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.
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)
