But I've been doing some listening to music that has been released before 2017. For the first time in my life, for example, I listened to Pink Floyd's 'Dark side of the moon' while doing nothing else but reading the lyrics in a karaoke way or sitting with my eyes closed. Of course I had heard tons of songs by Pink Floyd before, mostly in our day-to-day playlist, and when I was a teenager I only knew their 'Wish you were here', which I must have played about a thousand times. I also listened to CHVE's 'Rhasa' in 2017, Mike Oldfield's 'Ommadawn' and one of my all-time favourites, 'Discovery'. Bonobo's 'Black Sands' and Tangerine Dream's Stratosfear'. And to the few albums that I reviewed. And there this tiny list already stops.

Maybe that is the reason why I haven't written write many reviews yet: I think it's your duty as a reviewer to focus all of your attention only on what comes out of your speakers or headphones. No checking out info on the band or trying to find an intro, no conversations or social media or reading or walking in and out of the room while doing chores, no daydreaming or worrying or contemplating, nothing: just stay where you are and consume the music. It is as simple as it is almost impossible. Yes, I can listen to albums in public transport or while walking, but even though I have very good headphones, I still partially focus on the road, the landscapes that pass by, the book I'm reading, what the other people are up to or what my mind is yapping about. That is not 100% attention, that is not listening in the right sense of the word. It took me more than two years of mindfulness practice to be able to listen to music.

And it pays off. I hear new aspects in songs that I already knew by heart. I transform into the feeling that the artist has put in there. I truly appreciate their hard work. I am in the moment. Maybe that's why I'll focus on concerts that I've seen in 2017 for the rest of this article, because at a concert it is much easier to focus on the music alone - if the audience would read and apply
Serge's guidelines for concerts, that is.

And do you know who is responsible for my new ears? Cecilia, the old soul in the body of a young lady, protagonist of Serge's debut 'Cecilia's World'. I'll insert a small break while you go and buy that book: 


​
There you go. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I did editing it and re-reading it. Because I don't want to favour one of the headlights of 2017 above the others, I'll go through some mind-blowing concerts I went to in order of appearance. There have been concerts too with me in the audience but me not being there. I had a shitload of shit going on in my head and I had to invent a plunger. And I missed 2/3 of Dunk! festival due to illness, unfortunately.

In January we went to Mol. Opener of the evening was Sitka, and in October we saw Ben perform live again. Sitka brings us lovely drone ambient and we heard him evolve this year. Then came Stratosphere and the same goes for Ronald: we saw him multiple times and we were pleasantly surprised by the evolution his excellent ambient tunes have gone through. After Stratosphere the two metal bands just didn't do the trick for me and then came Ashtoreth. We saw Peter perform too in April, two times, and not two of his concerts are the same. Ashtoreth is the master of meditative drones for me. January also brought Primordial to Antwerp, together with some other bands I can't remember. Primordial, heroes of my confused adolescence, bringing pure pagan black power, what an awesome gig. And they brought a lot of early work too, a very pleasant surprise.

In April we saw a lot of Ashtoreth and Stratosphere, one time they did an improvisation session together which also was memorable. This was the first time we went to living room gigs and we enjoyed that concept very much. And there was Kuro. Kuro! They brought top shelf drone jazz and I liked it from the very first notes.

May is Dunk!Fest month. Due to circumstances mentioned above, Mooncake, CHVE and Barst are the concerts I remember best. Dunk!Fest is awesome. And so are these three bands. In June we saw Chelsea Wolfe and Moon Duo in Antwerp. Moon Duo kicks ass. Go see them when you can. July brought us a day of Gent Jazz festival with two top acts: Archive and Einstürzende Neubauten. Man, those were awesome concerts. Thanks to Belgian railways we had to leave after only a few songs by Einstürzende Neubauten but it was totally worth the trip.

In September we went to see Bohren & Der Club Of Gore in Antwerp. This was the most emotional musical evening for me, a bit of a catharsis. And were they good! A German father and his two sons (or so they claim), all multi-instrumentists, bringing the best dark jazz there is. 

