Photos/Review: Ad Infinitum @ Sanctuary

After conquering the seas on 70000 Tons of Metal, symphonic metal bands Ad Infinitum and Seven Spires teamed up along with Texas-based melodic metal/rock band Tulip for a speedy 10-date North American tour. I was quite delighted that one of those dates happened to be in Detroit (Hamtramck) on Valentine’s Day at the Sanctuary. It was easily a can’t-miss show for us.

The night began with local symphonic metallers Wisher. This band always brings the energy and has an impressive entourage wherever they play. Not to mention, usually has at least one unexpected cover song; in tonight’s case, it was Bat Country by Avenged Sevenfold. A fun throwback song to shake up the first set of the evening.

Wisher

Photo Credit: Kyle Finlan

Next, Tulip took the stage with their vibrant pop-laden metal set. I went in, never having heard anything by the band, and was pleasantly surprised by their live performance. Leather jackets, uplifting melodies, and just feel-good vibes all around; there was even a cover of Dark Horse by Katy Perry stirred into the set. Not a bad way to experience a band’s music for the first time, I’d say.

Tulip

Photo Credit: Kyle Finlan

The upbeat feelings melted away (in a positive way) when my favorite sad-symphonic-power-metal band, Seven Spires, took the stage next. They started the set saying lead singer Adrienne had slightly lost her voice, so to help her out, they had recorded the vocals from the set the night before to accompany her. But, in her determined fashion, Adrienne still dominated the stage, belting out the high notes and screams almost like nothing was amiss. The band proceeded to play some of the heartbreaker tracks like set opener “Songs Upon Wine Stained Tongues” and “Love’s Souvenir”, the latter featured a portion with Ashleigh from Tulip doing operatic vox, which was a lovely addition. I found myself, as always, indulging in the intricate bass lines from Pete, along with the wild, speedy riffs and killer guitar solos from Jack. The blast beats and precise drum bits from Dylan just ice the cake, no matter how many times I witness this band. (23 times so far!)

Seven Spires

Photo Credit: Kyle Finlan

The final set of the night shifted to the bubbly yet heavy Swiss/German band Ad Infinitum. They’re one of those live acts that you aren’t sure whether to bang your head or dance around. The cool part is, you can do both. They’re bombastic, punchy, and just pure fun. Melissa is also a force of nature on stage. Her voice is beautiful and powerful without a single off note. The guitar solos were spot on as well. Just a fun as hell show!

Overall, this was a great combination of bands that meshed wonderfully. Every set was all killer, no filler, plus all the fun. I hope this trio of bands does another round in North America sometime soon because it was such a treat!