after a few midtempo songs I lost my interest in their Slayer-suited thrash. So again; a very good band but after Evil Invaders it was more a kind of dessert... Only complain about the evening was the moderate (and sometimes terrible) sound quality by all bands....Nevertheless had a great night in Belgium. Till soon Biebob! |
RAINBOW & ALMOST AUTUMN (25 June 2016)
Genting Arena, Birmingham, United Kingdom Review by Wim van Grunsven Finally I was going to see the Man In Black with RAINBOW! I missed then when they were big in the 70's and 80's, I was too young at first, and later just a poor student who couldn't afford to do to the concerts too far away from my hometown. Why I missed them on their 1995 tour still remains a mystery to me. But, thankfully, I got the chance to redeem myself in 2016! After having sat down for a while the lights went out and opener MOSTLY AUTUMN started playing. First thing we noticed is that they somehow forgot to bring their bass player. Nevertheless they played a blinding set, and it was obvious that guitarist and founding member Bryan Josh is certainly a big follower and student of Ritchie Blackmore. They had a great sound,, even without the bassist, and really rocked the place. Mostly Autumn isn't my cup of tea, but I must admit they were quite good and a deserved starter for the evening. After that it was waiting for the big moment. Once the tones of Land Of Hope And Glory started the place exploded and everyone was in awe of what was happening on stage. In hindsight Ritchie Blackmore has dubbed this the best of the three concerts, and I understand why. I was very emotional during the whole show, because I loved everything I heard. Of course nothing was like it was when Cozy Powell and Ronnie James Dio were present, but nobody expected this. The drummer and bassist on hand are also in Blackmore's Night, and it was obvious that they weren't used to sound massive and overpowering. I still think they did a very good job. The keyboard player is a well-known name, Jens Johansson, and he did exactly what he had to do. He was the glue that bonded everything together. The real star of the band however, next to Ritchie Blackmore that is, was singer Ronnie Romero. What a voice, how uncannily similar he sounds to RJD. You could hardly hear the difference. All he did was great, apart from Child In Time, where he just couldn't hack the screams. But for the rest, he was brilliant. And that's an understatement. As for Ritchie himself, he might not be as fluent and fast as he used to be, but somewhere halfway through the show he really got it going and was flying! He still has what it takes, he still can play, but it also became quite clear that he hadn't rocked much in the last two decades. He needed some time to adjust to the pace and volume. Almost every song was started by a little doodling, by playing around on the guitar before unleashing itself into the riff of the songs. It seemed to give Ritchie Blackmore the time to get reacquainted to the song, but like I said, once he got into the flow he showed us why he is arguably the most influential rock guitarist ever. The real question was whether the Rainbow feeling would be reached by this band, and to me they surpassed themselves in that respect. Even with too many Deep Purple songs it still was a real Rainbow evening. The best songs were the very intimately and acoustically played Soldier Of Fortune, the blistering version of the surprise song of the evening, Burn. As for me, when they played Stargazer my life was complete. That moved just about everybody in the audience, and I don't think many a person kept it dry throughout this classic. I certainly didn't. As for me, when they played Stargazer my life was complete. After the show it was time to head back, and it felt like floating on air. That's how high we were. This night will be recognised as a show that was very high on the quality list. Even thinking back to that evening still results in shivers down my spine. If they ever tour again, I'll be there, again. I have to be. Really, it's a must. Setlist Rainbow: Land Of Hope And Glory / Intro / Highway Star / Spotlight Kid / Mistreated / Since You've Been Gone / Man on the Silver Mountain / Soldier of Fortune / Difficult to Cure / Band Jam + Drum solo / Catch The Rainbow / Perfect Strangers / Long Live Rock 'n' Roll / Child in Time / Stargazer / Black Night / Burn / Smoke on the Water |
MONSTER MAGNET (25 March 2016)
Tivoli Ronda, Utrecht, The Netherlands Review by Rob Claesen Dave Wyndorf hade to make something up after his boring performance at last years Scumbash festival. That's why I travelled to Utrecht with some skepticism. I am glad I visited the show, because MONSTER MAGNET did not only erased last years bad memory, they delivered one hell of a party. Unfortunately I missed the support act Scorpion Child, because Utrecht turned out to be one giant construction site full of roadblocks. The band set the tone with opening track 'Crop Circle' followed by 'Powertrip' and let everybody sing they were never going to work another day in their lives! What followed was a greatest hits set with classics like 'Tractor', 'Dopes to infinity', 'Space Lord' and encore 'Negasonic Teenage Warhead'. Setlist: Crop Circle, Powertrip, Melt, Superjudge, Twin Earth, Look for your orb for the Warning, Dinosaur Vacuum, Cage around the Sun, Tractor, Dopes to Infinity, Space Lord, Face Down & Negasonic Teenage Warhead |
2015 |
VANDALE & DE ROCKDUVELS (11 April 2015)
De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren Finally seeing VANDALE after I missed them as support of Iron Maiden way back in 1983...... DE ROCKDUVELS where the support band of tonight but couldnt convince me for one second. Later on I heard that it was more a tribute band to MOOI WARK, a band that I dont like either....and I prefer mostly to hear the songs by the original band. Pity, missed opportunity VANDALE nevertheless came, saw & conquered!!! What a band, what a sound and what an energy!!! All classisc were played; 'Terug In De Tijd', 'Vrienden Uit De Kroeg', 'Geitenwollensokkenrockers', 'Als Je Hart', 'Paddestoel', 'Pet in Bed', 'T Zit Met Tegen', 'Rot Op', 'Komplete Kick', 'Betale', 'Niemand', 'Vecht' (brand new song - first time live), 'Weet Ik Veel' & 'Stale Verhale'. Satisfied I went home; glad I didnt miss the show this time...32 years later as planned!!!!! The band is still alive & kickin'!!!! Hope to see them again soon......thanks!! |
RAVEN & DISTILLATOR (3 April 2015)
Cacao Fabriek, Helmond, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren Tonight it was my first time to see DISTILLATOR from The Netherlands. I heard a lot of positive feedback from their earlier gigs so I was curious if I would agree with the opinions of other metalheads. It first counted me that there was a lack of audience in the Cacaofabriek; a beautiful new place. Probably due to the fact that the Very Eavy festival was in the same weekend but most likely it was due to the lack of promotion the venue did. Finally Distillator played for about 50 people and promoted their debut album tonight. Personally I was not really impressed because it all sounded a bit messy and especially the guitarparts were sometimes out of tune. But the enthusiasm of the band made me feel good and playing a Slayer cover is always a good choice ;-) My friends of RAVEN started around 21:10 and opened with 'Hard Ride'. The band played, as always, full speed and a lot of classic songs where played like; 'Live at the Inferno', 'All for One', 'Rock untill you Drop', 'I dont need your Money', 'Speed of the Reflex', 'Mind over Metal', Faster than the Speed of Light', 'On and On' & 'Break the Chain (bonus song with a part of UFO's 'Rock Bottom' in it). Also a few new songs from their latest album "Extermination" were played; 'Destroy all Monsters' &'It's not what you Got'. After about 75 minutes the show was over and I went home with a more that satisfied feeling; a feeling that only a few bands like Raven (for example) can deliver! Classic!!! |
SCUMBASH FESTIVAL (28 February 2015)
Van Nelle Fabriek, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Review by Rob Claesen For the second year in a row Schorem Haarsnijders & Barbiers, Rotterdam based tattooed barbers, launched a hell of a rock 'n' roll party. Place to be was The Van Nelle Factory where bands like Reverend Horton Heat, Bazzookas, John Coffey, Bob Wayne and Batmoblie were on the bill. MMM will only inform you about the bands we visited the Scumbash festival for: The Exploited and Monster Magnet. After The Band had to cancel due to Watties heart attack, just one week before last year's edition THE EXPLOITED unleashed an old school punk party at the 2015 edition. Despite the fact the punk verteran has reached the age of 58, his band played an energetic and entertaining set. The band lived up to the expectations playing classics like “Beat the basterds', “Sex & Violence” and “Punks not dead”. Punk's not dead, neither is The Exploited! The main reason I was coming the Scumbash festival was the appearance of MONSTER MAGNET, one of my long time favourite bands. Where most bands were could only perform for one hour, Dave Wyndorf and his fellow musicians were given one hour and a half. The crowd was warmed up and waiting for all the classics the band has written over the past decades. Unfortunately nothing of that came true. The concert was boring! While sitting on a plastic chair (!!), facing his amp Wyndorf was tripping on long, boring versions of relatively unknown songs. The only person who seemed to like it was the bandleader himself. Most people took the opportunity to visit the bar, toilet or foodstands. A well missed opportunity. |
2014 |
OVERKILL, PRONG, ENFORCER & DARKOLOGY (15 November 2014)
De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren A night full of classic metal @ De Pul! I arrived on time because the main reason for me was to see DARKOLOGY; the only band that I did never see before and I love their debut album “Altered Reflections” (2009). Especially their singer Kelly Sundown Carpenter (also sung in Outworld, Beyond Twilight, Firewind, etc) is an awesome vocalist. Due, for me, unknown reasons Kelly was not on the road this time with the band and was replaced by Eugent Bushpepa. A name I never heard of before but which I will never forget after this incredible evening! A perfect substitute for Kelly Carpenter. The band started at 19:30 and had a terrible guitarsound during the first song. A second guitarplayer would have been very welcome also on tour. The band had only 20 minutes of playing time which is ofcourse a shame! The band only played 3 songs from their debut album and as last song they played Black Sabbath's “Mob Rules”. Personally I preferred a song of their own but I don't know the reason why they choose a cover. Most people where not even watching this awesome band but for me they were, beside the sound and playing time, superb! I didn't expect that much after the news that Kelly Carpenter was not touring with them but Eugent did a more than excellent job! Please come back soon guys but not as an opener again! Otherwise contact me personally! At 20:10 the Swedish metallers of ENFORCER entered stage to play a 30/35 minutes set with a mix of their stuff. Ive seen the band several times but they never could impress me; well tonight they did finally! Nice show of these youngsters with songs like; 'Live for the Night', 'Take me out of this Nightmare', 'Countess Bathory (Venom cover)', 'Run for your Life' & 'Midnight Vice'. Next time I will be back guys! Good show! 21:00 it was time for one of the headliners; PRONG! They had an excellent sound from second one till the end and for a lot of people they were the best band of the evening! Ive seen the band also several times in the past and they are a good live band but its not really my taste of metal. But the venue was already packed and the audience went crazy with songs like; 'Beg to Differ', 'Unconditional', 'Lost and Found', 'For dear Life', 'Rude Awakenings' and so on… Great show again from these New Yorkers! Headliner OVERKILL is still one of the best thrash livebands ever and tonight they again raised the roof of the packed De Pul! Its always a happening to see this energetic live band with a leading position for frontman Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth. The played an awesome mix of all their stuff with songs like; 'Amorist', 'Overkill', 'Wrecking Crew', 'Electric Rattlesnake', 'Rotten to the Core', 'Bring me the Night', 'Hello from the Gutter', 'Elimination', 'Fuck You' & so on……. All in all an excellent night with great music, a bunch of friends and a few beers! Hope to see them all back soon!! And I have to admit that De Pul is an excellent location for this kind of parties!!! |
Y&T and VOODOO VEGAS (18 October 2014)
De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by Wim van Grunsven Another October, another Y&T concert at de Pul in Uden, The Netherlands. The support act was not known to me, they are an English band called VOODOO VEGAS. And they bloody rock! This is party rock early Guns 'n' Roses style. But also with a lot of proper hard rocking influences as well. This has swing, this has groove, this is rocking, this is rolling. They play a few songs from their album The Rise Of Jimmy Silver, but also two new songs. And it all sounds good. I must admit that I like them best when put the throttle down, as then they really come into their own. That's when they're most impressive. As for watching the band, men and women alike will enjoy what's on stage. For the women (mostly); vocalist Lawrence Case, guitarist Nick Brown and bassist Ash Moulton are pleasant to look at. For the men (mostly); guitarist Meryl Hamilton is a sight for sore eyes. And a very good guitar player as well. As for drummer Jonno, he's hidden behind his drumkit, so I'll not pass judgement on him. It was then time for Y&T. They have never disappointed before, and they're not going to tonight. As usual they come out and play to their hearts content. What is becoming more obvious every year is that Dave Meniketti needs a little longer to get his voice quite right. But when he's loose, there's no stopping him, whatever you try. Thankfully he has a very loyal band of brothers around him, making it all fit live the proverbial glove. Another sticking point is the setlist. It's never exactly the same, so a few surprises to pop up from time to time, unfortunately including some songs that make my heat cringe. For the most it's business as usual, and they play most of the all-time favourites, Dirty Girl being one of the greatest examples ever. After some 140 minutes of pure pleasurable hard rock Y&T style everybody has a big smile on their face and either heads home to the bar feeling absolutely happy. Well, I guess it's a case of see you next year, guys. |
BRITISH LION & THE RAVEN AGE (12 July 2014)
De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by Jordy Brouwers On 12 July, I prepared myself for a nice evening in The Pul in Uden. I have visited a lot of concerts in The Pul and I like it. It is a cosy place and they book a lot of good (heavy) bands. The head liner for this evening was British Lion and the support act was The Raven Age. THE RAVEN AGE describes themselves as “a melodic metal band from London”. In 2009, guitarists Dan Wright and George Harris (son of the bass player of British Lion) began their band which had to combine “contemporary heavy music with powerful melodic vocals to create an epic and unique sound.” After completing the line-up with some likeminded musicians, the band created their first album, an EP entitled The Raven Age. Their music can be described best by a mixture of Linkin Park and In Flames. The stage presentation was in the beginning a little bit uncomfortable but became better as the show continued. It has to be said that the band played the songs quite well. I personally preferred the heavier parts of their songs, but the overall reaction of the audience was more than positive. After approximately 35 minutes, the band ended with the last song of their EP, Angel in Disgrace. At 21:30 the headliner of the evening, BRITISH LION, started their gig. I expected more people; there were only approximately 150 fans present. The band leader and bassist of the band, Steve Harris, needs no long introduction. He is one of the founding fathers and bass player of Iron Maiden. British Lion is his solo / side project. Besides Steve Harris on bass, the band consists of Richard Taylor on vocals and guitar, David Hawkins on guitar and keys, Grahame Leslie on guitar, and Simon Dawson on drums. The gig started with the opener of the album (This is my God) and the crowd was immediately enthusiastic. The music contains some elements of Iron Maiden (galloping bass play of Steve Harris, double guitar solos), but do not expect an exact copy. The songs sound a little bit more mainstream and catchy, but that makes them not directly commercial. The songs which suited me most were The Chosen Ones and Judas. Especially The Chosen Ones has a nice refrain. That brings me also to a small point of criticism, the voice of Taylor missis sometimes a little bit of power during the refrains. But his stage presentation is more than acceptable. Unfortunately the concert ended after 80 minutes, after an encore. That was a pity. I had some small doubts when I listened the album before the gig, but these are gone now. The band played the songs very well and I was quite disappointed when the gig ended at 22:50. I really had a nice evening and in my opinion, the people who were not present missed a nice evening! |
GOLDEN EARRING & THE3rdMAN (1 May 2014)
013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Ad van Osch A few weeks before Dutch veteran rockers of GOLDEN EARRING were playing on May 1st 2014 in the Jupiler Hall of 013, Tilburg, Holland, I was listening to the albums "Seven Tears" (1971) and "Moontan" (1973) a lot. Especially these two studio albums belong to my favorite GOLDEN EARRING albums of the 70's. I knew they were going to play in 013 on the 1st of May, so thought by myself "let's buy a ticket before it's sold out again", because the last time I saw GOLDEN EARRING in 013 was in 2009. And if I'm right, tonight it was sold out again (or nearly sold out). Anyway, first we got THE3rdMAN as the support-act. THE3rdMAN is a trio from The Netherlands and Belgium and exists of Jo De Roeck (vocals, guitar), Carlos Lake (bass, vocals) and Richie Bleijenberg (drums, vocals). The band played about 45 minutes, and I must say it sounded nice. I don't know the titles of the songs the band played, but there were a few which I really liked, and some were sounding less to me. Just nice to have seen the band once. When GOLDEN EARRING got on stage, they kicked off with "Just Like Vince Taylor", followed by "In My House", which I didn't recognize, and two songs which I didn't know ("Identical" and "Little Time Bomb"). "In My House" is from the "Winter-Harvest" (1967) album, an album which I don't have, but I have that song on the compilation double album "The Devil Made Us Do It 35 Years" (2000), and "Identical" & "Little Time Bomb" are from the album "Tits 'n Ass" (2012), which I also don't have. When GOLDEN EARRING finished with the classic "Another 45 Miles", they again played a song from the "Tits 'n Ass" album, which was "Still Got The Keys To My First Cadillac", and after that one all the classic hits followed. "The Devil Made Me Do It", "Twilight Zone", "When The Lady Smiles", "Going To The Run", the superb "She Flies On Strange Wings", "Long Blond Animal" and of course "Radar Love". But also "Future" and "Johnny Make Believe", which are not classic hits, were in the set. Well, anyone who's familiar with GOLDEN EARRING, knows of course that Bary Hay as well as George Kooymans are doing the lead vocals. And both gentlemen are still singing great. The entire show I was standing in the second row from the barrier in front of bass player Rinus Gerritsen, who belongs to one of my favorite bass players. Gerritsen did a great bass solo before the band started to play their all-time classic "Radar Love", which as usual also included a drum solo of Cesar Zuiderwijk. After "Radar Love" the EARRING left the stage for a few minutes, and came back to do a few encores, which were "What Do I Know About Love" from the "Tits 'n Ass" album, the classic "Back Home" and "Holy Holy Life". As with all the other times I've seen GOLDEN EARRING live, I again enjoyed it very much. But, although I know they can't play all their classics, I really missed a few songs, such as "Vanilla Queen", "Buddy Joe", "Candy's Going Bad", "Movin' Down Life", "Weekend Love" and "Bombay" to name a few. |
MARIO'S METAL MEETING 8 (29 March 2014)
Little Devil, Tilburg, The Netherlands
This was the 8th edition of Mario's Metal Meeting and because it was organised by Mario's Metal Mania it would not be fair to review my own festival :) For that reason I only add links to some reviews........... |
STATUS QUO & VANDALE (23 March 2014)
IJsselhallen, Zwolle, The Netherlands Review by MetalWim van Grunsven The Frantic Four are touring Europe (Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, The UK & Ireland) for the very last time. They did the islands last year as well, and demand for a rematch was so great that they couldn't resist the temptation. In contrast to last year they did bring a support act, the old Dutch rockers of Vandale. As VANDALE kick off, it is quite obvious that about 95% of the audience doesn't know them and/or isn't interested in them. Luckily I belong to the other 5%, but I must admit I wasn't impressed. Not only did they bring two (lovely looking but very unnecessary) female backing singers. On top of that they don't play too tight and singer Bet van Klaveren can't keep up all with all the lyrics. Having said that I still enjoy songs like Geitenwollensokkenrockers, Rot Op, Paddestoel, 'T Zit Me Tegen and Stale Verhale. For me this massive hall was too big and empowering for the likes of Vandale. They need to play the more intimate venues and stay with their core business: rocking without extra frills. Last year I went to see the Frantic Four reunion in London's Hammersmith. That was brilliant, so when the chance arose to see them again in my own country I jumped at the occasion. First off I'll state the few things that disappointed me. The setlist was just about the same as last year, only Caroline had been exchanged in favour of Don't Waste My Time. (They had promised more older songs.) The other thing was that the sound in this large concrete former cattle-trading venue isn't half as impressive as what I experienced in London. Well, now I've got that out of the way I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, as STATUS QUO were in good form. Although, because of having played football on the parking lot Francis Rossi had hurt his knee and Alan Lancaster his foot, so they weren't as agile as they normally are. It seems the latter won the game, though. This is what happens when OAP's try their hand at stuff that should be left for the young. Something that doesn't apply to the band on stage, as Status Quo can still kick the arses of o lot of the younger bands when it comes to showmanship and radiating the joy of music to the crowd. But the joy of seeing these four together makes it even better, as this is what and how Status Quo should be. Except for the humorous talks in between songs. Maybe the band were afraid we wouldn't get them, because they didn't interact as much as they usually do. It doesn't make this evening's experience any less memorable. And for those who expected hits; tough! Rain, Caroline and Down Down were the only ones being played. The most recent songs were off the Blue For You album, which dates from 1976. So as an audience member you did need to know your stuff. And most did. And enjoyed every second of it. Thank you Frantic Four. You will never be forgotten. |
VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS & THE ROAD HOME (15 March 2014)
De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by MetalWim van Grunsven Tonight I am ready for an evening of Dutch rock and anticipation, as it is all about the resurfacing of the Dutch guitar master Adrian Vandenberg. The Moonkings album is killer, so expectations for their third (sold out) show ever are high. At least for me they are, especially as this, their first ever European Tour, is played in mainly small and intimate venues. Support act THE ROAD HOME from Enschede is the former band of the Moonkings drummer, and boasts two brothers of the Moonkings bassist on guitars and vocals. So at least the connection to the main attraction is quite obvious. Musically it resembles Green Day, The Gaslight Anthem and such and what they play has some interesting points, but in my opinion the band hasn't made the most of them tonight. The opening song and the two last songs of the set showed that they know how to play, but also packed quite some punch. Something the rest of the set unfortunately lacked. Also the vocals weren't very strong live, just too thin for me. When VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS make their entrance, you can feel the anticipation in the room. And boy, does the band deliver. From the very first note to the last, this is beyond what any of us expected. Yes, it is obvious that the band is still getting used to each other, but the quality of the players and the music is without doubt. The singer Jan Hoving must have been living under a rock somewhere, as I can't explain that such a great voice hasn't been heard earlier in a small country like The Netherlands. The drummer Mart Nijen Es is a younger version of Animal (The Muppets), very aware of playing well and making a show of his performance. Even his drum solo, which are usually quite tedious, was quite good. Bassist Sem Christoffel is the most solid foundation a band could wish and then there is Adrian Vandenberg. He hasn't lost it. On the contrary, he has found it again and is playing to his hearts content. Add the fact that everyone is having heaps of fun, and it all makes this to one very happy experience. They do play almost all songs off their brilliant debut album, and without exception they sound better live than they do on vinyl. The really come to life on stage. Of course we also get some blasts from the past like a (great) rendition of Vandenberg's biggest hit Burning Heart. Bloody effing hell, this sounds good. Surprisingly they also do Pushing Me off the very much underrated Manic Eden album, as well as Judgement Day from his Whitesnake (Slip Of The Tongue) era. Covers are thrown in as well, with Superstition (Stevie Wonder), I Put A Spell On You (CCR) and Alright Now (Free). On top of that there is the inevitable Here I Go Again. At the end I feel elated, as I have seen an international super act. This was electric. On top of that a little later the band does come out into the venue to talk to people and have their pictures taken and autograph stuff. What a great bunch. Vandenberg's Moonkings rules! This tour will be the last time you'll be able to see these guys in such intimate settings, of that I'm sure. If you are Dutch and want to catch them live (again), you can see them at Fortarock 2014 and Bospop 2014! Don't miss out! |
ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN & KIN KOBRA (15 February 2014)
013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Ad van Osch In September of 2013 ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN released her fifth album "Drive", which is again a great album. Anneke already had done a first leg of her "Drive Tour", and on February 1st, 2014 she started the second leg of the tour at the venue Paard Van Troje in The Hague, Holland. During the club shows in Holland of this second leg, she had four Dutch bands who were the support-act. Those bands are KIN KOBRA, PACESHIFTERS, CARTOGRAPHER and PIL & BUE. Well, this show in the small venue of 013 in Tilburg is Anneke's fifth show, and it was completely sold out. Tonight it was KIN KOBRA who were the support-act. The band, which comes from Gorinchem, Holland, started around 20:30 and they played about 7 songs. The band plays Rock with, in my opinion, also some new wave influences, and did got a very good response from the audience. Well, I liked the songs they played. So, KIN KOBRA is absolutely a good band, and has a lot of potential. Well, around 21:30 ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN and her band got on stage, and they started with "You Will Never Change" of the "Drive" album. Well, the set list which Anneke did tonight was just marvelous. Of course she played the most songs of her "Drive" album (the aforementioned "You Will Never Change", the title track "Drive", "She", "My Mother Said", "Mental Jungle" and "The Best Is Yet To Come" as the last encore of the evening). Everyone knows (or should know) that Anneke van Giersbergen has sung in THE GATHERING (from 1994 until 2007). Well and of course she treated the audience with a few songs from the period she was the singer of THE GATHERING. The first THE GATHERING song she played tonight was "Saturnine", from the "If Then Else" (2000) album. Four songs later, the second one was "Even The Spirits Are Afraid", which is on the "Souvenirs" (2003) album. The last song of the regular set was the well known "Strange Machines" from the "Mandylion" (1995) album, the first THE GATHERING album with Anneke on vocals. Between the songs, when Anneke was talking to the audience, she had also a lot of humor in her talking as well. Anyway, other songs that Anneke played of her own material were from her previous album "Everything Is Changing" (2012). From that fantastic album Anneke played the songs "My Boy", "1000 Miles Away From You", "You Want To Be Free" and "Stay". After Anneke and her excellent band left the stage, when they had finished the classic "Strange Machines", they quickly came back to do some encores. When Anneke was back on the stage again, she asked the audience which other THE GATHERING song they wanted to hear. The audience could choose between "Broken Glass" (from the "Souvenirs" album) or "Leaves" (from the "Mandylion" album). And everybody wanted to hear "Leaves", so the first encore Anneke did was "Leaves". The next two encores were again from her "Drive" album, namely "We Live On" and the aforementioned "The Best Is Yet To Come", with whom she ended this excellent concert with. The sound was just awesome, a great light show, and of course Anneke sung as beautiful as ever. What a GREAT singer she is. As well as Mario as myself did enjoy this show very very much. |
VENGEANCE & REBELSTAR (8 February 2014)
Little Devil, Tilburg, The Netherlands
Some review links to this MMM show;
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LAMB OF GOD, DECAPITATED & HUNTRESS (10 January 2014)
013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Rob Claesen At the moment opening band HUNTRESS hits the stage, the venue is already crowded. It's the third time in a year the band around frontlady Jill Janus visits 013. Last summer they gave an impressive show in stage 1. Today the band's opening up for one of the most succesfull metalbands of the last decade. Huntress delivers a very tight and enthousiastic set and has made a lot of progression. Janus gets the crowd gowing from the start of the set, which includes songs from last years Starbound Beast end their 2012 debut album Spell Eater. After 30 minutes and six songs Huntress leaves the stage. We will defenitely hear more from this band and I'm looking forward to heir performance at the Graspop Festival. Setlist : ''Senicide'', ''Destroy Your Life'', ''Spell Eater'', ''I Want To Fuck You To Death'', ''Zenith'', ''Eight Of Swords''. I was not familiar with the material of DECAPITATED; second band on the bill. Of course I've heard about their tragic car accident in 2007, but I've never took the chance to listen to the Polish technical death metallers. To be honest: the material didn't get to me, perhaps because of it's complexity. The band gave an intense performance and one look around the venue learned that a lot of visitors did know and appreciate the band. I will shure check their albums out after witnessing their 40 minutes of riff and melody mayhem. Setlist: ''404'', ''Day 69'', ''A View From A Hole'', ''Carnival Is Forever'', ''Lying and Weak'', ''Spheres of Madness'', ''Pest''. By the time LAMB OF GOD starts their show, the 013 venue is packed. The groove metal band from Richmond came, saw and conquered from the first note of opening track Desolation until the last one of encore Black Label. Guitar player Mark Norton couldn't make it to Tilburg due to family issues. His place is being filled by Between The Buried And Me guitarist Paul Waggoner. It's good to see the band's having fun after all the troubles they've got with lead singer Randy Blythe's manslaughter case in the Czech Republic. Perhaps that case made the band more aware of their fans, given the fact that they stop the show to make sure an injured fan is doing all right! Setlist: ''Desolation'', ''Ghost Walking'', ''Walk with Me in Hell'', ''Hourglass'', ''Set to Fail'', ''Now You've Got Something To Die For'', ''The Undertow'', ''Omerta'', ''Ruin'', ''In Your Words'', ''Vigil'', ''Laid To Rest'', ''Redneck'', ''Black Label''. |
2013 |
MARIO'S METAL MEETING 7 (2 November 2013)
Little Devil, Tilburg, The Netherlands
This was the seventh edition of Mario's Metal Meeting and because it was organised by Mario's Metal Mania it would not be fair to review my own festival :) For that reason I only add links to some reviews........... |
Y&T and BEYOND THE LABYRINTH (12 October 2013)
De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by MetalWim van Grunsven Another October, another Y&T concert at de Pul in Uden, The Netherlands. And because they usually play 2 ½ hours or more, I wasn't expecting a support act. But the surprises never cease, do they? BEYOND THE LABYRINTH classes themselves as a Classic / Melodic Rock band with a twitch. So not a twist, but they forgot to add the Progressive part to the description. Or might that be the twitch they were on about. Whatever you might call it, the quality of the band was outstanding. Their mix is fine, their power nicely balanced and their songs quite good. The rest of the audience agreed with me and gave the guys a well earned applause after their show. It was then time for Y&T. They have never disappointed before, and weren't about to tonight. What was unexpected was the calmness of the set start. It took until their fifth song of the night , Black Tiger, before they loosened the reigns and went at it in full force. From then on there was no holding back and Dave Meniketti and his brilliant set of colleagues set the stage alight. We even had a bit of a celebration, as it was John Nymann's 500th show with Y&T. The setlist has a lot of certain songs, but the band always try to vary the order they're in, even adding some unexpected ones. And like every year there are some songs that the band could have skipped, but that's nitpicking when looking at the whole picture. Even the enthusiasm with which the band plays during the entire show is commendable, as they do it every night. Y&T has done it again. They came, they saw and they blew the audience away. And the fact they are getting more recognition is to be seen by the growing number of shows they play in teh Netherlands every year. Let's just hope that they keep this up for many years to come. |
REVERENCE & VOODOO HIGHWAY (26 September 2013)
Rock Temple, Kerkrade, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren Right on time I arrived at the Rock Temple in Kerkrade. Just after a few minutes since I came in the support band VOODOO HIGHWAY from Italy (which replaced the lately cancelled Vision Divine) started with their show of pure Rock 'n Roll! Not really refreshing stuff but nice music to warm up for the mighty Reverence! Mostly bands that play The Rock Temple have standard a good sound and today it was great again! Only during the first songs of REVERENCE their was some acoustic feedback….. In the meantime about 30/35 visitors joined me to see one of the best shows of this year; REVERENCE!!! REVERENCE is a band that was formed around guitarist Bryan Holland (ex-Tokyo Blade), Doc Wacholz (ex-Savatage) and the awesome singer Todd Michael Hall (also Jack Starr's Burning Starr). Ive seen singer Todd Michael Hall in April during the Keep it True festival and he was my personal winner of this years KIT! Awesome voice! On the sleeve of the album he is still having extreme long hair but nowadays his hair are even shorter than mine ;-) Live drummer Doc Wacholz is replaced by a former Tokyo Blade drummer which name I forgot…. Their album :When Drakness Calls” is an awesome album which I spinning around in my cd-player regularly!! \ Around 9:30 PM Reverence starts with the title track of their album “When Darkness Calls”, followed by “The Price you Pay”, “Gatekeeper”, “Monster”, “Devil in Disguise” (not the Elvis edition), “Evil Never Sleeps” (Burning Starr), “Revolution Rising”, “Phantom Road” and a few other songs. After “Phantom Road” Bryan Holland played a short guitarsolo and the bands continues with Tokyo Blade's “Night of the Blade”. Next songs on the bill are “Bleed for Me”, “Power of the Night” (Savatage) and “Too Late”, followed by a guitarsolo of Pete Rossi. Due the fact that the band only has 1 album so far, they attracted us with some more covers “Another Thing Coming” (Judas Priest), “Wasted Years” (Iron Maiden). “Vengeance is Mine” is the last song of the album but also the last regular song of the set. After that the boys from Voodoo Highway joined them on stage to sing all together Dio's (Rainbow) “Long Libe Rock 'n Roll”. A great evening with awesome musicians, a good sound and a band that sparkles fun on stage!! Only little bummer was the fact that they didn't play the best song (Ballad) of the album “After the Leaves have Fallen”….. |
KING DIAMOND (6 August 2013)
013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Ad van Osch This year KING DIAMOND was, after an absence of several years (because of his health), doing festival shows in Europe. But we, the Dutch metalheads, were the lucky ones that KING DIAMOND did an exclusive one and only club show in Holland. And that club show took place in my hometown in the Jupiler venue of 013, Tilburg, Holland. This was the fourth time that I saw KING DIAMOND in Tilburg. The first time was on December 20th, 1987 in venue Noorderligt, Tilburg, with Dutch band ELEGY as the support act. The second and third time were two days in a row, namely February 16th and 17th, 1990, with CANDLEMASS as support act, and both shows were also in the aforementioned Noorderligt. Anyway, this evening there was also a meet and greet with KING DIAMOND, only I don't know if many fans have made use of that meet and greet. Well, tonight there was no support act, only KING DIAMOND. KING DIAMOND opened the show in 013 with "The Candle" of the "Fatal Portrait" (1986) album, and that was the only song he played of "Fatal Portrait". The stage of 013 was turned into a kind of haunted house. And during the first five or six songs, there was standing a fence on the edge of the stage. On this Tuesday evening, the Jupiler venue of 013 was very well crowed, I guess it must have been nearly sold out. Personally, my all time favorite KING DIAMOND albums are the aforementioned "Fatal Portrait" and the "Abigail" (1987) album. Actually, after the third album "Them" (1988), I stopped buying every new release of KING DIAMOND. And to be honest, if I have to choose between KING DIAMOND and MERCYFUL FATE, then I still prefer the self titled EP "Mercyful Fate" (also known as the "Nuns Have No Fun" EP) (1982), and the "Melissa" (1983) and "Don't Break The Oath" (1984) albums of MERCYFUL FATE. Anyway, back to this concert, with the second song of this evening, "Welcome Home", grandma appears on the stage in her wheelchair, and a few more show elements followed. In my opinion, during this concert there were a few songs in the set, which I didn't like that much (for example "Up From The Grave" and "Dreams"). Those songs absolutely can't compete with the material of the first few KING DIAMOND albums. When KING DIAMOND played the first MERCYFUL FATE song this evening, the classic "Come To The Sabbath", really…the whole crowd became totally crazy. And that craziness repeated itself again when he played the second MERCYFUL FATE classic "Evil" as the second encore. Those two MF songs (and the accompanying craziness of the audience) were absolutely the highlights of the show. I'd personally liked to hear some more MERCYFUL FATE songs this evening, instead of the guitar solo of Andy LaRocque and Mike Wead and the drum solo of Matt Thompson. And I'm sure I was not the only one, who wanted to hear some more MERCYFUL FATE classics. All with all, the show was excellent, and also King Diamond himself (who's age is 57) was very good by voice. By drinking some beers with friends and watching a fantastic show of the King, I really had an enjoyable evening. Eventually, KING DIAMOND didn't play a set of 3 hours, as was announced by 013 on their website, but played just a set of 85 or 90 minutes. The set list of this evening existed of "The Candle", "Welcome Home", "At The Graves", "Up From The Grave", "Voodoo", "Sleepless Nights", followed by a guitar- and drum solo, "Dreams", MERCYFUL FATE's "Come To The Sabbath", "Shapes Of Black" and "Eye Of The Witch". The encores were "The Family Ghost", the second MERCYFUL FATE song "Evil" and the final song of the evening "Black Horsemen". |
SKUNK ANANSIE, DUDETTES (11 July 2013)
013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren An evening full of NON-Metal but with a rockband that has more energy and guts than most of the standard rockbands that name themselves as Hard Rock bands…… 8 PM; DUDETTES; a 75% female band and the band played catchy rock/pop music. Not real music for a metalhead like me but im open-minded enough to judge these kind of bands. Musically they reminded me a bit of Krezip but singer Zjoly has a more soul voice and even reminded me sometimes to Amy Winedrinker (or was it Winehouse)?? Nice opener. Around 9:10 PM the one and only SKUNK ANANSIE comes on stage to prove they are back as never before! Ive seen the band a few times in the past; before they broke up. Since a few years the band has reunited and is touring again. During the first songs “The Skank Heads (Get Off Me)” and “I Will Break You” Skin's voice was not really that good (she was singing out of tune) but after that 2 songs it looked like her warming up has begun for an evening to never forget! During the 3rd song “I Believed in You” she was already crowdsurfing and it suited me to see she was still in good shape! Next songs where “God loves only You”, “I hope You get to meet Your Hero”, “Twisted (Everyday Hurts)”, “I've had Enough” and “My Ugly Boy”. During the next song; the first Skunk Anansie hit ever “Weak” Skin asked the audience to put all the hands in the air and what she did was unbelievable: she really walked over the hands of the insane crowd! I go to concerts for over 30 years now but never saw something like this!!!! Skunk Anansie continues with “Hedonism (Just because you feel good)”, “My Love will Fall”, “This is not a Game”, “I can Dream” (again crowdsurfing!!), “Spit You Out”, “Sad Sad Sad”, “Because of You”, “Yes its Fuckin Political” and “Charlie Big Potato”. After this the show was finished and the crowd was screaming for more…and they DID get more!! Bonus songs where: “Tear the Place Up”, “Secretly” and again crowdsurfing AND singing “Little Baby Swastikka”… It was the fourth time for me to see Skunk Anansie live and it wont be the last time! I also saw singer Skin and guitarplayer Ace during the 25th Anniversary show of Motorhead in London (2000) doing some guest appearances. This proves that Lemmy is also as open minded as me, hahahahaha. Great show by a great band! Till next time! |
POWERIZED, LORD VOLTURE, GHOST DIVISION (23 June 2013)
Avenue, Breda, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren This afternoon I went with my 7 year old son Jorn to the CD presentation of Powerized; a young band from the Breda area formerly known as YOUR SOUL PLEASE and during that period (half June 2012) they ended as second best band of the international Emergenza band contest! A young energetic band with influences from bands like Edguy, Iron Maiden, Avantasia. During our travel to the venue we had the bad luck that it started to rain intens and so we had to take shelter in the rain. When we finally arrived the opener GHOST DIVISION was already busy to warm up the other visistors. GHOST DIVISION is a SABATON tribute band hat I had seen a few more times already. Sadly I'm not a SABATON fan at all and these guys couldn't convince me for one second. Nevertheless we had time left to get some drinks and take a look at the merchandise stand. Around 4 PM my friends of LORD VOLTURE started their show with the title song of their second album “Never Cry Wolf”. Lord Volture is a pure metal band for fans of Jag Panzer and Judas Priest. Ive seen the band several times and they also played a few of my own MMM shows and these guys never let me down (as musicians AND musically). They played a decent show with several songs form both their albums and also a new tune named “Where the Enemy sleep” from their forthcoming album. Last song of the set was “Hearts of Steel”. As said; I adore Lord Volture” very much and we both (My son and I) enjoyed it very much! Around 5:30 PM it was time for POWERIZED to hit the stage; introducing their MCD “My Creed”. As said I discovered the band at the time they still where called YOUR SOUL PLEASE”. I got in contact with these youngsters and after watching some clips from the Emergenza contest I knew I had to book them for my 6th edition of my own festival; Mario's Metal Meeting on 21 September 2012. Just a few weeks before the festival they changed their name into POWERIZED; a band inspired by bands like Edguy, Avantasia, Helloween. So MMMeeting 6 was, as far as I know, their first gig ever under the new name. I saw the band already a few times (mostly with my son Jorn, also a huge Powerized fan) and everytime singer Nick Holleman sings he gives me goosebumps! I go to concerts for more than 30 years now but never ever a dutch singer gaveme goosebumps; Nick is the best metalsinger The Netherlands ever had; mark my words!! The band started with the first song of the EP, also called “My Creed” an awesome song with excellent vocals. It suited me that during a year most of the original members where already replaced and that the band was sounding fitter and better than ever before! It looks like bandleader Nick Holleman knows exactly which direction he wants to go! Powerized also played songs like “Beware the Shadows” (also on the EP) and a few other songs that I don't know by name because they are never released yet. During one of the last songs I went to the bar to get some drinks and when I came back my 7 year old son was on stage and “singing” with Nick Holleman! A very nice gesture of the band!! The show ended with a Helloween cover which was as far as I know the later stuff from Helloween “Mr. Ego (Take Me Down)” . Incredible afternoon with good music, an awesome Nick Holleman and a very lucky and happy Son (especially when I asked him to do the afterparty at the local Burger King ;-) Keep an eye on this band and especially their singer; one day he will be famous!!! |
