Written by:	X-Ray Rod
Published:	September 18, 2015
Event:	Roadburn 2015: 20th Anniversary (Website)
Location:	013, Tilburg, The Netherlands
Galleries:	Roadburn 2015, Day 4 by X-Ray Rod (15) Roadburn 2015, Day 3 by Auntie Sahar (58) Roadburn 2015, Day 2 by Auntie Sahar (59) Roadburn 2015, Day 1 by Auntie Sahar (28)

Well... This is awkward. It's incredibly late and this text was finished a while ago but thug life came in the way! Anyway, I'll go reminiscing old memories from The Afterburner.

This final day of the Roadburn saga serves as an opportunity to cool off after getting your ass handed to you by the previous 3 days. Only three stages are open out of the regular five and there are far less people attending. Everyone was a bit more quiet and calm. Maybe there was a hint of melancholy. People wishing the experience could last longer but at the same time being excited for the possibility of attending once again. With these thoughts in mind, my compadres and I headed towards the venue.

---

Argus

After 3 long days of various types of (often extreme) metal acts and the violence of Fistula's set still ringing in my ears? I really wanted something very classic and easy to enjoy. Argus was definitely the type of fresh air I needed, despite the music being anything but that. Their brand of heavy metal with a touch of epic doom surely gave the audience the energy they needed in order to stick around for one more day. Fists were raised and headbanging was plentiful!

---

Gnaw Their Tongues

During my previous Roadburn adventures, I've seen the multi-instrumentalist Mories twice. First as the haunting and atmospheric Aderlating and then as the incarnation of light and joy that is Seirom. Now, during his third year in a row performing at the festival, I got to experience his most well-known project which is also the one that introduced me to his works and remains my favorite of his.

Mories performed together with Eric (who is the other half of Aderlating) and what they unleashed was nothing short of a hellhole. First of all, ear plugs are mandatory; you just can't survive otherwise. I was damn glad I had mine in because the shrieks from both musicians and the waves of high-pitched noise were devastating. It was a massive sonic punishment that kept attracting people until the area in front of the small stage was packed. Just like I was expecting from Mories' previous performances, the set was a continuous flow of chaos with no pauses except for the odd and creepy samples. It served as a way to not lose focus of the atmosphere. I simply put my thousand-yard-stare on and saw the void staring back at me. A nightmarish set, but one you'd definitely enjoy if you are the kind of person who feels more alive after these sorts of experiences.

---

Anathema

Once again, the last set of the festival was one of those I looked most forward too. I started listening to Anathema when I was around 15 years old and I wanted to see them live ever since. Not only did this old dream come true but it also turned out to be one of the most unique setlists the band has ever played. For around 2 hours, these legendary guys (and gal) presented us a journey through time. Anathema started with songs from their latest album and gradually covering their previous work, album by album. There were simply too many highlights for me (fanboy alert!). But the ones that stayed with me the most were the highly melancholic "A Natural Disaster", sung beautifully by Lee Douglas, and the heartbreaking "One Last Goodbye", in which manly tears were shed.

With Alternative 4 being one of my favorite albums by the band, I was extremely pleased that they played the first 4 songs in a row! Considering the reaction by the audience and the headbanging during the more aggressive riffs, I wasn't the only one who wanted to listen to such killer tracks like "Fragile Dreams". I can only imagine how nostalgic it must have been for the older folks watching as they went through classics from Eternity and The Silent Enigma, which was the point where Duncan Patterson came back to play with the rest of the band.

Objectively speaking, the most legendary part was when Anathema presented Darren White; the vocalist of their classic death/doom debut. It was certainly an emotional moment for him, considering his brilliant performance and speeches in between songs from the album and 1995's Pentecost III EP. The band finished their set with the doom anthem "Sleepless" and everyone went nuts; singing along and headbanging like there was no tomorrow. What a perfect way to end my journey.

---

And thus ends our series of articles. I'm sorry that it took me so long to write down this shit. If next year becomes a reality, we will make sure we stick to a decent schedule. I don't have a proper way to finish this off. I guess I can only recommend everyone who has the means of attending Roadburn to do so. There's a family-vibe that is unique to this place? And well, the music is fucking killer too. I'm already thinking of next year and the festival's website is already preparing for 2016. Wish to see you there!