Cry of Melian, International Edition
This article is from Kathy Criswell. You may know her from her novel, Aphrodite Rising, or from her previous guest blogs here, which are linked down below!
“Valor is not gained by avoiding the night, but facing all
All that weighs us down and haunts the dark nights of our souls
Speak my name when stars hide their light
Strength is found in the darkest night”
— Eye of Melian, “Everstrong”
Hello and welcome back to another travel blog from me. I have had a few adventures already this year like seeing Delain twice and whatnot, but I did those a bit quietly because I didn’t travel outside of the US. This time, however, I took off to the Netherlands to see the Eye of Melian rehearsal show in Zwolle, which turned out to be way more confusing than I thought it would be. But, all-in-all it was so wonderful and heartwarming to see and hear the people that I adore up on stage once again. Besides the band, reuniting with my friends from across the globe is like a little booster to my soul, they replenish my emotional batteries (and candy stash).
It all started when Auri announced their tour, which I have been waiting not-so-patiently for. But, when I looked at the tour poster, it said Eye of Melian under their Helsinki show! I freaked out!!! Then only a month or so later, EoM announced that they would be having a rehearsal show in June. Now, I think I’ve over-explained myself by now when I say that I really love these people a lot and that they’re some of the kindest and most patient souls I have ever talked to. So, I knew that if I worked very hard and played my cards right, I could make it happen. Shoutout to my wife for just sighing and nodding when I tell her that I’m going to Europe again. She enjoys my stories and the alone time!
The first time I traveled to the Netherlands, I had a fun time! Now, Zwolle has such a deeply rooted place in my heart that I knew it was fate. I saw Altamullan Road there almost exactly a year ago to-date and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Throw in the fact that I also never thought Eye of Melian would ever perform live, the mini-holiday in the Netherlands seemed to be the amalgamation of things that I love and enjoy.
The day before I left, I worked a ten hour shift at my job that ended with us sheltering in the bathroom as four tornadoes hit my area. I used to say the phrase “I can’t die, I haven’t seen Auri yet” when I was scared, however, I’m going to need to come up with a new phrase by the end of summer. Did I mention that I never thought that any of Johanna’s bands would perform live? I genuinely could not have expected any of the last few years. What a whirlwind of travel and joy.
My flight to the Netherlands was actually pretty nice, I got upgraded for the first leg and for the second leg I was pretty cozy. I did bruise my tailbone sitting in one spot too long, which was strange. However, that went away after a few days. There was a very ill-timed train strike, which made all of our plans extremely frustrating and difficult. So many of my friends were forced to carpool or fly instead, which is much more expensive.
When I got to the Netherlands, I was on my own for a bit. I arrived a day early because all my friends live in Europe and their flights take like two hours, whereas mine take twelve (sometimes fifteen if I’m going to Finland). I was able to get out of the airport and to the shuttle, where I checked into a pretty nice hotel with very friendly people.
However, since I had arrived a day early, I didn’t have much to do. I don’t like exploring alone for safety purposes, so I sat and did math homework most of the night. In between that I became coordintor of plans between people trying to find rides into Zwolle. One of my friends, Jaro, who I traveled with in December, nearly quit his job and impulsively flew from Greece the day of the show because one of the tickets to the show had become available! To see everyone work together was so wonderful! That’s the power of music! It brings all kinds of souls together.
A combination of jet lag, Redbulls, and the excited zoomies made for a sleepless night. I stayed up reading and started getting ready at like 7 a.m. To put things in perspective, I didn’t need to take the shuttle until like 11.
I did my makeup (a very rare thing for me because I never have an excuse to) and put on my favorite Be Nice To My Friend shirt. I looked so cute! But I was so early. So, I pestered all of my friends back home while my international friends all made their way into the country.
That was when I realized that I had friends from seven countries travel to see this show. That’s so cool! I can’t think of anyone more deserving than Eye of Melian.
I kept hearing about everyone’s struggles with traffic and all-around nonsense and I was just so glad that I didn’t really have to deal with that.
Until I did.
I had planned on being at the airport to meet up with my friend Anne at about noon. However, when my 11:25 shuttle turned into the 12:30 shuttle, I knew that my pre-show shopping spree at the airport was on an indefinite hold.
