Mantah, consisting of former Spoil Engine guitarist Bart Vanderportaele, singer Sven Herssens (Fields of Troy), drummer Lothar Ryheul (Fields of Troy), bassist Bert Nauwynck (Diecast Unit) and guitarist Dennis Wyffels (Lethal Injury/Bloodrocuted) opened the show with one hell of a blast. They only got to play 7 songs, but they gave it their all. Even creating a mosh pit and wall of death early in the show. Mantah brought a mix between modern metal and 90s nu metal. Using a mix between scream vocals, clean vocals, pounding drums and fast guitars to us with great energy. Usually, I find it hard to hear the vocals at their live shows. This time, Sven‘s vocals were nice and loud, even from the side of the stage. We also got to hear a brand-new song called ‘Hypocrisy‘. This also means there is a new album in the making. There is no title or release date known yet, but I’m keeping my eyes and ears open for it.

Watch the live performance of ‘Game Over’ below.

Channel Zero played their second sold out show here in Cactus Club. The show was sold out a few days earlier, making it a perfect recipe for a great night. Starting off with a great light show, the band came on stage one by one. Once they were on stage, there was no going back, and the music blasted on full volume. Lead singer Franky De Smet-Van Damme’s voice, however, didn’t come through right away. The first half of the first song, you could barely hear it. Within a few minutes, the sound guys fixed it and the crowd approved. 

Channel Zero played well known songs such as ‘Help’ and ‘Black Fuel’, which were all loudly sung by the crowd. Apparently famous Belgian TV cook Piet Huysentruyt also loves metal, since he was crowdsurfing and hugging Franky on stage. 

Franky was not always found on the stage. He made sure that everybody felt special by going into the crowd, and even on the balcony across the stage. He made sure everybody was safe and let two girls go backstage at the last few songs, where the crowd got even wilder. He also took care of a five-year-old girl who was watching her first show ever. She got to sit on the side of the stage together with her dad. 

All of this combined made for a great show in a small venue, where you feel much closer to the band than you do on a bigger stage. An amazing anniversary show, here’s to many more years to come!