The chilly snowy weather didn’t keep music lovers from seeing their favorite bands this past Friday evening for a night of music on the darker side.
Starting this evening off was Wilderun, which has been described as a Symphonic Progressive Folk Metal band from Boston MA. Starting their set with the song, “Distraction II”, I wasn’t sure what to think at first but, as they moved through their set, their sound was different to me but interesting. Watching the crowd's reaction, at first there were a few who were really into the music, others looked liked what I was thinking, not sure.
They were powerful in their sound and vocalist Evan Anderson with his mixture of clean and extreme vocals added to a sound that grew on me and with the crowd. It’s kind of hard for me to explain, but I do recommend checking out their music.
Wilderun members:
Evan Anderson Berry - Vocals, Guitars (rhythm), Guitars (acoustic), Mandolin, Keyboards
Daniel Müller - Bass, Hammered dulcimer, Vocals (backing)
See also: ex-Khôra
Jonathan Teachey - Drums, Vocals (backing)
Wayne Ingram - Guitars (acoustic), Vocals (backing), Keyboards, Orc
Setlist:
Distraction II
Identifier
The Tyranny of Imagination
O Resolution!
Far From Where Dreams Unfurl
With a smooth turn over on stage, I was excited to see Omnium Gatherum again. I covered their show last year and had a good idea what everyone was in for. The melodic death metalers took the stage and opened their set with “Slasher” from their 2023 EP release of the same name, let the head banging begin! The energy level in the Gothic Theatre exploded and did not let up.
With the band urging everyone on, they moved about the stage interacting with each other and their fans. As a photographer, I was on the move constantly smiling the whole time because this is one of the most fun bands I have had the pleasure of photographing. Listening to their amazing musicianship and watching them showcase their skills with their instruments mesmerizing the crowd while they moved back and forth across the stage, is something to witness live.
Winding down their set with the song, “New Dynamic” the members of Omnium Gatherum moved to the front of the stage to a roaring crowd that wanted more. Vocalist Jukka Pelkonen asked the crowd, are you ready for a picture? With that, the band piled on top of each other for their picture with the crowd. This is a band that is a must see live!
Omnium Gatherum members:
Markus Vanhala – lead guitar
Aapo Koivisto – keyboards, backing vocals
Jukka Pelkonen – lead vocals
Mikko Kivistö – bass
Atte Pesonen – drums
Nick Cordle – rhythm guitar
Setlist:
Slasher
Paragon
Reckoning
Sacred
Soul Journeys
Gods Go First
Planet Scale
Frontiers
White Palace
New Dynamic
The lights dim, a cheer from the crowd and the opening to the song, “1696” starts. The sound is about to get darker. Insomnium makes their way to the stage and lead vocalist and bassist Niilo Sevänen moves to the microphone and in a deep voice chants the lyrics then the guitars explode and Niilo’s vocals turn extreme and the power of Insomnium rocks the venue.
As the band moved through their set, there was little said between songs and the head banging turned into a mosh pit and there were a couple of brave souls that crowd surfed their way into the pit in front of the stage. Indeed, it was a dark and powerful set of music. With a quick break, the band returned for a three song encore finishing their night with, “Heart Like a Grave”.
I must say, there was an interesting contrast in the music and stage presence between the bands this evening.
Insomnium members:
Niilo Sevänen – bass, unclean vocals
Ville Friman – guitars clean vocals
Markus Hirvonen – drums
Markus Vanhala – guitars
Touring members:
Nick Cordle – guitars
Brandon Ellis − guitars
Setlist:
1696
Ephemeral
White Christ
Change of Heart
Lilian
And Bells They Toll
The Rapids
The Gale
Mortal Share
Song of the Dusk
The Primeval Dark
While We Sleep
Heart Like a Grave