Half past five is an unheard of time to open the doors for a show like this. The venue's curfew of ten o' clock meant that the first band of the evening were on before six. With a line-up of bands like this though, there had already formed a lengthy queue outside.
With people still entering the venue and the sun still shining, the young guys of Machinae Supremacy played their four-song set to a handful of people. Largely uninterested, the audience gave little response to a set of bland, uneventful music.
With people still entering the venue and the sun still shining, the young guys of Machinae Supremacy played their four-song set to a handful of people. Largely uninterested, the audience gave little response to a set of bland, uneventful music.
Machinae Supremacy
Just a short wait later, and the serious business was about to start. First up were Ensiferum who were criminally still only playing to a half-filled venue, probably due to the early time. This fantastic band have proven to be extremely hit or miss in the live environment in the past. On this night however, it was most certainly a hit, which made it even more unfortunate that the band had been bumped down to third support and a thirty-five minute set. The atmosphere wasn't as it should be as the audience still hadn't been completely warmed up, but with a set heavily leaning towards the band's first two albums, this frustratingly short set turned out to be the best of the night.
Ensiferum
Setlist: From Afar / Token of Time / Into Battle / Twilight Tavern / LAI LAI HEI / Iron
Still light outside, the venue all of a sudden became rather populated as the hugely popular Amon Amarth modestly stepped onto the stage. This band are always a force live, and this night was no different. Again, strange to experience such a band with such a short setlist, forty-five minutes here. This meant that a few of the fan favourites were omitted in favour of airing three brand new songs, although they were certainly adequate replacements sounding crushing enough to hit the spot. There is no question that Amon Amarth were the band of the night for many people, as they let the all-smiling band know they wanted more after the set had finished.
Amon Amarth
Setlist: War of the Gods / Runes to My Memory / Guardians of Asgaard / Destroyer of the Universe / Live for the Kill / A Beast Am I / Varyags of Miklagaard / Twilight of the Thunder God / The Pursuit of Vikings
Perhaps a daunting task to follow these last two bands then, Children Of Bodom headlining with a full hour and a half set certainly had much more than their fair share of the time, but regardless, there was still a large audience amassed for the Finnish wildchilds. The band had little interaction with the audience in between songs, and weighted their setlist heavily towards their most recent albums. Some songs like "Needled 24/7" sounded fantastic over the sound system, but the trend of the set would be a cool-sounding song followed by a few less interesting ones. The band put on an entertaining show worth watching, but it can't be helped wondering how great this whole show would have been if the playing times were a little more equal, or if the bands played in a different order. Business is business though, and regardless of speculations, a great time was had all round with these three hugely popular bands.
Children Of Bodom
Setlist: Not My Funeral / Bodom Beach Terror / Needled 24/7 / Ugly / Relentless Reckless Forever / Roundtrip to Hell and Back / In Your Face / Living Dead Beat / Children Of Bodom / Hate Me! / Blooddrunk / Shovel Knockout / Angels Don't Kill / Follow the Reaper / Downfall / Encore: Was It Worth It? / Hate Crew Deathroll
Thanks to Dante and Adam for the accreditation.
Written by Barry Anderson.
Photos by Barry Anderson.
source : metalstorm.net
