Chapter V

At the heart of the Wailing Ossuary lies an ancient ritual summoning pentacle surrounded by laughing skulls. They challenge brave metalheads to lead five mighty musicians in an epic performance to try to conjure a monster of metal.

This week we’re in Amsterdam and so today’s chapter forms part one of a two part Dutch special. The Netherlands is a land so rich in metal and folklore that we can’t hope to do it justice in just two editions but we hope our choices serve to illustrate the country’s vibrant mythology and music scene. Don’t worry, we’re sure we’ll return to it again in the future.

The Chorus

After Forever’s eponymous album wasn’t their first but it’s definitely their best. Sadly it was the last record that the Dutch metal legends ever released before their hiatus and eventual split but we would argue that makes it an even more valuable treasure. The spine-tingling intro and Escheresque progressions of Evoke make it one of the most mind-blowing tracks in the genre. In Equally Destructive a falling riff is caught by hovering choirs whilst Withering Time duals the voices of angels and demons over alternating time signatures. The perfect marriage of symphonic and progressive metal, if the band’s era had to end (and obviously we still wish it hadn’t) then this was definitely the album to end it on.

The Champion - V

Position V on your pentacle is a wildcard slot. You could use it for a unique instrument or to bring in a musician from a different genre. Be creative. For this chapter we’ve chosen a classic symphonic metal pairing and are recommending keyboard impresario Martijn Spierenburg. Serving on synths for Within Temptation since 2001 (or to put it bluntly, playing on all of our favourite of albums from the band), Martijn also co-writes, composes and manages all of their orchestral arrangements. Outside of the band he has also written music for TV and games but we’re currently waiting with baited breath for his upcoming musical Nieuw Amsterdam. Adding Martijn to your summoning supergroup will bring a breadth and depth to your performance that will propel your ritual into the metal stratosphere.

The Curse

You’ve summoned Blauwe Gerrit, the infamous but unusually moral prankster of the Veluwe region of Gelderland. If your goal is righteous and humble he may share his ability to suddenly become light as feather - particularly useful for crowd surfing. Become too greedy on your road to stardom however and you may find yourself unexpectedly crashing through the stage floor mid-solo. He’ll almost certainly insist that he comes on tour with you and while his incessant practical jokes may seem like a mild annoyance at first, you will quickly find they become a burden you cannot bear.