First off, Turisas played. We didn’t get in until 15 minutes into their show, so I haven’t seen much of it, but overall it sounded quite OK. It wasn’t really my type of music though.
What did stand out to me was the thick furs the Turisas members were wearing, the fact that the singer looked a bit like Darth Maul, while the bass player looked like Barf (from Spaceballs). Turisas only played 30 minutes.

Second up was Annihilator. The last time I had seen Jeff Waters & co. live was back in February 1995, so it was long overdue. They played lots of old songs like King of the Kill, Annihilator, Never Neverland, Alison Hell and Phantasmagoria. 45 minutes was not enough, IMO.

And then lastly, Iced Earth. This is what I had come to Tilburg for. They did not disappoint at all. I thought the concert was very good. They played a mix of new and older works, including old classics as Burning Times, The Hunter, Stormrider and Iced Earth. Ripper’s voice is very suited for the old stuff as well .. (there were one or two songs done by Jon Schaffer, but Ripper did the rest).

I had a great time at the concert and next time Iced Earth is in the neighbourhood, I’ll be sure to go again!

Sonic Syndicate: Good show, especially considering the age and overall experience of the band. I expect great things from these guys (and girl ) in the future!

Caliban: Not much to say .. not my style of music. But judging by the reaction from the crowd, I guess they didn’t do too badly.

Dark Tranquillity: Brilliant show, I loved every minute of it (and experienced it all from right in front of the stage too). They played five songs of the new album, they were: Terminus, The Lesser Faith, Inside the Particle Storm, Focus Shift and Misery Crown. The other five songs they played were: The New Build, The Treason Wall, The Wonders at your Feet, My Negation and Punish my Heaven.

Soilwork: Good show .. I wasn’t all that familiar with their music yet, but I definitely liked them. I will check out their stuff and I am looking forward to the new CD that’s coming out next week.

After Soilwork played, I was on my way to the exit when I saw Mikael Stanne and Martin Brandström from DT come out of the backstage area, so I took a detour to get a chance to talk to them.

I didn’t get home until 1:15 AM, or so, but overall the evening was definitely worth while, I had a great time, had a few beers, saw some good bands performing and even managed to chat with some of the people from a band I’m a big fan of