Hypnos, Bloodphemy & Deathmarch - Musicon The Hague, 15 March 2024

Friday night and the question was: Is it a risk to go to another Death Metal night in a week that gave already so much with Persefone, Cynic, Almost Dead and Atheist? The answer: no risk go ahead and enjoy yourself with beers, friends and bands.

Deathmarch opened the evening. This band promised skull crushing, beer drinking, headbanging old school death metal. Well that is basically what we got even if they saved the beer drinking for after their set. Nice opener of the evening.

When next band Bloodphemy went to the stage I recognized some faces. Luckily Patrick walked around who knows these things and yes the guitars were ex Neoceasar. Before Corona Neoceasar were the band I saw playing most live in one year and than they disappeared. I just read that Bloodphemy formed in 2000 already, left for over a decade and returned since 2015. Their set showed a tight and experienced band with for me the highlight in the guitar work soloing in duo or apart, but always adding spice and melody to the songs. A good band and bringing a T-shirt in the colours of The Hague and Brazil gave me a double reason to pick it up.

Hypnos came all the way from Czechia. They also played Musicon six years ago and that was on a Sunday afternoon, when the clock was tight due to another evening program. I was the only one in tonight who was there as well as now, apart from people linked to Musicon or Neoceasar. At the time I bought the CD and T-shirt of the White Crow. So I knew I liked them and tonight would not be much different. Hypnos play Death Metal too, but in a fairly accessible form by the melodies added throughout. Today they shall pass by de Baroeg on their way to Belgium in order to say goodbye to Holland's most important venue (in their eyes and ears). A good band closing one fine evening of DM in Musicon. And yes The Hague Death Fest is coming 1 June and promises to be good with a great line-up.