And in October it was time for the first musical evening Serge had organized in years. Sitka, Stratosphere and Lord Kesseli and the Drums performed in Antwerp. It was a magical night, one to never forget. Check out Lord Kesseli and the Drums.

In November we went to Brussels for Bonobo. Awesome sound, awesome performance, awesome atmosphere. I loved every minute of it. A few days later there was another living room concert where debuting drone artist Urall convinced me of his capabilities, Stratosphere did the best gig of the year and Thisquietarmy did awesome things as we are used from him.

Closer of the year were Angels Die Hard, highly energetic psychedelic rock with synths, and O Yuki Conjugate who toured for the first time in a very long while. I was baffled by their set. Also extremely memorable. 

Thank you to all of these artists, all of the organizers and helpers, all of the Merchants Of Air readers. And all the best for 2018.



Eline

#1 Primitive Man - Caustic (Relapse)

Ok Heaviest, sickest, most ear destroying release of the last few years, so obviously it is the 2017 Champ!

#2 Obituary - Obituary (Relapse)

and yes it’s heavy as fuck. Best since “Cause Of Death”, saw them on the Decibel tour this year, still best sounding death metal band live ever…. Not open for debate…





#3 Iron Monkey - 9-13 (Relapse)

Man I needed this comeback…… It was more then I expected, my smile could destroy you.

#4 Godflesh - Post Self (Avalanche)

It’s exactly what I want from my Godflesh, The mood is sick, turn on, turn out the lights and go insane… been listening to it daily….

#5 Phobia – Lifeless God (WillowTip)

They matter! Should be on everyone’s top 10, it’s almost perfect, best Grindcore hooks you’ll hear, ever.  Buy it!

#6 Midnight - Sweet Death And Ecstasy (Hells Headbangers)

Ok so the production isn’t typical midnight, but I like it! Sleaziest metal band alive, so black and reminds me of the early evolution of metal… Dude it’s a classic!  

#7 Unsane - Sterilize (Southern Lord)

Prob best written album on the list, sonic pleasure… I continuously hit repeat on "We're Fucked”

#8 Municipal Waste - Slime And Punishment (Nuclear Blast)

Take it easy there, it’s a fountain of riffs, it’s fun, made me feel like the first time I heard Nuclear Assault’s “Survive”… Rise from the ashtray and rejoice….

#9 Full Of Hell - Trumpeting Ecstasy (Profound Lore)

The soundtrack of the end of the earth, it’s a masterpiece, 20 some minutes of destructive beauty. No filler!

#10 Lock Up – Demonization (Listenable).

All star band, pfffttt whatever…. I hate that title labeled on bands. Anyway it’s been out for months and months and I’m still jamming it, Grindy, catchy, brutal, entertainment value never ends…. It’s filled with beat downs and blasts….

11 through 20  can be in any order – love them all, so I labeled them all 11!

# 11 Necrot – Blood Offerings (Tankcrimes),

#11 Incantation -Profane Nexus (relapse),

#11 Dying Fetus - Wrong One To Fuck With (Relapse),

#11 Blood Feast – The Future State Of Wicked (Hells Headbangers),

#11 Body Count – Bloodlust  (Century Media),

#11 The Black Dalia Murder – Nightbringers (Metal Blade),

#11 KREATOR – Gods Of Violence (Nuclear Blast)  

#11 Bell Witch – Mirror Reaper (Profound Lore),

#11 Converge – The Dusk In Us (Epitaph),

#11 Pink Mass – Necrosexual (self Released)

​
Paul

Personally, for me and my family, 2017 was both a shitty year and a very good year. On the shitty side: we had to put our beloved dog Flor and our equally beloved chicken Wiske to sleep after a rapid decline in their health. May they find peace, wherever they are. On the very good side: we cemented some awesome friendships, made new friends and opened up our hearts to what we consider to be true love. You know who you are.


