ReVamp @ Tivoli de Helling
ReVamp @ Tivoli de Helling
Utrecht (Netherlands)
Saturday 7 September 2013
Floor (Jansen) is back in the spotlight on stage with her band ReVamp. And how!
ReVamp started touring again to support their new album Wild Card. The first two shows on Friday (Bibelot - Dordrecht) and Saturday (Tivoli - Utrecht) were promoted as CD presentation shows. The introduction on the internet and the reviews (amongst others the one from Frozen Angel for Sonic Cathedral) made me look forward to the shows. That feeling became even stronger when I received a digital demo of Wild Card. When a try-out show was announced in on Saturday 31 August in ECI Cultuurfabriek (Roermond) I was more than happy. A try-out show is a little more informal (and also has no support) such that the interaction with the audience is more relaxed. For this occasion all of the band joined the crowd after the show. I still prefer a physical copy of an album. Most of the time I buy it from the merchandise stand (hoping the band gets more out of it) and then try to get it signed. And yes, I was lucky to get it signed by Floor. With this I was well prepared for the real show a week later in Tivoli de Helling.
Usually a Female Fronted Metal band as headliner is supported by another FFM band. But in this case a male fronted band was chosen. I don't know how they found My Propane, but it was an excellent choice. For me they were too good to only mention them as support. My Propane was a perfect warm-up for the heavy stuff of ReVamp. The quartet made musically high level metal that is not easy to describe. They feature a mix of dark (gothic) and progressive metal, some hints of Moonspell. Unfortunately you only can check out the music at live gigs; a first album is in progress. Maybe their uniqueness is also because the band member have completely different roots. The front man (vocals) is the Italian Valerio Recenti from the UK but in a relationship with a Dutch girl. The guitar player Anand Mahangoe is from South America with roots in India. Bass is played by DJ van Zon, a Dutch bass player. The band is completed with Remon Masseling on drums who is a half-German. My Propane is said to be a project born in London and moved to the Lowlands. The Netherlands is now their base.
Valerio is a great performer on stage and easily puts the audience in the right mood with his dynamic performance and vocals. The strong straight rhythmic drums and solid bass support the structure of the music very well. The excellent guitar, heavy riffs with alternately melodic solos, distinguishes the music. Yes, for me My Propane was a pleasant surprise.
Set List - My Propane:
Art of Obedience
Mood
Modern Violent Gentleman
Drinking Diesel
After You
Switching the Lights Off
Pray
Stay
After the starter came the main course and dessert, ReVamp. Because the large number of songs I have included in this review a simple set list at the end. They played a full set: the new album Wild Card complete (marked in the set list with *), the iTunes bonus song (+) and songs from Revamp (unmarked).
In the mean time the fan base of ReVamp has grown. I still remember one of the first gigs of ReVamp at Lakei (Helmond) on 15 May 2010 with a very small audience. Now the venue was full with enthusiastic fans. Quite some have been to the try-out and/or the gig from the day before. They are also very supportive. Someone that hadn’t been to the mentioned gigs told me when waiting at the ticket office that he hoped that they would do at least one Nightwish cover as Floor was touring with them. But there was nothing of this, it was a complete ReVamp release party.
The show began with the two opening songs of the album that mark a trilogy of what we all know happened to Floor: The Anatomy of a Nervous Breakdown. The music and the lyrics are both heavy, but because it is in balance with each other it's real, emotional and in eating terms again delicious. I don't want to go for an album review, for that you should check out Frozen Angel 's review on Sonic Cathedral. In the dessert (encore) was the third part of the trilogy.
In all of their enthusiasm you could see that they are so happy to be on stage again after a long absence. Both new and old songs were played with so much power and a lot of fun. The old songs mixed almost seamlessly with the new songs.
On the album some guests appeared to do especially the low vocals / grunts. but live Floor has to take care of it all. We know she is amazing in the high end and now she also showed she's great in the low end too. For the CD presentation Mark Jansen (Epica) was invited as special guest to increase the fun and to support Floor with the grunts in two songs (marked #). It's clearly appreciated by the crowd during the show but also afterwards.
A special word for Henk Vonk, the new bass player. On the album Johan van Stratum (Stream of Passion) played the bass and when presented at the try-out he gave Henk a great compliment for picking finesses up so quickly. Others in the lineup are Arjan Rijnen (guitar), Jord Otto (guitar), Ruben Wijga (keyboard) and Matthias Landes (drums).
It was a great show. ReVamp on stage is a great experience. I've been to the try-out and to this second release party, but if the next ReVamp gig hadn’t coincided the acoustic dinner show of Stream of Passion (also one of my favorites and my next review) I would have gone to that show, for sure.
More and larger photos
CD Presentation
Set List - ReVamp
main course
The Anatomy of a Nervous Breakdown: On the Sideline *
The Anatomy of a Nervous Breakdown: The Limbic System *
In Sickness 'Till Death Do Us Part: All Goodbyes Are Said
Wild Card *
Kill Me with Silence
Precibus *
I Can Become *
Sweet Curse
Amendatory *
Distorted Lullabies *
Head Up High
Infringe +
The Anatomy of a Nervous Breakdown: Neurasthenia *
Here's My Hell
Misery's No Crime * #
Nothing *
In Sickness 'Till Death Do Us Part: Disdain #
Wolf and Dog *
dessert
Sins *
In Sickness 'Till Death Do Us Part: Disgraced
