Photo Reports
Hip hop is a music genre that I’ve always loved and when an absolute legend of the culture comes over for a show at a venue nearby, how could I say no to that? Jeru The Damaja, known from classic tracks like ‘Come Clean’, and his work with Gang Starr, is someone you simply don’t want to miss out on. Helsinki based hip hop artist Loasteeze managed to lure him to Finland and completed the night with some stellar Finnish acts like Jodarock and Bentality for what ended up being a hot and steamy night of beats and killer bars.
Once again we did it and joined the all-female #1 rock export from Sweden Thundermother on a stop of their ‘Heat Wave Tour 2022’. This time they got the stage shaking at the Rock & Metal Dayz Festival in Oschersleben, Germany. As headliner the they closed the day with an awesome rock gig and made the crowd go wild. The pure energy and the clean straight rock performed by Guernica Mancini (vocals), Filippa Nässil (guitar), Mona Lindgren (Bass) and Emlee Johanson (drums) is simply stunning. Since they are right in the middle of their tour you’ll have enough gigs upcoming to see them yourself. If you’ll have the chance to do so – don’t miss it!
Enjoy the gallery with pictures from Thundermother:
Dekker, who?
Known as the American half of the Anglo-American Indie-Folk duo Rue Royale, Brookln Dekker is also now a solo artist under the surname-moniker Dekker. If you don’t know him, please do yourself a favor and listen to this fabulous musician who knows what he’s doing with an extraordinary exquisiteness and delicacy.
His debut album “Slow Reveal: Chapter One began” was released in October 2020 and the latest “I wont Be Your Foe” on year after.
The small club located in the center of Munich (Milla), was completely engulfed by this “monster” of pop/alternative music. The room was full and everyone gathered in silence to listen to the songs of Dekker, who was accompanied on this tour by two more excellent musicians who completed the live package. It was a serene encounter wrapped in beautiful, simple songs.
It’s great to be back in this old movie theater turned concert venue. And to finally see amazing guitar virtuoso John Butler live! In an intimate solo setting this time. This night could not have become any better. And yet it did! With the awesome crystal clear voice and fun indie pop songs of Elana Stone.
As many others Swallow the Sun had to postpone their Moonflower tour concert in Tampere that was planned for last December. Finally at the end of May we got to see them in a pretty well packed Pakkahuone. To warm up the crowd we first got Edge of Haze, who unfortunately seemed a bit out of place in this line-up no matter how good they were. Kaunis Kuolematon on the other hand fitted perfectly and gave us a great performance.
Swallow the Sun themself set a really dark mood, with candles on stage and very low lights that fitted well to the atmosphere of their music, but gave me and probably also the other photographers quite the challenge.
People are coming together in Lille, from both France and Belgium, to enjoy music and experience a true masterclass in extreme metal from the legends that are Meshuggah. Special guest Zeal & Ardor overwhelmed everybody with their melancholic songs and harmonic singing. Meshuggah destroyed the venue with heavy bass vibrations, coarse singing and thundering guitars.
The summer festival season has finally properly started after 2 years of barely anything! And while the established festivals all seem to be returning, there’s always room for new guns. And if they come with a cool and different concept like Hellsinki Metal Horizons, we can’t help but get excited. With a truly eclectic mix of both extreme, progressive and straight out left field bands, they were aiming to attract a similarly eclectic crowd and widen people’s horizons. Which seems to have worked admirably.
The summer festival season has finally properly started after 2 years of barely anything! And while the established festivals all seem to be returning, there’s always room for new guns. And if they come with a cool and different concept like Hellsinki Metal Horizons, we can’t help but get excited. With a truly eclectic mix of both extreme, progressive and straightout left field bands they were aiming to attract a similarly eclectic crowd and widen people’s horizons. Which seems to have worked admirably. We ended up missing out on both Omnivortex and Kalmah, only catching the last song of the latter, but that didn’t change our excitement on what was to come still…
Before the brand-new Hellsinki Metal Horizons festival got its first proper day, they held a kickoff at On The Rocks in Helsinki that would become one of the most memorable nights of the year! With the legendary Canadian thrash metal band Exciter, an explosive show was to be expected, but added to that local thrash heroes The Hirvi, grindcore wackjobs Cannibal Accident and the future of heavy metal Satan’s Fall, to basically have something for everyone! And a banger of a concert it most definitely was…
When a band as out there as Imperial Triumphant comes in your neighborhood, you don’t hesitate and make sure you get to that show. So when these US avant-garde black/death metal mysteries had a stop in Helsinki on their ‘Mother of Greed’ Europe tour, that’s exactly what I did. And with just recently announced a new album coming, maybe there would be some new masterpieces getting thrown at us for the very first time live. Reason enough to exchange a sunny Monday evening for a couple of hours of pure and utter darkness and music madness.
