Once again, we could see the sea of black form a line that snaked around the Metro theatre. The cold weather and light drizzle were a welcome sign, setting the atmosphere for the Finnish melo death double act that was to unveil to the masses later this evening.
Besomora kicked off the proceedings for the night with raw energy and high spirits, even though the crowd was thin, slowly making their way to the bar and merch stand. Besomora are no strangers to opening for many international live acts and have come a long way since their humble opening for local power metallers Ethereal Realm. Second track Vagabond sees Vlad stick his tongue out, something he would do till the end of the set but by now the room starts filling up, the music calling the masses in. Bassist Zeus is in his own element, swaying as he slaps the bass. Matt Perkings shreds and shines on every track. Vlad asks the crowd for a circle pit for Mass Starvation, but the crowd, not entirely convinced, denies this request. Besomora still ends on a high note with Mustafa delivering on the drums and Matt shredding the exit solo. By now, the room is filled with punters, beers in hand, ready for some true Finnish Melodic Death Metal.
Drummer Atte raises his sticks in the air, ushering the sextet to the stage and vocalist Jukka instantly commands the entire crowd, spotlights bouncing off each band member. Right off the bat it’s almost as if the sound and lighting got automatically elevated, and I really wish venues give the same lighting and sound treatment for local opening acts who are also deserving of this treatment. Guitarist Markus who is on double duty tonight, showcases to the crowd that he is unfazed by this, enters centre stage and begins a shred fest for the next track., making everyone groove and move. Reckoning sees the crowd throw their hands in the air and claps resonate throughout the Metro, guitar solos filling each side of the room as vocals pierce the front. Next, Jukka delivers some brutal vox with Refining Fire from the Burning Cold album, ushering in the first pit of the night to open up. Highlight to keyboardist Aapo swirling his beard and hair in the corner for each track without skipping a beat. Frontiers sees Markus come back to the centre of the stage while the crowd goes berserk, so much so that I had to get into the pit myself. The intensity commanded it and was worth every moment. New World Shadows showcases the band’s slower side with a lot of drum blast beats, the crowd headbanging, Jukka serenading them with his versatile vocals. This intensity is taken up a notch for another crowd favourite, Skyline. And for the final track,k the band takes us literally beyond from the album with the same name as the guitars ring in New Dynamic. By now, I was wondering how come no one has crowd surfed yet? But I didn’t bother to think more and decided to be part of the solution and started the first of crowd surfing of the night. The crowd carrying me to the barriers as the band played their final notes, ending their crushing set was pure bliss.
Could Insomnium top this? This seemed to be what was going through everyone’s minds as I scanned the room. The lights bathe the stage in blue as the atmospheric and acoustic intro of 1696 builds anticipation in the crowd as Markus comes back to the stage for round 2 with his brothers in Insomnium. Vocalist Niilo pierces the soundscape with fierce and seamless vocal delivery. The pit opens up for the second track Valediction and the clapping from the crowd commences. Markus now having to only worry about the two band members in front of him, runs from left to right of the stage, playing and pleasing the crowd simultaneously. White Christ sees all three guitarists coordinate their shredding on stage, sending massive vibes as the crowd claps along and Niilo belts out his harsh vocals. By now there is a continuous pit going on from track to track,k showing no signs of stopping. Crowd surfing commences for Lilian, and I once again join in for the fun. It was time for the crowd to sing along, and this came in the form of And Bells They Toll. Niilo takes a moment to introduce new guitarist Jani, asking the crowd to make him feel welcome for his first visit to Australia. The band then takes us back to the Above The Weeping World days with Mortal Share and the crowd laps it up. Markus takes us on a journey with Song of the Dusk while the bodies continue to surf to the barrier one after the other. The stage was now bathed in red, signalling that it was time for the encore as drummer Markus Hirvonen skulls a beer, exhibiting to the cheering crowd that he has other skills than banging sticks. The band ends on a high with While We Sleep, and while the lyrics say we need to slow down, no one did, not the crowd, not even the band. The pit rages, the bodies surf, and the band beautifully blends this track into Heart Like a Grave, delivering an extended and intricately woven closer of a set.
I have been fortunate to witness both Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum separately the last time these bands have visited our shores, but tonight I got to witness Insomnium Gatherum. And so did everyone else. And it was beautiful, melancholic and just pure melodic death for the masses.
written by TNT & Photos by Daniel Farr – Farski Photography
Insomnium
Omnium Gatherum
Besomora
