Category: Reviews

Categories
News Reviews

Jera On Air – Sunday June 30

See more pictures below the post

Day 4 of Jera is a weird surprise. In the past few years, Jear On Air only had three days. And when this year’s edition was announced, it only had three days. However, since it was the festival’s 30th anniversary, and the ticket sale had already started, the organization announced the 4th day. Some people were happy; it was another day of festival! Other people not so much, because they had been planning for three days. 

Judging from the number of people that are still left on the festival grounds today, I’m not so sure the 4th day was a success. I think at least half, if not more, of the people was gone today. In a way that was nice – very easy to navigate the festival and no lines at the toilets at all. But it felt a little empty for the bands on the main stage. 

After another load of woodchips on the now very muddy festival grounds, it was time for Deez Nuts. Even though most people already went home, there were plenty of people to get the party going. 

Bongloard was actually a Dutch band, but since it really isn’t metal, we didn’t do a full review of their performance. However, they had a lot of energy on stage and it was a fun break in the day. The Hawk stage never disappoints in that regard. One point of feedback though. The bass player was headbanging so much, that I really don’t know what he looks like, ‘cause all we saw was hair. Talking about dedication lol. 

Time for some solid core with The Acacia Strain. That’s a positive side to the lack of people at the festival today; plenty of room for two-stepping, mosh pits and crowd killing. Plenty of people making good use of the space, and enjoying themselves dancing. 

I’ll say it again: I love good vocals. Make Them Suffer has those, and a female keyboard player to add not just a layer of synths and vocals, but a layer of badasserie on stage as well. While the guitarist likes to show his perfectly carved body, she is just banging her head and being a total badass on stage.

The guitarist is fun to watch, though. I would love to see his step count at the end of the gig, ‘cause it seems he’s running a marathon during their performance going from left to right. And just when the party is going at multiple places in the main tent, and moshpits breaking out everywhere, the keyboard badass takes out a keytar to crank it up a notch. 

Another band that’s bringing the energy is Death Before Dishonor. Again, lots of energy, and a really cool band to watch. It helps that their music is energetic and fun as well. It’s mainly the bass player and the vocalist bringing the energy though. 

The band I was most excited for today was obviously Distant. I saw them at Jera last year, and since then, I’ve been following their releases closely. These guys are growing so fast. With a number of awesome gigs under their belt, touring with Born of Osiris and Whitechapel this year, this band has really grown out of the small stage on Jera. Just listening to one of their releases will show you why.

Before the first tunes even start, the band hands out security vests with their Distant MoshPit Warrior logo on it. The party is on even before they start. And once the music kicks in, people go, hard. Of course, they play their latest release Loveless Suffering. A great number of tracks from Heritage are on the setlist as well.

Their show at Jera is a perfectly produced piece as well. So well, that at the moment both the guitarist and the bass player switch out on stage, no one really notices at first. Why would they switch? Well, if you’re on the small stage, there is no pyro. So of course, you bring your own!

After the kickass Distant show, we manage to see a small part of the Caskets set. I didn’t know this band, and when you don’t know the music and the vocals are off-key, there’s not much reason to stay. The vocalist has a really nasal tone of voice, and it’s turning me off. Maybe more people thought the same, ‘cause there aren’t many people in the tent at this point. 

After seeing Zulu at Graspop, we went to check them on Jera as well. In my memory, Zulu was pretty hard and pretty fun. However, I might have had a beer or two too much at Graspop, ‘cause seeing them at Jera was a totally different experience. The crowd seems to love it though. Lots of stagediving and moshing again, and the energy on stage is good. It might be because I’m tired, but it just doesn’t really grasp me. It’s a bit boring, too much of the same. 

Decking to go watch Atreyu was the best decision today. We entered while they played Euphoria, probably one of the few tracks I know from this band, and it couldn’t be better. My mood changed in an instant. Artreyu is very fun to watch. This band obviously has a very good time on stage. All of them were continuously smiling, and there was great interaction between the band members on stage. They were shaking butts, doing weird stuff, and just having fun.

It’s refreshing to see a band with so many great vocalists, as all of these guys take turns in singing. Of course, me being a sucker for good vocals and vocal harmonies couldn’t be happier. The guitarist is having his birthday today, and the band surprises him with a cake (and of course, we all get to sing Happy Birthday to him). Just great vibes all around. 

