Live | Witherfall [& Mystery Blue – Club Hell, Diest [BE]

7 November 2024

When Witherfall passes through town you better make sure not to miss it. The European outings of this American progressive metal outfit have become a rarity through the years. So when they finally show up you better grab your chance. With four outstanding studio albums under its’ belt it feels somewhat unreal that the Witherfall name still does not ring a bell to many. The lack of mayor acclaim is a real shame though that somehow has to change. Simply because Witherfall’s highly technical yet passionate music competes with the very best in the genre. 

THE HARDCORE BACKBONE

The original trinity of Witherfall consists of guitarist Jake Dreyer, singer Joseph Michael and bassist Anthony Crawford and all three are present on this European run. The hardcore backbone finds itself accompanied by the talents of drummer Chris Tsaganeas and multi-instrumentalist Gerry Hirschfeld. The expectations for tonight’s performance are high and from the very first notes the band delivers in excellent old school fashion. Meaning no backing tapes or other digital stuff of any kind, just pure music played by humans. The limited stage space of the ever so cosy Club Hell proves to be a bit of a challenge for a five peace, that includes keyboards, but it does not stop the band from giving a top-notch performance. 

THE WITHERFALL CATALOGUE

With a batch of songs of each studio albums the setlist offers a good panoramic view of the Witherfall catalogue and it should not be a surprise that the latest release ‘Sounds Of The Forgotten’ is best represented by four tracks. The live sound is crisp and clear and the Witherfall unit proves to be a very tight one. The fact that the tour is midway will certainly contribute to that. On this three-week run the guys served as opener for Angra on several shows, made their appearance at some festivals and have a number of headline show like tonight.

Only fifty people made it to Club Hell tonight which is a ludicrous low number for a band of this statue. Yes, for sure there is an overkill on gigs these days forcing metalheads to be selective but a band of such quality deserves much more. Those who doubted and stayed home certainly showcased some poor judgement. They missed out on 75 minutes of highly energetic and mind dizzying progressive metal, executed with world class musicianship. Both Jake Dreyer and Joseph Michael both seem to operate in a league of their own. 

THE PERFORMANCE

Dryer’s guitar playing is exquisite, varying from full-on shredding to sensitive semi acoustic intermezzo’s, fierce riffing and mind-blowing solos. He also flavours the arrangements with tasteful neo-classical accents. His playing is simply jaw dropping. And Michael is a singer with mighty control over his highs and lows and proves to be an enigmatic and theatrical frontman, constantly seeking eye contact with his audience. Crawford is a commanding force on his six-string bass and both newcomers performed as if they have been in the band from day one. Tsaganeas keeps the musical whirlwind on track and Hirschfeld displays his diversity on either keyboards, guitar or backup vocals.

Given this, Hirschfeld probably has the toughest job, especially tonight since he is missing a double keyboard standard, resulting in an incomplete arsenal of stage equipment. He pulls it off in a professional way though. The set itself is one of high constant, without a weak moment, with my personal favourite ,,Portait” played halfway in the set. In short Witherfall, came, saw and conquered.  

THE OPENING ACT MYSTERY BLUE

Opening act tonight was the female fronted French metal act Mystery Blue but because of a pre-show interview with Witherfall I was only able to catch a snapshot of their set but what I witnessed contained plenty of entertaining old school metal vibes.

According to the crowd these Frenchies provided a good warm up. As for Witherfall, it will most likely be heading over to Europe again next year to furthermore promote their intriguing brand of dark melodic metal. You better all make it out there then! No excuses!

Photos by Peter Vangelder of www.musika.be