LIVE: Stratovarius, support: Dreamtale, April 20th

On April 20th Stratovarius returned to Tampere to celebrate and promote their newest album Nemesis, which was released two months earlier. Pakkahuone was not full, which was probably unfortunate for the artists yet certainly comfortable for the audience.

Tampere's own power metal act, Dreamtale, was also there to warm up the audience for Stratovarius. They are also just about to release their sixth album World Changed Forever on April 26th, and nearly half of the songs performed on Saturday were off that new album.

Dreamtale's gig started out with Powerplay, which is one of their best tracks – and a magnificent live track, and something I had never heard at the very beginning of their show before, but it was a nice surprise. It was followed by Firestorm, a powerful track they have often played at the beginning, but it also tends to be a successful way to turn the audience on. Soon we got to hear something they haven't been playing much lately – Wings Of Icaros off the album Difference – yet they had apparently played it before when warming up for Stratovarius.

The new songs sound great and set high expectations for the upcoming album. Even yours truly, who usually prefers to hear only familiar songs live, can truly enjoy those tracks, even hearing more than one or two new ones. Tides of War, The Signs Were True, Island of My Heart and Join The Rain are all warmly welcome to Dreamtale's future live sets!

While Where Eternal Jesters Reign is a good track and a nice enough live track, I would rather leave it out and include Angel of Light or Lady of a Thousand Lakes in an ideal Dreamtale setlist, but all in all, the show which was finished with Take What The Heavens Create was particularly enjoyable and fierce. And, unfortunately for Stratovarius, Dreamtale rocked the night.

Stratovarius started out with the first track of their new album, Abandon, which isn't a bad song, but not the best or the most stunning way to open up a live show. However, the second track, Speed of Light, made up a bit for what Abandon couldn't do. The third one, Halcyon Days off the new album, was a good choice too, being one of the nicest new songs.

Then the band returned to the 90's to please those who are not too fond of the newer material with Eternity, yet it was followed by a new track again – Dragons. However, it also belongs to the strongest new tracks and was an agreeable live piece. The set comprised the majority of the songs included in the newest album, and didn't offer much to those who prefer their older material. Destiny was heard, as well as Against the Wind – and naturally, Eagleheart, Black Diamond and Hunting High and Low.

One moment between songs was filled with a drum solo, showing off how a guy from Tampere, Rolf Pilve, can handle his drumsticks in front of the audience from his hometown. While the act was skillful, it was unnecessary and relatively boring, obviously making many people in the audience yawn and eagerly waiting for the next actual song. Later Lauri Porra's bass solo turned out to be somewhat more interesting and enjoyable, but still not a particularly good way to spend time during a live show. And since the show didn't feel particularly versatile to begin with, the solo parts did not really claim their place.

For those who both attended the concert where Under Flaming Winter Skies – Live in Tampere live album and DVD were recorded and have also been listening to those, some moments during the gig were sort of small déjà vus. Timo Kotipelto says such things between the songs which are touching at best but cliché at worst, and some phrases and sentences were exactly the same or very similar to those uttered in 2011. Sure it is a difficult task for the vocalist to come up with something smart to say between the songs, a gig after gig and a tour after tour, but Kotipelto's attempts to flatter his audience are not particularly convincing. Making the audience repeat "hunting high and low" again and again is not also the most interesting way to get them engaged and excited (at the very end of the gig).

All in all, Stratovarius's show was a disappointment, boring as a whole despite the occasional very enjoyable tracks. As stated earlier, the support act was the winner of the night. Both bands suffered from slightly bad sounds though, leaving especially vocals occasionally quite muffled, which was unfortunate, yet not the reason why Stratovarius didn't manage to blow my mind.

LIVE: Amorphis, December 29th, 2012

After the world again ended but before the year 2012 came to its timely end Amorphis toured the Finnish venues in December again -- a seemingly semi-customary tradition by now. We stopped by to check out the Pakkahuone gig in Tampere once again after some consideration. To warm up for them two bands had been announced: Blackstar Halo and Brigadnij Podrjad. We were sure to be on time for Blackstar Halo who would kick the evening off at around 20:00 local time.

Upon our arrival it was noticeable how few people there were. We got in close to the stage where only a handful others were by that time. And the majority of those who were already present were just securing their front row spots for Amorphis from the looks of things.

Blackstar Halo started pretty much right on time with one of my favorite tracks Alice in Wonderland. The singer Ville Hovi looked to be in a happy mood and was constantly reminding the audience to smile a little. After Alice, the band played two or three completely new songs from their upcoming album which should be coming out in 2013. The third track I'm not sure of as it was just described as "Rammstein" but there was a certain familiarity to it so I'll have to wonder if it was something from the existing releases. Be what it may, the new songs sounded good, especially a track titled Wolf the Mender. To complete the unfortunately short set of only 6 songs, In Flames and Illuminated were then played. I had hoped for Dark Parade and End of the Story but perhaps another time then!