Musicwise, 2017 was pretty good. Some awesome releases, some good ones. I always find it hard to make lists. I will stick to what I did before. There is only one number one spot. All the rest is runner-up. And number one is:

Blanck Mass - World Eater

This is not an album. It's a force of nature. His previous work blew me away, but World Eater left me dumbfounded. The track 'Rhesus Negative' alone is worth the price of admission. It transcends genres. It's breathtaking, exhilarating and quite unlike anything you have ever heard before.


The runners up are:


Unreqvited - Disquiet

Yes, a blackgaze album in my yearlist. But what a brilliant blackgaze this is. The first ever album in this genre that genuinely moved me to tears.


Urall - Nothing but these bright edges

Amazing dark ambient/noise/industrial that I thought wasn't made anymore in this day and age. I was wrong. So wrong.


Project Nefast - Sex Money Power

Beauty in monotony. Raw, intense passion made into sound. Pure genius.


Also worth mentioning are the following:


Antzaat - The black hand of the father

Leyland Kirby - We, so tired of all the darkness in our lives

Wolves In the Throne Room - Thrice Woven


Concert of the year: Devin Townsend Project in 013, Tilburg


Thank you all for sticking with us in 2017. Stick with us for 2018. Please give love and kindness to animals. True peace starts with equality for all living beings. Strive for peace. Ahimsa.


Björn

The year 2017 is coming to an end. Magazines everywhere are coming up with the inevitable end-year lists and I somehow feel obliged to do something similar. I also asked the other Merchants Of Air members to send in a list or an article if they want to. That's the beauty of  working for Merchants Of Air: you don't have to. 
Personally, I'm not very fond of end-year lists. For starters, I don't even know all the albums that have been released in 2017. There are still hundreds, if not thousands, waiting to be reviewed. Many of them will not make it, unfortunately. We're severely understaffed you know.

Second, I think in 2017 my focus shifted from many different music reviews to one bmassive music review, because, quite frankly, that is what "Cecilia's World" really is. I spent the majority of the year writing it and then it had to be prepared for release, which was a frustrating and lengthy task. But when I could finally lay my hands of a copy of my own debut novel, I was proud and pleased. Writing a book has always been one of the major goals in my life and I wrote a good one. I did. Just ask the people who have read it. Just read the reactions. In fact, last night my most judgicial friend said "Cecilia's World is a damn good debut". This really meant a lot to me because this guy is brutally honest. So yes, 'Cecilia's World' is my biggest accolade this year.

So I have been browsing Merchants Of Air to refresh my musical memory. It actually gave me a headache. "Do I have to choose from all of these?", was my initial thought, followed by "this is impossible". However, if found something interesting. There seems to be a common ground for many of 2017's best albums. Just look at this list.

Bathsheba - Servus
Ashtoreth - Morana
AmenRa - Mass VI
Emptiness - Not For Music
All We Expected - Hatàr
Wiegedood - De Doden Hebben Het Goed II
Ilydaen - Veil
Monnik - Bedevaart
Marginal - Total Destruction
Marco Bailey - Temper

From doom metal to drone ambient and from black metal to post-rock and even techno, Belgium wins 2017. Bathsheba delivered the doom metal album of the year in January. AmenRa conquered the post-metal scene (again) and All We Expected managed to showcase the sound of the great ones. Our drone ambient scene has never been so alive, Ashtoreth and Monnik just being two examples of the brilliance our country possesses. Let's not forget about Dirk Serries and his massive influence on the ambient and jazz scenes 

In the extreme musical regions we find Marginal who delivered one of the best grind/crust albums I have ever heard and Wiegedood continue their path of blackened destruction. Furthermore, as we Belgians are known for our huge history of electronic dance music, Marco Bailey has once again shown the world how techno should sound. Our musicians do a way better job than our politicians, law enforcers and civil servants together. So I'll just go ahead and say that Belgium produced the best albums of 2017. There you have it.

That doesn't mean that the other countries suck, far from it. Our neighbours delivered some neat stuff too. In the Netherlands, Dead Neanderthals threw some awesome albums in our mailbox. They single handedly altered the future of jazz music. MNHM delivered an astonishing album with 'Of Empires Past' and Wrok's 'De Onheilsbode' is just pure evil. But awesome music came from everywhere, literally all over the planet. India turned out to have a huge underground metal scene with plenty of amazing albums coming through.

