Heading into downtown Monday evening, the skies were looming with low misty clouds. Over the last week, Minnesotans have been relentlessly warned about “the big storm” that was coming. Be prepared. Hail. Lightning. Potential tornadoes in the Twin Cities. Cats and dogs. Well. Great. Hopefully it hits when we are inside? Trying to stay positive. Fingers crossed, and after an icy beer at Inbound Brewing, the nerves were properly lubricated for a speedy walk to the venue through a potential monsoon.

The radar was showing red, but not much action yet. Huh. Odd. Well, let’s go see a show.

Wanted to get there for the opener, of course, which was Thrown Into Exile. Having never seen the L.A. based band, went in to their set not knowing anything about them. Doors were at 5pm, music at 6pm, so was surprised that this early of an all-ages show had such an enthusiastic crowd. Drenched in red light, Thrown Into Exile got the audience revved up quick. Though their sound was a little off, didn’t detract too much from their impact. Openers in my experience sometimes have that as an issue; first to go on plus only playing a handful of songs. They killed their set, had really engaging energy with metal fans who can be hard to please. Baest was on deck next. Another band I’ve not seen live, was pumped to see them. The Danish don’t disappoint, and their namesake is accurate (Baest comes from the Danish word “Bæst” meaning “brute” or “beast”) Playing before two infamous titans seemed effortless for this 2015 born-band. Having the stage prowess of a much more seasoned group, all members were highly interactive and used the stage to its full potential. Though there was not any storm cooking outside yet, it was getting a bit more rowdy inside. The typical sea of black shirts was filling out, some light moshing, some squirrelly youth. You know, a nice Monday night metal show.

During the breakdown of Baest and set up for Fit For An Autopsy, chatted with a few fellow photographers. As a nerd, I can tend to use my camera as a buffer/excuse to be removed from conversation when in new spaces. Was great to have good conversation about the bands, the “storm of the century”, gear, and some social politics. Everyone was friendly for the most part, which was a refreshing change. Minnesota nice can sometimes bleed into Minnesota nice-to-your-face or just plain Minnesota passive-aggressive. After the little bit of downtime and a few more bodies came in the crown to fill out the back, the house lights slowly crept into darkness. Fit For An Autopsy was ready to go.

Good ol’ American deathcore flooded the room immediately. Lead singer Joe Badolato, who joined the 2008 formed band in 2015, was incredible. The gutteral screams and commanding vocals demand your energy and attention, the moshing audience mirrored that intensity back with earnest vigor. Loved seeing the teens and college kids bash each other about to sick ass riffs and breakdowns. All-ages shows get a bad rap, but I believe they are essential to the life of metal music. As a former youth myself, going to a club show a few times a month was typical. It was how many of my longest friendships gained their robust roots; in honest comradery and mutual enjoyment of music. Don’t stop doing all-ages shows, but also don’t stop serving cold drafts to us current “olds” to deal with the boisterous behavior we pretend not to have engaged in. Sometimes ya gotta just run around in the dark with strangers to music. Yesteryear is easy to forget, we need to be a little more empathetic and kind to these fledgling metalkids.

The circle pit didn’t get much time to cool down while setting up for the highly anticipated Arch Enemy. Having seen them many times in concert, knew how delicious the treat we were about to be served would be. God, they just shred. It is undeniable. Thunderous cheers welcomed the infamous death metal band, three decades of songwriting and touring is intensely apparent. Precision and tone was on point, sounding crystal clear in the cyan and ruby lit venue. The Fillmore is becoming more and more a favorite of mine, them hosting this show may be the penultimate cherry of top sealing that conclusion. Easy viewing from almost anywhere in the space, including back by the merch tables. Just had to include that, because who hosts the show is critical and can really amplify (or deflate) a live performance experience.

Arch Enemy’s Alissa White-Gluz is a true showman. Every gaze is enraptured by her talent and poise whether its a small flowing gesture or starting a cathedral hivemind headbang. Member changes and alterations are common in metal, but particularly in a band with this longevity. Do NOT let this Canadian go. She’s been the lead vocalist since 2014, recommended by beloved OG lead Angela Gossow. She couldn’t have passed the torch to anyone better than White-Gluz. I get that change is hard for some people, but after a decade of showing us she IS a force to bow down to, let’s stop with the “she’s not the original” crap. Over it. That tired record isn’t broken, it’s 10,000 leagues deep and buried. The metal siren’s crisp and clean voice can dive right into a terrifying deep growl, sending vibrations all through your body. About halfway through their North American dates of Blood Dynasty Tour, Arch Enemy has no hiccups to cure or vibes to reframe. I won’t spoil the set list for you, since if desired you can creep on socials to take a peek, but it’s well thought out and was pleasantly surprised by a few choices. Show buttoned up timely, then I suddenly remembered the hellscape weather that was promised. Braced for chaos, and with my camera bag zipped up tight, the doors opened to the potential deluge. In sickly sweet Minnesota cliche, I walked back to my parking spot, of course dry as a bone. Overzealous meteorologists, you jazzed us up quite a bit, but Minneapolis wasn’t left without some thunder thanks to the fearsome foursome bands Monday night. Cheers to a fiery start to the spring and summer concert season, excited to see you out there!