Main bands
Recents Events
Last concertsRecents Events
After Forever @de Vorstin
Delain @ Westerpop
Epica @ Summer D.
Krypteria @ Summer D.
Delain @ Nirwana's
Delain @ Westerpop
Epica @ Summer D.
Krypteria @ Summer D.
Delain @ Nirwana's
Upcoming Concerts:
12.07.2008: Delain @ Trailerpop (Rotterdam, NL)
12.07.2008: Delain @ Croq Rock (De Haan, BE)
06.08.2008: Within Temptation @ Summer Darkness (Utrecht, NL)
09.08.2008: Epica @ M'era Luna (Hildesheim , DE)
12.07.2008: Delain @ Croq Rock (De Haan, BE)
06.08.2008: Within Temptation @ Summer Darkness (Utrecht, NL)
09.08.2008: Epica @ M'era Luna (Hildesheim , DE)
09.08.2008: Delain @ M'era Luna (Hildesheim , DE)
14.08.2008: Metallica @ Rock en France (Arras, FR)
14.08.2008: Gojira @ Rock en France (Arras, FR)
14.08.2008: Within Temptation @ Rock en France (Arras, FR)
14.08.2008: Metallica @ Rock en France (Arras, FR)
14.08.2008: Gojira @ Rock en France (Arras, FR)
14.08.2008: Within Temptation @ Rock en France (Arras, FR)
This concert was clearly better than the previous one in Bathmen two years ago. Tonight, Within Temptation played just before they trip to Spain. So they seemed perfectly rested. Therefore, they conveyed to the show a good energy. The fireworks were nice, and the Dutch audience was totally into it. Once again, the concert was visually perfect!
For starters, let’s say that Charlotte was just stunning. She was very smiling, relaxed and enjoying herself. After a series of concerts that didn’t went smoothly, this event was the perfect occasion to shine, and they did! No technical problem this time. All the band members were very happy to play. Let’s hope this night was the sign that luck has turned!
This rock band was the first one to play that night. They were very dynamic on stage, which is a really good thing. But, unfortunately, there were two many quiet songs in the setlist and the atmosphere wasn’t “deep” enough to allow the audience to stay focused onto the show. Besides, instead of trying until the end, a few of the band members lost their concentration as well.
This gig was one of the best of 2008. The special energy that radiated that night was exceptional. What’s really amazing is that Kingfisher Sky is very young, but they already display a kind of unity that makes them shine altogether, along with their music. It was very nice to have a cello player as a live guest. The sound of the different instruments was perfectly set, especially the drums, which (sadly) reminded the early stages of Within Temptation.
This 5-months old band performed in an extremely interesting way. First of, their musical genre is fusion, which is characterized by variations in tempo and rhythm. But each one of the dynamics that the band chose to play was linked to the other ones by a story that the singer was reading with a perfect British and charismatic accent. The atmosphere that they manage to build was an ideal opening for Kingfisher Sky.
It had been a long time since our last concert of Epica, and, despite all of the critics that we expressed regarding Simone in the past, we were delighted to see her back on stage. This concert was unique since the band played their debut album The Phantom Agony. It was a great present for the fans, and the perfect way to welcome back Simone, who totally enjoyed herself on stage. And bravo for the special disco version of the song The Phantom Agony!
To be perfectly honest, this concert wasn’t so good. The sound was very bad set, and, because of a technical problem, Charlotte couldn’t hear herself and the show had to stop for a few minutes. As a consequence, the setlist was shortened, and both the band and the audience weren’t into the show. It was pretty chaotic. Let’s hope it won’t happen again.
It was nice to hear the first notes of Lost and Found again. The venue was less crowded than in Paris, but the people were very enthusiastic as well. The sound was once again really good, and the voice of Anneke was once again perfect. The cover of Earth and Fire had again a very energizing effect. As for Witnesses... Please don’t stop playing it: “It’s such a wonderful feeling”!
We met with Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering) between the two concerts that Agua de Annique played in France. Therefore, she was able to give us her impressions about the French audience. We discussed a lot of matters related to ADA first album Air, as well as the next album. She also answered our questions about her past and upcoming projects and appearances asides the band.
