Igorrr and Amen-Ra on the same bill would already be a joyful tour to catch, but the show tonight at 013 is like a mini pre-pandemic Roadburn day, with Hangman’s Chair and Der Weg einer Freiheit joining this monster of a bill. While the start of the show is quite early, and the closed-off balcony and stairs imply not a huge amount of tickets sold, the ambiance is cheerful and the crowd is warming up as we wait for Hangman’s Chair to start as we get in from the icy rain outside.
Returning to the Effenaar venue on day two of Eindhoven Metal Meeting, logistical issues with trains sadly meant I missed the opener on the main stage, Izegrim. As I arrived I decided to do my best to at least catch Dervaza, but it quickly becomes apparent today is the “meat” of the fest for most people, and somehow it is even busier than the day before. Watching the bodies trying to squeeze into the small room, a line forming of metalheads craning their necks to see the band, I’m left to strike pretty much everything I wanted to cover in the small room off my itinerary today.