Mega Colossus & Speed Queen - Musicon The Hague, 2 March 2026

Mega Colossus I only discovered in 2024 when they released with Showdown my favourite album of that year. During the summer they came to Europe with Köln closest to home, so I drove down to see them. It was that steamy hot night that I spoke with some of the band, which in the end resuted in their first show in The Netherlands being 2 March in Musicon. Support that evening were Speed Queen from Belgium and as the two bands seem to get along really well, they share some dates on this tour again. The bonus for me came in the fact that I could host Mega Colossus at home and get to know the band a bit better.

Now it was Monday night and Heavy Metal in the west of the country always suffers to pull a crowd. So a not very full Musicon welcomed Speed Queen on the stage and they kicked of hidden in smoke. The stage was all Speed Queen with some additional logo boxes and lights along them. I did see Speed Queen several times before and do like their Heavy Metal It is the old style filled with guitar solos and fast bangers. Last year they released their album .. With a Bang! and I got the chance to pick it up after the show. A good set by these nice guys and Zeeman shorts still rule.

Mega Colossus are touring Europe in support of their new album Watch Out!. This album is officially released this Friday 6 March only, but the label was so friendly to release it on Youtube when the tour started. This was a good thing as half the set were new songs. Now I slightly recognized bits and pieces. Actually their music is easy on the ears at first listen too. This because they play good songs where the twin guitars are treating you well all the time.I love this kind of melodic metal and when the vocals came out fine too I knew this was one of 2026's highlights. This even if bits were hidden in smoke. After the show it was not over for me as we could have an afterdrink at home and it turned out they are very nice guys too. This morning with today's show being in not so far Essen we even had time to visit the beach and Mega Colossus considered the North Sea (not an ocean) cold. Go see them on tour if you have the chance, as they just come to give you a good time and know how to do that very well.

Mancuerda, Necrotesque and Necrotted - Musicon The Hague, 27 February 2026

An evening of Death Metal in Musicon.I only knew the opening band in advance as they are local. Mancuerda played since other local band Melting Eyes had to cancel. These are the two most prolific local bands in teh genre.  Mancuerda play Death Metal of the slow and heavy kind. No instrumental wizzardry, just heavy slow grooves and that works perfect on an evening like this. I saw them several times before and they keep on getting tighter and a good opening act they are.

Necrotesque from Helmond came on next. Four equally bald heads with four very different beards. But it is the music that counts and they played Death Metal only a notch faster than Mancuerda. Actually their best song to me was more uptempo. I don't know any of their work, but remember they played it before the Vegan Meatgrinder. This was the biggest surprise of the evening to me, as their set was great and their performance matched it.

Headlineres Necrotted drove 9 hours to Musicon this day. Their style was more leaning towards the core side of things and that is not really for me. Musically they were nice enough, but the screaming vocals don't resonate with me all that much. Closing with a comment on the looks again, This must have been the first time a guitarist played the Musicon stage in white socks inside bath slippers.

MidJonno Prog - dB's Utrecht, 17 January 2026

Stichting Huaaaargh was founded by Marcel, Alex and Jonathan. Their intention is to organize shows of the progmetallic kind. This evening was their debut, but also Jonathan's Birthday midlife crises party. Confused? well any excuse to organize an evening of diverse progmetal works for me. This first show of the year for me turned out to be a Progpower reunion of sorts with a large majority in being known faces or names (sorry Chantal not Crystel). So the mood was good and the hugging part was near the limit of acceptable for a metal party. The place for this was dB's in Utrecht and also a first for me. I had been a few times to the old dB's which burned down. Now in a new location the hall was slightly better visible and the bar had a huge amount of draft beers, so approved it is.

Opening band of the day were the onluy Dutch band Schizoid Lloyd. They were on a hiatus and this was their first show in eight years. Well we got new songs and the promise they would do more shows again, so welcome back it is. I saw Schizoid Lloyd before at ProgPower many years agao. Their music ain't easy and goes all over the place. Luckily their quirckiness is packed in enough metal to not irritate me, but keeping matters rather interesting. Almost all ended after one song, when energy said too weird, but that was corrected and we got a fine set by them.

Next band were Pravitas from Leeds. They play technical Death Metal a style not allowed at PPE, while tonight showed enough response for reconsideration. If the vocalist was representative for Leeds it is understandable why Elland Road is considered a loud Stadium. Even more impressive might have been the instrumental basis with at times a calmer break for guitars to shine and a monster behind the drums. This set flew by and I loved the energy coming of the stage. Their first ever Dutch show can be considered a success.

Exist Immortal followed and they were the best band of the day at a Complexity Fest before  Covid. I missed their returns, so happy to see them again now. Unfortunately bad luck struck and their drummer got injured. Instead of cancelling the show they taped the drum parts and played along with it while drums stayed covered in black. To my surprise it worked much better than feared and again Exim were a highlight for me. I was glad to pick up their last CD after the set, when I also took the opportunity to tell the guitarist what would make their show even more awesome. Stop the waiing at us and making hearts from the stage to the crowd or vice versa should be banned. After all we are not at bloody eurovision. But maybe it is that since I am 3 days and 15 years older than Jonno I am too old for that shit. Great return of the band, hope next time is in Baarlo.

Final band were Playgrounded from Greece, former Rotterdam. Unlike the three uplifting and energetic sets before them they play on the more depressive side of metal. I actually have their first EP, but never saw them before (also as they pulled out of one recent PPE edition I recall). They are a good band, but I was more needing to be lifted up, than pulled down this evening. So I decided to catch the 23:44 train towards my final train home. Next time they get a fair chance. So thanks go out to Jonno and Stichting Huaaaargh for a very nice opening of gig year 2026. Hope many shall follow and tip to the Stichting: next time put a bin in with a sticker support Stichting Huaaaargh. I am sure I would not be the only one who loved the idea and likes to support such initiatives.