Oh well, let's just face it. From a musical standpoint 2017 was a fantastic year. Other remarkable albums came from Monophona, Bolt, Dale Cooper Quartet and the Dictaphones, Dictaphone, Samael, Moonspell, ... Just read our reviews....

Ok, my ego wants the first paragraph in this part of my overview. Like all people, I love being right. Like when I was right when I said that Meniscus would be one of the top gigs at Dunk! Festival for example. However, there is one person who definitely made my year as far as me being right about an artist. I have seen him bloom, evolve from a being decent mid-carter to delivering one of the best drone/ambient performances I have ever seen. Me and a handful of people witnessed Stratosphere rise above himself. For years I have known he had it in him and it finally came out. The future looks good for Ronald.

Besides, Thisquietarmy was highly impressive too that same evening. His was another top-10 gig. For once, let's make an actual list.

Stratosphere (Palazzo)
Spirit Valley (Desertfest)
Thisquietarmy (Palazzo)
Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore (Het Bos)
Bonobo (Brussels)
Bathsheba (Rodeofest)
O Yuki Conjugate (Ampère)
Lord Kesseli and the Drums (Antwerp Music City)
The Void Of Expansion (Dunk! Festival)
Meniscus (Dunk! Festival)
Yodok III / Barst / A-Sun Amissa (Consouling Night) | Trix

There, I think those have been the eleven most impressive gigs in 2017. Of course, there is more. I have also seen Drawn Into Descent evolve into a force to be reckoned with. I enjoyed many acts at Dunk!, Rodeo and Desertfest. Antwerp Music City and Het Bos have booked some amazing evenings. As you can see, most of these gigs happened in my hometown of Antwerp. You really don't need to go any further than Antwerp to witness some good concerts. 

That being said, unfortunately the good people behind Rodeofest recently decided to call it quits. One of the nicest festivals in Belgium is no more and I truly regret that. They were an inspiration, literally. So a word of thanks goes out to them. Let's hope someone else gets the brilliant idea of organising a festival in that beautiful fort.

I think for the majority, this website has been steadily flowing in 2017. Our number of visitors increased, even though fewer reviews have been published. We've been busy. 2017 was also the year where we finally decided that we cannot keep up with everything so we (or I) no longer stress over that aspect. However, Glauber joined in on the fun as the latest member of our crew. Like I always say, "the more the merrier". I'm sure that in the near future, he will take a lot of albums off my hands.

The absolute peak in article views of 2017 was the review for Amenra's 'Mass VI', followed by my Dutch column 'Kruishangerige Kuttenkovense Kerkkoe'. The latter certainly was a surprise. The rest of the top-10 is occupied by Brieviews, which is not a surprise since those contain several album reviews. Obviously more of these will come in the future. Over a hundred people watched the live stream of the Amenra release concert on our website. That was pretty cool too. 

Money talk. 2017 was the year in which Merchants Of Air finally became profitable. We've actually sold more t-shirts than ever before and some people have purchased our free compilation. With all expenses deducted, we made a profit of 20 euros, plus 2.61 more waiting on Amazon. Cool hé.

To be honest, there is not one album I'm specifically looking forward to. I know there are some interesting ones coming up but I'll just wait and see. I'll just let the music surprise me again. Same goes for Merchants Of Air. Maybe other writers will join, maybe not. Maybe more reviews will be published, maybe not.

On a personal standpoint, I'll try to continue what I'm doing now. I'll still publish heaps of reviews and articles and I'll try to combine that with a writing career. The first paragraphs of my next novel have been penned down. I can already promise you, it's going to be something very, very different from the sweet and joyous 'Cecilia's World'. 

We'll see.


Serge

It's true. We are spoiled. Living in or near a big city like Antwerp, Berlin, Seattle, Paris or Tokyo, you can go watch a band every day of the week. You can see any genre any time, either in petite basements or in massive arenas. In Summer, there is music everywhere. Festivals see thousands of people while another town engages in a musical pub-crawl. There are podia in parks, with orchestras playing classical music while you can headbang yourself into a coma in a murky bar three streets away. 