HEATHEN, GENERATION KILL, DUST BOLT (16 June 2013)
Dynamo, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren Right on time I arrived at the once mighty Dynamo club for an evening of Thrashmetal! 7:30 PM; I just ordered my first drink when the German thrashers of DUST BOLT entered stage. Their music is Bay Area influenced thrashmetal and it really sounded okay! Also a very acceptable sound for Dynamo standards. The bass sound was a bit to hard in the mix but nevertheless these German thrashers gave a very enjoyable show! Pity it was only a 30 minutes set. Want to see these guys more in the future. At 8:20 PM GENERATION KILL was the next band and the band gained a lot of support because of their singer Rob Dukes who is also the frontman of Exodus. Also in the band is Rob Maschetti (ex Pro-Pain, MOD). The band also had a good sound and was driven by energy. Personally I'm not a big fan of Rob Dukes due for 2 reasons; I don't like all his drugs promotion talk and political shit-talk AND I don't like his metalcore voice. Since he joined Exodus I also lost my interest in that band. Generation Kill will suit a lot of modern metal lovers but for me it's a band that I will never ever buy any stuff from. But that's, like always, personally. The 100 people that showed up mostly loved it. After 40 minutes the band stopped and everybody was waiting for the one and only headliner this evening: HEATHEN started just around 9:30 PM and the band around singer David Godfrey was also suited with a good sound and a bunch crazy fans! This tour also Jon Dette (Slayer, Testament, Evil Dead, Anthrax) was kicking the drums and doing an unbelievable job! Musically this band is a good as any of the oldschool Bay Area bands from the 80's and their debut album “Breaking the Silence” (1987) is for most oldschool maniacs a classic one! Personally im not that impressed by David Godfrey's voice but musically the band convinced me total!! Last song of the set was “Death by Hanging” which was the absolute highlight of the show with awesome drumwork of Jon Dette! Good show, nice evening but personally Dust Bolt was the biggest surprise for me! |
CRUCIFIED BARBARA (18 May 2013)
Little Devil, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Ad van Osch It was nicely crowded when Swedish all-female Metal band CRUCIFIED BARBARA played in the Little Devil, Tilburg, Holland. This was the only show these ladies did in HOLLAND. When Paul of the Little Devil told me he had booked CRUCIFIED BARARA, I already knew I had to be there. I have the second album "'Til Death Do Us Party" (2009), which I reviewed for MMM (see March update of 2009), and the third album "The Midnight Chase" (2012) of CRUCIFIED BARBARA, and never saw them perform live so far. So, I really wanted to see them. As I said, it was nicely crowded, but actually I had expected that it would be nearly sold out. Anyway, around 22.30 Mia Coldheart (vocals, guitar; real name Mia Karlsson), Klara Force (guitar, backing vocals; real name Klara Rönnqvist Fors), Ida Evileye (bass, backing vocals; real name Ida Stenbacka) and Nicki Wicked (drums; real name Jannicke Lindström) entered the stage of Little Devil and started with "The Crucifier", the opening track of the "The Midnight Chase" album, of which they played the most songs this evening ("Shut Your Mouth", "If I Hide", "Rock Me Like The Devil", "Rules And Bones", "Into The Fire" and as the first encore "Count Me In" and the last encore "Everything We Need"). From the second album, they only played "Jennyfer" and "Sex Action" (which was the second encore), and from the first album they played "Play Me Hard", "Motorfucker", "Losing The Game", "Rock 'N' Roll Bachelor" and the title track "In Distortion We Trust". The sound was good, and there was a very good atmosphere in the Little Devil. These Swedish beauties did got a great response of the audience. The band also had one cover in their set list, which was the classic MOTÖRHEAD song "Killed By Death", of which the lead vocals of the first part was done by Klara and the second part by Mia. Too bad, the band didn't have their first album with them (they only sold "The Midnight Chase" on CD and vinyl, and several t-shirts), so a few days after this show I ordered "In Distortion We Trust" at my local record store. Anyway, this was a very nice and enjoyable evening, that is definitely worth repeating for booking CRUCIFIED BARBARA again in Little Devil. |
SLASH (featuring MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS) & THE JACKS (26 February 2013)
013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Ad van Osch With his "Apocalyptic Love World Tour", ex-GUNS 'N ROSES guitarist SLASH did one show in Holland, which was at the venue 013 in my hometown Tilburg on February 26th 2013. This concert was completely sold out for weeks. I arrived at 19:15 at the 013, and when I entered the venue, it was already pretty crowded. The whole evening I stood in the fourth or fifth row on the left side of the stage. Around 20:00 the opening act this evening, Dutch rock band THE JACKS from Eindhoven/Tilburg, played a set of about 30 minutes, which existed of songs from their two E.P.'s (now available as "Epic Trois") and a very well performed cover version of LED ZEPPELIN's "Whole Lotta Love". This was the fourth time I saw THE JACKS live, and it was nice to see that the band did get a very good response of the audience. It was 20:55 when SLASH entered the stage of 013 together with singer Myles Kennedy of ALTER BRIDGE, (who also played guitar during some songs) and THE CONSPIRATORS, which are rhythm guitarist Frank Sidoris, bass player, singer Todd Kerns and drummer Brent Fitz. The first song the band played was "Halo" of SLASH's second album "Apocalyptic Love" (2012). Other songs during the set of the "Apocalyptic Love" album were "Standing In The Sun", "Bad Rain", "No More Heroes", "Anastasia" and "You're A Lie". The third song this evening was the first GUNS N' ROSES song of the show, namely "Nightrain". And I have to admit, what a fantastic singer MYLES KENNEDY is. Well, the next song after "Nightrain" was "Ghost" of SLASH's first solo album "Slash" (2010), which is sung on the album by Ian Astbury of THE CULT. Other songs from the "Slash" album were "Back From Cali", "Doctor Alibi" and "Starlight". A real surprise to me was, that bass player Todd Kerns was also doing some lead vocals, and he seemed to be a fantastic singer as well. He sung "Doctor Alibi" (on the album sung by Lemmy of MOTÖRHEAD) and the GUNS N' ROSES songs "You're Crazy" and "Welcome To The Jungle". Well, the atmosphere in 013 was fantastic, also the sound was excellent and the band had a beautiful light show. SLASH also played songs of SLASH'S SNAKEPIT ("Mean Bone", "Serial Killer" and "Jizz Da Pit") and VELVET REVOLVER ("Fall To Pieces" and "Slither"), but personally I am not that familiar with material of these bands. But to me, the highlights of this show were of course the GUNS N' ROSES songs "Nightrain", "Mr. Brownstone", "You're Crazy", a brilliant 14 minutes lasting version of "Rocket Queen", "Sweet Child O' Mine", "Welcome To The Jungle" and "Paradise City". After the band left the stage, they came back for only two encores, which were the just mentioned songs "Welcome To The Jungle" sung by Todd and "Paradise City". Altogether I had a very enjoyable evening, and I even got a guitar pick of Frank Sidoris and of Todd Kerns which they threw into the audience. To bad, I didn't caught a guitar pick of Slash himself. Anyway, I do collect guitar picks of bands for years, so I can add these two to my collection. |
MARIO'S METAL MANIA Presents: RAVEN & PREDATORY VIOLENCE (3 February 2013)
Little Devil, Tilburg, The Netherlands
This show was organised by Mario's Metal Mania so it would not be fair to review our own gigs; for that reason I only add links to the reviews done by other web- and magazines: |
2012 |
TESTAMENT & XERATH (3 December 2012)
Effenaar, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren When I entered the Effenaar it suited me that it was already very crowded this evening; the show which should originally take place at the Dynamo club was relocated to the much bigger Effenaar due to the fact that ticket sale went very well for this show. At 8 PM XERATH started their set and musically it all sounded very nice and technical. Still the band couldn't convince me because of their metalcore elements; a style of metal I don't like that much. After half an hour the show was done and that okay with me and also with a big part of the more oldschool orientated audience… After a break of 30 minutes the TESTAMENT show started with the Fortuna intro, an intro that is used by a lot of metalbands during the years…. The band started with 'Rise Up' from their latest album “Dark Roots of Earth”. From this album they also played 'Native Blood', 'True American Hate ' and the title song 'Dark Roots of Earth'. Big negative aspect to the whole show was the out of proportion sound quality; the sound was so fucking loud and messy that it was a puzzle to recognize the songs. This wouldn't change for the whole set; the soundman obtained no hearing, as we speak. Other songs that I COULD recognize where 'The New Order', 'Into the Pit', 'Practice what you Preach', ' Over the Wall', 'More Than Meets The Eye', 'Alone in the Dark' and 'Disciples of the Watch'. After nearly 1,5 hours the band stopped and I went home with a bad feeling and treble troubles in my ears which continues for several days….and that says enough after more than 30 years of concert experience…. This could have been such a great show with a very good setlist but it was ruined by a deaf soundtechnician…….better let him sign his Testament……..Truly a missed opportunity! |
MOTORHEAD, ANTHRAX & DIARIES OF A HERO (23 November 2012)
Klokgebouw, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren This evening I was very early at the concert hall because my daily job is also in Eindhoven and it was easy to stay around till the Klokgebouw venue opened their doors. My first acquaintance with this large hall and I was really impressed about this former Philips factory which was rebuild to a concert hall. Easy to travel and park and nearby a train station. Around 7 PM the UK metallers of DIARIES OF A HERO kicked off with their Pantera-a-like metal. Not bad at all and I even didn't have the annoying tendency to leave the hall. This kind of metal is i.m.o. not really the good type of metal to warm up the Anthrax and Motorhead shows but hey: Ive seen Motorhead with lots of worse bands during all these years! They played their modern metal with good musicianship and enthusiasm and most of the 300 people that also joined me in the enormous hall liked it. After half an hour it was done. Nice band but to modern for me personally. 7:45 PM ANTHRAX entered the stage and what I saw was a nearly new line up! I mean; Scott Ian was the only original member this tour while even Charlie Benante was replaced by Jon Dette (Testament, Slayer, Killing Machine & Evildead). Luckily Jon is a very good drummer and I didn't miss Charlie Benante for one second. Live the band is completed with (ex-) singer Joey Belladonna who is in my opinion way better than his boring predecessor John Bush. The band kicked off very fanatic with “Caught in a Mosh” which already turned out into a moshpit! It suited me that Anthrax had a very good sound and that Joey's voice was also very clean/powerfull. Next song “Fight 'Em Til You Can't” from their latest release “Worship Music” was sung also by all the die-hard fans in the crowd. During this song Jon Dette caught my attention again with his superb drumming. The next song, “Antisocial” is a Trust cover but also one of the evergreens of Anthrax. Again good for a big moshpit!!! “In the End” is a tribute song to Ronnie James Dio and "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. After this tribute it was time for a few of my favorite songs “Deathrider” (Neil Turbin era) and “Madhouse”. After again a few newer songs the band continues with “I am the Law” and “Indians” which caused one of the biggest moshpits I ever saw!! Very good and energetic show!! Looking out for them again after this great gig!! At 9:15 PM it was finally time to see MOTORHEAD again! This was my 42 th(!!!) time seeing Motorhead live but last time I saw them was already 4 years ago! So the more curious I was after this long break. Motorhead is playing more and more festivals during the last years and I don't like to go to these crowded festivals like Graspop and Wacken anymore. I prefer the club shows and so I was glad the band entered Eindhoven this year. The set opened with the only new song they played this night “I know how to Die” but it was hard to recognize due to the messy sound. After this it looks like the band didn't have time or mood to rehearse more new songs which is a pity! So again a lot of classic songs follow up: “Damage Case” (in which Phil Campbell even tries to play a serious solo), “Stay Clean”, “Metropolis”, “Over the Top”, “Dr. Rock”. During these songs the sound quality was getting much better. The last few times I saw Motorhead I was bothered by the uninterested and terrible guitar playing of Phil Campbell. Well tonight he even did a solo; armed with a green-lighted guitar, and I most admit that he was doing a very good job this time!! The set continues full speed with “The Chase is better than the Cath”, |”Rock It” (from their great and most underrated album ever “Another Perfect Day”), “You better Run” and “The One to sing the Blues” (with an incredible drum solo of drum god Mickey Dee)!!! Lemmy's voice isn't getting better during the set but that's not a shame if you know that the master himself is getting 67 in December this year!!! “Going to Brasil” continues and during the next song, “Killed by Death” Phil Campbell starts with a terrible out of tune guitarpart….. The regular set stops with their all time classic “Ace of Spades” and it looks like a big part of the audience only knows this song??? After a small break the band returns on stage with a Thin Lizzy cover “Are you ready to Rock” which sounds, except for the moderate guitar parts, okay. Last song is, as usual during the last 10/15 years; “Overkill”. After 75 minutes the show is done and I left home satisfied ……. Very nice evening with a nice opener, a very good Anthrax show and a more than average Motorhead show!! Goal is to see Motorhead at least 50 times but looking at Lemmy's condition and shape (he is very scrawny) im afraid in not gonna see them another 8 times …. Thanks to all the other 3000 visitors to join this party and also to Mojo for arranging this all!! |
SANTERS (21 October 2012)
Lakei, Helmond, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren On a Sunday evening I went to 'De Lakei' in Helmond to finally see one of the few bands that where still on my “want to see live-list”; SANTERS. The Canadians of SANTERS deliver sleek, fast and loud hard hitting hard rock. This trio packs a heavy musical punch with members Rick Santers (lead vocals, guitars, keys) along with brother Mark Santers (drums and vocals) and Rick Lazaroff (bass). The day before this show the band performed at the Firefest Festival in England and the booker (thanks Wim) off 'De Lakei' offered the idea to get them over to The Netherlands also for 1 show! Good initiative if you ask me!! At 21:30 the band kicks off (there was no support act this evening) with 'Winter Freeze'. Followed by 'Time after Time'. It counted me that the band had a great sound and that's remarkable after I heard that they only had a 15 minute sound check and a borrowed backline! The set continues, for not even 50 visitors, with 'Black Magic' 'Mystical Eye” and 'Still I am”. During the next song 'The Rapper' the band shows their technical skills with a lot of prog parts! Really great musicianship these guys showed here on stage! 'Backstreets' is next on the bill followed by ballad 'Dreaming”, 'Dog without a Home', 'Shot down in Flames' (with drumsolo), 'You turn me On', 'Allright Now' (Free cover), 'Mistreatin Heart' and 'Cant shake You'. After a small break the audience managed to get the band back on stage where they played 2 bonus songs: 'Mississipi Queen' and 'Road to Morocco'. Pity the band didn't hear me screaming for “Baby Blue”, in my opinion their best song ever…… But I'm not complaining; the band played a very good set of nearly 90 minutes with a very good sound, excellent musicianship and with a venue/room filled with ONLY die-hard Santers fan! A big thanks to 'De Lakei' for arranging this! Really appreciated!!!! Hope to see the band again some day (please don't wait another 30 years)… |
CARACH ANGREN & THE UNKNOWN (28 September 2012)
Lakei, Helmond, The Netherlands Review by Jordy Brouwers On 28-9-2012, I had the opportunity to see one of the best symphonic black metal bands of this moment live: Carach Angren. This band played at Popstage Lakei, a real nice rock stage in Helmond with a capacity of 700 people. At 9 PM, the Limburgian trash metal / hardcore band THE UNKNOWN opens the show as support act for Carach Angren. The Unknown is the band of former Born From Pain singer Ché Snelting. They consist of the following members: Ché Snelting (vocals), Marcel Hendrix (guitar), Cliff Demandt (guitar), Ruud Haan (bass) and John King (drums). After an instrumental opening, the band starts with “Burn your World” followed by “Stranded”. These heavy songs are really appreciated by the relative small audience. But professional as they are, that does not matter the band. The sound during the show is quite well but it is sometimes difficult to hear the guitar solos. The Unknown plays their songs with a lot of enthusiasm and half an hour later, the band ends their gig after playing “Risen from Ash” and “Hell will Follow”. After the show, I was informed that this was Ché Snelting`s last show with The Unknown. He has decided to leave the band. His successor will be Boris (ex Leng Tch`e) and he will be the vocalist on the new EP which will be released later this year. I am looking forward to it! Carach Angren is one of the new leading black metal bands of this moment. This Dutch band, consisting of Ardek (Keys & Arrangements), Seregor (Vocals & Guitars) and Namtar (Drums) released in 2008 their official debut album “Lammendam”. The (international) press was immediately enthusiastic. After the release of “Death Came Through A Phantom Ship” in 2010 (about the legend of the flying Dutchman), the band moved to a new record label: Seasons of Mist. A huge compliment of course. Recently, the band released their latest album: “Where The Corpses Sink Forever”. With this new album, the band makes a new step in the development of their style: symphonic black metal with dominant keyboard parts, screaming voices and bombastic orchestrations which is used as basis to share the band`s passion for old legends. (like for example story of the Flying Dutchman) At exact 10 PM, CARACH ANGREN enters the stage for their gig. Insiders know that this band has a lot of talent, but I was a little bit concerned if the band was able to reproduce their complex songs live with only three musicians. But quite soon, I am convinced that it is possible. The gig starts, of course, with a sinister intro and after this intro the band plays ”Lingering In an Imprint Haunting” from the new album “Where the Corpses Sink Forever”. The sound is, after some small adjustments, more than acceptable! The enthusiastic performance of the complete band has also his influence on the crowd. The intense black metal with a lot of tempo breaks is really appreciated! The band plays of course some songs from their new album (like Bitte Tötet Mich) but they do not forget their older albums and demo`s too. From their official debut “Lammendam”, they play “Haunting Echoes From the Seventeenth Century”. The band shows their vulnerability when they play their orchestral songs like “Spectral Infantry Battalions”. These orchestral songs (with hardly any drums or guitar parts) are quite strange among all the blast beats, screams and heavy guitar parts, but they fit perfectly in the band`s classical, storytelling approach. In the second part of the gig, the band plays mainly the songs of the last three albums like “Bloodstains on the Captain's Log”, “The Carriage Wheel Murder” and “General Nightmare”. After the band plays their encore, the gig ends at 11:15 pm. It can be concluded that the band has confirmed again that they can meet with bands which are active in the highest regions of the Black Metal premier league. |
MARTYR & Guest, 30 Years Anniversary Party (8 September 2012)
Tivoli, Utrecht, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren Today was a special day; Oldschool metallers MARTYR arranged a complete show/festival to celebrate their 30 years in Heavy Metal. It all started on time and I drove by train so I had the opportunity to party with them (a party without alcohol is not a real party, hahahaha). That it was a great party for me became clear last night when I was looking for the annotations I made during the day...I lost them with my drunken head..... I arrived on time but got lost in the center of Utrecht and so I missed a few songs of opener POWERPIMPS; a dutch sleaze rock band with some raw rock 'n roll elements. Not really my cup of tea (or bottle of beer in this case) but the people that also already arrived, around 50/75, enjoyed it a lot! Looking at their popularity we will hear more from this band in the near future! GLORIA VICTIS was the second band of the day and the band is formed by some old roadies of Martyr according the information I got. The band plays true heavy metal in the eighties style but when you know that some of the members also adore the Dutch Heavy Metal Maniacs fanclub; its all logic ;-). Martyr is also a band that supports this fanclub for years now so it was a logical decision to add Gloria Victis also to the line-up of this day. Singer Bozzy is a very nice guy; maybe not the best singer but a very good frontman. Musically it was also not all perfect but this is a young talented band and im looking out to hear their CD which is released lately! Next band on the bill was MALDITA and to be honest; this kind of metal cant convince me for one second. This is typical Brasilian metal in a way Sepultura played it in their worst period; lots of "Ratamahatta-a-like" metal. Time for me to take a break and take a walk in search for some food in the center of Utrecht. I was back on time to be witness of IZEGRIM's performance. I like the bands death/thrashmetal for years now and its also always a nice band to see on stage (not only because of their goodlooking frontwoman Marloes). Marloes is not only blessed with a nice body and awesome long hair but she is also very sympathetic to the audience. The band played a very good show and it was good to see that the number of audience grew during the evening. Personaly I was also looking out for the next band: AFTER ALL from Belgium. I know the band for years now and they also already played at one of my Mario's Metal Meetings in the past. Since the band welcomed singer Sammy Peleman to their ranks; the band has a fast growing popularity. The band also signed to RoadRunner lately and released one of the best albums of 2012 "Dawn of the Enforcer". Sammy is a big addition to the band and is such an amazing singer. Live he easily hits all the high notes and he is sounding un-Belgium if you ask me! Their new album is still spinning in my CD player for months now! Great show with a lot of songs from their new album: "Demolition Course", "Becoming the Martyr" (whats in a name!), "Ruins of Bones"', "Land of Sin", "My own Sacrifice", "Insufferable", "Digital War", "To Breach and Grieve", "End of your Words", "Betrayed by the Gods" (My favorite After All song), "Forgotten", "Parasite Within" & "Timeless Machine". Awesome show guys!! Headliner and organiser MARTYR was formed in 1982 and debuted with the very interesting "For The Future" in 1985, mixing technical riffing with a pre-thrash base. Certainly an atypical sound for a Dutch band (or for that matter any metal band at that time), the album won a decent amount of critical and fan approval. Their second album, "Darkness At Times End", was released a year later, but the lack of promotion, coupled with the band's inability to find a large audience for their unconvential style, spelled the end of the band, the group breaking up in 1987. The guys got together for a reunion show in October of 2001, and buoyed by its success, did some more reunion shows in 2005 and is presently active, with a long-awaited new album released late 2011 (Circle of 8). This all according the BNR metal pages ;-) Well tonight the band organised this special event and it went out as a hell of a party. The whole day/night was presented by Angel Druif (formerly of Vara's Vuurwerk; a wellknown dutch metal radio program). The band also had programmed a few guestmusicians but the only one I saw/heard was Liesbeth Cordia (Eve’s Fall); or had to do again with the fact that it was a woman?? Singer/Entertainer Ropke van Haren is one of the best frontmen Holland had ever delivered but today he had serious throat problems. Pity that this has to happen during this special night. Nevertheless the band builded a great party at the Tivoli with about/around 300 visitors/fans. The other bandmembers are always willing to play and great musicians. They are all very sympathetic and I did several shows with these guys in the past and they are one of the finest bands to work with. Up to at least another 10 years my friends!! Still pity I lost my annotations because I remember also that a few of the bands that played today also did a coverversion of a Martyr song!! |
MARIO'S METAL MANIA Presents: PHANTOM-X & LORD VOLTURE (7 September 2012)
Rambler, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
This show was organised by Mario's Metal Mania so it would not be fair to review our own gigs; for that reason I only add links to the reviews done by other webzines: |
MARIO'S METAL MANIA Presents: VICIOUS RUMORS, SKULLSUIT & LORD VOLTURE (26 August 2012)
Little Devil, Tilburg, The Netherlands
This show was organised by Mario's Metal Mania so it would not be fair to review our own gigs; for that reason I only add links to the reviews done by other webzines: |
CRIMSON GLORY, NIGHTMARE, FIREFORCE & DESPERATION (16 August 2012)
Biebob, Vosselaar, Belgium Review by Mario van Dooren This day was (and always will be) a special one to me \m/ A few weeks before this show I was invited to join a meet & greet with one of my alltime favorite singers Jorn Lande (Masterplan, Jorn, Beyond Twilight, Ark, etc...) in Tongeren, Belgium. My 6 years old son (and my best friend ;) is named after Jorn Lande and already really interested in Heavy Metal. After I asked him if he wanted to meet the "real" Jorn he answered my question with a "Yes" wholeheartedly. Later one he went mad when I told him that we also went to a concert that same evening in Vosselaar, Belgium. Armed with his ear protectors we travelled from Tongeren (meet & greet Jorn) to Biebob, Vosselaar for over 100 km again for some quality time with my boy. When we arrived the first band DESPERATION already played and my Belgium friends from FIREFORCE also where nearly done with their set. Luckily I had the chance to hear my favorite FireForce song "Moonlight Lady" and the last bonus song "Born to be Metal". Sound was okay and FireForce is a live band pur sang. Pity that there was not much crowd at that moment and that wouldnt change much during the night. I think this had to do with the last-minute booking of this show due to the fact that they couldnt announce Crimson Glory earlier because the band was one of the highlights of the Alcatraz Metal fest a few days earlier. Nevertheless nice to see/hear my friends in FireForce again. Next time I will try to be their much earlier... NIGHTMARE is an oldschool French power metal band which was formed in the early eighties. To be honest; I was not familiar with the bands music but they really did impress me this night. What suited me where the sound, the musicianship and the very good singer of the band. Melodic power metal was the order of the day here, but with a few twists of their own to keep from sounding tired. Singer Amore (who used to be their drummer for years) has a gritty yet powerful voice that suits the style well, forceful yet not overbearing. Even if I didnt knew the material I still was attracted for the whole set. And that says enough. Some songtitles I remember: "Wicked White Demon" & "Cormovision. Good show guys. Headliner CRIMSON GLORY was the main reason for me to travel to Vosselaar because I wasnt able to see the band live since their Keep it True gig a few years ago. And during that gig I was blewn away. New frontman Todd La Torre has an incredible voice and is also a very sympathetic guy. He even took some time during the show to kneel behind my son Jorn (who was tired and sitting on the stage) and gave me a hint to take some pictures of them. Very much appreciated! Ive seen Crimson Glory with all of their singers and all of them are great; Midnight, Wade Black and Todd La Torre; great to see that the band manages to find such great singers every time. Hope Todd will stay with the band for long but personally im afraid he will leave the band now that he is also officialy the new singer of Queensryche these days! The band played a good show but pity for me, and luckily for my son who was tired) the band stopped after 45 minutes. At 23:00 we drove home after sharing some superb quality time together! Some songs of the setlist: "Valhalla", "Dragon Lady"', "Azrael", "Queen of the Masquarade", "Lady of Winter", "Painted Skies", "Dragons" & "Red Sharks". |
MARIO'S METAL MANIA Presents: WARBRINGER, SEITA, CONTRAST & HAMMERHEAD (25 July 2012)
Little Devil, Tilburg, The Netherlands
This show was organised by Mario's Metal Mania so it would not be fair to review our own gigs; for that reason I only add links to the reviews done by other webzines: |
MARIO'S METAL MANIA Presents: JAGUAR, MARTYR & BURN (29 June 2012)
Little Devil, Tilburg, The Netherlands
This show was organised by Mario's Metal Mania so it would not be fair to review our own gigs; for that reason I only add links to the reviews done by other webzines: |
OBITUARY, ENTRAPMENT, TORNADO (11 June 2012)
Dynamo, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren When we arrived, TORNADO already started. Due to the fact that we where to late, traffic jam, but also because most concerts nowadays at Dynamo start earlier as announced. So we where witness of 1,5 song which was not bad when you know they only played 4 or 5 in total. It was also one of these boring nights that the National Soccer team had to play against Portugal (I hate soccer) which made Dynamo decide to start/stop this "evening" early. I already knew Tornado for a while but never had the chance to see them alive; simply because they didnt plays that much at all and also because most of the members are also in other, more important, bands. Nevertheless Tornado plays original thrashmetal with a very strange sounding AND looking frontman.....I'm going to concerts for over 30 years now but never saw a frontman in a white latex Superman suit??? Did you? They band played a nice show (as far as I can judge after 1,5 song) but I prefer their album much more. Next band on the bill was ENTRAPMENT from the North of The Netherlands. This band played 13 in a dozen deathmetal; well performed; good sound and decent musicians but nothing more than that. On stage the band had less charisma than their predecessors Tornado. Time for a visit to the bar.... Headliner of the evening OBITUARY started at 18:50 and had a reasonable sound. The orginal members John and Donald Tardy never let me down live but this time it was different. Why? Well the band had an average sound due to the fact that they kicked out their second (solo) guitarplayer just before the tour. Pity because I missed the typical guitarparts that makes Obituary so special. Obituary was and always will be one of the leading deathmetal bands in my opinion but this show was the weakest I ever saw from this fundamental act in death metal. At 20:00 the band stopped with their evergreen "Slowly we Rot" and most visitors left to watch the soccer game.....and they where not happy also after that game ;-), whahaha. |
CAULDRON, STRIKER, WARCKON & VILLAINY (18 March 2012)
Dynamo, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren First band of the evening was VILLAINY. The band had to open for a small audience but did it very good! I was surprised by their musical style; it sounded like a mix of thrash- and doom metal and reminded me to bands like Mercyful Fate & Coroner. These guys from the South of The Netherlands knew how to play their instruments and for such a young band they did a very good job! Coming out soon to see you again guys! The band played for about 35 minutes which isnt that much but its normal for an opener. After a short break, WARCKON from Belgium started their 30 minute set. This band confirmed also the upcoming thrash revival in Belgium; after Gae Bolga, Evil Shepherd & Prematory another upcoming talented thrashband from Belgium! During the third song they opened with a Slayer kinda intro and thats exact what the band was influenced by; the masters of thrash!! Nice gig and after the first 2 gigs we could have better left the place.....why??? Read on.... The band I was coming for was STRIKER from Canada; one of the best bands I discovered during the last few years!! Such an energy; great musicians and an awesome singer!!! Well; not today; The band had a terrible sound; their singer wasnt singing that good this night and the band also had to stop after just 35 (!!!!) minutes!!! Shame on those who arranged this!! Ive seen the band several times during the last few years and every time they blew me away but this time is was a desaster.... A part of the setlist: "Terrorizer", "Full Speed or No Speed", "Eyes in the Night", and a Saxon cover "Princess of the Night"....... Headliner of the evening where CAULDRON, also for Canada. I already reviewed a cd of these guys at the time they where called GOAT HORN. Personally im not a fan of their music; it all sounds to boring (Metallica rip-off) and they cant convince me for 1 second. Only the last song was nice because the Striker guys joined them on stage to jam a bit around. After all a bit disappointing night with 2 good opener bands and 2 bands that couldnt convinve me.....pitty guys....thats all I can say about it... |
2011 |
ARENA & ALAN REED (5 November 2011)
De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by Jordy Brouwers On 5 November, I prepared myself for a nice evening in The Pul in Uden. On this Saturday evening, Arena and their support Alan Reed visited the Pul. This concert was part of The Seventh Degree of Separation Tour of Arena. The Seventh Degree of Separation is Arena`s new album which is released on 28 November. Support act of this evening is ALAN REED. Reed is the former singer of the symphonic rock band Pallas who has gone solo now because, as he said, “I want to do something else”. He was the voice of Pallas for 26 years, a couple of years ago I saw him with this band in Helmond. The line-up is very minimal: Reed accompanies himself on guitar and he is accompanied by keyboard player, guitarist and bassist Marc Spencer (Twelfth Night). This night, Reed plays some new material but also some Pallas songs like Queen of the Deep and Win or Lose. Especially this last song is played and sung with a lot of emotion. This semi-acoustic gig lasts 40 minutes and it was really entertaining! At this moment, Reed is busy with working on a new album which will be available early 2012: 'First in a Field of One'. I`m looking forward to it! After a short break, ARENA enters the stage with their new singer, Paul Manzi, and John Jowitt, which returns in the line-up after 10 years. Manzi, who was active for The Oliver Wakeman Band replaces Rob Sowden. The band further consists of Mick Pointer (drums), Clive Nolan (keyboards) and John Mitchell on guitar. I`m glad to see John Mitchell again, in my opinion, he is one of the best guitar players at this moment. Fortunately, he is in a good shape tonight! The gig starts with the first song of the new album, The Great Escape. It is always risky to play a lot new songs from an album which has not been released yet. The release of The Seventh Degree of Separation is planned for 28 November. Arena`s seventh album is a concept album, which explores the last hour of life and the first hour beyond, quite a dark theme and this atmosphere is also present in most of the songs. The first part of the set consists of songs from the new album which are alternated by songs from the album the visitor (A Crack in the Ice, The Hanging Tree), in my opinion still the best album of Arena. The new songs sound not bad at all, but I miss a little bit the epic touch and great instrumental parts which characterised the first albums of Arena. The music on The Seventh Degree of Separation is more “song minded”. During the second part of the gig, Arena plays also songs from other albums like Songs from the Lions Cage (The terrific Solomon and Valley of the Kings), Immortal (Ghost In The Firewall) and Pepper`s Ghost (The Eyes Of Lara Moon). During this songs, the audience gets more excited which has also its influence on the band which level increases during the gig. Manzi is also a good rock vocalist, however I sometimes miss the dramatic touch which for example Paul Wrightson (former vocalist) had. But after 2 encores and 20 songs further, a really nice music night ends. It was really worth to see Alan Reed and Arena and satisfied (and with the signed new album) I return home! |
Y&T (29 October 2011)
De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by Ad van Osch On Saturday October 29th, together with MILKMAN bass player John Emmen, I went to the venue De Pul in Uden, Holland, to see Y&T. And the reason why I didn't want to miss this show is because of that Y&T would play the entire "Earthshaker" (1981) album this evening. We arrived pretty early at De Pul, which wasn't open yet, so we went to have a drink somewhere else first. After two drinks we went back to De Pul, and when we entered the venue it was already nicely crowded. There was no support-act this evening, so it was 20:45 when the intro started and Y&T opened their 2 and a half hour set with "On With The Show" from their latest album "Facemelter" (2010). Second song the band played was already one of their classics, namely "Black Tiger". The first hour, songs like "Lipstick & Leather", "Mean Streak", "Midnight In Tokyo" and "Winds Of Change" past by. Although Dave Meniketti, who's voice is still sounding great, is the only remaining original member of Y&T, the band exists with John Nymann (guitar, vocals), Brad Lang (bass, vocals) and Mike Vanderhule (drums, vocals) of a perfect line-up. Like Meniketti said 'with this line-up the band can go on for years'. Of course Y&T played more songs of the "Facemelter" album during the first hour of the set, namely "Shine On", which is a tribute song to the band's original bass player Phil Kennemore (who died on January 7th 2011 of lung cancer), "If You Want Me", "Blind Patriot" and "Don't Bring Me Down". After "Don't Bring Me Down" it was time the band started to play the entire "Earthshaker" album. The atmosphere in De Pul, was fantastic, and with the first tunes of "Hungry For Rock" everybody went crazy. Dave Meniketti said to the audience 'the first time Y&T ever played overseas was in 1982, when we played at the Pink Pop Festival in Holland, and that's why Holland always will be special for the band'. Well, I don't know how many tickets were sold, but I guess it was almost sold out. Also tonight, just like during all other concerts that I have seen in De Pul, the sound was very good. Anyway, during the "Earthshaker" set, we got a nice drum solo of Vanderhule, which wasn't a boring solo. After the band had played "Shake It Loose", guitarist Nymann asked 'do you wanna hear a hippie sing?', and started to sing "Squeeze". It still is a pleasure to listen to Meniketti's awesome guitar solo's. It was pretty hot in De Pul, so Dave made the remark 'they should do something about the air conditioning here'. With the mighty "I Believe In You", Y&T ended the "Earthshaker" set, and after this classic song they played one last song of the "Facemelter" album, namely "I'm Coming Home". Then the band left the stage for just a couple of minutes and came back for three encores. Well, you will understand that this was an awesome and unforgettable show. Ooh yeah, Meniketti also said during the show 'next year we will come back and play the entire "Black Tiger" album, alright!'. Let's hope so, because that would be great as well. Anyway, for anyone who missed this excellent concert, the complete set lists existed of: "On With The Show", "Black Tiger", "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark", "Lipstick & Leather", "Mean Streak", "Midnight In Tokyo", "Shine On", "If You Want Me", "Blind Patriot", "Winds Of Change", "Beautiful Dreamer", "Don't Bring Me Down", "Hungry For Rock", "Dirty Girl", "Shake It Loose", "Squeeze", "Rescue Me", "Young And Tough", "Hurricane", "Let Me Go", "Knock You Out", "I Believe In You", "I'm Coming Home" and the encores "Hell Or High Water", "Summertime Girls" and "Forever". |
MARIO'S METAL MEETING 5 (14 & 15 October 2011)
Little Devil, Tilburg, The Netherlands
This was the fifth edition of Mario's Metal Meeting and because it was organised by Mario's Metal Mania it would not be fair to review my own festival :) For that reason I only add links to some reviews & YouTube clips: |
FIREWIND, WOLF & VANDERBUYST (15 September 2011)
Willem II, Den Bosch, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren Finally after many years I had a good reason to return of the once legendary Willem II venue in 's Hertogenbosch. In the past I've seen SO MANY great gigs over there but later on the venue stopped with booking metal bands…Luckily the venue found their second life and is now and then booking some real metal again! Great! When I arrived at the venue it counted me that there was a rebuilding taking place and it looked good. Pity enough there was not much audience when the first band VANDERBUYST started. Maybe it had to do with the competition of other metal concerts nearby? But I didn't care; I came to see 3 great bands!; VANDERBUYST started on time; 7:30 PM, and gave the audience what they where waiting for; real oldschool sounding hard rock! The band is immense popular these days and is touring around Europe for months now! They lately did a tour as support of Saxon and that says enough about their popularity! Normally the band always starts their set with UFO's “Rock Bottom” but today they didn't play that song at all. I suppose it has to do with the fact that the song is about 10 minutes and would take ¼ of their total playing time. Some songs of their set: “December”, “Filthy Love”, “Tiger”, “Tracy Lords”, “Stealing your Thunder” and a new song from the upcoming album named “Into the Fire”; a more midtempo song. Willem Verbuyst is the main man of the band and its always a pleasure to see this guy ”rolling” on stage! This band is gonna be big (if they already aren't!). If you still didn't see them alive; then you better hurry up! This is an incredible live band!! WOLF from Sweden already played my own festival in 2008. This energetic band did according a lot of people their best show ever at Mario's Metal Meeting 2 in that particular year. Well that's always good to hear but I must admit that the band nearly always convinced me on stage. Today it all sounded less aggressive and the set was filled with to much midtempo songs. I think the band was also a bit disappointed in the meager turnout this evening. It was a nice show but as said one of their weakest I've seen so far. Part of the setlist: “Evil Star”, “Voodoo”, “Skull Crusher” & “Full Moon Possession”. Next time a 'speedier' setlist please! Next band on the bill was headliner FIREWIND from Greece. The band is most well-known for their guitar player Gus G. who is nowadays also the leadguitarplayer for Ozzy Osbourne. The band already released several albums since the beginning of this century but I must admit that im not acquainted with their stuff. Luckily I have a broad taste and was curious after this band. Original singer Apollo Papathanasio wasn't able to do this tour and so the band hired Mats Leven (Abstrakt Algebra, At Vance, Yngwie Malmsteen. Krux) to do these shows. Man what a singer he is!!! It also fitted superb with the melodic metal of Firewind but I personally think Mats's voice fits to all kinds of metal! He is comparible with one of my idols; Jorn Lande. The band was suited with an awesome sound! Even if it was not really my favorite kind of metal; I enjoyed it pretty much! Great show! Some songs: “Destination Forever”, “Ready to Strike” & a new song “Heading for the Dawn”. |
BLASPHEMIC ASSAULT FESTIVAL XX (18 June 2011)
