Je twee-wekelijkse uurtje metal van Nederlandse bodem is terug. In deze editie van de tiplijst weer 10 nieuwe tracks. Ik wilde eigenlijk nog een 11e track toevoegen van Sietse de Krieger, maar helaas had ik echt geen tijd meer deze editie, dus je weet in ieder geval wat er de volgende editie als eerste op de planning staat. En wellicht ga ik volgende week wel weer een tussendoor editie opnemen in plaats van gewoon weer over twee weken, want er staan al weer behoorlijk wat tracks in de lijst voor de komende tijd! We will see. Hou de socials in ieder geval in de gaten voor updates.
Tracklist:
Salvage – Currents Out of the Blue – Deadbeat Permeator – Wake HESKEN – Desolation Gallamesh – Stingrays Dead Head – Caverns of Fate Another Now – Would it kill you Colombian Necktie – Nameless Dance with Dragons – The Key Zieldoder – Be Silent Like The Night
Check de tiplijst hier:
Of check m op Youtube als je me wil zien meeschreeuwen
After the release of ‘The Weakest Predator’ in collaboration with Sugar Spine and Vincehatred, Dutch modern metal guitarist Sietse de Krieger is back with his latest release,’ The Worst,’ in collaboration with fellow Dutch solo artist Daniel Brooke. ‘The Worst’ features a unique blend of modern metal with an electronic approach, not only in the instrumental aspect but also in vocal production.
The Worst” (lyrics written by Daniel Brooke) portrays a struggle between conflicting emotions and identities. The figure feels torn between past and future, grappling with internal battles and uncertainties. Despite acknowledging personal flaws, there is a challenging journey towards self-reflection.
Born on May 22, 2002, Sietse de Krieger is a young emerging artist in the metal scene, known for blending electronic elements within modern metal. Inspired by bands like Northlane, Polaris, Spiritbox, and Bring Me The Horizon, Sietse’s sound definitely falls within the Modern Metal genre, but with a twist!
Not one, but two new bands emerged with a split album released by Zwaertgevecht this week. Two new Dutch Black metal bands, Zieldoder and Magistraal, collaborated to release a split album. Zieldoders’ part of the puzzle is called ‘Be Silent Like the Night‘, and Magistraal delivered the Fantoom of the Deemsterburcht. You can order the split on Vinyl from Zwaertgevegt here. Follow these bands on their socials for more info!
Be Silent Like The Night contains four tracks and is just over 20 minutes.
Magistraal’s part Fantoom Van De Deemsterburgt has three tracks, with just over 20 minutes as well, because the second track Mijn Branded Licht is an epic epos of 11 minutes.
The Netherlands has been known internationally for producing great Symphonic Metalbands. We’ve had names such as Within Temptation, Epica and Delain as export products. Dance with Dragons finally released their debut EP, so maybe in a few years they can be added to that list as well. Escape From Darkness has been in the works for quiet some time. While these tracks have been performed on various stages in the Netherlands so far, now it’s time to share those tracks with the world.
Dance With Dragons
Dance with Dragons tries very hard to be able to perform the songs they write without a backing track. They have four(!) vocalists and a keyboard player to bring the synths and orchestrations to the stage. And there’s more: all of the band members bring the energy! If you’ve ever been to a gig, or seen the videos on YouTube, you know they all bring it to the stage.
Escape Into Darkness
Escape into Darkness was planned to be released in 2021. Dance With Dragons started recording and finalizing the album in their personal studio. However, they realized the final product could be a lot better if they got some help producing it. I’m glad the band did that. The final product now is consistently high quality, and the mixing and mastering are done nicely. Which is hard with so many different layers of instruments and vocals. It’s all nicely balanced, giving room for the deep dark grunts, chugging guitars, and dreamy keys, with the talented vocals of Sanne at the forefront.
