I'm not seeing as many gigs as I might like at the moment, but this one was on my agenda for a while for two reasons: firstly I saw this band two years ago in the same city, but they were badly let down by the PA at the venue (Jillys Rockworld) which forced a shortened set. Secondly, it was a chance to catch up again with Daniela, a cyber-pal of mine for many years and probably the most dedicated fan of rock you'll meet! She had travelled over from Sweden to catch the band on several UK and European dates; more on her adventures can be read here. After meeting up and catching up over a coffee, she and I got to the venue in plenty of time to get a spot on the front. Moho Live is one venue in Manchester I'd never been to before; sited in the Northern Quarter and literally next door to the famous Afflecks Palace indoor market, it is set back a little from the street. After about an hour's wait we got in, to find the venue is set in a basement with the stage on the left hand side as you go through the doors. The place is quite small with capacity probably no more than a few hundred. Having got to the front, there was very little space between the barrier and the stage and the ceiling looked low, so there'd be no jumping from the bands. Openers were Swedish trad-metallers Wolf, a four-piece led by vocalist/guitarist Niklas Stålvind. They make no attempt to disguise their Maiden/Priest influences and delivered a short set of decidedly 80s style Metal. Stålvind's radio link packed up early on forcing him to plug in directly to his amp mid-song, but it didn't really throw them off. They played well and had a strong following of their own, but it didn't really grab me. One drunk punter behind me was trying to do just that however, whether he was just caught up in the moment or was trying to get me off the barrier I don't know, but I'm not easily budged! One swift elbow from Daniela saw him off, eventually! Firewind had been forced into a late change in the vocalist department, with regular frontman Apollo Papathanasio sitting out the European dates because of "family reasons", the band hastily recruited journeyman singer Mats Levén for this run of dates. Levén has performed with many acts including Yngwie Malmsteen in his time and quickly stamped his authority on the band with an assured performance. It really didn't feel like he'd been parachuted into the band at the last moment, he was a natural fit. Although the band is expecting Papathanasio back by the time they travel to the US, nobody should be disappointed if Levén is still in place by then. Whoever the singer may be, the band remains the baby of lead guitarist Gus G. His profile has rocketed since 2009 after he was recruited by Ozzy Osbourne, but he always remained committed to Firewind. He showed just why Ozzy was keen to bring him on board with a virtuoso display. Nevertheless it isn't all about Gus, over on the other side of the stage Bob Katsionis, doubling up on both keyboards and guitar, proved an effective foil for the main man. All in all it was a much more enjoyable experience than the last time I saw the band, with a full set and a PA system that actually worked. The night was completed when Gus threw one of his guitar picks my way and I caught it - with my left hand! If you're a fan of Power Metal, be sure to check this band out, If you were wavering because of the vocalist situation, go anyway. A great live band, and hopefully one that will get more recognition soon.
Showing posts with label power metal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label power metal. Show all posts
Monday, 12 September 2011
Sunday, 13 December 2009
Caught Live: Dragonforce, o2 Academy Liverpool 12 December 2009
I'm kinda confused after watching this gig from the UK-based 'extreme power metallers'; on the one hand, playing the way they do with such intensity and precision really takes some doing but on the other, it's all a bit one-dimensional, if you know one song you know the set. On top of that, they actually acknowledge it - as demonstrated by guitarist/songwriter/stage clown Sam Totman, when telling the audience 'they (the songs) all sound the same anyway!' He and fellow speed-shredder Herman Li were ribbing one another all night, when not swapping hyperspeed lead solos they were taking the mick out of one another between songs!
The impression that they leave me with is that of extremely talented musicians 'slumming it' playing Power Metal; there is no question that these two can really play (especially Li, without doubt the star of the band even over vocalist ZP Theart) but that they just regard a Dragonforce gig as a platform to show off. It's kinda like when an old-school Metal band lets the guitarist take a solo while the rest of the band go off stage, except they just solo all night while the rest of the band stay on stage and bash away behind them! They are surely capable of more than whammy bar dive-bombing and sweep-picking - it's just that this is all we are treated to.
