Monastery
The first band in The Basement - the smallest stage of the night - is Monastery. A death metal band heavily influenced by Slayer. They’re very skilled musicians yet don’t show off at all. It’s not so much a technical band; they just play very, very well. Monastery might not be the most original band around but still they’re very impressive. During the first couple of songs the sound is absolutely fantastic. Until the very moment I notice that the volume starts to rise. And it keeps rising. And it keeps rising ‘till it’s way to loud. I came here to listen to music not to endure it! I’m not the only one who leaves early because of the sheer volume. Hopefully the sound engineer belongs to the band and doesn’t do all the bands in The Basement. (…Too bad he did all the bands…)

Altar
Now here’s a cat with nine lives. After all the line up changes, splits and regroupings there are actually no original members left in Altar. Yet the last two albums have been written by guitarist Marcel, who is still the leader of the band in this new line up. Altar have a reputation to live up to. The new line up however does the trick. Their trade mark thunderous sound is still there. Understandably it’s not yet the oiled machine the former line up eventually turned out to be. I think after a decent tour this should be taken care of. As the new musicians are skilled and play tight, this will be a matter of time. I wonder how they’ll sound on cd because their performance tonight sounds very promising.

Crustacean
Good old fashioned thrash metal. That’s what Crustacean is all about. No grunts or a high pitched voice. Just rough screamed vocals, tight and up tempo playing and an attitude. In the end it’s the riffs that make or break a thrash band and the band is very aware of this. The riffs are catchy and the musicians sure can play. Crustacean is one of the latest signings to the ColdBloodindustries (CBI) label and they’re opening act on the CBI-stage. Not all bands on the label are from the northern part of Holland. The label itself is situated here and that’s why the organization gave the label a chance to present itself tonight. Crustacean is the first proof of CBI’s eye for talent.

Tieddown
For some reason there’s a big hard- and grindcore scene in the province of Friesland. A large scene regularly produces new quality acts. Like Tieddown. I haven’t heard of them before but they’re my absolute high light of the festival. In a live situation they’re on the grindcore side of hardcore. Especially tonight, as the bass player from grindcore veterans My Minds Mine (R.I.P.) fills in. The band has a pretty extreme sound (the distorted bass is awesome) and plays furious. Tieddown give us D.R.I.’s “Couch Slouch” in a way D.R.I. could only dream of. What a pleasant surprise this band is!

Katafalk
Again a band with a fairly new line up. The singer, bass player and drummer are new to me. Katafalk give us a simple yet very effective mix of death, black and thrash metal. They’re actually signed to ColdBloodindustries but tonight they’re part of the regular program. And rightfully so. The show does justice to their powerful debut album Storm Of The Horde. Their new singer‘s voice is a little deeper and less extreme than former singer Wokkel’s yet fits the music very well. Their performance is convincing and aggressive. Probably due to the short time they had to practice with the new line up, there are a couple of mistakes but the attitude and stage performance make up for that. If Katafalk’s new line up remains stable they can get far.

To Elysium
The second band on the ColdBloodindustries stage is To Elysium. This gothic metal outfit is lead by Manny who has a history of playing and writing great music. Before To Elysium he is best known for writing and performing rock operas. This theatrical element also plays a big part in his current band. Both the riffs and the sound are big and bombastic. The male grunted vocals in combination with the solemn female vocals add to the dramatic atmosphere. After playing a lot of shows the band is comfortable on stage. The music may be serious and full of grandeur, the band members themselves clearly enjoy what they’re doing. Always a pleasure to see.

Still Nino
Because of their American namesakes Ill Nino, the band changed their name to Still Nino. With their mix of hardcore punk rock and emo, Still Nino is the ‘lightest’ band on the Noordschok festival this year. And to be honest, it’s a welcome change as the other bands seem to be having a contest which one can be either the fastest, the heaviest or the most ‘metal’. Not a bad contest but it’s nice to hear something else tonight. Still Nino’s mix of aforementioned styles doesn’t stop the band from doing some serious riffing. Don’t let their nerdy image fool you; these guys know how to rock. Apart from that the band know the importance of diversity. More subdued parts are followed by intense outburst of aggression and frustration and melodic vocals are followed by intense screaming. Music can be powerful without being ‘hard’.

Obtuse
The band’s motto is ‘more than grind’ and more than grind it is. Lots of breaks and tempo changes suggest that Obtuse influences go beyond Terrorizer and Napalm Death. Of course there’s Accordance Axis and Nasum as well but every now and then there’s more. Lots of dissonant guitar chords and unexpected twists keep the listener surprised. They’re definitely the most light hearted band of the festival as they don’t take it all too seriously. Their music however is seriously good but the way they present themselves is probably a little too casual. The music is weird and intense and asks for a more intense performance. But apart from that a very interesting band that’s not afraid to experiment. Distorted bass guitar with a wah wah for example; never new it could sound like that and actually fit in with this type of music. The clean guest vocals by Mats van der Valk, alternated with Wokkel’s screams and grunts on one of the slow songs made the band sound like a mix between Bongzilla and Tool.

Instill
I don’t know if these guys are Straight Edge but they sure play ferocious straight edge metalcore. Slayer mixed with one hell of a hardcore groove. Very reminiscent of a band like Day Of Suffering. Instill go for it from the start. Every band member is up in it. Moving around and pointing fingers and guitars, singing along whether there’s a microphone or not. The crowd in the basement loves it. The sound in general and the guitar sound especially, are impressive. Clear, crunchy and heavy. A band that deserves more than the half hour they had tonight.

