PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
A superb closing day to an excellent festival.
A slightly later start to the final day meant that a few sore heads could be nursed before heading back to the arena to catch another ten bands rock the crowd.
First on stage were L’Endevi(7/10) from Valencia, who despite being on stage on a Sunday morning, really manage to get the crowd moving. Mamen on vocals has a forceful, sometimes angry style, belting out some real screams along the way. Not the best time of day to play but the band do a great job.
I had been really looking forward to seeing Hell City (8/10) and they did not disappoint. A band that draw heavily on the classic Heavy Metal riffs, they could not fail on this stage, taking advantage of the moment to give a debut screening of their new video for the track ’Ice Cold Rage’ was a good PR pitch as well. In Michelle Nivelle the band have a very strong vocalist and focal point that gives them the edge over many others, songs like ’Hellacopter’ and ’Demons To Rest’ are absolute blinders, excellent stuff.
Dalriada(7/10) from Hungary, were a different prospect altogether, bringing a dose of Folk influenced Metal to the table, which just goes to illustrate the incredibly diverse nature of this years line up. With infectious tracks such as ‘A Dudás’ and ‘Borivók éneke’ to call on, this was a very impressive set.
Eleanor(6/10), whilst competent enough at what they do, just lacked that bit of sparkle to hit the spot for me today, a shame as they have some good songs, ‘Sorrow’ in particular is a great bounce along Rock track, and as such, I’m sure they will have much better days than this.
Crimfall(7/10) suffered slightly from a few technical issues on stage but still put in a really solid set, Helena on vocals has such a powerful voice that works really well with the growl vocals on tracks like ‘Frost Upon Their Graves’. Despite all seeming well from the outside though, it has since transpired that the band have parted company with Helena, so it will be interesting to see where the band go from this point.
Stream Of Passion(8/10) are another band that are very familiar with the festival, having played here a number of times before. Never ones to rest on their laurels though, the band put in an excellent set, demonstrating what a talented lot they are. Listening to ‘In The End’ can not fail but send shivers down the spine, Marcela Bovio proving, as if proof were needed, that she is one of the genres top vocalists. The, by now, obligatory cover of Radio heads ‘Street Spirit’, sounding immense as usual, as did set closer ‘This Endless Night’.
Anneke Van Giersbergen(9/10) was, I unashamedly admit, my ’must see’ artist at this years event, not having seen her live since her support slot with Within Temptation a while back. Anneke tends to write her material according to where she is emotionally at that particular point, hence current album ’Drive’ being a very upbeat affair. Right from the off, she just exudes energy and fun, bouncing and dancing along to songs as if her life depended on it. The album title track sounding excellent live, as did ‘Treat Me Like A Lady’ and ‘Feel Alive’, damn, they all sounded great. Finishing with three tracks from The Gathering era was an inspired way to round things off, ‘Strange Machines’ the pick of the trio.
ReVamp(10/10)came to Wieze to prove a point, ever since Floor’s well documented appointment as the new vocalist of Nightwish, the talk has been of whether that would signal the end of the band. Based on tonight’s performance, you would have to say no. This was just full on Metal, Floor demonstrating her vocal range from operatic highs to guttural, Death Metal growls, stopping at all points in between. Playing all three parts of ’Anatomy Of A Nervous Breakdown’ was a bold choice, such is the complexity of their construction but the band pull it off with ease, sounding so tight and in unison, it was jaw dropping stuff to watch. ’Kill Me With Silence’ from the debut album was also a personal highlight as was closer ’Wolf And Dog’. ReVamp pulled off a set that was just immense and faultless, if they do call it a day, Metal will have lost a truly awesome band.
Tarja(10/10) has finally come of age with the release of her latest solo album ’Colours In The Dark’ and that was plainly evident in tonight’s show. Listening to tracks like ’Die Alive’ and ’500 Letters’ gain as much of an enthusiastic roar as ‘Wish I Had An Angel’ (the only Nightwish song proper in the setlist) speaks volumes for the depth and variety in her back catalogue as a solo artist. Tarja, never stopped dancing and prancing around the stage all night, wearing the biggest of smiles to boot, giving the feeling that she was having the time of her life. ’I Walk Alone’, ’Anteroom Of Death’, ’Neverlight’, all sounding just superb, the whole hall just mesmerised by her performance. Capping the show by bringing Floor Jansen onstage for a quite breathtaking cover of ’Over The Hills And Far Away’ was pure genius. I heard people say how good it was to see the past and present vocalists of a certain band on stage together, true to a point but to my eyes, I was watching two of the finest singers in Rock and Metal today, doing what they love doing, being on stage and giving it everything, a memory that will stay with me for a long long time.
And so it ended, another year, another edition, another weekend full of memories to take away and hold dear until the next time. We keep saying year on year, that the organisers can not possibly top the line up but somehow, with blood, sweat and tears, they manage to keep coming up with goods, so until the next gathering, keep it Metal.
http://www.metalfemalevoicesfest.be/
Photos courtesy of Anthony May
