Photo Reports

After many years(!) of waiting and many times of rescheduling Deathstars finally made it to Tampere on their ‘Everything Destroys Europe Tour’. You can literally see the excitement of the fans: I don’t think I have ever seen such a long line of people queue for a show at Olympia-Kortelli.

The evening starts with a home match for King Satan, who undoubtable have their own fan base with them. After that Priest bring us something completely different with their synth music. They caught me a bit by surprise, but I can’t argue that their music has something. I’ve listened to ‘History in Black‘ approximately 200 times in the last 3 days. We even got to experience the live premiere of their new song ‘Burning Love‘.

And then Deathstars hit the stage with ‘Night Electric Night‘. It’s one hit after the other, the only song I was missing on the set list was ‘Play God‘, but as much as I would have loved to heard that song live, I wasn’t really expecting it anyway. Whiplasher had to scold us several times and remind us that we “only speak when we’re spoken too”. He kept giving us commands, but I don’t think anyone minded it, we happily screamed when he told us to and raised our hands on his command. At the end of the show, I just can’t stop smiling. I’m not sure when I enjoyed a show this much the last time. The only thing that comes to mind hitting me equally hard has been Green Day 14 years ago, back when I was still a teenager. I need more of this, the approximately one and a half hours were just not enough. This was quite possibly one of the best shows I’ve ever been to.

Whenever a band does a reunion, it’s a big deal, even if it’s just for a few shows. Even though I don’t really know Poisonblack, it was clear that I had to try to catch one of the 20th ‘Escapexstacyn‘ anniversary shows. Luckily enough I got the chance to attend their show at Tullikamari Klubi in Tampere and my expectations were certainly met. Not only did they play ‘Escapexstacyn’ in its entirety, they also got a lot of the old members back on stage, even if, in some cases, just for a couple of songs.

Blood Command recently released a massive new album with ‘World Domination’ and embarked on a tour of the same name to present their new work to fans all over the continent on stage. So when they hit up On The Rocks in Helsinki again, we didn’t hesitate and quickly made our way to the venue for a shot of the high energy shows they are so well-known for. Opening for them were the local metal heroes Mørket, easily matching the main event in energetic performance.

German post-hardcore band Annisokay had a busy October this year with their European tour. Despite a bit of a rocky start and some rescheduling due to health issues on the part of some band members, everything went according to plan. We had the opportunity to see the concert on Backstage, and it was a reunion for Bavarian fans with one of the bands of choice on the German alternative scene. After a reshuffle, following the amicable departure of previous vocalist Dave Grunewald, a new man, Rudi Schwarzer, arrived to complete the dirty vocals and has done an excellent job, having already recorded the latest album “Aurora” as well the latest Ep “Abyss Pt I”.

As support bands on this tour in Germany, we had the Scottish To Kill Achilles as well as the Norwegians Fixation, two bands with enormous potential that we will be following closely.

Norway’s Kvelertak went on the road for a few shows here in Germany as part of their European tour to present their latest work “Endling” to the public.
We attended the gig in Munich and, as usual, the biggest room in the Backstage Club was packed to the rafters for one of those sweaty nights, with lots of moshing and crowd-surfing from both the audience and the band! Canada’s Cancer Bats had the honour and merit of warming up the well the crowd before the main act.

The concerts are back in full swing in the great hall that is the Zenith -Die Kulturhalle. As always, the professionalism of all those who organise events there is evident in the friendly welcome we received.

The room was full to welcome the “cowboys” from Berlin! The BossHoss came to perform their new “Electric Horsemen” tour and proved once again that they are a great live band. The groovy country rock show was full of good surprises, with lots of fire, lights, explosions and smoke that delighted everyone present. This was the third time I’ve been able to photograph the band, and it’s always a great pleasure and a thrill to be able to take part in the festivities in some way. It’s worth highlighting the way the band treats the press, giving permission to take images permanently throughout the show, after the classic 3 in the pit, thank you.

Opening the night were Wellbad, a band from Hamburg who unfortunately we didn’t get to see in time to take pictures, but we still watched the rest of their concert and it was good. They warmed up the crowd in the best way, let’s hope we cross paths with them soon. In short, it was an evening of excellence and joy, as a live music show should be.

It was about time that the Norwegian misfits of Kvelertak dropped by again in Finland. If there’s one thing that is guaranteed when these dudes come over for a gig, is that you’ll get a damn explosive evening! Add to that them bringing the melodic hardcore bombshell that is the Canadian Cancer Bats, and you know you’re in for a wild night!

When an absolute legend like John Lydon (formerly known as Johnny Rotten) comes to a venue near you with his band Public Image Ltd. to present their latest album ‘End of World’, how can you say no to that? So of we went, to a sold out Ääniwalli in the outskirts of Helsinki, an event hosted by All Things Live Finland.

The Tonhalle was huge for just one person, and without fear of facing an audience that probably wouldn’t be his, JANOSCH MOLDAU came on stage. In about half an hour, fearless, he managed to present his synth-pop songs and have the visibility needed to win over new followers – a thankless task, but always worth it!

When the veterans Combichrist take to the stage, they have no pity for those in front of them, “massacring” those present with an outpouring of energy and power that makes your whole body vibrate and your ears bleed. The mix of electronic beats and ultra-heavy guitar riffs is the perfect combination for those who like genuinely alternative sounds. Andy LaPlegua and his mates worked up a sweat and were always very interactive, to the point where the stage was no longer the limit and bassist Elliott entered the middle of the riot and crowdsurfed while playing his instrument.

Closing the evening, Megaherz performed new songs from “In Teufels Namen” and, of course, old favourites from their long career. In front of their most loyal audience and playing at home, they gave a relatively warm but consistent concert, with good lighting and stage sound.

Every year the Lost in Music Festival, Finland’s biggest showcase Festival, brings around 100 Artists to Tampere. The event includes everything from newcomers to established all stars, from R&B to Heavy Metal. This festival will surely be able to check the box for almost everyone.

We made it to one of the events happening at Olympia-Kortteli, featuring Bloodred Hourglass, One Morning Left and Shereign. I must say, that even though I know this was a great combo, I didn’t expect there to be quite so many people, after all, the show was held on a Thursday night. It was packed, it was hot and it was a big party.