I wasn’t too sure if I wanted to see Lionheart. However, after hearing the great stories of their performance yesterday, and not much else to see really, we went for Lionheart. That was a good choice; their music is as straightforward as their name, and the happy vibes from Artreyu continued for a bit during their set. 

Tesseract maybe shouldn’t have been in the line-up, and the main stage probably wasn’t the place for them, either. Even less so on this last day, the 4th day that was added later on as a surprise. As most people already went home that morning, and Tesseract didn’t really fit the ‘core’ vibe, that showed in the number of people in the tent. While it was somewhat crowded when they started their set, at the end, there were probably just 4 rows of people left in front of the stage. Maybe 50 people at most. While there were still groups of people scattered, I actually felt sorry for the band. 

It didn’t help that the band started out with pretty technical and challenging music. Not the groovy, head-banging tunes we’ve been hearing all weekend. It’s technically really good, but it might be a bit to intellectual for this festival. Tesseract is listening music, not party music. 

And with the tunes of Enter Shikari in our ears, we sadly have to miss them this time, ‘cause it’s a long drive back home. We were lucky enough to get our car out without the help of the tractor (of course the parking turned into one, big mud pit). See you next time, Jera!

Distant

Other bands

Categories
News Reviews

Jera On Air – Friday 28th of June

(see all pictures (and more) fullsize below)

At 11 o’clock, we were standing neatly in front of the gate waiting to be let in, along with, to be fair, not many other metalheads. Understandable, since the first band wouldn’t start until 12 o’clock.

However, we were invited to join RockPopRadio to talk about MetalFromNL and some Dutch bands, so we had to be somewhat on time. Fortunately, the gates to Jera finally opened at 11:15. After the radio show, it was finally time for the main event of this festival: the bands.

The first band of the day was Holding Absence. I wasn’t familiar with the band, but there wasn’t another band I was particularly interested in seeing. Plenty of people were already awake, as the tent was quite full. The guitarist made some mistakes in his enthusiasm to headbang, but nobody cared.

It was already packed for Thrown long before it started. Thrown is just awesome. All the guitars are tuned super low, and the bass tones resonate through your chest. It’s hard and intense, with headbanging all the way. The crowd loved it, and it was a party from the start.

Unfortunately, I had to leave Thrown early to be on time for Nephylim’s performance. During the soundcheck, the deep grunts of vocalist Tijn were already audible as more people streamed in. It’s a bit puzzling why this melodic death metal band was on this stage, but the Hawk stage had the most unique programming of the weekend, so in that sense, they fit right in.

There were also enough metalheads who could appreciate more than just metalcore and hardcore, as the room was quite full once the band started. This was one of the most enjoyable performances to watch, mainly because the guys had so much fun on stage. The constant smiles on their faces made for some not-so-flattering photos, but the atmosphere was great.

They played their probably best-known track, “Withered.” In the core scene, songs often last around 3-4 minutes, so Nephylim’s tracks felt extra long in this setting. They filled that time with interesting guitar riffs, and especially a lot of headbanging. They even managed to organize a small circle pit in this small tent. That pit mostly consisted of people known from the Dutch metal scene, so it’s clear Nephylim had many fans on the grounds.

Bleed From Within (say that again in your head, but with a Scottish accent) we had also seen at Graspop. But since this band is regularly on repeat, we couldn’t pass up the chance to see Bleed From Within again. The setlist was almost the same, maybe even entirely, but I listen to too much music to remember. “The End of All We Know,” “Levitate,” and “I Am Damnation” are naturally great sing-alongs, and the audience eagerly joined in. Where there was a small pit at Graspop, it quickly expanded here.

I only knew Brutus by name, and although it sounds Dutch, this band is actually from Belgium. They get bonus points for not only having a woman in the band but also a woman who can both sing very well and play drums. For me, Brutus was a bit of a festival surprise. Powerful, emotional vocals, and a sound comparable to the Dutch band Dool. Progressive, dark, and at times a bit doom-inspired. It’s a dreamy sound with dreamy vocals… until you are abruptly woken up. This contrast makes Brutus a very interesting interlude.

Ice Nine Kills isn’t entirely my thing. I’ve avoided them a bit so far, mainly because of the considerable hype around them. But, to be fair, it’s quite cool. If you like singer/songwriter music but with metal, then it’s great. Each song is a whole story, and everything is meticulously crafted. Even if the music doesn’t appeal to you as much, the whole show around it makes it definitely worth seeing live at least once.