Side B, Benavente, Portugal Review by William Nijhof Hell Yeah on the plane to go play in Portugal with my band (FORETOLD) on the Blasphemic Assault Fest XX in the Side B, where a lot of metal bands played as Obituary, Entombed, Grave etc. The reason for me to write a review is that there were playing 4 Portuguese bands that totally rule. The first band on the bill was NEFASTUM (Por). This band plays black metal in vain of the legendary Darkthrone and other old black metal legends. Normally when I listen to black metal I always get bored after a few songs. This band is one of the few black bands that made me listen to the entire concert because they play their music with a great groove and keep you move your head. Evil screams combined with a very groovy black sound. And very long riffs. Very well done! Second band on the bill was DEEP ODIUM (Por). These guys give no room to leave the concert because their music is fucking energetic and keeps you listening. Very fast guitar riffs and drums that keep on pounding like a train that cannot be stopped. The vocals are pulled out of a gutter and sounds really great and brutal. This is a band that clearly knows how brutal death metal should sound. They even had a guest singer on stage that joined them for a song, the legendary “Blasphemator” from “Infernus” and “Alcoholocaust”. I do not remember what song it was but it sounded great. This is a band which I can recommend to all brutal death metal fans because you have the entire package, fast and brutal songs ,technical and most import these guys play and you can see that they really enjoy their self on stage. The third band on the bill was FORETOLD (NL) and they were great!!!!! hahaha The fourth band of the evening was FUNGUS (Por). I already knew this band because I reviewed their records but live it is even more brutal. For this show they didn`t have a bass player but that is something that you do not miss at all. This band plays brutal death metal in vain of Aborted with more brutal vocals on it (this guy also sings in Deep Odium). The guitar riffs are very technical and fast. And the drums (also the drums in Deep Odium) are also very fast. Everyone in my band was really surprised to see how fast and technical the riffs are and how easy and relaxed these guys play it. This was one of the best bands that played that evening. And what also was a surprise for us is that one of the guitar players (Bob) originally comes from my home town Tilburg in the Netherlands so that even talks easier hahaha. The fifth band on the bill was SAPIENS END (NL) and they make brutal death metal that goes right through your bones. These guys bring you a great combination of old school and brutal death. These guys also went without bass player but I didn`t miss that at all. The guitar riffs are very old school and sometimes reminded me a bit of Asphyx. And then you got the drums that are very straight in your face and very steady with a great groove. The vocals of this band are awesome and very brutal. It sounds like when he grunts it comes from out of the sewer and then it goes through a grinder. If you like brutal death then check there myspace because they rule. The headliner of the evening is the almighty “GROG”. This band has been around since 1991 and brought out an arsenal of demo`s and albums. This was clearly the band of the day. Do you know Dying Fetus? Well their music reminds me a bit of that. Do you know Napalm Death? Well the vocals reminds me of that. The guitar riffs are straight in your face and fast and very technical. Then you get the drums....man that was not normal. This guy plays so fucking fast that you get a wall of sound that is so fucking constant that the only thing you can do is listen and look. And then you get the best part for me ,the vocals. This guy has a very low and brutal death grunt that sounds great and evil. Normally I do not mention a bass player (sorry bass players) but the guy that plays the bass in Grog reminds me a bit of Origin (he plays that thing very technical and fast). This was the headliner of the festival and they were awesome!!!! This band has it all tight; fast music and a vocalist that sounds brutal and moves around the entire stage so the eye also has something to look at. I heard of this band through their albums and never seen them live, I hope they will play on more places on the world so you can see them for yourself because this is definitely worth checking! |
CHEAP TRICK & THE DIRTY DENIMS (17 June 2011)
De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by Ad van Osch Just one day before this concert took place I had bought my ticket for this only show CHEAP TRICK did in Holland. The first time I saw CHEAP TRICK was on July 9th, 2004, when they played at the BOSPOP festival in Weert, Holland. So, I decided to go see them for the second time, this time at the venue De Pul in Uden. I never have been a huge fan of CHEAP TRICK. I only have their live album "Cheap Trick At Budokan" (1978), and that's all. But hey, that is really a fantastic live album and a real classic. Anyway, however drummer Bun E. Carlos is still officially a member of the band, I knew he wouldn't be the drummer during this tour. The drummer on this tour was Daxx Nielsen, yes….he's the son of guitarist Rick Nielsen. Anyway, this show in De Pul, was the fourth show of the eight shows CHEAP TRICK did during this European tour. The support act this evening were THE DIRTY DENIMS. I saw THE DIRTY DENIMS two times earlier this year, and when the band were entering the stage, I noticed that female bass player Lionne van der Hagen wasn't with the band. She was replaced by a male bass player (I forgot his name), who did, by the way, a great job as well. But I understood that Lionne just couldn't perform this evening. Anyway, it's great for the band they have the opportunity to open for CHEAP TRICK. It was 20:40 when they started with an instrumental one, followed by “Rock & Roll Victim”. The only song which they didn't play of their 5 track EP “Going Out” was “Bad Girl”. Other songs the band played besides “Ride Tonight”, “Going Out” and “Baby Let's Go” of the EP were THE ROMANTICS cover “What I Like About You”, “The Rocks Gotta Roll”, “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” and “Wanna Be Famous”. Singer and guitarist Mirjam Sieben knows how to entertain the audience. The band got a very good response of the crowd, which they deserve of course. Like I said before in my live review of RHINO BUCKET (March 5th, 2011, The Rambler, Eindhoven), THE DIRY DENIMS is a fantastic band with a promising future. It was 21:40 when the intro started and CHEAP TRICK entered the stage. The band opened with “Way Of The World” from the “Dream Police” (1979) album, followed by “Hot Love” from the band's debut album “Cheap Trick” (1977). I think there were between 350 and 400 people in De Pul, who came to see CHEAP TRICK, so it was nicely crowded. And it was notable that the age of the public was very varied. Okay, most of the audience was between the age of 40 and 50, but there were also some teenagers and between 20 and 40. Singer and rhythm guitarist Robin Zander was dressed in black and wore also a black police cap. The microphone stand of guitarist Rick Nielsen was full with different colors of guitar picks, which he threw into the audience during every song the band played. I was standing in front of Nielsen, so I caught 6 picks (a red, green, white, orange, light blue and purple one) during the show. That made me happy, because I collect guitar picks for many years. Anyway, CHEAP TRICK played most of the songs from their first 4 studio albums, two songs from the “One On One” (1982) album (“If You Want My Love” and “She's Tight”) and three songs of the last studio album “The Latest” (2009), namely “These Days”, “Sick Man Of Europe” and “Closer, The Ballad Of Burt And Linda”. It was mainly Nielsen who did the talking between the songs, and as usual he changed often of his guitars (Nielsen has a large collection) during the show. Bass player Tom Petersson was more standing at the backline. The sound was magnificent, the light show was beautiful and there was a fantastic atmosphere among the audience. It's a kind of tradition that the band always ends their regular set with the classic “Surrender”. During the line 'Rolling numbers, rock and rolling, got my Kiss records out', Nielsen threw a “copy” of KISS' “Dynasty” into the public. And talking about classics, other classic hits which the band always play are of course “I Want You To Want Me” and “Dream Police”. Anyway, when CHEAP TRICK returned on stage for the encores, they played “Taxman, Mr. Thief” as the first encore and Nielsen said to the audience 'we haven't done that one for a long time'. The last song the band played was “Goodnight”, so Rick, Robin, Tom and Daxx left the stage at 23:10. Well, I did have a great evening and it was just fantastic to see CHEAP TRICK in a smaller venue like De Pul, instead of on a large festival field or concert hall. Oh yeah, the complete set list of this CHEAP TRICK show existed of “Way Of The World”, “Hot Love”, “Ain't That A Shame”, “He's A Whore”, “If You Want My Love”, “I Want You To Want Me”, “These Days”, “She's Tight”, “High Roller”, “Auf Wiedersehen”, “Need Your Love”, “The House Is Rockin'”, “Sick Man Of Europe”, “Closer, The Ballad Of Burt And Linda” and “Surrender”. The encores were “Taxman, Mr. Thief”, “Voices”, “Dream Police” and “Goodnight”. |
PAGANS MIND & BEYOND THE LABYRINTH (27 May 2011)
De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren A night of Progmetal in De Pul, Uden. The venue wasnt that crowded, most likely due to the fact that Rush was playing in Rotterdam that same evening?? Opener BEYOND THE LABYRINTH started exactly on time and it was for me my first acquaintance with this dutch progmetal band. Musically it suited well with headliner Pagans Mind and the band had a good sound. But after 15 minutes I was getting bored. Why? Simply because their singer was singing very moderate; he was missing power in his voice and he had no stage performance at all! Pity because as said; musically it was okay! The band played 45 minutes and that was to long to hold my attention for the whole show…so my advice; replace the singer and you will be more respected by the real progmetal audience. Headliner PAGAN'S MIND is always great live and so where they this time! Singer Nils K. Rue is one of the best singers on this planet in my opinion! Pagan's Mind delivers exactly what prog metal fans want, that being superior musicianship, a crystalline production, soaring vocals, and diverse songwriting. Every instrument is clearly heard and makes its presence felt, and every note is seemingly in the right place. Pagan's Mind is unquestionably among the best melodic progressive metal bands playing today. The band already released 6 albums and all of them are real prog jewels! Lately they released their “Heavenly Ecstasy” and of course they played a lot this release. Singer Nils was looking a bit woody today but later on he explained why; he had broken his hip six weeks ago and they had toyed with the idea of cancelling the tour but he decided to soldier on in the end. He has walking very gingerly around the stage for sure though his showmanship and crowd geeing from the waste up was still tip top. Pity enough the band had some soundproblems; especially with Nils's wireless microphone. Some of the songs the band played; 'Eyes of Fire', 'Enigmatic Mission', 'Walk away in Silence', ''God's Equation', 'United Alliance', Evolution Exceed', 'Alien Kamikaze', 'Through Osiris' Eyes' & 'Hallo Spaceboy (David Bowie cover)'. This was again an excellent show of the band but it was a pity that the crowd didn't show up in large numbers…Next time I will be there again…for sure!! |
CRIMSON GLORY, TRIOSPHERE & CIRRHA NIVA (27 April 2011)
Dynamo, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren Just one day before I would travel to the Keep it True festival in Germany I had the need to see Crimson Glory an extra time. I heard so many positive things about the new line-up (read: singer) that I needed to see them twice that week. So let's start with the review of this once legendary band with his support acts Triosphere & Cirrha Niva. Due to problems with the national railway I arrived to late at the Dynamo club to see the complete show of the first band CIRRHA NIVA. This also had to do with the fact that Dynamo decided to start earlier with the package as announced on the several media. Last year Cirrha Niva played my own Mario's Metal Meeting 4 and they did an excellent job that time! I really love their progmetal and musically it's much better than their earlier stuff with Liselotte Hegt on bass/female vocals. Singer LeGrand is an incredible good singer and also a superb frontman! It counted me that the band was blessed with a very good sound; something that is rather unique at the Dynamo club. The band also had a new bassplayer in Jan van Baal; a real bass monster from my own hometown Tilburg. Luckily I could witness a few songs and believe me; this band is gonna be big in the progmetal scene! After a small break TRIOSPHERE entered the stage and this time I was on time to see the whole show. After their show a couple of weeks earlier, supporting Sonata Arctica & Labyrinth (see review below), I was so curious! Also due to the fact that I love their latest album “The Road Less Travelled”. The band played an incredible good set and it's a pleasure to see this young metal band (and no; not only because of the good-looking singer/bassplayer Ida Haukland). Their latest album was a real surprise to me (see Archive CD/DVD Reviews). Their music reminds me a lot to another Scandinavian band Sinergy but with more melody in their songs. Some songs the band did play during this 45 minute show where; 'Onwards Part II (Decadent One)', 'Human Condition', 'Trinity', 'Burnnn' (Deep Purple cover), 'Watcher', 'Worlds Apart' & 'Sunriser'. Very good show; hope to see them more soon!! Finally it was time to see CRIMSON GLORY again; I've seen the band several times in the past with singer Midnight and also once with singer Wade Black during their “Astronomica” tour. All these shows where excellent so it would be difficult for new singer Todd La Torre to equal this high level of the past…..According all the You Tube clips on the internet I was even more curious! Well from the first till the last song it was one big highlight! Awesome!!! The band played mostly songs of the first two releases; 'Valhalla', 'Dragon Lady', 'Angels Of War', 'Azreal', 'Where Dragons Rule', 'Lonely', 'Red Sharks', 'Queen of the Masquerade', 'Masque of the Red Death', 'Burning Bridges' and as bonus songs 'Lost Reflections', 'In Dark Places' & 'Eternal World'. The band was in shape and it's unbelievable that their new singer used to be a drummer in some (even for me) unknown bands…… This is a real metal blessing; hope the band will continue to arrange new songs & record a new album! This was an evening filled with goose bumps…. Incredible good show!! |
SONATA ARCTICA, LABYRINTH & TRIOSPHERE (28 March 2011)
Effenaar, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren When I arrived at the Effenaar, TRIOSPHERE already was playing due to the fact that the venue started earlier as was announced. Luckily I still had the chance to see this female fronted metal band from Norway. And also the idea that I would see the band a month later as support of Crimson Glory (see review next month). The venue was filled very well when I entered the large concert hall. Singer/bassplayer Ida Haukland is good looking and (most important) a nice front woman who looked pretty amused by the large crowd. At times she sounds very raw, but she keeps it all very varied by using clean vocals as well. Because of the female vocals, Triosphere can be best compared with a band such as Sinergy. The band lately released their second album “The Road less Travelled” but the only two songs I heard this evening 'Trinity' and 'Sunriser' where both from their debut album “Onwards” (2007). Nevertheless it was nice to see them to get some idea about this band. Next band on the bill was the band for which I especially drove to Eindhoven; LABYRINTH! One of my all-time fav. Italian powermetal bands and their singer Roberto Tiranti is one of the best powermetal singers ever! Also guitar player Olaf Thorsen is of course well known in the powermetal scene for his work with Vision Divine. Olaf Thorsen left the band several years ago and during that time the band released several more progmetal influenced albums which where not always accepted by the die hard Labyrinth fan base. Luckily for them Olaf returned and so did their musical direction. For that reason they named their first release after Olaf's return “Return to Heaven Denied Pt II”. The band played pretty well but had some small sound problems which would continue during the whole set. Pity also that the band only played for 35/40 minutes which was way to short for me!! It was nearly 10 years ago since I saw the band for the last time so I was hoping for more……. Still I enjoyed it a lot and it was great to hear several old tunes from this underrated band. Some songs of their setlist; 'In The Shade', 'A Chance', 'New horizons', 'Sailors of Time' and as bonus their anthem 'Moonlight'. Good show of some great musicians! Come back ASAP! Today's headliner was SONATA ARCTICA from Finland. This band is very popular for many years now and it was clear that most of the visitors came to see these Vikings. The band was having a lot of fun on stage and especially their singer was in a very good mood. He was talking a lot of nonsense and enjoying the big crowd. Funny to see also the reactions when he asked the audience who where his Facebook friends and dozens of visitors raised their fist I the air…and than he told them that he didn't have a Facebook account at all. Whahahaha… I've seen the band several times during the last years in my hometown Tilburg (013) but it suited me that the singer was singing much better than during these other gigs. Even though im not a big fan of their music; I always go back home satisfied after a SA show. Some songs I did remember; 'Juliet', 'Replica', 'Victoria's Secret', 'In Black And White' & 'Don't Say A Word' (bonus). Good show with a very nice stage backdrop/lights. Next time again!! |
GUILD OF STAGS (10 March 2011)
Cul de Sac, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Ad van Osch GUILD OF STAGS is the new band of former KREZIP members Joost van Haaren (bass), Jan-Peter Hoekstra (guitar) en Bram van den Berg (drums). After KREZIP call it quits, Van Haaren, Hoekstra and Van den Berg continued playing together. During a jam-session in 2010, somewhere in Holland, these guys met English singer Michael Devlin, with whom they played LED ZEPPELIN classic "Whole Lotta Love" on Devlin's request. A few more sessions in England followed and GUILD OF STAGS was born. I saw GUILD OF STAGS last year on the Zwarte Cross festival on July 18th, which was the band's first gig in Holland. And man, I really enjoyed that performance. Okay, the band had a few songs in their set which in my opinion were sounding a bit commercial, but most of their own songs they played were awesome and reminded me of the legendary LED ZEPPELIN. And one thing is for sure, the band, which exists of course of fantastic musicians, has in Devlin a real great singer. Anyway, because I knew what I could expect of GUILD OF STAGS, I decided to go to see the band again, this time in café Cul de Sac in Tilburg, Holland. I was on time at Cul de Sac, and it was 22:00 when the band got on stage and kicked off with "What Do Ya Know". It was very crowded in Cul de Sac, and the band got some very good responses. And also this second time that I saw GUILD OF STAGS, I really enjoyed their fantastic songs. This band just really breathes the LED ZEPPELIN feeling. Devlin, who also played acoustic guitar on several songs, has the voice and also a bit of the looks of Robert Plant. Other songs the band played were "Need Her Love", "Scarlet Liege", "Diet & Decay", "18", "Holding You Tight", the first single of the upcoming debut album "Hit 'N Miss", "Too Long", "School Days", "They Call It Love" and the QUEEN cover "Tie Your Mother Down". When Devlin announced their single "Hit 'N Miss", which can be downloaded, he said 'come on and get your cameras to film this song', and a few girls in the audience started to film the band with their cell phones. Anyway, the sound in Cul de Sac was just excellent. I think it was after the superb song "Too Long", when I yelled to Devlin "Living Loving Maid" (of "Led Zeppelin II"). And Michael answered to me 'yes I would like to have one'. The last song the band played this evening was "Millionaire", and left the stage at 23:00. So, they didn't do any encore. Well, the debut album of GUILD OF STAGS will be released in August this year, therefore I would advise to anyone who's into excellent 70's Hard Rock, to check that album out when it's in the stores. |
RHINO BUCKET & THE DIRTY DENIMS (5 March 2011)
The Rambler, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Ad van Osch In 2010, when RHINO BUCKET played at The Rambler in Eindhoven, Holland on January 8th, I missed them, because I had some other obligations. But months ago, when I saw that they would be playing at The Rambler again in 2011, I thought by myself 'yes, I won't miss that concert this time', because I liked their album "The Hardest Town" (2009) very much (see my review on the January 2010 update). So, on Saturday March 5th I went to Eindhoven by train, and arrived at 21:00 at The Rambler. When I entered The Rambler, there were already a few people and openings act THE DIRTY DENIMS were doing their sound check. So I ordered a beer and sat down on a bar stool, waiting for the moment the band would begin. Slowly it became more crowded in The Rambler, and I think it was around 22:00 when THE DIRTY DENIMS got on stage. And I must say, THE DIRTY DENIMS is a very nice and promising band. They have a very good 5 track EP, titled "Going Out", which was released in 2009. Anyway, the band, which exists of Mirjam Sieben (vocals, guitar), Jeroen Teunis (lead guitar), Lionne van der Hagen (bass) and Thomas Spauwen (drums), sounds like a mixture of AC/DC, THE DONNAS, early BLONDIE, DANKO JONES et cetera. Besides their own songs like "Rock & Roll Victim", "Bad Girl", "Baby Let's Go" and "Going Out" from their EP (they didn't play "Ride Tonight"), and "Backstage", "Don't Get In My Way", "The Rocks Gotta Roll", "Gonna Get It", "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" (which is not a PAT BENATAR cover) and "Wanna Be Famous", which are all sounding fantastic, they also played a nice cover version of "What I Like About You" of THE ROMANTICS. Like I said, THE DIRTY DENIMS are a very nice and promising band, which I would like to see more often. And I was not the only one who liked them, because the band got some very good response of the audience. Anyway, I am really looking forward to the band's first full length debut album. I'm sure that would be a fantastic debut album anyway. Well, headliner and AC/DC sound-alike RHINO BUCKET entered the low stage at The Rambler at around 23:00 and started with "Who's Got Mine" from their brand new album with the same title. What notices me was that they had a new drummer, because I had expected Simon Wright (ex-AC/DC) behind the drums, because Wright played on "The Hardest Town" (and on the 1994 album "Pain" as well). Anyway the new drummer is called Anthony Biuso, and did a very good job as well. Biuso played in punk bands TSOL and THE DICKIES before. Anyway, singer and guitarist Georg Dolivo told the audience that this was the last show of their nine week European tour, but that the band would come back in June. Although there were about between 50 or 60 people at The Rambler, I must say that most of the audience was very tame. Okay, they just watched the band from a small distance, and they gave a good response. But I think that most of the people were there just because there were playing some bands, and that they didn't know RHINO BUCKET at all. Anyway, RHINO BUCKET played two more songs from their new album during their show, which were "Joke's On You" and "Message In My Bottle". From "The Hardest Town" (2009) they only played the fantastic title track and "Street To Street". Songs they played from the "Get Used To It" (1992) album were "Beat To Death Like A Dog", "Hey There" and "She's A Screamer". From the "Pain" (1994) album they only played "I Was Told", and from the "And Then It Got Ugly" (2006) album the songs "Welcome To Hell", "Smile", "She Rides" and "Hammer And Nail". And from their self titled debut album from 1990, they played "One Night Stand" and "Ride The Rhino" with whom they ended their show. The band, who has in Brian Forsythe (also from KIX) a great guitarist who sounds just like Angus Young, didn't play three songs which were written on their set list, which were "Word", "Ride With Yourself" and "Bar Time". Anyway, I had a very enjoyable evening. |
FATES WARNING & SUN CAGED (12 February 2011)
De Bosuil, Weert, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren On a Saturday evening I went to De Bosuil venue to see Fates Warning & Sun Caged perform again. It has been a while since I saw both bands for the last times. I never was a huge Fates Warning fan but due to the fact that Sun Caged was support act I traveled to Weert.. When I arrived at the venue SUN CAGED just started with their set. I've been a great fan of the band for years and especially their debut album is still running in my cd player regularly! After that album and a lot of gigs singer Andre Vuurboom left the band and was replaced by Paul Adrian Villarreal. To be honest; his voice isn't that great as from his predecessor Andre. And that's also the reason I didn't see the band that much during the last years. Well today it was the same; musically Sun Caged is a great band but with a better singer the band would be more well-known after all this years. But okay; that's my opinion. Pity was also the fact that the sound wasn't that good this night at De Bosuil, especially Marcel Coenen's guitar was too weak in the mix which gave the whole performance a kind of an AOR sound instead of the progmetal sound I was expecting. Nevertheless it was a nice show, nothing more, nothing less. After a break FATES WARNING came on stage and what counted me most where the long hair of singer Ray Alder, especially because a few years ago during his Redemption gig at the Headway Festival he was nearly bold! But this has of course nothing to do with his vocal capabilities. The band starts with 'One” but from the first second the band has the same sound problems as Sun Caged. And this would continue the whole evening. As said; I never was a big Fates Warning fan; especially not after original singer John Arch left the band years ago. I've seen today's singer Ray Alder several times with Fates Warning and Redemption and he could never convince me. Also today he was singing hoarse and a bit out of tune on tracks like 'Point of View', 'Still Remains', 'Monument' and 'The Eleventh Hour'. In combination with the moderate sound during the 90 minute gig it wasn't the evening I was expecting. Musically 2 great bands with great musicians but both with very moderate singers……and a weak sound…. |
STRIKER & STATE: CHAOS (16 January 2011)
013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Ad van Osch When I entered the Stage 01 venue (formerly known as the Batcave) of 013 at 16:25, openings band STATE: CHAOS was already playing for about 25 minutes. So, I only have seen the last four songs of the band. Well, I am not that familiar with the material of the band. So far I had seen the band just once before, and that was on March 30, 2007 when STATE: CHAOS opened for OUTBURST in the Little Devil in Tilburg. Anyway, the band did also one encore, which was a totally new song. And because the fact that that song didn't have a title so far, and that they were opening for STRIKER, they called that song "Striker Rules". Anyway, nice band, who played very tight and got a nice response of the audience. But I came especially to see Canadian band STRIKER. And that's because Mario made me curious about STRIKER. He had asked me in an email if I also came to see STRIKER, and said to me that STRIKER are a real good band (Mario had seen them on the "Metal Assault Festival" in Wurzburg, Germany the weekend before). Anyway, these young guys started at 17:15, and opened with "Full Speed Or No Speed" from their first full length album "Eyes In The Night" (2010). And really, from the moment they played that song, I was immediately impressed by this very talented band. STRIKER exists of fantastic musicians, and most of all they do have in Dan Cleary a great singer with an awesome voice. Although it wasn't that crowded (I think there were about between 40 and 50 people), Cleary welcomed and thanked the audience to be at their show on a Sunday afternoon. The band treated us for one hour with excellent Speed-, Thrash- and Power Metal like in the eighties. You really can hear that these guys are influenced by bands like JUDAS PRIEST, RACER X, SAVATAGE and VICIOUS RUMORS, to name a few. Ian Sandercock and Chris Segger are both excellent guitar players, and treated us on great (twin) guitar solo's. The band played songs like the aforementioned "Full Speed Or No Speed", "Road Warrior" (the first song the band ever wrote, Cleary said), "Eyes In The Night", "Lord Of The Sword" et cetera. Half way the show Cleary asked the audience, 'does anyone know DIO?', and the band started to play RAINBOW's "Kill The King". Other covers which STRIKER had on their set list were "Aces High" (IRON MAIDEN) and "Power Of The Night" (SAVATAGE). The sound in Stage 01 was very good, and there was also a good atmosphere amongst the audience. After the show I bought the EP "Road Warrior" and the album "Eyes In The Night" (both are a real recommendation), and went home on my bicycle. Although I had some back problems that day, I'm glad I went to see this fantastic band. Well, if you missed STRIKER this time, make sure you go see them on their next European Tour, especially if you like high quality Metal. STRIKER will also be playing at this years HEADBANGERS OPEN AIR on July 29th 2011. Hopefully they will do a club tour as well in that period, and if so, I hope they will be playing in 013 again as well. Maybe next time in the small hall?? Only it would be very nice for the band if the next time the audience would exist of more than 40 or 50 people. |
2010 |
MICK POINTER & DEC BURKE (17 December 2010)
De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by Jordy Brouwers What can you expect when you go to see a band play live that split up nearly three decades ago? Well, I had no expectations other than to enjoy myself! On 17-12-2010, MICK POINTER visited the Pul in Uden again to play Marillion`s fabulous album Script for a Jester's Tear. Mick Pointer was the original drummer and one of the founding members of the symphonic rock band Marillion in 1979. EMI later signed the line-up of Marillion that wrote the platinum selling debut album Script for a Jester's Tear. Released in 1983, the album featured the top 40 hits He Knows You Know and Garden Party and is regarded by many as a modern classic of the symphonic rock genre. Pointer played on 18 April 1983 for the last time in the original line-up. This performance was Pointer's fourth visit to the Pul, he successfully played here earlier in April 2008, early 2009 and December 2009. Because of a lot of snow, I checked the website of the Pul before I left home. As could be read on the website of de Pul, the band had arrived but there could be a possibility that they had to perform without Brian Cummings (who plays the role of Fish), but he was underway and maybe he would arrive on time. Finally, it became a remarkable night which I will never forget! The support act of this evening was one of Mick Pointers own favourites: DEC BURKE. Dec Burke is a talented singer / songwriter who has released a new album with his own project. This album is called Destroy All Monsters. Dec Burke is also active in Frost and Darwin's Radio. During their one hour taking set, they played a real nice couple of songs (8 in total) of a high progressive calibre. Before this gig, I was not familiar with Dec Burke's music, but it reminded me of the best days of Rush for example. The compositions of the songs are great! However it was a pity that it took some songs before the guitar sound was amplified very well. But I'm enthusiastic! On 22:45 started the gig of MICK POINTER and his friends. Besides Mick Pointer (Drums), the following musicians entered the stage: Nick Barrett (Pendragon; Guitar), Mike Varty (Credo; Keys) and Ian Salmon (Arena; Bass). It became clear that Brian Cummings did not make it to the Pul, so some of the band members sang (parts of) some songs, but most of the songs were played instrumental. The band made copies of all the lyrics for the audience to sing the songs by themselves. Mick Pointers announced the band as: “Mick Pointer's Karaoke”. The gig can be roughly divided into two parts. During the first part, the complete “Script for a Jester's Tear” album was played. In my opinion, this is one of the best made symphonic rock albums ever. The band is in a good shape and after the first song (Script for a Jester's Tear), it is obvious that the crowd reacts positively with regards to the absence of the singer. The crowd sings passionately the songs, but sometimes it is a little bit “chaotic”. The second part of the gig, the band plays songs from old b-sides from the early period of Marillion like Charting the Single (which is stopped timely due to the limited “Karaoke factor”), Grendel and Market Square Heroes. During the encore (Margaret, a nice interpretation of an old Scottish folk song), the public becomes very enthusiastic again. After this song, a remarkable concert ends. This was my first (almost) complete acoustic concert (although Apocalyptica is also acoustic), but the enthusiasm of the band during the gig makes everything good. After the gig, I was able to speak some words with Mick Pointer. He explained that it was never an option to cancel the show, although it was uncertain if Cummings would arrive on time. Cummings tried everything to join the band, but a lot f flights to Schiphol were cancelled and when he arrived in Dover to catch a train to Calais, there was no place. He explained too that they were quite nervous to enter the stage without a singer, he had never done that before. When I asked him about the status of Arena, he revealed that the fans can expect a new album in 2011 with a new singer (Paul Manzi)! |
DEEP MACHINE & SMOKIN' BARRELS (21 November 2010)
The Bridgehouse2, London, United Kingdom Review by Eddie van Vugt What can you expect when you go to see a band play live that split up nearly three decades ago? Well, I had no expectations other than to enjoy myself! DEEP MACHINE are known to the real NWOBHM-aficionados for playing heavy, well-crafted songs filled with interesting riffs. Bands from the same generation such as Iron Maiden, Saxon, Angelwitch and later Satan and Tokyo Blade shared their style and got signed, but Deep Machine never did. Of the five demo tapes, give or take, that they released, their most famous one from 1981 has been remastered and consists of Demon Preacher, Asylum, Witch Child and Deep Machine, which are all cornerstones in their live set. These recordings featured bass player Andy Wrighton, guitarist Johnny “Bravo” Wiggins (who both joined Tokyo Blade and rejoined them earlier this year), rhythm guitarist Bob Hooker, singer Roger Marsden (later of Angel Witch and the Ericson Fischer Band) and drummer Rick Bruce (later of Angel Witch as well). Nowadays Bob Hooker is the only surviving member, but he found himself capable artists to complete the line-up that is as follows: Bob Hooker (guitar), Nigel Martindale (guitar), Johnny Riley (bass guitar), Lenny Baxter (vocals), Charlie Towler (drums). The band had sound checked, went on stage and without further ado, started rocking! Instead of headlining tonight, the band decided to open for their own support band! The reason being that this support act, Smokin' Barrels, would ring more bells nowadays which might even be true. Opening with the thundering Demon Preacher, the train was set rolling and the next handful of songs were equally heavy and well-delivered. From the pounding Iron Cross the band smoothly moved onto the slow and atmospheric intro of Black Priestess as they did thirty years ago. After this, on it went with three more rockers of the same caliber and the Judas Priest cover Running Wild closed the set. No encore followed. However impressive these songs are, especially given the fact they were written 30 years ago, the stage performance was modest. The gig was low key and there was no real interaction with the crowd. Then again, 25 people do not make a crowd, so the band was missing feedback other than the constant humming from the PA which was a shame. Altogether, the gig was great and it must be said that these are all wonderful musicians. Hope to hear more from them. For that, we should not have to wait that long as their upcoming lp record is due in spring. That is right, vinyl! I was not expecting a cd from this band, were you? Look out for it! Soon after that, SMOKIN' BARRELS took the stage and they were obliviously enjoying themselves! They played an energetic set of good old no-fringe, but highly listenable AC/DC-style hard rock. By this time, the pints of beer were adding up which added to the live experience but complicates my recollections as well as writing a detailed review! Deep Machine Setlist: 1. Demon Preacher 2. Witch Child 3. Killer 4. Asylum 5. The Wizard 6. Iron Cross 7. Black Priestess 8. Highway 9. Warhead 10. Deep Machine 11. Running Wild |
METAL FEMALE VOICES FESTIVAL VIII (22, 23 & 24 October 2010)
Oktoberhallen, Wieze, Belgium Review by Kees Schijven At the end of October it's time again for the next Metal Female Voices Festival in Wieze, Belgium. A festival for female fronted metal bands, with a friendly atmosphere and fans visiting from all over the world. The festival has grown from a one day happening to a three day festival over the years, where in the early years mostly gothic metal bands were programmed is now a bill with some gothic, mainstream and even extreme metal are presented. Due to the fact we had chosen to see Y&T on Friday night, we missed the first day. On Friday the bill consisted out of THE VEIL, MANIC MOVEMENT and HELLS BELLES. When we arrived on Saturday SKEPTICAL MINDS just started to play, so we had already missed 4 bands, PYTHIA, GODYVA, BARE INFINTY and 69 CHAMBERS. The venue opened already at 10:30 in the morning, while the first band started playing around 11:20, this is really early, so early we couldn't make it on time unfortunately. As there is only one stage, only one band is playing at the same time, so you never have to miss any bands like at some other festivals. The stage is huge with a big video screen on the side of the stage, there is also a festival market and a signing corner inside the Oktoberhallen. We watched a big part of the set SKEPTICAL MINDS played, and we're surprised by this energetic band, whom have a great front woman in Karolina! We left the front of the stage to see what else was going on, other than the front of the stage, the signing corner was also very crowded (and that would go on for the whole weekend, I think some people didn't even see the stage as they went from one row into another) this seemed to be a popular part of the festival. Also DORO was appearing there, without even performing at the festival. While looking around we missed the next show by VISIONS OF ATLANTIS, who gave a good show as I coud hear from the crowd. Next up would be DYLATH LEEN from France, whom I didn't wanna miss, this great band did what they came for, play some good female fronted death/thrash metal in a modern way, with singer Kathy doing her clean and sreaming vocal parts perfectly! TRISTANIA was the next in line, as they we're on tour together with REVAMP (who also played MFVF) and ASRAI (who we're told they already played MFVF too much, so they didn't play unfortunately, while they only played there once!). TRISTANIA introduced their new female singer on this tour, and played a good set of old and new. KRYPTERIA followed, and didn't disappoint at all, as I didn't knew them before, but certainly not your typical gothic metal band and again a great vocalist on board. Our own REVAMP was the last band to play before headliner ARCH ENEMY ruled the stage, and did what we are used to from Floor and band, the crowd went wild. But the band I came for played last and even Angela wondered for a moment why she was asked to play the metal female voices festival, as she said her voice didn't sound so female at all. But they ruled the stage for an hour and a half playing all their buttkickers as 'We Will Rise' , 'Ravenous' or 'My Apocalypse', after which day one was ended. On Sunday we arrived a little earlier and only missed one band namely DEJAFUSE, but as we heard later they didn't play and were replaced by another band if I am correct. RAM ZET was the first band we did see, and was a strange and interesting band, and actually original too (see also Archive CD/DVD Reviews). OMEGA LITHIUM was another band we missed on stage, but the reactions of the attenders where good. Then the program was changed, and SARAH JEZEBEL DEVA came up next, in her babydoll. As I never heard them before, but knew of her reputation with Cradle of Filth, I was expecting something totally different, but their metal sounded actually refreshing and they certainly had a lot of fans in the crowd today. After this I did my discovery of the festival, later then planned was now the time for THE AGONIST from Canada to perform on stage. I was blown away by this extreme band with their beautiful and brutal singer, best of this MFVF in my opinion (I know not everybody will agree with me). I had to do a bit of recovering after this, and missed DIABOLUS IN MUSICA, but was back in time to see HOLY HELL, something totally different again but great metal in the Maiden style, well performed with a truly amazing singer (yet again, that's why they call it MFVF!). LEAVES EYES was the last band to play for headliner of the sunday EPICA. LEAVES EYES gave their best as always, and performed a wonderful show yet again, this sympathetic band deserves to be headliner in my opinion! While EPICA can't do anything wrong in Belgium, as they are kind off the house band of MFVF, and ruled again for the I don't now how maniest time. MFVF is a great festival with a very friendly and social atmosphere where you see more friends by every year you visit from all over the world. It's a unique concept that works, so lets hope they keep this going for many years to come! |
Y&T, THE NAME (22 October 2010)
Patronaat, Haarlem, The Netherlands Review by Kees Schijven After arriving at one of the nicer venue's of our country, Patronaat in Haarlem, for the first time for me, I was impressed by this place, it's comparable with the old Noorderligt in Tilburg. A great place for live gigs, which this night would prove for sure! Just after eight on the clock THE NAME started off, with their female fronted metal, first time for me to see the band live. As I've heard a lot about them I was very curious how they would do live on stage, and it wasn't disappointing at all. They played a varied set of about 40 minutes, and halfway singer Hadassa made an announcement about Phil Kennemore of Y&T, who is in the hospital back in the USA diagnosed with cancer. To help him pay his hospital bills, a collection was being done in the venue to raise money. Singer Hadassa reminded me a bit of Simone Simons of Epica in her performance on stage, somebody told me there was a name for this kind of bands, namely ventilator bands. True it is, as all these female singers wave their hair on a giant fan in front of the stage, think of Epica, After Forever to name a few. About a half hour after The Name left the stage, the lights went out and the intro of Y&T started, the band came on stage and started off with 'The Show must go on' of the new 'Facemelter' album. It was obvious most people came to see Y&T and they got value for their money, a great show of about 2 hours and 15 min from a band that was having fun on stage and gave it a 110%. Dave Meniketti was absolutely in top shape, and played his guitar like there was no tomorrow. Dave's voice sounded great too, and they played all their old hits, like 'Mean Streak', 'Midnight in Tokyo', 'Black Tiger' and also songs from their new 2010 album 'Facemelter', which sounded as good as the old ones. They played with a stand in bass player as Phil was hospitalized back home, but he shure knew how to handle his bassguitar. Every member got some time to do a solo, and after two hours they left the stage. The crowd kept calling them back, so after a few moments they were back to play '25 hours a day', 'Open Fire' and 'Rescue Me' to finalize their show. This was by far one of the best show I've seen them play, the band was in top condition, and I think everybody got where they came for, and went home satisfied. I know I can't get enough of them when they play shows like this, so, when are they coming back? |
ANNIHILATOR, SWORN AMONGST & ADIMIRON (10 October 2010)
De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by Dennis van Dommelen When I entered the venue at 20.15h sharp. ADIMIRON was playing their last song. More and more venues are starting earlier as stated. Quickly asked my friends if I missed something but the thrash metal presented was decent but nothing special. Vocals had a lot in common with Phil Anselmo (Pantera) and the overall sound is also very influenced by the guys from Texas. Next up: SWORN AMONGST. A thrash metalband from Britain that has just released their third full-length: “Severance” Big problem with this second wave of Thrash is that there isn't one new band that is sounding original. But with an energetic performance and enjoyable songs such as the fast sounding “Darkness” there was enough to like about this band. The main reason about 300 people made it to De Pul was of course ANNIHILATOR. With that 300 people it was pleasant and not too crowdie. The atmosphere was immediately great when the band started the first song “Ambush”. It's good to see that Jeff has finally found a stable companion. Dave Padden definitely has grown as both vocalist and guitar player and although his voice is good but not great I think he is the right person on the right place for now and the future to come. Jeff was in his element as always showing little lights on his guitar and making jokes all evening long. I still find it a shame that the man doesn't reach bigger crowds with his fantastic guitar playing. Some things will unfortunately never change, I think. From almost every album a song was played so that actually nobody was disappointed. I know that not every Annihilator album is as good as the first two –and most of the people only want to hear songs from that albums - but the band never failed to release quality and an album as 'Kill of the King' was presented with four songs. It looks like that album finally gets the attention it deserves not only from the band but also from the crowd. Highlight of the evening was the acoustic medley with the songs “Phoenix Rising and “Sounds Good to Me” by Jeff and Dave sitting on a bar stool. After the 18th and mandatory closing song “Alison Hell” the band left the stage, the weekend ended and everyone went home with a good feeling. |