Totman is perceived as the clown, he often takes swigs from beer cans (left on the mike stands for him to grasp at various points) or pulls faces, and jumps about while Li takes the solo, but is always in place to take his own turn when it comes. They'd like the crowd to think they're just goofing around, but you cannot play that way without a lot of practice. Their drummer (Dave Mackintosh) left me gaping open-mouthed; song after song it was badda-badda-bam-bam-bam - not just fast playing but hard fast playing! How he kept that up for the entire set is beyond my comprehension, how he does that night after night especially so! If you can imagine Usain Bolt running the way he does for 100 metres, but being able to keep that going for 10000 metres instead, that's how hard I imagine that to be! Not forgetting bassist Frédéric Leclercq and keyboard player Vadim Pruzhanov, both were up at the front frequently alongside the guitarists and the singer, all competing for the spotlight and the crowd.
Maybe that's their appeal, it is not so much a live gig as a race to see who can be the fastest!
They are incredible players live, but they have little concept of 'light and shade'. It's 'light and even more light' with these fellas! Consequently one song seemed to run into another, when Totman mockingly threatened that the band would not be playing 'Through The Fire and Flames' (their best-known song) it hardly mattered. Almost all their songs are like that, it was a genuine shock to the system when they slowed it down in the fourth song (briefly!) So, even if they had not played it (of course they did - in the encore when joined by what looked like the support band and all their crew) a casual observer wouldn't have noticed and probably thought that they had!
The guitars were dominating the sound to the point where I couldn't always hear vocalist ZP Theart properly, he is a good singer and would probably flourish in another band where he could express himself. As it is, he's totally overshadowed by the Li/Totman antics.
Consqeuently then, I'm not sure whether I enjoyed the gig or not - they strike me as just playing like that 'for the lulz' (to use awful internet terminology). You can't see how they would evolve from this style, they're painted into a corner. And they're far too talented to stay in the corner forever.
I only caught the end of support Sabaton; the Swedish metallers went down great with the early attendees although what I heard sounded very much like Priest/Maiden influenced Metal. I'd probably give them another go if they're around again though, since two songs isn't really enough to assess them with. However, hearing just one Dragonforce number will tell you all what they're about!
The impression that they leave me with is that of extremely talented musicians 'slumming it' playing Power Metal; there is no question that these two can really play (especially Li, without doubt the star of the band even over vocalist ZP Theart) but that they just regard a Dragonforce gig as a platform to show off. It's kinda like when an old-school Metal band lets the guitarist take a solo while the rest of the band go off stage, except they just solo all night while the rest of the band stay on stage and bash away behind them! They are surely capable of more than whammy bar dive-bombing and sweep-picking - it's just that this is all we are treated to.
Totman is perceived as the clown, he often takes swigs from beer cans (left on the mike stands for him to grasp at various points) or pulls faces, and jumps about while Li takes the solo, but is always in place to take his own turn when it comes. They'd like the crowd to think they're just goofing around, but you cannot play that way without a lot of practice. Their drummer (Dave Mackintosh) left me gaping open-mouthed; song after song it was badda-badda-bam-bam-bam - not just fast playing but hard fast playing! How he kept that up for the entire set is beyond my comprehension, how he does that night after night especially so! If you can imagine Usain Bolt running the way he does for 100 metres, but being able to keep that going for 10000 metres instead, that's how hard I imagine that to be! Not forgetting bassist Frédéric Leclercq and keyboard player Vadim Pruzhanov, both were up at the front frequently alongside the guitarists and the singer, all competing for the spotlight and the crowd.
Maybe that's their appeal, it is not so much a live gig as a race to see who can be the fastest!
They are incredible players live, but they have little concept of 'light and shade'. It's 'light and even more light' with these fellas! Consequently one song seemed to run into another, when Totman mockingly threatened that the band would not be playing 'Through The Fire and Flames' (their best-known song) it hardly mattered. Almost all their songs are like that, it was a genuine shock to the system when they slowed it down in the fourth song (briefly!) So, even if they had not played it (of course they did - in the encore when joined by what looked like the support band and all their crew) a casual observer wouldn't have noticed and probably thought that they had!