Of Mice & Men were also at Graspop, but they are high on my list of most-played songs in the past year. As you probably know by now, I’m a sucker for good vocalists. And Of Mice & Men fit that description. They played all the expected hits again; “Obsolete,” “Would You Still Be There,” “Castaway” … all great sing-alongs. And the audience loved it.

Sum 41 is one of those bands you can’t avoid at a festival like this. As a teenager, I liked them but wasn’t a huge fan. And that feeling still prevails. These kinds of bands naturally appeal a lot to nostalgia. Sum 41 does this by playing their hits. They also play a lot of music I’m not directly familiar with, but because it’s all very cheerful sing-along music, it doesn’t matter. It’s a big party during Sum 41. It’s easy to score points by playing “We Will Rock You,” but it works.

There was also a surprise band on the schedule today. The hope was for a cool Dutch hardcore band, but instead, Lionheart played an extra set. Lionheart is scheduled for their own set tomorrow, but today they prepared a special set of covers. Mostly Limp Bizkit, but also Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine, and KORN. Speaking of nostalgia.

Thrasher We ended the evening in the party tent with Thrasher, partying until we couldn’t walk anymore. How we will survive tomorrow is still a bit unclear, but luckily the first band doesn’t start until 12 o’clock 🙂

Categories
Reviews News

Jera On Air – Thursday june 27th

(See all the photos larger at the end of the post)

After a not too long journey, in better weather than expected, MetalFromNL arrived at the Jera campsite on Thursday afternoon. Fortunately, the weather forecasts were good, and it looked like we were in for a beautiful weekend. As you would expect on the first day, there was still plenty of space both at the campsite and on the grounds. After having a few beers at the tent, we slowly made our way to our second home for this weekend: the festival grounds.

The nice thing about Jera On Air is that the festival is very easy to navigate. A second advantage, whether in good or bad weather, is that all stages are covered. In the sun, you have shade, and if it starts to rain, you can still see your favorite band while staying dry (well, mostly). 

We started our festival with Knosis. You know your day is off to a hard start with them. It’s mainly the bassist who steals the show, with jumping, headbanging, and a lot of energy on stage. The whole performance is super hard and intense, except for the last track, which is probably their hit. Personally, I found the tracks they played before that much more interesting; less poppy and predictable.

On to Shadow of Intent. We had unfortunately missed this band at Graspop, so it was time for a second chance. The sound for Shadow of Intent was a bit better than it was for Knosis, which is necessary with so many orchestral parts in their tracks. In that regard, Shadow of Intent’s music is also more sing-along friendly, and the crowd was really giving it their all.

It’s not completely full yet (even though the singer says it is), as many people probably still need to arrive. They also play several tracks from their latest album. The new tracks are even harder, angrier, but somehow also have more orchestral parts. Despite the awesome music, I honestly find the stage performance rather disappointing. It’s all a bit static, and there’s little interaction with the audience.

The audience doesn’t care at all; during “Heretic,” everyone goes wild, and they even manage to organize the first Wall of Death of the festival.

After Shadow of Intent, we took a break to get something to eat. The weather was supposed to stay nice all weekend (except for Sunday), but you never know with weather forecasts in the Netherlands. At least, it had been very warm and pleasant all day. However, during this break, there was some cooling off as the rain poured down (for a short while). Fortunately, it didn’t last long, and after some much-needed cooling off and some food, we were ready to continue.

Time for Hot Mulligan. I wasn’t familiar with the band, but several people recommended them to me. Hot Mulligan is popular—the venue was genuinely packed this time. And rightly so, Hot Mulligan plays cheerful pop-punk and enjoyable indie music. The crowd had really arrived by now, as we saw plenty of stage divers and crowd surfers. Jera is a festival where all of this is allowed, and people definitely took advantage of it. The emotional lyrics resonated well with the audience, who sang along to almost everything.

We also saw Bodycount at Graspop—and today, they did not disappoint either. Just like at Graspop, they started off today with their intro track (“Bodycount in the house!”) followed by “Raining Blood.” It’s one thing to start with that main riff, but Bodycount plays the entire track. It’s impressive when a thrash band does that, but to see a rap metal band nail this track so intensely is on a whole other level of awesome. Kudos again to the guitarist, who can outplay many guitarists at the festival this weekend.

