That I call a fucking hell of a Swedish (Death) Metal killer package! Four bands, two generations, past, present and future.
IN FLAMES and AT THE GATES, both bands founded back in 1990, legends, veterans, (co-)founders of the famous Gothenburg Death Metal sound. First one steadily around, soon with 14 records under their belt (Foregone will be released Feb 10), and with a stylistic metamorphosis from classic Gothenburg Death Metal to modern Metalcore. Musically, IN FLAMES perfectly draws the connecting line between the past and future on this tour trek.
AT THE GATES are the old geezers playing the old school Gothenburg sound with a Hardcore edge, while ORBIT CULTURE and IMMINENCE are the modern metal hopefuls that represent the new generation.
For this gathering I had to take the road towards Cologne to meet this package at the :: Palladium ::. Luckily, things have not changed here. No traffic chaos, enough parking and fair prices (evening ticket 5 Euro, coffee 3 Euro, water 3.50, beer/Fanta/Coke 4 Euro, shirts 30 Euro, long-sleeves 40). Thank you Cologne for that. But, to be fair, I also have to mention that there was no other concert next door at E-Werk, which eases off the parking situation.
Though, I didn't get away untroubled. One traffic on the highways always bites you in the ass. That's way I completely missed :: ORBIT CULTURE ::. Sorry guys. I heard your show was great.
Band: Niklas Karlsson (vox, git), Fredrik Lennartsson (bass), Richard Hansson (git), Christopher Wallerstedt (drums)
Setlist: Vultures Of North, North Star Of Nija, Strangler, The Shadowing, Saw
:: pics :: IMMINENCE ::
To :: IMMINENCE :: I made it by a hair's breadth. When I stormed the Palladium the lights went out to bring them on stage. By the way, don't mistake them with German black metallers Imminence that are on hold for ages.
Anyway, IMMINENCE are labeled as alternative Metalcore and/or Post-Metalcore (whaaaat?) and now I know why ;) Singer Eddie also plays the violin. Metalcore with violins… sounds adventurous yet surprisingly great. Besides, there is also some Prog and other stuff interwoven in the music.
Last year, the band has released its fourth record, Heaven In Hiding, critically acclaimed by fans and media alike, an album that even entered the German album charts. They played four tracks from this new one, three of them were the single/video releases you already might know or might have seen. Metalcore is actually so not my cup of tea but I have to say, I liked it. The music is dark, melancholic, with many beautiful melodies, yet gruff and harsh and with the pleasant voice of Eddie. They remind me a bit of the British Prog luminaries Haken. But yes, it's the violin that makes the difference.
Unfortunately, the sound wasn't the burner but that might have been a thing of where in the hall you stood. All in all, it was a great show and it seems that IMMINENCE already gained a solid fan base - the feedback was immense.
Band: Eddie Berg (vox, violin), Harald Barrett (git), Alex Arnoldsson (git), Peter Hanström (drums), Christian Höijer (bass)
Setlist: Ghost, The Sickness, Chasing Shadows, Paralyzed, Heaven In Hiding, Temptation
:: pics :: AT THE GATES ::
Next up was :: AT THE GATES ::, who recently surprised the fans with the announcement that guitarist Anders Björler returned to the fold after the band parted ways with Jonas Stålhammar. To see the Björler brothers together live on stage again was already an extra treat.
Furthermore, last year the Swedes have released an excellent record with The Nightmare Of Being that actually made up on #8 of German album charts. Though, it wasn't really considered on this tour. AT THE GATES opened their set with Spectre Of Extinction, and that's was the only new track. They instead focused on their comeback album At War With Reality. Seems like they wanted to make sure fans remember them the right way. Was it necessary? Hmm, well… even as a fan I must say the show of these old geezers was… old-like. Somehow made for old people, you know, a bit stiff in the hips.
Besides, it seemed that half of the crowd couldn't do much with AT THE GATES either. And the other half was too old and too stiff to raise the roof. No circle pits, no crowd surfer. Ah, stop, that's not entirely true, because a little later the hall was boiling. Though, the gap between the generations was here the biggest. However, I have seen them doing better, at Party San Open Air for example. But with my rose-colored glasses it was a cool show though! So!
Band: Tomas Lindberg (vox), Anders Björler (git), Jonas Björler (bass), Martin Larsson (git), Adrian Erlandsson (drums)
Setlist: Spectre Of Extinction, Slaughter Of The Soul, At War With Reality, Der Widerstand, To Drink From The Night Itself, Cold, Under A Serpent Sun, Heroes And Tombs, El Altar del Dios Desconocido, Death And The Labyrinth, Blinded By Fear, The Night Eternal
:: pics :: IN FLAMES ::
When :: IN FLAMES :: hit the stage, they downright exploded into their set with The Great Deceiver, a song from their upcoming record, Foregone. Old gems and new tracks made the crowd jumping like rubber balls – watching the audience going wild at Only For The Weak for example was just awesome. And so did Anders Fridén. Brimming of energy, he stormed the stage, jumped on the iron boxes and went wild but didn't miss a line and always hit the pitch. The other members didn't fall any short either. Guitarists Björn Gelotte and Chris Broderick were passing their guitar solos on, while bassist Bryce Paul and keyboarder Nils Nielsen added with grim faces, wild gestures and jumps. Only drummer Tanner Wayne was hardly to see behind his kit. The not so new IN FLAMES members visibly refresh the line-up and, as there was to read, also contributed to the new album.
Last time I have seen IN FLAMES playing live was in 2009, a looong time ago, as I had to realize seeing Björn Gelotte having white hair now. Looks great by the way… Next to the brand new tracks, IN FLAMES also played a lot of classics and fan favorites, from The Jesters Race upwards. All of them frenetically welcomed by the audience. Of course, there are many other songs I'd have liked to see on the list but I understand that the band can hardly fulfill every fan's wish from a 14 records spanning catalogue during a 90 minutes show. A bit too short for a headliner show, if you ask me, but speaking of the energy, atmosphere and joy IN FLAMES delivered to its fans it was an awesome ride.
Band: Anders Fridén (vox), Björn Gelotte (git, vox), Chris Broderick (git), Tanner Wayne (drums), Bryce Paul (bass), Nils Nielsen (keys)
Setlist: The Great Deceiver, Pinball Map, Cloud Connected, Behind Space, Graveland, The Hive, Colony, Only For The Weak, Leeches, Foregone Pt. 1, Wallflower, State Of Slow Decay, Alias, The Mirror's Truth, I Am Above, Take This Life
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