The guitars were dominating the sound to the point where I couldn't always hear vocalist ZP Theart properly, he is a good singer and would probably flourish in another band where he could express himself. As it is, he's totally overshadowed by the Li/Totman antics.
Consqeuently then, I'm not sure whether I enjoyed the gig or not - they strike me as just playing like that 'for the lulz' (to use awful internet terminology). You can't see how they would evolve from this style, they're painted into a corner. And they're far too talented to stay in the corner forever.
I only caught the end of support Sabaton; the Swedish metallers went down great with the early attendees although what I heard sounded very much like Priest/Maiden influenced Metal. I'd probably give them another go if they're around again though, since two songs isn't really enough to assess them with. However, hearing just one Dragonforce number will tell you all what they're about!
Thursday, 6 August 2009
Caught Live: Lacuna Coil, Barfly, Liverpool 1 August 2009
I only found out about this show a few days ago, when flicking through a copy of Kerplunk! rag in the local Asda (not gonna buy the thing, not when the only thing worth bothering with IS the gig guide!) The Italian metallers were here as part of a short series of low-key dates; usually they're seen in larger venues such as the Manchester Apollo, so it was a pleasant surprise to see such a band in a small venue at this end of the East Lancs.
I was later than intended getting to the venue, by the time I'd finished all my chores for the day and had my tea, it was already 8pm. So it was a dash into town with the Pugmobile, and I was almost there when I ran slap bang into a parade that was passing through at the exact moment I got to the junction. Two minutes earlier and I'd have missed it, as it was I was stuck while a procession of dubiously-dressed characters (slowly) made their way past. I was conscious of the time ticking on as this seemingly endless parade sauntered its way across my intended route, so I decided just to forget it and do a quick U-turn. It wasn't quite as quick as I'd hoped, since by this stage traffic had built up behind me and almost everyone else had the same idea! By the time I'd worked my way around the parade and rolling roadblocks, it was close on 9pm. I parked up and hurried through the streets to the Barfly, entering the venue to find it already very full. I'd no sooner got myself a halfway-decent spot, than the band hit the stage.
I'll be honest here; I'm not very well up on this band at all. When Evanescence broke big some years ago, this was one of the bands they were compared to and it was easy to see why when watching this gig. Their material does sound somewhat 'nu'; lead solos are at a premium and most songs are built on rhythmic drum beats. Of course nobody was here for guitar shredding; they were here for lead singer Cristina Scabbia. Undisputably the star of this band, she sounded in great voice live; she elevates this band almost single-handedly to something far above the alt-metal norm. The packed crowd were in her command throughout, though co-vocalist Andrea Ferro played his part in getting the crowd involved it was Scabbia who held the attention. They played for just over an hour, and at the end Ferro probably hacked off half the crowd when he held up a Liverpool FC scarf over his head, but there was little dissent. The band were very well received by the Barfly crowd.
All things considered, it was a good night, with the rare opportunity to see a 'name' band play a small club gig. I wasn't totally convinced by the out-front sound, the guitars were audible but not exactly prominent, but on hearing that voice you can forgive almost anything. They left promising to play a full UK tour next year with the complete production; it is unlikely to be at the Barfly but at least they made the effort to come to our city on this occasion.
Thursday, 21 May 2009
Caught Live: Stratovarius (& Firewind/Eden's Curse), Manchester Jilly's Rockworld, 19 May 2009
Most bands hate it when they are pigenholed into rigid 'genres' of music; I dare say the bands on tonight are no exception. That said, they are all firmly categorised as 'power metal' and that gives the listener a very good idea of what they will sound like, especially since your correspondent knew little about any of these acts. It mattered not, since the music was exactly what I'd come to hear; soaring vocals, speedy drumming, widdly guitar solos and lots of keyboards in the mix. Power Metal, as a genre, can be traced directly back to the glory days of Rainbow when Blackmore and Dio reigned supreme, so despite not having been well-briefed on any of the bands I expected to enjoy the fare on offer.
