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013, Tilburg, the Netherlands
18th of October 2006
Lacuna Coil, Poisonblack, Gothminister

Just like a few years ago Poisonblack was the opening act for Lacuna Coil only this time there was a Gothminister as the third partner (last time it was Moonspell). Even though it was a Wednesday evening the venue was full, but the upstairs department wasn’t opened. It seemed there where were fans of each band, everybody got their fare share of applause and screams.


Gothminister

Gothminister knows how to decorate his stage, even though he was the opening act he did do his best to give the stage his own touch. A big white cross (the same as in his name) stood on stage with 2 chains with monster heads hanging from it. His name (logo) was depicted on stage, for instance on a cloth which was spread over a small stair in front of the stage and everybody on stage had corps paint on. Everything was in black and white.

Music
The start of the performance gave an immediate impression of the entire show, powerful and full of energy. The venue was filled with blasting beats from beginning to end and the audience loved it. The vocals of Bjorn Alexander Brem don’t reach that far, it is not a very powerful voice and it was not that prominent in the sound mix. Their drummer is very energetic and that is audible in the music, it is hard to stand still while Gothminister is performing.



Performance
Bjorn is an impressive stage presence with his long black coat, large goth boots, high hat, staff with a skull and corps paint. ”Hello Holland!!” was his opening statement and he really concurred some hearts this evening for the crowd was very enthusiastic. He had some tricks up his sleeve as well such as 2 white winged red eyed bats, a doll to which he talked in a small voice and sung to. He also used the stairs as a true minister to speak to his people ( in this case sing).

Rating
Music 7
Performance 8
Light 6
Sound 7
Total 7 (7.3)






Poisonblack

Finally they are back, that was my first thought when I saw that Poisonblack was to perform in the Netherlands again and with two other great bands, what a night. Sadly I was a bit disappointed at the end of the evening.  It was not all it was cracked up to be.

Music
When the band started to play it seemed as thought the sound engineer was still asleep. The bass was far too loud and distortion was all over the place (and not the positive kind). The vocals of Ville Laihiala were hard to hear, although it did improve after a while. Poisonblack performed a mixture of the former album Escapextacy and the new Lust Stained Despair. It was a shame the sound was so sad because they did perform well, their change of vocalist has also changed the style of the music somewhat but their musical quality is still strong. The older songs are now played with a rough edge added to them.

Performance

According to Ville their music should be listened too with a beer in one hand and the other hand on someone’s genitalia. Antti Remes (bass) is called the emperor of love and while looking at him play I can imagine fans wanting to be that bass guitar. The songs ‘Nail’ was dedicated to the lady’s in the venue. All in all the sweaty men with long hair performance works for them. “No bullshit just music” and that is just what you get.

Rating
Music 6
Performance 6
Light 6
Sound 5
Total 6 (5.9)


Lacuna Coil

Finally they were back in a Dutch venue. They had performed at several summer festivals such as Dauwpop (Netherlands) and Graspop (Belgium) but now we could see them at a sun, rain, dust and mud free venue and not just any venue, one of the best the Netherlands has to offer.

Music
A blend of old and new, Lacuna coil did not just come here to promote their new album but also let us enjoy the older songs we already know by heart.  It was a shame that (at leas where I was standing, I have heard other opinions too) the sound was not that great. At times both Andrea and Cristina were hardly audible. The new songs were welcomed warmly such as ‘Closer’ of which they have recently made a new video. Old songs were welcomed with cheers of recognition. According to Andrea the song ‘Our Truth’ is about the truth of the band and the people who were there that night and keep this music alive.



Performance
While the stage was prepared there was a curtain in front of it, making me curious to see what would be behind it. When it opened there was a higher part build on the stage with the Karmacode stripes on it and a large backdrop with the bandaged face of the album on it. The drummer and guitarist were standing on the stage with a mask just like that face. During the first song all band members stood as still as possible, Andrea and Cristina often had their hands on their backs, it had a ceremonial touch to it. During ‘What I See’ the masks came off but they were hung on stage so they were visible during the entire concert, this was especially nice when black light was used, both the stripes on the stage and the masks lit up. The performances of Lacuna Coil are always strong, full of power and emotion, and that was the case again tonight. The band members give each other space and are a well oiled team. Everyone gets his or her chance to shine, for instance during a guitar solo the guitarist is lit with his own spotlight. They are also one of the best dressed bands I have ever seen, band ties, pin stripes and all.

Rating
Music 7
Performance 9
Light 7
Sound 6
Total 8 (7.7)









More photos on page 2

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