MARIO'S METAL MEETING 4 (1,2 & 3 October 2010) Little Devil, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by several magazines/webzines
This was the fourth edition of Mario's Metal Meeting and because it was organised by Mario's Metal Mania it would not be fair to review my own festival :) For that reason I only add links to the several reviews/pictures on webzines & magazines: |
BLIND GUARDIAN & STEELWING (24 September 2010)
013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Sammy de Maere BLIND GUARDIAN used to be one of my favorite bands and even now, when I have outgrown the entire power metal genre, I still enjoy their live shows. Since it has been years since I saw the band on an indoor live show I was quite enthusiastic to see them again. Unfortunately Swedish speed metallers Enforcer had to cancel their tour as support because it would have been a nice warm up. Instead we got Swedish heavy metal band STEELWING to warm up the crowd and they did a pretty good job. With catchy heavy metal tunes that reminded me greatly of Iron Maiden and a lot of enthusiasm they got the crowd going and had them heated up nicely for Blind Guardian to finish them off. I had high expectations and the German band did not let me down. The band was in great shape and Hansi's voice was great as ever. The band played a nice setlist filled with classics and a few songs of the new album which also sounded good. The crowd was also very much into the show which led to several memorable moments such as singing the chorus of 'Valhalla' for minutes long after the song has ended, an entire hall of jumping people during 'Lord of the Rings' and of course 'The Bard's Song' with 2 guitars on stage and a thousand voices in the hall itself. For the fans this was yet another night to remember and I hope to see the band at next summer's festivals. |
SWORDBROTHERS 9 FESTIVAL (11 September 2010) Juz, Andernach, Germany Review by Mario van Dooren
Again I travelled to Germany for the yearly Swordbrothers festival; organized by German friend Volker Raab. This year it was the 9th edition and what counted me was the fact that Volker booked this year 4 headliners instead of 1; |
VOI VOD & NASHVILLE PUSSY (13 August 2010)
De Lakei, Helmond, The Netherlands Review by Corinne van den Brand & Mario van Dooren What a combination of bands!! Because of the wide metal interest of the MMM team I was glad that Corinne could review Nashville Pussy because I couldnt make it on time to see both shows completely. I was not familiar with the NP stuff but VoiVod has always been one of my alltime favorite bands!! CORINNE: First band this night was NASHVILLE PUSSY. These enthusiastic Texas based band really heated up the crowd. In some cases literally when guitarist Ruyter Suys welcomed a guy very personally. The guy couldn`t stop smiling afterwards. The band played a varied set with songs from all their albums like 'Speed Machine' and 'Ain`t your business' from "From hell to Texas". 'High as Hell' from the "Higher as Hell" album. "Hate and Whisky" from the "Get Some" album. "You`re going down" from the 'Let them eat Pussy' cd to name a few. Ofcourse they also played the covers 'Nutbush City Limits" (Ike & Tine Turner) and "Rock `n`roll Outlaw (Rose Tattoo). They had a very good sound and although Nashville Pussy and Voivod are a weird combination it totally worked out because I can`t imagine why anybody doesn`t like this steamy rock `n` roll band. The songs aren`t really original and are pretty straight forward but it`s a great party band. Especially guitarist Ruyter steals the show and was named Angie Young by some guys around me. Well, that name suites her. Not everybody was charmed by the looks of Karen Cuda and Ruyter Suys but who cares !! Fact is I enjoyed it very much and the crowd was warmed up by now. Good show !!! MARIO: Finally after to many years I was going to see one of my all time fav. bands VOI VOD; The last time I saw the band was in their Eric Forrest line up which I liked also very much! A few years ago the band decided to reunite in their original line up. First new studio line up was one with Jason Newsted (ex-Flotsam & Jetsam.. oh yeah and off course non-metallers Metallica). Live Jason was mostly replaced by original bassplayer Blacky. This time it was again, Snake (Denis Belanger), Away (Michel Langevin) & Blacky (Jean-Yves Thériault) completed by guitarist Dan Mongrain (ex- Martyr (Canada)) who replaced the legendary Piggy (Denis D’Amour) who died of cancer in 2000 (R.I.P.)! Curious as a child I was of the band after all these years in a nearly original line-up!!! Well luckily I did see the band several times in the past with that original line-up so I knew what I could expect. Snake was back after many years and maybe he wasn't so energetic anymore on stage (don't blame him, its just a matter of age, hahaha) but what an incredible frontman it still is! His typical movements on stage; the way he translates the songs with his performance was again great; Away that creates more out of 3 toms than most other drummers can get out of a “complete” drum kit and off course Blacky with his typical style! Also “newcomer” Dan was getting near close to Piggy's sound!! Man what a night!!! The band played a nice mix of most of their albums with songs like; 'VoiVod', 'The Unknown Knows', 'The Prow', 'Ripping Headaches', 'Tribal Convictions', 'Brain Scan', 'Ravenous Medicine' (in which both bassguitar en leadguitar broke down), 'Experiment', 'Nuclear War', 'Astronomy Domine' (Pink Floyd cover) & as bonus 'Nothingface'. They also played 1 new song ,'Global Warning', of the “Infine” album but after 65 minutes it was done L. That was the only negative comment I want to give to this more than incredible show!! Glad VoiVod is back!!!! We want more!!!! |
HEADBANGERS OPEN AIR (29, 30 & 31 July 2010)
Brande-Hörnerkirchen, Germany Review by Mario van Dooren Headbangers Open Air; the place to be!!! Especially when you're just like me into oldschool metal!! This is the Metal Heaven for every underground metalfan and the place to be when you are looking out for oldschool/cult bands you never saw before OR bands that play like they where formed in the eigthies..... This was the 7th time in a row for me to visit the largest en most atmospheric festival in the world! Or as the organisers say; the biggest garden party in the world! Every year im looking out for this fest because of the geniality of the organisers, crew, visitors and all the bands that are walking the area for 3 days!! Its unbelievable that organisers Thomas & Jurgen can create this atmosphere for some many years now without becoming commercial. Okay, last year there where a lot of complains about the growing number of visitors & the lack of variety of food. For 2 years HOA is one week before the huge Wacken Open Air and last year a lot of Wacken "scum" ruined a part of the hospitality & atmosphere. Luckily the organisers are both also fanatic metal fans and they took action after all these complains! Well, this year was again great with less visitors, good food & drinks and I had a hell of a time!! But lets go to the review of the festival: THURSDAY: Due to traffic jam around Hamburg we missed Spanish metallers STEEL HORSE. We were hoping to see at least the second band KILLING MACHINE with ex-Slayer drummer John Dette. We arrived on time for that show but....the band didnt show up so that was a bummer :( When we left our taxi GRAND MAGUS was already playing. I liked their latest album "Hammer of the North" but I need to say that live the band couldnt convince me that much; after half an hour my interest was gone. Good musicians but their doomy music is just not my cup of tea. Next band was SHOK PARIS which I remember especially from their "Go for the Throat" album. I liked the band already in the 80's but never bought any of their stuff. So I was curious after this show. Well the band performed very well and played solid US-metal. Nice band to see after all these years! Headliner DESTRUCTION was off course a great choice of the organisers and fitted perfect at this varied first day! Its always a caress for my ears & eyes to see this great band on stage! Schmier is always singing good and he is a great performer also. Some songs of the setlist: 'The Butcher Strikes Back', 'Nailed to the Cross', 'Life without Sense', 'Invicible Force', 'Thrash 'Til Death', 'Nailed To the Cross', 'Tormentor', 'Unconscious Ruins', 'Bestial Invasion' & 'Mad Butcher'. Great show of this German Thrash Gods!! Curse the Gods!!!! FRIDAY: JAMESON RAID was the opener of day 2 but they couldnt impress me at all. I never was such a huge NWOBHM fan and especially not of these kind of bands; the band was playing very moderate and the singer was singing out of tune in nearly every song. I know that a lot of (especially German) fans adore this band but to me its a no go....sorry guys! STORMZONE from Ireland replaced Aska who cancelled just a few days for the festival. I was not familiar with this band which signed lately to the German SPV label. The band played very well and are suited with a good sympathetic frontman who can easily replace Bruce Dickinson in Iron Maiden (if you ask me). The songs were also all very cathy and performed very well. Good band!! NWOBHM tributeband ROXXCALIBUR is a very good cover/tribute band and they are specialized in NWOBHM covers. A few years ago the band was mostly playing the typical NWOBHM evergreens but this time they choose a more cult setlist with several bands I didnt ever hear off at all! They played several songs from bands like; Cloven Hoof, Grim Reaper, JJ's Powerhouse (of which some members came on stage), Bleak House, just to name a few. Roxxcalibur has some great musicians and thats probably also the reason that this band is also available as touringband for several reunionshows like they already did with Savage Grace, ThunderRider and next year at KIT with Griffin. TYGERS OF PAN TANG delivered several great albums in the past like "Wild Cat", "Spellbound" & "Crazy Nights" which are still regularly inspecting my CD player from the inside! Live the band could never convince me because of the boring voice of Jess Cox. Last April I saw the band again at the KIT festival and for the first time they blew me away!! New singer Jacopo Meille (ex-Mantra) is a great singer and lifts the band to a very high level! At HOA they again blew me away with their energy AND their great setlist: 'Raised on Rock', 'Hellbound', 'Live For The Day', 'Dark Rider', 'Slave to Freedom', 'Never Satisfied', 'Rock And Roll Man', 'Take it', 'Don't Stop By', 'Hot Blooded', 'Wild Cat', 'Euthanasia' & 'Gangland'. Superb show!! This way TOPT can go on for years!! AMULANCE was next and they were to me the most important band; simply because I love their 2 albums full of superb US metal with high pitched vocals!! Pity the band couldnt meet my expectations! The band didnt have the best sound and their singer wasnt singing as good as I was hoping for. I also didnt like the time-spoiling with a long intro-tape AND an unnecessary drumsolo. ON Sunday when they played the aftershow at The Ballroom in Hamburg; they were playing a lot better but still couldnt convince me fully! Missed opportunity! Because of a dinnerbreak I missed the happy metallers of STORMWARRIOR but today I heard that they will play next year again WITH Kai Hansen (of Helloween)! MEKONG DELTA came, saw & conquered!! Hell what a great band this still is!! The band is not playing that much live so I was glad I could see them again live after nearly 19 years!!! These guys really know how to play their instruments and this is for sure one of Germany's most progressive techno thrashbands. For me one of the highlights of this years HOA!! Incredible show! ANGELDUST reunited after a few years of silence! Ive seen the band several times in the past and they could always impress me. This time it was again nice but nothing more, nothing less. It counted me that singer Dirk Assmuth not only lost his hair but also a part of his voice...he was singing out of tune several times and that was a pity because I know he could sing very good years ago! A bit of a dummer.....but still great to sing-a-long with the classic songs like; 'Border of Reality', 'Nightmare', 'Freedom Awaits', & 'Bleed'. Other complain is that I missed songs of their first releases like "Gambler', 'To Dust You Will Decay' & 'Fighters Return'. DEMON is again a typical NWOBHM band that could never take my interest. Ive seen the band many times but they could never hold my attention. This time I tried it again and I have to admit that I liked Demon this time much more! The band turned out to be a solid co-headliner! Setlist: 'Night of the Demon', 'Into the nightmare', 'Commercial dynamite', 'Sign of a madman', 'Blackheath', 'Liar', 'Remembrance day', 'Standing on the Edge', 'Life on the wire', 'Don't break the circle' & 'One helluva night'. Good show!! CULPRIT was headliner of day 2 and man they where superb! I saw the band years ago at the Wacken Open Air but this time it was even much better! Such an energy from this old guys and especially the bassplayer, Scott Earl, who was acting like a real rockstar and raping his bassguitar. Funny if you know that Culprit only released 1 album in 1983 but still they are headlining a festival like HOA; thats what they call; supporting the underground!!. Culprit played a great show with off course mostly songs from their one & only "Guilty as Charged" album: 'Guilty as Charged', 'Ice In The Back', 'Ambush', 'Fight Back' & 'Players' (which refrain was most sung by the audience). Their singer was the only little complain I have; he was not singing bad but good neither! After Scott smashed his bassguitar in pieces the band played a bonus song; Black Sabbath's "Heaven & Hell". Great show and a decent headliner!! SATURDAY: Day 3 started with the Australian TRENCH HELL; a thrashmetal band which we missed that day (but we saw them one day later at the aftershow). Next band was the German metalband NOT FRAGILE; a moderate band with a few nice songs; nothing more; nothing less! BATTLEAXE is also one of these NWOBHM bands that never got fame. The band released 2 full length albums in the 80's but never got discovered by a bigger audience. Maybe this had to do with the fact that the band plays AC/DC influenced metal which to many people does not sound original....Strange offcourse while these days bands like Airbourne are enormous popular!! And they also imitate AC/DC a lot. Battleaxe played a decent show. DER KAISER is already deleted from my memories; a boring French band with boring music. Luckily for the band; the German audience is a good audience for this kind of metal. Next time H-Bomb please!! BLOODFEAST was one of the surprises of HOA this year! I had a listen to their album years ago but it couldnt impress me at all. Live the band was energetic as hell and they delivered one of the better shows of the third HOA day! Great thrashmetal the way only US-bands can deliver it!! OMEN was never one of my fav. bands till they added singer George Call (what's in a name!!). This singer lifts the band to a very high level with his unique voice! Since last years Swordbrothers festival Omen has a new fan ; Mario is the name! Good show!!! ANVIL CHORUS was the crowds favorite; expecially by the undergound legions in Germany. The band had the bad luck to be the only band that was playing during a rainshower and most of the audience was gone or taking shelter. I was not really familair with their music but their music could convince me easily because of the originality AND the great musicianship of the band! Good show, pity most of the audience where afraid of getting wet....... RAVEN headlined my own first Mario's Metal Meeting in 2007 and till now they are still the best headliner I ever had!! This (old) guys must be using drugs (XTC) or Red Bull because its incredible to see how these oldies still take the stage with their act! Their energy is inexhaustible!! As always the band was going full speed ahead with songs like: 'Take Control', 'Live At The Inferno', 'All For One', 'Tie Your Mother Down', 'Rock Until You Drop', 'Lambs To The Slaughter', 'Speed Of The Reflex', & 'Mind over Metal'. This band is so experienced; when Mark had some guitar problems; his brother John was not even looking behind but directly started with filling the musical gap. Again a great show! Only little complain is the fact that the band is improvising to much between the songs which cost them a lot of playing time and us, as fans, a few other songs.... SOLITUDE AETURNUS is one of the few Doom metal bands that I like! Singer Robert Lowe had an incredible good voice and I prefer what he is doing in Solitude above his singing in Candlemass (or was it Cancellmas ??). The band performed very well and showed to be the right co-headliner of the last day! Good choice HOA!! VIRGIN STEELE was never my kind of band and last time I saw the band at the KIT festival it was also awefull to see on stage how singer David Defeis was playing his keyboard AND singing at one and the same position on stage. Luckily this time he didnt harp on the same string...and was only using his microphone and the stage! In this set up he was more coming into its own and I must admit that I liked Virgin Steel very much this time! Good show!! Ony big dummer was the way the crew acted during the first songs when David's microphone didnt work...it was reminding me of Comedy Capers and Laurel & Hardy. That was very unprofessional but was not to blame the band at all! David took his job serious and just went on singing.....this way he showed his professionality!! Again I had a great HOA and im already looking out for the 2011 edition (last weekend of July). Thanks to Thomas for putting me on the guestlist! See you all next year again guys!! HOA rulezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!! |
ROCK AREA FESTIVAL (29, 30 & 31 July 2010)
Loreley, Germany Review by Sammy de Maere A few weeks ago a friend asked me to join her on another festival in Germany. After looking at the schedule and the price I didn't had to be convinced. Thursday afternoon we arrived at the beautiful site of Loreley in Germany. This small festival is hosted at the UNESCO World Heritage Site and is sure to give a magnificent view. Because the stage is made up of an old amphitheatre you can see the bands from nearly anywhere on the site. On Thursday we were just in time to see EXCREMENTORY GRINDFUCKERS kick off the festival. The band, which isn't that much more than a parody of all other types of music, immediately got the crowd moving. While they aren't that good musically they played a nice set full of jokes. Great way to start a festival. During AXXIS we went back to the campsite to enjoy a barbecue with our neighbours. We arrived back at the festival in time for the last songs of J.B.O.. This band seems to be immensely popular in Germany and while I don't understand a word they were saying I couldn't help but get in the mood myself. Headliner on Thursday was DORO. The Metalqueen delivered an amazing set with a bunch of Warlock songs and some newer work. She still has a great voice and a really good band to support her. During one song Blaze Bailey came on stage to prove he also still has it. Overall this was probably the best gig I saw during the 3 days although I might be biased because I have always loved her music. Friday started with a couple of local bands we missed because we were enjoying the scenery. First band we saw that day was GAMMA BOMB. The Irish thrashers played a tight set and got a nice response from the crowd. After them we waited for BENEDICTION but due to technical difficulties with the drum they had to start 20 minutes later so they played a really short set. The songs I heard were really good but it was just too short. DARK TRANQUILITY also had troubles with the sound and since I never liked them we left halfway through the set. After them the folk metallers ENSIFERUM came on stage. Since both me and my friend are allergic to all the humpa music we thought it was a good time for dinner. After dinner we were back at front row for English grinders NAPALM DEATH. This band is always good live, when they have good sound and they had. Besides the fact that it just wasn't loud enough to hear the music properly we also didn't understand a word of Barney's speeches so they were quite boring silent moments. But besides that the band played a killer set and I can't wait to see them in a hall again. Next was the band the entire crowd was waiting for: SODOM. Tom Angelripper immediately got the crowd on his hand and he didn't let loose until after the show. The band played a good set filled with classics and practically every german song they ever wrote and the crowd loved every minute of it. To me it was also one of the best times I've seen the band. On the second stage there were also some bands playing and being a huge Iron Maiden fan I decided to go check out BLAZE BAILY. Blaze remains an amazing vocalist and a bad ass frontman but I just don't like his own songs. I did have a lot of fun during the Maiden songs though. After Blaze I was back just in time to see the opening of headliner APOCALYPTICA. The band played a festival set with lots of Metallica covers but also played the new single in premiere. I enjoyed the band a lot but didn't really like the songs with vocals. Too bad for the bad sound in the beginning but still a very good show. When DESASTER, the first band we wanted to see on Saturday, started the crowd was already warmed up by some local heroes and ready to give it all to the black-thrashers. I'm a big fan of Desaster's music and really enjoyed their set. After them it was time for HOLY MOSES but I never really liked Sabrina's vocals. The music wasn't all that good either so this was a show to easily forget. Next up was THYRFING and my friend was very excited about them. I generally dislike viking and pagan metal so this wasn't my cup of tea, although I must admit that in their genre they are one of the best bands I've seen. Nice atmospheric set but the guitar sound and vocals just don't do it for me. After them another Swedish band came on stage and I was looking forward to them all weekend. ENTOMBED came and destroyed! What an amazing live band they are. Petrov seemed quite sober, for his doing, and the music itself was really tight played. The band played songs from nearly every album so I was a very happy man with a nearly broken neck afterwards. After Entombed we decided to see SEPULTURA from a distance and eat something. I'm very glad we decided to eat on the festival site cause I was in for a surprise. I was a long time ago that I saw the Brazilian band and I never liked them after Max Cavalera left. But on this festival it seems that Andreas Kisser realized that nobody was really interested in their new work. What followed was a set of flawlessly played songs coming from all the old albums and an insane crowd that didn't seem to miss either of the Cavalera brothers. With even a few songs from Schizophrenia, tightly played riffs and solos and decent vocals this was the best Sepultura show I've ever seen after the lineup changes. After the thrashing bomb that was Sepultura I was completely in the mood for SACRED REICH. It would be my first time to see them live and I was very much looking forward to it. The band started out slow and quite boring actually but in the middle of the show it turned out to be a great concert anyway with lots of hits and a Black Sabbath cover. Headliner for this day was ARCH ENEMY. This band is a hype that I completely missed. I knew it was melodic death metal with Michael Amott and a woman on vocals and that's about it. I figured to just go watch and see what this band was made up of. Musically this was excellent, great melodic riffs, solos from both guitar players and an amazing drummer. Too bad the vocals completely lacked any quality. I hope it was because of the sound and because of Angela's performance. There were almost no grunts and the high pitched screams really worked on my nerves. If the vocals would have been good, this would have been a show I would have loved from a band I had to check out afterwards. No it just left me with a big 'what if?' that might make me listen to their myspace for studio versions of the vocals but it will probably end there. A missed chance perhaps? I do know that a lot of the crowd liked the show so they won't really miss me as a fan. Overall this festival turned out to be a nice holliday with good weather, a nice location and lots of great bands. I will be checking out the bill for next year! |
LOUDNESS & MONSTERTONE (19 July 2010)
Dynamo, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren Loudness on a Monday evening; what would it bring was my concern. Last time I saw the band was 11 years ago in Waalwijk (Tavenu) and that time they really sucked! One of the most terrible gigs I have ever seen (and if you know how many thousands of bands that I already saw, than you will understand how terrible it was). So normally I would never go to such a band again but when I heard that the band was playing in the (nearly complete) original line-up I became curious again and decided to travel to Eindhoven. As support act Dynamo added MONSTERTONE to the line up but why?? I really don't know because their kind of stoner rock didn't fit to Loudness's music at all! For me, and most of the visitors, this was very boring and a lot of people left the hall after a few songs. Musically they where good but they didn't fit in the line-up at all! Bad choice… LOUDNESS is most famous for their earliers albums: 'The Birthday Eve', 'Devil Soldier', 'The Law Of Devil's Land', 'Disillusion' & 'Thunder in the East”. For the first time in years it counted me that Dynamo (Loudness in this case) had a great sound and that's spectacular for Dynamo concepts J. The band started with an intro and played mostly songs of the above mentioned albums. From the “Thunder in the East” album they played: 'Crazy Nights', 'Heavy Chains', 'Never Change Your Mind' and 'Like Hell'. Other songs they did play where: 'Esper', 'The Law Of Devil's Land', 'In The Mirror', 'Shadows Of War', 'Loudness', 'S.D.I.', 'Crazy Doctor', 'Never Change Your Mind', & 'Black Star Oblivion'. From their latest album “King of Pain” (2010) they played: 'Requiem' & 'The King Of Pain'. They band played an excellent show but I must admit that there is only one person that's credit to this all; masterclass guitarplayer Akira Takasaki. Singer Minoru Niihara is not that bad but has never been an excellent singer; Bassplayer Masayoshi Yamashita is doing his job well and drummer Masayuki Suzuki is a good replacement for original drummer Munetaka Higuchi (who died in November 2008 due to liver cancer). Nevertheless I had a hell of a night with a lot of old classic Loudness songs and a bunch of long-time-no-see people! Great performance guys! Come back asap!!! |
NEUROTIC DEATHFEST (30 April & 1 May 2010)
013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Sammy de Maere After having a lot of fun at last year's edition and with this year's edition having an amazing line-up I decided to drive to Tilburg again for Neurotic Deathfest. On Friday my day started with an immense queue in front of the ticket office so I already had an idea about the big crowd of the weekend. I managed to catch the last few songs of ABORTED in their new line-up. They seem to have become more brutal again and less metalcore but the band will never be my cup of tea. Next up were German thrashers DEW SCENTED who played a decent set as always. It became immediately clear that I wouldn't see many bands in the smaller halls of the 013 because of the crowd. I went to the big hall for the first band of the day I was actually looking forward to: BENEDICTION. This would be the first time I'd ever see them live and I was quite anxious but they delivered! A very tight set with an awesome vocalist who knows how to work the crowd. Also a nice set list consisting of a few new songs and a lot of classics. Afterwards I decided to check out Severe Torture but it was way to hot and crowdy in the small hall so I went for dinner instead. Next band I saw was SIX FEET UNDER and while Chris Barnes his voice is nothing compared to what it used to be the band still knows how to get a crowd moving. All in all this wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be. Because of the crowd I really didn't try to get into the batcave stage for BEHEADED but I managed to sit outside and still hear the sound of a good performance by the band. Next up was another surprise for me: NAPALM DEATH with decent sound! I never managed to hear this band with good enough sound quality to actually enjoy them but now I must say that they blew me away; very tight performance by the British grinders. At last it was time for the headliner of Friday, and I was looking forward to them all day. BOLT THROWER came, saw and conquered the 013 and blew everyone to pieces. This was without a doubt the best gig I've seen in months. Very tight, musically superb and amazing vocals. Also a very good set list although too short for my liking. After that I drove home a happy man anticipating another cool day. On Saturday the second day of the festival began for me with ORIGIN. While highly impressing with their technical skill the band just doesn't do it for me and I got bored soon so I went to see if I could still get into the middle stage hall for INSIDIOUS DECREPANCY. This one man band formed by Viral Load front man Shawn Whitaker did quite well but since I really can't stand drum computers I left after a few songs. Up next was DYING FETUS and since I'm still hurting from the moshpit as I'm writing this I can say that their show rocked! Very tight performance, great setlist and an amazing atmosphere in the crowd. Next show in the main hall was a band I was looking forward to a lot since their show in Biebob a couple of years ago is still one of the best death metal shows I've ever been to. But unfortunately IMMOLATION left me disappointed. I heard a lot of good commentaries of the show so It's probably more because of me than because of the band. They did play a lot of songs of their new album and I'm not that fond of it so that might be the case. After another trip into downtown Tilburg I managed to see the last half hour of LOCK UP and got completely blown away by a great performance. I never thought they still had it in them but it all just fit and I had a hell of time. Up next was one of the bands I was looking forward to a lot but PESTILENCE turned out to be the disappointment of the weekend. I love the old albums but I'm not fond of the new one. Problem is that the set list contained of almost only new songs. I also don't think the band had that much fun either. The crowd's response wasn't all that either and more and more people started shouting for old songs and Martin Van Drunen. I left halfway during the show to get a drink and didn't come back until it was time for the headliner of this year's festival: CARCASS. I didn't have any high hopes for this band. I've always been sceptical about reunions and sometimes I've been shown wrong but a lot of times I've been right to doubt the usefulness of yet another old band returning to the stage. Well Carcass sure shut me up! Musically this was as good as it gets. The amazing set list was played to perfection and had a lot of variation. Where I was standing the voice didn't sound like it had to be but the overall performance of the band made that up nicely. I can conclude that the band was a great ending for an awesome weekend. No doubt that I'll back again next year if the bill's keep evolving like this ! |
AIRBOURNE & TAKING DAWN (23 March 2010)
De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by Ad van Osch Australian rockers AIRBOURNE just have released their fantastic second album "No Guts. No Glory." (see album reviews April update) and are doing two shows in Holland during their European tour. And I'm glad they did two shows in Holland, so I could go to De Pul in Uden instead of going all the way to De Melkweg, Amsterdam (March, 25th). Because of traffic activities around Eindhoven (I think I missed a turn, because the whole city ring has changed, which is a real crime), I arrived too late at De Pul. The support act of this tour, TAKING DAWN, a band which just released their debut album "Time To Burn" on Roadrunner Records, was almost finished with their set. So I can't tell you much about them. I only have seen one and a half song. The last song which TAKING DOWN played was a cover version of FLEETWOOD MAC's "The Chain" (from the legendary and classic "Rumours" album). But according to colleague Kees Schijven, who was there too, I really haven't missed much. Anyway, it was 21:15 when headliner AIRBOURNE got on stage and they opened their set with "Raise The Flag" from the new album "No Guts. No Glory.". After "Raise The Flag" singer and lead guitarist Joel O'Keefe said 'thanks for coming down tonight' and the band started with "Hellfire" from "Runnin' Wild". Well, it wasn't allowed to take pictures, unless you had a photo pass. In fact, it's complete bullshit, because lots of people in the audience took pictures of the band with their cellphone. And with some cellphones you really can take some excellent pictures. Anyway, back again to the new album with "Chewin' The Fat". I think it was a full house tonight at De Pul. The audience was really fanatic, by singing along with several songs, banging their heads and raising their fists in the air. Some fans even stage dived and several times someone was crowd surfing. That's why Joel said 'you guys are great tonight, thanks' after they played "Get Busy Livin'". Although AIRBOURNE's second album "No Guts No Glory" has been released since a few weeks, the band played nine songs of their debut album "Runnin' Wild" and seven songs of the new one. Halfway the song "Girls In Black", Joel jumped into the audience, still playing guitar, made a small round through the public and climbed through a light pole on a sound box. Although the show was very simple, Joel really knows how to entertain the audience. In that case he's an excellent front man, but also an awesome lead guitarist. Anyway, AIRBOURNE, who are in fact the "new" AC/DC, are a great live band, which you really must have seen in your life. One thing is certain, these Australians are really getting big. And I'm sure, next time they will play in bigger venues. The complete set list which AIRBOURNE played was "Raise The Flag", "Hellfire", "Chewin' The Fat", "Diamond In The Rough", "Blonde, Bad And Beautiful", "Get Busy Livin'", "Girls In Black", "What's Eatin' You", "Born To Kill", "Cheap Wine & Cheaper Women", "Heartbreaker", "No Way But The Hard Way", "Back On The Bottle" and "Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast". The two encores were "Runnin' Wild" and "Stand Up For Rock 'N' Roll". It was 22:45 when AIRBOURNE left the stage and I went home by an alternative route. Anyway, I enjoyed AIRBOURNE's show very much, so I had a very pleasant evening after all. |
PAGAN FEST (7 March 2010)
013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Corinne v/d Brand It`s a cold, cloudy Sunday afternoon.The wind blows through the trees and I feel the need to dress in fur and fill my cow horn with a alcoholic beverage to keep me warm. With other words, a perfect day to listen to some pagan bands. First band this day is SVARTSOT from Denmark who filled the spot after Equilibrium cancelled. These guys who sing in their native language Danish had an half hour to convince the public. The sound wasn`t really good. Much to frail. When after a few songs a second guitarist joined the band the sound was much fuller. At least after he found out he had to plug in his guitar!! The band played very decent folkmetal with a good death grunt and they proved they were a good opener for this festival. 013 is fairly packed and the reactions to Svartsot were good but the public still had to be warmed up. A lot of bands to go by now. Next band is VARG from Germany. This red and black painted Viking metallers are more black metal orientated with Iron Maiden like melodies and the occasional humpa passages. The lightshow is mainly red and purple light which is very suitable for their show and gives them a somewhat dark, evil appearance. They just released their new album "Blutaar" and ofcourse they played some songs of this album.They played songs like Windzeit, Skol (Nice singalong), Wolfszeit. I don`t think this music is very exciting but the public is reacting very well on Varg. They also had 30 minutes to convince the audience but I wasn`t impressed because they don`t write very interesting songs. A bit too simple. But the audience liked it. Third band was the first highlight of this day. Russian pagan metal band ARKONA. What an energy from this frontwoman Masha. She screams, grunts and is also very good with clean vocals while she dances, runs on the stage. What a performance. The rest of the band is rather calm but this is the first band that`s has a professional vibe. Too bad about the bad sound. The soundman is terrible. It`s logical that grunts aren`t as loud as clean vocals but the sound guy doesn`t anticipate at all. So the clean vocals are suddenly very loud after a grunt part. You can`t hear the cymbals of the drums. Too bad because this was a good performance. They played for 45 minutes but the crowd wanted more. Then came the strangest band of the day, DORNENREICH from Austria. It started with an acoustic song with guitarist Eviga and Inve on violin. It`s more ambient than metal at times but this trio is really impressing. What a drummer!!! It`s because of him that this music doesn`t bore for a minute. And his fluorescent earplugs give a funny effect although they are not supposed to. It`s not party music or even easy to listen too but they have well thought out songs. The vocals are more black metal but he uses his voice as an instrument. I mean Eviga doesn`t just sings some lyrics but stretches his voice to the limits. It`s just a guitar, a violin and drums but it`s a real band and I don`t miss a bass or a second guitar. But this is not music for the mainstream public but I liked it a lot. And then it was time for the party band of the day, ALESTORM from Scotland. That this band is popular is pretty obvious because after the happy intro the crowd goes nuts and stays that way for 45 minutes. These Scottish pirates with Christopher Bowes on command sure know how to make a party. Although the sound guy fucks up again. The keyboards are much too loud and it takes him much too long to get the sound right. A bit the story of the day unfortunately. Personally I think the vocals are a bit annoying but they are perfect for the Alestorm sound. He really sounds like a pirate. Christopher is also a very good frontman and knows how to work the crowd without overdoing it. A really sympathetic guy. Their drummer left the band a few days before the show and their replacement has a difficult job but does it perfectly. Alestorm played songs like Wenches and Mead, Captain Morgan`s revenge, the very happy Keelhauled, title track of the latest album Black Sails at Midnight, that famous ol`spiced. Alestorm had the best reactions from the crowd this day. On with the program with ELUVEITIE from Switzerland. They were missing one guitarist due to military duty. But there were still seven people on stage. Enough to look at. They played very decent folk/death metal but due to the (again) bad sound a lot of nuances from the flutes and other instruments were lost and that was really too bad. Due to that it sounded a bit lame. Especially the drum parts were boring. Only the last few songs had a good sound and all off a sudden you could hear how it was supposed to sound and it became much more interesting. Asshole soundguy ruined the whole show. Ofcourse this is a good band and I especially liked Anna and Meri who were the only ones who moved on stage and did a very good job on violin and hurdy gurdy. And singing ofcourse. I especially liked the sound of the hurdy gurdy which goes very well with metal. Also Christian is a good frontman with a decent grunt but the flute he played you could hardly hear for the first half of the show. And the lightshow was very good. That is an important part of the show and is often underestimated. I would like the see the band again with a good sound. Last band of the night was FINNTROLL from Finland. And finally the sound was good from the beginning. The crowd went crazy again and it was obvious this band is very popular. The music is a mix of black metal/folkmetal with humppa parts and they do that very well. Although the crowd loved it I had some reservations with their show. It was all a bit routine and there wasn`t a lot of fun on stage. Especially the drummer didn`t move at all and was looking quite bored. It was all a bit tame and that was a bit of an anti climax after especially Alestorm and Eluveitie. But the guys can play and the crowd had a great time so who am I to judge…After an hour it was time to put an end to this successful festival. It was a long day but I`m glad I went. SKOL!!!! |
OVERKILL, SUICIDAL ANGELS, SAVAGE MESSIAH, CRIPPER (6 February 2010)
De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren Finally after 14 years I returned to De Pul in Uden to see one of the best thrashbands of the US history; Overkill. Right on time we arrived at the venue to see opener CRIPPER from Germany. The female fronted deathmetal suited me well but didn't fit in this oldschool package if you ask me. The venue wasnt that crowded when the band started at 7:30 P.M. For a few songs I went to the front of the pit to see the band and I must admit that front woman Britta was good looking which is of course a plus for a healthy man like me, ha-ha. The band names their music thrash but to me it sounded more deathmetal. Maybe because the band also names bands like The Haunted & Boltthrower as their influences. Nice band, nothing more, nothing less.. Next on the bill where UK thrashers SAVAGE MESSIAH. The band is highly influenced by bands like Testament; oldschool based thrash with good musicianship. A nice band but musically far from original so after half an hour I was getting bored and went (again) to the bar. SUICIDAL ANGELS from Greece was one of the bands I was again looking out for because I like their oldschool thrash (in a German way) very much. This was the 3rd time for me to see this band and again they convinced me fully. The band plays thrash in a way bands like Kreator & Sodom did 20 years ago. Check these guys out if you're into this kind of thrash and believe me; you'll get smashed by their energy! Again a very good show guys! In the meantime the venue was very crowded because most of the audience showed up for headliners OVERKILL. I lost my interest in the band for years because on stage their setlist couldn't convince me that much anymore. Last time when they opened for Motorhead in Kerkrade the band was already playing a few more old songs but I wasn't expecting to much this night. From the first note I knew I was wrong; the sound was awesome and Bobby Blitz was as energetic on stage as always! This was going to be a legendary show with mostly all-time classics; 'Rotten to the Core', 'Powersurge', 'Battle', 'Hello from the Gutter', 'Overkill', 'In Union we Stand', 'Feel the Fire', 'Bastard Nation', 'Elimination', 'Fuck You' & 'Sonic Reducer' just to name a few…… The crowd went nuts and I was so glad that the band finally made the switch to put more older songs in their setlist. Believe me, I was not the only one with these thoughts!!!! The band created an incredible pit in front of the stage and showed everybody that they can go on for many more years this way! Till now one of the best shows I've seen during the last few years (and that says enough…). Compliments guys! Come back ASAP!!! Thanks to De Pul also for putting me on the guest list to write this review! Its appreciated! |
2009 | |
MICK POINTER & CASUAL SILENCE (18 December 2009) De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by Jordy Brouwers
Mick Pointer`s visit to the Pul (Uden) on 18-12-2009 was part of the Script for a Jester`s Tour. During this relative short tour, Pointer and his friends played successively in the UK, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany and Holland. This performance on 18-12-2009 was Pointer`s third visit to the Pul, he successfully played here earlier in April 2008 and early 2009. | |
SWALLOW THE SUN, INSOMNIUM, OMNIUM GATHERUM (8 December 2009) De Kelder, Amersfoort, The Netherlands Review by Dennis van Dommelen
On the 8th of December the tour caravan -with all of the bands coming from the beautiful country of Finland- took up one's residence at de Kelder in Amersfoort. For about 40 to 50 man it was quite calm. But the people who were their tried their best to make it a nice evening. And although outside the winter hadn't started, inside the gloomy dark tunes of the bands set the tone for a dark season to come… | |
SEITA & ASSGOBLIN (6 December 2009) The Rambler, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Corinne van den Brand
I think most people in Holland were playing with the gifts they got from Sinterklaas or were on obligatory family visits because I can`t figure out why there were so few visitors this evening. Unbelievable , because SEITA deserves more attention then this. Originally Claustrophobia were scheduled to play this evening but due to problems they were forced to quit the tour prematurely and return to Brazil. Assgoblin from Limburg, Holland were the substitutes for this evening but I didn`t see them. | |
JORN LANDE & COOPER INC. (3 December 2009) The Rock Temple, Kerkrade, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
Again I found my way to the Rock Temple stage in the very south of The Netherlands to be witness of maybe one of Jorn Lande's latest live shows now that he returned to Masterplan lately. Jorn Lande is one of my favorite rock-singers (I named my son after him) and I was curious if he could continue his way to the top! A few years ago I already saw Jorn with his solo project at the Biebob club in Belgium and he smashed me with his powerful show and singing. He is not a great performer on stage but with such a great voice nobody cares about that!
