Concert Review: Eternal Breath and Freedom Call
- Dirk Vandereyken
- Jan 22
- 5 min read
Concert Review: Eternal Breath and Freedom Call
Wednesday, December 3 – DVG Club, Kortrijk
It has been quite a while since we last paid a visit to DVG Club – let alone the industrial complex in which the venue is located – and it takes us a moment to find our way again. Once we arrive, however, it turns out there was no need to rush at all: the club is far from packed, and there is even plenty of space along the side to leave our coats and scarves. Visitors continue to trickle in slowly, though, and by the time headliner Freedom Call kick off their set, the venue is nicely filled.
Eternal Breath
Before that happens, a band from our own soil is given the honor of opening the evening: Eternal Breath, who immediately launch into the ferocious Wargames. The band’s greatest strength undoubtedly lies in the guitar tandem of Jen Verstraete and Manu De Smet, who play extremely tightly and regularly deliver very tasteful solos, supported by a strong rhythm section and a drummer who knows damn well what makes a cool fill or drum break.
Vocalist Andy Polfliets’ dry, vibrato-free vocals are sometimes compared to Rob Halford, but this reviewer cannot quite agree with that comparison. Despite the occasional Judas Priest-like high scream, he is technically less refined, and his tougher baritone voice reminds us more of a cross between a clean-singing Schmier (of Destruction) and Harry Conklin (of Jag Panzer) when the latter sings in a lower register. Polfliets does not have Conklin’s range and sounds more forced – as if he is pushing too hard instead of keeping his vocal cords relaxed and open – but of course we are comparing him to some of the genre’s better singers here. The ‘punky’ vibe of his voice does not clash with the music either. The fact that his accent comes through strongly, that he is not always perfectly in tune, and that he is less solid in the higher registers than on the band’s albums (only three since 1996, but fortunately including a strong new release in 2024) does detract somewhat from his performance, although he clearly does his best to get more energy going in the room – not an easy task, as it is obvious that most of those present are primarily here for the evening’s headliner.
Phantom Brain nevertheless features excellent riffs and very infectious lead work, while Begins offers pleasing-to-the-ear twin leads in the vein of Mercyful Fate. Fire and Fight for Metal feature solid guitar work and are quite sing-along-friendly, but their choruses are somewhat weaker: Fire essentially is its chorus, while Fight for Metal does not sound convincing enough to get the entire audience involved – something Freedom Call will later achieve very effectively with a song like Metal Is for Everyone.
The fast and thrashy Mass Domination, on which Andy mostly shouts, is followed by the more easily singable Power and Glory, which happens to share its title with a song that Freedom Call will play later – but is otherwise completely different. It does feature one of the more memorable choruses of the set, and it is therefore no surprise that the audience starts singing along enthusiastically. Next up are the solid thrashy power metal of Master of Deception, The Joker – driven by strong double bass drumming (a very good song, by the way) – and the car-worshipping Need for Speed, which includes a fine instrumental section. Altogether, this underlines the fact that there are some excellent bands active in Belgium, and if Andy were to take a few vocal lessons to open up his powerful voice a bit more and add extra melody, the level of Channel Zero would not be all that far off. Eternal Breath’s music is not groundbreaking, but it certainly sounds very good.
Freedom Call
Freedom Call immediately kick things off with a true classic: Hammer of the Gods from 2016, which sets the tone with a lead guitar motif typical of German power metal/happy metal and is delivered flawlessly. Singer/guitarist (and the only remaining founding member) Chris Bay sounds more like compatriots such as Kai Hansen live today than he does on record, and he effortlessly plays the audience from start to finish. Everything feels like a genuine metal party: everyone follows his calls to clap or sing along, and the band is clearly having a great time on stage. When you also happen to be playing a setlist packed with iron-strong, semi-symphonic songs, the music truly speaks for itself.
Each song has its own distinct hook, from the synth riff that defines Tears of Babylon to the beautifully built Supernova from the latest album Silver Romance (2024), followed by the faster Infinity from that same record. The title track Silver Romance comes along immediately afterward, with an opening that somewhat recalls Stratovarius, complemented by verses and choruses that lodge themselves firmly in your head.
Live, the tight drumming sounds even more impressive than on the album, where it comes across as more straightforward. With Union of the Strong, the band naturally has the kind of songs that Gamma Ray built their reputation on, and the positive vibe is present from start to finish – even when the band tackles villains, as they do later on Mr. Evil.
The Quest introduces a more vulnerable moment, and Chris briefly leaves behind the goofy facial expressions he seems to have patented, allowing the power ballad with thrashy interludes to feel more grounded. On Out of Space, the band gets everyone jumping and dancing again, thanks to the infectious synth melody that opens the track. What an irresistibly catchy song this is!
The ‘oo-oo-ooho’ of Mr. Evil is, of course, sung along by the entire audience. The song leaves space between the instruments at exactly the right moments, the lead guitar comes in precisely when it should, and the track demonstrates just how versatile Freedom Call can sound. Naturally, you cannot expect the Germans to suddenly start throwing in complex breakdowns or downtuned guitars two octaves lower, but such interventions would not enhance the repertoire anyway – quite the opposite, in fact.
With the opening guitars of the band’s anthem Freedom Call, one might almost think Amon Amarth are about to begin, but the synth melody that carries Chris’ voice is unmistakably part of the band’s signature sound, as are the grand vocals and the choral parts often formed by the various band members.
Chris naturally asks the audience to sing along loudly to Power & Glory, which everyone does willingly. The band knows damn well that the opening bagpipe-like sounds of this mid-tempo track and its massively sing-along-friendly chorus always guarantee an absolute crowd favorite – and once again, that proves to be the case tonight.
The chanted opening of Warriors pulls the fans along even further, and it is therefore no surprise that the band returns for three encore songs, starting with High Above, during which everyone claps their hands overhead (mostly in… uh… almost the right tempo) along with the band. Well – anyone who doesn’t get warmed up by this is either dead inside or listens exclusively to electronic music, right?
Metal for Everyone is another song that kicks off with all voices joining in at once – it is the kind of ode to metal that Teutonic bands like Primal Fear and Helloween excel at.
The evening ends with one of the most majestic songs in the band’s catalogue: the beautiful Land of Light, once again carried by the kind of synth motif that Freedom Call built their career on. But let it be clear above all else that Freedom Call are, and remain, a true guitar band. That we have not yet mentioned the perfectly executed solos is purely coincidental. As far as we are concerned, we never want to miss these likable Germans again.
Text: Dirk Vandereyken
Photos: Emile Van Doorne, Dirk Vandereyken
More info: www.facebook.com/dvgclubkortrijk
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