Bodycount is tough and grim; their new track “Purge” proves that. That’s also a bit of the band’s caveat; it’s all very angry men’s music. Except for Ice-T’s son, who takes over the stage with a big smile and a lot of energy, often mimicking the lyrics on stage. He even goes as far as taking blood pills during “Psychopath” and pretending to die.

After Bodycount, I watched Bad Religion for about 5 minutes, but it quickly became clear that it’s not really my thing. However, most of the audience is here, so that certainly doesn’t reflect the opinion of the majority. The anticipation for today’s headliner, Eskimo Callboy, begins.

Eskimo Callboy not only plays their latest album “TEKKNO,” but because they have so much time (an hour and a half, hooray!), they also include old hits like “The Scene.” Of course, in such a long set, we’re treated to musical interludes as well. Like the epic drum version of Darude’s “Sandstorm.” And the vocalists (and the audience) get into it with “Let it Go” and The Backstreet Boys. Ultimately, we’re here for all the hits, and they play them all. Naturally, with plenty of fire and fireworks elements. It’s a wonder the tent hasn’t burned down yet, but we’re used to these displays at Jera by now.

After this epic show, everyone heads towards the campsite or the parking lot. At the campsite, the party continues with a silent disco. No disco for us anymore; tomorrow is another long day 🙂

Categories
Reviews News

Meslamtaea & The Color Of Rain Split EP (review)

The Color Of Rain was last years’ surprise to me, and probably also the EP that I listened to the most last year. For people who’ve read my reviews before, you know I love progressive metal. I also like black metal a lot, so their unique blend of music is a perfect fit. Meslamtaea falls somewhat in the same boat, so it would only make sense for me to like them, too. Let’s dive into this split.

Continue reading “Meslamtaea & The Color Of Rain Split EP (review)”
Categories
Reviews News

Gallamesh – Conditioned Pt. 1

Releasedate: 21.06.2024

Gallamesh is a new modern metal band from Amsterdam, and they just released their debut EP Conditioned Pt.1. We really liked their previously released singles, so we were excited to give the full EP a listen. 

Continue reading “Gallamesh – Conditioned Pt. 1”
Categories
Reviews

Everything Decays – Requiem1: The Serial Killer’s Symphony of Liberation, Deliverance and Relief (Review)

Releasedate 31.05.2024

Everything Decays started out under a different bandname, but have since released two singles and now, an EP. The EP with the forever-to-be-remembered impossibly long name ‘Requiem 1: The Serial Killer’s Symphony of Liberation, Deliverance and Relief, that is. Or, Requiem 1 for short. Let’s head into this serial killers tale and hear what we we thought of it.

Requiem 1

Requiem 1 is a concept album that tells the tale of a serial killer from beginnging to end. From the start of the tale with The Monster That You Made Of Me to the inevitable Suicide, and the Legacy he (or she) leaves, the tale is complete. Expect deep growls, powerful screams and at times, spoken word, and haunting female voices. Everything Decays classify themselves as groovy deathcore. With two vocalists to take on that role, expect heavy, groovy tracks with the occasional blastbeat and breakdown.

The Creation

The Creation: The Monster That You Made Of Me kicks off the album with groovy death metal right away. Everything Decays play groovy deathcore, so none of that grimy sounding guitars but instead, crisp and clear sound and groovy riffs. If you would have labeled it modern deathmetal, I would have bought it too. It’s fast until the break at the very end. The ‘No more hiding from me, anymore’ part and the groovy part right after leaves us wanting for more.

The Addiction

After the creation, we fall into The Addiction. We hear a whole different side of the female vocalist, and a different side of Everything Decays. Again we have the groovy repeating riffs, but we have to wait till the second part of the song for the blastbeats and the fast chugs. This song is very well thought-out, with the lyrics and the music complementing each other well. The gang vocals ‘there’s always something new’ seem haunting in light of the track. And because it’s a concept album, the vocal at the end ease us into the next track ‘The Collection’ with the lyrics: Welcome to my gallery.

The Collection

Not that there’s anything easy with The Collection. It is probably the most moshable track on the album right off the start. Everything Decays manages to combine the fast deathmetal parts with the groovy riffs well. It makes for an interesting listen where you want to bang your head and smash all the furniture around you. The vocalist shows again on this track that she is way more than a one-trick pony. Again the clean vocals, fitting the groove metal vibe well, shine throught at the final part of the track, which leads us to Suicide.

