Well, it seems that after a lengthy pauze my personal concert season has kicked off again. It started a few days earlier when newly formed trio performance of Synchyse debuted in a converted garage in The Netherlands, along with the jazzbient duo Minus Pilots (read). Well, actually it started with a fun gig by dub-reggae-house act Fat Freddy's Drop at Ancienne Belgique. But that one was just for fun, not for journalistic reasons.

Then this little thing at Antwerp Music City came up. Ashtoreth invited me and obviously, there was no reason not to go. First of all, it's always nice to see Ashtoreth and Stratosphere perform, both solo and as a cooperative drone-force. Second: I was quite curious about this new Thisquietarmy performance with full band. So off to the legendary AMC we went.

"Sorry, Serge, you're going to hear the same two songs again", Ronald apologized beforehand. And so it was. Stratosphere played 'Desolation' and 'Lesum', which both appear on the splendid 'Collaborations I' album, be it a tiny bit different. That being said, while 'Desolation' showed the classic atmosphere sound, 'Lesum' was almost unrecognizable. After all, music like this is always subject to variation, which is perhaps the exact reason why ambient music is so interesting. Halfway through the track, it was as if Liz Fraser's voice chanted in the background. That was neat, a great example of what you can do with a truckload of effect pedals. In the end, this was pretty much a classic and thus highly enjoyable Stratosphere gig.

After 'Lesum', Ashtoreth took his place behind his pedal-rack and the two artists showed their improvisation skills. It slowly became darker in the Music City, aided by the pulsating drones and the shamanic chants. Now the smell of incense filled the air while we entered the mysterious sonic world of Ashtoreth. Together, they played an excellent variation on 'Breaking down Barriers / Reveiling the Unknown', also from 'Collaborations I'. 

Along with Tomas Järmyr and Aidan Baker, Eric Quach must be one of the hardest working people in the music industry. For thirteen years he has been travelling the world, recording albums and cooperating with others. I see his photos on facebook. A concert here, a recording session with Hypnodrone Ensemble there, travelling the continents. And now, somehow, he managed to find three people who wanted embark on his newest sonic adventure: Thisquietarmy The Band.

Most people in the guitar-drone scene have their own, easily recognizable, sound. Dirk Serries, Aidan Baker, N, and even the two support acts this Tuesday have theirs. So does Thisquietarmy. Over the years I have seen him perform on multiple occasions. Sometimes he simply unleashed his droning demons while on other occasions he added elements from doom and black metal. Yet, it was always Thisquietarmy, spot on. On this Tuesday too, with three guys behind him, playing bass, guitars, drums, Ableton, trombone and trumpet. Yeppers, now dark jazz has been infiltrating the sound of the Canadian.

The result was one of the most explosive gigs I have ever seen this man perform. Eric delivered his well known soundscapes while the band pushed the whole thing forward with a frenzy of doom and sludge metal. Thisquietarmy has become Thisoverwhelmingstampede, a massive sludge doom beast that can put its foot next to acts like Yob, Ufomammut and AmenRa. This was impressive, loud, abrasive and immersive. If 'The Body And The Earth' is as intense as this live gig, it's definitely one for the ages. 

The sonic eruption went on for about an hour. Eric and his squad nearly pulverized the Music City (but then again, that building has experienced a lot of musical demolition over the years). I'm not sure if this was the best Thisquietarmy so far. For that, the machine needs a bit more oil and a bit more gigs. Yet, given time this experiment has the potential to convincingly headline Desertfests, Dunk Festivals, Roadburns and whatnot. And so, I'd like to end this review with the most truthful reaction, coming from a member of the audience: "Fucking Hell!!!"


Serge

In the past few days, my wife and I have been invited to two living room concerts. I'm not sure if we can speak of a new trend in the music scene, but as far as I'm concerned, everybody can invite me into their house to enjoy some beautiful music. I'll even bring my own drinks. At these two gigs combined, there were about twenty five people. Therefore, these gigs came with an intimate atmosphere, making it easy to compare them with eighteenth century chamber music performances. For a few hours, all twenty five of us felt like old European nobility who witnessed something unique, something nobody else would.

While the city of Antwerp was becoming occupied with Iron Maiden fans, we prepared for an entirely different day of music. For us, it started in the afternoon, when we went to the beautifully renewed Elizabeth Zaal in Antwerp. There, we witnessed Belgian jazz and classical music pianist Jef Neve perform 'Rhapsody In Blue' by Gershwin, accompagnied by a full orchestra. As expected, this was a performance from a very high level but what followed was even more breathtaking. After a short technical break, the Chorale choir walked on stage, along with a youth choir. Shortly after, the massively popular 'Oh Fortuna' by Carl Orff resonated through the theater, followed by the rest of the 'Carmina Burana'. Magic, pure magic, but what would you expect. There were about 200 people on stage, each of them a highly trained master of his/her skill. This was top level in all its glory and bombast.

An Irish coffee and a durum later, we walked to a nearby street where we would soon enter the living room by someone named Thomas. We were early, but we are always early. Early to arrive and early to go (I have things to do at night, and at the end of this review, I'll tell you about it). We met up with the artists and the other people and prepared for the exact opposite of the earlier performance.

Stratosphere opened and did that in perfect Stratosphere style. His gig was quite similar to that in Mol, which proves my theory that he is the perfectionist who methodically prepares his set. The two tracks he played were two of his best and it's always a pleasure to listen to them. With our eyes closed and our asses comfortable on a chair we allowed Stratosphere to take us into another dimension.

Before the show, the artists had been talking about unwanted sounds, like the noises a cable makes when you plug it in our out. Well, guess what. That was exactly what happened when Ashtoreth started his set. Yet, since he is the improviser, he just worked his way around it and turned it into a ritualistic piece of music. He played a lot louder too, creating both intimacy and intensity. 