Not only the amount of musical activities has increased, so have the technical abilities. Dunk! festival in Zottegem comes up with perfect sound and an incredible light show, not bad for a small (but legendary) festival. Hell, even Dio is performing again, be it as a holographic gimmick. Not long from now you can probably go to a holo-festival with Lemmy, The Ramones, The Doors, Nirvana and Elvis Presley. It will be technically perfect, just soulless.

​So yes, we are spoiled and many of us have started to act that way which leads to frustration and anger for the die-hards. You are always welcome to join the fun. We, the old hands, welcome the newbies, as long as they behave. And with "behave", I'm not even talking about getting wasted on alcohol and drugs. We don't care about that. It's your life, ruin it like you want to. We just care about our concert-experience. So here are a few tips and tricks to make concerts fun for everyone.

Every metalhead knows what a moshpit is. Every hardcore fan has seen people jump off stages and into the crowd. Walls-of-death are rather common these days and the younger generation of musical extremists even invented their own little dance, an aggressive and somewhat retarded looking form of capoeira. These things look rather dangerous but they used to be safe.

Now, more and more venues and festivals forbid crowdsurfing and stagediving. Why? Well, apparently, some people think it is funny to step aside and see the fellow rock fan crash onto the floor. In my younger years, moshpits seized to exist when someone fell down. Now, some people try to stomp other moshers six feet underground. Suddenly people are getting injured during these habits while others seem to be annoyed by the happenings. The latter are mostly the old-hands, former crowdsurfers and moshers who for some reason have become concerned parents.

Whose responsibility is it to make a festival safe for those involved? Governments impose rather strict security regulations. There is always at least one first-aid team present. So organisers to their job. Actually, the first one responsible is you, the audience member, the one getting into the pit. You are responsible for your own safety and that of others. It is the same everywhere, in shopping streets, in church, in school, at work, at a gig. Just don't be a cunt, it can't be that hard. When someone falls, help him up. When someone is bleeding, take him to first-aid. That is not just a tip I'm giving you. You could actually get arrested for not helping people in need.

Another important aspect is hearing safety. Deafness and tinnitus are real and scary things. You do not want to spend your life with a constant bleeping in your brain. Again, that is your responsibility. Most organisers make earplugs available for free. Use them or step away from the speakers. I joke a lot but this I'm serious about!

Concerts are a lot of fun. You can get drunk, you can dance, bang your head, take photos, hang out with your besties and...talk freely about traffic or work. You can also listen to music, but that seems to be a mere accessory these days. 

Imagine, you're a musician. You are doing your very best to provide people with your music. Yet, over the music you can hear people's voices. You can hear them chat about their migraines, their aunt Debbie or a great new way to shave their legs. You try harder but they just talk louder. Why do they do that?

Well, my guess is: those people just don't care about your music. All they care about is showing people that they have been there. They care about facebook likes, instagram masterpieces and twitter hearts. To those people, music is secondary. I have seen and heard them during Massive Attack, during Thisquietarmy and during O Yuki Conjugate. They are everywhere and they just won't shut up. They have to be eradicated because they are what's wrong with today's music industry. They are selfish and disrespectful pricks who only show up because the event is "hip".

And of course you can say something to a friend. You can make a few pictures. It's a free world but just show some respect and shut up during a concert, or at least the bigger part of it. I know it is hard to believe but there are actually people present who know and like the band and who therefore wish to enjoy the performance. They're called "fans". You can even see them buy merchandise. Do I have to explain what merchandise is? 

Back in the nineties and early this century there was always one uncle with a video camera. Uncle Video always filmed weddings and other family get togethers. Afterwards, he showed us the video which obviously looked horrible. The image was shaking the entire time and the sound was just awful. Well, guess what, all your smartphone videos of every gig you ever filmed look exactly like that. Again, I understand photos and the unwritten rule is: only during the first three songs. But filming the event on your smartphone just makes you a prick like the ones in the previous paragraph. Again, apparently you're only there for YouTube views. That, plus you're doing it with someone else's content. Bands could actually sue you for that.

