On the occasion of the release of their latest album Tenace (released in two parts), Mass Hysteria was in Brussels this Friday, March 22nd, to make the lively audience at the Ancienne Belgique dance and sing, supported by the Belgians of Arkangel as the opening act. The Belgian audience (and not only them) turned out in large numbers for this unique Belgian date of the “Tenace Tour”, and rightly so!
The hardcore band Arkangel opened the festivities in style. From the first notes, the fans responded enthusiastically, setting the tone for the evening. Arkangel performed their songs without hesitation, and theaudience responded in kind. Baldur, the singer, didn’t hesitate to pass his microphone to those who were already screaming at the barrier, adding a great dynamic to the band’s performance on familiar ground. The band delivered a solid opening, buoyed by their loyal local fan base. Following a brief pause, the headline act arrived, and the AB was packed and ready.
At exactly 8:45 pm, the lights went out. The crowd immediately erupted, shouts rang out: “Les Furieuses et les Furieux” (the name given to the band’s fans) demanded Mass Hysteria, who took the stage with ‘Mass Veritas‘, starting their set with an energy that was more than positive, confirmed by ‘Positive à Bloc’. The setlist skillfully traversed the band’s discography, with new and old tracks mixing and spreading their energy without faltering. Thirty years of career played out before us, from ‘Chiens de la Casse’ to ‘Arômes Complexes’ and even ‘L’Art des Tranchées‘.
The musicians put on a show, Mouss managed the stage with sincerity and positivity. He didn’t hesitate to interact with the audience, addressing them with messages of goodwill. There was no room for hate tonight; the audience was united and firmly believed in the words they chanted in unison. Then came ‘L’Enfer des Dieux’ with its intense rhythm and lyrics denouncing religious fanaticism of all kinds. The main part of the concert ended with ‘Tout est Poison‘.
We then entered the encore with ‘Tenace‘ (from the album of the same name) and its refrain sounding
like an anthem. Before starting ‘Furia’, Mouss brought the many children in the audience onto the stage, ranging in age from 4 to 16. The audience gave them a standing ovation, the future is assured, and they weren’t scared to see this crowd of adults applauding and jumping in front of them; they enjoyed the moment with smiles as much as we did. The concert ended with ‘Plus Que du Métal’, a true love letter to the genre, the stage, and everything surrounding this sphere.
Setlist : Mass Veritas – Positif à bloc – Chiens de la casse – Vae soli! – L’inversion des pôles – Notre complot – L’art des tranchées – Nerf de boeuf – Se brûler sûrement – L’émotif impérieux – Faille – Reprendre mes esprits – Arômes Complexes – L’enfer des dieux – Encore sous pression – Tout est poison – Tenace – Le triomphe du réel – Contraddiction – Furia – Plus que du métal
Mass Hysteria is definitely more than “just metal”, and tonight was also a little bit of the mantra of the evening, because after such a scenic demonstration by a band that has already accomplished so much, that continues its journey and continues to attract crowds (which is not common for this genre in French), we can clearly say that it’snot “just metal” but clearly much more than that.