First up was New York-based 4-piece Cryptodira who describes themselves as progressive/experimental metal where they try to bring the slightly more raw edges into the rather polished sound of several larger progressives counterparts. It could not be better described as a mix of the technicality of a BTBAM, the softer side that Haken sometimes exhibits, topped with a chaotic sauce in the style of a Dillinger Escape Plan. Not easy to always listen to, but the difference in their style brought something for everyone. The audience feasted and was clearly warmed up for the two headliners that were still to come.

Between The Buried And Me started barely fifteen minutes after the end of Cryptodira. And as we know them, it was botched from moment one. Despite Dusty‘s absence due to medical reasons, BTBAM stood as a coherent block. Congratulations that a band can bring such music night after night. From dizzying riffs to more jazzy pieces, they just do it all. From the opener Extremophile Elite to the more subdued Dim Ignition, it turned out to be a setlist to enjoy. With their recent Colors || which can be seen as one of the absolute masterpieces in their repertoire, nothing could go wrong. We got a showcase of this masterpiece using The Future Is Behind Us, Revolution in Limbo and Fix The Error. With the latter it can be said that Blake showed just what an alien drummer he is. The surprise guest appearance of the singer of Cryptodira to do the really heavy voices was nice to see. Of course the swinging Voice of Trespass could not be missed to put an end to it. BTBAM is and remains a band that has no equal.

After the rather heavy fare it was Haken‘s turn to show the numerous presences a state of their abilities with their new disc Fauna. These British genius musicians bring something less heavy to digest and even have a pop side to their sound. This, however, also due to the voice of Ross Jennings, who does not have an everyday voice in the heavy progressive world. Haken is becoming more and more popular, you could already see this from the first song Prosthetic where the audience reacted very enthusiastically. With their pop-like vocals, they also appeal to a wider audience than the aforementioned bands. Not that you should feel their music as pop, on the contrary. There are a lot of different influences, freaky stuff, jazz lounge, they go very wide in terms of their composition. There was nothing to criticize about this performance, excellent musicians, strong songs like Lovebite, Taurus, The Endless Knot, the audience loved it. Haken even managed to bring the entire Messiah Complex, impressive.