My take on the Qlimax line-up
We are almost rolling into the month in which it is finally happening: the final Ritual. I wanted to share my thought on how the line-up will come to be and will try to give arguments as to why it would make sense.
First off, and I will likely piss-off some people, but I do not think all artists are previous anthem makers. Some artists have either stopped performing, are already booked or don't make any kind of sense with the running order (Qlimax is all about building tension through the night. Having a melodic artist after hard raw doesn't make sense at all).
I will also base my predictions on - the running order of the 'acts' as listed - the names corresponding to something with the main artist - for some acts a name that fits with the main performer
Here is my prediction: - The Prophecy Unfolds: Deepack 1 hour of classics by yours truly Deepack. They are the perfect party starters, have a lot of classics themselves and their anthem is even called "The Prophecy". So it's a no-brainer.
Enter The Temple: Wildstylez & Noisecontrollers It might be a little early, but for the title it would make sense that Wildstylez would enter. He made the anthem "Temple of Light" and has a fresh, melodic sound and a fair share of classics. I recon this would be good to start lighting up the arena and the set would be one hour as well. The supporting artist fitting best with him would of course be Noisecontrollers. He made an anthem as well and he performs quite often with him, even being on the same label.
Transcend the Physical: Coone Not very surprising, as the lyrics come straight from his Qlimax anthem "Rise Of the Celestials". Even though being less relevant nowadays, he is very relevant for the event and performed numerous times there. As support, he would have Psyko Punkz, though only Wietze (the present one). They fit each other nicely and Psyko Punkz was responsible for the 2012 anthem.
The Alternate Reality: Brennan Heart The mind behind the anthem with the corresponding name to this act. Brennan Heart fits this timespot, the arena and has multiple classics ready too, combining modern music with the old Blademasterz songs and his anthem of course.
Your True Nature: D-Block & S-Te-Fan & Atmozfears DBSTF cannot be forgotten from the party. They have been very influential for the event, can play both modern and classic music and correspond nicely with the theme, being related to "The Nature of our Mind", their anthem. Atmozfears might be a surprising fit but he would fit their style quite nicely, and his anthem would complete this set very well.
Embrace the Rhythm: TNT This set will be all about the beat, energy and power that symbolizes TNT very well. It will increase the energy levels for the crowds as the next acts will undoubtedly be a bit more harder (and rawer)...
Change the Game: Sub Zero Project Their anthem "The Game Changer" spoils that they should be part of this theme in the final ritual. It would also be the perfect blend from melodic to raw, boasting both older Szp sounds and a few very hard kicks to further energize the crowd.
The Shadow World: B-Front & Phuture Noize B-Front has to be here as well and this act only confirms it: The Shadow World is a wink to "Symphony of Shadows" as we will look back on the pure form of raw melodies. It will be complimented by he who would masters it best: Phuture Noize. Even though he is not an anthem maker, he fits well with the event, with this moment and with the style of B-Front.
The Dark Side: Alpha² Erase one space and you get "The Darkside", the 2006 anthem by Alpha². This would be a moment to take a step down in energy and enjoy how raw hardstyle has evolved. The energy would still be large and the roughness and raw sounds will only be a small portion of the energy that is about to come.
Your Inner Insurgence: Rebelion Now comes the point when we step away from the "all artist should be anthem makers" narrative. We now look at fitting artist for these moments. Rebelion are the next ones that will fit the theme. Insurgence stands for some kind of revolution or... Rebelion ;) their melodic part fits Qlimax well and a few rawer sounds will spice up the night.
Power of Attraction: D-Sturb Might be a little farfetched, but hear me out. D-Sturb has been on Qlimax twice by now, solidifying his influence on the event and it's future (which now is ending). Also, two words of the title relate to D-Sturb: (High) Power (iconic track and new live act) and Attraction (Magnetism being one very iconic track the last few years at Qlimax). Last but not least: D-Sturb has a TBA on his schedule for the 16th of november. Therefore, D-Sturb would be the modern raw hardstyle act to close the hardstyle part of the last ritual.
Purify your Core: Angerfist & Miss K8 Every Qlimax has a hardcore ending and the masters of hardcore themselves will show what hardcore has offered the last 23 years: Angerfist & Miss K8. Yes, maybe Nosferatu or Evil Activities may fit better. But after more modern artists, it would make more sense to have modern hardcore acts (that are also more leading internationally) close with this set. And why hardcore: Purifying means hardening (Hard) and well your core is self-explanatory, makes together: Hardcore.
One Final Symphony: Sefa No, this is not another B-Front performance. The night would be closed off by Q-Dance favourite artist and the only one that could do such a Symphony live: Sefa will play 25 minutes with an orchestra, just as pictured with "The Omega" in the Qlimax movie and covid-Edition. He will be live on piano, accompanied by the Symphony Orchest (which is not a hardstyle act, so doesn't count as one of the priests) and close the event with the last Symphony of Qlimax.
The Prophecy Fulfilled: All together now Of course all artist will be back on stage to thank you for joining the final ritual, and Qlimax as a whole. Everyone will be crying a river, hoping to have one final track to end the night perfectly. Against all expectations, there will be no anthem this year of one artist, but it will be a closing OST, having little contributions of every artist that has been there this evening, together closing the event with the track they all think defines Qlimax and Hardstyle in general. The track would then be out everywhere on the very moment the clock hits 7AM.
Everyone will leave the event, crying and hoping something comparable will fill it's left void. Villain, the final of the 25 priests (we had 24 till now) telling everyone that they are Qlimax and he hopes to see all you beautiful lot on the next event of Q-Dance.
Bonus prediction: I feel like it would make zero sense for Q-Dance to abandon Qlimax and leave a void to fill and solely focus on the summer event of Defqon.1. instead, I predict they will announce, either on Qlimax or really shortly after, that the new indoor event will be "Defqon.1 - winter". Still taking place at the Gelredome, but now further milking the IP of Defqon.1 as the mother company of Q-Dance sees this as the only profitable IP. Will it be a worthy replacement? I don't think so. But it will focus on the future and it will introduce a new generation of hardstyle fans to the Gelredome with both old and new artists that are the best the scene has to offer each year.
Of course, we will have guest performances during the last ritual, but they would be only for one or two tracks, therefore not being part of the "Shadow Priests".
What do you think? Do you agree on my takes or are there any critical aspects I didn't consider? Let me know and have a discussion until the 16th of november :)