Meshuggah has evolved into a true tech-metal giant with an impressive discography and continues to push the limits on stage, delivering a performance that’s nothing short of electrifying. Moreover, this Swedish behemoth single-handedly created the ‘djent’ genre and has been a significant influence on the sound of countless bands up to the present day. Brace yourself for a metal show that has it all: from intricate riffs to unparalleled power!
If you had to sum up Northlane in a word, it would be resilient. In their 12-year career, the four-piece have weathered the kind of storms that would have seen most other bands bow out of the game, yet, through every bout of turbulence, Northlane emerges on the other side with fortitude and a trailblazing body of work that shifts the tectonic plates of heavy music around the globe.
Before they knew it, their modest outfit was gigging all over the place; first in Belgium, then in neighbouring countries and soon all over the European continent, including London (before Brexit).
At a ridiculous pace, they kept producing new music and didn’t stop touring until, at some point, they realized they’d created four albums over the last 10 years. Steak Number Eight had grown faster and bigger than the young lads could have ever imagined: they were selling out Belgium’s biggest venues and played every serious rockfestival in Europe. They’d began touring Europe supporting bands such as Mastodon, Dillinger Escape Plan, Prong, Alice Cooper, Deftones, among others. But… after playing several times at major heavy rock festivals such as Wacken Open Air, Hellfest, Pukkelpop, and Graspop, no one expected Steak Number Eight to call it a day. The bandname felt outdated as it kept referring to Brent’s older brother who passed away years ago. To “celebrate” the end, two farewell shows were announced in their hometown of Ghent, and both sold out within a couple of hours – 2,400 concert tickets.
However, it didn’t exactly turn out to be a real farewell, as the band quickly announced that all four band members would stick together to proceed their journey under a new name: STAKE. With the original line-up, they promised their metamorphosis would not simply be a change of name. Instead, STAKE is bound to become a brand new chapter with an unseen energy.
STAKE produces hyper atmospheric grunge core, or perhaps Post-Metal-oriented melodic Sludge. You name it…
Beneath the Sleep Token banner, lies the unique, broad-based vision of one individual – anonymous, silent, masked, armed with a staggering vocal range, a deft touch on the keyboards, plus a live approach that is never less than fully engaged.
The UK underground entity only known as Sleep Token, fronted by Vessel, began the Sundowning ritual June 20th 2019 with ‘The Night Does Not Belong To God’. Sleep Token began to release their ‘offerings’ bi-weekly, released Thursday’s at Sundown with accompanying visualizers.
Each offering had its own emblem, establishing the Sleep Token universe on the debut album Sundowning. In 2021, the cycle began again but born anew. The new album ‘This Place Will Become Your Tomb’, pushes the boundaries of Sleep Token’s sound into new avenues of blurring genres while still retaining the signature sound. ‘
GHØSTKID is the new namesake of Sebastian “Sushi“ Biesler (formerly Eskimo Callboy) and a conspiracy of friends and likeminded allies who have come to a riot of their own: Steve Joakim (drums) from Sweden as well as Danny Güldener (guitar) and Stanislaw Czywil (bass), both of whom played in To The Rats And Wolves.
The new noise commenced in October 2019 when Sushi picked up a guitar and started writing for GHOSTKID. GHØSTKID wasn’t merely an outlet – it was in his DNA. “I just followed my heart”, he says. At that point Sushi was inspired by a steady diet of Marilyn Manson, Fever 333 and Bring Me the Horizon, all of whom inspired him to meld together sundry sonic shades, touching on pop, metal, industrial and a hint of trap. It was the foundation for the shape of rock to come.
No mean feat for the Sushi, who initially started out as a guitarist, but when the original singer of one of his previous bands dropped out during a recording session Sushi simply picked up the mike. A natural frontman, Sushi wasn’t content to be a mere mouthpiece: “I love both roles”, he says. “Actually, whenever I am playing guitar I miss singing, but I also miss a guitar in my hands when I am just singing.”
Formed in Paris, late 2014, by Dublin-born singer/guitarist Gary Kelly and Parisian guitarist Steven Andre, MOLYBARON have a sound that encompasses everything from state-of-the-art tech-grooves and anthemic metal to multi-layered atmospherics and big riffs, the band’s eccentric flair sets them apart.
TesseracT is an English progressive metal band that was at the origin of the Djent movement. According to some, bands like TesseracT are the future of metal. We’re not sure if that’s going to be the case, but if it is, we could get it worse. Prog metal is technically and creatively demanding. The band has proven to cover both cases well.
In 2021 the band released the impressive live album PORTALS. Recordings of the very cinematic and strong live show they gave at the end of 2020 (check the videos for an impression).
Tesseract is coming to Headbangers Parade for an exclusive Dutch show. Definitely worth it and one to watch.
Architects is one of those bands that emerged in the heydays of metalcore. After a few years their album ‘Hollow Crown’ showed their worth in the metalcore genre. At that time they started to play support slots for bands like Parkway Drive, A Day to Remember and Bring Me the Horizon. But it did not take long before they were playing arena-filling headlining tours across the globe themself.
Some critics claim that the band has reinvented the metalcore sound with their fresh and modern style. 2014’s Lost Forever – Lost Together was rock solid and cemented their status as a leading band. 2016’s All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us was the last album released while lead songwriter Tom Searle was still alive. He died of skin cancer a few months after its release.
The band mourned the loss, but never gave up. In 2018 it came out with one of their best albums ‘Holy Hell’. The album ‘For These That Wish to Exist’ followed in 2021 and a new album will be released in October 2022; ‘The Classic Symptoms Of a Broken Spirit’.
Exclusive Benelux show by Architects!
After the sold-out shows in 2018 in 013 Tilburg and Ancienne Belgique (AB) Brussels, Architects came back again in 2019 with bigger shows at AFAS Live Amsterdam and Lotto Arena Antwerp. After that, Covid brought the sector to a standstill. Now 2 albums later it is more than time to go on tour again.
For a long time it looked like only Germany was lucky enough to have the band live on stage again. Fortunately, we were able to change that. The grand finale of their ‘Germany tour’ will take place at Headbangers Parade, in the Netherlands. And with that we have a unique show and also the only show of Architects on the European mainland besides Germany.
Are you a fan and have you, just like us, been looking forward to seeing the band live again for years? Then don’t miss Headbangers Parade. Who knows how long you’ll have to wait again.
