I have the feeling it becomes harder and harder for me to come up with top lists every year since I don’t get the chance to delve in as deep in all the musical releases as I’d like. I guess that’s called growing up, right? The last few years my favorite albums of a certain year were only discovered the months after New Year as I got a chance to go through other people’s top lists. I presume 2018 won’t be different. Still, there are some albums that have stuck with me this year and were already being played on repeat quite a few times throughout the year.
| Honorable Mentions | 10-6 | 5-1 | Live top 3 |
Here is my top 3 of the best live shows of 2017!
3. Gojira @ Ancienne Belgique (Brussels)
Gojira rolled over the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels like a ten ton hammer, blowing away everything in its path. If my cellphone didn’t get stolen in the fully packed venue I would have even sweeter memories of this show. Luckily Gojira came back in the summer to play at Graspop. Still, the magic was not quite the same as when they blew up the Ancienne Belgique without the need to shout praise to Isis.
Read the review by Ilse here.
2. Harakiri For The Sky @ Jeugdhuis Asgaard (Ghent)
In a few days we will not only celebrate New Year’s Eve at our own venue Jeugdhuis Asgaard, but also its one year existence. In this first year many great bands, local and international, filled our small stage. One of these small but immensely intense shows was brought by Harakiri For The Sky. After their album III: Trauma dominated many top lists in 2016, it is only logical that the live performance of the album left a lasting impression on my heart. We usually don’t write reviews for the shows in our own venue, so if you want to experience the magic, be sure to drop by somewhere in 2018!
1 . Heilung @ Midgardsblot (Norway)
I have tried – emphasis on the trying – to describe my experience of Heilung‘s performance in my review of Midgardsblot. Still, I feel words are not quite enough. Luckily, in the meantime their live show at Castlefest in The Netherlands has been released on a live DVD. Personally I found the crowd more active and enthousiastic in Norway and Heilung managed to tweak a few things in their show. But still, if you want to have an idea of what I witnessed in Norway, have a look at their live DVD.
I’m curious what 2018 will bring!
