By Jase Walker
Thankfully I’m feeling far better today and ready for another helping of loud prog metal of various walks!
First stop is the main stage area to catch Walkways, and I’m immediately struck by the massive reverby grooves and atmospheric leads that reminds me probably more of Uneven Structure than anything with a tinge of Tesseract. The energy these guys are kicking out is making me forget that it’s only just past 3pm and daylight outside, all that matters is the dark hall illuminated by flashing strobes and flashing images across the screens behind the band and I’m getting some big tasty riffs in my ears.
This is already a band I know is going to end up on my heavy listening rotation for the foreseeable future, a complete package of everything I love in a heavy prog metal band. Whatever malaise I had affecting me yesterday is crumbling away by this point, reintroduced to the fold by a band that I have instantly fallen in love with.
The band themselves look like they’re having a great time performing too, each of them jumping around the stage and the singer is immensely engaging to watch. I’m actually baffled how I haven’t come across these sooner given the similarities to a lot of bands I consider amongst my favourites in this particular niche of music. A phenomenal way to start day two!
A small break and a return to the main stage for No Oath who caught my attention on the artist spotlights prior to the festival. I’m expecting some chaotic, noisy stuff from this so time to get stuck in. They kick off and I can feel the roar of that interesting looking baritone guitar rumble through the floor and in my gut, you want some Vildhjarta or Humanity’s Last Breath style stuff with a lick of slick prog then this is absolutely it.
The sheer mind-blowing strength of this is melting my face off, all that delicious chaotic noise that draws me into bands that exist in thall is here, insanely low chugs that sound like boulders colliding mixed with screaming discordant leads. They mention that this is their first show as a band which is incredible to me, I feel quite privileged to be here to witness this! This is absolutely nuts!
After getting some food in me and a bit of a chat and catch-up with some friends, I’ve made my way back to the main stage to catch the lovely lot in Dream State. Seeing them absolutely killing it right from the outset at Euroblast just goes to show why I always make the time to see these live. Big riffs, emotionally charged lyrics and just a massive bundle of relentless energy, that’s what Dream State are all about really.
Jessie doesn’t waste any time getting stuck into the crowd either, she’s a frontwoman that does everything she can to make every show special and Euroblast is no different. I can see down the front the pit has kicked off big-time, they deserve no different given the sheer colossal amount of energy they pour into their live performances, if you aren’t dancing, they’re gonna make you!
Dream State don’t pull any punches with getting the crowd to split apart for a big put either, the crowd gladly follows along as they don’t need much encouragement to slam into each other for a properly good time. I’m also quite happy that I get to hear the most recent and one unreleased singles due to catching this show as a minor extension of their ÜK touring, always a nice bonus. Dream State absolutely smashed it once again, top quality band and truly enduring.
Next up is a band I’ve completely fallen head over heels for this year with their latest album, ‘Legacy’, and that is IHLO.
The synths kick in, the drums build tension and my hype levels are already reaching a peak! Echoing similarities with the likes of Caligula’s Horse and Tesseract, IHLO are bringing the big prog epicness to Euroblast as main support to Voyager. Seeing the sort of show they’re putting on I honestly feel like I could be witnessing one of the next big prog bands on their springboard to prominence.
The outstanding quality of their songs in addition to the slick live show is exactly the sort of mix you want in a prog band that is equal parts accessible and technically brilliant. There’s some minor apologies for technical difficulties but on my end of the experience I can’t say I’ve noticed anything that’s really stopped the show or been noticable. IHLO even manages to provoke a bunch of mosh pit action too which for a lot of prog metal bands I find actually struggle a bit more often with that than you’d think.
Incredible energy throughout the set, a fantastic variance in various sounds and feels that really shows off IHLO’s versatility in their songwriting. Not only that but it’s clear that they’ve got a real solid core of fans here down the front that have spent the entire set bouncing around and screaming at almost every twist and turn throughout the show. A truly fantastic band that I’m glad to have caught at this year’s Euroblast, a shining example of epic prog that can still provoke a crowd with a tasty riff.
Next up is over on the side stage for a bit of change of musical scenery with some filthy riffs from Abbie Falls!
