A five banger ahead. Been waiting for this show ever since I heard about it, this gal never misses an Arch Enemy performance, and then four more sweet metal bands on top of that before? Yum yum.
Time for something different before a show…a pub! Yes, I also do go to restaurants, not just bars and breweries for my pre-concert libations. Scored a meter spot that apparently is free on weekend right in front. Uh, what? Checked a few times int he app then went up the the pay station. Yep, no fee required. Yussss. With a spring in my frugal step, popped into local Irish pub Killens for a very nicely priced $7 pint. My jaded meter is up to 11 these days with how spendy venue pricing has gotten, am almost floored when securing a normal priced brew. Even better, they have spice bags (a traditional to-go carry out dish from the emerald isle, typically with peppers, onions, fries, fried chicken, and curry sauce.") $15 but very filling, either as a meal for one for light snack for two. Wandered over to Fillmore after my satisfying nosh and sip, doors were pretty early to accommodate all five bands, so wanted to make sure I wasn’t battling entrance lines so not to miss the opening support.
Thrown Into Exile was first on the bill of this metalicious evening. These Los Angeles folks sound just as you’d desire an American metal band to perform. With only a half an hour to impress the slowly growing crowd, “Send Me Below” as their launching off point got everyone ready to go and revved up. Though only playing five total tracks, they live debuted “Remorse” for their third song. Always love when Minneapolis gets those tasty exclusive treats. Seems like we are finally becoming known to outside forces how much of an epicenter the Twin Cities are for revolutionary ideas and music. Need to take the temperature of the world? Pop a toe into the observant waters of Minnesota. New lead vocalist to the band as of this year, Josh Santos filled the boots well, taking to the songs with strong conviction and comfortability. Wonderful choice for the opener, fortifying the attitude and tone for the night with ease.
Hailing from beautiful Brazil, all-female Crypta brought not only a death metal party but one I will beg on my knees for an invite at any chance. Blazingly outrageous energy exuded from each of the bandmembers, it was impossible to not feast your ears and eyes on the showmanship being shown on stage. Lead vocalist Fernanda Lira is a tidal wave of talent. Not only do I want to be her, I’m also a little afraid and slightly in love with her. Leading the charge throughout their lightning red hot set, she commands the room with the simple flicker of her eyes. Female vocalists in the metal genre are more rare than the male bear, but thankfully becoming more and more prevalent. And woooooowie, Lira is one of the most powerful I’ve seen perhaps ever. Don’t worry, their entire band is decked out with phenomenal musicians. Drummer Luana Dametto is incredibly fast and accurate, keeping up with the stampede of sound from fellow members. Not to be left out of course, guitarists Tainá Bergamaschi and Sonia Nusselder match Dametto and Lira’s vigor and stamina. Not letting up for a second, every song was better than the last. Yowza, you NEED to see these gals live. Amazing is an understatement.
From Brazil to Greece, SepticFlesh of Athens was on deck. The stage becoming adorned with spooky delights. Love when a band has slick props or banners to perform with, always a delight when even more art accompanies the artists. Having listened to SepticFlesh for a while now but never having seen them live I was pumped. When they began with “Portrait of a Headless Man” one word could be use to describe their sound, and that is power. Wow did they bring the power. Their blend of rhythmic breakdowns and melodies mixed in with their orchestral elements made for a great time and some great moshing, although it only lasted six songs. Was glad they played “Anubis” off their “Communion” album, which is probably my favorite of theirs.
The band showed up as a 3-piece tonight however. We found out from vocalist and founding member Spiros Antoniou that his brother Christos who does guitar and is also the mastermind behind the orchestral compositions suffered rib injuries mere days before the tour started so he was unable to join. For as nice as it would have been to round out their live sound with a second guitarist, the band crushed regardless. Would like to see them on their own headline/co-headline run!
Shout out to drummer Krimh, aka Kerim Lechner. Krimh has established himself in the metal world and his name shouldn’t be unfamiliar to dedicated metalheads. This guy is probably one of the best metal drummers around. During SepticFlesh’s setup Krimh did his own kit soundcheck. He damn near brought the walls down and made those hanging on the floor stop in their tracks to see what was going on. Was a treat to see him play.
The Black Dahlia Murder was 4th in line, hailing from just northwest of Detroit. Like to see the Midwest representation. These guys are always a blast to see live. They have a boisterous and dedicated fanbase, so getting into the flow of the set feels as if you are surrounded by all the band’s closest friends. They also had the merch of the night as they had a sick red, white and black colored hockey jersey for sale. Now in their 25th year as a band, seems like these Michigan boys are thankfully nowhere near stopping. Brian Eschbach knows how to lead a group, as the main vocalist he makes sure to hit all the marks of not only having some high-quality pipes in his chest but also engaging with the audience with plenty of moves while he traverses the stage. He is just so fun to watch.
By now most people know what this band has gone through and why Brian is now the vocalist. He filled big shoes and is able to carry the vocal parts of the band with fervor.
Rest of the band played really tight. For as fast and technical as their brand of metal is, these guys don’t miss a beat or note (or if they do you can’t even tell). I tend to lean more towards their older stuff so hearing “A Vulgar Picture” and “Statutory Ape” was amazing. “Statutory Ape” came with a person in full gorilla suit racing around the stage and getting down on the rail with the crowd. Black Dahlia covered a lot of ground album wise, playing material off seven albums. The album with the highest number of songs played being “Servitude”.
Whatever energy and machismo people in attendance had left was going to soon expire as the finale, Arch Enemy was finally up. Once the lights dimmed and Motorhead started playing over the speakers, it was go time. In February of this year with their new single “To The Last Breath,'“ Lauren Hart was announced as the group’s new singer. Endorsed by the former lead singer of Arch Enemy and current band manager Angela Gossow, had high hopes for Hart’s debut in Minneapolis.
Having seen Arch Enemy several times now over the years, their quality of live-play is always top tier and nothing changed tonight. Props to the venue and all involved in the sound because Arch Enemy sounded crisp. No problem hearing either guitarist when they were hitting their solos. Daniel Erlandsson was a beast on the drums as is standard. He has been one of my personal favorite drummers. Michael Amott and Joey Concepcion make for a great duo. Joey makes the solos left behind from highly-regarded members of years past look like a cake walk.
As they typically do, Arch Enemy did a great job smattering the set with a variety of songs. “Bury Me an Angel” was badass. Again, I lean towards the older stuff since I have been listening to Arch Enemy for couple of decades now so any old material is happiness to my ears. I am super jealous that on Nov. 19 LA gets an intimate show of old school cuts and deep tracks. Lauren Hart did wonderful and definitely has her place in the band. She was smiling ear to ear for nearly the entire time. Despite the changes at vocalist over the years, the bands decision has always been a good one as each singer has held their own. Excited to see what the future holds for Lauren and the band!
