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W2, Den Bosch, The Netherlands
April 23rd 2005
Corvus Corax and Omnia

Arriving one hour before the opening of the venue, the members of Corvus Corax were still eating, cozy together at one table. Arriving so early was necessary because there was an interview planned, which took place with 3 members. The interview itself was very relaxing and ended just in time to see Omnia perform. Coming inside the venue again there were all kinds of people, some dressed just in jeans and some really put in an effort. Also one of the first things noticed were the people who had the same facial drawings as Omnia, so that it was clear which band they really wanted to see.
Omnia

Yesterday Corvus Corax were their own opening act, tonight it was up to Omnia to fulfill this task. Omnia is a neo-Celtic band consisting of Sic, Jenny, Joe and Luka, today’s show the band was enlarged with the addition set of hands for drums who also helped out in dancing and shouting during the final songs.


Music
After 2 slow songs the audience woke up because they set in a quick and cheerful song. Unfortunately after that the crowd was brought to sleep again until they asked the audience what they wanted to hear: ‘Morrigan’. They had to skip a song before this one because they hadn’t enough time. And they ended the show with ‘Taranis’. The music is very good for a lazy Sunday afternoon on the couch or on a festival lying in the grass, but not for a concert on stage in a venue. One surprise however is that they have a harp, which is not often seen. Also Jenny who plays the harp has a remarkable voice, very pure and clear. It is really an enjoyment to hear her sing. Fortunately the sound was good, so that you really could enjoy the singing and music.


Performance
Unfortunately Omnia had to fit their instruments between the instruments of Corvus Corax, which gave a disorderly view. But they really tried to give the stage an ancient forest look, which fits their music. The front man Sic talks a lot to the public, which is nice so you can feel part of the show but because of that they had to skip a song because there wasn’t enough time to play the whole list which gave a bit of panic. That’s a pity, also because of the much talking the songs didn’t follow each other fluently, and this made the show a bit unorganized. You could see that they really enjoyed performing which is always nice to see. Especially when they played up tempo songs the crowd, some of who had the same facial decorations as the band members, sang and clapped along with the band. Omnia didn’t really have a lightshow, but normally the band members could very well be seen and it was not painful to the eyes


Rating
Music 6
Performance 6
Sound 7
Light 6
Total 6 (6.3)



Corvus Corax

After Omnia had warmed up the crowd, it was Corvus Corax’ turn to make this night memorable for everyone. During the set of Omnia more and more people came in the cozy Willem II, later on I heard it was even sold out. So Corvus Corax is becoming more and more popular in the Netherlands; as they should be.


Music
Immediately when Corvus Corax entered the stage, they began to play with a lot of energy which spread to the crowd. They are der ‘Könige der Spielleute’ after all. From the beginning to the end the music sounds great. The crowd gets a lot of energy from it, so they start dancing and clapping along with the songs. The songs fit together well, they alternate songs full of energy with ones that are slower and sometimes more serious. Corvus Corax uses ancient instruments and they try to make them sound as original as possible, but of course they need some amplifiers so that even in the back people can hear the great music they make. What makes Corvus Corax stand out from the other bands is that they not always sing in their songs but a lot of them are only instrumental. But when they sing it just sounds great.
After a break, the crowd screamed to get them back on stage, which of course they did. After 3 songs it seems that that was it for the night but luckily they decided to give a perfect ending of the evening with ‘Hymnus Apollon’. The instruments and singing could be heard loud and clear.


Performance
The first thing you notice when you see Corvus Corax on stage that they play with a lot of energy and that they are really having a good time themselves also, which of course is taken over by the audience. The stage is very impressive to see, especially when you know that all the instruments and the clothing they wear is hand made. It is really no punishment to look at it. During the show especially Castus Rabensang, Venustus, Teufel, Meister Selbfried and Ardor vom Venushügel are just walking around on the stage, so the show is definitely not static. They also have a great interaction with the audience which makes them feel part of the show. This of course gave an excellent atmosphere and I think that most of the people had an evening that they won’t soon forget. Corvus Corax works with a lot of coloured lights, which gave the performance an extra dimension. Also they work with enough front light so that the musicians, their unusual instrument and beautiful clothes could be seen very well. The only thing that could be annoying some times are the flashy lights that blinded your eyes.


Rating
Music 8
Performance 9
Sound 8
Light 7
Total 8 (8.1)




More articles about Corvus Corax


Concert Review - Haarlem 2005 
Concert review - Kusel 2005 
Concert Review - Amsterdam 2004


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