Photo Reports
It’s that time of the year again where we look back at the past 12 months and wonder how fast time has flown by again. This year brought along many ups and unfortunately also many downs. Luckily, I also got to enjoy some great gigs that helped to brighten my mood. In the end those shows resulted in this collection of favourite pictures featuring Vola, Apulanta, Marko Hietala, Cyan Kicks, Stam1na, Kotiteollisuus, Blind Channel, Cyhra, Sigh, Everwave, Sonata Arctica, Neonfly, Altamullan Road, Avatar, Raskasta Joulua, Beatrix, Battle Beast, Steve ‘n’ Seagulls, Áilu Valle, Amoc and Trio Boogiemen
While they generally focus on pagan folk and fantasy folk events, Idavoll decided to kick things up a notch to end 2024 and threw a folk metal night. Not too crazy a sidestep given how much overlap in people there is between the pagan folk & metal scenes. They put a lot of effort in making their events all ages, which seems to pay off, as we even spotted some kids running around. Never too early to start the young ones on some heavy music!
Skål, a largely instrumental party folk metal band from Wallonia, got to kick off the night. “Instrumental party folk”, you say? How does that work? By adding fun gimmicks and simple catchphrases for the crowd to shout along. The music is rather eclectic in style despite the name, keeping things fresh throughout. They’ve been around for several years already, and it shows in a very solid sound.
Next up were the locals from Hert. They blend the black-influenced pagan metal style with power metal and violin for some catchy tunes good for headbanging and jumping around.
Sorcières from France headlined the first (?) Metal Sessions. Unfortunately, without a drummer since last summer, though we heard a replacement has been found and is in training. They didn’t let that hold them back and brought some great, darker, witchy atmosphere to close the night with. Though we spotted dancing too!
Sometimes in December, you can get the feeling that this seems to be an endless month of concert highlights. To add to this, we had the opportunity to eyewitness ENTER SHIKARI on one of their rare ‘Dancing On The Frontline Tour 2024’ gigs in Europe.
No need to say that the tour was sold out fast, the venue ‘Im Wizemann’ was packed with an electrified audience. But before the heroes from St. Albans (UK) got on stage, WAIT OF THE WORLD, a Munich-based five piece, warmed up the crowd with a mixture of electronic and alternative rock. With their action-loaded show and ever moving vocalist, there was no trouble convincing the audience to engage and setting the right mood for the headliner.
When ENTER SHIKARI started their performance, the tension erupted fully. There was no holding back, and everybody started singing and jumping. The audiovisual dope provided was simply too good. ENTER SHIKARI gave a solid proof why they are still among the UK top acts for the genre of post-hardcore with a blend of metal and electronic sounds. The energy and action on stage was spectacular. The animation on the large LED pillars spanning over the full width of the stage were stunning and a perfect match to each song and combined with well curated lights. It was simply phenomenal. For long-time fans and for first-timers, the show gave a good overview of the musical bandwidth of the band. The set list covered the full spectrum of their musical capabilities and evolution over the years of band history. All this while the band kept a close connection to the audience at all times. And as reaction from the audience there has been a constant stream of crowd-surfers, singing, shouting and jumping up to the last song.
Known as one of the best and most consistent hardcore bands, having been around for over 2 decades, Comeback Kid coming back to Finland was something we weren’t going to miss out on! And we were proven right, with an absolutely explosive night where the packed venue turned into pure chaos as soon as Comeback Kid played one single note, with stagedivers and crowdsurfers galore and a constant pulsating moshpit. And the support they brought with them only fleshed out this amazing night of hardcore music with the NY-based Spaced and crossover misfits Prowl!
Wolfheart was just back from an extensive tour with Dark Tranquillity all over Europe, and a unique show in Saudi Arabia, but decided it wasn’t enough yet. They added another show in Helsinki to take place about halfway December, and since they were telling us all that this would be the last club show in Finland for a long time, we didn’t hesitate to gather ourselves and get to this show! With them they brought the Finnish melodeath talents Swansong and Scythe of Sorrow to get the crowd warmed up for what turned into a schooling of Finnish melodeath!
