The boys from Armed Cloud have been working hard since the release of their EP Shroud Of Rain (2012, see review), first they had a line-up change that had a lot of impact on the band's overall sound. The arrival of new drummer Rico Noijen certainly gave Armed Cloud the push they needed to make the progression they were waiting for. Secondly, the band has been playing as much as possible to create the coherent sound they now have. All in all this resulted in the recording and release of their first full album; Obsidian Desert (2015, see review).
So, what is a better way to celebrate the birth of Armed Cloud's baby? A nice party with family, friends and above all people who can appreciate the band's music. All this secretly disguised in the form of an album release party. And when you are at it, why not invite some friended bands to join and to fill the whole evening with interesting music.
 

Trip Trigger

First band on stage was the band Trip Trigger, a Sassenheim based band that became friends with Armed Cloud when both were doing the Dutch Exposure in 2012. Musically Trip Trigger is blending alternative rock with progressive elements, from both prog metal and prog rock. Due to the departure of two band members, Trip Trigger played without keyboards; a situation that was cleverly solved by the use of their drum computer. We were treated by a solid performance; with a few minor hiccups, a firm vocalist that takes the band by the hand in his enthusiasm. A fine pre-show for what was to come.
 

Armed Cloud

Daan Dekker

When Armed Cloud entered the stage, the nervousness that was noticeable when some of the band members were talking to people before the show, was gone almost immediately. It was a shame that some minor technical problems during the first song did not do justice to the, in my opinion absolutely brilliant drum part that marks the beginning of the album's title track; Obsidian Desert. But that basically should be my only complaint on the band's performance of the evening. And it wasn't even their fault. Right from the start the atmosphere was filled with positive energy, an energy that came from the band and instantly was absorbed by the audience. Daan Dekker's voice and performance was theatrical as always, interacting with his fellow musicians as well as with the audience and occasionally taking a step back from the stage during the instrumental parts and composition. It suits him, not to claim the stage during those instrumental parts. The interaction between Boris Suvee and

Armed Cloud

Daan Dekker always is a pleasure to observe; this time the more or less spontaneous fall over was not really intended, leaving Boris on the stage floor continuing playing bass in an awkward position. The show must go on! With those two overly active persons on the stage, you might forget to watch an incredibly fine guitar player; Wouter van der Veen seems to be the more introvert, focussed musician. A guitarist that plays wonderful solos and melodies, but is the counterpart on stage, modest and leaving most of the attention to his aforementioned colleagues. During the set the whole album was played and you could say; a job well done, when the band left the stage. The only problem was, one of the band members; Remco van der Veen seemed to have a problem leaving the stage and in a sort of disguise he played his solo Remco's Drugs until the rest of the band joined him in a number of encores. One of them was a well performed cover of Midnight Oil's Beds Are Burning. Armed Cloud finished their set with, still one of the songs I highly regard; Tyrant's Destiny. Ending an exciting set of music, played from the heart.
 

The Aurora Project

As a favour, The Aurora Project agreed to join Armed Cloud on their album release. On this special occasion, you could say they kind of played the evening's after show. It must have felt a bit awkward for The Aurora Project to see some parts of the audience; AC family and relatives mostly, leaving or catching up with AC at the CD stand. Professional as The Aurora Project is the band accepted the situation; this was Armed Cloud's night. But that did not prevent them for giving a fine show, filled with highlights, mostly from the Selling The Aggression (2013, see review) album. Guitarist Remco van den Berg is a pleasure to watch on stage and his performance was super enthusiastic. He was embraced by the remaining audience in his stage show, showing how pleasure and professionalism can go hand in hand. Dennis Binnekade is a special vocalist. Both in performance and in his vocal style and always impressive to watch him dig deep into the compositions. The acoustic Event Horizon was dedicated to the passed guitar player of the band Marc Vooys, creating an emotional moment. The Aurora Project ended with the final composition for the Selling album; Newtopia, a strong epic composition showing the strength of a very talented band.

When the music faded, musicians of all tree bands joined the audience and took their time to talk to everybody around, creating the atmosphere you get when you catch up with friends in a bar. For my friends of Armed Cloud, I guess there is no better way to release a debut album then to be among friends and people that support you. I am already looking forward to the release party of the successor of Obsidian Desert, an album they should be proud of.

Pedro Bekkers (edited by Astrid de Ronde)