The next day, Agua de Annique did an acoustic performance in – as Anneke cutely pronounced it - “the Fnac”. It was a good occasion to hear songs which weren’t played live in Paris: Yalin, Pretty Girl, Old Lies, Into Temptation, Blackbird and Take Care. And it was also very nice to enjoy the voice of Anneke and Joris in this acoustic context. Next concert? Hum… “Maybe tonight!”
This concert was the 2nd show of Agua de Annique outside the Netherlands. Anneke seemed very happy to play in Paris again, and the audience was even happier to meet with the ex-singer of The Gathering. The venue was full, and the audience gave a very warm welcome to the band. The atmosphere was filled with emotion, and the setlist was very pleasant. When do we meet again? “Maybe tomorrow…”
The Swedish band was awaited for, and they clearly didn’t disappoint anyone. The show was very professional and powerful. No time to breath. The setlist was a perfect mix of old and new songs and the audience screamed all along. It’s really cool to keep playing the old stuff. Of course, Angela charisma was huge and all the comments she addressed the crowd were very nice. Keep growling!
The temperature in the Bataclan was as always extremely hot. No need to warm up, and yet this Dutch band did a really good job in opening for Arch Enemy. The audience was very receptive to them and enjoyed the music a lot. The singer was very dynamic and he didn’t hesitate to lean forward in order to sing with the audience. Really good show!
It’s always weird to attend a concert in the Netherlands after attending one in France. First, people are unusually polite, second: they are totally sleeping during the show. The band members seemed more rested than in Paris a month ago, except for Charlotte who gave us all a dreadful fright during SOAD. But well, as she perfectly put it: “The show must go on!”, and it did!
After his Detonation concert just before Christmas and his guest appearance with After Forever the same evening, it was nice to see Koen Romeijn on stage again. Unfortunately this time he didn’t growl. The rhythms of the Cardamon music were mainly slow. Some songs sounded like Autumn music. For those of you who like atmospheric things, try it here: http://www.cardamon.nl!
The cafe was completely full for the release party of the new Ayreon album: 01011001. A lot of guest musicians were there for the event: Floor Jansen and Joost van den Broek (After Forever), Hansi Kursch (Blind Guardian), Magali Luyten, Wudstik, Marjan Welman (Autumn), Liselotte Hegt, Robert Soeterboek, Lori Linstruth (Stream of Passion), Peter Vink, Ed Warby (Gorefest), Ben Mathot.
For those who don't know this band yet, we're talking about a dutch band co-founded by one of the former drumers of Within Temptation: Ivar de Graaf. The whole show was very enjoyable and its main interest laid in the peaceful atmosphere that the band managed to create. The setlist was a perfect balance between calm atmospherical songs and more energetic ones.
This show was Delain's first one as headliners in France, so the pression was high. But everything worked out extremely well. The concert was sold out. The crowd was crazy, so crazy that Charlotte had to wait a lot between the songs to be able to cover the cheering screams. In a way, this concert was even more enjoyable than the one that the band did in the Zenith.
This french band was not received that well as a support act for Delain. The problem was mainly due to the musical genre of Jadallys, which didn't perfectly fit the one of the headliners. Indeed, whereas Delain's music is known to be rather energetic, Jadallys' one turned out to be much more atmospherical and calm.
Just before a sold-out show in Paris, we interviewed Charlotte Wessels from Delain. We talked about their recent European tour as headliners. Charlotte gave us a lot of information concerning their upcoming album. To conclude, she drew a little portrait of each band member.
This was the last concert of AF before Xmas, and the band offered a few presents. We had 3 special guests: Dennis Schreurs from Severe Torture, Koen Romeijn from Detonation, and last but not least: Floor’s sister, Irene. Follow In The Cry was the occasion of a little Jingle Bells cover. Floor never looked better. But logically, at this time of the year, the audience was exhausted, and thus a little bit sleepy...
Unfortunately, I only heard a few songs of the setlist, but the energy was there once again! This band is now an integral part of the Dutch “gothic” metal scene and it’s surely a matter of time before they become more famous. Check out their new album Falling From Grace.
This show was the last try-out before the Eindhoven gig. We had the big honor to hear an acoustic version of Forgiven on stage. A lot of French people were present that night, and we were armed with confetti, serpentines and balloons (watch the Ice Queen video!). Therefore, the atmosphere was much more energetic than the usual Dutch one.