Judgement Day
The EP starts with Judgement Day, a track that instantly reminds us of Nightwish with the melody in both vocals and keys. The whole track is a nice balancing act of melodies in guitars, keys, and vocals. The song doesn’t necessarily follow the standard song structure. That actually helps the tracks not be too predictable, while still having a nice recognizable chorus part. A catchy sing-along track, which definitely fits the genre. The hook for the track is in the guitar, which definitely shines early on the EP.
After Dark is, well, it’s in the name, a darker track than what we started out with. The track is a little more guitar-heavy, with the synths and guitars forming one heavy front. The main vocals still follow on the same note, however, the scream in the pre-chorus shows us Sanne can add a little grit to her voice as well. I would probably have preferred more of that: just a little more variety in the vocals to make that more interesting as well. The bridge in this track takes this one to fast-riff party land, and you can feel the energy the band has on stage pouring out of your speakers on that part.
The Key
Onto probably the best track of the album, The Key. Hearing the first few notes you know this will be a crowd-pleaser. Sanne again shows her versatility on this track, and the variety of more mid-range and soprano vocals work well. I have to applaud the keyboard player on the riff in the middle of the track, for not going in the direction everyone would expect with that riff. I’m not sure I like it, but I’m glad they tried something different. The heavy part that follows works well to get our heads banging, however, the best part of the track is for sure the ending part, with the ‘I am the key’ vocals ringing in our ears long after the song has ended.
The EP ends with Mortality, probably the hardest track on Escape into Darkness. It’s another guitar-focused track, with more of those deep grunts, that instantly give the whole track more ‘oomph’. The soprano vocals, layered on top of the guitars and grunts in the pre-chorus make for a nice wall of sound. The instrumental break in the middle gives us some breathing room and makes the lyrics about mortality stand out even more. We do however return to the heavy intro part once more, before the EP ends with more headbanging.
Final Thoughts
Dance With Dragons managed to put out a versatile EP, that shows the bands’ skills in all capacities. From the dreamy melodies to heavy headbang riffs, deep grunts, and haunting opera vocals, Dance With Dragons has it all. The are some hints of more progressive bands in there if you listen closely, but the main focus is of course the symphonic metal and to me, Nightwish. If I have to give one point of criticism, I would however like to see the band improve on their lyrics since they feel a little too direct to me.
However, I’ve said it before in other reviews: bands like this rise or fall based on their vocalist. And Dance With Dragons definitely passed that test for me. The whole thing is just well-written (apart from maybe the one debatable riff in The Key) and well-produced. My favorite track would probably be The Key, but with a 4-track EP, you can easily listen to the whole thing in one go.
Do you like a good dosis of ‘BLEGH’, tea-whistles and low gutturals? BRACES got you covered!Their debut album ‘Ugly World’ immediately gave me a huge stankface within the first 30 seconds.
It really surprises me how high the bar is set within the Dutch metal scene. The production quality of albums coming out the last couple of years, just shows we got A LOT of talented musicians in this tiny country! BRACES from Tilburg is definitely one of them. You want Deathcore, you will GET Deathcore.
Beyond the Pale is working towards releasing their long awaited debut EP “Monument in Time’. Their latest video ties in perfectly with that album title, since DB”s Utrecht is an iconic place for many Dutch metalhead. The track Storm en Drift was originally recorded for a benefit collaboration album, so it made perfect sense to shoot the video on top of the building, now that it will be torn down. Check out Storm en Drift on Youtube.
Founded in March 1989, Dead Head is a 4 piece band originally from Kampen, Zwolle (NL). They still write their music in Kampen but as quoted from their website: ‘No band member has actually lived there for 20 years’.
With over 7 albums on their name, Dead Head is a staple within the Dutch Thrash metal scene and just released their 8th studio album called ‘Shadow of Soul’.
Het Vrienden van Baroeg-team organiseert op zaterdag 20 april voor de tweede keer het evenement Everyone Rocks dat als doel heeft om mensen met een beperking samen te brengen met Baroegianen. Een prachtig initiatief, dat tijdens de eerste editie al vele blije gezichten teweegbracht bij bezoekers én muzikanten. Het motto van Everyone Rocks is dan ook: “Voelt jouw beperking als een belemmering? Nu niet meer!”
