Groene Engel, Oss, The NetherlandsMay 28th 2005
Autumn and Xystus
On a soft and warm summer night we arrived at the Groene Engel in Oss. We thought we were late but the entire audience was still standing in front of the venue, enjoying the nice weather. It seemed Xystus was to start later than planned, it was quite late before everybody left the venue again, but it was worth it.
Xystus
They seem like a very young band but they have been around for some 7 years now, grown from just friends playing music to an actual band which is performing regularly. They like to look at themselves as a symphonic power metal band, it seems more and more bands make up their own genre because they have created their own style which they then try to fit into existing names. This combination of names gives a good impression of their music though.
Music
During their opening song there was first no output from the microphone of Bas (vocals/guitar) but luckily this was solved quickly. Sometimes Bas was assisted with some backing vocals, it was a pity though that these were hardly audible so the effect of them was lost. The drums of Ivo really add the energy to the music of Xsystus. On one hand he added dance like beats on the other rolling drums also seemed to be no problem for him. At one point during the show Bas sung a ballad, without his guitar, with his eyes closed he disappeared into the song showing the emotions on his face. At moments like that you just forget how young they are. The sound was well mixed this evening, so no comments there.
During their opening song there was first no output from the microphone of Bas (vocals/guitar) but luckily this was solved quickly. Sometimes Bas was assisted with some backing vocals, it was a pity though that these were hardly audible so the effect of them was lost. The drums of Ivo really add the energy to the music of Xsystus. On one hand he added dance like beats on the other rolling drums also seemed to be no problem for him. At one point during the show Bas sung a ballad, without his guitar, with his eyes closed he disappeared into the song showing the emotions on his face. At moments like that you just forget how young they are. The sound was well mixed this evening, so no comments there.
Performance
They started with great enthusiasm and they kept that spirit up during the entire performance. Ivo reminded me of animal from the Muppets (many drummers do actually), drumming like crazy with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Bas was at times really in to his guitar, playing it as if it was alive. His performance could be grander though, this would emphasise his singing more. This way his emotions will reach the audience even better. At the end of their performance they let us choose between two covers. ‘Rainbow in the sky’ of DJ Paul Elstak and ‘Damage inc’ of Metallica. After some doubts it was clear…. ‘Rainbow in the sky’, they have made a great metal cover of this song. When this song was over they had time for another song and thus played the Metallica cover as well. This was missing the Metallica sound however and I wonder if it added anything to their show, they might as well have played one of their own songs to end the show. The lights varied from green and blue to purple which added to the atmosphere of the show, sometimes it was a bit too dark however and the band disappeared into darkness.
They started with great enthusiasm and they kept that spirit up during the entire performance. Ivo reminded me of animal from the Muppets (many drummers do actually), drumming like crazy with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Bas was at times really in to his guitar, playing it as if it was alive. His performance could be grander though, this would emphasise his singing more. This way his emotions will reach the audience even better. At the end of their performance they let us choose between two covers. ‘Rainbow in the sky’ of DJ Paul Elstak and ‘Damage inc’ of Metallica. After some doubts it was clear…. ‘Rainbow in the sky’, they have made a great metal cover of this song. When this song was over they had time for another song and thus played the Metallica cover as well. This was missing the Metallica sound however and I wonder if it added anything to their show, they might as well have played one of their own songs to end the show. The lights varied from green and blue to purple which added to the atmosphere of the show, sometimes it was a bit too dark however and the band disappeared into darkness.
Rating
Music 7
Performance 6
Sound 7
Light 6
Total 7 (6,5)
Music 7
Performance 6
Sound 7
Light 6
Total 7 (6,5)
Autumn
They have just released their video of ‘Premeditated dying’ which is recorded at their performance in E-work Köln; showing the excitement before, during and after the show as well as the song it self performed live. This summer they will perform at the Graspop festival in Dessel, Autumn seems to be doing great these days.