The sounds were (surprisingly) crisp and clear throughout the entire show and the rest of the band seemed to have a good time too, not just the singer. Alongside him, the guitarist Timo Eskelinen had a happy grin on his face for most of the show. Blackstar Halo left the few of us in the audience largely happy I would wager and looking forward to the next performer, Brigadnij Podrjad.

At 20:45 it was time for the mysterious, unknown to most people I imagine, Brigadnij Podrjad. My eyes first caught the British flag painted guitar on the guitarist (on left in the picture below) and then the bassist (on the right) who was dressed in a very hipster kind of way. After the music began, Anarchy in the UK vibes coursed through my veins: this is as punk as things can get! The show consisted of a lot of short tracks, as is customary for punk I believe, with some speaks between the songs that mainly prepared the audience for the chorus that was coming up in the next song so we could sing along. And it worked, at least for me.

This punk band from St. Petersburg apparently (and already active in the 80's!) did an extremely entertaining show for most parts, but it was perhaps a bit too long as some repetition reared its ugly head towards the end. Sounds were again very good but there were very audible backing tracks on some guitar parts at least. Nevertheless, when the quintet left the stage I was smiling; they came to do what a warm-up band should do.

By this time more crowd had gathered up but the murky Pakkahuone was still far from being crowded. Even the beer queues were short, which is always a good thing though! Around 21:50 the lights went out and it was time for Amorphis. I've seen Amorphis so many times that I knew they would do a solid show like always, especially since Tomi Joutsen's entry to the band. The full set list of the show is readable on setlist.fm and I won't repeat it here. Suffice it to say there were no big surprises but it's always nice when they shuffle things a bit and include lesser-played songs like Better Unborn or Sign From the North Side. The new track Mehtä sounded very heavy (think Majestic Beast) but melodic, something you would expect from Amorphis in all honesty.

Before the encore, a record label representative came out to announce Amorphis had scored gold on their latest album The Beginning of Times and was met with applauds and cheers. Personally the album is a hit and miss for me, but that's for another discussion or review. Still, it's not easy for a metal band to get recognized like that and Amorphis with their 20-year-long+ career surely deserves it.

Unlike in case of warm up bands, the Amorphis sounds were a bit dusty and "packed up", and just not as clear as with prior performers. When the gig ended to Black Winter Day it was time to roll out to a black winter night mostly pleased with the evening. Blackstar Halo were definitely good as were Brigadnij Podrjad. Amorphis tours so much in Finland it's easy to get an overdose on them, and this perhaps felt a bit like that.

LIVE: Sabaton, November 23rd

Sabaton's Swedish Empire Tour had three stops in Finland in November, shows supported by Dynazty and Raubtier.

We arrived too late to see Dynazty at all, yet heard most of Raubtier's gig anyway. With little knowledge of the band beforehand, the experience was surprisingly entertaining. Raubtier was actually a very good support act for Sabaton; in spite of representing a different genre to begin with, the band does sound a bit like Sabaton and seemed to excite the audience and certainly warm them up for what they all had come to see.

The venue was at least nearly sold-out, with roughly a thousand metalheads shaking their fists along to Sabaton's war inspired metal. The gig began almost on time too, starting out with Ghost Division (after The Final Countdown and The March to War). After the Panzer Elite had set the audience on fire, it was the time for Gott Mit Uns off of their newest album Carolus Rex.

After the first two songs Joakim Brodén introduced the following song by saying it probably needed no introduction in Finland at all – as it was White Death. It was followed by Carolus Rex and then Karolinens Bön, which was actually performed in Swedish. Sabaton had asked in advance on Facebook whether their fans in Finland wished to hear their new songs in English or Swedish. English was the leading option in the poll, yet obviously comments and other requests had resulted in a compromise solution. In spite of the change in language, there were many people singing along in the audience anyway.

Songs such as 40:1, Cliffs of Gallipoli and Uprising kept the audience on fire, singing along and throwing their fists in the air until a brief, calm moment when a keyboard was brought onto the stage for Joakim and most people in the audience fell silent to concentrate on listening to The Hammer Has Fallen. Those few minutes were certainly the most peaceful during the whole gig, with some matching purple lighting to create a dramatic yet serene atmoshpere – with a couple of cigarette lighters waving among the audience to compliment the performance. The peace did not last long though since soon enough Berlin was burning with Attero Dominatus.

Although the band did leave the stage for a few minutes, encore came soon enough with The Art of War, Talvisota – to the Finns' national entertainment (or is it just pride?) and naturally, Primo Victoria, to which the audience was also jumping wildly. And last but not least, with the war theme abandoned, Metal Crüe to remind us not to take this genre too seriously.

Altogether the one-hour-and-a-half long gig was energetic and engaging. The setlist was good, yet a few magnificent tracks were missed – Coat of Arms, The Final Solution, Panzer Battalion and Wolfpack to name a few. And to keep us all excited still, Sabaton revealed they would be playing at Sauna Open Air metal festival next summer. I bet Tampere is eagerly waiting.
– cm_

* * *

For me it was the second time I got to see Sabaton's full live performance. I originally saw them in Sauna Open Air 2007 but merely from the bar area, and I only recognized Primo Victoria anyway. Tuska 2009 was my first proper show, and a damn good one at that. Unfortunately, in 2010, I missed out on the Coat of Arms tour despite really wanting to go, so it was about the time I got to see Sabaton again.

