28-03-2015 Ensiferum

Supports: Omnium Gatherum, Insomnium; Venue: Tivoli, Bremen (Germany)
By: Basak Günel

An evening full of melodic death metal and folk metal was waiting for the fans on a rainy Saturday evening at Bremen. The best thing about this show was the fact that the line-up consisted of the best bands in their own genres and so a great audience was expected for sure!

Omnium Gatherum on stage.. The finnish melodic death metallers have been active since 1996 and their evolving and dynamic sound is what makes them so loved and adored! Although it has been 2 years since the release of the band’s latest album “Beyond”, the band managed to make everyone headbang and warm up the venue for the next acts. I especially loved the energy of the show; just straightforward melodic finnish metal at its finest and the crowd seemed to appreciate it as well. It was especially great to see that some hardcore fans of the band, singing along to the songs and cheering (which is not always the case for an opening act).

The highlight of the show was definitely the great attitude of the vocalist Jukka Pelkonen. During the show, he encouraged the audience to headbang and do devil horns and also interacted with them so the show felt natural from the beginning to the end. Let’s not forget the guitarist Markus Vanhala though; his guitar solos and his posture on stage was clear indication that he’s one of the best in the genre of melodic death metal. My personal favorite song from the setlist was “New Dynamic”. All in all, despite a short setlist, the band just rocked a crowded venue!

After a short set by Omnium Gatherum, another legendary death metal band, Insomnium, was on stage. Formed in 1997, these finnish death metallers have a unique sound which is dark and melancholic and this was reflected in the show. The venue got also more crowded as it was clear to see that some people were there just to see the band.

When it comes to Insomnium shows, the e-guitars and harsh vocals form the highlight. During the show, the fans experienced amazing guitar solos performed by the guitarist Markus Vanhala (again!) and the stand-in guitarist Kari Olli who also did the clean vocals. Although it was sometimes hard to hear clean vocals due to technical problems, the band gave the fans what they needed and craved.

With 6 debut albums, surely the setlist also has to be diverse and this was indeed so. The band started the show with a very old song, “The Killjoy”, but also did not forget to include songs such as “While We Sleep”, “The Promethean Song” and “Black Heart Rebellion” from their latest album “Shadows of the Dying Sun”. Each song had a different atmosphere and took the crowd to a journey in Insomnium’s history. It was really interesting to see the band’s change over the years.

After melodic death metal, it was time for some melodic folk metal! The finnish folk metallers Ensiferum released their latest album “One Man Army” on February 2015 and they have been promoting the album throughout Europe. The album has gotten positive feedback so far so there was anticipation within the audience about the show.

When the band started the show with the two songs from the new album, “March of War” and “Axe of Judgement”, I knew that this was gonna be an amazing show! What I liked the most about the band was that they have an improved and much more energetic sound, both in the album and in the show. The crowd was also into the atmosphere; there was mosh-pit going on in every fast song and the band seemed to like it a lot! Another interesting aspect was the stand-in accordionist Netta Skog (ex-Turisas) as well; since the keyboardist Emmi Silvennoinen could not play in the tour due to personal reasons, Netta had to fill in for her and this made the whole show even more fun and cheerful.

The highlights of the show were surely a little Finnish humppa played by Netta and the short cover of Judas Priest’s “Breaking The Law”, in which the bandmembers were completely changed!( Netta in vocals, Markus in drums, Petri in bass, Sami in accordion and Janne in e-guitar). Furthermore, although the band played quite a lot of songs from the new album, they did not forget the fans of the oldies and played some classic songs like “Into Battle”, “Little Dreamer”, “Victory Song”, “Ahti” and the last song “Iron”. As a person who saw the band a lot of times, I have to say that this show topped it all!

Great audience, great bands and great performances! Catch all three bands on tour if you have the chance, you won’t be disappointed!

Links:
Omnium Gatherum Official
Insomnium Official
Ensiferum Official