COOPER INC. had the luck to do the opening spot of this night and they did that very meritorious. Singer John Cuijpers (Ayreon) is a very good singer with a powerful voice and musically the band fitted perfect as opener for Jorn Lande. The band members are very experienced. Vocalist John Cuijpers played with Ayreon, drummer Hans In't Zandt with Vengeance and Mad Max, while guitar player Christian Tolle already had released 2 solo albums. It also suited me again that every band at The Rock Temple has a good sound quality! That's also a very big plus for this very nice club! Good show of Cooper Inc. | |
VICIOUS RUMORS & MARTYR (13 & 14 November 2009) The Rock Temple, Kerkrade & The Rambler, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
I had plans to visit my friends from Vicious Rumors 4 days in a row but because of an upcoming hernia I had to cancel my visits to Rotterdam & Antwerp (Belgium). Luckily I was witness of 2 great shows in Kerkrade & Eindhoven (both The Netherlands).
When I arrived on Friday night at The Rock Temple, MARTYR was already performing but I only missed just a few songs. It's always great to see this energetic band on stage. Singer Ropke is a real stage animal and entertaining the audience every second of the show. The other band members are all well experienced and taking their jobs more than serious. Their setlist was filled with a few classic songs; 'Darkness at time's edge', 'Speed of Samurai', & 'Snow and Fire' but consisted mostly newer songs from their latest album “Fear”; 'Different Kind of Rain', 'Fear', 'Take me Home', 'The most Evil' & 'Eaten Alive'. Again a good show from this cult metal band from Holland! Only little complain I have is the fact that the band plays, to my opinion, to less older (speed) songs. | |
HALLOWEEN ROCKFEST (31 October 2009) La Vida, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
Booker Peter “DesPEERado” van Weel is the organizer of this festival which celebrates his second edition this year. Last year I wasn't able to visit the festival but I heard so many positive things about it that I needed to be there this time! The main reason to organize the festival is to promote the Halloween tradition in The Netherlands and is there a better way than doing this with a few good metal bands in all kinds of genres? NO! Last year Vengeance was headlining the festival and it was a difficult choice to find a band that could at least equal this party band. | |
RAISE THE DEAD FESTIVAL (30 & 31 October 2009) Park Teatred, Oslo, Norway Review by Ruud Fleskens
The Raise the Dead festival was created by old school booking, which is an agency with a mission to draw the attention towards old school metal bands. You can think about the old 80's speed/thrash and heavy metal, but also new bands that have the old sound are very welcome here. The raise the dead festival was the biggest festival these ladies from old school booking had been planning so far. Some really big names were on the line up like Manilla Road, Sodom and Asphyx so it was worth for me and some friends to go there. After finding our crappy hotel on Thursday we had some beers in a local pub and were ready for the next day which would be the first day of the festival.
GOD DETHRONED, HOLLENTHON, ENDSTILLE, ONHEIL (25 October 2009) | Mezz, Breda, The Netherlands Review by Kees Schijven
After arriving too late due to family circumstances, we missed ONHEIL completely, and came in just in time to see ENDSTILLE play their last songs. This was a bit too short for us to give it a proper review, certainly because we aren't familiar with the black metal these guys play. |
AGES OF METAL FESTIVAL (17 October 2009) J.H. 't Ipperste, Oostrozebeke, Belgium Review by Mario van Dooren
Ages of Metal; a newborn oldschool festival in the South of Belgium. I was invited to join the festival and I grabbed the possibility to review it because I love this kind of underground/oldschool events! Im also always trying to relive the old days with my own Mario's Metal Meetings and I can only welcome every new festival with the same kind of goals! I already knew what to expect with the (great) NWOBHM headliners but was also curious about the newcomers from Belgium. | |
THE CULT (13 October 2009) Effenaar, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Ad van Osch
THE CULT did a European "LOVE Live" Tour of 17 dates. On October 11th, 2009 they played at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam. But I preferred to go see this legendary rock band in a smaller venue. So, on Tuesday October 13th, 2009 I went to Eindhoven to see THE CULT at the Effenaar. There was no support act this evening, just only THE CULT. I already saw THE CULT on July 4th, 2006 in 013, Tilburg, which was a superb show. As the title of this tour says, Ian Astburry & Co. are playing the entire classic "Love" (1985) album in the exact same order. It was 21:15 when the lights went out and the band started with "Nirvana". I think that the concert was nearly sold out tonight. The audience was very varied, metalheads, rockers, alternative people etcetera and there was a very good atmosphere. I was standing in the second row in front of bass player Chris Wyse. During the "Love" set, rhythm guitarist for the tour, Mike Dimkich, stood next to Wyse in front of the stage, but after the "Love" set he stood at the backline. Ian Astburry told the audience he was a little ill. Despite the fact that he was ill, he sung fantastic and of course he's still a great performer as well. Astburry said 'we play in any condition, broken hand, broken feet, ill, not ill'. Billy Duffy, together with Astburry the only original member of THE CULT, is of course a great guitarist and he played fantastic. Sometimes Duffy came to the left side of the stage to sing backing vocals along with Wyse. Behind drummer John Tempesta was a very large video screen, and during every song fantastic video images were shown which fitted perfectly for each song. After the band played the last song of their "Love" album, "Black Angel", they left the stage for a few minutes and came back to play seven other songs. What else can I say, it was just awesome and I enjoyed it very much. Great sound, beautiful lightshow and most of all great songs. Especially with the songs "She Sells Sanctuary" and "Love Removal Machine" the audience went totally crazy. The order of the set list was "Nirvana", "Big Neon Glitter", "Love", "Brother Wolf, Sister Moon", "Rain", "Phoenix", "Hollow Man", "Revolution", "She Sells Sanctuary", "Black Angel", "Electric Ocean", "Wild Flower", "Sun King", "Rise", "Dirty Little Rockstar", "Fire Woman" and "Love Removal Machine". Next time perhaps an "Electric Live" or a "Sonic Temple Live" tour???? That would be great as well.
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MARIO'S METAL MEETING 3 & Warm Up show (3 & 4 October 2009) Little Devil & 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by several magazines/webzines
This was the third edition of Mario's Metal Meeting and because it was organised by Mario's Metal Mania it would not be fair to review my own festival :) For that reason I only add links to the several reviews/pictures on webzines & magazines: |
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SWORDBROTHERS 8 FESTIVAL (12 September 2009) Juz, Andernach, Germany Review by Mario van Dooren
This year was the 8th edtion of the German Swordbrothers Festival and the 4th time I was visiting this atmospheric festival! Swordbrothers mainman Volker Raab arranged again a great headliner and gave also the possibility to a lot of unknown bands to show their musicianship to a larger crowd. The same premeditation as my own Mario's Metal Meetings. | |
JUNGLE ROT, LONG TIME DEAD, DREAD, ION & NIGHTFIRE (9 September 2009) Frontline, Gent, Belgium Review by Sammy de Maere
After waiting for too long because of previously cancelled tours I finally had a chance to see JUNGLE ROT and I wasn't going to miss out on that one!
In the small venue of the Frontline in Gent I was one of the very few fans who decided to give up their Wednesday night for awesome death metal. And I wasn't proven wrong.
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MUCKY PUP & CLOON (6 September) Biebob, Vosselaar, Belgium Review by Ad van Osch
MUCKY PUP is doing a small reunion tour of ten dates in Europe. We already saw them on August 30th at the Dynamo Outdoor 2009 festival, and after all those years (the last time I've seen MUCKY PUP live was on June 2nd, 1991, in Noorderligt, Tilburg, Holland) it was great to see MUCKY PUP back on stage. So we decided to go see them in the Biebob as well. Arrived at the Biebob, it was already very crowded and it was very hot in there as well. The support act this evening was CLOON from Belgium, which is a band I never had heard of before, so I'm not familiar with any of their material. Anyway, it was 20:20 when this four piece band started with their set. They played songs as "He Who Knows", "Burned Rubber Blues" and some songs ("The Doll" and "The Runner") which will be on their forthcoming full length debut album. But after seven songs we've seen enough of the band, because CLOON wasn't really our type of band. And to be honest, CLOON wasn't the perfect band for MUCKY PUP to open. The response they got from the audience was also very minimal. | |
URIAH HEEP & THE BREEZE (4 September 2009) De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by Ad van Osch
On Friday September 4th I went to De Pul in Uden, Holland to go see URIAH HEEP again. This concert of HEEP tonight is gonna be my sixth concert of them. Anyway, arriving at De Pul, it appeared to be almost a full house. The support-act of this evening is Dutch rock band THE BREEZE, a band which exists since 1984. Personally I never had heard of this trio before. They started at 20:15 with "Bad To The Bone". The very simple bluesy Hard Rock they played didn't impress me that much. Especially the drums of Hein van Kastel are so simple. And it looked like he finds himself a terrific good drummer. I can't say that the songs of THE BREEZE are very strong compositions. Okay, the third song they played, "Boogie Town", was a nice one. The band also played two songs of their brand new album "Nightflight" ("Arabia" and "Don't"). Nick Helmond is a reasonable singer, but a good guitarist anyway. I'm not sure if it was during "Working" that Van Kastel did a very simple and unimpressive drum solo. The last song THE BREEZE played was a cover version of THE ROMANTICS' classic "What I Like About You". Great song of course, but just nicely done. Their version even can't compete with the original (which is a real favourite one of me). | |
FLOTSAM AND JETSAM & MARTYR (23 August 2009) The Rock Temple, Kerkrade, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
The Rock Temple is a nearly new Rock club and today was my third visit to Kerkrade. After the great shows of Vicious Rumors and lately Cage, the venue booked again a great US-metalband; Flotsam & Jetsam. Most positive about the Rock Temple is the awesome sound most of the bands have when they play overhere. | |
HEADBANGERS OPEN AIR FESTIVAL (23, 24 & 25 July 2009) Brande Hörnerkichen, Germany Review by Mario van Dooren
Headbangers Open Air 2009; the festival I was looking out for already during the 2008 edition! HOA still is my favourite festival (yes, even more important than my own Mario's Metal Meetings!!) and it's always a party to be there! Since 2008 the organisers plan the festival 1 week before the mighty Wacken Open Air festival (also nearby Hamburg). A good commercial action but not so good for the real underground fans that travel to HOA every year. Already months ago the festival was sold out (for the first time) and that was due to the fact that a lot of Wacken travellers made a "stop" in Brande Hornerkirchen. On Thursday evening the "garden" was already crowded like never before! Pity because it didn't do the atmosphere that good. Organisers Thomas & Jurgen both promised me that the festival will never grow bigger than this year's edition (about 2500 people). So let's wait & see what happens in the future….. | |
AC/DC, THE ANSWER & DRIVE LIKE MARIA (23 June 2009) Arena, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Review by Ad van Osch On Tuesday June 23rd I went, together with a nephew, to the ArenA in Amsterdam by touring car to see AC/DC. I was really looking forward to see AC/DC for the third time in my life. The first two shows I saw of these legendary Australian rockers was on March 15th, 1988 (Rijnhal, Arnhem) and September 1st, 1991 (Goffertpark, Nijmegen). Anyway, we went on time, but because of a traffic jam around Utrecht, we arrived to late at the ArenA, so we totally missed the first band DRIVE LIKE MARIA. When we arrived THE ANSWER was already playing. We only have seen the last three or four songs of them. To bad, because I really would have seen the whole show of THE ANSWER. Exactly at 21:00 the lights went down and the intro tape of AC/DC started. During that intro I just went to one of the bars for some large beers for my nephew and myself and it took me a few minutes before I finally found my nephew again in the field. Anyway, the whole audience was yelling and Angus & co. started their set with "Rock 'n Roll Train" of their "Black Ice" album. Second song was the classic "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be". After the show I heard people say that the sound was to loud, but to me the sound was okay, because I had my special ear plugs in. Anyway, everyone went crazy this evening. Besides "Rock 'n Roll Train" other songs the band played from "Black Ice" are "Big Jack", "Black Ice", "War Machine" and "Anything Goes". The rest of the set existed of real classic songs like "Back In Black", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", "Shot Down In Flames", "Thunderstruck", "The Jack" with Angus' famous striptease, "Hells Bells", "Shoot To Thrill", "Dog Eat Dog", "You Shook Me All Night Long", "TNT" (Oi Oi) and of course "Whole Lotta Rosie" and "Let There Be Rock". Angus Young still makes lots of kilometers on stage with his famous "Chuck Berry" walk. There was a long catwalk on which Brian Johnson could walk and sing between the audience. As usual, rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young and bassist Cliff Williams are most of the time standing at the backline. On both sides of the stage and behind drummer Phil Rudd there was a very large screen, so that people in the back and on Ring 1 and Ring 2 could see the band better. AC/DC's show always has some special elements, like the large bell during "Hells Bells", a giant Rosie ("Whole Lotta Rosie") and of course the many cannons for "For Those About To Rock". After the regular set the band came back for just two encores, which were "Highway To Hell" and "For Those About To Rock". Anyway, I really enjoyed this show and I'm glad we had a ticket, because, like many others, we had to miss the show in March in Rotterdam because it was sold out very quickly. Hopefully it won't take to long for their next tour and new studio album, because I really would love to see the band some more. | |
PRONG & DIE SO FLUID (6 June 2009) De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by Frans Neelen
Thanks to the programmers of The Pul in Uden (who do a wonderful job in serving metal for the South of Holland in a very nice venue; you guys did it again with this package !) we are able to loosen up our neck muscles witnessing an all star "Power Trio" Tour as you can call it (both great bands consist of three members). I was looking out for this one because I get to see the awesome Die So Fluid again who are finally seeming to emerge from the London underground. Pure luck it was on the 8th of December 2004 when I headed of to London to see Girlschool. Die So Fluid was the support act right over there and they immediately blew me away with their energetic, powerful show and a combination with Prong, hey, who wants more ……Anyway, DIE SO FLUID kicks off at the early time of 08.10 pm with two songs of their debut album "Spawn of Dysfunction" ( "Bitterness by Discipline" and the superb title track) and I new that this was going to be a memorable evening. Vocalist-bass player Grog is in the possession of a really amazing voice which she fully uses to sing and spit out the marvellous lyrics into the audience. With her explicit looks she is the eye catcher of the band and she knows how to get the attention from the audience. But this is certainly not a one-woman act. Together with guitar player Mr. Drew, who plays his powerful solo's and heavy guitar grooves with a straight face in a quasi nonchalance way, and the driving drums and backing vocals of Al Fletcher this band forms a tight hard rockin' unit. Die So Fluid have memorable songs with hooks, breakdowns and grooves lesser bands would kill for, and they know how to put them across on stage. The music contains so much influences like rock/wave/gothic/powerpop/metal that it is hard to describe, but they have the skills to forge all this into catchy, heavy songs. Their set goes on with the tracks "Happy Halloween", "Vorvolaka" and "Existential Baby" from their impressive second album "Not Everybody Gets a Happy Ending", interrupted by a new, promising song called "Raven" (on the next album; release around September) before ending up much to early with two of the bands favourites "Kiss the Floor" and the biopic "Gang of One" (Yeah !!!). | |
SACRED REICH & TYPHONIC BLAST (30 May 2009) Dynamo, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Corinne van den Brand
Because the Helstar gig a week earlier was very badly visited I wasn't expecting a full house with SACRED REICH but to my surprise it was crowded when I got there. And very hot!!! The first band was TYPHONOC BLAST from Eindhoven who started at 20.45 hrs. I wasn't really impressed by Freek-vocals, Joris- guitars, Roland-Guitars, Marco- drums and Claudio-bass. A few days later I couldn't remember anything from them except the song 'Fuckface'. They played half an hour and that was long enough for me. Everybody came for the next band: Sacred Reich. | |
NEUROTIC DEATHFEST (29 & 30 May 2009) 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Sammy de Maere & Dennis van Dommelen
Death metal fans from across Europe gathered again at the 013 in Tilburg for the 6th edition of Neurotic Deathfest. Every year the organisation manages to book a wide variety of death metal acts, varying from old school to grind and from the biggest names to underground ones. This year Sammy de Maere (SdM) and Dennis van Dommelen (DvD) were there to report on this great two day festival. | |
HELSTAR & LANFEAR (24 May 2009) Dynamo, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
I was still not recovered from the superb Cage shows a few days before in Antwerp & Kerkrade and I already had to travel again to see Helstar at the (once legendary) Dynamo club in The Netherlands. | |
CAGE & DRAGONSFIRE (22 May 2009) The Rock Temple, Kerkrade, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
Just 2 days after their show in Antwerp (see Live Review below) I had the opportunity to see CAGE again and this time in The Netherlands. The Rock Temple is a new metal pub that was opened at the end of 2008. Owner Ludy is a very nice guy that is always willing to help. This time Cage had 2 support acts and as you can guess we nearly missed the first one L. | |
CAGE (20 May 2009) De Rots, Antwerp, Belgium Review by Mario van Dooren
Last year I had to miss CAGE (and a lot of other great bands) at the 10th anniversary show of the German Keep it True festival because my wife gave birth to a lovely daughter just a few days before the festival.
So when Volker "Swordbrothers" Raabe contacted me if I could be of any help to book some shows for Cage in 2009 I was enthusiastic! Finally I could see the band that released the classic "Darker than Black" album in 2003. I was not familiar with their latest 2 albums ("Hell Destroyer" & |Science of Annihilation") because I never received them to review for MMM (Singer Sean Peck gave me the last album finally during this show; see CD/DVD Reviews). | |
LEGION OF THE DAMNED, IZEGRIM & DEVIOUS (15 May 2009) Mezz, Breda, The Netherlands Review by Robin van Tilburg
In the last couple of years, Legion of the Damned has managed to become the flag-ship of the Dutch metal scene. A few months ago they released their highly acclaimed fourth album 'Cult of the Dead' which also gained a lot of international attention. Not only does Legion of the Damned convince on their records, they are also more than worth it to watch on stage. In my opinion they are one of the best live Dutch metal acts at this moment. Therefore I traveled to the Mezz in Breda to experience their show again.
When I arrived, the first support act DEVIOUS was about to hit the stage. It was my first acquaintance with this Dutch group and I've got to say: they really surprised me. Devious brings a brutal mixture of death and thrash metal with long, melodic instrumental parts. Their stage performance is what you would call energetic and the threatening look of singer Arnoud is very suitable to the music. Brutal and mean! This band played an excellent show and I would like to see them more often for sure. Devious will soon be releasing their third full length album on Deity Down Records. The same label that recently released the latest Thanatos album. Based on the songs that were played live, this album is going to be a killer. | |
BACK TO THRASH 2 FESTIVAL (15 May 2009) Willem 1, Arnhem, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
It was a long time ago that I visited this venue but this Friday Willem 1 venue organised an oldschool thrashfestival which suited me very well, especially because I'm organising an equal kind of festival later this year in 013, Tilburg. So it was an ideal opportunity to promote my own festival & to check out some other thrashbands that might by interesting for one of my upcoming festivals J.
When I arrived at the venue the first band CRUSHING JACKHAMMER was already playing and I was only able to see the last 2 songs of their set. Unfortunately I was not a big fan of their "Time to Thrash" demo so I guess I didn't miss that much. It's also not fair to judge this band by the 2 songs I heard. | |
SAGA & IT BITES (18 April 2009) De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by Jordy Brouwers
On 18 april '09, Saga visited the Pul in Uden to promote their new album "The Human Condition". It Bites is supporting Saga during a part of their European tour, they have also released a new album: The Tall Ships. | |
ALESTORM, TYR, HEIDEVOLK & ADORNED BROOD (12 April 2009) Biebob, Vosselaar, Belgium Review by Sammy de Maere
In order to bring attention to the release of their upcoming albums Alestorm and Tyr joined hands to tour Europe with a mix of old songs and already a few teasers of the new albums. Heidevolk was also asked to join the tour and Adorned Brood agreed to open the night. Folk fans were in for quite a night as the four bands came onto the stage for a great show. | |
ERIC SINGER PROJECT (9 February 2009) De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by Ad van Osch
Well, I had thought that this only show of ERIC SINGER PROJECT in The Netherlands would be sold out, because there are so many KISS fans in Holland. But I was wrong, De Pul wasn't sold out, it was just nicely crowded. Perhaps the reason that it wasn't sold out is that it was on a Monday evening. Anyway, the show should begin at 20:15 but it was 20:45 when the band opened with the KISS classic "Parasite", which is sung by bass player Chuck Garrick (ALICE COOPER BAND) who's nickname is Hellvis. The songs of the set were sung by Garrick or John Corabi. Well, to bad the audience wasn't allowed to take pictures of the band, you needed a special photo pass for this show. So if you took some pictures, a co-worker of De Pul would came to you and warn you about it's not allowed to take pictures. I assume this is all because of E.S.P.'s management. Anyway, I didn't recognize the second song of the show, but the third song was the ALICE COOPER classic "Under My Wheels". Actually you can say that the ERIC SINGER PROJECT is the most expensive cover band of the world, because E.S.P. are only playing classic covers and songs of the bands the members are in (or have played/sung in). The band doesn't have any new written songs. E.S.P. has in John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE, UNION, RATT etc.) a good lead singer and front man. Tonight Corabi looks with his goatee, moustache and headscarf on like Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp in "Pirates Of The Caribbean" movies). Some other covers the band played are "Power To The Music" (MÖTLEY CRÜE), "Highway Star" (DEEP PURPLE) with a fantastic guitar solo by Bruce Kulick (ex-KISS, GOOD RATS, UNION, and since 2001 in GRAND FUNK RAILROAD) and "Helter Skelter" (THE BEATLES). Of course because of Eric Singer and Bruce Kulick the band played a lot of KISS songs like "Domino", "Unholy", "Master & Slave" and "I Love It Loud". The whole show I've been standing in the second row in front of Bruce Kulick. Bruce still is a fantastic guitarist. After the regular set E.S.P. returned very quickly for some encores which were the KISS classic "Black Diamond" (of course sung by Eric) and "Tie Your Mother Down" (QUEEN). So after one and a half hour of playing E.S.P. left the stage.
