09-06-2023 Into The Grave

Famyne is a bit dark and creepy. Doom sound with goth touch here and there. Some Stoner and psychedelic sounds into it… a whole lot of genres to eventually end up with their own sound. The British guys are ready open the festival on the main stage after Cobra The Impaler had to switch slots with them.

Last year the guys released “II: The Ground Below” which is their second full length album and with that they have some nice songs to give. The band is fascinating to start with, and enrages our curiosity but is not the wildest start of the day you can have. Good to ease into it a bit. Their unique mix of sounds makes for a nice start of the day.

Cobra The Impaler was planned to open the festival. Due to logistic reasons they switched spot with Famyne.

We saw the band play this festival before last year and now they returned. The audience knew what to expect and when it comes to that the band does not surprise us either. Steady and safe. But with enough energy in it. the guys are eager to please the audience. Progressive Metal core they make and with the release of the album “Colossal Gods” last year the band has introduced themselves properly. The guys are eager to connect with their audience and for a great part that seems to work. The intensity of their sound is sometimes a bit kept with themselves it feels but looking at the show last year it is good to see them on the smaller stage in a more intimate setting where they are able to come a bit closer.

Angus MCsix we might recognize from Gloryhammer. Under this new character he formed a new band. With a first album out this year he now hits the stage of Into The Grave. A handful of dedicated fans and a bunch of interested people gathered to observe this Symphonic Power Metal theater. The show has a lot of elements that the fans of these themed metalbands might enjoy. Sometimes a bit random. A T-rex… a sword, a skeleton, some shiny armour and a gorgeous lady seem to have come together. It seems to work but people clearly have to get to know it and for an innocent onlooker the mixed elements do not always make sense. But well. Entertainment it is.

The Dutch Blackbriar has a good bunch of fans along and their enthusiasm serves us well. An energetic show was ahead of it and it seems this band is the king in balance. Never too much never too little. An art that not all bands in genre are familiar with so extra points for them.

With a Gothic touch the band is bringing a bit of ambiance to the Reaper stage. Melodic riffs and a charming voice are filling the field and knowing the band recently signed with Nuclear Blast we can safely say that this band is going to be around a lot more in the coming years.

Evergrey had some sound issues but managed to get things working somewhat. The Swedes were entering the main stage at a hot time of the day, so hence a somewhat calm response at the sunny summer days. With a whole lot of albums released the guys have an extensive discography to choose from. The earliest releases date back to the 90s and last year the guys had album “A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament)” out. Calmly but steady the guys perform their show. The majority of the set is filled with the most recent songs, the band does not feel the need to go back to the old days very much. Fine enough, they seem to have found their way to the fans anyway. The recent albums scored well so it is no surprise to see some appreciation for these guys here today.

Warkings are an international formation and where Angus earlier felt a bit random, Warkings have a lot more consistency. Not only theme wise but also in the music. The band has clear vision of their sound which makes that it stands strong and have a setlist that makes sense.
Their performance was also quite energetic and powerful, which is a lot better than we remembered from Tuska some years ago. So, Warkings certainly managed to surprise us positively today.

Half a year ago the band released their album “Morgana” which was well represented today. If we have to make a remark out the show we witnessed it must be that the guys had perhaps a little bit shortage on space for all their decorations. This band is made for a larger stage although we enjoyed seeing them play here and entertain the many people that came to see them. It seems like they had the crowd on their hands just a bit more than any band did before them on this stage today. Battle was won.

Dragonforce was filling up the stage with two mega arcade game decoritems. Guitarist Herman Li opens the show on top of one.
Their latest release dates back to 2019 but the guys are eager enough to play these tunes as well as some older tracks for the audience. A sneakpeak of what is ahead is given as well and what would Dragonforce be without a song about dragons? As per statement of vocalist Marc.

The band is playful as ever but has a more moderate view on their active performance compared to a couple of years ago, a blessing as it is much more interesting to watch now. When the guys have Angus McSix on the stage the audience shows some appreciation, a collaboration that seems to suit both bands well. A nice way to close the set!

I love flamingo’s. I love metal. The combination however would not be the most likely thing to expect. TrollfesT does it. In pink dresses with a flamingo hat on the heads the guys enter the stage. “Dance Like a Pink Flamingo” is played and we start wondering whether we accidentally ended up at Eurovision, only to have the guys mention just minutes after that thought crossed our mind, that they actually did something for Eurovision. Makes sense.

So it is a party band. That known, we look over our shoulder and see a good group of people having an amazing time right at this set and then we are able to bring a smile on our face.

Whether you like them or hate them… you cannot deny this band brings joy to the festival. So hail the flamingo!

Amorphis is the band we wanted to see on this festival from the first edition already. It took some years but here they are. Headlining even. Seems like we weren’t the only ones thinking that judging by the fans queuing frontrow. The band has found themselves a dedicated group of fans and their fans know how to find us too since as soon as we returned we already got requests for photo-preview for this band.

Well, it is always a pleasure to see these hard-working Finns play and today was not an exception. The band has the focus on the last couple of albums but of course the classic “My Kantele” is not forgotten.