Prognosis Festival - Effenaar Eindhoven, 15&16 April 2023

Prognosis Festival is the one organized by Loud Noise. I attended one day of the pre-covid edition and missed out last year. The budget is fair, as usually each day holds three bands whom would headline at ProgPower the mother of all progfestivals. This year a varied line-up got me enthusiastic for a two day trip. Originally I booked a hotel in Eindhoven, but when seeing the line-up and time-schedule I decided to take a train home inbetween. So that meant some 600 km or 6 hours trains during the weekend. I love my prog, so nerdy enough to also like trains and in the end before I knew it I arrived in Eindhoven de gekste or back home again in my beautiful hometown behind the dunes. In Eindhoven I knew I woud bump into many friends, so travelling alone, meant not that I would attend a festival by myself. The catching up with many was nice again. Upon arrival I already found I was not the only one focussing the Saturday on Obsidious and Disillusion mainly.André attending a movie inbetween took it even very literally.

Obsidious

Not every festival has the guts to open with the best band of the weekend. While saying that not every band sets the bar of my expectations ridiculously high and then meets same. . Obsidious did just that. Expectations were high as with Iconic they released one of the best albums of 2023. Their mix of Tech-death with power metal vocals plus grunts and super catchy chorisses is an absolute gem. Opening with Devotion their gathering the masses song with the lines Join the Family, Drink with me got me hooked. What followed was a trip back and forth through their album with most songs played. Impossibe to mention individual highlights, as all songs speak loud to me and all four band members absolutely dominate their instrument at crazy high levels. This includes the voice of Javi Perera who mixes powerful metal lines with grunts apparently simple. So opening a festival like this made all look bleak for the followig bands. If there was one point of criticism it must have been the lack of merch. Having the CD I wanted to buy a T-shirt in support of this band. Brexit made sure that was not possible I understood. Hope to see them back on stage soon, as this sounded like much more.Below picture proves that at least, Ton, Marcel, Jonathan and I enjoyed Obsidious big time.

Ithaca

Always an uphill battle this would be for Ithace, with me arriving completely Obsidious overwhelmed. I knew nothing about this band. Their music was screaming a lot and songs started and finished without the need of adding clear melodies for those hearing them for the first time. The presentation was very lively, but the vocalists dress was in the category too much information and were those croggs? No fair chance given by me, no chance to impress presented by them.

Hippotraktor

Back to the small hall it was time for Hppotraktor from Belgium. This band played a kind of progmetal with a thundering sound and hypnotic rhythms. I quite liked ther songs, even if after a while I missed some variation. The added percussion played by the vocalist gave some songs a rhythm that spoke to te Brazilian in me (more drums) Nice live band, but no need to get their album. Talking of which, I noticed at the merch floor, that many bands did not bring CD's along. I hope this trend is not going farther, as I love to pick up a CD after a good show.

Vitam Aeternam

And then for something completely different Vitam Aeternam took the main stage. This cnematic show held some members of Devil Doll. I bumped into that name many times, but never heard one note by the band. The movies on a big screen, wide range of instruments made this something different indeed. I have some of this cinematic music at home, but could not remember references. Also Ton and I had more or less decided to have an outside foodstop also looking what was coming later on and should not be missed. So I saw only a short part of their set, but especially liked the guitar soloing melodic over musical landscapes.

IAmTheMorning

I saw this band once before in Patronaat at the cafe stage. Now in the small hall, it was too crowded so I was not bothered to fight myself in. Looking a split second around the corner I could see there was a band on stage and not just Gleb on piano.

Einar Solberg

The voice of Leprous going solo. Leprous is a band I loved during their first two albums. The next two I still bought and then I stopped buying music, still ok to see them live. If Leprous live can both overwhelm and underwhelm Einar solo fell in the latter category for me. Soft songs filled with his famous Aaaaaaaahhaaaaahs did little to me. Ron and Astrid found the bar dowstairs as good an alternative as well and suddenly I found that with beer coming from several angles the Saturday would not be the healthiest of them all. 

PG.Lost

When the beer tastes good and better things are coming later it can happen I forgot all about even looking around the corner during PG.Lost. Having a laugh during a Prog affair is important too.

Soen

Than it was up to Soen to get our focus back on the music again. Well they succeeded. Their melancholic moody dark progmetal with great melodies worked again for me. Now it was not all shining as the infamous Prognosis overlap of sets was rearing it's ugly head. This day was for me build around Obsidious, Soen and Disillusion. I opted for the latter during overlap, but was pleased to see Antagonist live in full blowing version. What a killer song that is. 

Disillusion

The title of band that should have been much bigger, but are not goes to Disillusion. Ever since their wonderfull debut Back to Times of Splendor (2004) I am hooked. Maybe their ten year hiatus did not help them grow in popularity. Last year's Ayam is a masterpiece though and I would hav eexpected Disillusion at the main stage. Fact is that with not everyone being convinced yet the small hall worked perfectly packed with those who do get them. With The Liberation from end 2019 also missing out on touring promotion the set was build mainly around these last two albums. Their different album Gloria was represented by the Black Sea and showed what a nice break in style this shorter song had. The setlist that Annemiek got after the show showed us the three songs we did not get, due to limited time. Still with their one hour an absolute second highlight of the day (as predicted by me and those around me).

