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WaterFront, Rotterdam, The NetherlandsDecember 2nd 2005
Combichrist and Embolus
Another cold and wet night in the Netherlands, luckily some of us could shelter in the WaterFront in Rotterdam and dance to the beats of Embolus and Combichrist. With his new album out it was of course time for Combichrist to come and visit us again and make us dance to his beats once more.
Embolus
They started out in 1998 with two members, being Roel Graafmans and Leander Snijders. They made a few songs an then took a break for some two years. Now they are back, reinforced by André Stoop. They have now discovered what the Embolus sound is. They call it Martial Electro because of the folk influences, they combine natural sounds with electronic beats and dark sounds. Their lyrics are about the old Germans in early medieval times.
They started out in 1998 with two members, being Roel Graafmans and Leander Snijders. They made a few songs an then took a break for some two years. Now they are back, reinforced by André Stoop. They have now discovered what the Embolus sound is. They call it Martial Electro because of the folk influences, they combine natural sounds with electronic beats and dark sounds. Their lyrics are about the old Germans in early medieval times.
Music
These beats get your feet of off the floor. Some lyrics were in English, others in German, their vocalist could pronounce both languages well. Embolus music can be characterized as dark electro with some catchy tunes which remind us of themes of children’s television programs. Together with the aggressive sound these melodies are a bit of a strange combination but at least it is something different from many other bands. The sound in the venue wasn't really bad at all, though the vocals could have had a bit more emphasis.
These beats get your feet of off the floor. Some lyrics were in English, others in German, their vocalist could pronounce both languages well. Embolus music can be characterized as dark electro with some catchy tunes which remind us of themes of children’s television programs. Together with the aggressive sound these melodies are a bit of a strange combination but at least it is something different from many other bands. The sound in the venue wasn't really bad at all, though the vocals could have had a bit more emphasis.
Performance
Their interest in ancient culture shows in their choice of video projections which consisted of Wicky the Viking, Braveheart and war images. I didn’t see any medieval Germans, but the idea was nice. Their vocalist stands in the middle of the stage singing in to a microphone which is placed very high so he has to sing upwards. One man behind the pc, probably the one responsible for their video presentation and one behind the electronic drum pads. They all seem perfectly tuned in to each other. Unfortunately the lights were quite static so there was little movement on stage.
Rating
Music 6
Performance 7
Light 6
Sound 7
Total 7 (6.5)
Music 6
Performance 7
Light 6
Sound 7
Total 7 (6.5)
Combichrist
With a new album released this January it was time for another visit to the Netherlands of industrial hero Combichrist. As stated on his website: "Everybody Hates You" the full-length album, not only released by Out Of Line, but USA's Metropolis Records as well. This new hard-hitting album takes you in a new direction: TBM | Techno Body Music: A journey through hell and high water, through the eyes of a serial killer, sex, violence and plenty of Jack Daniels on ice.
Music
With an exiting intro the tension in the venue rose before the artists entered the stage themselves. The show immediately starts full on with ‘This Shit Will Fuck You Up’. After this the show continued with ‘Today I Woke To The Reign of Blood' and then the audience was presented a new song of which the name was inaudible, as were many of the introductions which were given to songs. ‘Blut Royale’ caused a new wave of dancing energy. The beats were to be felt even at the back of the venue. During ‘Without Emotions’ the female vocals were only heard very softly which is a pity to my opinion. For the song ‘This is My Life’ an extra singer joined in on stage, I wondered why because it did not add anything to the song but a vocal echo following Combichrist across the stage. The final songs was performed by Comicrist alone who took place behind the pc after Shawn had gotten this ready for him. This song had never been performed live before but it was a great success with the audience.
Performance
2 men on stage. One behind his laptop (which was moving due to Shawn, who was ‘playing’it) on a small platform and one with a microphone at the front of the stage. There was a lot of movement on stage because the singer was running up and down the stage during the entire performance. Unfortunately this was all he did. He did make contact with the audience by talking to them and gesturing with his hands. As off beat one, the audience starts dancing and they don’t stop until the concert is finished. Hands in the air? No problem, everybody seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. The lights were moving to the beat of the music, making the stage a dark disco. The audience wasn’t that loud in their response but everybody was dancing. At the end there was time for just one more song and according to Combichrist “It has been a wonderful evening, thank you, time to get wasted!’.
2 men on stage. One behind his laptop (which was moving due to Shawn, who was ‘playing’it) on a small platform and one with a microphone at the front of the stage. There was a lot of movement on stage because the singer was running up and down the stage during the entire performance. Unfortunately this was all he did. He did make contact with the audience by talking to them and gesturing with his hands. As off beat one, the audience starts dancing and they don’t stop until the concert is finished. Hands in the air? No problem, everybody seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. The lights were moving to the beat of the music, making the stage a dark disco. The audience wasn’t that loud in their response but everybody was dancing. At the end there was time for just one more song and according to Combichrist “It has been a wonderful evening, thank you, time to get wasted!’.
Rating
Music 8
Performance 6
Light 7
Sound 7
Total 7(6.9)
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