The shuttle, which normally takes about ten minutes, got stuck in traffic for 30 minutes and subsequently made me awfully late. Thankfully, I have the best friends and no one seemed to mind. I was finally able to meet up with Anne, who was kind enough to snag me a train ticket because the NS app doesn’t like non-residents and apparently the trains coming out of the airport were forced to run due to the strain on the other means of transportation because of the strike.
We chatted a bit and eventually met up with our friend Cyriel in Amsterdam Centraal. Then we acquired a Melanie, and our four-person carpool was complete!
The drive to Zwolle was fine. We kept tabs on Jaro, who was doing some travel magic to arrive on time with our friend Steffi.
We went our separate ways in Zwolle, with the intention of meeting up later in the day. Melanie and I are chronic early-queuers (is that a word?) and we started standing at about 4:30. It was a little rainy when we started, but it turned into a pretty heavy pour while we huddled under umbrellas. My friend Ineke arrived and that was when I realized that all I had eaten was hotel breakfast at 6 a.m. and an almond croissant back in Amsterdam. So, we did what normal people do: we ordered pizza to be delivered to the line.
We shared food with my friend Ceci, who came from Bulgaria, and introduced ourselves to the Delain fan club from France, who seemed to have been in line for quite some time. I still don’t know if they had ever listened to Eye of Melian, but that’s the fun part about music and supporting people that you love!
When the doors opened, I scooted to the front and center. I had forgotten that there was no barrier, and I felt a little uncomfortable being so close (I’m weirdly aware of giving people personal space) but, I figured it was fine for Altamullan Road so it would be fine again.
Now, one of the coolest things about the small crowd (I believe it was 85 people) was that I recognized almost all of them! It was so nice to see people that I know from the internet, or people that I hadn’t seen in a while! I saw my friend from Finland! How cool is that? It was like an international family reunion.
So, here's where the show recap starts, for those of you who don’t know me or don’t really care about my shenanigans…
Live photos by Melanie Wachtfeitl
The stage was beautiful! It was just a rehearsal show but the mic stands were woven with flowers and fabric ran across the stage that seemed to make me feel like I was amongst the ocean waves. The backdrop was a celestial moon and there was even a freakin’ fog machine. 10/10 aesthetics. It almost felt like I was a star in the sky but also a bubble in the sea at the same time!
The ambience of it all, plus the fact that I had been up for 37 hours, made me very sleepy. But, that’s not a bad thing. Paired with our waterlogged selves, we all were just happy to be inside and dry!
When the band came out, I randomly started ugly crying. I can’t explain why, but just seeing all five of them (Timo Kurkela was a vocal addition to the normal lineup) all on one stage just hit me. They’d done it! They’d managed to take a small side project and turn it into an actual show. I remember an interview ages ago (...Bear did you do it?? [Ed: it may have been this one?]) where Martijn had said that there were to plans to make it happen because it was too bombastic to even begin to fathom.
Well, there they were… the girls in silver wigs and pretty dresses and the boys in their regalia, ready to party.
First off, Robin was singing! I already knew she could sing because I coaxed a line out of her back in March when I was jokingly quizzing her on the lyrics to “Ainiaan” and she sung a bit. Her outfit was darker compared to Johanna’s. Not to get too deep into things, but it felt like Robin’s dark dress compared to Johanna’s light silvery was a perfect balance. They do balance each other quite well. They both looked like princesses! I was directly in front of Johanna, so I spent the majority of the show looking at the beading on her dress and wondering how long it takes to get ready for something like that. She had a hooded cape on, which made me think of her as some sort of Elsa (Frozen) and Auri (Kingkiller Chronicle) hybrid. Robin was a bit harder for me to see, but when I was able to chat with her, I got to admire the detail on her dress!
The boys looked rather spiffy too! Martijn was wearing a grand marshal parade style jacket but in all black. Honestly, it reminded me of the outfits in “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance. I had a hard time seeing Timo, but his looked similar but a little less ornate. Mikko (whom I somehow have never met?) was also wearing black. I liked that the boys kind of looked like very intentionally-placed shadows but then up front you have to beacons of light!