Of course there was a merchandise stand where you could buy pictures, CD's, DVD's, shirts, drumsticks, guitar picks etc. for ridiculous prices. What else is new, if it has something to deal with KISS, well then it's BIG BUSINE$$$$$$$$$. Anyway, there was told the band members should come back for a signing session after 15 minutes, well they finally came back after 30 minutes and there was a long row of fans waiting to let sign only one item by Eric, Bruce, John and Chuck. But all with all I really enjoyed this evening. | |
GRAVE DIGGER & ALESTORM (6 February 2009) Biebob, Vosselaar, Belgium Review by Sammy de Maere
Due to working late and traffic I missed the first band Taletellers and I didn't hear anyone talking about them so I asume they weren't too bad but didn't give a lingering performance either. | |
SAXON, ICED EARTH & OUTBURST (3 February 2009)
013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Ad van Osch Well, it has been fourteen years ago since I had seen Saxon live. So I decided to go see them again after all those years. The first time that I saw Saxon was on April 19th, 1991 and the second time was on April 12th, 1995. Both times were at the Noorderligt venue in Tilburg. So, this is gonna be my third concert of Saxon in my life and the first time I see the band in 013. It wasn't sold out, but I think there were about 1200/1300 people. Just a few days before the concert, I had noticed that one of the best metal bands of Tilburg, Outburst, were the opening-act this evening. I've seen them several times so far and I really like their "Fair And Balanced" (2006) album. When I arrived at 013, OUTBURST already had begun, so I missed only two songs ("Slaughterhouse" and "My Own Hell"). The Dommelsch Hall was already nicely filled, but during their set the audience was very tame. This fantastic five piece band stands guarantee for some high quality Thrash metal. The band had a great sound and played some new songs like "What Lies Below" and "Unperfect Skill". And those new songs sounded great. Outburst is working on their second full length album, which is planned for a release in the Spring of 2009. Well, I'm looking forward to the new album of these guys. Anyway, other songs they played were "Your War", "Hollow" and "Hear My Voice". Very good band, but to bad they didn't get that much response. Second band this night is ICED EARTH, which is a very popular band amongst metalheads. Well, personally I'm not that familiar with their material, because I don't have anything of them, but I know that a lot of Iced Earth fans are glad that singer Matt Barlow is back. Last year I saw Iced Earth for the first time at the Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium. And I have to admit that, also now that I've seen them for the second time, they are a very good band. They remind me of a mix between Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Only the sound of Iced Earth wasn't that good during the first five or six songs (at least from were I was standing). And I was not the only one with that opinion. Anyway, some of the songs the band played were "Burning Times", "Vengeance Is Mine", the semi-ballad "Watching Over Me" and "Dracula". After a set of one hour the band came back for just one encore, which was "Iced Earth". Around 21:25 headliner SAXON entered the stage of 013 and they opened their set with "Battalions Of Steel", the first song of their brand new album "Into The Labyrinth". The second song was "Let Me Feel Your Power" of the "The Inner Sanctum" (2007) album. The atmosphere in 013 was fantastic and everyone went crazy during Saxon's show, especially with the classics of the band. I was really surprised that one of those classics, "Dallas 1 PM", was so early in the set. Of course Biff & Co. are promoting their newest album with this tour and other songs they played of "Into The Labyrinth" were "Demon Sweeny Todd", "Hellcat" and "Valley Of The Kings". Biff is still a fantastic singer and a great performer. Saxon is a solid Metal band with great musicians. The band played a simple show, no guitar solos or a drum solo, just fantastic songs. Besides songs from the new album, the band played mostly old classics like "Heavy Metal Thunder", "Power And The Glory" and "Crusader", which was the last song of the regular set. The band came back very quickly for their encores. The first encore Saxon played was "Live To Rock" from the new album, which sounds a little bit like AC/DC. The other two encores were the classics "Princess Of The Night" and "Denim And Leather". And with these songs the show ended at 22:40. Well, I'm glad I went to see Saxon again, because it was fantastic and I enjoyed it very much. But I really missed some classics like "747 (Strangers In The Night)", "Motorcycle Man", "Wheels Of Steel" and "The Eagle Has Landed". |
2008 |
CHRISTMAS METAL SYMPHONY (28 December 2008) 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Kees Schijven
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WHITESNAKE & STONEFLY (21 December 2008) 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Mr. Globbetrotter
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DORO; 25 Years in Rock (13 December 2008) ISS Dome, Dusseldorf, Germany Review by Kees Schijven
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SICK OF IT ALL & GUEST (Persistance Tour) (10 December 2008) 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Dennis van Dommelen
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CRADLE OF FILTH, GORGOROTH, MOONSPELL, SEPTICFLESH (3 December 2008) 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Dennis van Dommelen
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MOTORHEAD, DANKO JONES (24 November 2008) 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
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SATYRICON, EVILE, ZONARIA (20 November 2008) Melkweg, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Review by Dennis van Dommelen
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UNLEASHED, KRISIUN, ONE MAN ARMY & THE UNDEAD QUARTET (19 November 2008) Effenaar, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Corinne v/d Brand
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MARIO'S METAL MEETING 2 (9 November 2008) 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by several magazines/webzines
This was the second edition of Mario's Metal Meeting and because it was organised by Mario's Metal Mania it would not be fair to review my own festival :) For that reason I only add links to the several reviews on webzines & magazines: |
VICIOUS RUMORS, COURAGEOUS, MYTHOLIC (8 November 2008) The Rock Temple, Kerkrade, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
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KAMPFAR, KOLDBRANN, CUTTHROAT, MONDVOLLAND (2 November 2008) Azijnfabriek, Roermond, The Netherlands Review by Dennis van Dommelen
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GRAND MAGUS, SERPENT CULT, MONSTERTONE, SOUTHERN VOODOO (1 November 2008) Dynamo, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by William Nijhof
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MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP (MSG), DIGGETH (23 October 2008) De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands Review by Mr. Globbetrotter
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SWORDBROTHERS 7 FESTIVAL (13 September 2008) Andernach, Germany Review by Mario van Dooren
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LOUD FROM THE SOUTH FESTIVAL (30 August 2008) Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Dennis van Dommelen
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PARTY SAN FESTIVAL (7, 8 & 9 August 2008) Bad Berka, Germany Review by Sammy de Maere
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WACKEN OPEN AIR FESTIVAL (30 July till 2 August 2008) Wacken, Germany Review by Dennis van Dommelen
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HEADBANGERS OPEN AIR FESTIVAL (24, 25 & 26 July 2008)
Brande-Hörnerkirchen, Germany Review by Mario van Dooren Headbangers Open Air is for me THE festival as a lot of people already know. This years edition was my 5th visit to the festival with a line-up I could only dream about!! Okay, the Keep it True festival always has bigger names on the bill but the atmosphere in combination with the great underground bands that are playing at HOA is unbelievable!! After a bit weaker 10th edition in 2007, HOA put a line up together that was marvellous! Pim from Digital Steel webzine & Melissa Records joined me during this battle of attrition and my pictures will be added to the Digital Steel webzine later on. DAY 1 Due to traffic jam nearby Hamburg we had to miss the first band MESSENGER from Germany. Pity because I saw the band a few years ago at the KIT festival and they where okay that time. Italian metallers ANCESTRAL cancelled their gig just a few days before the festival and where replaced by a NWOBHM tribute-band named ROXXCALIBUR. These guys (with members of VIRON & ABANDONED) where already doing their things when we arrived at the festival. Gladly we could pick up some covers of bands like JAGUAR, GRIM REAPER & SAVAGE. Nice tribute band but I prefer to see these kind of bands at metal parties and not at a festival like HOA. Maybe it also has to do with the fact that I never was such a huge NWOBHM fan?? DEADLY BLESSING was one of the reasons/bands I travelled to North Germany. Their older stuff is great and their former singer Ski (now in Faith Factor) is one of my alltime fav. metalsingers. His voice is incredible. So I was very curious about his successor and the new songs of the band. After opening with "Search & Destroy" I already had a bad feeling. Their new singer isnt bad at all but on stage it was a kind of a disappointment. After a few songs he began to sing even more out of tune and that's a pity if you know how good the band was in the past. Musically they still kick ass, eventhough the new songs are more Maiden-a-like than their previous material. The band played a nice mix of older & newer songs. Later on I heard that the singer had a throat infection so I have to give the band a second opinion some day. According the 2-track demo the band gave me, I have to admit that the new songs sound cool and the vocals do remind me a lot to Alan Tecchio (ex-Hades, Ex-Watchtower, Seven Witches, et al…). Review of that demo will be online soon… A few years ago I also saw BENEDICTUM with front-lady Veronica Freeman. During that gig in Belgium (Biebob) I wasn't impressed by her vocals because she was screaming (in a negative way) and it didn't sound like singing that time. Luckily this time she was singing much much better and their gig turned out to be the best gig on Thursday. Veronica is not only a lust to SEE on stage because of her looks but also because of her stage act. A very fanatic stage animal which finally proved me that their 2 great albums can be performed live as well. I also had the feeling that the line-up changes could be debit for a big part of that. The band played an Accept cover 'Balls to the Wall" with two great guest 'singers' from the audience which where both having as much fun as we had, hahahaha. Good show!! EXODUS was the headliner on Thursday. After nearly 1 hour soundcheck the band finally started. Personally I did like their show a few weeks ago at the Dynamo Club in Eindhoven but I was irritated by the political bullshit the new frontman Rob Dukes was talking about. Tonight he did it again. Nobody is waiting for his opinion, especially not a true-metal audience!! The band at all didn't fit in the HOA line-up because of the hardcore throat of Rob Duke which wasn't appreciated by most of the people I spoke to after/during the show. Some songs of their setlist: 'Bonded by Blood', 'Lessons in Violence', 'Fabulous Disaster'. Nice headliner for a dutch audience but not for HOA followers….. DAY 2 BLACK HAWK from Germany where opening on day 2 and the band played standard heavy metal, nothing more nothing less. I heard this kind of metal all before but I have to admit that the band performed well. I also didnt like the Kiss cover 'Detroit Rock City" just because I dont like Kiss at all! Nice opener but not spectacular. German Speedmetallers PARADOX where the next band on the bill but they cancelled (I first heard they where not satisfied with their place on the bill but later on I read the news that there singer was ill and now they will play at next years HOA)??) and where replaced by, again, DEADLY BLESSING who already played the day before. The gig was nearly equal to their show on Thursday so take a look back for details…. 18 years ago I already saw MORTAL SIN when they supported TESTAMENT in my hometown Tilburg. That time I was not really impressed by the band even if I did like their debut album "Mayhemic Destruction" very much. So my expectations for today where not very high. The more I was surprised by their stage performance: I was really blown away by their energy!!! What a power!! Their singer was really fun to see: headbanging & singing all the time. I could nearly see his face because his head was banging the whole set! Superb gig especially because I didn't excpect that much from these Australian guys! Also the newer songs (from their last album: "An Absence of Faith") sounded great. SWEET SAVAGE was the first "real" NWOBHM band on this years edition. I already saw the band 10 years ago at the Wacken festival. The band is most wellknown for the fact that their former guitarplayer Vivian Campbell (according the dutch Aardschok magazine; the best metal female guitarist ever, hhahahahaha) was picked up by Ronnie James DIO and later moved to DEF LEPPARD. The band wasn't looking that young anymore but I could see that they still had a lot of fun on stage! I had to wait till the end of the set before they played their classic songs "Eye of the Storm" & "Killing Time". Good show from this oldies!!! One of the most important bands for me to visit HOA again was LETHAL (USA). Last year the band blew me away during their Keep it True appaerance and I was so curious if they could do it again this time. Well, they did! Singer Tom Mallicoat is still a singing metalgod even if he looks very nervous on stage. The band is musically oiled very well and it was again a pleasure to see/hear these guys! Also the day after, at the HOA afterparty at the Ballroom in Hamburg, the band was superb. The band played a lot of songs from their debut album "Programmed" but also some later stuff and even a new song! The band had the bad luck that during the last couple of songs, Tom's microphone had a breakdown on the line. Gladly this was solved after 2 songs. Cant wait to hear the new songs! Hope they come back to Europe again soon!! LETHAL rules!! US thrashers AT WAR was a band that I liked very much in the past and im a big fan of their 2 albums. Pity enough I never saw the band earlier and the more I was pleased when I heard they did play HOA!! The 3-man band played in the orginal line-up which is ofcourse extra fun! The band played mostly songs from their 2 albums but also played some new song(s) and a Motörhead cover "The Hammer". The band had a special sound in the old days and it was great to hear that they still had this sounds on stage! Very good show from these guys! Some songs from their setlist: 'Church & State', 'Ilsa (She Wolf Of The S.S.)', 'Eat Lead', 'Rapechase', 'Ordered To Kill', 'Mortally Wounded', et al... Please come back asap!! US Schock rockers IMPALER where also on the bill but I never liked their stuff anyway. Also now on stage the band couldn't impress me for 1 minute. Their "show" looked childish and is not of this time. A guy with a bloody shirt running around the whole time on stage is looking cheap and reminded me to the Mad Butcher from Destruction. Difference is that Destruction uses this act for only 1 song, Impaler used him the whole set. Not my kind of band. A waste of time… DETÈNTE played finally in Europe with a nearly original line-up; nearly ofcourse because original singer Dawn Crosby died years ago (in 1996, due to a acute liver failure). The band found a replacement in Ann Boleyn (ex-Hellion). Ann was doing a good job even if she doesn't fit in perfectly. Why? Ann's voice is much more melodic than Dawn's voice ever was. Still they convinced me live and I have to be honest that they could have picked out a worse substitute for Dawn! Personally I didn't expect to much of this reunion but I was positive surprised by the band musicianship and Ann's performance! Some of the songs from their setlist: "Holy War', 'It's Your Fate', 'Life is Pain', 'Vultures In The Sky'. Good show!! I will not say to much about the headliners BLAZE BAYLEY & SODOM because I only saw parts of the shows and I never was a real fan of both bands. Day 2 was at an end and we went back to our hotel to rest for day 3…. DAY 3 STONE COLD BLACK from the Hamburg area was opening on the last festival day (we still had the afterparty to go…..) but their raw metal/pop couldn't convince me for 1 minute, Musically it was okay but their "singer" was terrible to hear….skip...... ABANDONED is one of todays newcomers in the German thrashscene and today they did a good job. Their singer isnt such a great vocalist but his appearance on stage is making it all worth to check these guys out. It suited me that he was complaining about the Exodus performance in which he was, to my opinion totally right! (read my Exodus review above). Abandoned plays straigth is your face thrash which I like very much. Good show guys! Pity of a few false guitarsolos. German thrash still kicks ass!! US thrashers DESTRUCTOR played to early on the time schedule if you ask me. Im a big Destructor fan from the first minute and they only released good albums during all these years. I saw the band several years ago at the Bang Your Head festival and they blew me away! Last time at the Keep it True festival they where playing a bit less inspired so I was curious about their show today. Luckily for me the band was giving a great show again and it was for me one of the headlights of this years HOA. Only complain (same as on KIT) was that they didn't play "Bondage" again… But their singer promised me to do that next time for me specially:). Some of their songs they did play: 'Tear down the Heavens', 'Destruction', 'Take Command', 'Maximum Destruction', 'Iron Curtain', 'Storm of Steel', 'Pounding Evil', 'Overdose'. Great show!! PRAYING MANTIS is most wellknown because ex-Iron Maiden guitarplayer Dennis Stratton was once one of their guitarplayers. The band makes NWOBHM which I did like but when you compare it with SWEET SAVAGE it was not that special. Nevertheless the band has a great singer! Nice band but not really my cup of tea (or in HOA terms; not my glass of beer)... AXEHAMMER from the USA made some great albums but last time at the Keep it True festival they really sucked!! That time their original singer Bill Ramp was singing out of tune the whole set and I was glad when I heard that he "left" the band. Their new singer used to sing in the US cultband THRUST ("Fist Held High" album) and it was a good refreshment in the Axehammer line-up. Personally I couldn't recognize his voice anymore because in his Thrust period he had a more high-pitched voice. Now he wasn't singing that high but he had an incredible power in his voice. (Lately singer Mark Stewart contacted me and told me that HE was not the singer during the "Fist Held High" period). Good show anyway this time! Hope to see them more in the near future! Some songs they played: 'Princess", 'Lord of the Realm', 'Axehammer', 'Stand Up and Fight'. WILD DOGS; came, saw & sucked! What a terrible disaster!! Most of the people where waiting for an old school Wild Dogs set but Fatt Matt (now I know why he uses this name) also played a lot of songs from his Fatt Matt & Dr. Mastermind projects. Even the "Reign of Terror" performance sounded very very weak. One of the biggest disappointments of this years HOA!! Because of a hunger attack I missed REBELLION One of the US bands I went over to HOA again was the slightly progressive metalband NEW EDEN. The band showed up with a new singer (Rod Arias) and I was curious if he could replace his predecessor Rick Mythiasin; well he could! The band had several problems with their sound and started more than an hour to late. Nevertheless they gave a good performance but it counted me that this kind of progressive metal isnt that popular in the German underground scene. A few years ago I saw the same problem when Pyramaze played at HOA. Little disadvantage to the band was the fact that second guitarplayer Tim Thomas wasn't in the band anymore and that bandleader Horacio Colmenares was the only guitarist in the band which didn't gave the total sound a extra. Still New Eden kicked ass! Setlist according the band: 'Piracy', 'Sunshine', 'Sypmptoms of Time', 'Dance of the Dead', 'Demons of Earth', Land of Filth & Money', 'Stagnant Progression', 'Threshold of Tolerance', 'Crawling Erect' & 'The Not Self". As a bonus they also played Iron Maiden's 'Running Free'. 26 years ago I saw PICTURE from my homeland The Netherlands for the frist & last time! I've never been such a great Picture fan but I have to admit that they played a very tight show this evening. Their singers voice didn't stand the time that good but the rest of the band was playing very well. Funny to see how popular this kind of dutch metalbands are in Germany. Good show and a good choice of the organisers to put the band so high on the time schedule! Some of their songs: 'Heavy Metal Ears', 'Eternal Dark', 'Choosing your Sign', 'Unemployed', 'Battle For The Universe', 'Live by the Sword'. The most important band for me to come over to Brande Hörnerkirchen was the fact that my metal-hero Dan Beehler showed up with his "new" band BËEHLER. Dan Beehler is most wellknown for his incredible drumming & singing in the old EXCITER line-up. Also ex-EXCITER bassplayer Allan Johnson was in the band together with guitarplayers Sean Brophy & Scott Walsh. The band played an incredible set with lots of old EXCITER stuff and a few Beehler songs for their demos (which are already collector's items). The sound was a bit hard but bands like EXCITER/BEEHLER can effort this. Man, I had a hell of a time to see Dan Beehler playing drums & screaming out his lungs just like in the (his) old days! The absolute highlight for me this edition of HOA!!! Superb!!! Watch for their setlist and get scarred!!!: 'Stand up & Fight', 'Heavy Metal Maniac', 'Iron Dogs', 'Evil Sinner', 'Black Witch', 'Rising of the Dead', 'Pounding Metal', 'Beyond the Gates of Doom', 'Violence & Force', 'Ace of Spades (Motörhead cover)', 'Long Live the Loud' and some songs from the Bëehler demos: 'One Foot In Your Grave', 'Destroy', 'Used Bitch' & 'Psychotron'. I only knew the headliner from saturday DEATH SS from their name & cult status so I was curious to check them out. Well it was all nice done, good musicianship, nice (but bit childish) show and a fanatic audience. Not really my cup of tea but still a well chosen headliner which is appreciated very much by the real underground visitors!! Again I would like to thank Thomas Tegelhutter and Jurgen Hegewald for their support and for putting me, again, on the guestlist! My thanx also goes out to Pim B. from Digital Steel (webzine) for joining me to this Mekka of Metal! The overal sound of nearly all the bands was much better than before! Only little complain I have is about the variety of food and im also afraid that HOA will become to big. This year there where already a lot of Wacken visitors which used HOA as a warm up festival :( Till next year my German Underground Metal Friends!! HOA ruled again!!! |
MAGIC CIRCLE FESTIVAL PART 2 (10, 11 & 12 July 2008) Bad Arolsen, Germany Review by Sammy de Maere
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ACE FREHLEY, SOUTHERN WEREWOLF FARM (12 June 2008) 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Ad van Osch
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TESTAMENT, OUTBURST (3 June 2008) Dynamo, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
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GLENN HUGHES (1 June 2008) Plato, Helmond, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
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BORSTROCK FESTIVAL (17 May 2008) Nieuw-Vossemeer, The Netherlands Review by Ronny Elst and Sien Willemse
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JOE SATRIANI, REAL MEN DON'T DANCE (10 May 2008) 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Ad van Osch
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AXTHOR (9 May 2008) Beerse, Belgium Review by Ronny Elst
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INTO THE ARENA (1 May 2008) Motor Blues Festival, Geertruidenberg, The Netherlands Review by Mr. Globbetrotter
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HEIDEVOLK, BLACK MESSIAH (25 April 2008) Willemeen, Arnhem, The Netherlands Review by Dennis van Dommelen
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EXODUS, EVILE (14 April 2008) Dynamo, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
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ONSLAUGHT, SUICIDAL ANGELS, SEPIROTH (11 April 2008) Dynamo, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
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KEEP IT TRUE FESTIVAL X (4& 5 April 2008) Lauda-Konigshofen, Germany Review by Kostas Kounadinis
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BRAINSTORM, PAGAN'S MIND (7 March 2008) De Bosuil, Weert, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
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FLOTSAM & JETSAM, NON DIVINE, IZEGRIM (3 March 2008) Dynamo, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
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MUNICIPAL WASTE, TOXIC HOLOCAUST (11 February 2008) 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Dennis van Dommelen
With two bands bringing the best of the 80's thrash revival going on at the moment the 013 was packed on a Monday evening. Headbangers, skins, punks, fans of the younger-but also from the older generation. The way it is meant to be. |
HELLOWEEN, GAMMA RAY, AXXIS (7 January 2008) 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Marco van Empel
AXXIS: Unfortunately I missed this one because of some problems with the public transport. But what I've heard of it, it sounds like I've missed a good show and a good band I haven't heard before. |
OBITUARY, HOLY MOSES, AVATAR (4 January 2008) 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Kees Schijven
This is one tour I've been looking forward too, with two of my favorite bands on it, namely Holy Moses and Obituary. This is only the second night of the tour in one of the best concert venues of our country, 013! The night before they played at the Hedon in Zwolle, where I also went to see them, as I don't want to miss out on my favorite bands playing over here! In contradiction to the night before, 013 wasn't sold out, but the amount of people attending was about the same I guess being a much bigger venue, with about 5 or 6 hundred being there. |
2007VENGEANCE, ROADKILL (12 December 2007)013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Mr. Globbetrotter
I was "going to a party on a Wednesday night", so to speak. Vengeance was to do a cd presentation gig in Tilburg, with coming band Roadkill as their support act. Starting with ROADKILL, the band did their best to warm up the audience for main act Vengeance, and partly succeeded in just doing that. The band had just released their debut album "Dark Side" so for them, it was a good thing that they were asked to tour with Vengeance. I don't know about sales figures of their debut album, but the audience seemed to appreciate what was brought on stage. They had about 45 minutes before the break would pave the path for VENGEANCE to shine on stage. |
CARNIVORE, RAGING SPEEDHORN, MILKMAN (11 December 2007) 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
This evening was one I was looking out for months already. Carnivore was one of the few 80’s metalbands which I never saw before simply because they never came over to The Netherlands earlier. The band had 2 support acts in Tilburg which both didn’t fit into this package if you ask me. MILKMAN from Tilburg, The Netherlands played a home match. The band played fast old-school hardcore in the vein of bands like D.R.I., S.O.D. & M.D.C. The band played for about 30 minutes full of old-school hardcore/punk. They played some songs from their latest album “Nostalgiator” but also some older stuff and even a Slayer & S.O.D. cover. Nice show but pity that the band had a bad sound quality on stage. |
TSA, NEVIM (24 November 2007) 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Marco van Empel
I thought I was dreaming when I saw this pronounce: TSA in my own town, wow! TSA is the AC/DC and DEEP PURPLE from Poland and attracts many visitors in their homeland. Me, as a big fan from this Polish Heavy Metal band, already have their classic albums "Heavy Metal World(1985)", "TSA(1981/1982)" and their new one "Proceder", who is less good, in my home for years! So it was really great to see these giants live. But before that, we saw the Czech child Rock/Metal band NEVIM: three long-haired boys between the age of 12 and 16 which were totally great! While they were a little unsure on stage, their music sounded great. The tiny bass player was singing with his fragile and soft child voice "I love rock 'n'roll " from JOAN JETT. It was so cute to see. The tough little drummer that constantly stole the show behind his drumkit and the tough guitarist/singer who was imitating Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin, it was all great! Their own material and covers they played were pleasant, like NICKLEBACK, LIVE, NIRVANA and the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, METALLICA, BLACK SABBATH ("paranoid"), OZZY OSBOURNE ("Facing Hell") and two songs of JUDAS PRIEST ("Breaking the law" and "Living after Midnight"). |
MOTÖRHEAD, OVERKILL (20 November 2007) Rodahal, Kerkrade, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
Today it was a kind of jubilee for me; this night I would see Motörhead for the 40th time live! Also the fact that they brought Overkill as support was a special reason for me to drive to the south of Holland to see 2 bands that always impressed me a lot! |
MARIO'S METAL MEETING (11 November 2007) 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by several magazines/webzines
This was the first edition of Mario's Metal Meeting and because it was organised by Mario's Metal Mania it would not be fair to review my own festival :) For that reason I only add links to the several reviews on webzines & magazines: |
ETERNAL ROCK FESTIVAL (13 October 2007) Hanenhof, Geleen, The Netherlands Review by Marco van Empel
Saturday morning around 12 o clock me and some of my friends left to Geleen to visit the second edition of The ‘Eternal Rock Festival’. Their organistator ‘Ludy’ had already told me that he wasn’t expecting a lot of people, and unfortunately he was right. I think there were only about 200 people around the evening… Much too less for such a cool festival! |
VICIOUS RUMORS, AGENT STEEL, AFTER ALL (6 September 2007) De Bosuil, Weert, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
AFTER ALL had the honour to open this night of pure, heavy speed metal. I have never been a big fan of this Belgium band because live they never could impress me. After their latest album "This Violent Decline", which I rated very high, my expectations where much higher than normally. Well, the more disappointed I was again. Singer Piet Focroul is a very energetic frontman but live his vocals still cant impress me at all. The band played mostly songs from their latest albums but as said, live they are not turning out that great. After All had the bad luck that they also had a very moderate sound during the whole gig. Sorry guys, hopefully next time better |
HEADBANGERS OPEN AIR FESTIVAL (12, 13 & 14 July 2007)
Brande-Hörnerkirchen, Germany Review by Mario van Dooren Headbangers Open Air is for me personally the highlight of the festival season. This edition was my 4th visit to this festival and I was looking out for it from the day after the last edition in 2006!! The atmosphere is so outrageous; its indescribable!! The whole place is filled with friends from all over the world and its for me the best festival of the year! The line up of this 10th edition wasnt that good as we are used but it was worth the wait!! Also the afterparty at the Ballroom in Hamburg was a real party (also on behalf of Pim & Oliver from Digital Steel webzine & Melissa Records who joined me during this battle of attrition). DAY 1 SIXTH ALLOY from Germany was opening the jubilee edition of HOA and they did a good job. The band had a good sound quality and their thrashmetal had a lot of variety and I also liked the clean singing on some of the songs! Nice show! Spanish SILVER FIST suited me much more this time than they did during their KIT performance a while ago. Still after a while I got bored stiff and the conclusion is that i'm still not a new follower to their fanclub.... INTENSE from the UK sounded good a while ago when I heard their latest album but they couldnt impress me last year as support of Ruffians. This time the band was much better than during that tour but after I while I got irritated again by the nasal voice of their singer; nice gig, nothing more. GRIM REAPER from the UK is a band that never enthralled me though the band has a real cult status. Maybe it has to do with the fact that i'm not a real die-hard NWOBHM fan. I did recognize their latest song of the set 'See you in Hell" because it was covered by Seven Witches a while ago. Nice show. Swedish WOLF came, saw & conquered on the first day of HOA. The band is very fanatic on stage and is musically a good band. Personally I miss the variation in the voice of their singer but they where a worthy headliner for the first day! DAY 2 ETERNAL LEGACY from the USA where opening on Day 2 and the band plays typical US-metal in a way I like it very much. Pity that the sound quality wasnt that good. I also heard sometimes some "out of tune" guitarsolos and I have to admit that I was only wellknown with the songs on their MySpace which sounded much better on MS that they did live. The band also played at the afterparty on Sunday at the Ballroom in Hamburg and that performance was much better! Still a very good, promising, band!! KAOS: I already met guitarplayer Keven Albert (son of the legendary Carl Albert of Vicious Rumors/Ruffians fame) when he was playing with Ulysses Siren at the HOA festival in 2006 and he already told me that they would perform on this years edition with KAOS. Well, the more disappointed I was after a few songs; the music of the band sounds good but doesnt belong on a festival like HOA; their metalcore-a-like metal doesnt fit between the mostly truemetal line up. Musically its all performed very well and the band is very fanatic but it was not really my piece of cake ....and a lot others visitors agreed with me! I never expected to see the Aussies from RAVEN BLACK KNIGHT in Europe! The more I was surprised when I heard that the band did play HOA and also some other gigs in (ofcourse) Germany! One of the first CD's I ever reviewed for MMM was their "Choose the Dark" (2005) album and I was so curious for their live performances! The music of the band varies between doomsongs but also a lot of more uptempo songs. Great gig and I liked the short high-pitching screams from their singer/guitarplayer. The band also did the afterparty show in Hamburg and that gig was great too! Glad that I finally saw this band after all this time!! Hope these guys come back to Europe soon!! Good, well performed show! KALEDON is one of the dozen powermetal/happymetal bands from Italy. The singer was sometimes singing out of tune but after all a nice gig. BEYOND FALLEN (USA) also made their debut on the European bottom. Their typical US-metal is well received by the German fans. Personally I never liked Joe's voice that much (I miss the high-pitching vocals) but beside of that; he is a great frontman! Musically the band also played "as tight as a chicken's ass" (hi Joe, hahahaha) and they also had the honour to headline the afterparty on Sunday. On the afterparty the band was again playing top! Germany's PARAGON is a great live band which is always well received by the German audience. Musically it all sounds standard but it is performed very well. Good show! WARNING SF played my fav. style of metal: US-metal! Musically its nearly perfect and you could see that the band was enjoying their performance very much! Very good gig from these guys out of San Fransisco, USA. Their show on the afterparty was also great!! VENGEANCE (NL): Partytime!!! Vengeance on stage is a guarantee for a big party. Personally im not impressed by the bands showart because the band is repeating & repeating their jokes for years now. Nevertheless; Vengeance is & will always be a big partyband. Nice show. SINNER (Germany) did a nice job on stage but personally I dont have any feelings with this band; their music is very corny and not my cup of tea. America's shock-rockers HALLOWEEN blew everything away with their superb performance! At KIT a few years ago the band already impressed me a lot but this time it was much, much better!! After singer Brian Thomas came on stage in a white suit; the hell broke loose!!! Good sound, good show and awesome performance!! I spoke to their singer later and he was hoping to play in The Netherlands someday..so maybe at another edition of Mario's Metal Meeting??? DAY 3 DECEPTIVE SILENCE from Germany was almost finished when we arrived at the HOA area but the few songs I heard werent that bad at all. The band won this years bandbattle in Hamburg and thats the reason they opened the last day of the festival. Nice show. KNIGHT ERRANT: from Turkey was a weird band between most of the festival bands during this days. The band uses a female violinist which gave the music sometimes a bit of a folkmetal-feeling. The band still plays real metal and I liked the first songs. The singer was doing a good job in the beginning but after a while he was singing out of tune. The violinist was very fanatic on stage which gave a special effect to their performance. Nice band for about 5 or 6 songs but after that it became boring. HOLLOW GROUND is a NWOBHM band which I only knew by name. The band did a very good job and had a lot of variety in their setlist. Good band; pity I was not familiar with their music earlier. THE BLACK from Italy: Terrible band, worthless singer, messy sound and an awefull performance; Worst band I ever did see at HOA!! Forget it a.s.a.p!!! TAUNTED (USA) was one of the bands I was looking out for. The more I was disappointed; the band had a bad sound and I also didnt like the singer's voice. The band also had a shabby sound because they only had 1 guitarplayer. The band played also at the afterparty on Sunday and they did a good job overthere and proofed they're a good US-metal band which will probably make a lot of progression in the future.. AVENGER: Another NWOBHM band on stage and I have to admit that they werent inferior to Hollow Ground at all. Eventhough NWOBHM is not my fav. Metal style; I liked both Avenger & Hollow Ground. Sweden's BULLET; The AC/DC & Accept klone! Ive seen the band several times but they never impressed me with their 'stolen' kind of metal. If I want to hear this kind of music ill prefer to visit an AC/DC or UDO gig! Bullet is a party band, nothing more, nothing less. WRETCH was also one the (US) metalbands that made me decide to travel to HOA again! The band is, despite the singers overweight, very fanatic on stage! The German crowd loved it and so did I!! Truemetal in a way I love it most! Good band and for me one of the winners! Hope to see them again someday! MOONSORROW from Finland plays atmospheric Pagan metal and thats not really my kind of music. What I heard didnt sound that bad at all but I will never buy this kind of metal for my private collection. The crowd loved it and thats what counts!! I never liked CANDLEMASS because their former singer Messiah couldnt impress me at all with his boring voice. Well, after I heard that the singer of Solitude Aeturnus (Rob Lowe) joined the bad: I was very curious because Rob Lowe is one of the best doommetal singers! And yes; I liked it very much! From now on Candlemass has a new fanclub member. Great show!! RAGE from Germany did a good job on stage but personally I dont have any feelings with this band; after a while the band played their superhit "Dont you fear the Winter" and shortly after that song we decided to grab a taxi. HOA was done, damn!!! Again I would like to thank Thomas Tegelhutter and Jurgen Hegewald for their support and for putting me, again, on the guestlist! My thanx also goes out to Pim B. & Oliver K. from Digital Steel (webzine) & Melissa Records (recordlabel). I had a hell of a time with these guys and still have a lot of homesickness...... Till next year my German friends!! |
TESLA (29 June 2007) Plato, Helmond, The Netherlands Review by Marco van Empel Finally it was time, the American TESLA in my own country! For months I’ve waited but finally this was it. Tesla started their set with the Bluesy ‘Comin’ Atcha Live’ , and after that they immediately played the newer title song of the "Into the Know" album from 2004. After that it was time for some real classics like for example: 'The way it is', 'Modern Day Cowboy' and 'Lazy Days Crazy Nights'. Great to finally hear this classics from my youth live. After this we’ve got the great surprise that they were gonna play UFO’s 'Rock Bottom', which ofcourse is a classic for every self respecting hardrocker. After that 'Little Suzy' and 'Love Song', these guys just couldn’t stop with their great hardrock, wow! All the classics were played with full enthousiasm and joy and ofcourse not a single classic wasn’t played. What you give, 'Miles away', 'Thank You' and 'Signs', they were played every single one! Tesla even played some material from their upcoming cd: "Real to Reel". So the setlist was just perfect. Every bandmember had the qualities to give a perfect musical show, for which they didn’t need nonsense and/or a stage act. The guitarsolo’s of leadguitarist Frank Hannon gave you the goosebumbs all over your back en Jeff Keith’s vocals sounded really American, that guy really has a great accent. The hall was filled for 95% with real hardrockfans and every single one had to admit that it was really worth the effort in Helmond. The audience was really enthousiastic and that made the band play better. Tesla excists since 1986 and they haven’t changed their style and looks at all, all the bandmembers except for their drummer Troy Loccetta still have long hair, and they all (which includes the new guy “Dave Rude” ) still live for pure Rock ’n Roll. Tesla gave us a really energetic and good show here in Helmond, which will haunt my memories for a long time. I’m curious how it was at the Arrow Rock Festival because Helmond was brilliant!!! |
PAUL GILBERT (30 May 2007) 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Marco van Empel & Nick Polak
Wednesday, May the 30th, we've got the message to visit/review a concert in one of our local concert venues 013 of one of the best allround guitar players ever. |
AXEL RUDI PELL & MAD MAX (26 May 2007) Plato, Helmond, The Netherlands Review by Marco van Empel
Hardocker 'Ludy' from Limburg did it again with his Eternal Rock
Promotion. Ludy organised another oldschool melodic hardrock concert. This
concert was actually suppossed to be at '9 February 2007', but because of
'Pell' being ill the concert was moved to 26th May. |
SWORDBROTHERS FESTIVAL (19 May 2007)
Club Juz, Andernach, Germany Review by Mario van Dooren This was for me the second time to visit this German underground festival which is organised by metalhead & friend Volker Raab. After the cancellations of Ignitor (USA) & Powervice (NL) there was another cancellation just a few days before it all started; Knights of Tethys (USA) couldnt make it because a few members decided to quit the band and it was impossible to find substitutes in such a short time before the festival. The organisation decided to change the playing times of all bands and that turned out very well!! Good solution Volker! DEJA VU from Germany had the honour to open this edition of SB and they did it right. Deja Vu is a nice band, not sounding very original but their performance was good. The band owns a very good singer who hits the high notes easily. The sound of the band was also good, especially for an opener! Nice gig! CRYSTAL VIPER from Poland was for me one of the most important bands after Ignitor cancelled. The band is blessed with a very good, female, singer. A little girl with a great voice. Musically it sounded as a mix of Mystery Blue and (old) Warlock. Not all the songs where from a high level and I didnt like the Manilla Road cover but that has to do with the fact that I dont like Manilla Road at all. Nice gig after all with a reasonable sound. STIKKY FYKK; this was a kind of a parody on a parody. This kind of "metal" is only appreciated in Germany who also like bands as, for example, Oncle Tom. Not my piece of cake and I ran away after only 1 song..... Climax of the gig was the playing time; just 25 minutes of crap.... Next band on the bill was Belgium's DESPERATION. I've seen the band already once as support of Battleroar & Aiged L'Amh and they couldnt impress me that time. Well, things didnt change a lot; I still think its a very moderate band with an even more moderate (read: boring) singer. After Stikky Fykk they didnt sound that bad but to be honest; this kind of bands will never make it.... REAPER from Germany was also new to me. Their singer had a very raw voice which was nice for a few songs but not for a whole gig. The band exist for years now but its clear for me now why they never became more wellknown... Moderate band that was boring after a few songs already. Also the coverversion of Judas Priest's 'Breaking the Law' couldnt change my opinion about that. VALKYRIES CRY from Canada was also one of the bands that I come over for from The Netherlands. Musically the band did sometimes remind me to cultband Sacred Blade (because of the high screams) but qua looks they reminded me of Death Angel. The band had a reasonable sound but I missed a second guitarplayer in this band; now it all sounded a bit to shabby. So my advice; get an extra guitarist and a good producer and you guys will make it!! ARCTIC FLAME from the USA already came over to Europe about a half year ago to perform at the November edition of the Keep it True festival. That time I liked the band but I didnt like all their songs. Now they had the same problem; their performance was quiet good but not overwhelming. Their singer has sometimes very weird singing melodies through which he sounds like 'singing out of tune'. Hitting the high notes was no problem at all and thats a plus!! Hope to see this band more in Europe!! After Arctic Flame it became a bit quiet because the next band, EMERALD (from my homeland The Netherlands), didnt show up!! Organiser Volker was quite rightly pissed off because they didnt give him any sign at all. Later I heard that the drummer had an accident and wasnt able to play. I still do understand Volkers reaction and really hope that the band will show up in September during the Tilburg Headbangers Fest (which I co-organise). Gladly the two headliners decided to play both a longer set to fill up the caused space in the running order. I've never been such a great SACRED STEEL fan but I have to admit that they did an excellent job today!!! The band is getting/sounding much more professional during all these years and their singer is a damn good frontman! The band also played a cover of Jag Panzer "Generally Hostile" and at the end of the set the female singer from Crystal Viper came on stage for some jamming..... Good show!! BLITZKRIEG (UK) had the honour to headline this edition of SB and hell they did!! The band had a superb sound and played a great set. After listening to singer Brian Ross I was wondering why Black Sabbath never did him an offer?? This guy would fit perfect to Black Sabbath with his typical voice. Well, gladly he is still in Blitzkrieg and thats the main reason that this band still kicks ass!! Great band on a wonderful headlining spot! They (and we also) deserved it!! Many thanx to Volker & crew and maybe till the December 22th edition ( DOOMSWORD (I), ZANDELLE (USA), ANGUS (NL), NIGHTMARE (F), SILVERFIST (E), SKELATOR (USA), KINGSCROSSING (USA), ICY STEEL (I)) |
L.A. GUNS, POINTERS HEAD, HOTT (3 May 2007) 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Marco van Empel
A perfect evening of sleazerocking in own town ! All local glamboys were here for the local evening of some glam metal! It was still very calm but ofcourse the die hard hairsprayers were already here! |
TRIVIUM, ANNIHILATOR, SANCTITY (2 May 2007) 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Joey Ferwerda & Nino v/d Mark
The opener for this evening was SANCTITY: This is a band that earned
recognition before their first album was even released, according to their website. Trivium frontman Matthew K. Heafy saw their show and liked it so much that he helped them get a record deal, and Megadeth's frontman Dave Mustaine invited them to the second outing of his Gigantour festival. They play Melodic Thrash-Metal with a heavy metal sound with it, but try to do some new things as well, and the result is grinding riffs and screaming solo's backed by the raw vocals their frontman Jared supplies. Technically this band is top-notch. Additionally, they really know how to get the crowd warmed up, before they even started playing they had the crowd's full attention, and where able to hold it through most (if not the entire) show. The legendary 'bang your head, tits, cunt or whatever' showed up and
everyone thrashed there way to the end of the show! To bad the sound was killing everyone's ears.. better hire a new sound-guy. The band was good.. no better.. there great! Seriously this guys rock so check them out! |
KEEP IT TRUE FESTIVAL VIII (14 April 2007) Lauda-Konigshofen, Germany Review by Mario van Dooren
Opener CAULDRON from Canada will not be very wellknown by most of the thrashers in Europe. The bandname they originally had a few years ago was GOATHORN. I reviewed the Goathorn album a while ago but I was not familiar with the new Cauldron stuff. Cauldron played a nice set of 80's thrashmetal but couldnt impress the audience that much; maybe because of their very moderate sound. Nevertheless a very nice opener! |
KEEP IT TRUE WARM UP SHOW (13 April 2007) Dittigheim, Germany Review by Mario van Dooren
The 8th edition of KIT and for me the 7th time to visit this great festival (I only missed edition 1...). Because this time KIT was doing the "big" edition there was again a warm-up show on friday in Dittigheim. |
LANA LANE & ROCKET SCIENTISTS (9 April 2007)
Biebob, Vosselaar, Belgium Review by Mr. Globetrotter
It was not crowded at the venue; that surprised me the most.
Rocket Scientists is a highly respected progband from the USA, and Lana Lane, the Queen of Symphonic Rock, is a very talented singer, surrounded by even talented musicians. |
HEADWAY FESTIVAL V (6 & 7 April 2007)
P60, Amstelveen, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
Headway was celebrating their 5th edition this year and the organisation programmed a very varied line up again this time. Gladly I was invited to review this festival but even if I wasnt; I would have been there with such a good line-up! |
RUSTY CAGE FESTIVAL (16 March 2007)
Dynamo, Eindhoven, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren
Today Rusty Cage Records, a new label from The Netherlands, had their first anniversary and the label wanted to celebrate this with a few of their bands. The label re-released several old albums from Dutch metalbands but also a few newcoming bands. |
KREATOR, CELTIC FROST, LEGION OF THE DAMNED, WATAIN (11 March 2007)
013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Marco van Empel
Yep Finally! It was time again for an evening of Thrashing at 013! Because it's becoming routine that bands play half an hour earlier at 013 so I made sure I was right on time. The first band WATAIN was just starting. Watain comes from Sweden and plays Oldschool Scandinavian Blackmetal like it was meant to be in the early 90’s. |
THRASH 'TILLBURG FEST (18 February 2007)
013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Marco van Empel
A whole weekend of metal takes it toll, so at the moment of writing i'm unbelievably
tired. Too bad I missed the first band of the evening because of the local
carnival and a little problems with the guest list.
