Concert Review: Amaranthe with I, Prevail and Santa Cruz @ Mojoes

Amaranthe’s latest album, Massive Addictive was released last year and in support of the album, the group made round two through the states, only this time they were headlining, boy what a treat! The group brought two smaller acts to support them through the tour which included Finnish Hard Rock/Glam Metal band and labelmates, Santa Cruz as well as Detroit Post-Hardcore band, I, Prevail. The killer show took place at Mojoes in Joliet earlier this week on May 20th. Arriving early, I locked my place to get front and center. Unfortunately the temps were in the lower 50’s and it started to pour chilly rain and light hail, talk about paying your dues before the show haha. After doors opened late, we waited about an hour or so for the openers to take over the stage and rock our faces off.

Santa Cruz are a Glam/Hard Rock band from Finland. What kind of a metal show would this be without a band from Sweden or Finland? Santa Cruz had no problem kicking off the night with their high energy and nostalgic Glam era attitude full of cockiness and rock n’ roll up your arse. The opening track Bonafide Heroes brought forth high vibrant times and headbanging rhythms. This is your typical rock and roll groove right here. My Remedy and Let Them Burn continued the old school era machismo that certainly sparked me to check these guys out even though I didn’t know who they were. Their catchy track We Are The Ones To Fall really got the crowd pumped up as the group did a great job showcasing their stage presence and singing in unison with their gang vocals. If there was one thing that stood out from their performance was their amazing guitar skills, really during the solos above any other aspect. In the end, the group wanted to go out with a bang so their final song of the night was aptly titled Aiming High. Another track screaming in energy and is super catchy, the group really gave it their all in their final performance of the night. Lead vocalist Arttu Kuosmanen took the reigns on mic only, really adding that final touch of magic mic skills to fully bring the 80’s back in full swing that night.

The second act of the night was Detroit Post-Harcore act, I, Prevail. A group I was unfamiliar with, their performance was underestimated.  The group has two lead vocalists with Brian Burkheiser on clean vocals and Eric Vanlerberghe on the intense screaming factor. As the night progressed, the group’s efforts and presence got larger and more intense. There was a point in which the two guitarists got down from the stage and started to play in between the stage and barricade, to get a close up glimpse of their technical guitar skills. They certainly got in people’s faces which was pretty intense and cool at the same time as well as really interacting with the audience. You must give them credit, it’s pretty dam rare when you get a band like that, that really tries to get the crowd into their performance and really interacting with the fans. Their breakdowns got pretty intense too, and as I looked back their fans got pretty brutal as well, especially during the wall of death that went on, that was totally unexpected. Towards the end of their lengthy setlist, vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe and their bassist got into the pits and certainly got the crowd nuts. By that point in the setlist, it was fairly obvious who was there to see I, Prevail. Though their genre isn’t on my list of favorites, I certainly give them credits for giving a whopping live performance. I can’t remember the last time I saw a band actually get in the pits and offstage with the crowd, you guys have made an impact on me and the crowd that night.

 

The third and final act, the headliners of the night, Amaranthe were due to kick off the night. After an intriguing intro, the group kicked off their set with their latest, catchy and energetic single, Digital World. Lead screamer Henrik Englund was out of commission on this tour as he is going to become a father in the next month so the group recruited Olle Ekman, from Swedish death metal act, Deals Death. His style of vocals is similar to Henrik’s plus his unique flavor of metal brought a cool twist to the tour that night. After a nice performance from the song Trinity, the crowd went nuts for the groups very first single, Hunger. A personal favorite of mine, the energy flowed perfectly into the next track, Invincible. As the Joliet audience jumped up on their toes, it was hard not to notice the group enjoying the fact that we were enjoying the night, especially during 1.000.000 Lightyears. One of the more rare tracks that I don’t believe has made an appearance on their past setlists ever, Serendipity and the semi-ballad True tuned down the night for a moment.

An unexpected drum solo was performed by drummer Morten Løwe Sørensen, which showcased the skills of this underrated superstar. Boy were all eyes on the stage for those 3 minutes. A few more songs included the title track Massive Addictive, Afterlife, Leave Everything Behind,  and the catchy, hard-hitting Electroheart. Eventually it was lead singer Elize Ryd’s turn to devote her love to us that night with their powerful and emotional ballad Amaranthine. After a performance that almost made Elize shed a tear literally the group played another favorite of mine titled, Call Out My Name. This was supposedly the final song of the night but of course an encore was in order. The encore was kicked off by a song from their self titled debut album, track titled, Automatic. The next few tracks that closed out the night included Dynamite, Drop Dead Cynical, and the title track from their second album, The Nexus. After a bow and selfie with Amaranthe and the Joliet crowd, the eventful night was complete.