I had, however, reckoned without the venue's facilities! It's been a long time since I last visited Rockworld, and I soon remembered why once entering the venue. The view from the main floor is badly obstructed by a large pillar, the stage itself has little elevation, so unless you are Peter Crouch (or better, Reed Richards) you won't see a lot on the stage. In addition to this, when openers Eden's Curse were on, they were themselves cursed by a PA that was doing a passable impression of the Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town (google it, those of you who are not British/under 40 years old!). Every time a bassy bit kicked in... FRRRRPPPPP! It frustrated vocalist Michael Eden to the point where he and the band decided that enough was enough and abruptly ended their set, with an angry broadside at the sound system.
That was a shame, they were playing well and I thought he was a decent singer, when not being thrown off by the flatulent speakers.
Firewind were up next, it did appear that the sound system had improved for their set, but it was still hard to make out vocalist Apollo Papathanasio over the deluge. Once again, they played exactly what I expected, with lots of opportunities to break out the air guitar.
They were also experiencing technical difficulties though, and they also cut their set short. They promised to return soon and play a full show, if that happens let's hope it is at a different venue!
There was a long delay in turning the stage over for the headliners, a cynical observer (raises hand!) might have concluded that the venue management had gone back to Cash Converters to get a refund on their dodgy PA system! They did spend a long time in preparing things, so it was close on 10pm by the time Stratovarius came on the stage. As said at the top of this blog, I know little about the band, other than they feature one-time Yngwie (and Dio) keyboard player Jens Johansson, and that their guitarist and main creative source Timo Tolkki controversially exited the band a few years previously, not only that but he signed over all rights to the band name to the remaining members! To an outsider, that's akin to David Coverdale leaving Whitesnake and telling the other guys to get on with it! Nevertheless, what matters is the band today and so I settled into my spot close to the dreaded pillar, to watch the guys go through their paces.
Vocalist Timo Kotipelto had been suffering from illness during this tour, but sounded in good voice tonight. Not being familiar with their material, I found myself constantly searching for and finding reference points; e.g. the singer's moves were Dio-esque, but bassist Lauri Porra was reminiscent of Iron Maiden's Steve Harris, up at the front of the stage with the singer, getting the crowd going. Jens Johansson looked more like he should be lecturing a class of computer science students at Manchester University, but his playing is a large component of the band's sound. He and guitarist Matias Kupiainen added the 'nerd factor' to the stage, resplendent in their glasses (so speaks a nerd-fan, LOL!). Finland must have a factory somewhere which produces these lightning-fingered shred guitarists, it seems that they can interchange one for another and barely miss an arpeggio! There really does look like there's an endless supply of these guys coming out of the land of a thousand lakes, it's an air guitarist's dream!
The band played for just over an hour, mixing new songs from 'Polaris' with classics, but the only moshpit of the whole night came at the end, when they closed with 'Black Diamond'. I stayed well clear of it, not mixing it with that lot in this place where you're only one slam away from a concrete pillar, not at my age! They went off to big cheers, and as a parting gesture Kotipelto got the crowd to count to four... in Finnish! (I've forgotten the lesson I'm afraid, if any of my Finnish friends are reading!)
All in all a good bill of Power Metal, but I really wish this gig had been held at the Academy 3 in the nearby University. The facilities there are infinitely better, their PA is reliable, and you can see the band from anywhere in the hall. Rockworld is totally inadequate as a music venue, and it does take away the enjoyment of a gig when you can't see properly and worse, suffer a sub-standard sound system. We pay enough to see gigs in this day and age, is it too much to expect we get a decent facility in which to see bands?
As a footnote, I grabbed a quick word with Eden's Curse vocalist Michael Eden while buying his band's CD; he once again apologised for the bad PA and also expressed a wish to play another show soon. Being cheeky, I told him to come to our end of the M62!! ;-)
I do recommend all three bands, but do not recommend Rockworld to see them in!