This cool thrash festival was organised by local thrasher Tjerk ( Outburst/
Loudnoise ) and has almost the same name as the festival me and Mario
organise ("Tilburg Headbangers Fest"). Thrash Tilburg Fest was taking place
in the small hall of the 013 venue and there was not that much audience. Probably
it was because of the local carnival. |
THERION, GRAVE DIGGER, SABATON (16 February 2007)
013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Marco van Empel
SABATON was the first band of the evening. This Swedish heavy/power metal band played very good! I even think it was the best show of the evening. I only own their “Attero Dominatus” CD from 2006 so I only knew the songs: ‘In The Name Of God’ and ‘The Metal Medley’ ( Metal Machine, Metal Crue). I really liked the metal medley because they were singing about all the great bands in the world ! Sabaton has a really good singer and has great musicians. I hope to hear a lot more from this band! |
2006ETERNAL ROCK FESTIVAL (7 October 2006)Hanenhof, Geleen, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren Eternal Rock; a new festival in the South of The Netherlands; organised by metal/hardrock fan Ludy. This was the first edition of Eternal Rock which took place at concerthall Hanenhof in Geleen, The Netherlands. A very nice place with an overall good sound during the whole day! First band PREDATUR from the UK played a very moderate kind of hardrock that couldnt suit me at all. Their musical direction was a mix of Status Quo & Led Zeppelin. Not really my cup of tea and a bad opener (to my opinion). Luckely the rest of the other bands didnt disappoint me at all! Next band where the dutch newcomers of POWERVICE. The band played as normally a good set. Their Maiden-a-like metal fitted perfect to the taste of most of the festival visitors. Singer Stockie was, again, singing superb and the rest of the band where also taking their job(s) serious. Again a very good show from these guys!! FREEDOM CALL from Germany was the next band on the bill. The band started with a bad sound quality but after a few lsongs the sound engineer pulled it al equal. The band played Helloween-a-like powermetal but to be honest; not all of the songs could impress me! Another great loss is the fact that the band sounded shabby because they only had one guitarplayer. Conclusion: nice show but i'm convinced that they will sound much better with a second guitarplayer in their ranks! VENGEANCEdoesnt need any introduction. This band reunited last year, again, around frontman Leon Goewie. Singer Leon is still the eye-catcher of the band. On stage this guy totally gets loose and opens his box of tricks. Lots of jokes and tricks are his trademark. The band played a lot of songs from their old repertoire but also a few songs from their latest album "Back in the Ring". Vengeance was suited with a good sound and the band showed that they are still one of the leading live bands in The Netherlands. Good performance!! As a bonus the band played the Rose Tattoo cover "Bad boy for Love". One of my alltime fav. bands headlined this edition of Eternal Rock: Y & T. The band had an awesome sound and they played a special set because the show was recorded for a possible DVD. Most of their classic songs where played; 'Hang 'm High', Lipstick and Leather', 'Keep om Runing', 'Dirty Girl', 'Mean Streak', 'Barroom Boogie', 'Winds of Change', 'Eyes of a Stranger', 'Hurricane', 'Rescue Me'...and lots of other songs. Frontman Dave Meniketti is still singing great after all these years. The music of Y&T is in my opinion ageless. Awesome show from this great band!! Ludy: You did a hell of a job!! Thanx for inviting me to ER. Next year I will be there again!! |
TILBURG HEADBANGERS FEST (30 September 2006)
Cafe Extase, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Kees Schijven As I arrived too late, I missed the first two bands (CEREMONY OF OPPOSITES and CHAINSAW) unfortunately, from what I heard Chainsaw had a real good live performance so I'm sorry I missed that. The atmosphere was great, and the weather too, so a lot of bangers were outside on the terrace when I got there, but also in the venue there was a crowd, so it must have been nearly sold out I guess. As I didn't know most of the bands, I was curious what to expect and was going to be surprised by some bands as I found out. But one band I did wanna see for sure was FORETOLD, after I reviewed their CD 'Factor' for Mario's Metal Mania (see Archive CD/DVD Reviews), I was anxious to see them perform live. When I got inside the venue they had already started, and were playing 'I am the way' which sounded very brutal! They had a real good sound, and played very thight, and William's throat sounded awesome, one of the best dutch grunters if you ask me. They played a lot of songs from their CD, and did a good job too, so for me this performance was brutal perfection. Next up was METHUSALEM from Friesland, this was really a surprise for me as I didn't knew them, they play real heavy metal in an old school way. Their singer sounded like Rob Halford himself in his better days, and is a great frontman, although I later on heard this was his goodbye gig. They really got the crowd going, this band should have been higher on the bill if you ask me, Heavy Metal!! RED DRAGON played together for the first time in 25 years, in their hometown. A lot of family and friends were there to see them after all that time, which was a nice sight to watch. The venue was packed, and they got the crowd wild and going. Although their kind of metal sounded a bit out of date, nobody seemed to care, least of all themselves, the band had lots of fun playing and it showed! This band got the most response of the day if you ask me. Their music sounded like old Bodine, Picture and Vengeance, so real recognizable dutch hardrock/metal sound. After the diner break it was time for MARTYR to hit the stage. I only knew their name, but never heard their music, but it rocked! They also have a great (wet) show/frontman who got the place going. The guys played full energy and fanatic as hell, which the crowd picked up from them as well as they went wild. They seem to play a lot lately since their reunion a few years back, and it showed, a well oiled machine! Next up was the only foreign band on the bill, MYSTERY BLUE from France, who play true 80's heavy metal. Their sound is like Saxon or Priest with female vocals, and this makes it an unique and surprisingly well combination which sounds killer! Not many people knew this band, but after just a few songs it sounded so familiar as if it was back in the 80's, everybody banging their heads off, great! This was an excellent choice for this festival, well done… Headliner were dutch Celtic Frost, PENTACLE, around for over a decade, and still going strong. They played as if their lives depended on it, real energetic performance which got the crowd going wild again. This was a true headliner for this edition of THF, which had a great true metal atmosphere, positive and friendly like it should be. Hopefully the following editions of THF will be just as good, or better, thanx to Mario and Marco for this! Keep up the good work… |
SWORDBROTHERS FESTIVAL (16 September 2006)
Club Juz, Andernach, Germany Review by Mario van Dooren Swordbrothers, again an underground festival in (offcourse) Germany! This was the 4th edition of Swordbrothers but it was my personal debut on this festival. Well again I was positive surprised!! The festival is organised in a very nice club just outside the borders of Andernach, a small village nearby Koblenz. It's an one-day festival which is organised by Volker Raab (who also works for Blue Steel Agency, an European truemetal booking office) The weather is already great at the moment we arrive and a lot of people are enjoying this outside of the club. After a short conversation with organiser Volker, we hear the first notes of the opening band: PHENIX from France. I was curious about this band after listening to their latest album "Wings of Fire". Phenix plays powermetal and the band is blessed with a very good singer who easily hits the highest notes and thats for me the most important element in a good metalband! The band is also blessed with a good sound and thats remarkable for an opening band! Musically its not sounding all to original but who cares if its performed this way? Not me! Besides of their own repertoire the band also plays a Deep Purple cover "Speed King". Good show! INFLUENCE from my homeland The Netherlands was the next band on the bill and it was my first acquaintance with these guys on stage. They already delivered a few very nice albums (he guys, i'm still waiting for a copy of your latest album "House of Silhouettes")! According to the bands website it was also the last show with singer Bas Assenbroek. This is a pitty because this band has got everything to become great!! Great musicians, great songs (with a very high Iron Maiden level) and a very sympathic superb singer!! Prove for that was the superb coverversion of Judas Priest's "Breaking the Law". Guys, my advice: dont quit!!! Great show! STORMRIDER from Germany was the next band; musically it all sounded okay but because of the very moderate & boring singer I left the club for a diner break. Right on time I returned to see RAVAGE from the USA. Musically a lot better than Stormrider but the band also had the same problem as their predecessor on the bill; a very moderate singer. Pitty again because musically they reminded me to a lot of 80's US-metal bands. With this kind of metal you really need a singer with high pitching vocals and that was the only thing that failed with Ravage! My advice; drop the singer guys; you wont regret it!! RAM was the next band according the running order but they didnt arrive on time so SOLEMNITY took their place. I only knew the band by name. Because of a small diner/beer break I didnt see the whole show but what i saw & heard didnt disappoint me at all!! The band had a very nice show with nearly all the bandmembers dressed as monks and after a few songs a half-naked girl came on/off stage to perform a rite of communion. It was funny to see how the crowd reacted and showed up to take some photographs from the girls white boobies, hahaha. Offcourse; I was one of them :) The music of Solemnity has a lot of doom influences and I was positive surprised by these guys (and girls)..... Meanwhile RAM from Sweden arrived. To be honest; I didnt expect much from this band after their moderate shows at KIT & HOA. Both times they couldnt impress me at all. Well time changes (gladly) and I have to admit that musically/technically the band has grown a lot! I really liked Ram this time and i'm even looking out to see them again soon!! Great show & performance!! Most important band for me to travel to Germany was US-cultmetal band DEADLY BLESSING. From the first notes & screams I was blown away!! Frontman Ski is one of the best metalsingers in the world and its a joy to see/hear how easily he hits the extreme high notes! This is METAL!!! This is the kind of metal I live for! Superb performance and again (after their KIT show last year) I got in ecstasy! Hope to see these guys very, very soon again!! This was for me personally THE headliner of the festival! Deadly Blessing came, saw & conquered!! They didnt even need to play Iron Maiden's "The Trooper" to convince me...... ATTACKER (also from the USA) was the real headliner and its always a pleasure to see these guys live. This was already the 5th time I saw the band during the last 2 years and again it suited me well. Singer Bob's voice was a bit raw tonight and sometimes he (again) remembered me to Udo Dirkschneider (he's also sounding on some of their songs on the latest 2 albums). Nevertheless it was a great pleasure to see/hear & meet these spontaneous guys and i'm sure I will see them more the next years because the band is very popular in the undergound scene! Good show! After a day full of great metal, good beer/food & a great audience I left the club during the Attacker gig to have a nap outside in the grass border..... When my "friends" woke me up it was time to jump in the taxi and remember Swordbrothers as a very good organised & friendly festival. Special thanx to Volker Raab; you rule!! Next year we will be there again; thats for sure!! Already confirmed for the April 2007 edition: EMERALD (NL), DESPERATION (B), IGNITOR (USA) VALKYRIES CRY (KANADA), DÉJÀ VU (D), ARCTIC FLAME (USA) & POWERVICE (NL) |
HEADBANGERS OPEN AIR FESTIVAL (14 & 15 July 2006)
Brande-Hörnerkirchen, Germany Review by Mario van Dooren HOA, finally!!!!! I was looking out for this garden festival already when last years edition wasnt even finished!! This was the third time for me to visit this superb festival which is organised for real heavy metal fans BY real heavy metal fans!! The intention of the festival is quite unique. Even if there are playing more than 20 bands from all over the world, the festival is always breathing an underground feeling that I never felt on any festival before! Pity we had to miss the warm-up show on thursday with MASTER, VIRON, SATAN, OVERDRIVE & METAL LAW. On Friday Pim (www.digital-steel.com) and I drove to Brande Hornerkirchen (nearby Hamburg) to join the most enjoyable metal audience in the world. As always Belgium metal-cop Rico (www.hellspawn.be) & his lovely wife Peggy visited the festival. This year they where joined by stand-up comedian Jorith (a.k.a. Tiger) who entertained us a lot during these days!! DAY 1 Because we had to search a while for our hotel, we missed a part of the first band IVORY TOWER. The few songs we heard from this German band sounded good and the band left a professional impression to me. I already knew that the band had some good musicians in their ranks because some of them played on the live album of Josh Kramer (of Saint) and that album also kicks some serious ass!! Nice band! Next band was our national Dutch pride; POWERVICE!! The band played, again, an incredible show with a leading part for singer Stockie! This guy has an un-dutch throat of which a lot of bands in Holland (and also outside of Holland) will be jealous! Their maiden-a-like metal suited the audience very well. Powervice was blessed with a great sound and played a great set with songs like; 'Behold the hand of Glory', 'The end is coming', 'Nightstalker' and a lot of other songs. I'm curious how long this band will survive into the metal scene because a few of the bandmembers have an extreme way of living (you know who you are guys!). ORDER OF NINE was one of the bands I was really looking out for. Their progressive kind of US-metal suited me well on their debut album "Season of Reign". The only complain I had about the album was their moderate singer. Well, on stage the band had the same problem. The singer was performing very modest and the band couldnt enthrall me for the whole set. Also on sunday, when the band was playing the afterparty in Hamburg; I was bored by the singers voice. Musically it all sounds okay, so guys; you know what to do!! SHEAVY from Canada played a kind of stoner rock. I dont like this kind of metal at all so its impossible for me to review this kind of bands. The band was blessed with a great sound and thats the only positive thing I have to say about them. Next on the bill was, again, a band from my homeland; MARTYR. I did see the band a while ago during their KIT warm up show and they impressed me a lot that time! This time the band was also playing very well and fanatic! Martyr had another singer this time than they had during their KIT performance. Someone told me that this was their original singer but I cant confirm this because I only knew the band by name before their KIT show. The band wasnt playing that good as they did at KIT but I still had a hell of a time!! Because i'm fully addicted to US-metal; ICARUS WITCH was on my wish-list too. Their latest album disappointed me a bit, especially after their superb EP. Live the band was great and especially the singer was awesome! Rob (Metal Gay) Halford should have got a spontaneous erection when he had heard the coverversion of "The Ripper". Great band; US-metal at its best!!! Everybody knows that when you drink a lot of alcohol; you also have to eat regularly. Well, KORPIKLAANI was the perfekt band for me to visit the hot dog & steak stand……. After the diner break we went back to see German cult lady Sabina Classen and her band HOLY MOSES. It suited me to see how popular this band still is in Germany. The band played as tight as a chicken's (Sabina's ???) ass and had a great sound. I tried to get nearby the stage to take some pictures but I couldnt manage it to enter the "mosh"pit! Good show! As "headliner" for the first day, the organisation booked an Iron Maiden coverband named POWERSLAVE. After the Ross the Boss/ Manowar farce at last years KIT I was curious about this coverband. Well, they didnt disappoint me at all. Their singer even reminded me several times to Bruce Dickinson (and thats a compliment). The band played Iron Maiden songs from all their albums and did it damn good! Good idea to book a band like these on festivals as curfew! Every drunken headbanger still can sing all the Iron Maiden classic songs. DAY2 After a quick breakfast we had to hurry up for day 2 of the festival..... Opener TALES OF HORROR was already blessed with a good sound quality and their kind of heavy metal suited me. Pity that their singer couldnt hit the higher notes but after all this was a very nice gig! CHAIN REACTION from Germany where the winning band of this years metal contest "Metal Battle". Every year the winning team gets a spot on the Headbangers Open Air festival. Personally they couldnt impress me for one second. The band was musically very moderate and the female singer was even worse!! If they where the winning band; how bad are the other bands that battled during the contest?? TRINAKRIUS was called a doom metalband by a lot of people but personally I dont think they belong to this catagory. The band played a lot of up-tempo songs, had a good singer & good musicians. This was a very positive surprise to me!! MILES BEYOND already took me by surprise with their great debut album last year, so I was very curious about these guys. Well, again, a great band from the USA!! Miles Beyond came, saw & conquered (when its up to me)! On stage the band is even much better than on CD. Also their afterparty gig at the Ballroom in Hamburg on Sunday blew me away! Awesome performance with great musicianship, superb singer & great sound. If you ever have the chance to see this band live, don't hesitate!! Their maiden-a-like sound will bring you in extase. Miles Beyond was this years winning band for me! No time to rest because the next USA/Danish metalband jumped on stage: PYRAMAZE. Singer Lance King (also in Avian) has a superb voice and fits perfect to the music of this Danish band. The band isnt that popular by most of the HOA visitors but that has to do with their progressive kind of metal I suppose…….. Most of the visitors are true metal warriors and probably dont know how to handle this kind of progressive music. After Miles Beyond, again, a highlight for me!! Because i've seen METAL INQUISITOR already several times in the past, I planned my diner break during their gig. I like their music very well but I have to admit that it all sounds to standard for me. After our diner break we had to hurry up again to see the next US-metal band:ULYSSES SIREN. Before HOA I never heard of this band. Its a shame because the band already did exist in the early 80's. The band plays a kind of US-thrashmetal in the vein of bands like; Violence, Exodus & Dark Angel. During their gigs (they also played the afterparty in Hamburg) I got the 80's feeling back again; it felt like I was 20 again (or was it because of the high alcohol level in my body???). A very energetic live band which I hope to see more in the near future! Great performance!! UK legends PRAYING MANTIS had the luck to have an old Iron Maiden member in their ranks; Dennis Straton. Well, had, because he is not in the band anymore these days. Musically it doenst make any difference; I've seen the band already several years ago but still they cant impress me with their standard NWOBHM. Not my piece of cake…… METAL CHURCH; What to tell about this US band?? They have always been one of my alltime fav. bands in heavy metal. The "new" singer Ronnie Montrose is superb and sounds a lot like David Wayne (R.I.P.) in his real old days. Metal Church have a lot of classic albums and they played a very divers set with songs like: 'A light in the Dark', 'Badlands', 'Ton of Bricks', 'Start the Fire', 'Watch the Children play' (dedicated to David Wayne), 'Mirror of Light', 'The Dark', 'Cradle to the Grave', 'Date with Poverty', 'Gods of Wrath', 'Beyond the Black', 'Metal Church' and the Deep Purple cover 'Highway Star'. The band gave a great performance as usual. Again a great show! GIRLSCHOOL was the next band to "jump" on stage. Well jump; the two old original members probably already use a rollator to reach the stage (just kiddin'). I've never been such a great Girlschool fan and I think the highlight of the bands career is the cooperation with Lemmy (Motorhead for the newcomers) years & years ago. Probably they have to refresh the line-up once in a while to keep on going….. Not a bad performance at all but not really my style of metal/rock. Headliner BLITZKRIEG already surprised me a few years ago during their KIT performance. Tonight singer Brian Ross was again singing very good and the band even did a good coverversion of Judas Priest's 'Breaking the Law'. A very nice show and a welcome curfew of the festival!! This years edition of HOA was the best i've seen till now!! The line-up had a lot of variation and I still am homesick when I think back about the festival. Thomas, Jurgen & Mac; thanx again for this great festival! I had a hell of a time and I will be back next year; thats for sure!!! Headbangers Open Air rules!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cheers; Mario |
KEEP IT TRUE FESTIVAL VI (8 April 2006) Lauda-Konigshofen, Germany Review by Mario van Dooren
POWERVICE from my homeland (The Netherlands) had the honour to open this edition of the Keep it True festival. And they did a hell of a job!!! The band, that only has a 3-track demo released, came-saw & conquered KIT!! The opener 'Hands of Glory' already got a great respons from the audience. Their Maiden-a-like heavy metal fits perfekt to this festival and its incredible to see how easily singer "Stockie" hits the high notes!! This band has the future, especially in countries like Germany where heavy metal never died!!
One of the best openings bands KIT ever had (and i'm not chauvinistic at all!) |
KEEP IT TRUE WARM-UP SHOW (7 April 2006) Sporthalle, Dittigheim, Germany Review by Mario van Dooren First band to kick-off for, again, a great metalweekend in Germany was DANTESCO; a heavy/doom metalband from Puerto Rico. Their singer is a yearly visitor of the festival so these guys have their metalheart on the right place! The band played a nice set but I have to admit that the looks of the singer (he reminded me of Demis Roussos) where more impressive than his sometimes boring voice. Nice opener after all. SEVEN WITCHES frontman Jack Frost has the capability to engage a lot of great singers during the career of his band. After Bobby Lucas (now in Overlorde), Wade Black (ex-Crimson Glory, now in Leatherwolf), James Rivera (Helstar, Destiny's End, etc.) he now has another giant ensnared: Allan Tecchio (Hades, ex- Watchtower, etc). Funny is that every time I see Seven Witches, the singers are the most important members of the band. Founder Jack Frost on the contrary is a very, very moderate guitarplayer. Allan Tecchio was, again, after all these years singing awesome but personally I think he does not fit in the kind of metal Seven Witches make. Older songs like ' Metal Tyrants' and ' Exiled & Infinity" didnt sound that good with his voice. The Judas Priest cover 'Victim of Changes' on the other hand blew everything down!! Rob Halford (the metal gay) should be jealous of him!! Good show but I prefer Allan Tecchio during his Watchtower, Hades & Power period! DRIFTER from Switzerland didnt play anymore in Germany for more than 12 years. Well, when its up to me (and a lot of other visitors I spoke) they should stay away again for at least 12 years! Totally crap, this band was really boring!! ASSASSIN played a very nice set. The band was very fanatic on stage and the audience liked it very much. They have a moderate singer in their ranks but when you play a lot of old classics; nobody complains! After the collapse of Drifter it was good to see/hear this band. Nice show! Headliner DEMON (who was doing a tour these days with Seven Witches) played a very reliable show with a good sound but, again, couldnt impress me. I've seen the band a few times before and every time they do disappoint me a bit. With the good sound quality & some classic songs, Demon was quit rightly the headliner of this warm-up show! |
2005KEEP IT TRUE FESTIVAL (5 November 2005)Sporthalle, Dittigheim, Germany Review by Mario van Dooren KIT is together with the Headbangers Open Air festival one of the most important festivals to me personally!! I'm not gonna subscribe the great atmosphere and kind hearted audience of this true metal festival because everyone who calls himself a true- metalfan already knows the ambiance of this great festival! Due to personal circumstances (the birth of my first son 1 week before the festival) I had to miss the warm-up show on Friday and had to drive to the festival on Saturday morning. When I arrived at the Tauberfrankenhalle, the first band IGNITOR (USA) just finished their gig so I cant review it. According the positive reactions I heard from a lot of people I spoke during the day; this band did a hell of a job and where called the best opening band for KIT ever! Later I had a short conversation with female guitarist Beverley and she told me that they received a lot of positive reactions from the audience also. First band for me to see was the Maltese doomband FORSAKEN. I already saw this band during the 2004 HOA edition and they impressed me again this time! The band had an untidy sound but showed everything they got. Forsaken plays doommetal in the vein of bands like Candlemass & Solitude Aeturnus and have a good singer in the person of Leo Stivala. They already played a few new songs from their upcoming CD "Dominaeon" Good show! Next on the bill was the German band STORMWARRIOR who treated us with a portion standard metal. The band also had a very moderate sound but had a very fanatic stage performance. Musically they didnt impress me at all but i'm sure most of the audience loved it! SKULLVIEW (USA) was the next band and according to a lot of people; this should be THE cultband at this edition of KIT!! Personally i couldnt discover much positive things on their performance; they had a moderate sound, a lot of technical problems and musically a lot of things went wrong. Not to talk about the drunken guitarplayer that smashed his guitar at the end of the show.. Only positive thing to me was their very good singer. Maybe next time better guys! SLOUGH FEG (USA) had a moderate sound too and the band also have a very standard singer. Musically it all sounds nice and reminds me sometimes to the earlier Iron Maiden days. After half an hour it all began to bore me and it was time for my first diner break……. INTRUDER (USA) already impressed me during their HOA 2004 appearance and I was very curious about them today! Well, again the band played "as tight as a chicken's ass" and they had a very reasonable sound. Their Bay-Area-a like thrash suits me very well and it was to meet these guys again backstage (together with their lovely ladies). Great performance!! RUFFIANS (USA) already played several times in Germany but for me it was my first acquaintance with this US-metal band. The band played a strong set and they where blessed with a good sound! Most of the songs are mid-tempo but who cares? I was positive surprised by their performance and i hope to see this band again in the future!! JAG PANZER (USA) The most important band for me and the only reason i came over to KIT this time!! According to the news on the KIT website; the band would play a special "Ample Destruction" show. There was also a possibility they would record the whole show for a live CD or even a DVD……….. Well, after the show i was a bit disappointed; not in the band but more in the setlist. Most of Jag Panzer's songs are classics but when you expect a full "Ample Destruction" set and you only get 5 songs out of it; you'll understand I was a bit disappointed! And I was not the only one when you read the reactions on the KIT website-guestbook! Nevertheless, Jag Panzer was, again, superior on stage (as always) and i had a hell of a time with songs like; 'Iron Eagle', 'Black', 'Chain of Command', 'Thane to the Throne', 'Battlezone', 'Hostile', 'License to Kill', 'Warfare', 'The Crucifix' and a few other songs. Singer Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin showed again that he IS the best metalsinger on this earth!! Come back a.s.a.p. guys!!!!!!!!! RAVEN (UK) I've seen the band several times in the past and personally I prefer to see them ON stage instead of listening to their albums. Raven was the first band that had a real good sound and though the guys are getting older (and fatter), the band is still very fanatic on stage! They played a good set but I have one little complain; on a festival like KIT you should play much more oldies!! Good show from these guys with my personal highlights; 'Rock untill you drop', 'Faster than the speed of light' and 'Dont need your Money'. VIRGIN STEELE (USA) is a band that never impressed me at all but i have to admit they took their job as headliner of KIT very serious. Nice show, good musicians but also not enough classic evergreens to my opinion. Conclusion: Most of the bands had a moderate sound and didnt redeem my expectations but there were also, again, some very positive highlights. And personally i think it will be very difficult to overrule KIT II and KIT IV !!! But in April 2006 i will be there again with bands like: RIOT, EXCITER, SOLITUDE AETURNUS, PARADOX, AXEHAMMER, DARKNESS, SILVER FIST, ROSS THE BOSS (EX-MANOWAR), HIRAX, POWERVICE and a few others. Thanx again to the organisation (Oliver, Tarek & Jurgen) for inviting me again! See you next time in April!! Cheers to you; Mario van Dooren. |
HEADBANGERS OPEN AIR FESTIVAL (8 & 9 July 2005)
Brande-Hörnerkirchen, Germany Review by Mario van Dooren HOA, the ultimate festival for the ultimate fan!! Last year i also visited this back/front yard festival and was so impressed about it that it became one of my main festivals to visit this year again! The festival is organised by a German metalhead in his parents garden and it is visited by only real metal lovers! Its impossible to subscribe the impact of this festival if you have never been there!! Organiser Thomas (who's parents live in this house) invited me again and i didnt doubt one second about it!! The festival has a little stage at the end of the drive, a few merchandise stalls in the garage-boxes, 2 beer bars, a few food stalls and a real backstage garden! No, no backstage room, just a pasture. Most of the bands that play this festival (from all over the world) dont get paid for it and most of them have to self finance it!! They sleep in tents in the backgarden. Except for the few headliners; they get paid a bit and can book a hotel if they want. Can you believe this?? This can only be done in the mighty Germany where real metal still lives these days!! Compliments!!!! DAY 1 MITHRIL A German band from Kiel that mixes doom & thrashmetal. The band won last years Headbangers Ballroom competition and that was the reason they played HOA. Not really a big opener and musically the band didnt impress me at all! Technically the band still has a lot to learn and after this show i was wondering about the fact that this band won the competition?? What about the level of the other bands that played the competition?? MAVERICK A band from Japan that plays heavy/speedmetal with a lot of humor. These guys can pull faces!! Great to see this kind of bands overhere and they did get some good reactions from the crowd. I tried to get in contact with the guys from Maverick, but there English is as bad as my Japanese……… Two days later they also played at the aftershow in the Headbangers Ballroom in Hamburg. Nice band! BLACK MAJESTY This Australian band played a more traditional kind of metal that suited me very well! The band owns a very good singer that reminded me to Ronnie James Dio (even visual). This was for me the first good band and i hope to see these guys more in the future!! They also played the afterparty on Sunday and did a great job overthere too!! Check out this band!! INNERWISH Drummer Terry is a good friend of mine and he already told me during the HOA 2004 edition that they would play overhere. Because i love both of their albums (especially the 2nd) i was very curious about their stage performance. Well, these Greek guys didnt disappoint me at all!! Their Jag Panzer / Riot style of music suits me very well and on stage they managed to even surpass this!! Great band, great performance! NECRODEATH This Italian band was the most extreme band from this years edition. I know some of their stuff and with ex-Sadist drummer Peso is was very curious about their gig. Well, the more disappointed is was. The sound was bad and their music didnt impress me at all live on stage. Pitty, maybe next time better. But to be honest; this kind of music does not belong on a festival like HOA. WEAPON One of the reunited NWOBHM bands that played this years HOA edition. Everytime HOA has a few of these kind of bands what is admirable. Because of a diner-break i've only seen some of their songs and these songs sounded good! RAVENSTHORN This US band only exist for a few years now but they kicked some serious ass overhere!!! Woooww, i was blown away by this great band!! These guys know what US-metal means! Singer Bill has a great voice and the band is playing like we're back in the 80's!! This is the metal i need!!! The frontman was dressed in a dark cape and together with the corpse paint it all looked very funny. And to be honest; he could be an actor too!! Looking back at the whole festival; this was, for me, the winning band!! GREAT!!! RIVAL Another US metal band that already played HOA in 2002. In a lot of press-articles the band is described as they are influenced by Omen. Personally i like Rival's music much more!!! The band played a set with lots of fast songs and technically the band can battle with all the other US bands on this years HOA. Good show!!! On their afterparty gig on Sunday i have only seen a few songs of this guys because of a diner break. Hope to see them again in the future! HEATHEN Years ago i've seen this US Bay Area band as support act for Sepultura in my hometown. That time they didnt impress me at all!! This was in 1991 and i have to admit that the band is doing much much better nowadays! The band played a lot of old songs but also a few new songs from their latest "Recovered" CD. The band was great on stage and, again, i had a hell of a time! Great show!! After this we decided to grab a taxi to our hotel because we had to wake up early for the continuation the day after...... DAY2 We arrived on time to see the second days opening band CARPEDIEM This band from Elmshorn, Germany plays progressive powermetal but sounded very original because of their weird frontman. This guy could have been in a punk or hardcore band because of his looks AND his voice!! He has a very raw voice that sounded weird in combination with the progressive music. But it was original!! Nice band, especially as opener for the second day. MYSTERY BLEU One of the most important bands for me to visit HOA!! I already reviewed the bands latest album (See Archive Reviews) and so i was very curious about their live-act. Especially because this French band has a great (female) vocalist (Nathalie). One of the guitarist had a lot of problems with his amplifier but the band was professional enough to go on and utilizes their 45 minutes of playing time. Great performance and what a great voice this frontlady has!! Lots of 'male' singers can kiss her feet!! (but probably they want to kiss other parts of her body, hahahaha). GUN BARRELL From Germany is a real party band that reminded me sometimes to the Dutch Vengeance. They own a very good frontman that stirred up the audience very well. I think this band will be doing a lot better at night, in a small bar and with an audience that is ready to party. Today the band played to earlier to attain that! Nice gig! MIRROR OF DECEPTION A German doommetal band that didnt infect me at all. After 2 songs i had the luck to get hungry and so it was time for a diner break! I like only a few doommetal bands but not this one; sorry guys! GASKIN Because of my diner break i missed a few songs from this NWOBHM legends. I´ve seen the band already during their 2000 Wacken Open Air gig but they didnt impress me that time. Well, time changes and i liked what i heard/saw this day!! Singer Paul Gaskin has a very clean voice that is not typical for a heavy metal-rock band. Good show! UNDERCROFT from Chile played thrash/deathmetal but didnt impress me at all! Their standard kind of Deathmetal sounded not really professional and when you know that Europe has dozen of better bands in this genre you are asking yourself: what the hell are these Chile guys doing overhere?? ALL SOUL'S DAY Is another doommetal band but this time from Italy. After the collapse of Mirror of Deception it was a relief to see this band! Their music sounded a lot like Candlemass but they have the luck (just like last years Forsaken from Malta) to be blessed with a great singer!! Good show! WARRANT I bought the legendary cult EP "First Strike" from this German band years ago and when you're talking about banging your head; this is always the first song that reminds me to this band. I've seen the band in 2000 at Wacken Open Air and i have to admit that todays show wasnt that good as their WOA show. Their singer didnt sound really well and after half of the show it was, again, time to get some cold beers! Nice show WIZARD Personally i'm not really a fan of their music but i like the screaming vocals of frontman Sven. The band plays metal in the vein of bands like Hammerfall and/or Majesty but has the luck to have a great singer, something i miss by the bands mentioned above. Maybe a comparison with Manowar would do well; nice music, nice show, SUPERB singer…… ATTACKER This is the 3th time within 15 months i've seen this great US metalband and i think they are getting better every time i've seen them. Especially the aftershow on Sunday (my 4th Attacker gig) was superb!! (For a review of that gig; read Pim's review below (source: www.metallive.nl). The band played the complete "Battle at Helm's Deep" album overthere in Hamburg!!! These guys discovered their popularity in the mighty Germany and i have to admit that i'm very happy with that!! On their latest album "Soul Taker", singer Bob Mitchel is sounding a bit boring but on stage he is singing perfekt!! GREAT band!! The band told me that they will probably play next years Bang Your Head festival in Balingen, Germany (offcourse). TYRANT'S REIGN The best band during last years (november) Keep it True festival edition!! Their US-metal suits me very well and this time the band also played some new songs. Tyrant's Reign didnt bring their 2 original guitarplayers with them but brought 1 substitute guitarist that did his job very well!! Singer Randy Barron was not always singing clean and/or high but it was, again, a great show!!!! DAMIEN THORNE Another cult US-metalband as headliner on the second day. I have to be honest that i didnt know any of their music but that was not necessary to review this band. The band emerged as a real headliner and its incredible to see how popular these kind of bands are in Germany!! The band also played a few songs during the aftershow on Sunday and i can tell you; they have a 'new' fan!!! Great shows!!! After the shows we had to hurry up again to go to our hotel because, we as die-hard fans, had to visit the afterparty on Sunday at the Headbangers Ballroom in Hamburg. Thanx to the mighty Thomas from HOA and Jurgen Hegewald from Hellion Records for making this kind of festivals happen, Pim (from www.metallive.nl) for the aftershow review (see below) and offcourse all the German, Dutch and Belgium (hello Rico & Peggy) fans we partied with!! Hope i will be invited again next year!! METAL RULES!!! GERMANY RULES!!! Cheers; Mario |
HEADBANGERS OPEN AIR AFTERSHOW (10 July 2005)
Headbangers Ballroom, Hamburg, Germany Review by Pim Botermans http://www.metallive.nl/ To celebrate the 20th aniversary of "The Battle At Helm's Deep" release ATTACKER took the opportunity to play the entire album at the legendary Headbangers Ballroom located in Hamburg. A day before we saw a devastating gig at the HOA festival so the question is, what can we expect today? In the half filled Headbangers Ballroom the band kicks off with the opening song 'The Hermit'. Out of sheer admiration some fans kneel deep for their hero's and soon the frontrow turns in a headbanging pit. The band plays as tight as a chicken's ass and looks relaxed on stage. Singer Bob Mitchell hits all the high notes and the stagesound is very loud but clear, just the way we like it. Without much introduction the songs 'Disciple', 'Downfall' and 'Slayer's Blade' are played and after the titlesong we can sing along with 'Kick Your Face'. After 'Dance Of The Crazies' the Attacker anthem '(Call On) The Attacker' ends this set and it's clear that Attacker is an excellent and powerfull live band. Last song is 'The End' from "Soultaker" to satisfy the crowd and my remaining words are that we were witness to an extraordinary performance of an extraordinary band. Attacker kicks ass!!! |
BOSPOP (3 July 2005) Weert, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren My first invitation to a real big festival!!Man, I was so curious about it, especially about the heavy Sunday line-up!! Pitty I couldnt make it to visit the festival on Saturday too, because with bands like Marillion, Uriah Heep, Steve Lukather and even Joe Cocker they had a great line-up on that day also! But looking at my target group, Sunday was the most important day for me. When i arrived, SQY ROCKING TEAM (formerly Sequoah) already did play but gladly i could see/hear a part of ACTION IN DC. ACTION IN DC is one of the best coverbands in the world and singer Mario Verhulst has that typical Bon Scott voice. It's always great to see this band play live with hits like: 'Whole lotta Rosie', 'High Voltage', 'Hell aint a bad place to be' and lots of other classic AC/DC songs. First band for me on the main stage was DRAGONFORCE. I was not familiar with this band but their Helloween-on-speed metal suited me well. The band played mostly fast songs and had a reasonable sound. Guitarist Herman Li is a very good musician and Dragonforce also owns a good frontman. Some of their songs: 'Valley of the Damned ', Black Winter Night', 'My spirit will go on' (from their latest album). Good peformance! WHITE COWBELL OKLAHOMA? I heard a lot of positive things about this Canadian band so i was very curious about them. After watching about 4 or 5 songs of this band i was dripping with perspiration out of the tent. It was so f*ckin hot in there, i couldnt stand it anymore!! Their music also didnt impress me; they make a kind of southern rock & boogie the way ZZ Top already did 70 years ago!! Also the show with some half-naked nurses (ugly as hell, i've seen them close-up backstage) and a guy chopping a Winnie the Pooh bear with a chainsaw looked very childish. Not my kind of music/entertainment. On the mainstage IN EXTREMO also tried to entertain the big audience and they DID it with their folkish-metal with a lot of Rammstein elements. The band has a great show on stage and it all looks/sounds very professional. Not really my kind of music but it is always good for the variation to add these kind of bands to a festival! Some of their songs: 'Wind', 'Santa Maria', 'Rasend Herz'. Mainwhile MASTODON was already playing in the tent stage. I was not familiar with this band also but they DID impress me with their show. The band plays a mix of Thrash- and Deathmetal and they did remind me to bands like The Crown and Hatesphere. Mastodon was suited with a great sound and they had an energetic stage performance. The moshpit in the frontrow proved their popularity! Next time they tour the club-circuit, i will be there!!! MASTERPLAN; one of the most important bands for me to visit Bospop!! I'm a huge Jorn Lande fan for years now and that only became bigger after I met him backstage later that evening (Suzanne Smaling did an interview with him for MMM, read it!). The band had a moderate sound but did perform very well that evening. They played nearly the same set as they did during their latest tour with songs like: 'Kind Hearted Light', 'I'm not Afraid', 'Heroes of the new World' (Helloween-a-like song), 'Enligthen Me', 'Pathfinder', 'Let the spirit never die' and also their latest single 'Back from my life'. Jorn's voice was sounding much better than during their latest tour, so I had a hell of a time!! In the tentstage OVERKILL already started, so i had to hurry up to see one of my alltime fav. bands overthere! The band played an energetic show (as always) but had the bad luck to have some problems with the snare-drum and later with Bobby Blitz microphone. During these problems, stage-animal Bobby Blitz entertaint the audience with the few dutch words he learned from his girlfriend/wife. Except for the singalong tune 'In Union we Stand', the band played a great setlist with songs like; 'Rotten to the Core', 'Hello from the Gutter', 'Necroshine', 'Elimination', "Fuck You' and also a new song "Relish the Old School'. The band played this show with only 1 guitarplayer but with a frontman like Bobby, you didnt even miss it!! Great show! WITHIN TEMPTATION; what to tell about this band that isnt told before?? The band is wellknown for their hits and their great live-performances. Singer Sharon den Adel was singing good this time (during their Pinkpop gig a few months ago she was sometimes singing out of tune). The band has build a great stage performance during all these tours and festivals and their was nothing this time to complain about!! All their hits where played; 'Mother Earth', 'See who i am', 'Stand my Ground', 'Ice Queen' and also the Kate Bush cover 'Running up that Hill'. The only little complain about Within Temptation in general is the fact that they dont play any old stuff from their earlier days anymore! Pitty. Because of a diner-break and a backstage visit i missed MY DYING BRIDE. Sorry guys, next time i will be there again! Right on time i arrived from the backstage area to see one of my alltime fav. rockbands Y&T. The band reunited a couple of years ago and during that time i've seen the band several times. Personally, it's one of the best reunions during the last years and all the shows i've seen the band; they Rock like they did in their younger years!! Dave Meniketti is a superb singer/guitarplayer and bassplayer Phil Kennemore is still acting like a beast on stage! The band also has the luck to have lots of classic songs and they now damn good which ones; 'Open Fire', 'Straight through the Heart', 'Dirty Girl', 'Winds of Change', 'Squeeze' (with Phil Kennemore on vocals), 'Recue Me', 'Meanstreak', 'Forever' and the alltime classic 'I believe in You'. They also played a few less interesting songs (like for example: 'Summertime Girls'). Again a great show from these guys and it was rightly the organisation put the band so high on the bill!! Pitty that the stage announcer didnt know the band and introduced them as Yesterday and Tomorrow…….(or maybe he was just a bit drunk??) PORCUPINE TREE; personally its difficult to review this band; i'm not familiar with their progressive sound and singer Steve Wilson has a typical voice that does not suit me at all. It catches me that this band is so popular, maybe i first have to listen to some of their stuff and visit another show of these UK band. IRON MAIDEN; I'm a big fan from nearly the beginning of this band and i've seen the band already during their 'Piece of Mind" tour in 1983. Well, the band played only songs from their first 4 releases, so they nearly played the same set, they did in 1983!!! I didnt know this before, so i was very pleased with it! Technically; 'Powerslave' is my fav. Maiden album but i'm not complaining at all!! With songs like; 'Murder in the Rue Morgue', 'Trooper', 'Remember Tomorrow', 'Where Eagles Dare', 'Run to the Hills', 'Revelations', 'Wrathchild', 'Die with your Boots on', 'Phantom of the Opera', 'Number of the Beast', 'Hallowed be thy Name', 'Iron Maiden' (with a big Eddie head behind the drumkit), 'Running Free', 'Drifter' (with the 4 meter tall walking Eddie), 'Sanctuary' and a few other songs, the band played a great set!! The band played as tight as a duck's ass (a Dutch phrase) and, again, had a great visual show!! Bruce Dickinson is one of the best frontman for years now and i hope Maiden will go on for years too!!! Bospop couldnt pick up a better headliner to celebrate this 25th edition!!!! I really had a superb time and hope that the organisation will invite me again next year!!! Thanx for this wonderfull festival;!! Cheers; Mario |
