The almighty Impericon Never Say Die! Tour. Utrecht, Netherlands

At the 11’th of October PlanetMosh was attending to the Impericon Never Say Die! Tour. We were attending to the Tivoli venue in Utrecht in the lowlands. The first edition was held in 2007, and are now back for their eighth edition with a bone crushing line-up. Back in 2010 and 2011 Emmure already was found somewhere in the Line-up, now they grown to be the Headliner of the tour. It definitely was an evening full of surprises.

northlane

First up was the band Hand of Mercy from Sidney, Australia. We have had a little bit trouble with the trains, so we were a bit too late. That happens sometimes. I felt like I couldnt let them out of this review, so i’ve asked the audience what they thought of it. I’ve heard that they didn’t really make a good impression on the audience that already knew them. But also they came as a nice surprise as pretty much of the folks attending to the Utrecht venue didn’t even know this band and were left there wanting more of these guys!

Second band up was Northlane, the first thing we noticed is that the audience is already pumped for some moshpits and sing-alongs.  These guys bring us a nice mix of Prog/Djent/Metalcore and some nice melodic flows.  It seems that Northlane is a welcome band to the Line-up, with songs as Worldeater and Scarab they know how to reach down to our hearts. Not everyone attending today was here already so the venue was still half full but already pumped with loads of energy. Which is a big asset for a band which plays so far in the front of the line-up.

 

 

 

Hundredth

The third band this evening was Hundredth, it was quite a while since I heard them for the first time. Some teenagers are headbanging on the balcony of the venue with some bright glowsticks on their arms. Young adolescents are fighting in the front row to get a singalong with their singer Chadwick Johnson. In the pit-area of the venue you see guys two-stepping on vibrant bassdrums and flipping their crests on the melodic guitar tunes. Hundreth really gives you a vibrant way of melodic hardcore and knows how to grab the audience by the throat, even if the venue isn’t even packed at all.

The real surprise of the evening was Betraying the Martyrs, seldom you see such an energetic and dynamic band with such an awesome stage performance and a singer that definitely will not stand still at any point in the show! They think a keyboard also doesn’t has stay on the support all the time, no on the contrary keyboards are also flying over the stage! At the time they played “Life is Precious” it becomes clear that all the previous bands got swiped of their feet by this band. The audience does exactly what the singer commands them, why? Well, I guess that has something to do with the energy that gets transmitted to the audience. A circle pit is even started before the next song kicks in. If you ask us to compare this band in a simple way, we can say this is a band with the energy and vibrance of Parkway Drive with a hint of Winds of Plague.

Betraying the Martyrs
Betraying the Martyrs
Betraying the Martyrs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next band up is I Killed The Prom Queen it gets immediately clear that this band doesn’t have the infamous status that they have always had. The audience calms down, and this is not a good sign at all. After Betraying the Martyrs this show looks a bit dull. Wasn’t it a better idea to put this band a bit earlier on the bill? Nevertheless they do give a tight show with few mistakes, and for that we thank them.

Carnifex

Carnifex is a band that I have been fan of for a long time. This band is known to tear a place apart, and theydefinately deliver again. The downside is that some people in the audience didn’t know what to do with this band, but later on the show they got used to the brutal and sick sound of this band. This was definitely the odd man out. Again they show us what a beast of a drummer Shawn Cameron actually is, the drums flow as a roaring sound of one of those American hot-rods. In the middle of the show they call out for a stage dive mayhem, and the audience obeys. I was happy I was not standing in the very front of the venue. Carnifex had a nice surprise for us which was a new song called “Die Without Hope” which was very well received by me and the audience, we got a fist punch of loud and pounding drums mixed with sick riffs and boweling screams and grunts. They will not go on the commercial path, but go completely bonkers with getting even deeper, lower, harder and sicker. Can’t wait!

The Last and very welcome band is Emmure. As told before, this isn’t the first time they will attend on the Impericon Never Say Die! Tour. But this is the first time they headline this tour, and it is a well-earned spot for these guys. Which is proved for the audience turns into a complete madhouse from the front till the end, even on the balcony the attendees go completely insane. Their music sounds as one big breakdown and the frontman Frankie Palmeri sounds as a bulldog barking in madness (in a good way). Their success becomes clear with popular songs as “I Thought  you met Telly and Turned me into Casper” and “Solar Flare Homicide” which shows you what Emmure is really capable off. Their sound still stands strong and I think it will be for a while.

Emmure

Emmure – I Thought you met Telly and turned me Into Casper

 

 

 

About Del Preston

So there I am, in Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, at about 3 o'clock in the morning, looking for one thousand brown M&Ms to fill a brandy glass, or Ozzy wouldn't go on stage that night. So, Jeff Beck pops his head 'round the door, and mentions there's a little sweet shop on the edge of town. So - we go. And - it's closed. So there's me and Keith Moon and David Crosby, breaking into that little sweet shop, eh. Well, instead of a guard dog, they've got this bloody great big Bengal tiger. I managed to take out the tiger with a can of mace, but the shop owner and his son, that's a different story altogether. I had to beat them to death with their own shoes. Nasty business really. But sure enough, I got the M&Ms and Ozzy went on stage and did a great show.