The Suicide

The Suicide kicks off with the blastbeats and a very poppy chordprogression for the heaviness of the subject. Besides the expected growls, there are almost rap-like spoken word parts on this track as well, adding to the story. The riffs on this track are interesting, becuase they consistently aren’t what you expect. From being just one note off of what you’d logically expect in the mainriff, to bringing groovy parts where you wouldn’t expect, or just the poppy chordprogression in the intro. Everything Decays manages to make this track interesting to listen too. And with the ending of the track after ‘ We became the monsters, lurking in the dark’, or just that whole part, it’s almost progressive metal.

The Legacy

The Legacy was a track that we’ve heard before. I remember talking about this track on our tiplijst, being surprised by the vocals and the riffs. Again, an almost progressive track with a lot of variation and interesting parts, groovier than some of the others.

Final thoughts

Requiem 1 is a super interesting album to listen too, cause there’s a lot of surprises, even though I spoil many of them in the review. If you’re into groove metal, definitely give this album a listen. There are deathcore references in the album, but that’s certainly not the mainvibe. The most interesting track to me is probaly The Suicide. However, I’’d recommend listening to this album as a whole, because you’d get the full story and the tracks make a lot more sense that way.

You can find Everything Decays on Facebook or in our database.

Tracklisting:

The Creation: The Monster That You Made Of Me
The Addiction: The Thrill Of The Hunt
The Collection: The Soulless Will Remain
The Suicide: A Last Act of Atonement
The Legacy:Transcended My Mortal Coil

Categories
Reviews

Can Abyss – Dedication

Releasedate: 14.05.2024

Can Abyss was a new name on our radar when we heard of their album ‘Dedication’, but it’s a band that has been active since 1994. It just took them 30 years to release this album, so it was definitely worth the listen. Let’s dive in!

Dedication

First of all, dig the name. Can Abyss has released the five-song album ‘Dedication’ and it’s a great collection of songs. Fret not! Even though it’s only five songs, the shortest song is 5:33 long, so you’ll have plenty of time to listen.

That Lighthouse

The album starts with ‘That Lighthouse’ and what a beginning of this album. The song starts with a powerful riff that immediately has you banging your head to the song. Seven minutes may seem long but they definitely know how to keep you invested. The song is well-constructed and well-written. Towards the end of the song, you’ll be surprised with a jazzy mellow piece that may leave some people wondering what’s going on. But hold your horses and wait for it. You won’t be disappointed.

The Wolf You Feed The Most

‘The Wolf You Feed The Most’ starts off with an aggressive and heavy start with nice and dirty dissonant chords. It takes you through the song and also has a more mellow and chill bridge in the song. Whereas the melody is very pleasant to listen to, the lead that is played over it feels a bit simple and underwhelming. But that is honestly the only criticism I have for this song.

A Mötorhead Who Loved Death

‘A Mötorhead Who Loved Death’ is the longest song of the album, passing the eight-minute mark. The track is almost completely instrumental but it’s a work of art. A soothing start that leads into a prog-ish bit that lasts for a good while. Though it doesn’t change too much until the solo starts it doesn’t feel too long for some reason. The catchy riff keeps you invested (or at least kept me invested) and evolves into the final stage of the song, where they give you some words of goodbye.

Organized Mime

The fourth song is ‘Organized Mime’. These folks definitely have their wordplay on point. This song also consists of powerful guitar play but definitely allows the bass player to shine as well. With very cool bass licks that are accompanied by beautiful guitar melodies, this song is a witness to their ability in songwriting (where were those beautiful melodies in the second song?!). Followed by an enticing guitar solo and a great heavy outro that takes you back to the starting riff.

Death of a Star

Last but definitely not least is ‘Death of a Star’. This is a massive and strong song as well. They know how to construct their songs well, that much is also shown again in this last song. The song casually progresses from one part to the other and takes you on the final journey of the album. They chose to start more complex and mellow down a little towards the end which brings you to a nice ending to the song, as well as the album.

Final Words

All in all, ‘Dedication’ is a great album for anyone who likes heaviness with the influences of Death Metal and Black Metal. Can Abyss knows their stuff when it comes to songwriting and I’m definitely waiting for more of them to be released. Another very important thing I would like to point out is the mix. The natural feel in the production has been executed meticulously and wonderfully. What makes me really happy is that I can hear the bass guitar well because it’s definitely not the “simple following of the chords” but very interesting and well-executed bass lines.

