By Jase Walker
Summer’s gone. It’s fucked off. It’s ceased to be. And in true Dutch style the rain has returned and it is absolutely brutal, but not quite as brutal as tonight’s lineup. ten56 is leading the charge for a stomp around Europe along with Cabal, VCTMS, and DALI (formerly The Dali Thundering Concept). Faces will be melted, arms will be swung, riffs will be played and breakdowns will be enjoyed.
Thankfully the weather seems to have encouraged people to turn up early as the venue will be warm and most importantly, dry. The stage lights up with flashing lights and some fast paced DnB as DALI walks onto the stage, it’s time for the riffs to hit. It’s been a long damn time since I last saw these so it’s a welcome return for these fierce, techy riffers.
They’re tasked with opening things up tonight and they’ve probably got quite an undertaking considering everyone filtering in is going to be freezing cold and probably soaked. The moment the chuggy djent-inspired stuff hits I’m immediately back in my comfort zone, this is the stuff I’ve missed for so long and by the looks of the now moving crowd, they’re also in agreement.
The familiar guitar tone that often reminds me of Kadinja and Animals As Leaders, that jumps between tasty noodling and disgusting chugs is still fully present even on the newest song and serves to remind me that although the names changed, their unique style most certainly hasn’t. What a pleasure to see them again, don’t make it so long next time eh!?
Next up is a brand new band for me that I’m hoping is going to continue the trend of nasty riffs, VCTMS. They only need to play for about 15 seconds before I know that we’re in for just that, so much grit!
There’s a bit of an interesting side to them that oddly reminds me a bit of System Of A Down, with the whole influence of punk infused riffing but really fast with a fat sound to drive it. Static-X sticks out as a strong influence as well since the vocalist’s delivery often reminds me of Wayne’s almost robotic screaming that massively compliments the music too.
Man these are really scratching that itch for music that’s mad heavy but has a real bouncy vibe to it as well that just makes it a ton of fun to listen to. Seeing the band actively fuck with each other on stage is great to see, the guitarist and bass player regularly looking at each other or bouncing off each other during small song breaks.
The best thing about this performance, other than the fact they sound fantastic, is just that they look like they’re having a great time on stage. A band having a great time doing what they do filters through to the crowd and I can appreciate that things haven’t fully kicked off is probably down to people not knowing them too well and wanting to soak the music up a bit. Either way, another solid performance for tonight’s show, I don’t think it’ll be long before VCTMS makes a return with a set like this.
Cabal get started with absolutely zero subtlety, it’s something these guys do not recognize and refuse to deal in. It’s time for some massive riffs, breakdowns, screaming, and a bunch more riffs, just how you want it! I’ve been assured by the band that this set is going to include a massive chunk of the newest album and I couldn’t be more excited because it’s fat as fuck.
Non-stop fierce riffs and chugs are Cabal’s currency and they’re absolutely cashing it in tonight, they’re here to fuck shit up whether the crowd wants it or not. Of course I’ve picked a spot that’s directly in the main path of the brightest lights on the production so I periodically can’t see shit but oh well, I feel it in my chest so it’s not all bad! I’m keeping my eyes peeled for the one person that’s gonna trigger the rest of the crowd to explode but it looks like people are kinda waiting for permission from everyone else at the moment.
It took a bit of time but it’s finally kicked off and Cabal are getting the crowd response they deserve! People two-step and bounce across the floor appearing like marionettes thanks to the almost constant strobes. A quick guest vocal spot from the vocalist of local deathcore group, Deeproot, comes almost out of nowhere but absolutely welcome as it spices shows up a lot! I feel a bit bad for Cabal guys though as it seems the crowd’s mood just isn’t quite there for fully outrageous antics despite clearly enjoying the show. For Cabal themselves, they’re absolutely smashing it on every front. They sound fantastic, they’re great visually and clearly putting as much energy as they can muster into the performance regardless of the crowds actions which speaks volumes about their integrity as performers.
Finally getting the crowd going with a wall of death, they finally get the payoff they’ve been driving at since the start of the set and rightly so, Cabal commands it and they’ll get their pound of flesh one way or another. Another fine example of brutal Danish metal, always welcome on a lineup and I’ll be there every single time. I just hope the guitarist doesn’t get his hair stuck in the guitar head again any time soon, that looked painful.
And finally for today, ten56!
I spy some production lighting either side of the stage which matches the art on their latest album, ‘IO‘. It’s pretty clear right from the start that these are properly thinking longer term about their live show vibe and identity at this point. A fleeting moment of silence, absolutely shattered by the grinding, disgustingly heavy opening grooves. Given how strong their live performances have been so far, it’s little wonder how fast they’ve grown in popularity and secured some pretty high profile support slots along the way too.
The stage is absolutely covered in high power LED lighting that flashes and shifts through various colours throughout the set, this production is busy as all hell. There’s barely a moment to concentrate on any one specific thing because there’s just so much going on at any given moment, every single part of the band, drummer included, is doing *something*. It’s not taken long for the crowd to start losing their shit either, people already flinging themselves and their limbs around like their lives depend on it.
Just watching ten56 do their thing and looking back at the crowd, the relationship between a band giving 110 per cent of their energy, acting like they’re the biggest band ever playing a smaller venue and people wanting to go nuts is in stark contrast. ten56 knows they’ve got something great going here and aim to capitalize on it with every fibre of their being and it comes across so clearly on their live shows.
I may not personally be the biggest fan of ten56 ever but there is absolutely no questioning how fucking good they are live. Brash, aggressive, raw, energetic, chaotic, all of these words only do some justice to describe the performance of ten56. It was pretty hilarious seeing some poor sod get an entire pint dumped onto their head after colliding with someone else in the pit too, nasty.
Sadly due to time constraints I’ve had to depart early to actually get back home on time, which I really do not do if I can help it, but shows running until 23:00 in other cities are not the one on weekdays! Absolutely fantastic set though, and not just ten56, every band absolutely smashed it.
An immense evening of disgusting riffs, hope the rest of the tour is great!
- All content © Über Röck 2025.