After a short break, less technical than the one at the 'Carmina Burana' concert, both artists walked back to the stage and performed a song they made together. I was curious since the two are completely different characters and have a completely different way of composing music. But what I heard was amazing, a brilliant and coherent combination of both solo acts, one that is definitely suited to be repeated. 

Two days later, we jumped on the tram towards Ashtoreth's living room where a duo named Kuro was about to perform. We didn't know the band but hey, when you're invited to that living room, you go. Once inside, we noticed the instruments, a violin, a theremin and an electric double bass. I loved it already. We cheated a bit too, since we listened to their album beforehand. I couldn't wait for this gig to start.

When it did, it pretty much blew everybody away. From inside the very soul of these instruments came a form of music that blended drones, ambient, classical music and jazz together in a whirlpool of soundscapes. I fell in love with the double bass (afterwards, Ashtoreth and I were plotting a plan to steal it) and, like every one inside, I was mesmerized by the music these two played. Of course we bought the vinyl afterwards.

When the final tones of the concert faded away, something hilarious happened, but I'm not going to tell you what that was. To know that, you will have to read my book, 'Cecilia's World' which is currently being written. This concert (and many others) will appear in it since it's a book about a young girl who discovered the world of alternative and underground music. Merchants Of Air will keep you updated about that when the time is right.

So, anyway, these were two amazing concerts which I will not easily forget. 


​Serge

Those who check out our website regularly might have noticed that we are the driving force behind the Lapses project by Belgian writer Tamara E. Williams (click here). While our writer Paul takes care of the paintings, my mission was to find ambient and drone artists to accompany the story. Coincidentally, four of the selected artists played at this nice mini festival in Mol (Sitka, Stratosphere, Ashtoreth and Monnik, who fronts Charnia. Misantronics and Hellstorm Of Flaming Nothingness were in the audience, enjoying this splendid evening). So in a way, Rituals Of Frost was a reunion avant-la-lettre. But you'd probably want to know how the gigs went, right? Oh, by the way, I forgot my camera so I had to make photos with my phone.

Armed with his guitar and the usual bunch of effects, Sitka nervously opened the evening with a nice set of drones and ambient. Sitka is a young, fresh force within the drone genre and certainly one to keep an eye on. I'm not sure if this was his very first live performance or not, but the feeling was right, the sound was excellent and the drones coming out of the speakers were interesting. Given time and effort, this project might indeed be able to compete with the big ones in this scene. Today, he was an excellent opener for what would become an incredible evening of music.

I know that some people think that drone ambient is a stale and unimaginative genre where nothing really happens. Well, these people should have been at the Stratosphere gig yesterday. While Sitka came up with the well-known and somewhat typical version of the genre, Stratosphere took things further, meticulously blasting out layers of riffs, soundscapes and plucks and eventually coming out with two huge tracks. I heard references from new wave, indie rock and shoegaze. My mind started imagining drum patterns over these layers, something I would like to do live one day. Anyway, Stratosphere is the perfectionist in this the Belgian drone scene and his performance came extremely close to perfection.

Then it was time for the heavier side of things, something I'm not always looking forward to. Sludge and post-metal have never been my favorite genres and I don't think they ever will. However, that doesn't mean that post-metal gigs bore me, on the very contrary. Charnia is a unique entity, one that doesn't just focus on trying to be as loud and aggressive as possible. This quartet came up with an intense, varied and atmospheric version of the genre, nudging towards doom metal, something I do like. Unfortunately, some sound issues made the gig less pleasurable for the band than for the audience but nonetheless, Charnia put up a very decent performance. These guys should be bigger, that's for sure.

Second heavy act on the bill was Eleanora who delivered a massive slab of in-your-face post-metal and sludge, complete with the usual bombast, the screams and the steamroller sound. For a while I watched them do their thing, quite convincingly I might add. Fans of this genre will know why Eleanora are one of the must-see acts. Their technical abilities reach perfection, their performance is a slab of hardcore energy and their music pounds on your head like there is no tomorrow. Although I'm not a fan of their music, I can only respect them and be proud of these guys. After two songs, I went outside for a smoke and witnessed their pulverising sound roll over the city of Mol. This surely is a destructive force, one every sludge fan will adore.

It is always disappointing to see that most of the audience members leave after the last heavy band. Personally, I think it's a lack of respect but then again, it was already midnight. When Ashtoreth finally climbed on stage, not even half of the audience was still present. But, those who left surely missed something.
Where Stratosphere is the perfectionist, Ashtoreth is the improviser, the generalist. I've seen him before but it's always different. This time, the ambient tag didn't really apply. Ashtoreth first showed a nice psychedelic piece, turning the venue into a searing hot desert. The second part of his set was dedicated to sheer noise and drones, harsh, intense, relentless and so bloody awesome.
Later I would hear that Ashtoreth was somewhat frustrated with his performance and therefore turned it into that wall-of-noise, but as far as I'm concerned, he can be frustrated all the time if it leads to a stunning performance like this. Like I said to Björn afterwards, 'out-harshing two sludge metal bands on your own is quite an achievement'. This was a stunning gig, one that can be repeated anytime.

This was the very first Rituals Of Frost festival. Sitka has been working on it for quite some time, resulting in sleepless nights, unexpected misfortunes and probably a lack of appetite. Yet, it was all worth it. This was a great evening with excellent gigs and a nice atmosphere. If he organises another edition, I'd recommend a bill with four acts instead of five. I think everything is just going to be a little easier. You can always add a dj after the gigs or just make each act play a bit longer. Nonetheless, I applaud these initiatives, certainly in a country where Sabam and the government are always on the lookout for a bit of the money you make (or they think you make). So good work and hopefully until next time.


​Serge