Why do I always forget my camera when I go to a concert? Maybe because it's not a very good one to make live pics, but my phone is even worse. Maybe it would be a good idea to ask the photographers if I could use one of their pictures to accompany concert reviews. I'll try to remember that but, since I'm not the world's most social guy, that might never happen.
But that's not what we came here for. I'm here to write a little something about a great evening I had today. We went to Kid's Rhythm 'n' Blues Kaffee in Antwerp to see two promising young bands. The bar is legendary, run by Kid Van Thielen who also seems to be quite a decent marathon runner. Judging from the photo's and plaques, he's been running around the world throughout the years.
For a Rhythm 'n' Blues Kaffee, there were very few jazz or blues fans present. That was probably because the music wasn't their cup of tea. Yet, King For A Day came up with something they could truly appreciate. Thick blues rock with influences from hard and stoner rock quickly filled the room and the audience loved it. This is one of those young bands from Antwerp that surely revive the scene in this city.
Because yes, that's what's happening in Antwerp right now. After Consouling Sounds and AmenRa pulled all the attention to Ghent, several bands (and a venue named Antwerp Music City) stood up in Antwerp and slowly they seem to be taking over the Belgian heavy scene. King For A Day deserve to be on the foreground and I hope to see them again soon, preferably with a better sound.
But that's not what we came here for. I'm here to write a little something about a great evening I had today. We went to Kid's Rhythm 'n' Blues Kaffee in Antwerp to see two promising young bands. The bar is legendary, run by Kid Van Thielen who also seems to be quite a decent marathon runner. Judging from the photo's and plaques, he's been running around the world throughout the years.
For a Rhythm 'n' Blues Kaffee, there were very few jazz or blues fans present. That was probably because the music wasn't their cup of tea. Yet, King For A Day came up with something they could truly appreciate. Thick blues rock with influences from hard and stoner rock quickly filled the room and the audience loved it. This is one of those young bands from Antwerp that surely revive the scene in this city.
Because yes, that's what's happening in Antwerp right now. After Consouling Sounds and AmenRa pulled all the attention to Ghent, several bands (and a venue named Antwerp Music City) stood up in Antwerp and slowly they seem to be taking over the Belgian heavy scene. King For A Day deserve to be on the foreground and I hope to see them again soon, preferably with a better sound.
Bathsheba, consisting of members from Sardonis, Serpentcult and Death Penalty, hail from another part of Belgium, Limburg (where I too was born). Yet, what they came up with in the black hills of Zwartberg is simply stunning. I've seen them once before, at Deserfest (read our review) and I've been a huge fan ever since.
Bathsheba withstood the heat (it was bloody hot in there) and came up with a great set, quite similar to the one at Desertfest and equally impressive. The sound was a lot better this time, loud, massive and crushing, exactly like doom is supposed to sound. So when Dwight threw the first riffs into the speakers, the bar turned into an occult temple.
As far as I'm concerned, Michelle is metal front woman of the year. Today too, she added a great stage performance to awesome vocals. Clean, she reminds me of a witchy version of Anneke Van Giersbergen (The Gathering, The Silent Storm...) but wait until she gets aggressive. It was on these passages that I was completely blown away by the whole thing. I also love it when she hits the cymbals by the way.
The rest of the band isn't any less impressive by the way. Dwight truly is a riff meister, Raf's bass growls, gnaws and strangles and Jelle hits the drums hard enough to make people at home hear them. Together they are unstoppable, coming up with hypnotic doom (and a little touch of black metal) that is irresistible, well, for me it is.
In February or March, Bathsheba will hit the studio to record their first full-length. Needless to say that I'm looking forward to hearing the result. We will keep an eye on this quartet and we advise every doom metal fan out there to do the same. Today they are a young, promising band from Belgium. Tomorrow they might conquer the doomed world...
Serge
Bathsheba withstood the heat (it was bloody hot in there) and came up with a great set, quite similar to the one at Desertfest and equally impressive. The sound was a lot better this time, loud, massive and crushing, exactly like doom is supposed to sound. So when Dwight threw the first riffs into the speakers, the bar turned into an occult temple.
As far as I'm concerned, Michelle is metal front woman of the year. Today too, she added a great stage performance to awesome vocals. Clean, she reminds me of a witchy version of Anneke Van Giersbergen (The Gathering, The Silent Storm...) but wait until she gets aggressive. It was on these passages that I was completely blown away by the whole thing. I also love it when she hits the cymbals by the way.
The rest of the band isn't any less impressive by the way. Dwight truly is a riff meister, Raf's bass growls, gnaws and strangles and Jelle hits the drums hard enough to make people at home hear them. Together they are unstoppable, coming up with hypnotic doom (and a little touch of black metal) that is irresistible, well, for me it is.
In February or March, Bathsheba will hit the studio to record their first full-length. Needless to say that I'm looking forward to hearing the result. We will keep an eye on this quartet and we advise every doom metal fan out there to do the same. Today they are a young, promising band from Belgium. Tomorrow they might conquer the doomed world...
Serge
