So the first band we saw was the Italian Sick N’ Beautiful. The alternative metal outfit has a very distinct aesthetic going for them that combines elements of the occult with some sci-fi stuff. Straight away, they had a really infectious high energy, with for instance bassist Big Daddy Ray regularly coming to the edge of the stage to point at the crowd with his bass or make faces. And let’s not forget about the goblin looking drummer Evey who really threw herself into the show, so entertaining to watch! And then there’s a course vocalist Herma, who is quite the sight to behold and has some impressive vocals coming along with her stage presence. They have some really fun melodies and grooves going for them in their music, it was a pity that somehow the sound seemed a bit off. It was almost as if we were listening to them through some filter. And on top of that, they couldn’t really use any of their usual theatrics on stage because of circumstances preventing them to do so. A pity, but still a really fun show to watch, fingers crossed that this first time visiting Finland won’t be the last and that we can see them in full force some time soon!

Then next, was the highlight for many people coming to these shows. Compared to the first bands, the venue filled up really fast, and not too surprising. A lot of people, including me, got really excited when it was announced that the special guest for this tour would be Wednesday 13 with a “performing Murderdolls” set! For so many of us, Murderdolls (and Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13) was an integral part of the soundtrack of our teenage years and getting to experience these songs live, despite not having Joey Jordison there, is something you just can’t miss out on. Banger after banger was being played that a majority of the crowd was either dancing to or singing along to at the top of their lungs. ‘197666’, ‘Slit My Wrist’, ‘People Hate Me’, ‘Nowhere’ (dedicated to Joey), their take on Billy Idol‘s ‘White Wedding’ and of course ‘Dead in Hollywood’ and ‘I Love to Say Fuck’ all came by and that’s only half of the setlist! From start to finish, everything was just right, and I’m still starting to grin when I think back about that part of the night.

It’s honestly always a pleasure to see Cradle of Filth on stage, especially lately. In the past, their live reputation was often a bit spotty where you had to be lucky if their sound was good or not, but one thing they always aced was the visual aspect, creating the haunting atmosphere that CoF‘s music deserves. But nowadays, they seem to be working like a well-oiled machine, absolutely killing it live every time. Last time we managed to catch Cradle in Finland, was at Knotfest Finland in broad daylight, so I was looking forward quite much to see them in a more controlled and dark setting. And they did not disappoint at all!

With 2 rather large skeleton creatures on both sides of the stage, Dani‘s elaborate mic stand and keyboardist Zoe‘s stand in the back with fence and roses already set the signature CoF mix of moods where the creepy and occult often intermingles with romanticism. As soon as the band took over the stage, the crowd erupted in energetic cheers, and everyone, but especially Dani seemed to be picked up by that energy, getting really pumped up. Dani ran and jumped around with a relentless energy, showing that he’s still very much capable of pulling those high-pitched screams he became so well-known for. The setlist was a smorgasbord of tracks from the past and the more recent albums, where ‘The Principle of Evil Made Flesh’ and ‘Nymphetamine (Fix)’ were clearly big highlights for the crowd in the first half of the set. ‘Dusk and Her Embrace’ and ‘At the Gates of Midian’ were still to be found on the regular set and received obviously well, before an extended encore followed with some of Cradle of Filth‘s classics like ‘Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids’, ‘Her Ghost in the Fog’ and ‘From the Cradle to Enslave’! An absolutely great show by these extreme metal icons that got the packed venue truly going, and while I would love to maybe see even more theatrics involved in the performance, I didn’t really have any major complaints, more of this, please!