Apparently they’ve nicked the intro from Bring Me The Horizon, certainly testing the PA with a bunch of bass with running it into a hardbass remix but that’s one way to build the hype as they take the stage!
Admittedly where I’m standing I can’t see bloody anything but I’m still appreciating the thunderous noise coming from the stage! Good god this sound is bouncing off the walls and ceiling and the throb of it is literally shaking my jeans, mental. I can see the front is a mess of waving arms flying around as the crowd is seemingly pulverising each other, especially after the singer screams “fucking kill each other!!”. Someone starts crowd surfing and literally gets rammed into the roof, it’s all kicking off here!
Every now and then, I see a band that I feel like really has it, the spark that you know that they’re going to skyrocket to bigger things so fast it’ll make your head spin and Abbie Falls have it. I honestly cannot overstate how much of an intense show this is, it’s ferocious, it’s colossal, it’s absolutely fucking mental.
The audience response to them is nothing short of fanatical, every single facemelting riff is returned with sheer insanity, people happily launching themselves on top of the crowd to get bounced around as they helplessly try to grab the ceiling to steady themselves as the crowd underneath tears into each other.
I knew I was in for a bit of a show because I’ve been a fan of these for a while but I did not expect this. Abbie Falls have taken any expectations I had and absolutely blown them to bits beyond anything I could have anticipated. A random drop of The Offspring that also dropped into a hardbass cover, Abbie Falls are very much keeping me on my toes with this set. Absolutely fucking bonkers set, genuinely speechless.
And finally for today, an emotional introduction for Voyager from John and Lulu at the helm of Euroblast. This show is going to be a special one due to Voyager’s circumstances and seeing them step up to the plate to headline given what’s going on is going to make this a particularly special show.
They kick things off and I’ve already got chills running up and down my spine and Danny is rocking one of the most flamboyant outfits in prog metal and I love it. ‘Colours In The Sun’ serves as the first epic sing-along and has an extremely colourful light show to accompany it, Voyager proving that metal doesn’t always have to be black and grim faces.
I genuinely forgot just how fucking bright a Voyager show is given that it’s been so long since my last experience with them, constant strobes and floods of colour from all angles. One thing I’m super happy about though, is holy shit they sound fantastic. Just the right balance of big low end to give the songs a solid punch but excellent clarity so the keys get to shine through and have their big moments. It’s not long until Danny whips out his signature keytar too, what would a Voyager gig be without it?
I spotted the melody for ‘Bright Star’ coming a mile off. This song stands as my go-to song for introducing people to Voyager as I feel it encompasses everything they do in one song. Danny explains the whole cancer journey in typical Aussie humour fashion but tinged with a bit of grim news that this probably will take him but not fucking yet. And although I spotted him earlier, I’m quite happy to see Einar Solberg of Leprous walk out to perform ‘Entropy’ live with Voyager, something I never thought I’d see and makes this show that bit more special!
‘Seen Better Days’ works as a summary chronicle of Danny’s challenge of being confronted with his own mortality but mixed in with facing it head on as opposed to giving into it. We even get their Eurovision 2023 entry, ‘Promise’, added into the set: sadly no DeLorean on stage but they’re definitely going for it with adding in a massive spread of stuff to cover all bases for this show. ‘Ascension’ sees a bunch of crowd surfers going up and screaming along to the words – including their manager Lulu, something that Danny seems caught off guard by and gives her a quick shout out.
As Danny sings both the Australian and German anthems, the others take a moment to skull a bunch of rum, because, ya know, Aussies. Somehow we’ve also ended up with an impromptu sing-along to Oasis’s ‘Wonderwall’ too, I think we’ve lost the plot a bit at this point, a lot of fun though! Finishing off with a power metal song of ‘White Shadow’, this wraps up an emotional journey of Voyager’s triumphant return to the European continent and I’m so glad I was here for it.
Long live Danny, long live Voyager and fuck cancer.
What a fucking day, my feet hurt.
- Photos courtesy of Euroblast/Fleur de Glace/Janik Fregin/Marvin Ruppert/Rainer Schirrmeister.
