The day of the gig I received a promo copy of Regicide’s Viorus that was send out to me by the record company. While travelling to Tilburg this gave me the chance to get a little bit familiar with these progressive goth rockers. I must admit that I wasn’t absolutely convinced during the first time listening.

Entering the so called Bat Cave - the smallest of three halls at the 013 - I saw there were about 40 to 50 people there. This might not seem a lot, but my guess is that this room has a maximum capacity of one hundred fifty people. The first thing I noticed was that almost everybody in the room seemed to know each other. I almost had the feeling of attending a private party. The members of Morning were chatting with friends and fans before they hit the stage.

I had seen this band before, about a year ago when they played a quite convincing supporting gig in Doornroosje. It might be just because of that show that my expectations weren’t completely made up for the show of this evening. On the one hand this was one of the most relaxed performances I have seen, ever. On the other hand the atmosphere in the room gave me the impression of watching a school band performing for their fellow students. Let’s just say that the Morning gig was charming but I had hoped that the band had progressed more in the year that has passed.

Tonight was going to be the first gig Regicide played in the Netherlands. I hope a lot of gigs will follow. I can’t say otherwise: Regicide deeply impressed me as a band that combines professionalism, charisma and excellent atmospheres. The professionalism was obvious in the presentation of the band, the excellent musicianship and the gear.

Watching the band was exciting because of the podium presentation and the different personalities of the different band members. I’ve rarely seen a band more tight than Regicide. As with Morning, you got the impression of watching friends dedicated to having an excellent time on stage. The dynamic stage performance should be considered the main difference between Regicide and Morning (Regicide had more space on stage, which of course worked in their favor).

Regicide at least gained one fan tonight, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they gained fifty. The impression the music made was so deep that I neglected one of my main principles: on the way home from a gig never to listen to an album by the band you just saw, because that spoils the live experience. This evening I just had to listen to Viorus in the train, I still couldn’t believe that this music is that good. Arriving in Nijmegen I decided that I had to change my 2004 year list.

(Review & Pics: Geert Oldenmenger)