Samhain Festival 2024, Maastricht (Netherlands)
Samhain Festival, Maastricht (Netherlands)
26th-27th October 2024
By Oli Gonzalez
It’s Saturday night. I’m in Maastricht, The Netherlands. A foreign city to me and I’m having my senses obliterated and pulverised by Amenra! This is life affirming for me though! I’m the first to admit, travelling abroad has always filled me with anxiety, despite my friends and peers insisting there would be nothing to worry about! I had been on the fence for literally months about attending Samhain festival. You miss 100% of the chances you never take and I decided I needed to do this or I’d regret this forever! I have zero regrets after attending! Especially given the insane cocktail of Black, Doom and Post-metal, from seasoned and established veterans through to bands earlier in their career. Names ranged from Pijn, Rotting Christ, Ultha, 1349, and Sunday headliners Russian Circles.
So, how did I end up here ? What were my highlights of the weekend?
Day One
Given the incredibly efficient public transport system in The Netherlands, getting from my overnight stay in Amsterdam to Maastricht was a breeze! Then after a short walk from the train station (the city is very walkable), I arrived at the venue, Muziekgieterij. First impressions: this was a lot more compact and smaller than I had expected. Maybe 1500 people maximum? That means a much more relaxed and less claustrophobic feel than other larger festivals. All good with me. Also, given that the bands were split across two stages, this meant zero clashes (though the second stage was much smaller than the main which caused some minor issues, as I’ll detail later). A wide range of unique beers and catering options in house was much welcome too. I also arrived just in time for the first band, Sugar Horse…
Sugar Horse
Though I didn’t get to see much, it’s clear what Sugar Horse are all about! Huge riffs, crushing atmosphere, and soaring vocals. After all, Pelagic Records don’t sign nobodies, and this performance upheld the fierce reputation the label has, as well as the growing reputation for the band.
https://www.facebook.com/sugarhorseruinedmybirthday
Fluisteraars
Having missed their set at Fortress Festival, I had a huge sense of FOMO and was very keen to check out Dutch Black Metal act Fluisteraars. Forget conventions and traditions, Fluisteraars were here to play by their own rules. No corpse paint, cloaks or pandering to the crowd, just no nonsense Raw Atmospheric Black Metal done in their own unique way. How unique? Well, it’s rare you see an Extreme Metal guitarist use a combo amp or a capo. Still, this worked, as did the vocalist’s effects pedal. A more unique Black Metal act definitely worth checking out.
https://www.facebook.com/Fluisteraars
Pijn
Representing the instrumental and Post-metal side of the line up, as well as my hometown Manchester, it was time for Pijn. The stage doused in a welcoming golden amber glow, and we were treated to some more huge riffs and glorious soundscapes amplified by orchestral elements from the synths and cello. Even if you are not sure how to pronounce their name (I believe it’s ‘pine’), you’ll never forget their name after their unique performance.
https://www.facebook.com/@pijnband
Unfortunately at this stage I had to go and check into my hostel and thus miss a few bands. It was interesting that the receptionist asked if was attending the Samhain festival, indicating that this event may have caused some buzz in the area. After then flinging my bags into the room and a power walk across the city, the festivities soon resumed.
Living Gate
One of the few bands flying the flag for Death Metal, Living Gate certainly offered something different – a sound that is as raw and primitive as it is devastatingly brutal, with no room for fancy trimmings or fluff. This was what many of us needed to dust off the cobwebs and alleviate festival fatigue. Another fine example of why you may discover your new favourite band at Samhain.
https://www.facebook.com/LivingGate666
Cult of Fire
The Czech Black Metallers Cult of Fire have built a fierce reputation for their outlandish and spectacular live performance, from a visual point of view at least. On this night, I had the chance to experience and absorb this in its entirety… and what an experience and wonderful assault it was on all the senses too! Even if they were maybe a little too liberal with the smoke machine, their live set up is truly a work of art and must be seen in the flesh. The sound engineer needs a raise as that mix was stunning!
https://www.facebook.com/cultoffireofficial
1349
Isn’t it wonderful to see a veteran and seminal artist do their thing on stage? That’s what I got on this Saturday night with 1349, and what a genuine privilege it was! Now 3 decades into their career, the Norwegian heavyweights showed everybody in Maastricht how to do Black Metal! It’s a shame I couldn’t stay for longer (though I still got to see 35 minutes or so) as we needed to get to the much smaller second stage to grab a prime viewing spot for Ultha…
https://www.facebook.com/1349official
Ultha
Ever since their blistering performance at Fortress Festival that left me reeling and shaking, I had been desperate to experience this again. “No matter how much you try, nothing can prepare you for the intensity of Ultha,” a friend commented/warned me prior to their set. We were front and centre and I felt every note and ounce of intensity (maybe too much as I was literally a few feet away from the kick drum at this stage and got ALL of it).
