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Dynamo, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
November 26th 2005
The Legion of Hetheria, Auracle

There are days that the Netherlands just don’t look like the Netherlands anymore. After a new national traffic jam record the previous day due to snow, two brave bands managed to transport themselves to the catacombs of the new Dynamo metal bar. Tonight the Mexican metal band The Legion of Hetheria did their last show in Europe, and it was their first time as official headliner. Supporting them was the same band they played with two weeks earlier in Veenendaal: Auracle. Unfortunately the bad weather conditions as well as bad forecasts kept the people away. With only some 30 people in the bar the atmosphere was good though.


Auracle

After a start some 4 years ago under the name of Mythica the band slowly grew from the original members Joris van de Kerkhof (keys) and Fred Hasselman (bass) into a 6 piece band starring Bryan Kettelaars and Amelie Mangelschots on vocals. The last one completed the live line-up. Tonight is their third performance; can they improve on last time?


Music

Progression is good for a new band, especially when the whole Dutch scene seems to consist of gothic metal bands it’s good to do something new with female vocals. The music of Auracle at least is different from many other bands in the scene and has a lot of potential. Although this is just their third show they do have a lot of practise behind them it seems. The band is playing a solid piece of music without any big problems. The members each seems to know what they are doing and the combination works out well. The vocals of Amelie are sweet and clear, Bryan on the other hand has some powerful clear vocals, his voice drives the music. Tonight the sound was good although it seemed that Amelie was a bit behind in the mix, but still everything sounded well enough to call it a good gig.



Performance
When the band kicks off both singers are still standing in the audience and slowly make their way up there when it’s time. Bryan is again wearing black gloves, not strange when he would be outside, but in here it seems to be an unclear statement. Not that it makes the show any less, Bryan doesn’t need gloves or other tricks, his excess energy  makes him move all around the stage as well as in the audience. Amelie is more timid on stage but still shows a lot of emotion during the songs; very expressive but more static. The rest of the band are just playing their instruments, the small stage hardly leaves any space for lots of further movement anyway. In the static, mainly red/yellow, light the band manages to get up close and personal with the audience, something they really seem to enjoy. The performance is more balanced out than last time, more convincing and less theatrical. With a sweet kiss on the Amelie’s cheek Bryan finishes this show in Eindhoven’s Dynamo.



Setlist
00. Intro
01. Echoes of Utopia
02. The Dream on the Edge of Forever
03. Dreamweaver
04. Overture
05. Land of the Gods
06. The Last Avatar
07. Cries in the Wind
08. Crystal Lies
09. Confessions of a Demi-God


Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 8
Sound: 7
Light: 7
Total: 8








The Legion of Hetheria

With their first real headline show in Europe the Mexican metal band The Legion of Hetheria ends a turbulent tour full of disappointments and highlights. The cancellation of their shows in support of Epica due to illness of Epica’s singer Simone was the reason why many people started looking for new gigs. This night was the result of one of the searches for a venue to allow the band to finish their tour with a good feeling.


Music

The band has talent, let’s be clear about that, but they have done a few shows that for some reason didn’t work out as well as it should have. Mostly technical problems caused the band to have no good monitoring. Tonight things seemed to be working fine, the long soundcheck by Auracle certainly did help the band. The sound in the venue was good, but more important all musicians individually made a great impression trying to convince the audience they are a good band. But where in previous shows they didn’t seem to work as a collective, this night it was a well oiled machine. The drummer Jesus and bass player Alain managed to set a steady beat in which both singer/guitarist Rick as well as soprano Marivi could excel. Good preparation, motivation and talent provided the audience with some good music.



Performance

Covered in white light keyboardist Harif is starting off the show with the band’s intro. His movements are slow and controlled. This will however change during the show when he is playing passionately seemingly trying to get something extra from the keyboard through making strange elaborate moves. In the beginning and at many times during the gig singer Marivi puts down her mic and does some serious headbanging. Tonight she is wearing a lot of jewellery but that doesn’t seem to strong enough to cope with her moves; a necklace suddenly flies through the air. Drummer Jesus is more seeking contact with the audience this time. From behind his drum kit his eyes search through the venue. Most expression from singer Rick is in his face, carrying a guitar he’s limited in his performance on the small stage. The band is trying to reach out to the audience, which in the end finally responds after ‘Der Hölle Rache’. A big applause for Marivi’s singing and more enthusiasm during the last two songs of the show at least should give the band a good memory to take back to Mexico. Contrary to the show of Auracle the light is brighter with mainly white, blue and greens, still static though. But then again it’s only a bar.



Setlist
00. Intro
01. Forgotten Years
02. Invisible Mask
03. The Queen
04. Sacrifice
05. Wrath is Unleashed
06. The Gate
07. Forever Forgotten
08. The Ancient Ones
09. Der Hölle Rache
10. Spiritual Deceive
11. Eyes on Me


Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 8
Sound: 8
Light: 7
Total: 8








More photos on page 2

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