Well, let me tell you, I’m not impressed by volume. If you need volume to prove your point as a band, something must be wrong with your music. So, what is wrong with Raging Speedhorn’s music then? Nothing much really. The riffs are huge and they have a groove that makes your head nod. Their mix of seventies hard rock and modern metal works pretty well.

The only thing is that everything is played at the same (too high) volume. There are no dynamics at all. All songs start with the main riff played by one of the guitarists, followed by the whole band kicking in. The only variation they have is songs starting with the bass guitar playing the main riff. It’s too monotone for me.

The fact that the guitars dominate too much doesn’t help either. The mix is pretty much out of balance for that matter. A pity, because their recent studio album We Will Be Dead Tomorrow sounds really good. A live sound like that would have made a huge difference tonight.

Then there’s the stage act. As the band kicks off Paradiso isn’t even half filled. Most of the crowd drips in during Raging Speedhorn’s performance. So the atmosphere is a little tame.

The band starts swearing at the audience to provoke a reaction. That might work in England but in Holland people can’t be bothered to react. Apart from some shouting in the beginning the crowd gets bored with the band’s attitude and prefers a beer at the bar.

Still, if you look past the bands’ inability to cope with an uninterested crowd, they’re pretty good. I’d like to see them play a smaller venue as a headliner with a crowd that knows and appreciates them. That could be fun.

Ministry
Of course, tonight’s headliner plays louder than the support act. Luckily Ministry’s sound is a lot better. Still, it’s deafening. The stage set up doesn’t look very promising. Two drum kits, lots of Marshall stacks and a custom microphone stand suggest it’s going to be too much of a rock show. And compared to the Ministry gigs I’ve attended in the past it turned out to be a real rock show. But not in an annoying way. They didn’t overdo it.

As I said, the sound is ok and the band is going for it. It’s only the second show of the tour. This becomes evident in some of the breaks. They really have to look at each other to make sure everything is played tightly. But this also ensures that the show isn’t routine. Everyone on stage is enthusiastic and they’re clearly getting a kick out of it themselves.

This enthusiasm is infectious and it doesn’t take long for the crowd to get caught up in it. Especially when the first songs of Ministry’s most successful album Psalm 69 are played. And it must be said: these songs are the best of the set.

It’s a pity they don’t play any older stuff, the more electronic and industrial material. It would have made the set more diverse. Now it’s all metal and rock. A couple of songs are noisier than others but it’s all in the same vein. Metal riffs and powerful beats from the two drummers.

I’m not sure how much of the instruments I heard were actually on tape. I strongly suspect some of the more difficult guitar parts weren’t played live. Even if they were played by the keyboard player it’s not really ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ to me. But maybe I’m just old fashioned…

(Review: Walter de Korver
Pics: Vincent Burger)