Pelagic Label Night 2021 review
-- Pelagic Label Night --
10/01/2021 - 10/02/2021
Stijn Daneels
[INTRODUCTION]
Review written by Corin Geypen. Pictures
by Stijn Verbruggen and taken from the Trix’s official
Facebook page.
Pelagic Records is a relatively
young label, but they can already boast an impressive line-up of bands. Born
originally as a means for progressive metal band The Ocean to release their own
work, it has become a source of high quality (metal) bands from all over
Europe. So when they decided to present a selection of their finest, my husband
and I were eager to attend.
[HIPPOTRAKTOR]
Traffic did not treat us kindly and,
unfortunately, we were too late to catch Hippotraktor. We look forward to
catching them at Samhain, though!
[BEAR]
We arrived just in time to catch
metal whirlwind Bear. As always, these hyperactive beasts are all over the
stage, with energetic low riffs and punishing drums driving the music into your
brain with a sledgehammer. Vocalist Maarten urges the audience to get fucking
moving and not too surprisingly, they do. I find myself amazed at the amount of
noise coming from possibly the tiniest drum kit I’ve ever seen for a metal
band, manned by one of the largest drummers. I also noted the lack of a second
guitarist. But clearly, Bear doesn’t need any of that to create a massive wall
of sound. Latest album “Propaganda” is a pretty heavy political commentary and
the guys are definitely angry and frustrated about the state of the world. For
their final song they chant “Wreck everything” and literally proceed to do just
that. And after 35 minutes of pure raging violence, the Bear was finally sated.
[PSYCHONAUT]
In comparison, Psychonaut was almost
subdued. That’s not to say the band didn’t bring energy and smooth riffs to the
fore. They were banging their heads, interacting with the crowd and playing
their hearts out. I was just a little bummed that all I could hear was bass and
snare. It got so bad we actually went back to the foyer, where we were at least
able to distinguish the different instruments. The audience wasn’t bothered by
that at all, though, the philosophical three-piece band was a clear favorite
and they cheered and chanted along with almost every song. I will have to give
them another try next time and hope the PA does a better job at balancing the
instruments.
[BRIQUEVILLE]
Next up was Briqueville. I’ll be
honest: I laughed at their costumes. They were just so comical to me, reminding
me of the old Robin Hood cartoon where Robin dressed up as a stork for an
archery competition. I guess I’m just a more straight-forward kind of girl. I’m
there for the music, not the drama. That said, the band was a-ma-zing. I really
enjoyed their soundscapes and near-instrumental setlist. I’m not usually into
instrumental music or this ritualistic portrayal of the genre, but Briqueville
would not be denied. They were just that good. I loved that they were clearly
enjoying themselves, too, underneath those capes and masks. Kind of like happy
storks, but don’t tell them I said that. I bought a shirt and a CD, which I
hardly ever do, so high praise indeed. Keep it up, guys!
[THE OCEAN]
And then it was time for main act
The Ocean. I’ve seen them live a few times and they never disappoint. Tonight
was another showcase of fine metal riffs, groovy bass and drum lines and kick-ass
vocals. I was glad to see most of the line-up had remained unchanged, as the
band was known for its frequent changes in the past. Having played together so
much, there was more cohesion and time for fun. At some point, the vocalist
played keys, the keyboardist was behind the drums and the drummer did some
vocals. You can’t do that when you’re not fully settled as a band. It was great
to see. Loïc’s voice is still impressive. I love how smoothly he switches from
clean to grunt to scream. And he’s still as energetic and bouncy as ever. The
rest of the band was really into their music, if a bit more static. But there’s
no denying they are worthy of their headliner name. Great show!
[CONCLUSION]
{All-in-all, I had a great time. It was good to see Bear again, I’ve seen their vocalist many times over the years – I first saw him with Gazzoleen – and it’s cool to see how he’s evolved. The guys from Psychonaut were approachable and pleasant at the merch booth, which was nice to see. Briqueville was my personal discovery of the night, although I’m still not a fan of the costumes, haha. And The Ocean, as always, brilliant. I believe the phrase is: a night made of win. On to the next!}