Review by S J "Bonehand" Holetz
Flashback to 2005: Coming off
perhaps my 100th listen of Doomsday Machine
that summer,
I hit the road early to catch Arch Enemy as they
opened the day at the Seattle stop of Ozzfest.
I arrive 45 minutes prior to their projected start
time and line up to enter the White River
Amphitheater. There I would stand for the next hour,
in a long sluggishly moving line, seething
in a blind rage as I vaguely hear Arch Enemy tear through their entire
set from the parking lot,
daydreams of a trip to Cancun hotels,
or maybe a movie-esque
scene of my sandals approaching
a row of hotels
in Dominican Republic the only things keeping me
from screaming...
Forward to 2008: Things were
FINALLY set right this week as Arch Enemy returned to
the
Emerald City as victorious headliners on the Tyranny
and Bloodshred (sic) Tour.
And I was there to see it.
The evenings festivities were
kicked off by Greek power-metallers Firewind, [Link] [MySpace]
led by former touring Arch Enemy guitarist Gus G. The
set started out somewhat lacking in energy,
perhaps due to the fact that AE's guitar tech saw fit
to keep changing strings ON THE FREAKING LEFT
SIDE OF THE STAGE for the first half of Firewind's set, a
move that I thought was distracting and more
than a little disrespectful to their opening act. The
band powered through, however, with a solid version of
current single "Mercenary Man". Frontman Apollo
Papathanasio delivered a soaring vocal on this one,
his delivery reminding me alternately of both Dio and
Dickenson. A
scorching version of "The Fire and the
Fury" proved the perfect forum for Gus G's
pyrotechnics, as did a late set shred-off between him
and
keyboardist Bob Katsionis. This definitely lent a Dragonforce Jr.
vibe to the proceedings, whetting
appetites for the axework to come.
Next up, pseudo-supergroup Divine Heresy [MySpace], the latest project from former
Fear
Factory guitarist Dino Cazares. While I found
the tunes themselves to be pretty much average fare,
it's
no argument that the band can flat out work a room.
The band's intense metalcore groove had the crowd
roiling immediately, locked firmly in place by bassist
Joe Payne, best known for his stint and subsequent
ejection from Nile, and speed-demon drummer Tim Yeung.
However the real highlight of the short set
was the super-intense, eye's-buggin-out
performance of touring vocalist Jake Veredika, who hit
the
crowd hard with his Anselmo-esque roar. I hope Dino keeps this cat around,
he's the real deal.
Note: Former
Fear Factory members are working their ass off these
days. Vocalist C. Burton
Bell hit town last month on tour with Ministry, and
now Dino rolls through with his new joint. I
just
need to catch Zimmer's
Hole in September to complete the hat trick.
Then it was Dark Tranquillity's [Link], [MySpace] turn to take the stage once
again, and although
their set was far more concise than their show last
April [Link], it was every
bit as tight and riveting. I am
always impressed with this bands intelligence,
musicianship, and precise guitar interplay, and once
again
they did not dissapoint. Vocallist Mikael Stanne
stalked the stage with his usual mix of rage and good
humor ("From here on out, it's all Swedish Death
Metal!") as guitarists Niklas Sundin
and Martin Henriksson
strafed the crowd with top quality riffage. This was another
great set from Dark Tranquillity, a true class
act in the metal business.
So it was that
after a 3 year delay, amidst a sea of smoke and
strobelights, I finally saw Sweden's
Arch Enemy [Link], [MySpace]
take the stage. Opening with the anthemic "Blood On
Your Hands",
the
band proceeded to crush the audience beneath wave after wave
of stunning guitarwork from
brothers Michael and Christopher Amott, as frontwoman
Angela Gossow raged in front of them, arm
raised to the sky in metal defiance.
I couldn't help but be a little awed by the band as they
ripped through favorite after favorite in
"Ravenous",
"Dead
Eyes See no Future", and "My Apocalypse". I mean,
think about it: In Michael A.
and drummer Daniel Erlandsson you have one half of the mighty Carcass! Not to
mention bassist
Sharlee D'Angelo, coolly rocking the Ibanez Iceman, also
bassist for both King Diamond AND
Witchery! How badass is that?
Between clinics of tastefully technical
shredding put on by the Amotts, Gossow did
a masterful
job working the packed crowd to a frenzy, impressing
with both vocal stopping power and a genuine
stage presence. I was already a fan of Angela, both due
to her skill as one of few women vocalists
who truly owns a Death Metal growl, as well as her work
in the metal community, which I was aware
of through her support of upcoming artists and such
projects as the Portland, OR Girl's Rock Camp [Link].
Even so, it was still pretty moving when she paused the
show to present a 7-year-old girl with the gift
of a spiked belt, hopefully cementing another music fan
for life. Nicely done, AG.
Additional show highlights were an amazing version of
"Revolution Begins" that led to an extremely
cool drum solo from Erlandsson, and the show's closing
setpiece: a series of brilliant and lengthy guitar
solos which bracketed awesome takes on "Nemesis" and "We
Will Rise", perfectly ending an evening
of amazing axemanship, and finally assuaging my
lingering annoyance from '05. I am satisfied at last.
Firewind Set List
Into The Fire
Tyranny (?)
Mercenary Man
Head Up High
The Fire and the Fury (Inst)
Till The End Of Time
Divine Heresy Set List
Bleed The Fifth
Saviour Self
Impossible is Nothing (?)
False Gospel
This Threat is Real
Failed Creation
Dark
Tranquillity Set List
Terminus
The
Lesser Faith
The Treason Wall
The Wonders At Your Feet
Inside the Particle Storm
Focus Shift
Misery's Crown
Punish The Heavens
Final Resistance
Arch Enemy
Set List
(Taped Intro)
Blood On Your Hands
Ravenous
Taking Back My Soul
Dead Eyes See no Future
My Apocalypse
Revolution Begins
(Drum Solo-Daniel Erlandsson)
Dead Bury Their Dead
Last Enemy
I Will Live Again
(Guitar Solos-Chris Amott)
Enemy Within
Nemesis
Encore:
Snowbound (Inst)
We Will Rise
Fields of Desolation (Inst)
(Taped Outro)