EUROBLAST
“BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME ARE THE CENTREPIECE OF THE ENTIRE FESTIVAL, BOMBARDING EUROBLAST WITH TWO SETS.”
VENUE ESSIGFABRIK, COLOGNE, GERMANY
DATE 27-29/09/2019
THURSDAY
For 15 years, Euroblast has been one of the continent’s most adored tech-metal extravaganzas. The not-so-enviable task of kicking things off on the Thursday pre-show falls on Toundra. With Euroblast officially starting tomorrow, the energised Spanish post-rockers have been brought in this evening as a warm-up. And what an amazing job they do. The four-piece retain their genre’s penchant for climactic riffs, but cut out all filler. The result is a postmodern party that could be the progressive world’s answer to AC/DC.
FRIDAY
Euroblast proper commences with Klone, whose melodic art rock is so powerful and heartstringtugging that their set outdoes anything due to follow for the rest of the weekend. Still, Uneven Structure are able to hold their own later on. With crystal-clear sound mixing and a light show as gorgeous and chaotic as a Jackson Pollock painting, they prove a bombastic spectacle.
Dead Letter Circus aren’t as visually captivating as others who have graced the main stage today – although guitarist Clint Vincent and singer Kim Benzie are clearly both in high spirits. Happily, the trade-off is a jawdropping musical experience where every note is flawlessly struck.
SATURDAY
One of Saturday’s biggest highlights are VOLA. While they have the stomping jive of radio-friendly hard rock heroes, their unpredictable compositions and time signatures have ‘prog’ written all over them. Rendezvous Point occupy a similar soundscape; unfortunately, they aren’t as characterful, leaving them as an afterthought. Sleep Token, on the other hand, are supremely memorable. Everything from the elaborate masks and costumes to the enigmatic fusion of gospel and metal resonates, and will continue to do so for a very long time.
Between the Buried And Me are the centrepiece of the entire festival, bombarding Euroblast with two sets and almost two and a half hours of technical prog metal. Whenever Tommy Rogers can scramble away from his keyboard to focus solely on being a frontman, his band are overwhelming in the very best way.
Arch Echo get the unenviable task of performing between BTBAM’s two immense showcases. What makes them excel in this slot is their specialising in danceable instrumental jams. It’s a more jovial experience than the twinned slices of destruction it’s sandwiched between.
SUNDAY
The HAARP Machine are catastrophically awful. For some reason, founder and ex-guitarist Al Mu’min has decided that he wants to be the vocalist. The problem is that he can’t sing, to the point where he is openly mocked by the audience.
The only consolation to this dumpster fire (apart from the schadenfreude) is the session musicians behind him doing a respectable – if not remarkable – job.
Voyager are a sumptuous palate-cleanser. Sure, the Aussies’ 80s-inspired melodicism can sometimes feel cheesy, but every Euroblast attendee has the time of their lives with it. Dancing and singalongs are regular occurrences during their set, as the band seem to be having just as much fun, jumping and running wherever they can.
It’s a joyous end to what has, at times, been a weekend of blindingly intense heavy prog.