Photo Provided By Miguel Rozo
After having experienced Amorphis headlining the Dong Open Air last July, I was more than thrilled when I heard about their European tour this autumn. So last Friday, I took the train to Cologne and arrived at the Carlwerk Victoria-Köln on the northeast side of the city. The venue has a capacity of 1,600 people, and it was sold out for this show. Once inside, the venue is just a huge factory-like building, quite spacious and comfortable, to be honest.
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Lost Society
I have known Lost Society since their debut album, Fast, Loud, Death (2013), and their consecutive sophomore release, Terror Hungry (2014); at first as a thrash metal band, which morphed into a more modern metal band and, since then, gained them a lot more followers than their previous style. Since it was my first time seeing them, I focused on their sound and stage presence, and oh boy! I was blown away by their energy, drive, and showmanship. This is a band that definitely understands their fan base. Their set was unfortunately short, but it was intense and full of raw energy. With songs like “Awake,” “What Have I Done,” and “112” from their latest album “If the Sky Came Down” (2022), Samy Elbanna, the vocalist of the band, is very charismatic and one of the most energetic individuals that I have seen on stage lately. Even though their show lacked their early material songs like “Riot,” “No Absolution,” and “Stitches,” they were amazingly heavy. They had the energy vibe of a band that definitely has the potential to headline arenas and open-air festivals in future years.
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Sólstafir
After that injection of adrenaline from Lost Society, it was time to get a bit calmer. Without a doubt, Sólstafir is the oldest reference for metal coming from Iceland. I became familiar with their work when I discovered the Ótta (2014) album at my old university radio station while browsing for new music to add to the metal rotation playlist. However, this was the first time I saw them live, and they definitely made a good impression. Their set kicked off with a very folky/Viking-feeling intro that developed into a funkier and more psychedelic vibe as their show progressed. Songs like “Bláfjall” and “Akkeri” had that post-rock/stoner feeling that was quite intense from 2012 to 2015. Their stage presence was simple but to the point. Sólstafir seems to be a band whose only focus is to rock out harder and louder while on stage. The rest of their set was composed of “Ör,” “Fjara,” and “Ótta,” which had a more minimalist approach to heavy music yet was quite explosive and surprising. Their live show is a complete piece of art in motion and is definitely worth appreciating every time these guys take the stage.
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Amorphis
After the openers’ emotional roller coaster, it was time for the main attraction. I saw Amorphis over the summer; however, their set list was limited because it was a festival appearance. This time, however, we had a considerably longer concert. Opening with “Northwards,” “On the Dark Waters,” and “The Moon” from their latest opus, Halo (2022), the band demonstrated how polished and uniform their sound has become since the release of Under the Dark Cloud (2015) and Queen of Time (2018), which I have always found so similar in terms of sound. With this being the second show of the tour, the band sounds fresher, tighter, and more energetic than ever. The show continued with “Thousand Lakes,” “Into Hiding,” and “Black Winter Day,” which was such an amazing trip down memory lane to their album Tales From The Thousand Lakes (2000), one of their most prominent records and one of the most influential within their 30-year career.
“Silver Bride” and “Sky Is Mine” out of Skyforger (2009) definitely brought a lot of sing-alongs and tears (yup, there were those ones as well). “Wrong Direction” and “Amongst Stars” from The Bee (2018) continued this part of the show, and we were riding high on adrenaline at this point. The show closed up with “House of Sleep” and “The Bee,” allowing the crowd to be wild and sing along to the lyrics of this magnificent sold-out show at Carlwerk Victoria. Amorphis delivered an amazing show full of classics, fan favorites, and new songs that reflected the long career of this Finnish band. So, if you’re still on the fence about going to any of the shows on this, grab your tickets, as they’re worth every cent (and their merch on this tour is quite banging).
Tour Dates:
Amorphis – Halo European Tour 2023 w/ Sólstafir, Lost Society:
10/31/2023 Wörgl, AT @ VZ Komma
11/01/2023 Zagreb, HR @ Boogaloo Club
11/02/2023 Skopje, MK @ YCC
11/03/2023 Thessaloniki, GR @ Principal Club Theater
11/04/2023 Athens, GR @ Fuzz Club
11/05/2023 Sofia, BG @ Pirotska 5
11/06/2023 Bucharest, RO @ Arelene Romane
11/07/2023 Cluj-Napoca, RO @ Form Space
11/09/2023 Košice, SK @ Collosseum
11/10/2023 Bratislava, SK @ Majestic Music Club
11/11/2023 Linz, AT @ Posthof
11/12/2023 Zlín, CZ @ Masters Of Rock Café
11/14/2023 Gdansk, PL @ B90
11/15/2023 Kraków, PL @ Kamienna12
11/16/2023 Dresden, DE @ Stromwerk
11/17/2023 Wangels, DE @ Metal Hammer Paradise Sold Out
11/18/2023 Hanover, DE @ Capitol
Halo – Finland 2023:
12/02/2023 Jyväskylä, FI @ John Smith Rock Frozen
12/06/2023 Seinäjoki, FI @ Rytmikorjaamo
12/07/2023 Tampere, FI @ Pakkahuone
12/08/2023 Kuopio, FI @ Sawohouse Underground
12/09/2023 Kuopio, FI @ Sawohouse Underground
12/14/2023 Turku, FI @ Logomo
12/15/2023 Helsinki, FI @ Kulttuuritalo
12/16/2023 Lahti, FI @ Finlandia-klubi
Gallery
Photo Provided By Miguel Rozo