KEEP IT TRUE WARM-UP SHOW (1 April 2005) Sporthalle, Dittigheim, Germany Review by Fleur http://www.metallive.nl/ This was already the fourth edition of the German underground festival called Keep It True which is held in Königshofen twice a year. A place where the oldschool metalhead is lost between the thousands of vinyl and where there is generally a lot of enthusiasm. How time flies at KIT. Well, what do you expect with bands like Torch, Overlorde, Thunder Rider or Martyr? Like the last time, it were once again two days of enjoyment and we got the chance to see bands we might never see again. A huge disappointment was the fact that Satan got cancelled because the bassist apparently fell of the stage the night before. Anyhow, as a result Overlorde got the chance to extend their setlist and After All came from Belgium to play a few songs. In short, we had nothing to complain about and the upcoming 6 months will take ages for sure! It all started on Friday, April first, in a hall close by where the preparty would take place. The first band of the night was LANFEAR. This German band was still soundchecking when we entered the hall and from hearing they seemed to have an acceptable sound. A little less than half an hour later when the band is starting their set, the sound suddenly changed to a mess. The drummer and the keyboard player were hardly hearable, but luckily the guitarist and vocalist didn't have such problems. During their 45-minute taking set Lanfear played a lot of songs from their new album "Another Golden Rage", such as "Another Golden Rage", "The Unretrained", "Shades of Black", "In Silence", "Transmigration" and of course some old songs. The band is quite fanatic and both the vocalist and the guitarist were in great shape. The crowd seems to enjoy it and in spite of their bad sound, Lanfear receives a lot of support from the present people. Lanfear can consider this performance as a nice final rehearsal for their coming tour with Morgana Lefay at the end of April and for the audience this was an entertaining gig from a band that could've given a much better appearance with a decent sound. MARTYR would give a special show tonight, since this band hasn't been playing for many years and after a couple of failed attempts for reuniongigs it finally worked out for this night. Martyr is the Dutch pride, and the present Dutch visitors made that clear to everyone. Martyr hasn't released any other album ever since their last LP "Darkness At Time's Edge" from 1986 so their setlist consisted only of material from their first two LPs: a bad setlist was therefore impossible. They proved this by kicking off with "Snow And Fire" and subsequently they played one magnificent song after the other such as "Black Sun", "Invisible Touch", or "Darkness At Time's Edge". Yet, the highlight of the night for me was "Speed of Samura" and I don't doubt the fact that many share my opinion on this. Martyr proved to be a band that is still as strong as iron (both literally and figuratively speaking!) with a vocalist that can stillr each the highest notes without any struggle. Apart from that, they managed to produce a decent sound for a hall like this one. Without doubt the best band of the night. The Italian band ADRAMELCH was the third band that played on the preparty. The year before they played on Headbangers Open Air where they didn't impress me much, although I very much enjoy their album "Irea Melanox". This time, unfortunately, it was the same story. The sound was - especially when you compare it to Martyr - mediocre, even disappointing. On one way or another songs like "Fearful Visions" and "Was Called Empire" tend to turn out very different when played live. On the record these songs sound amazing, it contains a lot of spirit, energy and the cries from Vittorio Ballerio sets your teeth on edge. Nonetheless, all of this is missing during their live show. Possibly Adramelch was overshadowed by the previous impressive performance but in the end, the band themselves is to blame. Maybe a more extended soundcheck could've preventing a disappointment. SHADOWKEEP was a band that surprised me pleasantly. I didn't know this fresh English band before this performance yet, but they certainly left a significant impact to everyone. They played a considerable share of heavy metal with both new as old influences. At some moments, the band reminds me of the old Fates Warning or Queensryche. Previous members of ShadowKeep have played in bands like Angel Witch and Tygers of Pan Tang so that should give you an idea of the metal that ShadowKeep play. Especially the song "Dark Tower" was very tight, the sound was alright as well, at least it was noticeably better than the prior band. In short, a nice closing of the night. But actually, everything has only just begun… |
KEEP IT TRUE FESTIVAL IV (2 April 2005) Lauda-Konigshofen, Germany Review by Fleur http://www.metallive.nl/ INSANE was the opener of Keep It True on Saturday. This thrash-band from Italy doesn't sound Italian at all. They play thrash as if it were an extension of "Show No Mercy" from Slayer. Their sound was rather messy, the vocalist was difficult to understand but when it comes to thrash I'm not as concerned as usual. Insane is an energetic band and they play songs which differ from each other and in ym opinion that's an important factor within the thrash genre. Particularly "Evil Is At Hans" was a very good song where Slayer and Exodus were clearly heard. To sum it up, a good opener for KIT. The day continued with PARAGON, a German band that is grower more popular by the second. I am sickened by the tag of 'melodical power-metal', and luckily Paragon aren't one of those modern power metal bands that are emerging on the metal scene with hundreds at the same time. No, Paragon knows how to combine their powerful modern influences with the old-fashioned speed-metal riffs, nice solo's and vocal parts. Plus, a tight sound and a well-chosen setlist that almost runs through their entire history of 7 albums. They started with "The Legacy" and luckily they played 3 or 4 songs from the album "Law of the Blade" which is my personal favourite. Especially the songs "Across the Wastelands", "Armies of the Tyrant" and "Deathsquad" were the highlights of their performance. The newer songs like "Traitor" and "Impaler" from their last album "Revenge" however, were great as well. Paragon probably has a big future ahead of them, and I wish - especially after attending their concert - for them to receive the credit they deserve. I expected the next band to play later than 2 in the afternoon, but that's just the way it is. With or without daylight, THUNDER RIDER was one of the main reasons for me to go to KIT. This band from Canada is a very unique band and they hold a special place with their album "Tales of Darkness and Light". They play metal in the vein of the 80s us-metal, but with more special touches like Blackwing (vocalist) playing the flute. Blackwing (like the name of the song) has a warm and exceptional voice. Almost the entire first album was played, "Executioner", "Death To Death" and the encore "Blackwing" gave me chicken pocks. The highlight for me though, was without doubt "For Chirst's Sake" which couldn't take long enough for me. The songs from their follow-up album "Tales of Darkness And Light Chapter II" like the opener "Thy Kingdom Come" and "Heavy Metal Wizard" were amazing as well. Thunder Rider threw themselves entirely into this concert, and I highly pity the fact that this show was only half of the complete set of 90 minutes that they played throughout Germany. There was only little time to recover from the previous band, because TORCH were shortly on stage. I was looking forward to this Swedish metal band with a lot of curiosity, would they still sound like their albums from the '80s? In 2003 they reunited and that gives us the chance to see them live today in 2005. My fear for a disappointment turned out to be completely unnecessary. Torch played an incredibly tight show in the typical atmosphere of the '80s. Vocalist Dan Dark - who resembles Udo Dirkschneider surprisingly much - has a voice that fits very well with the raw heavy metal that Torch play. The setlist started with the best tracks from their first album, such as "Warlock", "Rage Age" and "Beauty And The Beast". What more do we need, something from their next album? Needless to say, "Electrikiss" and "Thunderstruck" were played as well. Torch's performance went beyond all my expectations. I mean, even "Fireraiser" from their first EP was played! A disappointment? Not even close! OVERLORDE is a band that gained a lot more - well deserved - attention from the fans and press lately. They just finished a new album called "Return of the Snow Giant" that received outstanding reviews. This band plays power metal from 20 years ago. That's what made this album one of my favourites from last year and I was very much looking forward to their performance at Keep It True. As mentioned before, Overlorde was given more time to play since Satan got cancelled. Their setlist was extended with songs I wouldn't have wanted to miss at any cost. Their sound wasn't bad, but it could've been better. At least, in the first row next to the speakers it was hardly noticed that the volume of the guitar could've been driven up a bit. "Snow Giant" was of course the ultimate song of the night, since it is the song that fits best with Overlorde's energy and riffing. Besides, this song was originally written way back in 1987 so that makes it more special. Actually, as highlights of their set I could name all the tracks because they hardly missed out on anything. Of course, there were some songs that I have to give special notice to, like "Hell Has No Fury", "Metallice Madness", "Mark of the Wolf" and not surprisingly, the matching titled track "Overlorde". One of the last songs "Trapped By Magic" is one of the lesser songs of their album and therefore this song wasn't exceptional live either. But, in the end that's just my opinion. I regretted the fact that their relatively long setlist was over so soon. Hopefully they will visit Europe again sometime soon. MAJESTY generally plays one of the two times that KIT is held, so that's once a year. So, this time Tarek and the other Majesty members were all present again. Actually there's nothing much to say about this band. They're not surprising but they do provoke singing along with songs like "Keep It True", "Sword and Sorcery" (sometimes sung as "Sauce and Sausages"), "Reign In Glory" and "Heavy Metal Battle Cry". There's a lot of talk about Majesty being a Manowar-clone, but I don't agree entirely. Sure, Manowar is a so-called 'obvious' metal band, with predictable songs (often, anyway) but when it comes to Majesty this is a lot more the case. Majesty is more obvious, more predictable, and catchier. The influences are clear, but does that matter? I don't think so. Majesty remains a good festival band, period. DEADLY BLESSING already exists around 30 years. They're and American band, but they don't play the typical us-metal. The red line throughout Deadly Blessing is thrash and speed metal combined with extremely high vocals. The setlist mainly consisted of songs from "Ascend From The Cauldron". After the eighties they haven't released anything new, so we got a good share of old heavy metal. The first three songs were immediately the best ones: "Search And Destroy", "Salem's Lot" (my personal favourite) and the staggering "Cry of Medusa". Then of course, "Deliver Us From Evil" and "Deadly Blessing" couldn't be left out. Apart from the setlist being absolutely amazing, the sound was pretty good too! As far as Deadly Blessing is concerned: volume on max overload and fire away! I have to admit, that goes for many bands. But only few bands who've been around for so long can do this again in 2005 with so much class as Deadly Blessing! COUNT RAVEN, something completely different from the previous band. Count Raven plays traditional doom metal (to my ears, at least). Maybe a bit of a weird choice for KIT? Yes, I must say it is, but doom is a genre you can't get away from anymore these days. "Doom over the world," as Reverrend Bizarre say. If you like the Swedish Trouble, or Saint Vitus and similar bands, you'll probably dig Count Raven as well. Not me though. I adore Black Sabbath, and Count Raven is obviously influenced by them (which doom band isn't?). It's just that Count Raven is a whole lot slower, almost lingering. I prefer more dynamic in a band, and Count Raven clearly lacks that. The good parts was that, every now and then, the vocalist reminded me a bit of Ozzy. So, at least they sound a little like the good part of Black Sabbath. As for me, I prefer a bit more power on a festival like KIT. Due to Satan's cancellation, the headliner AGENT STEEL was the next band on the billing. These speed metal heroes played the same setlist as the week before on Raise Your Fist. That means, the entire album "Skeptiks Apocalypse" and some other songs were played. Agent Steel remains to be an energetic live-band, again and again. If only the sound weren't so bad… especially the sound of the drums was terrible. It sounded more like a drummer with kitchen tools. A big disappointment, especially if you compare this concert with previous Agent Steel performances. Even the week before, I had no complaints about their sound at all. So maybe it wasn't the band's fault. Anyway, most of the fans either didn't notice or didn't care, because the crowd was incredibly enthusiastic. And in the end, why shouldn't they be? With or without kitchen tools, Agent Steel continues to be Agent Steel, and at any rate: you need to bang your head! VORTEX was at last the final band of the fourth KIT edition. A better closing band hadn't been possible. Maybe I'm prejudiced, because Vortex finds it home in the Netherlands like I do, but no one can deny that this band put the entire hall in an uproar. Vortex, as usual, come with their familiar masks, cannibal-outfits, a corpse-painted look-a-like vocalist and fireworks. A predictable setlist, but I would blame Vortex if it weren't predictable. It included classics like: "Gotta Get Away", "Open The Gates", "With Witches Help", "Heavy Metal Is Kind" but also "Hammer Of The North" from the last album. On stage it was a real party (everyone backstage was brought on-stage) but also behind the fences it was one big chaos of metal. And that's the way a proper KIT closedown should be. In short, again few disappointments this year. In the end the sound is only a side issue when the band knows how to keep the crowd amused. The next line-up for the upcoming KIT already looks very promising. My compliments for Oliver who makes it possible for metalheads to go back into the '80s twice a year. That many more KIT's may follow! |
MASTERPLAN, CIRCLE II CIRCLE, ROB ROCK, PURE INC. (28 March 2005)
De Bosuil, Weert, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren Already during the first band of the evening it suits me that a lot of people show up for this event. PURE INC. from Switserland opens this evening with a mix of Audioslave-a-like metal. I've already seen this band before when they opened for the Michael Schenker Group (MSG) is Tilburg and they didn't impress me that time at all. Well, to be honest; they didn't impress me this time either! After about half an hour i had enough of this boring band. ROB ROCK was the second band and he came over to The Netherlands with a totally renewed line-up. Most of the guys in this band also play in NARNIA. When i asked Rob Rock after the show about this line-up, he told me that it had only to do with his financial budget, he couldnt bring his US band with him. Rob Rock has already delivered 2 terrific albums and i did see the band already in 2003 during the Bang Your Head festival where they developed as one of the best bands from the festival! The band played several songs from their first two albums; 'Rock the Earth', 'Eyes of Eternity', etc. and also played an old M.A.R.S. song; 'I'm a Warrior'. Rob Rock also played a few new songs like; 'Slayer of Souls' from their new album "Holy Hell". The band gave an incredible show and Rob was singing his lungs out!! Maybe he should change his name into Rob Metal ( Thanx for the idea Pim!) Most of the people showed up for ex-SAVATAGE frontman Zak Stevens and his "new" band CIRCLE II CIRCLE. Personally i have never been a huge Savatage fan but what C II C shows this evening suits me well. The only complain about C II C is the fact that most of the songs have the same speed and need some variety. So it was a good choice of Zak to play some Savatage songs also: 'Edge of Thorns' & 'Follow Me'. Good show after all. Zak is a very good singer and a very nice person also (read the interview Suzanne Smaling did with him!) MASTERPLAN was one the bands that did made me decide to travel to Weert (and Vosselaar, the day after). I'm a huge Jorn Lande fan and i like everything he sings; from his solo-albums, ARK, MILLENNIUM, BEYOND TWILIGHT, etc. The band lately released their second album "Aeronautics" but to be honest i was not familiar with this album during these gigs. The new songs they played did sound even more grown-up than their debut stuff. The band played for 1,5 hour and played songs from both of their albums; 'Enlighten Me', 'Soulburn', 'Kind Hearted Light', 'Heroes', 'Back For My Life', etc, etc. I only have one little complain to their performance; I still have the feeling that Jorn Lande is restraining his voice because i know that he can do a lot better than he did during these shows!! But after all; i had a great day with all these bands and thats why i decided to visit another show of them the day after at Biebob, Vosselaar in Belgium. |
2004KEEP IT TRUE FESTIVAL III (6 November 2004)Lauda-Konigshofen, Germany Review by Pim Botermans http://www.metallive.nl/ The KIT festival is considered as a festival for people with a truth metal addiction. Given the bill of the november edition it's justified to say that with bands like Jaguar, Witchfynde, Helstar and Stormwitch. That the festival would turn out in a major dissappointment was not to be expected and could have been prevented. Nearly all bands performing that day had a reasonable to a really crappy sound and that is something I'm not used to in Germany. That some bands kicked ass nevertheless was a gift from the Gods Of Metal and not from the organisation. REPENT For me an unknown German band which fired their set of speed/thrash with a persuading bad sound towards the audience. The response was according to the bands stage act = moderate. METAL INQUISITOR This German band already made a positive impression on me at the fifth editon of the Dutch Heavy Metal Maniacs festival and seems to impress me today once more. With a reasonable sound this sympathetic band hacks through their setlist with great enthusiasm. The German bangers like it and to show that they know their classics Metal Inquisitor plays the Sweet Savage cover "Eye of the storm". Good performance. ROTTWEILLER This American band is playing around for some time and here on the KIT festival they present themselves with singer number many. One of their earlier singers (Ronny Munroe) performs at this moment with Metal Church. The band plays American powermetal and musically it sounds not to bad but the vocals are a different story. The singer shrieks and screams with an irritating sound which is not at all appropriate for the music. That the reasonable sound does not cooperate is obvious so I think it's fair to say that the band as a collective can't convince anyone. SACRED STEEL According to the Headbangers reaction one of the winners of KIT III. This German band seems to be very popular in German and I don't get it. The sound is terrible so I can't make out what songs are played so to endure this is somekind of Hell for me. The frontrow is tearing the place down despite my negative feeling of the band so they deserve to be one of the winners today. WITCHFYNDE I can talk little sense about this band because I didn't know them in the 80's and that's fine with me. Their standard metal sounds fair but never really inspired. My first thoughts were that the band got together to ride with the reunion wave but Witchfynde is working on new material so maybe they give themselves a few more years. Nevertheless the bandmembers enjoy themselves on stage and musically they perform pretty good and that is a compliment. JAGUAR This British band descends from the NWOBHM time and hits the stage with fury and power. Infested by a bad sound they do not persuade the German public. This moderate response is strange to see in Germany. Jaguar with singer Jamie and bass player Darren Furze has two clowns performing on worldlevel. These two idiots chase each other on stage and don't allow themselves a quit moment. Jaguar plays some old hits like Chasing The Dragon, Backstreet Woman, Axe Crazy and also the album Powergames is not overlooked with songs like Dutch Connection, Mastergame and The Fox. Despite the calm reaction of the public Jaguar puts on a profesional show with lots of action but unfortunately with a bad sound. Damn. TYRANT'S REIGN For the first time to be seen on European soil was this American speedmetal band from the Chicago area.Tyrants Reign plays mainly work from their last cd (click here for a review) Tyrants Reign. The band rages through their setlist with main focus on singer Randy Baron who sometimes is still screaming as hell. Musically Tyrants Reign reigns on all fronts. The drummer goes wild behind the kit and the guitarplayers torture their instruments untill they both bleed. Metal Thrashing Maniac, Starchamber, Kill or Be Killed and Tyrants Reign are some of the tracks played. The song Unconditional Surrender is dedicated to the deceased bandmember Chris Nelken and with the cover Sanatarium of Metallica this great performance is concluded to everybody's satisfaction. HALLOW'S EVE That every reunion gig doesn't automatically mean a big thank you to the Gods Of Metal is a statement that is proved by Hallows Eve. By far the baddest reunion gig I have ever seen and the concert is an insult to every ex-member of the once great Hallows Eve. Total crap. The bad sounding tape I have of some 80's gig at least shows a band in their prime with a passion for music. With long time bandmembers bass player Tommy Stewart and guitarist Skeletor in the ranks we get to hear shitty outputs of Hallows Eve hits like Metal Merchants, There are No Rules, Horrorshow, Hallows Eve and Plunging To Megadeath. Both gentlemen share also the vocal duties but they don't have any talent for this. It's obvious that this reunion was a big mistake to begin with and should never have happened. Bought Hallows Eve t-shirts must be burned ritually as a sacrificial gift to the Gods Of Metal.. (I agree Pim, Note webmaster) STORMWITCH From the ashes arose Stormwitch and they came, saw and conquered. After so much misery on stage Stormwitch present themselve as semi-headliner next to Helstar and afterwards I can only conclude they deserved this spot. The band has a good sound and their singer is very good. Their 1980s German metal is nice to hear and Stormwitch enriches their stage act by adding some show elements. Monks, swordfighters and lovely maids, the metalcliches pile up in a quick tempo but nevertheless it doesn't affect the music. During the 80's I would probably fall a sleep but with so much bad sounding bands performing I enjoy the Stormwitch show. Metal Forever. HELSTAR The honour belongs to this American band to conclude this third edition of the KIT festival. The sound at the Helstar gig is reasonable to good so it isn't problematic to enjoy the music. Helstar with prehistoric bandmember bassplayer Jerry Abarca go for it by playing classics such as Burning Star, Shadows of Iga, Evil Reign, Remnants Of War to name a few. James Rivera's voice is very good as usual, this man has vocalchords of steel because he always sings at a high level. As always The Man surrounds himself with superb musicians to accompany him on a tour. Besides fixed bandmember guitarist Eric Halpern (ex-Destiny End) two other hired guns are present who should be permanent members according to their musical skills. Helstar shows a small weakness by playing two Distant Thunder songs because Helstar has more than enough material of their own. Besides that it's obvious that the Distant Thunder material is inferior to Helstar's. Despite this little setback we can speak of a succesfull closing act of a not so succesfull festival. |
HEADBANGERS OPEN AIR FESTIVAL (9 & 10 July 2004)
Brande-Hörnerkirchen, Germany Review by Pim Botermans http://www.metallive.nl/ In a large part of the world Germany stands for the territory of Metal worshippers. It does not really matter what kind of metal, as long as it isn't nu-metal, but otherwise the German Headbanger will adore it. That only the most fanatical headbanger joins the HOA seems quit natural when we enter the festival area. Although this festival is already organised for the seventh time, to me it seems it's still done with the same number of visitors as seven years ago. The area covers the area of the parents house of the organizer. The broad entry is the concert area where a barn with an open front is the stage, the frontlawn is for eating, on the side of the house is some rainshelter and the backyard is backstage. When myself and Mario (the photographer & webmaster of MMM) has taken the matter once in consideration we can only conclude that the organisation isn't in it for the money but that this has been organized because metal for many German Headbanger is a way of life. In this enjoyable environment we decide to judge the 23 bands performing the next few days. DAY 1 ( 9 july 2004) A little bit too late (15.15) SAVALLION DAWN from North-Germany kicks off the seventh edition of HOA. The band exists about 5 years and released two demo's of which most of the material is played. Savallion Dawn plays straight forward heavy metal, nothing more nothing less. The moderate zanger from Uruguay does not really contribute to the enjoyment but for an opening band their oke. Nice. Hereafter the next band is CRYSTAL SHARK which started in 1998 and has released already two demo's and a complete cd. The band is from nearby Hamburg and tries to amuse us for the next 45 minutes and succeeds. Although the band interacts nicely with the audience and the band members can actually handle their intruments well the mediocre singer becomes a little bit boring after half an hour. The fanatical crowd thinks otherwise and gets crazy when they play a covertune from Running Wild. When the singer of the third band ROSAE CRUCIS from Italie begins to sing I'm overwhelmed with excitement. What a voice. I always enjoy high and long screams and when the band plays good metalsongs they deserve my complete attention. The other advantage is that the musicians can handle their instruments well but this isn't astonishing when we take in consideration that the band already exists for about 14 years and ended their demo phase in 2003 with the release of their cd "Worms Of The Earth". When Rosae Crucis decide to play "Pleasure Slave" from Manowar it's obvious that the singer has no problem with the range and power of the once great metalvoice of Eric Adams. Great band. The fourth band of today DARK AT DAWN from Germany with zanger Marcel Van Drunen (ex-Pestilence) had a car accident and therefore they cannot attend this years edition. Too bad, but with 6 bands togo and a bad timeschedule I don't really mind. Next year perhaps. That there were Greek metalbands I knew already but that there are also qualitatively good bands from Greece I found out at that moment. BATTLEROAR hits the stage with their power/heavy metal where the clear and good singer claims a leading role and not undeserved. He maintaince his stage pressence despite the musical power the band produces and in the meanwhile their is some nice musicianship from the bandmembers. Very well done and I'm looking forward to that other Greek band Bloodstained which enters the stage tomorrow. TYR from Denmark have probably lent their name from the album of Black Sabbath with the same name and that can be also said in a certain way of the music. The reasonable doom metal originating from their only release Eric The Red has a good impact on the audience so that both are enjoying themselfs during the set. Despite this I decide to head for some food after some time. With a full belly I'm curious to the suprise act which is the seventh band on the bill. It appears that it is the Swedish formation RAM. Never heard of and I don't wanna hear them anymore. Absolutely not my taste. Standard metal and carried out badly. After these suprise act it is time for todays headliners. The American band INTRUDER plays US speedmetal and has released during the 80's three albums out of which the last two (a Higher form of Killing and Psycho Savant) through the famous Roadrunner Records. Of all three releases the band plays some songs. The crowd goes wild and so does the band. Unfortunately the sound isn't that great so that has it's negative effect on the soloparts and on top of this it seems that the drummer has some problems with his kit. But despite these setbacks songs as Killing Wind and the title track of their first record Live To Die are delivered well. That the band can do better they prove a few days later at the afterparty in the Headbangers Ballroom in Hamburg. In Germany the American outfit BROCAS HELM is a wellknown cultband and that's something I have never understood. However it's nice for the band and I must admit that their first record Into Battle is quit good actually but what I see and hear that night is total crap. Bad played songs and a terrible sound is the only thing we get. Strange enough I hear of several fans that the band was captivating therefore I think I'm just stupid and when the crowd enjoys themselfs who am I to think otherwise. It's about musical enjoyment, isn't it? When the Canadian band HANKER enters the stage at 2:00 we are a bit fatigue but we nevertheless hang on to see what's to come. Hanker treats us with good US metal and the good musicians make it worth it to listen to. Outside some songs from their first three records (In Our World, The Dead Ringer and Snakes & ladders) we also get some new tracks from their upcoming cd "Web Of Faith". Good to hear that the new stuff is just as good as their old stuff so I can conclude there is nothing wrong with the performance and this band despite some problems with the drumkit, again. A good band to conclude this first day of HOA 2004. DAY 2 (10 july 2004) After a short night's rest we proceed rapidly to the festivalarea because the first band of the second day performs already at 12.00. Of course our German friends are also in large numbers present and are entirely ready to get to it. This time, however, on time METAL WITCH has the honour to open the second day. This local band has won some kind of bandcontest at the Headbangers Ballroom and therefore plays on HOA. The band kicks in with tough and furious metal arrangments and both band and audience go for it. The bandmembers do their best and keep tormenting their instruments as if their lives depend on it. Also the singer gives al he has got but he doesn't deserve the first prize for his singing qualities. His lack of talent is well compensated by its commitment and performance. Pretty good opener. As second another local band (Bremen) can show what they've got. ETERNAL REIGN plays slightly progressive metal where the singer with his short high screams supports the music very well. As one of the few bands Eternal Reign uses a keyboard to spice up their songs and that works very well. Also the crowd can appreciate this and when the band decides to play a covertune from the first record of Vicious Rumors (Soldiers or the Night) they receive a big applause. At last a Greek band. After I got a good impression of Battleroar I had been curious to watch BLOODSTAINED. The band plays powermetal ala Helloween and of course a good singer is not lacking. Bands who play this kind of metal can always count on support from the German audience because they simply love it. Nothing special but their singer makes it worthwhile to watch them. When I read some information about FORSAKEN I can hardly believe that there are metalbands in Malta. Nevertheless Malta contains a metal secret for some 14 years because that's howlong this bands operates from there. Forsaken plays doom metal which refers to Candlemass. To be honest, they are actually quit good except then that Candlemass has a better guitarplayer but this minor setback is only a question of time. It is striking to see that the singer scarcely rises above the crowd in length but he rises for certain with its powerful voice. When the band honours their heroes by playing a cover with the titel Dark Reflections Forsaken establish them as a band to stay. RITUAL STEEL are to follow and since this is their farewell show I can sufffice with a short comment. Bad standard metal with a bad singer who is also called Sir Lord Doom and writes reviews for the Hellion Catalogue. It's obvious that he's better doing that than to sing so it's not my loss the band dissolves after this show. The sixth band of today had it's heyday during the NWOBHM hype at the beginning of eighties. De band is called FIST and even had a litle hitsong with the track SS giro. The well played metal/boogie is nice to hear and the zanger/gitarist appears to be able to still sing with a firm voice after all those years. Despite that his looks are touched by fathertime his short highpitch screams sound very good. Nice entertainment from a good band. DESASTER needs no introduction of course because this German band kicks around for a lot of years with their black metal/thrash style. Nevertheless a little bit strange to see such a band on this festival. Definately the most aggresive band of HOA 2004. The audience always likes some thrash so they go for it for the next 45 minutes. In the past I found the Swedish band OVERDRIVE already a bit boring and unfortunately I can still account for this. Too bad because it's clear that the band did their best to learn and play the songs according to the orginal. Nevertheless bad songs stay bad songs and no super-musician can change that. Boring. ELIXER is an often seen guest on all kinds of festivals ( Keep It True 2) and as a result the band got on the bill of the HOA 2004.The band plays British Heavy Metal with much enthousiasm and the band enjoys themselfs onstage and when a band onstage is having a good time then most of the time the crowd is amused too. Despite of their somewhat standard metal it's no torture to listen through their setlist. Italie has been represented by means of Rosea Crucis and ADRAMELCH on the HOA. Adramelch seems to have built also a cultstatus but honestly I have to admit this is something of a riddle to me. The band plays progmetal on a considerable level so I ask myself the question why this band still hangs around in this underground circus. I like to blaim it on the factor -no luck- because according to the songs and the instrumental qualities this cannot be true. Sometimes the singer has some long highpitch screams but most of the time he unfortunately performs on a midrange level. In spite of what inferior sound problems the band has a strong performance and is their excellent drummer one of the highlights of the festival. For day two we have again arrived at the headliners which exists today from the Dutch VORTEX. The band plays already for the second time on HOA and again it's somewhat of a mystery to me because I'm looking at a mediocre SPINAL TAP imitation. All heavy Metal cliches are again visible like there are; the corpse paint and wig of the singer, pyro effects and a logo of the band with light effects. Nevertheless I do not get the impression that the band takes itself seriously and that results in the fact that the bandmembers of Vortex take the stage with much pleasure and humour. The audience goes wild and according to the show element I can say that Vortex is a just headliner. The US powermetal of the American band BREAKER are second to last to play some music at the HOA 2004. The straight forward metal barely affects the headbanged tired crowd in the beginning. It nevertheless lasts some songs before the fanatically playing band and the very fanatical and symphatic singer Greg Wagner (ex-ARCHETYPE) gets some response from the audience. Too bad that such a great singer joins Breaker because his dynamic voice doesn't fit the music and it's obvious Wagner is keeping his voice a bit down and that's a shame. When Wagner decides to give a stagedive performance at best the audience gets full into the show to the end. The clock already points 2.00 in the night when HIRAX enter the stage. Unfortunately due to the late hour the band didn't had a soundcheck therefore the first songs didn't sound like they're supposed to. The band plays some tracks of all releases such as Demon Evil Forces, Thunder & Lightning, The Plague, Destroy and the hitsong Bombs or Death. Also we get some songs of the new record "New Age Of Terror" where Unleash The Dogs stands out because this is probably the only midtempo song of the set and here both guitarplayers give their best performance. Singer Katon dePena gives himself totally from the first song to the last and we see a fanatical band showing how thrash has to be played: In Your Face!! |
HEADBANGERS OPEN AIR AFTERSHOW (11 July 2004)
Headbangers Ballroom, Hamburg, Germany Review by Pim Botermans http://www.metallive.nl/ Only for the most fanatical bangers there was an afterparty where you could see some of the bands who performed on the HOA. For 5 Euro (or 2 euro when one was also at the HOA) one could see successively Intruder, Hanker, Vortex, Metal Witch and Breaker playing a small set. When we enter the Headbangers Ballroom around 16.00 it appears that the first band hits the stage around 18.00 instead of the announced 15:00. We choose for an alternative to just hang at the bar with a few beers and enjoy this nice and neat arranged club with room for about 200 people. It is striking that the crowd tonight exists for 90% from musicians and people involved with them whom I learned all resided in a hotel nearby. INTRUDER kicks off the evening with a vigorous and powerful act that with regard to the performance isn't inferior for the HOA act. What however makes a large difference is the sound that can be called an optimum considered with the HOA sound. Furthermore the songs get played super-tight as if it was 15 years ago. That's how speedmetal must sound. Great. Afterwards the band was also pleased with the sound. It seems that the backline and drumkit belonged to Metal Witch and with good equipment it appeared that every band had a great sound. HANKER played as second and they sounded much better than a few days before. The guitarwork is excellent and we see a tight band releasing their set on the crowd. This is how the band should have performed on HOA. VORTEX had to actual headline today but since some bandmembers had to work the next day the organisation decides to put them earlier on the bill. To my astonishment the Spinal Tap sound is of course much improved then the day before and therefore I'm able to pull myself through. Since a part of the installation of METAL WITCH is used the band can also join the action. With a better sound and with as many commitment the band kicks the songs from the stage towards the crowd. Still fanatical and with still a failing singer. BREAKER has the honour to try amuse us as last band and of course Breaker has an improved sound. Greg Wagner is still this fanatical and the band plays tight their songs during 45 minutes. Unfortunately Mario and I are obliged to leave after a half hour due to public transporation. With the last action still fresh in our memory we can look back on an extremely succeeded and a tiring weekend. HOA rules!!! |
2003SAXON, NOCTURNAL RITES, WOLF, EVIDENCE ONE (18/1/2003)013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren EVIDENCE ONE (from Germany) had the bad luck to open the show 15 minutes earlier then scheduled. They had to play for a nearly empty place. Their typical style, in the vein of a band like ANGELDUST, was not bad at all but far from original. After half a hour they had to stop. WOLF was the next band to get on stage. For me, as an old 80's headbanger, it was nice to hear a band with RAVEN/IRONMAIDEN influences. Nevertheless they never could get the high level of these bands. NOCTURNAL RITES has always been a nice band with good musicians and a spontaneous frontman with a good voice. They had a much better sound than the 2 openingsbands, but still could play only half a hour. The songs of their latest CD where also nice to hear. Finally!!! Biff & Co; came, saw & conquered!! SAXON has always been a very good live band (i've seen them 14 times now) and they are never boring. It even strikes me that SAXON is getting better and better during the last years!! Biff is screaming even more than in his "old" days! They played all their "evergreens": Heavy Metal Thunder, Princess of the Night, Wheels of Steel, Dallas 1 P.M, Strong arm of the Law, etc, etc. This was , again, a fabulous show guys!! Hope to see you again soon!! |
HAMMERFALL, MASTERPLAN, NOSTRADAMEUS (12/1/2003)
013, Tilburg, The Netherlands Review by Mario van Dooren NOSTRADAMEUS had the honour to open this metal-package. By the time they began there where only about 200 people present. They had a good sound, good performance and a great singer. Only complain is their musical style: it all sounds good but NOT original. After about 45 minutes 013 filled up for the next band: MASTERPLAN. This new band with former HELLOWEEN members; Uli Kusch & Roland Grapow and the mighty Jorn Lande (Ex- ARK) did their second show during this tour. Only a few songs did remind me to the old Helloween-days. Most of the songs where in a total different direction. Maybe i'm a bit prejudiced but i can tell you this: Jorn Lande is one of the best singers in Metal!! Such a POWER!! I didn't hear the album (yet) but i know allready i will like it!! After about a hour headliner HAMMERFALL jumped on stage. Well, they have never been my favourite band; they're all good musicians but they sound very standard to me. Joachim is a good entertainer but tonight he was the worst singer of the package!! I was also disturbed about the whole show; SPINAL TAP and MANOWAR watch out!!!! HAMMERFALL are rivals these days!! A hydraulic drum stage with 6 !! bassdrums??? Is this necessary??? Please leave this crap to bands like GWAR, just play METAL!! |