I’ll still never understand how vocalist Chris conjures up the most demonic and brutal high pitched shrieks of primal angst in his vocal attack. It truly is something that needs to be seen in the flesh, as is an entire performance of Ultha! Performance that can’t be captured adequately via TV nor smartphone.
https://www.facebook.com/templeofultha
Amenra
There’s not many bands who can match the sheer emotion and intensity that Amenra bring to the stage. Tonight was no exception with them delivering a blistering performance like it was just another day at the office. Though they’re a somewhat niche band in the UK (or at least that’s my perception), they’re clearly a huge name and superstars in this part of the world, with their native Belgium a stone’s throw away. There were tears as the band paced through emotionally charged classics like ‘De Evenmens’ and ‘A Solitary Reign’. Easily the best I’ve ever seen them play!
(As a nerdy side bonus, I’d always been curious as to why Amenra are so phenomenal live; I spied at least 6 sound/light engineers huddled around the sound desks; maybe that’s part of it).
https://www.facebook.com/churchofra
While some stayed afterwards for a form of after party, that was my night and straight back to my hostel. Though it took me a while to firmly switch off as I was still on a high at this stage.
Day Two
After a scenic stroll through the gorgeous city of Maastricht, marvelling at the seemingly endless array of Instagram worthy Roman architecture, and spontaneously bumping into some friends in town for a swift beer, it was time to head back for day two.
Messa
After seeing some talent lower on the card, it was time to head to the main stage. Messa were one of the stand out bands stylistically and maybe an outlier. Though this worked to their advantage as the Italian quartet offered a much slower and sombre flavour of Doom Metal. When vocalist Sara sings, you stop everything you’re doing and suspend all streams of consciousness to marvel at a truly world class performer! Those soaring operatic style vocals are central to Messa’s sound and juxtapose wonderfully with the heavier instrumentation. What a wonderful change of pace this was!
https://www.facebook.com/MESSAprojectAlkerdeel
What happens if you combine punishing distorted Death Metal inspired riffs with Ska infused drum beats, all combined in a raw blistering atmospheric package ? You get Alkerdeel! One of the more bizarre packages of the weekend (and I mean that in a good way), this for me sums up what Samhain is all about; introducing you to the more niche gems in the world of extreme metal.
https://www.facebook.com/alkerdeelSeth
Having been thoroughly impressed with “La France des Maudits” and getting to review this before it’s release to the world, Seth were one of THE main bands for me and a genuine unmissable act. My expectations were sky high yet they delivered! Following in the footsteps of countrymen Celeste and Regardes Les Hommes Tomber, it seems like there’s a conveyor belt of ridiculously talented Black Metal bands hailing from France, with each offering a Post-metal twist. For Seth, whilst they deliver the ferocious blast beats and bone chilling CVLT shrieked vocals you’d expect from a Black Metal band, there’s an aesthetic melodic undertone and quality to their sound provided by the guitars and the band’s key/synth player. I need to see Seth again!
https://www.facebook.com/innomineseth
After a mini break to rest my breaking and aching bones, it was time for another unmissable band for me over at the main stage.
Rotting Christ
Coming to the end of their blockbuster “35 Years of Evil Existence” tour, seeing them play 120 shows across 5 continents over 8 months (yep, this is a lot of numbers for you), the Greek Melodic Black Metal act showed no signs of fatigue or tiredness on that stage! They absolutely owned that stage with a commanding and thunderous presence. With older tracks from earlier in their existence to newer hits from their latest effort “Pro Xristou”, the crowd absolutely lapped this up. We saw circle pits, walls of death, crowd surfing; the full works. This was the only time I had seen this for what appeared to be an older, more mature crowd, illustrating their impact on those in attendance. 35 years as a band and still giving the same energy as a band a fraction of their age? Wow.
https://www.facebook.com/rottingchristofficial
Russian Circles
Judging by the sheer wall of amplifiers on stage, I knew this was going to sound huge. Being perched at the front of the balcony gave me a prime viewing spot for this (even if that meant missing Spectral Wound’s hotly awaited European exclusive festival appearance). The three never said a word throughout the hour. They didn’t need to. They said more with their instruments than any vocalist could ever say. Sometimes there’s no need for complicated over analyses of bands. Sometimes it’s succinct and enough to just know when a band is objectively incredible and stunning live. Just like Russian Circles were.
https://www.facebook.com/russiancirclesmusic
Honourable mentions and Final Thoughts
Norwegian Black Metal heavyweights Kampfar, Death Metal bruisers Rituals Of The Dead Hand, and ambitious Blackened Death Metal act Cloak gave solid sets and were fitting members of a solid line up. All at varying stages of their career and tying in with the festival’s ethos.
So, is Samhain worth visiting? YES! Trust me, if a guy like me who was previously terrified of going to the country for the first time can do this, then you can do it too. Maybe you’re tired of overcrowded festivals with too many bodies crammed in to make it enjoyable. Maybe you’re fed up with the more extreme and niche Metal acts you love getting shunned for bands with a more ‘mainstream’ and ‘commercial’ sound. Maybe you’d prefer a festival with a smaller feel where bands like this are celebrated. Maybe camping in a muddy field or staying in busy city centres for festivals is your idea of hell, and you’d prefer to go to a much quieter place, off the beaten track. If that sounds like you, then Samhain is definitely for you! I’m already seriously contemplating the Antwerp edition next March!
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Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Oli Gonzalez and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
