"'t Blok you have once again blown us away with your enthusiasm and endless support. The Netherlands is special to us and we have always felt the love". This is what the Australian progressive rock band Anubis wrote on their Facebook page after the amazing three hours long performance for ProgFrog Holland. I guess I don't have to add anything to it! So this is probably the shortest concert review I ever did.

Well of course I am only kidding. An amazing three hours long performance should get a more detailed review. Because you probably would like to know why it was an amazing three hours long performance. Don't you? The second time they climbed the stage at 't Blok, Nieuwerkerk a/d Ijssel was probably an even more memorable concert as the first one back in 2018 (see review). Although the first time on that stage was also a three hours long show plus it

Robert James Moulding (►more photos)

included a complete live version of my favourite Anubis album. Namely A Tower Of Silence (2011, see review). But this time around they had just released their latest masterpiece The Unforgivable (2024, see review) and I wanted to know how they would bring it to the stage. In my review I wrote that it is an album which grabs you by the throat right from the first seconds you hear the first part A Legion Of Angels until the final seconds of the last part The Unforgivable. There is just no escape possible. You have to let it wash over you all the way.

At first I thought they might be doing the entire album in one complete set of 45 minutes of music. And another set of Anubis epic tunes from all of their released albums. Because after all the band introduced their Dutch performance on Facebook with the words: "This year we have a special set that's only for ProgFrog Holland. It's our 20th birthday party, and we're celebrating every album. Some big epic tracks, lots of old and new stuff, and hopefully a live recording from the gig. It's going to be one to remember". Well they were right that it was one to remember and songs from all of their albums could be enjoyed as well. However unfortunately the new album was not done as one whole piece of music. Instead they spilt it up over the two sets they did. They only left out 4 tracks of the entire album. Well I guess I can't complain! Even more because they did perfect renditions of the songs taken from the new album. This also goes for all of the other pieces of music performed.

The band was at the top of their game and played as a well oiled machine the songs from throughout their entire repertoire. The solid rhythm section of Steve Eaton on drums and Anthony Stewart on bass made sure that keyboard player David Eaton and both guitar players Dean Bennison and Douglas Skene could shine on their instruments throughout the entire performance. Both Dean and Douglas did some amazing solos on

Douglas Skene and Anthony Stewart (►more photos)

their guitars and sometimes could be heard together in perfect harmony. It was also striking how lead singer Robert James Moulding was in good voice during the entire performance and also provided some occasional guitar parts throughout the entire concert. Occasionally he got some backing vocals assistance.

As for the songs, I will not go into details about each song performed. However I can tell you if you do strong versions of songs like Hitchhiking To Byzantium, Dead Trees, A Tower Of Silence, The Holy Innocent, The Collapse and above all All That Is you won't hear me complaining. And if you have the whole long epic version of Disinfected And Abused as one of the encores. It's just the icing on the cake for me personally.
Sometimes words can hardly express what a band delivers music wise on a stage. I guess this Sunday afternoon concert from the Sydney band was once again one of those live shows. The Australian musicians blew everybody away with their amazing performance. The crowd showed it all the way how much they liked what the people in front of them offered them music wise. They kept screaming and cheering after every song. Their hunger for good music could not be satisfied after two great sets and therefore asked for an encore that ultimately lasted more than half an hour. All I can say is this is how it should be done by band and audience during every concert. Unfortunately that's not the case most of the time. But I am glad I could witness one of those concerts here in the Netherlands by an excellent band from down under.

Henri Strik (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen)