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Live Reviews : The Haunted, Insomnium & In Death @ The HiFi, Brisbane 14/05/2015

By on May 16, 2015

Words: Jake Patton

Images: Amanda Brenchley

The ‘Scandinavian Metal Storm’. The name conjures up images of a blistering blizzard set in a luscious forest or open green plains with a few bands playing a mighty show against the elements. While the location and the weather may be different, the idea is the same and it’s very rare that Australia gets to see two bands of such a high calibre playing the one night. Walking into the venue 15 minutes after doors had opened, I was already greeted by a sea of people. Tonight’s show has really brought fans from all corners of Queensland out of the woodwork and you can already tell that it is going to be a special night. But before we get to see any of the Scandinavian metal, we had to get through some of our very own great Australian Death Metal.

After starting 30 minutes late, Brisbane’s In Death… waste little time in tearing the crowd into a frenzy – straight into it, hard and fast. For me personally, In Death… are a band that are as great to watch live as they are to listen to. Their stage antics are never over the top and they are one of those bands that lets their music do most of the talking. Tonight it was the chunky low tones coming from the bass that shone bright and set this performance on fire for me. It’s normally the guitars that shine, but tonight was just perfect for the bass.

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My only issue with the In Death… set, which is incredibly minor, is that the vocals were drowned out a little by the bass and the guitars. While still audible, they weren’t as prevalent as I normally like my vocals to be, it didn’t stop this set from being one of my favourite sets from a local band in a long time. It also didn’t stop the small contingent of local faithfuls wreaking havoc in the pit, or the rest of the crowd from bobbing their heads in appreciation, so it can’t have been that bad and might just have been personal taste. If you are a fan of heavy music that has the opportunity to get out and see these guys do so. You won’t be disappointed!

Following a quick changeover, the crowd goes into a hush as the lights dimmer before the resonating cry of introduction ‘The Primeval Dark’ rings out. Finland’s Insomnium then take the stage to a raucous reception. Being their first time here in their 17 year career, there is a large number of fans out to see history being made. I already knew that there was a lot of Insomnium fans, as their merchandise had all but sold out 15 minutes after the doors had opened, but I can only imagine that the band had never expected to receive the reception that they were met with walking out on stage.

After being introduced with the thundering guttural growls of vocalist and bassist Niilo Sevanen, the band slides into ‘While We Sleep’ off their critically acclaimed latest album ‘Shadows of the Dying Sun’. This song gives each individual member of the band a chance to shine individually, ranging from the groovy fills laid down by drummer Markus Hirvonen, the stylistic (and very showman like) solo and guitar work by Markus Vanhala, the clean vocals of touring member Kari Olli (of band Pressure Points fame) or the tremendous bass lines by Niilo.

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While on the subject of Kari, You could almost be forgiven for thinking that he was an actual member of Insomnium. He handles the guitar parts set for him with ease and the singing parts with a voice which would rival Ville Friiman’s clean vocals and Niilo’s guttural growl. To me, he is the perfect member to stand in for the band, and many of the fans near me commented after the set about how well he fitted in.

Tonight’s setlist was one that catered to every one of their fans, only missing tracks from their first album, and maintaining the appropriate mix between their faster and heavier material, and the softer, quieter and more melodic sound for which they are renowned for. The crowd favourites that stood out were ‘The Killjoy’ and ‘Daughter of the Moon’ which received the greatest receptions throughout the night. The band looked to be brimming with enthusiasm following their first Australian show and managed to get a photo in front of the crowd before they left to thunderous applause and shouts for encores.

It’s a bit of a shame that some of the crowd decided their night was over following Insomnium’s set, but that didn’t seem to bother Sweden’s The Haunted who come out and unleash ‘Cutting Teeth’ off their latest album ‘Exit Wounds’ to open their show. The opening song set that pace for the rest of the show, which included a lot of frenetic guitaring between Ola Englund and Patrick Jensen that cut a blistering trail from song to song.

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As far as frontmen go, it’s pretty difficult to go past Marco Aro. He is such a charismatic and appealing person to watch march around the stage. Given the degree of talent and fame around the stage, he does an exceptional job to command the attention of the fans, and tonight he does no less – interacting directly with those at the front, inviting those standing meekishly up the back down, and doing it all with a smile. You can genuinely see the excitement on his face performing in Australia again and it is this energy that the crowd finds infectious.

Leaving no stone unturned, The Haunted play a set that covers all of their greatest songs, while still showcasing ample songs from Exit Wounds. Songs like ‘Undead’, ’99’, and ‘Time Will Not Heal’ are all well received by the crowd and seem to feed the band energy. Special mention for the show tonight however does go to Adrian Erlandsson behind the kit, as his thundering fills created a wonderful base allowing the rest of the band to come in over the top. I haven’t heard drums that fresh, loud and clear before, making it really something that exemplifies their live sound over their recorded work.

The band closes off the night with crowd favourites ‘Bury Your Dead’ and ‘Hate Song’ (the latter of which Marco joined the fans at the front for) before applause and appreciation are showered onto the crowd and band alike. It’s been a long night, and a long time coming for the arrival and return of these two bands, but I somehow get the feeling that we will be seeing them again real soon. The Scandinavian Metal Storm hits Melbourne and Sydney next – and if you’re in these cities it’s something you don’t want to miss!

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