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Graspop Metal Meeting – 10th edition

Dessel – Belgium
25th June -Saterday day 2
In Flames, Sirenia, Samael, Amon Amarth, Kamelot, Gorefest, Epica, Soilwork

The second day of the festival was a killer in both ways: the line-up was better, but it started much too early. Broken from the day before with the long queue, the 24hours tent where many people made a nice party (when they didn’t lost their energy during Kreator) or the hot tent what maded that you couldn’t stand it after 9 am.  Enough reasons to be tired,  but there was no time for that. There was enough to do.





Soilwork

Because it was such a long walk to the festivalarea from the campingside I missed the kick off Skitsoy. I had the change to hear the titletrack of the new record: Come to Belgium. The voice of Franky doesn’t impress me.

Luckely there was Soilwork to blow away the dust in my ears. The band who always search for new things and with their last record ‘Stabbing The Drama’ they surprised fan and enemy.
 
Music
The sound was very bad this day. Maybe it had to deal with the fact that the band were programmed in a very strickt timtable, but it is a fact that the frontman was screaming his longs out of his body and nobody could hear him well. Such a shame for a band who became famous by their vocals. Positive is that the other instruments were good.
 
Performance
It was a bit a hometown for this band, because of the belgium drumplayer Dirk Verbeuren (Scarve). The band is excited and they kick of with some heavy uptempo songs. Halfway the set it is good to see that the frontman doesn’t like the show: he is irritated of the sound and sees too much audience what came for Slipnot. He uses that energy to scream it out.
 
Rating
Music:7
Performance: 6
Sound: 6
Light: 5
Total: 6





Epica


One of the dutch bands who play on the graspopfestival is Epica. The gothmetalband stood their last year also, but this time they are planned on the mainstage. They are on the road to promote their second record ‘Cosign to Oblivation.’ They are scheduled a bit early, but a good time for everyone to sing along and relax in the sunshine.
 
Music
There are enough songs to fill in a good set and that is what they do. New songs are good mixed with the older ones like ‘The Phantom Agony’ and ‘Seif Al Din.’ The voice of the frontwoman Simone is good this day. Little details are good to hear; the contrast between Mark and Simone, the guitar and choirparts. They proove that they are grown and they have more experiences how to act on a big stage.  With ‘The Last Curcade’ Epica shows that they have control, are more grown up and have found some new ways.
 
Performance
They stood on many stage, but I guess that this was one of the biggest stages of this year. For the first time they have some nice backdrops on both sides of the stage. That gives them the change to make the stage a bit smaller: a good shot. The concentration in movements is what’s remarkeble. Simone shows a lot of selfcontrol, what’s also better for her voice. Mark is as natural as always and also the other members have a good balance in how to show their energy. It is for sure that they have fun. Coen, the keybordplayer, is headbanging all the time.
 
Rating
Music:7
Performance: 7
Sound: 7
Light: 6
Total: 7
 

 

Gorefest

I had to run to be on time for an other dutch band, but it is one from a totally different kind. Gorefest. No name from the past anymore, but a strong heavy band and still alive. In 1996 they opened the Graspopfestival and now there are back in the big tent.
 
Music
The band is busy with a new upcoming album, a good reason to go back in the history of Gorefest. They play the classical songs what made them famous and with even more powerfull direct sound. The sound is perfect, raw, and full power on the drums and guitars. The frontman still knows how to play with the audience. This strong deathmetalmachine is still on the top and they make the party complete with some songs from ‘False.’
 
Performance
Altough it’s very dusty, warm and sweaty there is a lot of interaction with the audience. The band just stand there, without a special thing, and play some good music. There is a big moshpitt and crowdsurfing people. It’s a special audience what comes for the more raw music. They will stand in the tent most of the time and don’t spare their energy. Together with a good sound, that creates a good atmosphere. 

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


Kamelot

Kamelot, when you haven’t heard from this band you certainly lived on an other plannet. With 'Epica' they impressed a lot of people, but now they are on the top of the bill with ‘The Black Halo.’ They are the masters of a spectaculare show.
 
Music
They kick off with some heavy stuff and with a uptempo setlist songs like ‘The Haunting’ and a more traditional song ‘When the lights are down’ are played with a lot of energy. Also here there are some problems with the vocals of Khan. Sometimes he is to far in the backgroundmix. On the other hand it gives the band the opportunity to give focus more on the guitarsound. Sometimes the backingvocals are done by the wife of Khan, with her beautfil outfit, she is more a part of the show, but her voice is soft and lovely.
 
Performance
It is good to see that the band is happy to be back in Europe again. They have fun and they have a good chemistry between eachother. When Simone (Epica) comes to sing the balad ‘The Haunting’ the audience screams and Kamelot surely got some new fans.(There were a lot of people who didn’t recognised the new songs).
There is an other surprise. The band likes to create a special show, so Mark Jansen (Epica) comes to help Khan on ‘March of Mephisto.’ With a big smile both men gives all they got. The guitarplayer Thomas Yongblood gives Mark a hug and he runs around, but Mark falls down when he missed a box. Lying down on the ground he screams the longs out of his body. That together with the high clean vocals of Khan, it is really impressive.
 