I had, however, reckoned without the venue's facilities! It's been a long time since I last visited Rockworld, and I soon remembered why once entering the venue. The view from the main floor is badly obstructed by a large pillar, the stage itself has little elevation, so unless you are Peter Crouch (or better, Reed Richards) you won't see a lot on the stage. In addition to this, when openers Eden's Curse were on, they were themselves cursed by a PA that was doing a passable impression of the Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town (google it, those of you who are not British/under 40 years old!). Every time a bassy bit kicked in... FRRRRPPPPP! It frustrated vocalist Michael Eden to the point where he and the band decided that enough was enough and abruptly ended their set, with an angry broadside at the sound system.
That was a shame, they were playing well and I thought he was a decent singer, when not being thrown off by the flatulent speakers.
Firewind were up next, it did appear that the sound system had improved for their set, but it was still hard to make out vocalist Apollo Papathanasio over the deluge. Once again, they played exactly what I expected, with lots of opportunities to break out the air guitar.
They were also experiencing technical difficulties though, and they also cut their set short. They promised to return soon and play a full show, if that happens let's hope it is at a different venue!
There was a long delay in turning the stage over for the headliners, a cynical observer (raises hand!) might have concluded that the venue management had gone back to Cash Converters to get a refund on their dodgy PA system! They did spend a long time in preparing things, so it was close on 10pm by the time Stratovarius came on the stage. As said at the top of this blog, I know little about the band, other than they feature one-time Yngwie (and Dio) keyboard player Jens Johansson, and that their guitarist and main creative source Timo Tolkki controversially exited the band a few years previously, not only that but he signed over all rights to the band name to the remaining members! To an outsider, that's akin to David Coverdale leaving Whitesnake and telling the other guys to get on with it! Nevertheless, what matters is the band today and so I settled into my spot close to the dreaded pillar, to watch the guys go through their paces.
Vocalist Timo Kotipelto had been suffering from illness during this tour, but sounded in good voice tonight. Not being familiar with their material, I found myself constantly searching for and finding reference points; e.g. the singer's moves were Dio-esque, but bassist Lauri Porra was reminiscent of Iron Maiden's Steve Harris, up at the front of the stage with the singer, getting the crowd going. Jens Johansson looked more like he should be lecturing a class of computer science students at Manchester University, but his playing is a large component of the band's sound. He and guitarist Matias Kupiainen added the 'nerd factor' to the stage, resplendent in their glasses (so speaks a nerd-fan, LOL!). Finland must have a factory somewhere which produces these lightning-fingered shred guitarists, it seems that they can interchange one for another and barely miss an arpeggio! There really does look like there's an endless supply of these guys coming out of the land of a thousand lakes, it's an air guitarist's dream!
The band played for just over an hour, mixing new songs from 'Polaris' with classics, but the only moshpit of the whole night came at the end, when they closed with 'Black Diamond'. I stayed well clear of it, not mixing it with that lot in this place where you're only one slam away from a concrete pillar, not at my age! They went off to big cheers, and as a parting gesture Kotipelto got the crowd to count to four... in Finnish! (I've forgotten the lesson I'm afraid, if any of my Finnish friends are reading!)
All in all a good bill of Power Metal, but I really wish this gig had been held at the Academy 3 in the nearby University. The facilities there are infinitely better, their PA is reliable, and you can see the band from anywhere in the hall. Rockworld is totally inadequate as a music venue, and it does take away the enjoyment of a gig when you can't see properly and worse, suffer a sub-standard sound system. We pay enough to see gigs in this day and age, is it too much to expect we get a decent facility in which to see bands?
As a footnote, I grabbed a quick word with Eden's Curse vocalist Michael Eden while buying his band's CD; he once again apologised for the bad PA and also expressed a wish to play another show soon. Being cheeky, I told him to come to our end of the M62!! ;-)
I do recommend all three bands, but do not recommend Rockworld to see them in!
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