Op dinsdag 27 Augutus zette Gallamesh, Distant en Born of Osiris zaal 2 van de Patronaat op stelten met keihard metal- en deathcore. Met Born Of Osiris als inmiddels gevestigde naam in de scene, maar Distant die daar niet veel voor onder doet en Gallamesh als absolute nieuwkomer was het een interessante avond. Wij waren natuurlijk vooral benieuwd om Gallamesh een keer live te zien, nadat we ze spraken op Jera on Air over hun debuut EP Conditioned Pt.1
Gallamesh
Gallamesh trapte de avond af voor een goed gevulde zaal. Ondank dat deze band nog weinig op hun naam heeft staat, waren mensen toch nieuwsgierig naar hun muziek. En dat werd goed ontvangen. Vanaf de eerste noten staat de band aan en spat de energie van het podium af.
Zanger Kees begint de eerste twee nummers nog met een shirt aan, maar het is te warm op het podium en in de zaal omdat dat lang vol te houden. Dat kan ook niet anders – hij is constant aan het springen en rondrennen op het podium.
Gallamesh speelt vooral nieuwe nummers, en hoewel wij ook heel blij zijn dat Servants of Ira ook aan bod komt; die nieuwe nummers zijn echt heel vet! Meer hardcore, meer invloeden uit de hiphop scene. Het publiek gaat ook voorzichtig los, en uit opmerkingen uit het publiek blijkt dat iedereen totaal verrast is door de kwaliteit van deze band. Het staat als een huis, de nummers goed doordacht en een stagepresence die zeker niet onderdoet voor de andere twee bands. Sterker nog – deze band heeft iets te bewijzen en dat maken ze duidelijk ook. Vooral de nummers met meer hiphop invloeden worden krachtig neergezet en ik kan niet wachten tot de tweede EP van Gallamesh uitkomt.
Distant is nog bezig met hun Europese tour op het moment dat ze in Patronaat spelen, maar neemt de tijd om ook met hun Nederlandse fans te chillen. En hoewel er misschien iets meer energie op het podium was tijdens hun optreden op Jera, wil ik alleen positief praten over deze band, omdat inmiddels duidelijk is dat op de laatste dag van hun tour is ingebroken in hun tourbus, waardoor de band enorme schade heeft geleden. Als je wil doneren voor de crowdfundactie, dan kan dat hier.
Distant live gaat altijd hard, en vandaag is geen uitzondering. Zowel nieuwere nrs als Loveless Suffering als Heritage komen aan bod. Naast de nodige crowdsurfers, die ook op het podium frontman Allen belandden, ontstaan er natuurlijk ook de nodige moshpits. Die hoeven niet aangemoedigd te worden door de band, maar op het moment dat de band er om vraagt gaan ze natuurlijk wel extra hard. Er is zelfs nog even een kleine row-pit vooraan.
Tijd voor de main act van vandaag: Born of Osiris. Deze band volg ik al een tijd, en was dan ook blij om ze nu eindelijk een keer live te gaan zien. De band speelt tegenwoordig live zonder bassist, en ik als bassiste vind dat ergens toch jammer. Voor het geluid maakt het echter niet uit, want alles behalve zang en gitaren staat op de backingtrack. Dat maakt dat het optreden, ondanks de toffe gitaarpartijen, soms toch wat klinisch aanvoelt.
Natuurlijk speelt Born Of Osiris hun laatste track ‘In Desolation’, die ook gretig door het publiek wordt meegeschreeuwd. Het wordt ook wel tijd voor een nieuwe plaat voor Born of Osiris, die in 2021 hun laatste album uitbracht. Van die plaat spelen ze gelukkig wel Posterchild, en ook Elevate moet natuurlijk even aan bod komen. Het is een feest van herkenning, en de ietwat klinische sound doet maar een klein beetje af aan de ervaring die Born of Osiris live brengt. Al met al, een toffe avond!
The first few pictures from Distant’s performance in Patronaat, opening for Born of Osiris together with Gallamesh. More pictures and a full report will follow later!
Friday, September 6th, Tenuem is releasing their debut EP ‘Singraven’ after previously releasing the tracks Singraven and Teeth as an introduction to the band. We got to listen to the EP early, and man are we excited for you all to hear it too! If you’ve seen Tenuem play live before, you know what to expect. If not: check out our thoughts on Singraven and make sure to listen to the full EP when it drops.
Rather listen to a review? Check out our Youtube channel (link below)
Tenuem
Tenuem is a blackened melodic deathcore band from The Netherlands. They started in 2023 but are a force to be reckoned with, consisting of members from various other projects. There is enough experience amongst the 5 guys, which is clearly heard in the previously released tracks by the band. They are influenced by, among others, Shadow of Intent, mixing the melodic synths in the background with crushing vocals and breakdowns.
Metalcore and deathcore are still on the rise, and it’s cool to see various bands putting their own spin on the genre. Tenuem pairs Deathcore with black metal, and the orchestral parts are at times very present. That means you’re listening to layer upon layer, and investing in a good pair of headphones definitely helps to hear all the intricacies in their music. Believe me, I lost my headphones and tried listening on a very cheap pair. Would not recommend. But I digress. Let’s dive into Singraven.
Singraven
The tracks Singraven and Teeth had been released prior to the EP, but are now part of a 5-track EP with the name Singraven. With the 5-track EP, we get 3 brand new tracks to enjoy. Singraven serves as the title track and the emotional backbone of the EP.
