Persistence Tour 2007 - Can it get more hardcore?
On the fifth of December it was time to go to Tilburg to be present at the yearly Persistence Tour. Buzzin Hornet, Demondust, Niamen and yours truly were present for Metalrage to review this tour with the killer line-up consisting of Hatebreed, Agnostic Front, Ignite, Evergreen Terrace, Sworn Enemy, Death Before Dishonor and Ringworm. Because this event started early and we all have to eat sometime there were no members in the venue to review Evergreen Terrace and Sworn Enemy. The döner kebab tasted very good though.Ringworm had the difficult job to open this edition the tour. Although the doors of the venue were already open for about one and a half hour the venue was far from packed. Most people were busier with meeting friends and drinking beer than paying attention to the show of Ringworm. Ringworm though played a nice show with at least one true fan that was moving as if his life depended on it. The vocals were not audible, but the other musicians did a good job. Their hardcore couldn't get a hold on me, but their enthusiasm was enough for me to witness their whole show. (Gilles)
After Ringworm it was time for Death Before Dishonor. A couple of hours before the show I interviewed frontman Bryan and he told me that they would try to destroy the venue that night. After seeing their show I can conclude that the venue was still in one piece, but the band did get close. The Boston-hardcore these guys play is coming straight from their hearts and that's what you hear and see if you visit a DBD show. Not some commercial shit, but hardcore the way it always should be. Especially a song like 'Friends Family Forever' is a perfect example of this fact. (Gilles)
Ignite is touring a lot throughout Europe these days. I believe they were in Holland about 3 months ago. Before that they also played at the Paaspop festival which was also the last time I saw them. Back then I wasn't really happy with the sound of Ignite. Zoli did catch a cold and certainly wasn't in his best condition. So I looked out to this show with a lot of curiosity especially since Zoli is one of the best hardcore vocalists in the world. With the start of 'Bleeding' it was pretty obvious it was much better since the last time I saw them. With a setlist that consisted of mostly songs of Our Darkest Days they managed to get the crowd moving along the venue. Half way the show there was a great moment of silence when Ignite played 'Better Days', once again Zoli showed he's a great vocalist. Of course like the saying goes everything comes to an end and this show isn�t an exception to this. A great show of band that is growing bigger and bigger every day. (Niamen)
The last time is saw Agnostic Front was on the same festival where I witnessed Ignite. Back then I walked away during Agnostic Front and sadly enough I had the same feeling this day. Of course Agnostic Front is a legend in the hardcore scene and we owe them a lot but to be honest musically it doesn't have anything to offer. Especially when you consider that the vocals were drowning in the mix. A mix that was certainly not good to begin with. During 'Crucified' the sound improved a bit and a little party was thrown during 'Gotta Go'. That was also the highlight of a show that lasted for half an hour. (Niamen)
If I say that Hatebreed was the perfect headliner for this tour it is a big understatement. During the one-hour set of these hardcore giants they degraded every other band playing on this tour. Their setlist was predictable, but who the fuck cares?! Hatebreed destroyed everything and everyone. An hour Hatebreed is ten times more effective than working out for about an hour in a gym! The audience went completely nuts on songs like 'Defeatist', 'Destroy Everything', 'Doomsayer' and during the encore, which consisted of 'Live For This' and 'I Will Be Heard'. This truly is hardcore on its finest! (Gilles)