Music
The show started out very strong with ‘The coven’, energy burst on stage. ‘Silent madness’ seemed to be heavier and darker than normal, it was a strong performance of the song. ‘Mirrors magic sights’ still seems to be a favourite among many fans because when this song set in the audience screamed with enthusiasm. The grunting of Meindert and the vocals of Nienke are a good combination, they are tuned in to each other. During ‘When lust evokes the curse’ Nienke showed she has mastered the staccato singing technique. Sometimes Jens (guitar/backing vocals) and Nienke sing together and that sounds great, they are well tuned in to each other.
The show started out very strong with ‘The coven’, energy burst on stage. ‘Silent madness’ seemed to be heavier and darker than normal, it was a strong performance of the song. ‘Mirrors magic sights’ still seems to be a favourite among many fans because when this song set in the audience screamed with enthusiasm. The grunting of Meindert and the vocals of Nienke are a good combination, they are tuned in to each other. During ‘When lust evokes the curse’ Nienke showed she has mastered the staccato singing technique. Sometimes Jens (guitar/backing vocals) and Nienke sing together and that sounds great, they are well tuned in to each other.
Performance
A dark stage with, at first sight, three trees on it, then their faces are lit and they seem melted people, they all remind me of something, the first looks like medusa with a Victorian collar, then there is one which looks like ‘the scream’ of Edvard Munch and the third seems to be a melted skeleton. These presences give the stage a dark a creepy atmosphere. During the performance they are mostly just in the same light as the band but at times their faces are lit. There is a piano on stage, at least it seems to be but it turns out there are two keyboards hidden inside, Menno (keyboards) even had a real piano stool to sit on, which he put aside halfway through the concert, so he could stand and move more. At one point during the show it seemed as if the piano was on fire, due to the huge clouds of smoke arising from it and some orange lighting.
Most of the time they have serious looks on their faces but they do seem to have a good time. Nienke is dancing around the stage, head banging from time to time. She has mastered some nice stage moves. Mats (guitars) and Jens were chasing each other around the stage, with their guitars in front of them as if they were bulls ready to fight. During the concert more and more contact was made with the audience. The lights were mostly green and there was not that much front light which was a pity.
A dark stage with, at first sight, three trees on it, then their faces are lit and they seem melted people, they all remind me of something, the first looks like medusa with a Victorian collar, then there is one which looks like ‘the scream’ of Edvard Munch and the third seems to be a melted skeleton. These presences give the stage a dark a creepy atmosphere. During the performance they are mostly just in the same light as the band but at times their faces are lit. There is a piano on stage, at least it seems to be but it turns out there are two keyboards hidden inside, Menno (keyboards) even had a real piano stool to sit on, which he put aside halfway through the concert, so he could stand and move more. At one point during the show it seemed as if the piano was on fire, due to the huge clouds of smoke arising from it and some orange lighting.
Most of the time they have serious looks on their faces but they do seem to have a good time. Nienke is dancing around the stage, head banging from time to time. She has mastered some nice stage moves. Mats (guitars) and Jens were chasing each other around the stage, with their guitars in front of them as if they were bulls ready to fight. During the concert more and more contact was made with the audience. The lights were mostly green and there was not that much front light which was a pity.
Set list
00. Intro
01. The Coven
02. Gallery of Reality
03. Silent Madness
04. Mirrors Magic Sights
05. Gospels in Dusk
06. Who Has Seen Her Wave Her Hand
07. Whispering Secrets
08. When Lust Evokes the Curse
09. Premeditated Dying
10. Green Angel
11. Summer’s End
12. Crown of Thoughts
13. The Witch in Me
00. Intro
01. The Coven
02. Gallery of Reality
03. Silent Madness
04. Mirrors Magic Sights
05. Gospels in Dusk
06. Who Has Seen Her Wave Her Hand
07. Whispering Secrets
08. When Lust Evokes the Curse
09. Premeditated Dying
10. Green Angel
11. Summer’s End
12. Crown of Thoughts
13. The Witch in Me
Rating
Music 7
Performance 7
Sound 7
Light 6
Total 7
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