Stuckfish - Kandia - Black Swan - Sacred Son

Several CD tips for the summer, ranging from fairly quiet to pretty brutal.

Stuckfish - Days of Innocence

Progrock comes in several forms, but the storytelling version usually is British. Bands like Big Big Train and Cosmograf tell long stories over calm(ish) music, with guitars talking along in melodic fashion. Stuckfish fall is in that range and their new album does not disappoint. Maybe not for every moment as you better look for calm and quiet and really take all in. Eight songs all ranging from 5:35 to eight minutes and a bit. It took me a few spins to fully appreciate the album, but now it can stand proudly next to their previous album The Watcher from 2019. If I have one comment it is that only the lyrics of the title track are published with the CD, while vocalist Phil Stuckey is also a writer of short stories. He therefore has a way with words. Musically waking up on Sunday morning seldom was this relaxed.

Kandia - Quaternary

Kandia are from Portugal and I picked this CD up when visiting Piranha CD store in Porto. I knew of them on forehand as I was going to see them at Comendatio Music Fest in 2020. Well that got postponed and on 6 August I will have a new chance. Looking forward to this one, as their catchy metal varies from a heavier Alanis Morissette to grunting heaviness. One of the female voices I have no issues with as Operatic screaming stays where it should and that is far from my CD player. Not overly proggy, yet pretty accessible, so bring them on I'd say.

Black Swan - Generation Mind

Frontiers and their supergroups. Reason enough too piss off many it seems in magazines and online. I can fully enjoy several of these projects. This band is another one filled with big names. Robin McAuley on vocals proves again that he would be the best voice from the past still around if only Glenn Hughes would retire. Another perfect performance by him. Reb Beach on guitars, Jeff Pilson on bass and Matt Star on drums make this a supergroup indeed. If the final result is twelve great songs ranging from uptempo to the obligatory eighties ballad you won't hear me complain. Highly recommended this Generation Mind

Sacred Son - The Foul Deth Of Engelond

My Black Metal collection is modest. I don't own most of the classics and occassionally pick up a CD. For some reason especially the UK version seems to speak to me as I thoroughly enjoyed the live shows and thereafter albums by Fen and Inconsenssus Lux Lucis. Ard earlier this year was a highlight, but more folky. Now Sacred Son came to me, based upon their awesome cover. The previous albums all look like holiday pics and this one holds a surprise as well. The concept album tells us the history lesson of the Peasants Revolt in 1381. Musically it is mainly blasting BM, even though the last song Vengeance goes folky. Highlight live must be The Boy King as Five Heads on Pikes! lends itself for loud shouting along. I can never describe why some Black Metal albums do speak to me, but this one has definitely more on offer tan only the best cover of 2022.  

Zeeheldenfestival The Hague, 30 June & 2 July 2022

Summertime and The Hague has many free festivals on offer. The best ones are Kaderock, Schollenpop and Zeeheldenfestival. The latter has the best atmosphere of them all, even though a sunny day at the beach during Schollenpop is not too bad either. This year the festival turned 40 years old and in the late eighties/early nineties I lived around the corner for some 4-5 years, remembering attending already. Normally if not on holidays I do attend at least one day. Looking at the program this year two nights had a band drawing me to het Prins Hendrikplein, so a double Sea heroes for me it was. At the moment I am writing this there even is a breakfast closing of the festival, followed by some classical music, so really something for everyone is on offer.

Thursday 30 June

For me on Thursday Dreamwalkers Inc. were on offer. Somehow someone forgot to tell the rain gods to stay the fok away as it started pouring down in the afternoon and did not really stop. So arriving at 18:30 it did not look promising nor very crowded. I was there early as over Social Media Tom from Dreamwalkers Inc had asked for help of volunteering cameramen, amateurs welcome. Well very amateurish me felt like, why not helping out when asked for, so before their gig started I got a camera in my hands with a battery easly lasting throughout their one hour set. So for the first time in my life iIwatched a show through a small screen with both hands occupied. Let's file the experience under different. Turned out that I became teh main positioned cameraman, so my conclusion don't hold your breath for a DVD release anytime soon. This is also the reason I nicked the band picture from FB, I think this one was from Alex, so credits herewith covered. The set itself was rather impressive. During the week the band learned their bassist could not join and going ahead without bass and a set filled with newly written songs it all sounded pretty tight. On album their music might for me at times visit too many places, live it all sounded good and the presentation was fine as well. The shitty weather also worked as a binding factor here. The people who did attend obviously are of the loyal and live-music -eager kind. A highlight of the evening was the moveable partytent-line. This meant three connected partytents walking between sets from the small stage to the large stage. Not every show can be opened with the line, "Let's hear it for the Party-tent". Musically the band was fine and I had not realized that apart from Lennert also the voice of Resolve now makes part of Dreamwlakers Inc. 

So that was a nice evening , where some PPE friends of the band walked around and I now know who Jan is one of DPRP's reviewers. Nicest was to catch up with Franka after a few years since René's Bday bash and The Ocean. So rain and thunder did not stop the die-hards and the evening was a success. Musically I did not hear another band that lured my attention, but the exotical music of Sindicato Sonico especially deserved a sunny evening.

Saturday 2 July

Saturday would bring us more metal, but further everything would be different. Upon arrival the Prins Hendrik straat already was crowded, with the square being packed starting at the outside. the first result while entering was that now long queues appeared at bar, food an toilets. Well I arrived strategically late, as I know an early start holds an alcoholic risk. Being busy also meant in quickly bumping into many more known people. So on the smalltalk front the evening was good how about the music? First band I wanted to see from a distance were The Mocks. They played and looked like 60's Rockers. Some Kinks, Beatles and whatever mixed sounded pretty good. For me 45 minutes was a bit long, but some songs were surely going down well. Hereafter the small stage held Downcast Collision the band I was coming for. They were very good. Even if vocalist/bassist Monica had a cold, here voice still sounded fine to me and scared of some who did not expect a grunt looking at her. The music was not all that extreme and also had traces of NWOBHM to me. I liked their set pretty much and definitely will see them again soon in Musicon/Baroeg or whereever. Highlight of the evening and for me the festival was their encore. Not leaving the stage they asked if we wanted one more song and asked us to sing along if recognizing it. The metalhead in me (and not just me) got initially challenged thinking Do I know this? well I did and so did everyone who watched the early days of MTV as they gave us a metallized version of Boys, Boys, Boys by Sabrina. Hilarious and catchy it came over as a true metalsong. The mix of grunted and Sabrina like sung chorusses was a laugh and what a great way to end their set.

Hereafter De Kik closed the festival on the main stage, but being famous or not in Holland I found them rather boring. Also did they play many cover songs, which for a bigger name never impresses me all that much. 

So Zeeheldenfestival meant two nights this year and both were a succes even if completely different. I will be back next year, as even if the music does not attract at least one evening at the square is a  must.

Thanks to organizers and volunteers, for another succesfull one.