Rating
Music:8
Performance: 9
Sound: 8
Light: 7
Total: 8




Amon Amarth
 
Amon Amarth are what Finntroll is in their own country, but they are concering the world. They are the kings of ‘party metal.’ This band love to make a big mess. Luckely they stood in the tent, so there was allready a good atmosphere.
 
Music
Folkmusic or Vikingmetal it both stands for party. This band has songs about their Swedisch gods, ships sailing to new worlds and the history of their country. Well no analyze, but it creates an image. This band want to have the ‘Vinkingfeeling’ back. The sound is good, but the guitars are too much on one line. The ‘whiskey’ vocals of the frontman are raw and he can handle the loud sound of the drums.
 
Performance
As a good Viking know, never walk straight, so this frontman has a nice horn with alchohol and walks around. He doesn’t need to scream to the audience, they allready know him. So it goes easily for Amon Amarth. A lot of fans missed them so it get’s crazy; a lot of moving people. Well the goal of the band is succeed: everybody had fun and there was a real party going on.
 
Rating
Music:7
Performance: 7
Sound: 8
Light: 7
Total: 7
 


Samael 

The other Swedisch band Samael are old and not grey, so they still have the power to go on. With an impressive list of records and they are here to prove that they are still the gothfather of the blackmetal with ‘Worship Him.’ Nowadays they have more electronical sound.
 
Music
With their last record ‘Reign of Light’ they surprised everyone. With their unique sound and new elements this band is still developing. They immidiately create a good atmosphere with the melodic sound. Luckely the sound is perfect, altough there were some problems with the mainvocals. After some minuts the frontman comes back in the mix. There is perfect balance between the guitar, the vocals and the synths.  
 
Performance
The eyecatcher is not the fontman, but especially in the beginning the screens on both sides of the stage. Beautiful creations are in balance with the songs. It brings you to an other world where Samael is the god of emotions. When you are back to earth there is the band in real flesh and blood. The left guitarplayer uses all his energy to create an own geography, but it fix well in the music. There is nothing special; they just make some strong emotional music, that is enough to create a special feeling and to have a strong chemistry with the audience.
 
Rating
Music:8
Performance: 8
Sound: 7
Light: 7
Total: 8



 

Sirenia

This is an other gothmetalband of the day. The spirit behind Tristania, Morten Veland has a new project. The two records are wellreceived in the gothicscene and there is no doubt that this young band knows what they want.
 
Music
Bombastic, choirs, a lot of vocals, ochestra and some real metal. That are the keywords for the songs written by Morgen.  The band played a lot of songs from‘Sirenian Shores’ and even better then on the cd. The voice of Morten is very powerfull and strong. He carries the whole sound and together with the help of Henrietta there some nice contrasts. It’s a bit empty on stage, there is a minium of musicians. Shame is that the voice of Henrietta is very thin and not powerfull enough to be a serius part of the show.
 
Performance

Morten is the most powerfull grunter, but Henrietta is the one who wants to make a show of it. With her movements and screams she tries to warm-up the audience. Shame that after a while it is all the same, so it get’s boring, but there is something to see when you have to listen to the choirs on the harddisc. Morten blows away the whole tent. Everybody knows that he is the one who create such a detailed music and he diserves more then he gets with this band. More musicians and a better performance. It is good to see him, but also a conclusion that this band needs to grow a bit more.
 
Rating
Music:7
Performance: 6
Sound: 7
Light: 6
Total: 6




In Flames
 
They are the headliner of the evening in the tent and for many people also of the saterday. They were defenitly one of the bands who amazed everyone with a almost perfect gig. This Swedish band who started as a deathmetalband changed into a more numetalsound. Nice detail is that the little brother of Anders (guitarplayer fromTiamat) is playing in it. A small world.
 
Music

With their last record ‘Soundtrack To Your Escape’ these five men have produced a directly and energetic record. They are still growing and that is good to hear when they play some songs. Also the older wellknown songs are played and all in a fast uptempo set. Sometimes it seems to be all one song. The mix between the guitars and the drums are very good. They give a strong base for the screams of the frontman. Sweaty and with a high energylevel they give more then twohunderd procent. They have a strong fanbase, so there is a lot of interaction, what makes the songs more special.
 
Performance

With his long dreadlocks, running around and with a emotional voice, the frontman seems to have no problem to get into the songs. From the beginning the audience is moving and singing along. When halfway the set he gets tired a boy can come on stage to sing a song. He really disapeared. The other bandmembers play the song like nothing changed and also the audience still continues and sing along. There is no other artist of that day who could do this without losing attention. When the master finally comes back he admit: “It is time to go, we have a new frontman” a huge compliment for the guy. After that he just finish the set in a very relazing way, screaming ‘jumping around’ now and then. There is nothing more the audience need, the show was perfect.
 
Rating
Music:8
Performance: 8
Sound: 8
Light: 7
Total: 8

 
 
 

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