children_of_bodom_2011_03

» Children Of Bodom 2011 03 24

Reviewed by Tobbe/Tommy
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Special guest: Ensiferum + Machinae Supremacy
City: Stockholm, Sweden
Venue: Arenan
Date: 24 March 2011
Machinae Supremacy set length: 31 minutes
Ensiferum set length: 45 minutes
Children Of Bodom set length: 82 minutes

Ensiferum

~ By Tommy
Due to the relatively short time to their disposal, the setlist was very hit based with songs that have a high singalong- and party chorus factor. I really didn't miss any song, even though a completely different set with every song changed for another one would have been just as good, perhaps even better.

Seeing Ensiferum was a minor dream come true for me, and it was great to finally see and hear them but I had hoped that it would have been a bit better experience. It is evident that the past year's extensive touring have given them a lot of confidence and routine on stage. The difference between older video footage and what I saw this night was noticable, especially in guitarist Toivonen's case.

Ensiferum delivered a very good, balanced and well performed set, and it was all I really could ask from them being a support act this evening, but unfortunately they suffered quite a lot from bad sound which brings this down to a more modest grade. It was constantly buzzy and blurry, and I am sad to say that this was one of those concerts where it sounded the best in the John. This was something that went on even a quarter into Children Of Bodom's set before it turned good.

Even though I was convinced of the opposite before the gig, I have to say that Children Of Bodom without much of a discussion earned the cup this night. On albums, Ensiferum is way better than the Bodoms, but that can easily change in any given live situation, as it did this night.

6 chalices of 10

Setlist:

From Afar
Token of Time
Into Battle
Ahti
Elusive Reaches
Lai Lai Hei
Twilight Tavern
Iron

Children Of Bodom

~ By Tobbe
With their new release Relentless Reckless Forever, Children Of Bodom is back in Stockholm, Sweden on this chilly late March night. With a solid fanbase in Sweden, the Finnish melodic Death Metal band, has earned the reputation of a stunning live act. Tonight's show is located at Arenan (The Arena), which is one of the worst venues in Stockholm, due to the fact that the stage is too low and frequently poor sound quality. A thousand people shows up and the expectations are high.

Lights go out and the intro starts. One minute later the band enters the stage and starts to play, but all you could hear was two unplugged drum beats and the band walks off stage. This power cut delays the show for about five minutes, before they enter the stage again and fortunately the amplifiers are working this time. First up is Not My Funeral from the new album. The band is trying to tear the place down and the crowd is connecting with the guys up on stage instantly. A couple of songs from the new album and a pair from Hate Crew Deathroll is played, but with somewhat poor sound quality, they don't have my full attention. The sound is blurry and Alexi's voice makes the amplifiers crackle from time to time.

During the show, the sound gets better though and they put up one hell of a show. Hate Me! and other fan favorites, such as Angels Don't Kill are played, along with older ones, such as Children Of Bodom and Downfall. The crowd's reaction to the band's energy is constant throughout the show, with moshpits and fists in the air. Tonight's set is based on two albums. The latest release of course, but especially the songs from Hate Crew Deathroll goes down well.

The encore tonight starts with Was It Worth It?. This new song is a bit different from Children Of Bodom's style and must be considered as their party song with a capital P. Unfortunately the sound engineer had problems again and the song did not reach its full potential. The last song for tonight, Hate Crew Deathroll is played with an intensity and energy that is hard to beat. The crowd goes wild once again and are screaming their lungs out.

Even though the set is a bit short, considering they have seven full length albums out, and the sound problems, this was a good performance. An extra plus for the constant energy on stage and for not playing any one man solos.

7 chalices of 10

Setlist:

Intro
(5 Minute Power Cut)
Not My Funeral
Bodom Beach Terror
Needled 24/7
Ugly
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
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Was It Worth It?
Hate Crew Deathroll