Killing the Dream is Hard to Sell
Metal core has been extremely popular in Germany and Belgium for a very long time. Since a lot of the audience is Belgian and German, Waking Kills The Dream should fit in nice today. And they do to a certain point. The band’s Atreyu-like hardcore with both a melodic metal and an emotional twist gets skipped by a lot of today’s visitors. They missed the good stage presentation, two fine singers (clean and scream) and at times very fine songs of Waking Kills The Dream. Unfortunately for the band this show will be nothing more that a good introduction.

Next on the bill is Hardsell, playing at their home base. The band is currently on their farewell tour saying goodbye to fans all around. Fortunately their street punk/oi sound doesn’t leave much room for sobbing and mourning. Despite of this being their home base and the decent amount of people who slowly but steadily crawl back inside, the lazy response feels as static as the bands stage presentation. The band’s lead singer gives all he has but the rest of the band looks as if the temperature is too much to bear today.

In the Circle it’s either Do Or Die
Time to unleash the fury. From the Italian/Belgian community (Bella Famiglia) come blasting Do Or Die. Blow after blow is dealt from the stage. The energy on stage is phenomenal with singer Chris at the forefront. Legs kicking, guitars circling and pointing, sharing striking and tight riffs. Metal core all the way. An impressive, loud sound with all instruments in just the right balance gets battered into the venue. This is in every way Do Or Die, no choices. Straight up the best performance so far.

We only have fifteen minutes to catch our breath, for hot from the Belgian underground comes Circle. Quality emotional hardcore on CD, live somewhat chaotic and not yet convincing. If the idiot at the soundboard had only pulled the volume back after Do Or Die’s show it could have saved Circle’s gig today. The volume turns the band’s distortion and high-pitched vocals into a frenzy of trebled sound. Awful. The band gives 100%, no doubt about that. If only the soundman did the same. Too bad; I kinda looked forward to Circle. Better luck next time I guess.

Astro Zombies sucking my Most Precious Blood
So far today’s time schedule is duly respected. 30 minutes of hardcore, a fifteen-minute break, 30 minutes of hardcore, etc. This doesn’t leave me much time to eat, so unfortunately I missed The Astro Zombies doing their Misfits thing. With stomachs filled and looking forward to what’s to come we leave the cooling breeze outside and go back into the wallowing heat of De Platte Zoal. Most Precious Blood from NYC are set to go. Their mix of old school hardcore and dark Integrity-like atmosphere gets cut off after ten seconds, for about three times. Amp failure resulting in a very annoyed band. Now, the organization keeps a strict schedule so MPB’s gig gets cut short for about fifteen minutes, leaving the band not much time to convince us of their talent. But they do try. Singer Rob Fusco is giving it all he’s got. His athletic Ray Cappo-like performance brings back Youth Of Today memories, ferociously spiced with modern hardcore elements. Too short, too bad.

A Madball Born From Pain
Now this I don’t understand. If GBH do not show up without even leaving a message, why couldn’t Most Precious Blood play a few minutes longer? All the mohawks, spikes and leather-wearing punks who a day earlier enjoyed The Exploited had to do without GBH today. A no show. This gave Born From Pain a few minutes extra. This Dutch band finally made it to the top of metal core world wide, thanks to their intensive gigs (their current tour with Madball for instance) and most of all, their new album Sands Of Time. The band opens explosively with bass player Rob raging on stage like a madman, stampin’ the boards out of the floor. Singer Ché is truly the front man, with his powerful voice and impressive stage presence. The audience loves Born From Pain, responding with pit action and stage diving galore. Bruised and battered by the volume and the incredibly tight performance I wonder what band can top this in your face performance tonight.

Perhaps Madball can, cause after their break(up), the band is back in the saddle, more motivated than ever. Freddy and Hoya just couldn’t sit back and deny their need for hardcore. I’ve seen the band several times before and they always managed to impressed me, always straight from the heart. Their grooving hardcore is cut out for stage and pit action. You just can’t stand still as the band tears up the stage with Roger Miret helping out. It takes Freddy only three songs to dive into the audience. A well-balanced sound and a packed stage turn Madball’s performance into a great comeback. As the swaying arms all over the venue, from way in the back to the front, prove, Madball is today’s winner, no doubt.

The Discipline of Blood For Blood
Originally programmed to play before Madball, Holland’s finest street punk band Discipline take the stage. If there’s one Dutch band that, next to Backfire and Born From Pain, gained the utmost international respect, it must be Discipline. And rightfully so. Hard work, no bullshit. Their singalong workman anthems work well here in Maastricht as singer Joost guides us through some of the band’s best songs, like “Same Old Story”, “These Streets” and “Neverending Story”.

Despite the sound quality and drinkin’ songs, it’s Joost who truly claims the stage, sharing it with as many punks and hardcore fans as possible. He’s in every way the flag bearer of Discipline’s songs. And as the stage fills with more and more fans its almost as if a scene from the movie Fight Club is being re-enacted in front of us (without the fighting ‘though). Raised arms, sweat and bruises.

Blood For Blood recently did an exclusive show in Maastricht during the European Hardcore Party. For all the fans who missed the band back then this is a great opportunity to make up for it. Called in as a replacement for Hatebreed, Blood For Blood are here confronting us with their neck snapping attitude and ditto songs. Although singer Eric Medina is as drunk as fuck, he still pulls amazing sounds from his bowels. As the band state themselves; you love ‘em or hate ‘em, but once you have seen ‘em, you won’t forget ‘em. There’s no better way to describe the Blood For Blood experience. The chaos, the rampage, the outbursts and the songs. White Trash Rob spilling his guts on everything that is bothering him. A worthy closer for the day. Not today’s best show but a worthy closer for a day packed with convincing performances (Born From Pain, Last Year, The Heartaches, Discipline, Blood For Blood), unfortunate performances (Most Precious Blood and Circle) and overwhelming performances (Madball and Do Or Die).

(Review: Marc Lochs)