Hatebreed - No mercy!

It’s My City Burnings honor to start of the show and prove my feeling was right. It’s already quite crowded, and the music played before the bands started was pretty good also, so most people were in a pretty good mood. And since I’m often in the Melkweg, I know the sound is most of the times close to perfection, and this night was no exception.

Despite the fact the majority of the crowd just came to see Hatebreed, didn’t mean they didn’t enjoy the other bands. On contrary, after a few songs, the crowd already enjoyed it, and the first windmills were visible this night. Not much later the first pit comes alive, and you know it, you’re at a hardcore gig. The band also seems to love the performance, something that’s always special to see. After about 40 minutes, My City Burning leaves the stage and it’s time for the next band.

Backfire! already has a perfectly warmed up crowd, and they just need to spice it up a little bit more. Something that they did perfectly, this pit pretty much fun to, and the band pops song after song. They play a great set, something to be pretty proud of if you’re a Dutchman. And definitely something worthy playing just before probably one of the biggest hardcore bands at the moment.

Not much later the band where everybody has been waiting for, appears on stage, and Hatebreed starts off with ‘This Is Now’ one of the more well known songs, even if you’re not the biggest Hatebreed fan. The following songs like ‘Never Let It Die’ and ‘Doomsayer’ are also loved by pretty much everyone in the venue. Most song are quite famous to say, I expected more songs I didn’t know that well. But you won’t hear anyone complaining, if they weren’t moshing, they were screaming along with the song.

Hatebreed really entertained the crowd like it was a circus, they connected with the people a lot, something you don’t see many bands do. And something that makes them even more special. Surprisingly they barely played any songs of the new album For The Lions ( which is a compation CD with covers from the bands that influenced them). But the crowd doesn’t even care, they want to hear Hatebreed. And they get more and more, a lot from the albums ‘Supremacy’ and ‘Rise Of Brutality’.

After leaving the stage, they return for three more songs which I somewhat feared of not hearing live this night, ‘Live For This’, ‘I Will Be Heard’ and ‘Destroy Everything’. The last song really teared up the entire place, and not a single soul was standing still anymore, which gave a perfect ending to the night.

Apart from a perfect ending, the sound was perfect too, and all the bands really played impressive sets, barely any flaws or anything like that. It was great to be at a true hardcore concert again, where mercy is for the weak.

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