The Beginning Of Times

They have started out in November with the Beginning Of Times Tour, conquering European countries and playing sold out shows. 7 weeks later I finally get my chance, the last chance to see that Finnish-Norwegian package playing live on this tour. It’s very last show, taking place around the corner on the Dutch side of thins at Hegelo’s Metropool. It’s an old and time-honored club I already know from the early 90s, at a new place these days ;)

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I’m a bit early what gives me time to have a look around. All merch items got reduced to a “last-day-price” and sold like hotcakes, at least the AMORPHIS shirts were seen everywhere. The Metropool itself looks great but is a bit confusing at first, especially the munten machines ;)

Anyway, it’s Sunday and it seems on this day Dutch clubs have an early curfew. So it’s 7pm when :: THE MAN-EATING TREE :: enter the stage, while the drums got lovely decorated with Christmas tree baubles. Ahem… ok, the guys weren’t home over the xmas days. It kept me surprised that the baubles did not get smashed during the show… THE MAN-EATING TREE were already celebrating the end of the tour with beer and Vodka what made the announcements of singer a little bit blurred when he was talking about “a free country where everybody can freely breathe” or so. I guess there were some special herbals in play too ;) The Finns have released their second album Harvest prior the tour in November, which they recommended warmly to the sparely present audience. As to expect we got offered pure Finnish melancholy, dark Gothic Rock/Metal in the veins of old Katatonia, Anathema and Swallow The Sun. Luckily the set sounded live much more powerful than on CD and brought us a pleasant show. Yes, the guys rocked out pretty much and thanked everybody at the end of their set.
Setlist: Harvest Bell, At The Green Country Chapel, Down To The Color Of The Eye, Armed, Amended, Of Birth For Passing, Code Of Surrender

Short break, change-over and the wild Norse men of :: LEPROUS :: jump onto stage. I already heard a lot of good stuff about these Avant-garde metallers and was exceedingly curious to experience a show. What then happened… is hardly to explain. Hell broke lose, kind of an explosion, a stylistic firework, musical furiousness. That was… wild. The crowd is as stunned as I am. Open mouths, so to say. Getting back countenance people start nodding heads and get into move while the applause increases with every new song ending up in frenetic screams at the end. Wow! Blown away! Incredible these gents. Especially when you have in mind that these guys back Ihsahn on his shows, its musical output is… rather tame. Also LEPROUS have a sophomore out, entitled Bilateral, from which most of the songs were thrown among the audience. And these guys rocked like hell, did not stand still any second, the literally went wild on stage. As if that was the very first show after one year on hiatus. Foremost singer and keyboard player Einar Solberg burnt out himself. The stage was definitely too small ;) My respect for such effort after seven weeks of touring! Music is surely not that easy to access but also not too tricky and complicated. Just different. And wild. If you allow yourself to get into you will be blown. Awesome!
Setlist: Thorn, Restless, Passing, MB. Indifferentia, Waste Of Air, Dare You, Forced Entry

Break, merchandise, drinks and back into the hall. Lights out, spots on, time has come for fairytales and mermaids ;) :: AMORPHIS :: less surprising kick off with songs from the new album and then went back through the bands history. Afterwards it’s up to the crowd to decide which song is the next: Against Widows or On Rich & Poor. As for my ears noise was louder for the first one, but latter one got played. Never mind. They are both great. Now the Metropool is well-attended but there is not that much of a great mood to sense out. Also AMORPHIS look tired on stage. Only singer Tomi brings some movement on stage and manages to animate the audience every now and then. As for that AMORPHIS almost play a 2 hours show with many highlights and even treat us with 3 encores full of classics. Yes, a worthy tour final and a great evening :)
Setlist: Intro, Song Of The Sage, Mermaid, The Smoke, On Rich & Poor, Sampo, You I Need, Sky Is Mine, Vulgar Necrolatry, Into Hiding, Crack In A Stone, Alone, (Introduction) Silver Bride // Black Winter Day, My Kantele, House Of Sleep

Early begin, early end, which is not too bad, some sleep can’t do any harm I guess. Meanwhile it’s freezing outside and thick fog gets upper hand. I had to put up with a drug control anywhere in the nowhere beyond the Dutch border but I was driving home with a big smile on my face ;)

story & pics © Dajana