Aauwijzer 2016
LEAVE SCARS have the honor to open the battles at this years AAUWIJZER ( Literally metal scraps ) in Belgium . The band has had a nice year , and at this second to last show in 2016 , they play as if it was their first set of the year . With a slight change in their lineup ( Yves replaces the elsewhere occupied Djoni ), you could expect them to ease of the throttle slightly . Yes , for the die hard fans , it will have been clear , Yves didn ' t know every song from the top of the head , and the songs weren ' t all just flowing out of his fingertips . But he managed to play a rather solid set . After only two rehearals , that ’ s an achievement in my book . And what he missed in finesse , the rest of the band made up in pure enthusiasm and power . Because that ' s what LEAVE SCARS is known for best . Give them a stage , and they will blow you away with powerful , high tempo thrash metal . Playing almost a home match , many in the crowd know the lines , and they needed no convincing to start chanting and shouting along . Mosh pits were started , circle pits were going round , and air guitar was played as if it were live . With the holy grounds of GRASPOP METAL METING only 20 km away , many started dreaming of an appearance on the holy grounds in 2017 . I could clearly see why .
GMM brings us straight to the next band on stage . FLEDDY MELCULY stand for everything frontman JEROEN likes in rock and metal . And it seems the man enjoys his RAMMSTEIN served on the rocks , and his SLIPKNOT with a good twist of the pepper mill . Screaming , overpowered guitar sounds , drums that balance between power and speed and vocals that appeal to the deeper urges a man can feel . Metal , the way metal is supposed to sound . Mixed with sounds from carols for children , and a gentle touch of insanity . It ' s easy to see why this is the revelation of 2016 , in the Belgian metal scene . ROSS from ANGEL CREW made a guest appearance with FLEDDY MELCULY , only to lift the insanity to yet another level . Dutch vocals bring us from ' Apu from the night shop ' to T ' shirts from metallica '.
KING HISS bring another highly anticipated set at AAUWIJZER . The band hails from the west of Belgium , almost the coastal area . And their music seems to reflect that . Water coming in and retracting , the pounding of the waves , and the fine scratching feeling of sand brushing my eardrums . On stage , KING HISS show what they are made of . This is a fine example of Belgians rich metal scene , and tonight , they bring one of the best sets I ' ve seen them perform . With vocals that try to breach every barrier , every limit , the soundsystem can come up with . With solid riffs and a strong baseline , the band nests itself in my head , not planning on moving for a while . Exactly the opposite of what the crowd does . The party is on .
PRO-PAIN is one of the bands that coloured my musical experiece as a young guy . They seem to have been around for ever , and walking through the backstage today , I can tell you they are really down to earth . In for a chat , really professional and all round nice guys . As soon as they take the stage tonight , the crowd explodes . Where they have been slightly shy and timide at times tonight , they turn into a boiling pit of legs and arms , shouting , jumping , pushing and pulling . The soundtrack produced by PRO-PAIN is heavy and hard , brutal and unpolished . It seems , the vocalist tries to deafen each and everybody in the crowd , and the crowd loves him for that . Thundering riffs roll over the crowd , empowering them even more , to keep the moshpit going . Pounding drums , convince the last ones standing still to , at least bob their heads to the rhythms provided . Even non-fans can ' t resist the call of band .
Wim Op de beeck
On the following pages , you will find an extensive photo-report of the night .