Wie spelen er?
De dag wordt geopend met een voorstelling genaamd ‘Iconic World‘ van Rotterdams dansgezelschap Misiconi, met een gemixte groep dansers met en zonder beperking. Dit is de eerste samenwerking tussen Baroeg en Misiconi, dat net als Baroeg een culturele organisatie is in de wijk Lombardijen.
Het muzikale programma bestaat uit pop/rock covers van de Niemand Minder Sessieband (de bandleden zijn cliënten bij Pameijer). Zij maken op een geweldige manier covers van grootheden uit de rockmuziek. Verwacht o.a. muziek van KISS, Queen, Johnny Cash, Golden Earring en CCR. Verder is er nog karaoke, muziekles van SKVR en een barbecue. Afsluiter van de dag is de band Scream Tonight die rock covers spelen. Verwacht hits van grootheden als AC/DC, Motörhead, ZZ Top en Twisted Sister.
Het belangrijkste is de connectie die de organisatie gaat maken met mensen waarvoor Baroeg misschien een drempel te hoog is om naartoe te gaan. Deze drempel wil de organisatie wegnemen en wil ook de slogan dan waar gaan maken: Voelt jouw beperking als een belemmering? Nu niet meer!
Dit is een van de laatste evenementen in het huidige Baroeg pand. In de zomer van 2024 start de sloop van Baroeg. Het nieuwe podium opent naar verwachting in het najaar van 2025 de deuren. In de tussentijd gaat Baroeg bands programmeren op andere locaties in de stad, waaronder V11, Maassilo, Podium Grounds, Rotown en SoundVille en uiteraard het jaarlijkse festival Baroeg Open Air in het Zuiderpark.
The Friends of Baroeg team is organizing the Everyone Rocks event for the second time on Saturday, April 20, with the aim of bringing together people with disabilities and Baroeg fans. It’s a wonderful initiative that brought many smiles to visitors and musicians during the first edition. The motto of Everyone Rocks is: “Does your disability feel like a hindrance? Not anymore!”
The day will kick off with a performance titled ‘Iconic World’ by Rotterdam dance company Misiconi, featuring a mixed group of dancers with and without disabilities. This marks the first collaboration between Baroeg and Misiconi, both being cultural organizations in the Lombardijen district.
Who plays?
The musical program includes pop/rock covers by the Niemand Minder Session Band (whose members are clients of Pameijer). They deliver fantastic covers of rock music legends including KISS, Queen, Johnny Cash, Golden Earring, and CCR. Additionally, there will be karaoke, music lessons by SKVR, and a barbecue. The day will conclude with a performance by the band Scream Tonight, playing rock covers featuring hits from AC/DC, Motörhead, ZZ Top, and Twisted Sister.
The most important aspect is the connection the organization will establish with people for whom Baroeg might seem intimidating to visit. The organization aims to remove this barrier, making the slogan a reality: “Does your disability feel like a hindrance? Not anymore!”
This is one of the final events at the current Baroeg venue. The demolition of Baroeg is set to begin in the summer of 2024, with the new venue expected to open in the fall of 2025. In the meantime, Baroeg will program bands at other locations in the city, including V11, Maassilo, Podium Grounds, Rotown, SoundVille, and of course, the annual Baroeg Open Air festival in Zuiderpark.
Jochem van der Steen wrote a really good article on why it’s important to buy (pre-sale) tickets for a show to support your local scene. The article is in Dutch, but chat gpt is your friend is you need it translated. If you really want to support your local bands and local scene, and wonder why your favorite band hasn’t had it’s breakthrough yet, please read, like and share!
May 22nd is the day the Another Now album will fully be released, but the band has been sharing a lot of the new tracks already. Would it kill You is the latest release the band has posted online. Heavy riffs layered with some electronic influences and another cyberpunk-looking video make for another killer track. Check it out on Spotify and be sure to check out the videos for all the released tracks as well!