Zeal & Ardor

Closing the Saturday evening would be Zeal & Ardor and with the three vocalists they gave us one hammering set. This band turned into a powerful machine since I saw them last and deserved to be headlining day one. Their mix of gospel and black metal is developing further, but I loved what I saw. Also I had to be wise and catch a train home in time. So I did not stay until the end. Saturday ended good.

Enma

Sunday started of in PPE style with a Dutch band: Enma. The big hall looked surprisingly empty on day two. Like Saturday the number of people not checking out the first bands turned out to be big. Enma played a sort of harmless progmetal. It all sounded OK to me, but songs did not stick in my head. Highlight was the artwork and nice effect to it with the water flowing the eyes winking.Both Jeffrey and Ton mentioned to me Alice in Chains references, but I don't know AiC all that well to confirm.

Rosalie Cunningham

In the small hall Rosalie Cunningham and band came on next. Another band I knew absolutely nothing about. Turned out to be the surprise of the festival to me. Starting with the looks transporting us straght back to the late sixties early seventies. The keyboardist with his at times dominant Hammond looked still fairly average in his denim shirt. The female bassist in her silver trousers and bra covered by a huge silver cape was very present. The drummer with his big afro hair and peruvian shirt was hippie and the guitarist looked like stepping out of a seventies Southern Rock band. Rosie herself looked as if she just stepped out of an episode of the Avengers or Austin Powers for my younger readers. So five characters on stage with charisma pouring out from all directions. Than the music was a proggy early seventies sound, with Amy Winehouse blended in at times. I loved their set from start to finish and wanted to pick up a CD, when Rosalie told us that due to Brexit no merch could be brought along. A complete surprise they were to me and a band to see live again. Last month they played de Boerderij and I was not there, oh the ignorance in hindsight.

Fixation

After an overwhelming experience disappointment always lurks around the corner. If Fixation showed us one thing, it must be that they should have played the small stage, while Rosalie and friends would better fit on the main stage. Formualic djenty metal played by somewhat angry Norwegians. They toured with Devin Townsend, but failed to impress me, so an early dinner break it was.

Lizzard

Coming back finding the small room packed, made me consider if these two halls do work. Ton and I decided to sit in the main hall at the back and were treated on Voivod's soundcheck. Now that was nice and Sunday could start now officially as I came to see Voivod and O.R.k. mainly. Lizzard now has to do in de Boerderij where they play next month with O.R.k.

Voivod

Celebrating 40 years of existence with a setlist going through their long discography. Voivod are not for everyone, so suddenly the main hall was left with those who got them. Apart from playing crazy well, Voivod also showed us that even at a prog festival there is space for some humor. Hope those overly serious progheads watched and learned. Snake was surely not the best vocalist of the festival, but definitely the best performer (thanks Ton for capturing that so well on the picture below) Voivod's music is hooky and uncomfortable, but man did they rule Prognosis. I was in advance in doubt between Voivod and O.R.k. for the overlapping 15 minutes, but simply could not leave during this show. And then came the song Voivod and  we knew it was over, what a blast.

O.R.k.

Last minutes changes in the time schedule made Soen and Riverside start 15 minutes later. So now we had 15 minutes no band playing after O.R.k. while they overlapped with Voivod. Call me stupid, but I thought the solution was there plain to see for all. No it wasn't so after Voivod I only managed a spot at the balcony where we could see parts of the stage, until people in front of me left  and I could see, why I will give O.R.k. another full chance soon in de Boerderij. The old man in me at times thought I would deserve a place in the hall centre stage, as I was one of the only 40 people supportin them when playing The Netherlands for the first time. That is not how it works and a full repeat coming soon.

Soen

In the nineties MTV had this habbit of having bands play an acoustic set and film same. Usually this bored me to tears with Tesla being the only exception. So when Soen came on with a female background vocalist and four violins and whatever I knew this woudl be a challenge to me. Opening with my favorite song Antagonist showed this was not for me. So off I went.

Astronoid

The misleading dresscode on stage. When looking at Astronoid I expected thrash metal. The tight black jeans, the black T-shirts, the long hair and strong drummer ticked all the boxes. Well they played something else. A post-rock wall of sound with a weirdly light squeeky voice over it. Musically kind of interesting with some nice fast guitar solos, it was a fine twenty minutes for me. Than it was time to head for the station. Riverside doesn't do it for me anymore and it has been nice. Proudly picked up my Voivod Outer Limits Tee and Ton sending pictures with both Voidvod and O.R.k. who showed up later. A fine festival was held, mainly due to the people I met and the bands I looked out for meeting (or surpassing) my expectations. Thansk to organizers for these two days, still hoping the overlap and hall division will be better during the next edition.