And this time it was some New York Hardcore Metalrage was visiting. Madball was playing in the brand new Dynamo venue in Eindhoven; the old one has been demolished and the new building has been open since three weeks. This was noticeable in the organisation but nevertheless this venue has got a great future ahead with a legendary name, great location and great looking architecture.

 

Four band were playing tonight. Since The Flood, Your Mistake, Sworn Enemy and of course Madball! It was going to be a long evening filled with Hardcore but also a very nice surprise!

First band of the night was the newly formed Dutch band Your Mistake (ex-No Turning Back, ex-Shattered and ex-Guilty members). These guys are playing their first gig and are opening for Madball, that is a big assignment and this was a clear fact during the set. First thing was the set only lasted for less than 30 minutes and the sound wasn’t that good; also the band  looked pretty nervous with a stiff presentation. Especially the vocalist, who did a lot of shows with Shattered, wasn’t looking comfortable on stage. The music did not attract me in any way, with lack of originality it is just another hardcore band for me.

 

Second band of the night was Since The Flood from Germany. First thing I noticed at this band was the extremely violent front man. The guy was almost fighting on stage and it was humorous to see this guy jumping and hitting on stage. Once again this was a standard Hardcore band with absolutely no originalities in their music or performance. Lucky enough the rest of the bands that were entering the stage later that evening were a lot better.

Sworn Enemy is clearly changing musically, which is good for Metalrage. On the latest release of this band you can find Hardcore; this album was well received by the hardcore people around the world. On January 21th the band is releasing their new album and during their set they played some of their new material. Let me sketch the situation:

The band is playing their old songs and the crowd is going nuts and crazy. A heavy mosh pit is centred in the venue and the fans are clearly enjoying the show. But then it happens, the band starts to play their new material and they ask the audience to tell them what their opinion is. When the first riff starts the Metalrage crew members standing together instantly start banging their head to the nice music suddenly blasts through the Dynamo club. Pounding Thrash Metal is what the band is producing on their upcoming album. And it sounds marvellous, but then we look back at the fans; every single one of them is standing still, looking at their icons and they all look surprised. Clearly Sworn Enemy had enough of Hardcore and is taking their skills one level up towards heavy riffs and more dynamic music. They sure got my attention and I am looking forward to their release early next year.

Front man Freddy might be the most enjoyable person in the Hardcore industry. Of course he also is acting tough but when you see him walking around for the interviews or performing on stage. He is definitely enjoying every single moment of his life. And that is rare in the music industry. And when I am walking around arranging interviews I notice the entire band got the same personality aspects and every single one of the members is friendly and are willing to cooperate.

You see these elements in the exhausting set they played on stage tonight, the band played a very long hardcore set and the audience had to be drained at the end. The band played one big huge list of hits and there were pits in every corner of the venue. When Freddy says that is does not matter what your musical background is but who was hardcore on that moment almost 90 percent of the venue responds with a big scream. The live performance of this band is energetic and spontaneous, but it still is hardcore; so what is the secret of this band coming across so good? Is it the different style they use, is it the reaction of the crowd? I don’t think so, because the band enjoys their life and jobs and respect their lucky position they radiate positive energy!

Lets be clear, I still don’t really like hardcore; after two or three songs I have had it but Madball presented a great show which will be remembered by the fans for eternity. The only thing which is stuck in my head after the show is the new Sworn Enemy album. Let’s wait for that one now!