The EP starts with the eerie tunes of a crying woman and far-away church bells: the intro to Singraven. After the intro, the song kicks off with blast beats and an orchestra-filled wall of sound.
Blackened Melodic Deathcore is indeed an apt description of Tenuems sound, although orchestral Deathcore, as Sapphyr claims to be, would be a good description too. Their sound is characterized by its aggressive guitar riffs, intricate drumming patterns, and dynamic tempo changes. The addition of orchestral elements elevates the track, adding layers and that set it apart from typical Deathcore compositions.
Production-wise, “Singraven” has a polished yet raw sound, leaving enough space for all the instruments to have their moment. However, as said before, make sure to listen to it on some quality headphones.
Distrain
Distrain opens on the same gloomy note but has more interesting riffs and melodies to enjoy. Tenuem understood the assignment; catchy riffs, while being heavy. There’s a good hook in chorus, inviting us to scream along.. However, the hero of this track is the solo at the end. Distrain is the moshpit track of this EP, and if there was any doubt about Tenuem being a deathcore band, that’s all taken care of with Distrain.
Teeth
Teeth might be the heaviest song on the EP. At least, it starts that way. Blast beats all the way right from the start. The riffs in the chorus and the second part of the song feel like I’m listening to a melodic death metal band, and I guess that’s where Tenuem takes some of their inspiration.
Again, catchy riffs, and unmistakable deathcore with the heavy breakdown at the end. Where the the first part feels like a friendly mosphit, the breakdown makes you want to stomp on someone’s face. The guitarsolo on Teeth is even better than on Distrain (al be it a different style), and this is a track that even though it had been previously released, will still end up on my personal playlist. The vocals follow the main riff so nicely for that chorus part, that I had to listen to it again and again.
Ephemeral
Ephemeral starts with a sample in the backing track with a very eery message, that continues later in the track. It’s clear Tenuem doesn’t have a happy message. Guitar harmonies, the moment the double bass kicks in that riff is even better. The chorus is very open, and with different vocals could even be melodic death metal of even symphonic metal. However, the vocals, and the low guitars, definitely take it into core land.
We get another guitar solo on this track, somehow reminding me of Opeth. It’s clear that Tenuem takes inspiration from various places, with the verse parts being almost trashy death metal. The addidion of strings and other orchestral elements make it sound even more epic.
Salem’s Folly
Salem’s Folly is the final track to the EP. It starts with a low-fi fade-in, but it doesn’t take long for the full song kicks off as a ending for this EP. Again we get catchy guitar riffs for the chorus parts, and the chord progression makes it feel like the final track for sure. The breakdown in the middle is nice, maybe a bit short, but luckily for us that breakdown returns at the end of the song, to get us banging our heads till the end.
Final Thoughts
Singraven one hell of a debut EP. Remember our review from No Kings Allowed last year? Tenuem is on the same track as these guys I’d say, with similar music and at least a similar tenacity to their music. The only thing where I feel No Kings Allowed might take the upperhand, is the mix. Even with a pair of good headphones, the mix still feels a bit dense and cluttered, as there is so much going on in Tenuems music. That might be better live on stage, though. And I can’t wait to see this energy on stage.
As far as favorite tracks; I think Teeth is definitely my favorite of this EP, because of the melodies. However it’s hard to pick a clear winner here, since Distrain and Salem’s Folly could be my favorites for the same reason. Tenuem should be proud to deliver an EP like this, and they are a great addition to the ever growing Dutch core scene.
Back again with the MetalFromNL Tiplijst! It’s in English this time, let us know what you think of that! This week, ten brand new tracks from Dutch Metal bands, including some deathcore, deathmetal, black metal and a few alternative tracks. There will be an extra episode next week, so stay tuned for that, ‘cause the summer holidays are definitely over!
You can listen to the MetalFromNL Tiplijst on YouTube, or on Mixcloud.
Tracklisting:
Changing Tides – Louder Than Words Ecocide – Penance Crisis Theory – Sleeping Satellites Sledeon – Art Redikin – Monkey Business Marrow Of Man – Upon Mighty Plains of Ash Athena’s Warship – Vesalius Baas – Backstage Asgrauw – Weeral Deathless Void – Purple Triad
We had Green, Red and Gold, but now we have a full line-up, with even an extra vocalist! And the extra vocals really do add some interesting layers to No Kings Allowed’s music! We loved their previous album, but the stuff they’re putting out for their new release is next level! Check out Garden of Eden on Spotify, and of course, a matching video on Youtube as well!
None Shall Fall is back! This band has been active for over 14 years, and have only released tracks very, very sparsely. Three years ago, they released the track ‘Trapped Inside’, but now, after some hard work, they are finally releasing an EP later this year! Lie of Omission is the first track of the EP, and we were lucky enough to be able to assist in making their video. The footage was taken from the 12,5th anniversary in Patronaat, and shot by various people. Check out the video for Lie Of Omission, or check out the track on Spotify!
Phoenix Ashes was already back in action with their previous single ‘Oceans’, but with Defiance, this band can’t be ignored any longer. Catchy, heavy, hardcore/metalcore vibes. What I really like about this track, compared to other recent hardcore tracks; Phoenix Ashes has a lot more melodies. It’s even a bit progressive … Go check it out! There’s a video as well!