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Live Report MFVF VI

Bands : Tarja - Epica - L’Ame Immortelle - Trail Of Tears - MacBeth - Edenbridge - Diablo Swing Orchestra - Atargatis - Kells - Markize
City : Wieze (Belgique)
Place : Oktoberhallen
Date : 10-18-2008
Audience : 2 000 people

Saturday, 18th of October: the sun is shining but it's freezing cold in the Big North (aka Belgium). And especially at 10 am, when the Metal Female Voices Fest kicks off. But isn’t it worthwhile to see some of today’s best “female singer” metal bands? Don’t you think so? At 9.30 am, we are therefore in the queue in front of the Oktoberfesthallen, which is already long. We are on home ground, here: the crowd (from 7 to 50 years old, yes, sir !) is not dressed in colors, but in corsets !

As we walk into the venue, a French band hits the stage: Markize. Even for those who don’t know the band, it is easy to be convinced by the lovely and talented singer, as well by the songs, which are original. But more original is Kylie Minogue’s « Can’t Get You Out Of My Head » cover : believe it or not, it is excellent, even if some narrow-minded metal heads freak out because of the original singer…




Let’s talk about the second French band of the day now : Kells. This band is by far one of the French metal scene’s best hopes, with a lead singer, Virginie, who jumps everywhere she can to defend their new album, that will be released at the beginning of 2009. A good show in front of a scattered audience, because of the hour. Titles like « Gaia » or « Mes Rêves » stand out from the set, the latter being without a doubt a fore coming hit.


Atargatis is apparently awaited by a good part of the audience. The lead singer is bare foot, dressed in a green dress that makes her look like a small elf. Good sound, good energy, even if their show is quite average. Now, the first big impression of the day : Macbeth. The Italian band, lead by a female singer whose voice is aggressive and clear, and by a “Linkin Park” look like male singer (he’s got the same moves and attitude !) lits the place up : today’s revelation !


Edenbridge hits the stage… and they are not very convincing. The female singer, even if her voice is beautiful, conveyed no emotion. The show is boring, uninteresting… Only the stirring “Wild Chase” wakes up the audience. A disappointment. Meanwhile, we have the opportunity to talk to Epica’s members and the staff. We are informed that some bands, like Diablo Swing Orchestra or Midnatsoll, but also many people, are stuck in traffic jams.


Diablo Swing Orchestra arrives therefore late, but plays a mini set, composed of four songs. The Midnatsoll guys appear and announce, with a deep regret, that their show is cancelled… These unfortunate events more or less compensated with the presence of many bands at the merchandising stands, where the atmosphere is cool and we see fans overjoyed with the greet and meets with their favorite artists.


Now it’s time for the festival’s headliners. We start with Trail of Tears, who came from Norway to conquer the heart of every Belgian metal head ! Challenge met for them, with numerous enthusiastic comments at the end of the day ! It is sometimes hard to understand why this band is part of the bill, as the male voice dominates the female one, but musically, the quality is here: very melodic by moments, the band likes to deliver violent breaks, where the blasts beats are fantastic ! Trail of Tears are the real thing live and it’s great to see that ! The audience headbangs to death and can’t wait to see them live again. A great show !


Next one : l’Ame Immortelle, which is boring to death…But it must be said in their defence that playing after Trail of Tears is something very difficult. If the female singer’s voice is powerful and true, the songs are very repetitive. The male singer has exasperating stage antics which consist in taking a constipated look to let a few, yet not very convincing at all, notes come out. Nonetheless, this duo has something unique. They are the band’s soul : the others are just session men.


Sonja looks happy on stage. She lives her music and wants to share it with the audience, but the crowd is not receptive. Besides, Epica gives a greet and meet at the same time, so instead of watching l’Ame Immortelle, a lot of fans went to ask Simone for an autograph. This doesn’t help, but the band has its unique atmosphere and manages to make it live on stage. Songs like « Aus Den Ruinen » or « 5 Jahre » are convincing. Other stirring titles like « Bitterkeit », « Stumme Schreie », « Fear », « Fallen Angel », « Phoenix » or « Life Will Never Be The Same Again » stand out.


Now, the long awaited moment for the audience : Epica’s show, of course ! The band, which has been part of the Metal Voices Female Fest’s bill almost every year, is the second headliner. The show starts with a blistering “The Obsessive Emotion”. Simone is gorgeous in her blue dress and corset. She is besides acclaimed as she appears. We know now that we’re at a superior level and the audience is completely behind the Dutchmen (many people in the hall wear Epica’s tee-shirts…). Simone’s voice is crystal clear, the sound excellent and the light show fantastic ; the only problem concerns the set list, too much based on their singles : « Never Enough », « Solitary Ground », or "Quietus."


If the songs played are indeed catchy, the band looks too much for the easy way out and they’re not, more over, Epica’s best songs. Nonetheless, a great version of “Chasing the Dragon” retrieves the situation. Some new arrangements are made on some songs, like the add of an effective guitar part on « Solitary Ground ». The alchemy between the band members is perceptible, and the jokes that Simone shares with the audience make the atmosphere very cool. We can only regret that the band looks shattered, and that the “automatic pilot” syndrome is obvious… Like we’ve heard in the audience : “When you’ve seen Epica once, you’ve seen them ten times !” It is true, indeed, that Epica’s shows are numerous and look all the same : « Consign To Oblivion », for example, ends every show. However, the band is happy to be here, and, like the other bands, thanks the staff. As usual, Epica leaves the stage under applause.


Now, the icing on the cake : Tarja. For those who have been hibernating for years, Tarja is the ex-singer of the famous metal band Nightwish. Fired two years ago, she goes now solo. A lot of people were surprised to see her on this year’s bill, as her solo project is not very “metal” orientated. But, of course, a lot of nostalgic Nightwish fans came over to see their ancient icon. The lights go down more than twenty minutes late (she is a diva, don’t forget it !) : a white curtain hides the stage and Tarja’s shadow appears, as her easily recognizable voice breaks the silence.


The curtain falls, unveiling her and her musicians at the same time, for an impressive and great intro. Tarja is radiant and as always, salute her fans and touches them during the first song. Her high energy is almost surprising ! Those who have seen Nightwish when Tarja was singing perfectly know that it was quite impossible to obtain a good headbang or the devil’s sign from her : here, on stage, she headbangs like a rocker and shows several times to an enthusiastic crowd the devil’s horns ! It is an unexpected Tarja that we have at Wieze.


Besides her single « I Walk Alone » and her other songs, she sings some old Nightwish stuff like « Passion And The Opera », « Wishmaster » or « Over The Hills And Far Away » for everyone’s joy. A song called “The Seer” will have a huge success among the crowd : Tarja plays the piano on this one, and this is an emotional moment. But for those who love gossips, the divine introduces this song like this : “You know, sometimes in life, things happen and make you feel sad or angry…” ; she burst then into a sardonic laughter. It’s clear now : Nightwish are not the only ones who have written an avenging song about the opposing party ! Nonetheless, Tarja ends her show and is visibly touched : she repeats continuously “« I really feel for you, thank you so much for supporting me » and thanks the staff. A wall of applause salutes her exit : it is a triumph for the headliner !


This is the end of a tiring, but full of emotions day. It was a great festival besides problems beyond the staff’s and the bands’ control. Fans go their separate ways, others run after Epica’s guitarist, Mark Jansen, for a last autograph. See you next year, Wieze !

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