Visions of Atlantis + Xandria + Ye Banished Privateers @ Barba Negra, Budapest 19/9/22

When the support band is superior

Okay, so this is not only a Monday evening; this is also one of those rare, rare occasions where the support band on a concert bill is the decisive factor in getting my heinie offa that AirBnb couch and into a rickety Hungarian tram bus.

... In fact, this exact situation is so rare that it's never happened before. Kinda been waiting to pop that cherry.

Ye Banished Privateers

Anyway, the reason is that Ye Banished Privateers has to be the world's absolute all-round best pirate band. Having discovered them at Wacken 2014, I've been a fan for 8 years, and I still can't believe how well these guys play, or even less how well they compose their tunes. And really, how could you go wrong with a band that not only plays the part, but also dresses and acts like they were in Port Royal in its glory days?

And it does feel a bit like being there. Their ragged, dirty jigs about life at sea are much more that that: They are as genuine as pirate tunes come from anyone born since the 1600's. And all the more so since the compositional skills and the interplay between this blessedly merry band of Swedes is nothing short of amazing. Their enticing, genuine Irish-style folk anthems have me wondering if they might have met at a music conservatory.

First and foremost, they pull at my dance and laugh muscles. As is the case with any other attendee. Their collective sense of rhythmic subdivisions simply compels my body to move. Mandolin, accordion, and violin are fixed building blocks; the authenticity is at least as compelling and convincing as the rhythms and melodies. And on top of that, the whole band is largely fun and games, goofing off on stage with lovable little antics to support the songs' narratives. I mean, what's not to like??

If there's any imaginable problem here, it's that they're not playing any of their most live-friendly songs from their first album. "Libertalia" and "We Are Ye Banished Privateers" are the most memorable cuts this time around, and they secure some new fans of the band, as is witnessed in the merch store immediately after the show.

As well as the whole band performs all these tunes, though, I personally know they can get a crowd going much crazier than they end up doing tonight. Bangers like "Yellow Jack" and "Bring Out Yer Dead" would have done the trick and upped my rating. But in any case, you're not gonna find many bands – pirate or otherwise – that not only go all in on the aesthetics, but also write and play as catchy and inciting tunes as these guys.

Rating: 4.5 out of 6

Xandria

Having only come for the first support act, I had no idea about the second one. Turns out, though, this German symphonic metal outfit isn't bad at all.

So this goth-thingy was never my cup of tea, and even though the band would largely be categorized as 'symphonic metal', you'd have to admit the similarities with a band like, OH, I DON'T KNOW, JUST MAYBE, FOR EXAMPLE, NIGHTWISH?!?

... Yeah, so anyway. Xandria does add some much-needed complexity and dynamics to the whole thing. The string arrangements are lively and intricate, there are lots of breaks, tempo changes, and tonal diversions. So for a band that could be mistaken for 'goth', they actually rock. And yes, I know those strings are probably just keys, and that they're all backing tracks here. But still, y'know, fuck it.

The weak link here is the band's new vocalist Ambre Vourvahis. And I'm sorry to say this, because she does seem both sympathetic and cute. But her voice is out of key several times, and her stage persona is much too kind and timid for a bombastic and theatrical genre like this.

"Are you ready?", she asks nicely during the bridge in "Nightfall" before initiating some crowd participation – not a rhetorical, empowering "ARE YOU READY?!!?", but rather a friendly one that's asking kindly for permission. However, she does profess to having just recovered from an illness that almost prevented the show from happening, so I'll let all this slide. Just this one time.

And overall, as I said before, the band does rock. They're often up-tempo, which is cool, and their sound is intense and grandiose, which adds to the convincing factor. I'm not overwhelmed, but I'm positively surprised. With some stronger vocals and a more confident stage presence, they could've easily headlined this whole thing.

Oh yeah, and they're playing that "Valentine" song at the end. That is a good song.

Rating: 4.5 out of 6

Visions of Atlantis

When I was checking out Austrian symphonic power metal band Visions of Atlantis on YouTube earlier, I honestly thought I was gonna be in for a rather painful haul tonight. I was not impressed, to say the least. Their sound seemed flat, sterile, and static; it was all mid-tempo; there were no stand-out elements; the guitars were low in the mix, and there were almost zero tonal variations. And it all sounded like a generic copy of – you guessed it – NIGHTWISH!

... So I'm glad to announce that tonight's headliner is also a positive surprise. And even from the beginning, all the more so. Their melodies and songs aren't very memorable, but that aforementioned stage presence is just dead-on. The one vocalist Clémentine Delauney acts as lofty as any vocalist in the genre should, and the music is actually able to contain it.

The interchanging lines between her and the male vocalist Michele Guaitoli adds to the dynamics and to the whole act. And contrary to Vourvahis, her voice is actually operatic. Everything I heard from them earlier might as well be vocals in pop songs; not so in a live setting, apparently. This is bullet-proof sub-genre handling right here.

But it also seems like maybe especially the band's newer material incorporate those aforementioned dynamics and string arrangements (well, keys, but again, meh) that make Xandria worth a listen. They do have some quiet passages that are in stark contrast to their metal modality.

It also helps that at this point, the audience are getting what they're here for, so there's a lot more crowd interaction going on. And both vocalists are skilled in the ways of crowd control. So there are a lot of "HEY! HEY! HEY! HEY!'s" tonight. In fact, it maybe gets a bit much at one point. But still, everyone's had their share of beers; everyone's rocking out, and nothing's downright wrong with anything.

All this said, I can't help but feel like Visions of Atlantis are kinda promoting themselves in a bit of a misleading manner with the whole pirate-getup. Because I'm not hearing a lot of pirate-y elements in their music, apart from maybe some of the lyrics. What I'm seeing and hearing is a band that's in and by themselves professional at their handicraft, but still chooses to write music sounding like ONE particular band. And can you guess which band that might be...?

Yeah, everybody sing it now: NIGHTWISH! In fact, I'm hearing so much similarity with Nightwish here that it not only affects my overall rating, but that I'll also have to write it a whole buncha times now to kinda vent the ol' system. So here goes:

Nightwish? Yeah, Nightwish. Nightwish Nightwish. But Nightwish Nightwish Nightwish. – And don't forget Nightwish! Because, y'know, Nightwish and Nightwish were Nightwishing till late at Night...

... wish. Okay, I'm done.

Rating: 4 out of 5

All else being equal, I have a most positive impression of the Hungarian metal and concert culture so far. There are several metal shows in Budapest every week, and people are happy, grateful, and actually rocking out. – Not like in Denmark where people pay three times as much for a concert ticket only to stand around and talk as the bands are playing. (Kinda pisses me off just thinking about it.)

Also, the venue, Barba Negra, is easily accessible, its size is perfect for open-air shows with B and C league metal bands, and the sound conditions are more than acceptable. And again, comparing with my native country, there aren't really any places like this in Denmark.

Looking forward to being back at Barba Negra for Black Stone Cherry this Friday. Keep your eyes peeled for a review of that, and, of course, for a video and article on Budapest sometime next month. Or, y'know, whenever I get around to doing it.

(EDIT: Didn't get accreditation to that Black Stone Cherry show because the promoters were too lazy and/or indifferent to answer either by emails or Messenger. It was an awesome concert, though!)

Genre: Symphonic metal + folk
Date: September 19th 2022
Venue: Barba Negra, Budapest, Hungary
Organizer: H-Music Hungary