This third part of the show was a perfect conclusion! Charlotte looked much more relaxed, and all the band members seemed to enjoy themselves a lot. So did the crowd actually! One question though: why no Deep Frozen? Anyway! Thanks a lot to the guests, and congratulations to Delain: mission completed!
After 6 electric songs, among which the new song Stay Forever, the band members went back on stage, all suit up, for the acoustic session. Charlotte wore a long white dress, and the guys classy costumes. It was the occasion to hear a second new song, untitled yet, as long as two covers: Cordel (The Cranberries) and How Can We Hang On To A Dream (Tim Hardin), both of them really well interpreted!
Finally! The awaited special show, in a very special venue: the Broerenkerk Church! Did this special evening with Delain exceed our expectations? Yes it did! The evening was divided in three parts: electric set / acoustic set (everyone suited up!) / electric set. Sharon den Adel, Liv Kristine, George Oosthoek and Guus Eikens were all happily present. An unmissable moment!
A kick ass show for a kick ass band and a kick ass singer! :) First of all, Chibi is an amazing performer! Extremely charismatic! She loves being on stage, and she clearly makes sure that the audience has fun too. Her interactions with the crowd are surprisingly true. And the so special atmosphere of the band is also present on stage, stronger than ever!
The first thing to say about this band is that they have a very dynamic singer, which conveyed a lot of energy to the show. But this is not surprising, since they are German, and German bands are usually great performers. Their musical style was also dynamic, as long as refreshing and various. The female bass player vocal backups were interesting.
We met with Chibi and Rainbow before their concert in Lyon. After a quick presentation of their evolution these last 8 years, we talked about their last album Walking With Strangers. They gave us details about the writing process, the concept behind it and the artwork surrounding it. To conclude, they explained to us how their fans support is important and rewarding.
Lycosia played that night with their new line-up for the first time. Unfortunately, the evening was running late, and all the consequences were on them. They didn’t get the time to do their soundchecks, and they only played for less than one hour. But all the members were focused into the show, and thus the performance was very good anyway.
This band was the first one to play. People were still arriving during their show, so the conditions weren’t ideal, but they did a good job. Listening to them was pleasant. The singer even disappeared from stage, to reappear a few seconds later in the audience. He sang from there a few minutes, and then went back on stage.
This concert was very special for Leaves’ Eyes because they were recording their new DVD. The set, a huge viking boat, was beautiful. The lights also looked extremely nice. The band members seemed very pleased to be there, and they enjoyed the event a lot. The crowd was completely into the show. Let’s now wait for the DVD release in 2008.
Epica delivered a very very good performance! Even if they weren’t the headliners that night, a huge part of the audience was there for them, and they made sure to make it clear! It was amazing to see the crowd so into the show. The fire effects added another dimension to the concert, and it’s really something which suits Epica well.
The band members of this German band were very dynamic on stage, and it resulted in a great performance. The crowd welcomed them extremely well, and the band appreciated it a lot since this concert was their first in a long time. It was definitely a pleasant moment!
This concert was certainly a good one, but compared to the one in Paris, it was clearly less powerful. The band members were motivated, but the crowd was not reactive enough. Anyway, it was our best Delain concert in Holland.
Just before a big signing session, Mark Jansen, answered extremely nicely our questions regarding Epica. We talked about their first US tour as headliners, their last album The Divine Conspiracy, an eventual second single, their experience with Nuclear Blast, and their CD presentation.
We met with Kris Scheerlinck, ex member of the Belgian band Sengir, guitarist and founder member of Valkyre, and also Gaelle Pruvost (keyboards & additional vocals). We talked about the evolution of the band from its creation in 2004 to the extremely recent release of their new 4-track cd called Consolamentum. The interview is in french (for now).
This time, the sound was very good, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. I’m wondering if the singer of the band applied to Tuomas Holopainen during his casting phase, because her way of moving on stage makes of her an amazing clone of Tarja Turunen, but sadly not on a vocal level. Besides, the use of samples for the male grunts was a big mistake.
The concert of Battlelore was a little bit disappointing because we were expecting a much more dynamic performance. The sword of the singer brought a lot, but not enough! But since their last cd Evernight is very enjoyable, let’s just wait for another occasion to see them.