Keep it up, Can Abyss. Great job!

Want to know more about Can Abyss? Find them on Facebook.

Categories
Reviews

Or Not – Violence&Grace

Release date: 07.06.2024

Or Not is a special band in more than one way. One of the reasons is the fact that the band plays the pretty unique genre Symphonic Thrash Metal. Another one of those reasons is that they are ambassadors for Energy4All, a foundation that fights the battle against mitochondrial diseases. Who is this father-and-son duo that came out of nowhere with their album Violence&Grace? 

Or Not

Or Not first saw the light just before the Corona crisis. Where most people around 40 fall in a midlife crisis, Or Not’s founder Dolf Blomhert decided to take things in a different direction. Having played in various metal bands before, Dolf decided it was time to put his name on some metal again. His son Daniel, who grew up to be a drummer, joined him in that project. Together they played and recorded all the parts for Violence&Grace, apart from some guest appearances from other musicians. 

Symphonic Thrash Metal

I didn’t really know what I could expect from ‘symphonic thrash metal’. Turns out, if you’ve ever heard Powerwolf, it’s kinda in the same boathouse. Not quite similar, but more in the same direction. There are plenty of thrash metal riffs and really fast double bass drum parts. But there’s also more than enough room for head-banging, slower riffs, and shout-along parts in the chorus. All dosed with a hefty amount of strings and other orchestrations. 

The symphonic parts on this album sound really epic. No wonder, if you learn (from their website, that is), that the main orchestrator for this record was Carsten Altena, who is one of the core members of The Monolith Deathcult. The same goes for the production of this album; the quality is as well as you would expect from a band with a really big, record-label-backed, budget. Hans Pieters was the master of that, and he is known to be the producer for After Forever, Gorefest, and Epica, to name a few. You can really hear Or Not spared no expense to get the best they had to offer on the record. And it certainly paid off. 

Violence&Grace

Violence&Grace spans just over 1 hour and 30 minutes, totaling 16 tracks. That’s A LOT for a debut album, I have to say. So much even, that I’m not going to discuss every track in this review. There aren’t even any filler tracks on the album; the first track and the last track are a prelude and an outro for the album. Not that I’m complaining; the opposite, really. 

Violence&Grace opens with the intro tunes of Cyberia, which really feels like the intro tape for a symphonic or progressive metal band. When Violence&Grace kicks in with the words ‘and then there was chaos, let all hell break loose’ we get the idea of what Or Not does with symphonic thrash metal. And if you hear the chorus for this track, you get why I mentioned Powerwolf as a reference. Plenty of fast solos in the style of Dragonforce are spread throughout the track as well. What I really like is that this track doesn’t get predictable, without getting too crowded or too chaotic (even though Dolf shouts ‘show me chaos’ towards the break). That’s just good songwriting. Violence&Grace is really great debut track, no wonder this band has gained 4000 monthly listeners on Spotify. 

With Infradread, we get a bit of Rammstein-like influences. Groovy riffs, with a bit of Metallica inspired vocals. Again, very easy to scream along and party along with Or Not. And another great track follows with ‘The War Inside My Head’. The band decided to make a video for this track as well. Style-wise, it might be a little more toward, for instance, the fast riffs of Megadeth. I really have to comment Dolf for his vocal parts on the album here; it’s really powerful and clean. The vocal harmonies on this track bring that extra layer and attention to detail that takes this album to another level. 

An album of this length usually has at least one ballad. In this case, Ceramic Skin fits that box. It’s also another moment for Dolf to display his impressive vocal skills. He has that 90’s sound, but strong and with good pitch, even though it’s not an easy track to sing. Ceramic Skin is a bit of a power-ballad, with clean melodies and even more room for the orchestral parts.  The lyrics complement the melancholic feel of the music really well ‘Nobody can touch me, nobody can hurt my ceramic skin, but that’s not how I used to be, that’s not how I want to be’ gets your right in the feels. 

Dolf had plenty of time to write the most epic parts for this album, and I’m already really curious to see what he comes up with for the next album. To just highlight one more of these tracks, How It Ends is a epic piece just over 8 minutes, consisting of some of the fasted riffs (and double bass parts), tapping solos, and many epic parts. It’s basically one long story, put to music. Samples, gang vocals, How It Ends has it all. If the album would have ended with this track, I would have been a happy camper. But it gets even better, ‘cause there are more tracks to come. For instance, just listen to the intro for Dark Wave. Man, that’s epic.