This was one of the more uniquely put tours with each of the bands offering a completely different genre of music compared to one another. You had Hard Glam Rock, Post-Hardcore and Electro-Pop Metal. Though I would have liked to have seen band’s I am more familiar with, I guess I still haven’t heard everything that’s out there yet. I was there for Amaranthe so their proportionate setlist from each of their albums really was a perfect choice. I would have thrown in the track Infinity in there as it would have added a nice touch to the setlist and make it a perfect 20 tracks as opposed to 19 that they had performed that night. I’ll never forget the in your face, full of raw attitude performance from I, Prevail, sheesh those guys are nuts, check them out live if you get the opportunity. Santa Cruz again, brought in that nostalgic atmosphere to connect with the fans immediately. Fortunately I got the amazing chance to meet and greet with Amaranthe after the show and got to talk to most of the members and ask them questions and just thank them truly for such amazing music that they put out that is very much inspiring. Elize Ryd hands down counts as one of the most approachable and friendliest singers for any band. Above all else, I’ll always be on the lookout for when Amaranthe makes their return to the states. Cheers everyone. Stay Metal m/

 

Concert Review: Xandria, Delain and Sonata Arctica @ Mojoe’s

You know that feeling you get when you like most, if not ALL of a concert lineup, and then of course you need to go. This lineup is a first for me in two ways. For one, I have never seen any of the bands live before, and two, this is the first time I have liked the entire lineup of any show I’ve been to, so this definitely was a must. I had been waiting for this show all Summer, and the day finally came. I had arrived to Mojoes around 2PM. The place is really nice, looked remodeled compared to the last time I was there. There is some street parking, but being a major city, usually that is limited, so I resorted to parking at the garage across the street, for a cheap price. I had the honorable privilege to get to interview Ms. Charlotte Wessels, of Delain, in-person. That interview will be posted on this site this week, for now lets focus on the concert portion of the day. Doors were to open around 6PM, and upon arrival to the venue only three people were in line so far. They were actually traveling and following Sonata Arctica, their last 3 shows from Pennsylvania to Ohio and the previous stop. I had spoken to one of the guys and he had seen Sonata Arctica, well over 30 times. Now that is a bit obsessive, talk about a hardcore fan. The remainder of the time, I had met a girl from Poland, she was in town visiting family and coincidently, she made plans to attend this show as well. She spoke to me about her love for Sonata, as the fans call them by, and how she has met a few bands when she was in Europe. The best time in the line was when I met two older people, Fred Peres and Mary Fallen. They were really approachable, and just happy to be at the show. We spent the last hour of wait time speaking about what band’s we’ve seen, who we’d like to meet, what we do for work, who we were there to see, and other bands we think we would enjoy. Luckily I made friends with them and now keep in contact with them, such great people to have met. I’m sure we will meet at future shows now. At this point, I do not have a professional camera and my phone quality pictures aren’t the best.

Once sound-set up was completed, they started letting people in, VIP first of course, then general admission. Once we went in, we grabbed a spot right near the stage, center and front. It did not take long before the lights faded out, the suspenseful entrance music kicked off, and all eyes were on the stage, awaiting the presence of the first act, Xandria. They had an immediate great sense of stage presence, and they kicked things off with the first single, Nightfall, which comes to us from their newest album they were supporting, Sacrificum. A powerhouse of a track, in terms of their Opera and Symphonic style, the track was a crowd pleaser to kick things off. The next song, another well known song, came to us from the album, Neverworld’s End. The track, Blood on my Hands, also got the crowd waving their metal fists, the guys next to me were going nuts, that’s for sure. A rather touching performance, that almost made me shed a tear came from the next song, Forevermore. Lead singer, Dianne van Giersbergen, knocked it out of the metal ballpark with her performance on this track. I could feel the emotion the song emitted just from her, by the end if the track, I was breathtaken, she had shown off a more intimate side of herself, I have never seen at any other show before. The lyrics alone, tell you how powerful this track is, I hope this remains as one of their staple tracks at shows. I still get goosebumps thinking about that performance. The next two tracks, both came fromt their newest album too. Stardust was another Symphonic gem to put on the set-list, it’s darkness really makes this track a special one. Dreamkeeper, is another track that also got to me, live. Listening to it at home is one thing, seeing it performed live is something else. I was so stoked to hear her announce they were playing that track, a large smile formed on my face. The track is vivid and honestly, was my favorite performance of the night. Such emotion, oh, Dianne, how you have stole my heart now. Every time I hear that track, I think of that night. Lastly, their most famous track, was the closer. Valentine, without a doubt, got the crowd jumping, waving the horns in cultlike unison, headbanging and more. A great closer, it would have been a shocker if they hadn’t played the song that night.