Finland’s band of misfits King Satan released their latest album ‘The Devil’s Evangelion’, and such an epic album deserves a proper release tour of course. At the end of 2024, they embarked on a series of release shows in Finland and showed up in Helsinki the day after Independence Day, giving us a good reason to go out for yet another party! With them, they brought their friends of the dark elektro duo Miseria Ultima to open the night, and doomy outfit The Abbey as direct support. An excellent night of great music and friends, and with a King Satan in absolute top form!
Country music isn’t just for warm summer days. Why not enjoy some fun tunes while sipping on a hot Glöggi? I at least found that to be very enjoyable.
Steve’n’Seagulls last gig of the season started with ‘Black Dog‘ and continued with a good variety of faster pasted songs like ‘My Sharona‘ or ‘Thunderstruck‘. They even played the Rammstein cover ‘Ich Will‘. Of course, classics like ‘Carry On‘ and ‘Run to the Hill‘ were also played. And while the atmosphere is very light-hearted and fun, Steve ‘n’ Seagulls also showcased a lot of skills mastering to play several different instruments and not just replaying the famous songs, but really making their own versions. The only thing I was missing was my favourite song of theirs, ‘Sweet Maria‘.
An unforgettable evening of music took place at the Effenaar in Eindhoven on Nov. 28, 2024. Due to heavy traffic, we missed the chance to see the opening act The Intersphere, but the mood quickly turned back more positive when we arrived just in time for Charlotte Wessels‘ performance. Charlotte mesmerized the audience with her performance as she introduced her latest album, ‘The Obsession’. Her performance showcased her unique artistry and new material and garnered much acclaim.
Excitement rose further as Danish prog-metal powerhouse Vola took the stage. Known for their blend of heaviness and melodic finesse, they gave a mesmerizing performance. A standout moment came when Charlotte Wessels joined the band as a guest vocalist for the song ‘Cannibal’. Her voice blended beautifully with Vola‘s intricate soundscapes. The collaboration was a special treat for the audience and marked a memorable highlight of the evening.
This year, as a concertgoer, you’ll be bombarded with a fireworks display of great concerts in the last quarter of the year. It’s really hard to pick out the highlights of the highlights. However, if you didn’t choose to attend WITHIN TEMPTATION‘s ‘Bleed Out Tour 2024’ stop in the Porsche Arena on this third of December in Stuttgart and its surroundings, you missed out!
BLIND8 from Ukraine kicked off the evening with their metalcore. A solid performance that took place in a not-yet-full hall. The four Ukrainians were able to convince, although there is room for improvement in terms of sound and lighting. Another musical gem from the war-torn country that you can put next to JINJER.
With ANNISOKAY (Ann Is Okay), another metalcore combo took the stage. You can tell that the band has been around since 2007. The performance is routine and secure. As a German band, it is also a kind of home game for the guys from Halle (Saxony-Anhalt, Germany), in the Swabian capitol. The audience is enthusiastic. A special highlight is the short appearance of WITHIN TEMPTATION singer Sharon Del Adel at the end of the set, with Sharon visibly having fun as well.
When Within Temptation take the stage, there is no holding back. The fantastic stage with the huge LED walls offers a visual delight that is second to none. A mixture of video and animations adjusted to the songs have been presented, simply eye-candy deluxe. Even without pyro, but with smoke columns, it’s an impressive affair. Musically, the band can draw from the full discography, and they do. The sound is wonderful and brings Sharon‘s voice fully to the fore. An absolutely great concert!
VOLA earlier impressed on the main stage of Tuska Festival in Helsinki, and clearly a proper show of their own was necessary, looking at how many people absolutely adored these guys. On the back of the release of their latest new album ‘Friend of a Phantom’, they embarked on an extensive tour throughout Europe with special guest Charlotte Wessels and openers Feather Mountain, guaranteeing an evening of proggy and gorgeously atmospheric music. Of course, they dropped by in Finland as well for a couple of shows, and their performance at Helsinki’s very pretty and fitting venue Vanha Ylioppilastalo will be a 2024 highlight for many of those who attended.