Final Thoughts

It’s really hard for me not to be really positive about this album, but it’s just really, really good. My maybe ONLY negative thing about the album is that in some of the parts the orchestral parts are a little too loud in the mix, and too much on the forefront. The whole album is just one big, happy celebration of heavy music, sounding epic like this band has been playing the giant stages of the world for ages. And when I say band, remember this is just a father and his son, recording and creating this whole thing. It’s hard for me to choose a favorite track, ‘cause there really are many of them. The title track Violence&Grace is certainly one of them, so if you only listen to one track, at least listen to that one! 

Tracklisting

  1. Cyberia
  2. Violence&Grace
  3. Infradead
  4. The War Inside My Head
  5. Catastrophe Democracy
  6. H82H8
  7. Ceramic Skin
  8. Ballistic
  9. Someday
  10. Slicing The Waves
  11. How It Ends
  12. Hit The Ceiling
  13. Dark Wave
  14. Screaming To The Heavens
  15. The Apple & The Tree
  16. Someday – Acoustic

You can find Or Not on their website,on Facebook or in our database.

You can listen to the full album here

Or check out the video the band made for the track ‘The War Inside My Head’ 

Categories
News Reviews

A dutch folk-metal showcase at the Vorstin with Alvenrad, Alvader and Mourning Wood at Metalcafe.

Last Friday night the metalheads from Hilversum and far away gathered for the fifth edition of Metalcafe Live in The Vorstin. MetalFromNL was there once again to report on the recurring event. This time with pictures by Nicky van der Schaaf and a write-up by Ruben Baar.

The theme of tonight is folk metal, a personal favorite of mine. So I’m very excited to see what the Dutch scene has to offer in that regard. I walk in right as tonight’s host Niels bellows out his welcoming words. The room is already packed and the crowd is rearing to go. Good thing that the first band of the evening stands ready to deliver.

Mourning Wood

When you think of folk metal, you think of bagpipes, violins, and flutes. But the guys from Mourning Wood take a different approach. Dressed in Hawaiian shirts and leis, these guys are clearly taking a page out of Alestorm’s book and are profiling themselves as a party band perhaps best suited for later in the evening rather than an opening act. Their music is somewhat chaotic and the seven members don’t always mesh well together, but they are clearly having a lot of fun.

In front of the stage, there’s immediate audience participation, a moshpit breaks out as soon as the band starts playing and it only takes three songs into the set for the singer to don a pirate hat and tell the willing crowd to start rowing. His vocals and grunting are good and lend the band a heavier sound to offset the many cheerful notes being played on the keyboard and guitars. These come to the forefront after the pirate-themed song switches over to ‘Redneck Redemption’ which has to be a play on the videogame title ‘Red Dead Redemption’. There’s a thumping chiptune beat throughout this song that never shows up again.

It’s a whirlwind of different styles and themes made all the more apparent when the set continues without the bells and whistles and the band starts playing more traditional death metal. Only to kick it back to the more silly vibes with ‘Heathen Hoorah’ which features a classic circus medley. It’s quite a thing to behold as I’m still not sure what exactly it is that saw, but the audience is eating it up and happily dancing and moshing away. To close out with the band plays an English cover of a classic Flemish children’s song ‘Dwarven Dance’ which the millennials in the crowd can definitely appreciate. I couldn’t help enjoying it myself.

Alvader

After this whirlwind of a party starter, the stage gets set for Alvader. On paper these guys have the highest pedigree in the folk metal genre, having three former Heidevolk members in their ranks including their singer. Heidevolk has always had characteristic vocals and these are present in Alvader as well.

Unfortunately this band is so poorly mixed no one can make out a word he’s saying. The vocals get completely drowned out by the other instruments, especially the drums. Which is a shame because a track like ‘Midwinternacht’ starts off strong with such fast passed and heavy drums, you’d think it’s the start of a Motörhead song, but it just devolves into a barrage of noise due to the poor sound quality.

Guitars meant to bring the folk melodies completely disappear in even their self-titled song and with what’s left of the baritone vocals we end up listening to a droning wall of sound that’s more like blackened noise metal than anything else. The crowd, presumably still on an energy high from the previous band, do try to enjoy themselves. And in such a community, who couldn’t? But with every passing song, there’s less and less movement.

