Photo Reports

Finland’s favorite hard rock monsters Lordi rocked the legendary Tavastia venue playing the first of their last three tour dates of the “Lordiversitour” in their native land Finland. As usual, the band seemed to be happy playing in front of their home fans giving tons of laughs for the crowd, not forgetting a mix of hard rock to pop songs you can bang your head, or shake your behind to. Considering this was the first show of the tour in Finland, Mr Lordi gave his usual notorious tongue in cheek speeches in Finnish, turning a monster rock show almost to a stand-up show. The band truly seemed to be having fun which is always nice to see, and the newcomer monster Kone is truly a machine on the guitar, the band is sounding better than ever nowadays. Check out the pictures from the night down below! JOO JOO! (you had to be there to understand it)

Jennifer Batten, known for her work as a guitarist for big names like Michael Jackson and Jeff Beck, was on a club tour through Europe and had 2 stops in Belgium. We attended her show in the Goedleven (good life) venue in Ghent for an evening of pop-rock classics and some own work, including music she wrote to support several videos (that were also playing in the background).

One of the first things she said (to the light technician) was: “I’m like very old (65), so these flashing lights may give me epilepsy, so please don’t do that!?” She also said that she doesn’t see very well anymore, so they had to give a little more light than first intended, or she would play too many mistakes. These two requests were also very much appreciated by this grateful photographer, since it resulted in a very nicely illuminated show.

The first part was the music with the video footage. This was a solo performance. After that she pulled out the big guns: support on bass (and vocals) by Niklas Turmann and John Macaluso on the drums for a series of (mainly) pop, rock and jazz covers such as Aretha Franklin, Billie Eilish, Britney Spears, Toto and more.

A very nice performance in a very nice, very new venue!

After crushing all big stages in Belgium and abroad, this is the second to last show of Rhea before they take a break performing live for at least a year. Even with Jorge being sick and with Guillaume having problems with his pedals, they make one hell of a rock party with the biggest mosh pits the VIERNULVIER venue has had since a long time.

Being the support act, THE RG’s welcomed everyone with their blend of very solid melody-driven post-punk/grunge noise rock.

When Rhea comes on stage, the venue is packed and the crowd is instantly ready to dance, jump and sing along. A great evening to remember, and we’re already looking forward to when they’ll make a return to the stage!

To open the night a band unknown to many in Munich, coming from the neighboring Czech Republic and already have a large legion of fans there, they are Dymytry. A strong performance, full of attitude from someone who knows how to be on stage with full confidence, it was great to take pictures of them.

Almanac performed on stage without their vocalist due to illness, and the project’s mentor makes sure to warn that the set will be special. Victor Smolski (ex- member of RAGE) is a virtuoso guitarist and a man with many other specialties such as teaching, producing and driving racing cars. In Munich, he was accompanied by two other excellent musicians, and they gave a lesson in making music of a superior technical level.

The big name of the night came of course from Finland and brings with him his world of monsters, Mr. Lordi and company showed that they are excellent entertainers, full of humor and have a show that is worth watching. Musically, Lordi are an excellent example of how to make good hard rock, and the victory at the Eurovision festival didn’t happen by chance, they know how to make catchy, earworm choruses and songs that simply make you feel good.

Pretty big names tonight! Co-Headliners Eluveitie and Amorphis share the stage together with special guest Dark Tranquillity and warm-up act Nailed to Obscurity in Lille France. While Eluveitie are still touring with their latest album ‘Ategnatos’, Amorphis presents us their latest album ‘Halo’… Each band seems to have its own share of fans, but there is a certain overlap that makes it possible for the majority to enjoy the entire show.

The great room of the Backstage Club “Werk”, prepared to receive two excellent bands from the neighbor country, Switzerland!
With a super well composed room, opening the night were the explosive SOOMA, a trio coming from Zurich with a powerful presence and a lot of energy on stage, they warmed up well the public present.

We presented ourselves with much excitement and joy to be present to testify the European passage of Zeal & Ardor, a project that we appreciate very much.
Despite apparently not being in full physical shape, they performed flawlessly in Munich. Manuel, has a new look and many find the absence of his voluminous and beautiful hair strange, but unlike Samson, he has not lost his strength or virtuosity.

It was a memorable concert, mixing all the musical diversity of the Swiss band, accompanied by a lot of moshpit in the huge and energetic audience present. Certainly by the end of the year, Zeal & Ardor will be in the tops of the best records of the year, so we advise you to go and witness the band’s immense talent live.

After driving 3 hours, standing in front of the MVP Arena in Albany, NY, looking up and seeing the sign for the Trinity of Terror Tour lighting up across the screen, gave me goosebumps. All my nerves were catching up to me as I was getting ready to go into my first concert with a press pass and let me tell you the entire experience was better than I could have imagined! Running around trying to figure out where to go was a little crazy but the show itself was entertaining, fulfilling and memorable to say the least. Overall, I think all the bands, and the fans, fed off each other’s energy which made the experience WILD. It’s one thing to be in the audience watching the band but being in the different world of the photo pit, in between the performance and the crowd, is completely thrilling. The interaction of the bands and the audience pulsated through the air, you can hear the fans singing the words of the songs along with the artists and I was able to capture both sides of the story.

Each band brought their own special recipe to the stage. Atreyu brought comedy by joking around with the crowd, shaking their hips and bringing us a lovely tease of “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by the lovely Whitney Houston. Ice Nine Kills brought their horror game to the stage, slicing and dicing their way through the stage actors and reenacting horror themes from some of the most iconic slasher films out there. Motionless In White brought the heavy music and some fancy footwork as their lead singer Chris Motionless busted moves while singing “Werewolf” which has multiple tributes to Michael Jackson. Finally Black Veil Brides came out and ended the night with some recent music, but they certainly didn’t forget to appease the longtime fans by playing some of their older music.

This event first caught my eye when Silver Bullet  announced that they would be there as support act, so naturally I had to be there as well. I fell in love with this band the moment I first heard them play and still think they have great potential. Why they only got to play 5 songs doesn’t make sense to me at all, especially as an 1 hour break followed their performance. I would have rather heard a bit more of them instead of just waiting for Stratovarius to start. As expected they played a few songs from their recently released album ‘Survive‘ as well as the classics like ‘Hunting High and Low‘ and ‘Eagleheart‘. Pakkahuone was finally properly filled with people again and it was a nice relaxed evening.

Every year again, Elektrik Products brings the best and most exciting bands from the industrial, goth, EBM, (dark) elektro, darkwave and cyber scene to Finland for Hellsinki Industrial Festival! After last year’s edition on the new location, we get to return to Ääniwalli for yet another exciting fest there. With major artists like suicide commando, Faderhead, Agonoize, Centhron and Gothminister besides a nice slab of more fan favorites and surprisingly different artists, this promised to be yet another massive party!

Due to a late night and traffic not working along, we ended up missing out on Matt Hart opening the 2nd day of this year’s edition, but luckily there was still plenty to enjoy!

Every year again, Elektrik Products brings the best and most exciting bands from the industrial, goth, EBM, (dark) elektro, darkwave and cyber scene to Finland for Hellsinki Industrial Festival! After last year’s edition on the new location, we get to return to Ääniwalli for yet another exciting fest there. With major artists like suicide commando, Faderhead, Agonoize, Centhron and Gothminister besides a nice slab of more fan favorites and surprisingly different artists, this promised to be yet another massive party!