The Wounded
One of my personal favorites of the festival. The Wounded have gradually changed from a heavily new wave influenced metal band into a heavy new wave band. Their biggest asset however is singer Marco van der Velde. His power and emotion is gripping. The female backing vocals by Marieke Gels add to the intensity of the music. As the band’s style tends to develop more and more to new wave the emphasis tonight is on their latest album Monument. And I must say, a good choice since the band’s songwriting has improved over the years. If there’s one song dangerous to cover it has to be Nirvana’s “Smell’s Like Teen Spirit”. The Wounded do it and get away with it. They changed the original into a slow and dramatic song and it works. Great cover.

Seizure
Seizure (with singer Mats van der Valk, who did a guest appearance during the Obtuse show earlier on) play their grind metal almost too tight. Sometimes they sound almost like a machine. The speed and accuracy are impressive but more emotion wouldn’t do them any harm. If you like your music fast and tight this is your band.

Stoma
Again grindcore from the province of Friesland. This time it’s less serious but they know how to announce a song: “The next song is a masterpiece. It’s about all the nice things you can do in shit’. The band members are wearing t-shirts from bands like Nasum and Cock And Ball Torture and the song titles are all in the vein of “Feasting On A Vegan Cadaver”. Just to give you an idea on how they sound. They’re pretty good, just not very original. But who’s complaining?

Autumn
Gothic metal is pretty big in Holland. Most of the bands have a female vocalist who sings with a (real or pseudo) opera voice. Autumn’s singer Nienke de Jong sings with a natural voice making the band stand out in a positive way. Apart from that she’s a natural on stage. Without effort she winds most of the audience around her finger. She’s clearly enjoying herself on stage. Just as the rest of the band is. The guitarists and bass player move around quite a bit. They swap places, they stand next to each other and do funny simultaneous moves. Gothic metal doesn’t have to be solemn and serious. The band is having fun and it’s infectious. Autumn is serious about their music, though. It’s a balanced mix of gothic metal and rock. In my humble opinion that makes them more interesting than most other bands in the genre. Too bad one of the guitarists sings with a grunt. Not that there’s something wrong with his grunt or with grunting as such, it just doesn’t fit this type of music I think. Anyway, this is the first time I’ve seen this band perform live and I have to join the chorus I’ve been hearing for quite a while: Autumn is a very good band.

I.N.R.I.
Absolutely and without doubt the most brutal band of the festival. Death metal as blunt and powerful as it gets. They actually play in the same vein as Altar but I think I.N.R.I. are a lot better at it. The songs are shorter and more to the point. There’s so much energy in the music that it takes you by the throat. The only problem is that the band’s presentation is a bit over the top. A bit too ‘chummy’ is the right word I think. The band doesn’t want us to react, they tell us. That’s a bit too pushy to me. The music is really good though and well played.

Nomen
The best way to describe Nomen is probably: where Fear Factory never dared to go. Sort of a mix between Fear Factory and Meshuggah. Weird rhythms and breaks, unbelievably tight and pretty technical. Sometimes it’s a little far fetched but as a whole Nomen are a welcome change in the program. One of the few I must add. Again the sound in the Basement is impeccable until the volume starts to rise…

Pro-Pain
The first of the two foreign bands. As expected the difference is pretty big. These hardcore veterans play with such ease and have an incredible sound. From the first song the crowd joins in and the first stage divers do their thing. Pro-Pain have a very infectious groove. The riffs might not be all that complicated, they sure are effective. The band plays a cross section of their material. Although the quality is high there isn’t a lot of variation. It’s a lot of fun to watch the people in front of the stage go wild. However, I can’t stay till the end of the show. It could be me but after half an hour I leave. There’s another band starting anyway. Maybe I’ll be more in a Pro-Pain mood tomorrow when they play the No Mercy festival (see review elsewhere on this site).

Monolith
There are a lot of fast bands on Noordschok this year and one has to be the fastest. I think Monolith will probably win the cup. The fact that singer/bass player Robin plays fretless makes it even a bigger achievement. Monolith is clearly inspired by Nile. A little too much I think. If they could develop their own style (and I think they can) would make them even more interesting. At this point they have to rely on their technical abilities to impress. It’s only a couple of songs though that sound like Nile. Compared to others in the genre Monolith is pretty varied. The breaks and tempo changes keep it interesting while the sheer speed and power keep it aggressive. I’m curious how this band will develop. These guys are good musicians and are not afraid to experiment. Now it’s up to the band to find their own style and sound.

As It Burns
They weren’t allowed to announce it just yet but the night before the show As It Burns signed a deal with ColdBloodindustries. The result of hard work and dedication. The fact that the sound is terrible can’t spoil the fun. What better place to make such an announcement than during a gig in your own hometown? So they decided to share the good news anyway. Friends and fans in the small and crowded basement are delighted and the party starts right here. Of course the band play as if…, well, as if they just signed their first record deal! They go for it. As It Burns play a varied mix of thrash and death metal with interesting melodic guitar parts. And although I think most songs are too long it’s a very good band and I’m looking forward to their debut on ColdBloodindustries. Congratulations guys!

Entombed
First, I must say Entombed’s first record, Left Hand Path is one of my favorite albums ever, while the other albums are a little boring I think. I do own most of their records but I hardly listen to them. And as I’ve seen Entombed not too long ago I know what to expect. A lot of their death ‘n’ roll as they call it and at the end of the show a couple of songs from the first album. Just to make sure people like me stay until the end, hoping they’ll play whatever your favorite track on Left Hand Path is. And I’m right. The thing is; the sound of Entombed is terrific. It’s powerful, it’s heavy and it’s rock ‘n’ roll. It’s just that every song sounds the same. Especially the vocals. I don’t know… This time I’m not falling for it. I’m not going to wait for those one or two brilliant songs. I’m off to the after party at ‘Café The Ster’ a little early. Sorry folks!

(Review: Walter de Korver
Pics: Jan Geert Koops)