PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
For this leg of their European tour, Arch Enemy have three support acts – Jinjer, Tribulation and Wintersun. Tonight’s gig in Gothenburg is one of the closest they’re playing to their hometown of Halmstad so a good atmosphere was expected.
With four bands on the bill, doors opened at 5pm. Given the subzero temperatures it’s not surprising that most fans arrive later to avoid queuing outside.
With a capacity of 1100 the venue looked great as by the time Jinjer came on stage to kick the night off, the venue was starting to get fairly busy.
I’d seen Jinjer when they played the UK late last year and really enjoyed their set, but tonight on a larger stage and with a much bigger audience they took things up to a whole new level. They clearly thrive on the audience reaction, so with plenty of people making noise for them they responded and put in one hell of a good performance.
Next up were Swedish band, Tribulation. They’re a band I haven’t listened to that much despite them having been around for over a decade, and I certainly hadn’t heard their new album which was released just a few days earlier. Once they took to the stage it didn’t take them long to impress – in fact by the end of the first song I was already thinking this was a band I need to listen to a lot more, and within a couple more songs I’d already decided to buy the new album. They’re great performers but musically they’re exceptional. It’s heavy but incredibly melodic. A band I look forward to seeing again.
Next up was Finnish band Wintersun. By this stage the venue was absolutely packed and it was getting pretty warm inside. It’s another great set, and their musical style is different enough to the other acts to give much needed variety but it’s heavy enough to keep people’s interest. I did enjoy their set but personally enjoyed the two earlier bands more.
Finally it was time for Arch Enemy. I’ve been a fan for many years and loved them with Angela Gossow on vocals, but since Alissa White-Gluz took over on vocals, the band seem to have stepped things up a notch in the live shows – they were impressive before, but with Alissa’s incredibly energetic performances, the rest of the band seem to have upped their game in an attempt to match her performances. Early on in the set we get “The race” from the latest album, and it’s a full-on high speed song and watching the guys play, their hands are blurs as they play.
All of the band (apart from Daniel Erlandsson on drums obviously) move around the stage a lot, but Alissa is never stationary and when she’s not running around she’s jumping in the air. The band all look to be having a great time on stage and it’s a fantastic set from start to finish – there’s never a moment when they’re anything less than perfect.
Tonight was a fantastic night – all four bands really were great and the atmosphere was superb too with all the fans having a great time.
Setlist
The world is yours
Ravenous
The race
War eternal
My apocalypse
You will know my name
Bloodstained cross
Dead eyes see no future
The eagle flies alone
As the pages burn
Intermezzo liberte
Dead bury their dead
We will rise
Avalanche
Snow bound
Nemesis