Draconian came all the way from Sweden, and they were the only doom band of the day. They delivered a very good performance, and the audience seemed to appreciate it a lot since the only feedbacks that we got were very positive.
The performance of this french band was really enjoyable. The singer was extremely dynamic, and it conveyed a lot of power to the show. The musical style of the band was very different from the one of almost all the bands present this afternoon, and it was kind of refreshing. Definitely a band to look into.
Valkyre was the first band to play this afternoon, and they opened the second day of this festival very well. Unfortunately, we missed the first couple of songs, but the performance got to us anyway. The audience seemed to appreciate, especially their last song A Good Day To Die, which concluded the setlist perfectly!
First of all, it was surprising to find this particular band, playing between Delain and Within Temptation on a few European dates. Their musical style is indeed quite different from the 2 other ones, and the biggest part of the audience wasn’t there for them at all. So even if they delivered a great performance, the crowd didn’t seem to realize it, nor to appreciate it.
We interviewed Delain a first time earlier this year, before their first concert in France. Tonight, we met with Charlotte Wessels again, just before Delain’s 5th French gig. We talked about the band experiences with the French audience. We also mentioned Delain’s burning issues. And finally, we discussed the band’s future.
Just before Within Temptation’s concert in Paris, we spent half an hour talking with the guitarist Ruud Jolie. He answered our questions about the US Tour, the upcoming special concerts in Eindhoven and Rotterdam (with the Metropole Orchestra), the new single, the multiple nominations for Belgian, Dutch and European awards, and also the special relation that the band has with their fans.
After taking a nap during the second support act, the crowd was all rested and ready to get crazy again, seizing each opportunity they got to scream for Jane Doe. As promised during the show in the Bataclan, the band played 3 special songs: Aquarius, It’s The Fear and of course Jane Doe. They also added Final Destination to this special setlist. So Dank je wel from all the french fans!
Delain was the first band to play, and yet, it just looked like the all audience came for them. The crowd was totally into it, screaming, singing, jumping on The Gathering! And I won’t even mention how crazy it got when, once again (thanks!), Sharon joined Charlotte on No Compliance. The band members seemed extremely happy, and it just felt right, because they deserve it!
The setlist of this concert was the same as the previous ones, but for the first time in quite a long time, and this is a personal point of view, we found nothing bad to say about the show. It was a good AF show, very professional, but also very energetic and exciting. Everyone enjoyed the performance, and on stage, the atmosphere was perfect.
This venue was much better than the Trabendo: larger stage, brighter lights... So the conditions were good enough to let us enjoy this new setlist. Estranged was still there, Monolith Of Doubt was back again, and it was extremely enjoyable! No more Cry With A Smile, but Lonely instead. Bas is singing the Metallica cover again, and with this full-lenght setlist, we were able to hear Dreamflight! :)
This concert was the first one of the French part of the European tour. The venue filled up slowly, but there was soon enough people to make a decent audience. Fortunately for us, the sound engineer of AF did a better job than the one of the support act, which singer’s voice was not audible... But yet, it wasn’t perfect. The lights were very bad, not powerful enough, and thus the stage remained very dark.
On this second day of the Raismes Festival, all the band members of the french band Syrens Call took the time to answer our questions about their 10th anniversary, their musical background, and also their well planned future. For now the interview is only available in french, but the english version will be online as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, we didn’t see the whole show, but the performance seemed good from where we were standing. The stage set was original, the sound was good, and the audience seemed into it. It’s always interesting to see more than 5 people on stage.
After Forever in France!!! Finally!!! And they came with a great surprise: an all new setlist, with songs like Estranged, Yield To Temptation and Beyond Me. Unfortunately though, the lights weren’t as good as in the Gotthard show, and the smoke totally swallowed up Joost. Besides, and forgive us for this personal message: Dutch AF fans we miss you!!!
This concert was the first perfect performance of the day. We perfectly felt the experience of the Swiss band. Aesthetically, this show was the best: the light engineer did a really great job. The band entertained the crowd, who sang back without hesitation each time Steve Lee asked for it.
Ok first of all, let’s not say that our attention during the Misanthrope show was strongly distracted by the Floor Jansen’s improvised signing session that took place next to the stage... Instead, let’s just say that the french band succeeded in doing extreme metal, and the audience seemed 100% with them. Well, maybe 99%... :)