Why are people so angry at phones at a concert? Perhaps because we expect a concert to have a certain amount of quality. That quality is determined by the band, the sound, the light, the atmosphere and the audience. It does indeed suck to have to stare at a bright screen in front of you instead of the actual band performing. ​I guess it's a mixed feeling. I understand the fact that you want to expand your memory of an event by filming it. But be real, you're never going to watch that video. There will always be a better version, filmed by professionals. Same goes for photos. I'll repeat: first three songs. After that the rest of the audience should have the permission to smash your device, deal?

Then of course there are the people who are continuously occupied with their smartphone without even filming the band. They are checking their social media, answering emails, watching photographs of aunt Debbie's ugly baby. Those people should not attend concerts and events but since this is a somewhat free world, they will show up anyway. Let's not worry about those people. They do the exact same thing in traffic so they'll kill themselves one day. It's natural selection.

1. Buy merchandise.

Bandshirts don't only look cool, they also make sure that the artist can eat or at least expand his career as a musician. I have never met an artist who did not appreciate me buying something, on the exact contrary. You should see the amount of free stickers I have gained over the years. Even more important, you should have seen the smiles and happy faces of artists young and old when I exchanged a stupid piece of printed paper for a beautifully printed piece of cloth.

2. Don't turn the venue into a dump

Don't litter. Throw your empty cup in a bin or put it on the bar so that the crew can clean it up. It's not that hard. If there are ashtrays, put your cigarettes in them. If you can't smoke inside, don't. And please do not piss in public.

3. Respect the crew.

Respect the hell out of these people. Most venues and festivals use volunteers. Those people work hard for days on end. They have been there before you woke up and they'll be there after you go home. Say "thank you", they'll appreciate it. Oh, and don't be that asshole who brings his own beer because it's cheaper.

4. Allow everyone to see what's going on

If the one standing behind you is smaller than you are, switch places, at least for a while. Either remain seated or dance in the hallway during concerts in a theatre venue. Backpacks are annoying things in crowded areas. Do not block hallways. These little things make the experience a lot nicer for people involved and thus for you too. 

5. Remember: people are here for the music

People go to church for Jesus, not to find a suitable mate. Concerts are rather similar. So don't annoy people with your sex drive, don't throw beer in people's faces, don't push, shove and brawl. Just watch, listen and enjoy. 

Serge

I'm not really sure what this song by German singer-songwriter/rapper Clueso is about but it feels like he created his own 'Major Tom'. Yet, a little research and the accompanying video tell me that Clueso knew quite well who Gordo was, even though the video shows a chimp, not a squirrel monkey. We'll forgive him...

Ok, technically I'm making a mistake here because a squirrel monkey is not an ape but I don't think Gordo will mind. I think his brain was occupied with "what the fuck is going on here???". Anyway. this is also a little tribute to Stephen Samuel Gordon, a British poet and MC, better known as Spaceape. Gordon passed away in 2014 after a battle against a rare form of cancer.

And then I typed "Space Monkey" into YouTube's google search. Apparently, there are more original ideas for a song title than this one. We found 'Space Monkey' songs from alternative rockers Placebo, punk diva Patti Smith, psych-trance knobtwisters Mad Scientist and Lunarave and drum & bass gurus ​Ed Rush & Optical. You can find many more on YouTube too, most of them in the electronic scenes.

There are also a bunch of bands named Space Monkey or using the words somewhere in their band names. For this list, we picked an eighties synthpop act, founded by Paul Goodchild. More a solo act than a band, Goodchild recruited members from Bow Wow Wow, Mike and the Mechanics and Wham's back-up band. There, now you know that. 

There is also a Space Monkey in Cleveland and they play some neat and groovy stoner rock. There debut album was released last year and this tune, 'Smoke', is an awesome track, certainly suited for the stoner rockers reading this list.

This one popped up on YouTube and it's way too awesome not to be on this list. A little research taught me that this tune was released in 1961 when launching animals into space was the next big thing. The Scott Bros apparently released another 45" single before forever fading into obscurity.