The gig was held in Pakkahuone in Tampere (Finland), which is a venue well-known in the Pirkanmaa region. As noted at the start, the venue was nearly sold-out with around 1000 infantry troops showing up. Since it was an under 18 gig, the area was split into two halves: one for the alcohol-thirsty battalion and the other one for the kids and drivers of the aforementioned battalion. That also meant the beer queues were fairly long, with only 4–5 lines to serve all the thirsty panzer corps.

As noted above, we skipped Dynazty and arrived to witness some of Raubtier's performance, and their live act indeed was pretty good, with some short speaks completely in Finnish between the songs! Musically they were somewhere along the lines of industrial metal. Pretty good live act, but probably not as tempting on a studio album.

Sabaton played a solid set with not many surprises. The set list perhaps left a bit to be desired (as always), and I'd have liked to hear Into the Fire and Coat of Arms also. Cliffs of Gallipoli is not a bad song, but in its stead the similarly-arranged The Price of a Mile would've been more to my liking.

White Death is a great tune and I was certain we'd hear it (since it's about a Finnish sniper in WW2) and I was happy about it. I can't say the same about Talvisota which as a song doesn't live up to many others, but due to its patriotic theme for Finns they just "had to" play it I suppose.

The Hammer Has Fallen was an oddity I didn't expect. While it was fun one time, I hope it's not a permanent addition to the set after the tour is over. Some people also have criticized Art of War as an encore song but I'll disagree. I thought it fit in well and I don't find it a dragging song like some people have described it.

All in all a good gig, but I'd rate the Tuska 2009 gig higher. The band seemed to have fun and it was great to see Thobbe Englund on the stage, and not to mention the one and only Snowy Shaw who filled in for the drummer boots while Robban Bäck was away due to family matters. Hopefully the set list gets a bit of a refresher for Sauna Open Air 2012, and we'll get to hear songs like Poltava or Killing Ground  (and naturally more of Coat of Arms)!
– dw_

LIVE: Ensiferum, support: Brymir, A.R.G September 6th

At the end of August Ensiferum released a new album, Unsung Heroes, and consequently toured in Finland with Brymir and A.R.G. In spite of the tour hitting Tampere on a Thursday night, the venue had pulled in relatively big crowds of metalheads.

The evening kicked off with a show from Brymir. Brymir play very distinguishable pagan/folk/melodic death metal akin to Ensiferum, and apparently they were originally called Lai Lai Hei – a song by Ensiferum indeed.

Brymir's approximately 35 mins long show was so good that I spent my merchandise money for the night solely on them. I would even go as far as to say Brymir's show was the best of the night. I wasn't familiar with their material before, but I'm getting into it now. They have one full-length album at the time of writing this called Breathe Fire to the Sun.

A.R.G. performed after Brymir, and where Brymir were full of surprises, A.R.G. were full of disappointments. Their oldschool thrash metal just didn't strike out to me, and I resorted to watching parts of the gig from afar (Ensiferum pun intended) enjoying my beer. After a few songs I'd seen and heard enough -- unfortunately, for I was hoping to enjoy a decent thrash metal gig, especially from a band so cult in the Finnish thrash metal scene. Alas, no dice this time. After A.R.G. finished, it was getting time for Ensiferum. -dw_

Yours truly had contradictory feelings about the upcoming gig: on one hand Ensiferum have made plenty of songs which sound fierce when played live, on the other hand none of the new songs had exactly made such a strong impression beforehand. Being more into their older material, my song wishes comprised those from their self-titled album.

Not that the new album wouldn't have any songs with great live potential; In My Sword I Trust at the beginning works fine to set the audience on fire and get them engaged. The song works better live than it does on an album, being an easy singroar-along catch with its simple chorus.

Not every song from Unsung Heroes does have the same live potential. While Pohjola may be quite an epic track in its own right, it's merely an awkward addition to a setlist. Vesa-Matti Loiri's deep voice heard on playback seems out of place when a bunch of metalheads are either concentrating on their pints of beer or eagerly waiting for the next moshpit. (Speaking of which, even moshpits quickly suffer from inflation if your encourage people to do it too often.)

All in all, each of their albums was presented with more than one song, yet the selection could have been better. It was to be expected that their newest album would get the most attention, but many particularly good live songs were omitted. Studies show that Into Battle or Stone Cold Metal haven't been on the summer festival setlists either, which is a great pity. The lack of Treacherous Gods left me quite disappointed as well, yet it could be excused with Battle Song, which was, along with another gem from the first album, Hero in a Dream, the best part of the gig.

The most enjoyable thing about Ensiferum's gigs, however, is the fact that the band really seem to be enjoying what they are doing. They are having fun on the stage, they're showing it, and they're spreading that mood into the audience as well. -cm_