Two years on the day after the start of Corona closures and cancellations, it seems that this week we are going back to gigs and parties in The Netherlands. Well I am cautious as I remember well how Arno and I agreed last October how nice it was to be back in a full Musicon seeing live music. That lasted five weeks and all closed down again. Still let's enjoy and remain (untamed) positive. Sometimes in life the tiny things can make you happy again. So picking up my earplugs was one of them and even the walk from Rdam Lombardijen to Baroeg was a joy to revisit. Arriving just in time before the first band would kick off I was ready for an evening of thrash metal even if the first two bands were of the crossover kind normally not my most favorite style.
Remain Untamed from Haarlem opened the evening. I had seen them before and while the band only exists a few years, the band members are of more experienced age. That came back in a solid set where the song No pain, No gain spoke loudest to me, not knowing their EP's. They came to warm us up and that is what they did.
Next on were Insanity Alert from Austria. Well Austrian they might be their vocalist Heavy Kevy spoke to us with a mean Rotterdam accent (highlight: I just heard the second club of Rotterdam won 2-5 so congrats to them). I just said that crossover might not be my favorite thrash style, but this band turned out a joy to be seen and heard. Even from a bigger distance closer to the bar I got caught in their party. Up front a constant mosh pit was jumping before the boards that were added to increase the fun. This band knows how to make a party and their fifty minutes flew by. Don't know how many songs they played, as they tend to be of the (very) short kind. But while Metal Punx never die! they ended with a smashing version of Run to the pit, Mosh for your life. On other nights I might be watching progrock bands standing still looking at the nose of their shoes, so for life shows give me more Insanity Alert any time.
Crisix were the band that made me train down to Baroeg in the first place. Exactly five years and one week ago I saw them for the first time life. Well that was at Evora Metal Fest an outdoor event on 3 March, which even in Portugal proved to be a freezing experience, making me leave at the start of Crisix, after being thrashed up Portuguese by Prayers of Sanity and Thrashwall before them. Tonight I also would skip the encore to catch a train, but still had enough to love. When I saw them first I called them Spanish Anthrax and still in a way that was reconfirmed. A very enthiusiastic bunch as well, who even swap instruments at times to get us confused (as the guy next to me stated, now it is getting complicated). I loved their set of thrashing metal and it seemed I was not the only one. This is what life shows are about, put a smile on people's faces including the band members. Leech Breeder was dedicated to all the warlords making money over war at the moment and World Needs Mosh was the last song I saw. A great closure of a damn fine evening.
So the opening of gig year 2022 was a huge succes, catching up with people I almost did not see for two Covid years. This European tour is heavily focussed on The Netherlands, so many will have a chance to see them all over the coutry the coming week. If in troubled times and with a corona downer you can use an upper, this show will make you leave with a happy grin on your face. I am addicted to life shows again and the good news is tonight I will stay Mediterranean. After the Spanish thrash tonight some Italian melodic powerprog waits for me, but more on that tomorrow. Mosh!!
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