Ball Noir – bio 2016
- a feast of wings, candles, clocks and costumes
Biography
Inspired by their old heroes from My Dying Bride and Anathema, Ball Noir brews her own music. In dark cellars these musicians mix a sparkle of metal, a distillate of balfolk and a drop of drum ‘n base. Elegantly they add their medieval sound to heavy guitars and electronics. They play with fierce enthusiasm and are not afraid to experiment on their newly paved path of balfolk-metal. Every Ball Noir live show gives a glimpse into their laboratory: a feast of wings, candles, clocks and costumes.
About Ball Noir
Ball Noir is a band of experienced musicians that had already earned their degrees in the balfolk- and the metal scene before Ball Noir started. They come from bands like the metalband Eria d’Or (warming up for Anathema, Tivoli 2001) and the balfolkband Orfeo (supporting Estampie, W2 2008), among others. Ball Noir first performed live on the Summer Darkness festival in Utrecht in 2010. After that a lot of live shows followed, among them in venues like Tivoli (Utrecht), Melkweg (Amsterdam), LVC (Leiden) and on festivals like Castlefest, Summer Darkness and as a headliner on Folkwoods. Ball Noir released their first album ‘Bitter Dreams’ in 2012.
Band members
Marco van Asperen – hurdy-gurdy, electric hurdy-gurdy, electric guitar, gramophone, theremin Jeroen Gilhuys – voice, electric guitar Mark van den Heuvel – drums Richard van den Hoven – bass guitar, bass clarinet Rutger van Krieken – drumcomputers, sequencers, keyboard Lies Sommer – harp, hurdy-gurdy
Discography
Ball Noir – ‘Bitter Dreams’ (2012) Reviews
(translated) Mixing metal with folk. That is done before. Think of Germany where acts like Subway to Sally and Saltatio Mortis play for sold out venues. Besides there is a folk-metal style with acts like Finntroll or Heidevolk with folklore influences. The big difference however with the music of Ball Noir is that the previous acts have metal as core basis. The Dutch band Ball Noir turns it around: Balfolk is the basis and the rock/metal influences complete the sound. This way, Ball Noir has found a unique selling point. (…) With ‘Bitter Dreams’ Ball Noir presents a good debut album, perfect for some awesome balfolk dancing and head banging. There are but a few bands that accomplish this this way. (Ron Schoonwater – rockportaal.nl) Link (in dutch): http://www.rockportaal.nl/ball-noir-bitter-dreams/
(translated) Ball Noir harbours a diversity of musical styles and instruments. (…) They are not easily classified, or rather, they change effortless in style according to the dance they are playing: heavy metal up tempo, dreamy folk-fantasy. Sometimes they let the boundaries between different styles disappear when a raging guitar is accompanied by a folky harp and hurdy-gurdy. (..) Ball Noir has created their own genre: the balfolk-metal. For that reason alone already this album is epic. (Ronald Rietman, folkforum.nl) Link (in dutch): http://www.folkforum.nl/cds/82-cd-recensies/12823-een-tovercirkel-in-de- mosh-pit-en-headbangen-op-een-kost-ar-choad
Ball Noir live
Curious to see Ball Noir live? Check us on youtube:
66 Strings of Doom (Tivoli de Helling, 2011): https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=hXAoTCmbL6M#t=136
Winter is coming (Castlefest, 2012): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v =ZopIJCygh8w
The Other (Radar, Denmark, 2014): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkw0hMyAXzI