Photo Reports

Einar (Leprous vocalist) was sick. He didn’t feel well at all and his gut voice didn’t work at all, only the high voice worked, but… isn’t that what Leprous is all about? So the concert just had to go on! Actually, we didn’t notice anything of it all the time, and at the end, despite everything, even a growl came off in the song ‘Nighttime Disguise’…. Probably the painkillers totally kicked in by then.

Even more damage on the counter: the vocalist of Monuments had been a little too boisterous and knocked out his tooth with his microphone. (Visible in the photo where he is on his knees in front of the plexiglass step at the front of the stage: the white dot on it is his tooth!) According to his own words, this was already the sixth time this happened to him.

During the supporting act Kalandra nothing distructive happened. However, I must quickly add that they (the other bands too, of course) delivered a great performance!

After an earlier attempt by Gaerea in April last year to take over a stage in Finland, and an exceptional new album released last year as well with ‘Mirage’, we were really excited to finally catch these black metal stars on the rise on a stage near us. At the beginning of February the time was finally there, and we were clearly not the only ones that had been looking forward to seeing this Portuguese outfit live, since On The Rocks was completely sold out. With the addition of local black metal act Venenum Dei, it promised to be an intense evening and one for the books of hosts Nem Agency and Loose Mind Productions.

There is only one word to describe what The Kooks are live, and it’s professionalism at the highest level. The British band from Brighton filled the huge hall that is the Zenith in Munich with smiles and joy, showing off all their popular hits, from the oldest to the most recent (Seaside, Ooh La, Connection, Naive, Bad Habit, Always Where I Need to Be, She Moves in Her Own Way). The audience gave in completely, singing in unison the songs of the band led by Luke Pritchard, making the night memorable. Opening the night, Stone, a punk-alternative band who came all the way from Liverpool to unload all their energy in the few minutes they had to show themselves in a very direct and effective way.

Prog masters Dream Theater are on tour with their latest album ‘A View From the Top of the World’ and we got the chance to attended the show in Tilburg, Netherlands! The technical skills of all musicians are still top level. Whoever took the lead (for they each alternate) performed it with academic precision. From beginning to end, we were drawn into a musical story with a performance that approaches perfection… as usual.

Warm up act was the Finnish progressive/symphonic power metal band Arion.

We arrived early at the Feierwerk in Munich, to mark our position in the front line as we know the rooms here are small and there are no photopits in the hope of getting some good shots in the middle of the crowd. The night starts off very heavy with the British Heriot, a mix of genres ranging from hardcore to sludge, they showed that the potential is there in the band and that time will surely bring good results.

Coming from North America, Holy Fawn are a very interesting post-rock band that already has some years of existence and a few albums released. Little known in Europe they deserve a close listen and a trip to see them live is worth it, they started out as a folk band.

Rolo Tomassi are new to me, I confess! In a search on the Munich nightclubs’ agenda I saw the name, I found it curious and decided to listen to it. The surprise was immediate and the request to try to get a photo was instantaneous. A little more research and I could understand a little more of the band’s importance in the UK alternative music scene. Chaos and beauty mix together in the music composed by Rolo Tomassi, their music can be described as a mixture of various musical genres that live becomes even more alive and strong. An explosive performance that left everyone present with a smile on their face and the sweat on their body.

When one of my all-time favorite modern metal bands shows up at a venue near me, like Trivium, I simply need to be there. And them bringing along the German metalcore legends Heaven Shall Burn as co-headliners, the death metal mastodon that is Obituary and Malevolence, the UK hardcore band that has become one of my favorite recent discoveries as openers, only solidified me need to be there. At a pretty much sold out Culture House in Helsinki, we were in for a great night of metal in one of Helsinki’s nicest venues…

Once again we return to the grand concert hall that is the Zenith in Munich, with a last minute confirmation that was well worth it!
The biggest band of the night were the British Bullet For My Valentine, of which we don’t have pictures available because we weren’t allowed to. We can only say that they gave a great show with the crowd going crazy song after song. Let’s hope in a next opportunity to have the privilege to take some nice pictures of these gentlemen.

The North Americans of Atreyu were the first to enter the stage and set the crowd on fire with a strong and intense presence. For the third time, I had the opportunity to photograph the fantastic Ukrainian band Jinjer and I notice that each time they drag more and more public for their shows. Appealing to the crowd for the end of the war in the country where they come from at the beginning of the concert, the band unloaded all their rage on stage, showing why they are at the top of the extreme metal universe. Tatiana is a “monster” on stage and her new look shines through, so we managed to grab some great pictures of this beautiful lady accompanied by great quality musicians. The audience once again completely surrendered to another visit of Jinjer in Munich.

Two consecutive full house nights at the Zenith in Munich, to welcome the big party made by the North American Dropkick Murphys. The legendary veterans continue to exude an unusual energy, with vocalist Ken Casey giving himself completely to his fans, leaving the stage and coming and going over and over again to share the sweat with those who love them so closely. During the night they paraded the classics that everyone wants to sing accompanied by some nice German beers, “The Boys Are Back” , “Cadillac, Cadillac” , “Rose Tattoo” among many others that accompany the career of this band that practices a Celtic punk style.

Helping to warm up the public were the singer and songwriter Jesse Ahern, who despite being solo managed to fill the huge Zenith stage and certainly managed to conquer new fans of his work. Arriving from the other side of the world, The Rumjacks are loyal followers of the work of the main band of the night and spread energy and sympathy everywhere, being a worldwide success. Others who were present on this double date in Munich are an institution when it comes to punk rock, Pennywise need no introduction and their performances are fantastic despite all these years on the road. They sound fresh and young, full of vitality and willing to please old fans and win over new ones, some of them, probably children of parents who came to see their band for the first time. Jim Lindberg had time during the first minutes of the concert to “steal” a camera from a colleague and take a beautiful photo of the Zenith hall, completely overflowing with sweaty bodies.

A memorable night that can be repeated as soon as possible, that everyone will be there again to celebrate life!

“Is there a doctor in the room? You never want to hear that, but it’s always possible… During “Precience,” only one song before the end, a fan had a seizure and had to be picked up by ambulance.  The last song on the set list would have been “Drip,” but we didn’t get to hear that. The band decided to stop the concert. A regrettable incident during the kick-off of their European tour, but this was probably the only right decision they could make.

However, this does not take away from the fact that they played a very strong set. About half came from their latest album (2022): ‘Where Myth Becomes Memory’

Warm up acts were Holy Fawn and Heriot.

Sweat, heat and beer, that basically sums up Brymir’s show at the practically sold out Torvi in Lahti last Friday. Before the show fans also had the chance to chat a bit with the band during a little meet and greet.

While it was not the fanciest set up, the close and intimate atmosphere made for a great viewing experience.