| The Wounded | Staddijk-Nijmegen | Apr 20, 2002 |
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In the dark outskirts of Nijmegen (at least if you travel in the evening) we find the youth centre Staddijk. Normally a place filled with all kinds of activities. Their concerts are mostly hard and heavy. This time we went to see two new and upcoming Dutch bands; THE WOUNDED and AUTUMN. This evening showed once more that the future of Dutch music is bright and sparkling, at least if you are into melancholic rock and metal. AUTUMN This Dutch band was so excited to play that the female singer forgot to put her microphone on. When she succeeded she proved to be in possession of a great voice. Although the music has got typical the Gathering-meets-Within Temptation influences, the band played well. The band is ready for the next big step (they will release their debut album in June), but there was also some critic to be made. Musically, the band is more than alright and the show is good to look at (the stage was even decorated with some curtains), but… After a while it seems you have heard it all before. Even the poses on stage are recognizable from other bands. And in the end the songs can’t keep your attention. So it would be nice if the band succeeds in progressing more variety into their song writing On the positive side, if you love music from the earlier mentioned bands, then AUTUMN is a band you really have to check out. The voice of Nienke de Jong is pleasant to hear (more Anneke, less Sharon) and the band has got some typical death metal influences as well (including some grunts - After Forever). THE WOUNDED Complete it with the melancholy of an act like Anathema and you know what this band is all about. Strongest point of THE WOUNDED is that, although all these influences are heard, the music the band creates has a face of its own. I have to admit that you can see that Marco v.d. Velde (voice and guitar) puts his soul into his music. It’s great to see that you can show so many feelings without using all kind of theatrical movements. His emotional voice helps him a lot, of course. During well played versions of ‘Garland’, ‘Chaos Spectacle’, ‘Grace, Murder, Divine’, ‘Red’ and ‘The Real’, the band reminds me live mostly of Paradise Lost. The band members aren’t moving much, but the music tells the melancholic, sometimes-desperate story. That the band has got the ability to play some covers from Anathema, Bronski Beat and Nirvana into their own THE WOUNDED style shows that they have a bright future of their own. The fact that we heard a perfect, beautiful version of ‘Monument’ made the image complete. Go and see THE WOUNDED if they are in your neighbourhood, buy their latest CD ‘Monument’ and vote for them on the Ozzfest site… (Review & Pics: Beautevil ) |
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© Rockezine.com Apr 20, 2002, viewed 815 times since 666
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