First up, we heard “The Bell,” which until about six months ago was my favorite EoM song. I loved it so much that I got it tattooed on my shin (my other shin has Auri lyrics and before you ask, yes it hurt a lot!) I loooooved hearing it live. And I had no idea it was Robin who had originally lent her vocals to it! Now I know! And I’m so happy she was up there singing!
The funniest part of the whole night happened next. A spotlight lit up Johanna, which I’m not going to ever complain about. But, because I was so close, it illuminated me as well. And when I say I was ugly crying, I am not lying. There were hiccups and snot. And I was very bright. So the whole stage got to see. Yay? Haha. They’re used to seeing me cry, it’s fine. But usually I have a reason. This time I think it was a lot of things. The most poignant part of it all, was just immense gratitude. I am grateful for so many things, and being lucky enough to see this show? Well, that’s something I’ll thank my lucky stars for.
“The Bell” is just one of those songs that you just close your eyes and breathe through. It’s got catchy lyrics, pretty vocals, and hard truths about time moving no matter what happens.
The next song up was “Adrift in Eternity” and boy I forgot how pretty that song is. I think it’s hopeful and reassuring at the same time. I won’t lie, I forgot all the lyrics because “Ainiaan” [the Finnish translation] kind of colonized my brain.
“Adrift in Eternity” quickly led into “Wings of the Dawn.” Now, I really enjoy the entire Legends of Light album, but I always forget about “Wings of the Dawn.” I have no idea why! I love the slow build of the song… it gets kind of punchy towards the end. This is what makes Eye of Melian so unique: their music grows in itensity and builds as it draws you in. I know most “popular” music is meant to catch your attention in the first 10 seconds but not this stuff. You have to listen and pay attention!
Also, I love the word “harbinger.”
“Under the Grey Sky” came next. This song always makes me think of people ballroom dancing under the stars. Fun fact, I wrote a scene in my book, Aphrodite Rising, that is inspired by this song. Guess what? It involves slow dancing under the stars. I’m very subtle when I am inspired. 🙂
“Doorway of Night” was up next. Hoo-boy this one was GREAT! I was ambivalent on the album version. I like it, it’s beautiful, but I didn’t have the same deep connection that others seem to have. And guess what? That’s okay! Music is so deeply personal and subjective that appreciating the art and hard work is enough! But I’ve said it like three thousand times (an approximation) but hearing Johanna really get to sing is just so satisfying. I’m not sure how else to describe it but you can tell when a song is written and given to someone vs. when a song is written for someone specifically. It’s kind of like opening a locket. You have two equal parts that come together to make a final product. Both aspects are important and makes all of Johanna’s current projects such a joy to witness.
By this point, I was having a good time despite my wet clothes and sore feet.
And then “Everstrong” came on.
You see, my father passed away at the end of February, just two days before my debut novel came out. I was gutted and the grief has been something that I’ve been working through in my own time. I had usually envisioned this song as one that plays over a fight sequence and subsequent hero montage, but never did I think that it would remind me of my father. I don’t want to weigh this review down with sadness, but I can say that this song has been reborn in my mind and I’m thankful for the handful of people who held me close and checked on me while I had a little silent breakdown to it. I held a small travel urn in my hand the whole night and squeezed it whenever I felt sad.
As I wiped my eyes and laughed off my embarassment, the introduction to “Light” came on and I felt a wave of pure joy flow over me I have to say, the album version with Leah is fine! I like it! The version with Robin and Timo? Extra special. I have a sweet connotation with this song because the alternate version of it is a song that I was allowed to use to make trailers for my book. Something about the quiet twinkle and calm atmosphere really puts me at ease. Plus, laugh all you want, I love when Johanna writes music. You know that scene in season one of Stranger Things where the boys point at Eleven and say “She’s our friend and she’s crazy!”? Well, I keep yelling “That’s my friend and she’s so talented!” To be fair, I would say that about anyone in Eye of Melian or any of my friends really. I just want to tell the world how much I love and appreciate everyone!