Our MC Niels does push for one more song at the end and they play a cover of ‘Ostara’, which is a Heidevolk song. So the gathered folk metal fans know how it goes, so they can fill in the missing words for themselves. It serves as a strong signal that Heidevolk is still clearly the better band and to add insult to injury, as soon as the band stops playing the house music kicks in with more of their music.

Alvenrad

To close out the evening Alvenrad takes the stage. Though it seems about half the people from the start of the evening have already left the venue at this point. Had they stayed, they’d have seen an impressive handlebar mustache on the bassist and felt some heavy blast beats.

The people that are left have no quit in them, they are determined to keep that pit going all night long. Even if it doesn’t always align with what’s being played on stage. The vocals are distinguishable again, but besides the lyrics there’s not a lot of folk in this band. It feels more like melodic death metal.

Every song is about The Netherlands most well-known woodland region and we get plenty of songs off their latest album ‘Veluws Ijzer’. As well as some of their latest singles like ‘De Verborgen Beek’. What’s left of the crowd does seem to enjoy it and after a disappointing second act, it is a step up.

Despite it not really having a folk tone, the band does work together really well and delivers some pounding melodies. It could be a nice prelude to the next edition of the event on October 4th. That night the theme for Metalcafe will be melodic death metal bands from The Netherlands. When the last notes are played the room rapidly drains of people, which leaves a DJ playing requests for only a handful of people. Barely half an hour later these final stragglers are being shown to the door. Start of the evening definitely being Mourning Wood for their sheer display of insanity and though it was too bad we didn’t get to see Alvader at their best, we had a strong finish. We’ll definitely be back here in October for more metal from the Netherlands.

Want to keep updated on the Metalcafe events? Follow them on Instagram.

Categories
News Reviews

Aum Zorion – Aum Zorion

Releasedate: 01.06.2024

Aum Zorion plays instrumental post-metal. That means dreamy riffs, droning, dragging guitar parts, and tracks that seem to consist of endless variations on the same riff. It’s the perfect music to get lost in, to close your eyes and drift away in a lucid dream. Hints of black- and progressive influences jolt you back to reality.

aum zorion album art

Aum Zorion

Aum Zorion is best enjoyed as a whole, with all the tracks forming one big story. With each track over 7 minutes, you know you’re in for drawn-out riffs and droney beats. The self-titled album starts with the track Hamburg, with the slow intro a perfect opener to this album. The dreamy parts don’t last though; it gets pretty heavy later on in the track. The track ends in an epic crescendo.

Animism picks up where Hamburg left off, with more heaviness and tempo. The tempo change after the first riff feels a bit disjointed to me, however. The second part of the track has some doom-inspired, droney riffs. The third part to the track goes on with a similar riff, but in a ¾th beat, changing the feel and building intensity again. And while this works really well as an instrumental track, I can hear the vocal melodies in my head and I wonder what it would sound like with a good vocalist. At the end of the track, we get a groovy riff, driven by the drums. The track again ends in an epic crescendo.

Zerura

Zerura starts of with a middle-eastern inspired riff and some samples. The main melody is one of the better ones on the album. The moment the drums kick in is quite unexpected, but don’t be fooled, this isn’t heavier than anything else on the album. Well, until you get to the end of the track, really. There are some pretty groovy parts leading up to it, but there is definitely some violence in this track.

Hauer starts with an almost alien guitar sound, bringing back the late 90’s vibe. The song starts off quieter than the rest of the tracks, feeling even more like a ballad. No need for vocals on this track, the guitar tells the story.

The album ends with Geoid. The guitarist’ pedalboard is filled with weird guitar effects it seems, since we start with yet another completely different guitar sound. More doom with this track again. It takes over 11 minutes, so that figures. Not my favorite track, because Doom really isn’t my thing. Too much drone, and even though there are some nice parts, it doesn’t move me as much as the previous tracks did.

Final Thoughts

Aum Zorion plays the type of music that I can listen to all day. It works as background music to drone out my thoughts. At the same time, it’s the type of music you listen to with your eyes closed, feeling all the feels. I got emotional during their live performance in de Flux, Zaandam, and I stil get emotional listening to the album. As we finished this review, we learned that Aum Zorion has parted ways with their bass player. If you dig this type of music and think you’re up for the task, reach out to the band and fill the void. We would love to see this band on stage again.

Tracklisting

Hamburg
Animism
Zerura
Hauer
Geoid

You can find Aum Zorion on Facebook or their website.