By Jase W
Bit of a late start today owing to a mix of being hungover, delays getting showered and a shopping trip done and various tent issues around the apocalyptic amount of rain that fell last night. I’ve got myself out of the slump thanks to a set of painkillers and energy drinks and prepped in time to have a chat with Arnor of Agent Fresco, a lovely chap.
With a few minutes to spare, it’s time for Psychonaut to kick the day off for me, not a chance I’d miss these! One of the best examples of Belgium absolutely dominating post- genres right now, and World Maker has properly had chance to settle in now and has arguably reset their list of most popular songs in the process. Their biggest bangers from World Maker taking up the vast majority of the set to no surprise. “And You Came With Searing Light”, and the two parter of “You Are The Sky..”, “Everything Else Is Just The Weather” are always welcome entries as of late. Psychonaut are truly a stellar act to behold, even with the mid-day set somewhat robbing them of the atmosphere of their club shows. I hope that this taster round of their music serves to draw in ever more people to forthcoming shows. Incredible stuff.
Benthos offer a bit of a palette cleanser in the form of their chaotic brand of prog that weaves in older djent influences with masterful use of noise and dischord. These Italians never fail to stun me with their technical accuracy and not missing a single beat throughout the whole show (that I can see at least). I’m constantly sitting through these shows wishing I could finally catch a headliner length show with them properly crafting a set and production. The set felt just that bit too short but that’s just how it is with festival shows sometimes, either way they put on a showcase that I don’t doubt will linger in people’s minds after this weekend.
Next up is Nordic Giants, a truly phenomenal post-rock band that’s led primarily by Piano with each song having an accompanying video to help drive the tone of each song. That being said the most recent album actually works in tandem with the videos, becoming a story concept revolving around the disconnection of humanity and desensitisation of the world as a result. Dark videos that describe the masking of reality through drugs and goggles, or the maltreatment of prisoners, or a timeline of events leading to a slow apocalypse. It’s quite dramatic but that’s somewhat the point, painting a bleak picture that ordinarily years ago may have seemed absurd but as of late doesn’t seem too unimaginable. The same way that I do every single time I see Nordic Giants, I get so absorbed in the video with the music blasting alongside it, hasn’t changed for years now. Fully lost in the sauce for this set, Nordic Giants never miss.
Of course I wouldn’t be missing Agent Fresco though. Yohkai stage time to see one of two big comebacks for this year’s ATG. The often minimalist approach to prog metal, Agent Fresco occupy a space in the genre almost in direct opposition to Dream Theater. The less is more is a wonderful component of Agent Fresco’s sound and in the context of an open air show compounds how good it sounds for music that allows so much space for each instrument to stand alone. They’ve got their intense moments all the same but they seem to be the result of several threads of sound being tied together at once. An even mix between their two stellar albums seals the deal for this return from an extended hiatus. The aetherial vocals match melodies and fill in gaps between the other instruments and creates brilliant stress and texture to every song. Welcome back fellas, you’ve been sorely missed and I’ll see you again at Euroblast.
For another return this time, it’s The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza, a bizarre name for a brutal mathcore band. From the very start it’s a consistent barrage of time shifts, rhythm changes, discordant noise and brutal screaming. Honestly this is the sort of show that is more of a full on experience that’s genuinely hard to make sense of at times but that’s just part of the charm. Being able to fit in shifts to lounge jazz in between sudden smash cuts to off-beat chugs and somehow never falling out of step with the others is bonkers. Truly a beautiful display of how heavy music still has so much more experimentation and boundary pushing to be explored. They express multiple times how they can’t believe they’re finally here after so long and have a totally packed out tent that surely sends a signal that they’ll be welcome back as soon as possible.
Maruja however, are a true force to be reckoned with. Spitting bars while the band behind you also brings their full might to bear, along with the saxophone, is an audible experience that few bands can match. Righteous fury over class war and human rights injustice, Maruja fiercely stands by their support in their music and their between-song talks. Never has a saxophone band ever been so damn heavy (Except maybe Fat Dog), and so brutally honest in their delivery. This is probably one of the few bands I can say without a doubt that rolls with the same intensity at both festival and club shows. Their singer has little care for proper mic use, it’s just a conduit for him to spit bars and deliver fierce sermons on his podium.
Lastly, a show that I’ve been waiting for a long time, Chelsea Wolfe. To me she embodies the archetype of the mysterious goth lady with dark songs and while I definitely am getting a lot of that to begin with, it’s not long before I find myself on a runaway cart with no brakes through this set. I didn’t quite expect Chelsea Wolfe to be so damn heavy in parts, the weight of them felt almost oppressive on my entire being as I witness a show that feels effortlessly delivered by the band. By this point I won’t lie, I was absolutely shattered so I wish I was a bit more present to really soak this up. Most of the set I spent it sat down on the periphery of the tent, generally just getting lost in each song and I’ve become quite aware of the fact that I should have spent more time getting familiar with her music beyond surface level. So I’ve got a mission now for this weekend, get stuck into her catalogue before the tour with AA Williams rolls around.The first of the three main headliners for ATG 2026 is a truly unique experience that was the proper confirmation I needed to know that this year was going to be a special one. I do really need to make a point of getting to know her material better.
Review content © Über Röck 2026.