Now, when they announced “Tears of the Dragon” I was super confused. There’s no point in denying the fact that when I like something, I learn everything about it. For a moment, I really thought there was a long lost EoM song that I had not heard. But, of course there isn’t—it’s a Bruce Dickenson cover! Now, I have zero knowledge on anything Iron Maiden, so that part means very little to me. However the lyrics were particularly impactful. I’m someone who reads too deeply into things and I tend to live between the lines, so I am very likely off the mark, but the lyrics seem extremely well chosen. I see why they chose to cover it, and I won’t lie…I might need to see a video a few more times because that interpretation of the song kind of hit me in my heart.
The last song of the main setlist was “Vita Nova.” I absolutely adore this song, it’s so catchy and I get weepy when Johanna hits those extra powerful notes towards the end. While I was too close to the stage to see anything except the stage lights, I was close enough to hear Johanna without the mic, and let me tell you… hearing that so close to me made me start shaking! I got goosebumps all over, and I stopped breathing! I never have had a reaction like that to a song. But also, I’ve never heard someone sing something so powerful with such gusto…so close to me. Man, I feel like the luckiest person alive.
This is where we take brief respite to touch on the fact that half of my favorite experiences from these shows are watching the performers watch each other. Notably, Timo and Johanna look at each other when the other is performing and they just look so proud of each other. I get weepy just thinking about it. Watching someone watch someone they love, whether its is romantic, familial, or platonic? Well, that’s something really special that I hope you all get to experience in your life.
This is when they left the stage and the crowd gave them an ovation. We were already standing, so that point was lost, but I mean… we would have stood. Originally, my friend Melanie had printed out a poster for us to hold, thanking EoM for the show, but security told her that she couldn’t bring it. So, that didn’t happen. But, the intention was there.
When the band came up for their final song, I was hoping it would be “Ainiaan,” and it was! I always liken it to the sister song to “Adrift in Eternity.” It is the first song I ever learned in Finnish (which led me to use Finnish music to begin to learn the language) and I love, LOVE the lyrics, It reads as a love song, but not overly romantic? It’s a hopeful, love-for-all-things type of song. I know that’s not a category, but I’m using that. It was a perfect, calm ending to a short but very sweet show. I know that they have more songs on the album (and maaaaybe a new album coming eventually??) so I can’t wait to hear what they have in store for their next shows.
All-in-all, the Eye of Melian rehearsal show seemed very intentional and very put together. The attention to detail from the outfits all the way down to the lanterns on the stage, seemed to have a purpose and intention for being there. I have hopes they have a headlining tour, but I’m not in any hurry for that, next up is Auri and Eye of Melian together which, based on my reactions to this show, might actually break me into a thousand pieces.
We chatted with everyone after the show and I met some people that I knew online. Martijn’s son called me cool, which means I’ve been walking tall ever since. I eventually went back to the place we were staying and slept so hard that I woke up the next morning in the same position.
From there we explored Zwolle in the rain for a few hours, including a bookstore where I got very interesting hibiscus and sage tea. We braved the rain until I said goodbye to Melanie and then Anne a bit later. I sadly made my way back to the hotel after spotting the cutest little bag in a window.
I was talking to someone later that night and I got very emotional when I spoke about the friends that I have made through music. My life has unfolded in such a cool way, and I genuinely am convinced that me randomly deciding to listen to someone’s music set off a chain of events that turned me into someone I think is so cool. My dad thought I was cool too, and that means more to me than anything else in this world.
Now that my adventure is winding down, I would like to give you some advice that my father instilled in me. There are three rules to leaving a good impact on this earth:
Listen more than you talk. You can’t learn if you don’t listen, and if you don’t want to learn new things, you’re boring.
Never go anywhere empty handed. This doesn’t always mean physical items, but more of a feeling. Bring love and kindness to your friends, or bring them a Redbull. Give them trinkets, or make them a card. Anything that makes people realize you were thinking of them.
If you can combine the first and second rules, you’re going to leave an impact on someone. You never know what one small act of kindness can do. Even if it’s a handmade item made of their favorite color (one time I received handmade socks and cried for a week).
Showing people that you care about them saves lives. And that is how you bring light to a dark world.
And just like Gandalf says, “Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer.”
