Tiamat - Tilburg 2005

Sirenia

The founder of Tristania, Morten Veland, has a new born: Sirenia. A band which is doing very well in the gothmetal scene due to the experience of Morten. Unfortunately the band is missing a guitarist and they had to borrow the drummer of Edenbridge. They also have extra guitarist this tour. The band is relaxed when on stage and especially Morten shows that he is still full of energy. His grunts are raw and it gives the music a dark atmosphere. The venue is quite empty but the audience reacts very enthusiastically. Even though they have a lot of things on tape this is a band which does great on stage. Singer Henriette moves a lot and dances exuberant, something other gothic singers tend to miss. She an appearance and that is important to a band which is trying to survive in the overfull gothic scene.
They have a new midcd with 5 songs. From this cd they play the title song ‘Sirenian Song’, a song which really shows the qualities of Henriette. She sings a bit lower and there is a good interaction with the aggressive screams of Morten. They play a short set in which many songs of the latest album ‘An elixir for existence’ are performed, but all in all it sounds a bit meagre. The band does its best but still this set missed the depth which you hear on the album. It is nice to see how Morten performs, for he is a very charismatic artist but the band does not leave a big impression.

This band seems to be the odd one out this evening, if only because it is a mix between metal and industrial. Peter Tägtgren, also known of Hypocrisy, show a completely different side of himself. Accompanied by two female, German, guitarists he plays an energetic set. The ladies provide the movement on stage, for he seems to be somewhat introvert. Still he is a born artist. He knows how to conjure emotions and the entire audience goes wild when he plays songs like ‘Supersonic bitch’ and ‘Shut your mouth’.

This band is also well known in the gothic world. After the departure of singer Liv Kristine and her founding her new band Leaves Eyes, the old band was somewhat forgotten. After a long time now they are back in the Netherlands and we shall see how things go. The singer shows some comparison to Liv Kristine but her voice is a bit lower. She seems to be a bit static on stage but half way through the set she loosens up a bit. She stands out through her low use of voice and does know how to capture the attention of the audience. Something which is necessary for the music is a bit soft and easy at this time of night. Maybe its because of the energetic set of Pain but the band doesn’t keep the attention of the audience that long. Al though the band really trying. The guitarist play great but the singer is somewhat nonchalant. His grunts aren’t deep and the screams could have been better. All in all it is a fine set in which songs such as ‘Fade’ and ‘Seven’ pass by. The public is enthusiastic and they like the many pieces of symphonic keyboard especially because the drums give them some more depth. The band could go further if they let go of the aggressive screams and search for a more symphonic gothic sound. This band definitely has potential for the future.

There is one band which can’t be missed in this Swedish line up. Tiamat has been on the top for years and always guaranties a beautiful set full of dark emotions. It has been a while since they played in the Netherlands and many people have come especially for this band. Although the big hall of the 013 was quite empty during most of the shows, by the time Tiamat was up it was definitely more crowded in the front. When the band appears on stage there are a lot of screams to be heard. The band plays a versatile set of new songs from the last album ‘Prey’ as well as classics such as ‘The sleeping beauty’ and ‘Gaia’. Front man Johan Edlund immediately sets the tone and it’s dark. His performance is very convincing and stands out in simplicity; no flashy lightshow, but smoke and the pure essence of the band. With his naked chest and bold head Johan is a charismatic appearance. You can hear that this band has been around for some years. They have released their eighth studio album and on stage they are a well oiled machine. The guitarists are in great shape and the Nell from Theatre of Tragedy sings a song with the band. The band plays intense, the audience reacts well and there is a lot of interaction. Looking back it was better that the venue wasn’t that full for the curtains in the back, to make the hall smaller, surround you and amplify the intimacy. Tiamat proofs to be still going strong and not have lost its energy for long. Bits and pieces of this concert will haunt the heads of the audience of this evening for quite a while.