Trix is almost empty. More or less 50 people are present to witness the first support act: Oceanhoarse. Those present from the beginning got a nice dynamic live performance with powerful guitar solos, screaming vocals, steady bass and kicking double bass drums. It was fun to watch, but not like those arriving later necessarily missed a lot (the best had yet to come). By the end of the set of Oceanhoarse, finally enough people managed to get in to make the venue feel crowded.

A quick stage change, “Good evening everyone. Is everything alright?” and Lizzard is good to go. Less is more with these three outstanding musicians. They beat the crap out of their instruments when necessary. It’s a miracle the drum heads survived the whole set. In all the energy there is a constant tenderness and focus to make great music.  Their songs (especially when the guitar is looped) take you in a some kind of musical trance.

It’s been seven years since Soen has played in Belgium and it’s good to have them back. The sirens of ‘Monarch’ announces the beginning of the set; the audience welcomes the band entering the stage enthusiastically. As it goes in the genre of progressive rock/metal there are a lot of changes from fast and fierce passages to slow and calm ones. This does not mean there are boring moments. It is the complete opposite. There is always something to focus on and a lot going on on stage. Incredible guitar solos follow each other while drums and bass thunder through the air. On top of all this musical genius Martin Lopez sings with all the power he got. Or he tells a whole story melodically accompanied by a subtle piano and slide guitars for example.

After ‘Illusion’ there is the typical illusion of the end of the show and they return to the stage to perform three more songs. Maybe a little too much or too long after already a long and heavy evening. All together it was great to have them back in Belgium and we all had a great evening enjoying the talent of this Swedish heroes. Hopefully it won’t be too long again until they come back.