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kheRpWtf2w[/tube]

It was now time for the act of the night I was looking forward to, Delain. The stage crew and roadies did a pretty rapid job of doing a set change, it wasn’t long at all before another set of entrance music and lights fading took the set. All eyes once more were on the stage again and Delain appeared, kicking things off with the first song, Go Away. A superb way to start the set, this is one of the heavier and faster-paced tracks the group has overall. The next track got me once more raising my horns and singing along. Get The Devil Out of Me, I absolutely went nuts. Army of Dolls, was the next one, this track came in support of their newest album, The Human Contradiction. A darker, more sinister track overall, its one of my favorites of the album. The first single off this album, was also the next track. Stardust, got the crowd wild again, though its not one of their more metal tracks, it’s still good nonetheless. I went crazy too when they went straight into the next track, Electricity. It’s a heavier track, lots of edge, hence the name of the track. Some symphonic beauty was heading our way when they announced the track, Sleepwalkers Dream. The track comes from their debut album, Lucidity, and was one I could tell not everyone was familiar with. These are those tracks that separate the fans, as to who actually knows the track. It’s slower, yes but epic, majestic and magical best describes the track. My metal side came out once more with the next two tracks. April Rain, has that groovy edge to it, but at the same time has that melodic spark that makes this track catchy, and exquisite. Perhaps the wildest song of their list came next. The Gathering, got the crowd wild again, everyone seemed to know the lyrics, everything about this track brought out the energy of the audience. I still remember jumping up and down with the rest of Mojoes. Pristine, surprised me that it was on the setlist. It is a really heavy track, comes at you with bursts of double bass, male growls, and more. Once the track was done, the announcement of their final track arrived and I, along with Mojoes were bummed about it, which made the final track a lot more special. We Are The Others, is the group’s anthem call, their lyrics are phenomenal, send out a message that everyone should be aware of. I let out all my energy in this track, I sung along, I had my horns, I gave everything I had. I was very sad they had to leave, but of course they had dozen’s of other stops to hit up.

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXQ-muwO7SA[/tube]

The final act of the night were soon to arrive, and after a little longer set-change, and some epic, entrance music, Sonata Arctica, took the stage. and the crowd went nuts. Do they have a cult following? Haha, soon enough things kicked off with one of my favorites, The Wolves Die Young. I was bouncing, as most of the crowd was singing along. I am not too good at remembering lyrics, but nonetheless the track set the right mood to kick off the night for Sonata. They had played a pretty long set-list that lasted well over an hour and a half, so I will cut to the chase on my favorite performances and tracks. My Land, is melodically marvelous. The harmonious aspect of the track, I favor a lot. Power Metal at its finest. Cloud Factory, as cheesy as the lyrics are, it seemed as the crowd loved the track nonetheless. I wasn’t too familiar with it, so I had a good opportunity to look around and see how their fanbase reacts live. I swear the guy next to me, knew every lyric, I think to every song too that night. A little more touching setting came by, as the track, In The Dark, played to the masses. Minutes later, I went baserk once again, with one of my favorite tracks of the night played. Flag In the Ground, got me headbanging, the guys in front of me almost wanted to start a pit, but they didn’t, hey cmon now, we are here to enjoy the music and pay attention to the talent on stage. If that wasn’t enough to set me off, I Have a Right, made me chant with them lyrically. The track, I relate to in some ways, I really connected with the band, I waved my metal fists along the music, this is one of those tracks that describes parts of your life. I was so glad to hear that track, I felt like I could get out some emotion that brief moment. What night woudln’t be fully complete without en encore? Sonata ended the night with some of their staple tracks. My favorite of the encore tracks, was Wolf & Raven. Perfect to start a pit, and perfect to let loose and headbang, the track got everyone in the house wild. Now this is what I call a powerhouse metal crowd. I was thinking to myself, How could they NOT play this track? An eargasmic melodic track titled, Don’t Say A Word, ended the night. I was hoping that would not be the end track, but after the track was over, and they did not return to the stage, sad to say the night was over. I waved my horns and fists once more alongside the crowd, and after a bow from Tony and the rest of Sonata Arctica, my night of metal was fulfilled.

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGOFIl7H694[/tube]

Overall, one of the better nights of the year. A smaller, more intense crowd was present that night. Every single band did a great job of keeping the crowd pumped up, all the song choices were perfect. I could not have picked a better set-list for all of the band’s that played that night. By the end of the night I walked over to the merch booth, took me home a Xandria and Delain shirt. That’s not to say Sonata wasn’t bad, I just didn’t have enough money haha. I will definitely, without a doubt look for the return of all these band’s. One of the best night’s of the year, come and gone. Stay Metal m/