Having seen Mantah on their debut show, which was at the same time the release party of their album Evoke, I wanted to see them again. Last time in Torhout, their singer Sven Herssens was a little hard to hear, and it was only through reviewing the album, that I got to hear how good he is. This time, his vocals were loud and clear, and it made the music so much more alive. I loved hearing one of my favorite songs Game Over live, where Sven switches so fast and smooth between clean and screaming vocals. Hearing this with everybody at the right volume was simply amazing.

Even though they just got started as a band, Mantah clearly has experience on stage. Sven and guitarist Bart Vandeportaele were hyping up the crowd and a moshpit started immediately. We got to a wall of death during Unawake and there was even a stage dive. There was so much energy coming from them. Because Wilde Westen is a small venue, there were no barriers at the front of the stage. This made it so that we could be really close to the band and now and then we could expect a handshake from one of the band members.

After the show was done, Mantah could be found at their merch stand where they were talking to their fans and signing their CD’s for those who wanted. An absolutely amazing show! If you missed the show, you should check them out at Alcatraz festival in Kortrijk, on Sunday, August 13.

Bizkit Park is your go-to band when it comes to partying and metal music. The band is seen at a lot of festivals, as well as smaller shows like this one, honoring well-known, mostly nu-metal songs. Then why only three stars out of five? Well, I would have loved to give them more, because their performance is outstanding. The guitar was loud and clear, the bass was low and pounding, the drums gave the songs a heartbeat. But the vocals… The vocals weren’t there tonight. Both Bart Vriesacker and Nico Van Driessche are good singers and excellent performers, but I could barely hear them tonight. Good thing that the crowd knows most of the songs, because that was easier to hear than the vocals. Maybe it was because I was all the way in the front and the speakers were aiming further away. But I could hear Mantah perfectly fine, so I don’t know what went wrong.

Luckily, this didn’t ruin the night. Their music is solid, as is their performance on stage. Bart is jumping up and down in all directions. All band members change positions on stage frequently and entertain the crowd. Bizkit Park made sure that they notice everybody. They asked for a big applause for Mantah, which they got, and they were giving fist bumps to the people in the front row. During their last song, they pulled up a guy in a wheelchair on stage to rock out with them. He was in the heavy mosh pits and wall of deaths, and he definitely deserved it to be on stage in the spotlights.

Bizkit Park played excellent medleys this night. There were only a couple of short breaks in between the music. There were, like their name suggest; Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park songs, but also Slipknot, System of a Down, Papa Roach, you name it. And seeing the amount of stage divers, who by the way respected the band, didn’t bother them and jumped right off, everybody had a great time. But next time, louder vocals would be appreciated.