Textures, Amen Ra, Dr. Doom - Same review, different show

Instead of going to the centre of Nijmegen and drinking some beer on student night, Metalrage decided to take a peek at the Doornroosje where Dr. Doom, Amen Ra and Textures were playing some heavy music.

I’ve seen the guys of Dr. Doom live a couple of times, but they never really got to me I have to say. Tonight was different, but I can’t really tell why. The band has quite a varied style of grindcore with a very nice groove to it. Slow passages make sure the music doesn’t just keep pounding, creating dynamics in the music. Although the band wasn’t supertight (except for most of the drummer’s play), they gave a very convincing show. A great band to start of this show indeed, and the noisiest one of the three with ease. I’ll keep an eye on these grinders, and so should you! (DemonDust)

Amen Ra tried to create the right atmosphere by using projector images on the background and without using much additional light, but this sludge band left the stage leaving the audience with mixed feelings. The images on the background did their job, but the band can do so much more with it. The dark graphics were great during some songs, but during others there only was a big white curtain hanging behind the band. Furthermore the music was heavy and enjoyable, but the vocals weren’t that impressive. Maybe it had also something to do with the engineer behind the P.A., but Amen Ra probably would be better off with a different vocalist. Also it wasn’t the best band to open for Textures music-wise, but that isn’t the band’s fault. (Gilles)

As for Textures we can write almost the same review as we do for any other show. Immediately from the start of their set they got the audience moving and the differences between them and the support acts were significant. With their skills, performance and professionalism they showed us once again why we don’t exaggerate when we say they are in the top of the European metal scene. During the gig they focused on their latest record Silhouettes, with ‘Storm Warning’, ‘Awake’, State Of Disobedience’ and ‘The Sun’s Architect’ amongst others, but also the albums Polars and Drawing Circles were represented with a couple of songs. After a great show they ended as expected with the inevitable ‘Regenesis’. If you still haven’t seen these guys perform and you’ll have the chance, you should definitely check them out during their current European tour with Neaera and Aborted! (Gilles)