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Events and Reports - Hammerfall - Live with Sabaton and Bullet - Vega, Copenhagen - 26th of March - 2009
Bullet
Up first tonight was Swedish old school rockers Bullet, who offered an enjoyable trip back to the 80's. It is said, that no news is good news, and that is often true, when it comes to Metal. I felt like I had been captured in a time machine and taken back in time, to an era, where Metal was supposed to be fun and uncomplicated. The music is very comparable to AC/DC and Accept, mostly because of the singer, who sounds a lot like a mix of Udo and Bon Scott. Even without knowing the band in advance, it was easy to appreciate the performance. No big surprises but a tried-and-tested formula were what the band had to offer. The band completed their vision with an entertaining stage presence. Dressed in the classic metal look of vintage jeans and leather, they jumped energetically around, played their guitars behind their necks and seemed really into it. A special mention must go to guitarplayer Erik Almström, who laid down some enjoyable solos.
During the song Bite The Bullet, the two guitarplayers and the bassplayer lifted up their instruments, turned them around, and on the backsides the three words of the song title were written, one on each instrument. Pretty creative and fun idea, and its nice to see a band that really cares about putting on a great show! The stage was even decorated with a large Bullet-logo, which was framed by light bulbs in the true old-school-Maiden style. Bullet seemed hell bent on entertaining us, and even left the stage briefly to return for one encore, not a usual thing for a support band, but just in the spirit of the rockstar-attitude, the band lives by.
A satisfying warm up to what should prove to be a perfect evening.
Sabaton
Sabaton is a band I really can't help but love, though I'm not too big a fan of the whole war-concept. But the music itself is extremely overpowering, especially live, and tonight the band was really on fire!
Sabaton entered the stage with an atmospheric intro, and the first song I was able to recognize was the grandiose The Art Of War, which came across as powerful and inspired. Two songs from the same album followed the dynamic 40:1 and the new single, The Cliffs Of Gallipoli, a more ballade-oriented atmospheric song, that shows a slightly different side of Sabatons talent.
When the first lines of Primo Victoria were shouted from the stage, I found myself jumping up and down in ecstasy! Still my favorite Sabaton tune, this song just has a huge impact every time I listen to it, so full of power, triumph and splendor.
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Sabaton got an overwhelming responds from the audience, the hall was boiling with excitement, and people lifted their voices and fists everywhere. The wild support seemed to overwhelm the band, and motivate them to put on a blistering show. Frontman Joakim Brodén ran across the stage like a maniac and sang with great passion, the band appeared like a deadly and well-oiled machine, and sounded tight as hell. Several times during the show, I just gazed at the stage in amazement.I could not believe determination and enthusiasm these guys performed with and the power of the music. It was simply awesome!
Paying tribute to the Metal world, the two songs Metal Machine and Metal Crüe was blended together in an enjoyable medley to conclude the gig. A raw and passionate performance!
After the show, as I headed towards the bar, I suddenly realized that the sound had been extremely loud! My ears were ringing and I my head felt like it had just been crashed between two cymbals!
After a beer to cool me down, I was ready for my heroes in HammerFall.
HammerFall
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HammerFall entered the stage with an intro, leading into a song from the new album I unfortunately haven't listened to yet. Right from the start, it was clear that every little detail had been given attention; the stage was beautifully decorated, resembling the wasteland that grants the cover of new album No Sacrifice No Victory and there was fire burning in the background.
After a splendid rendition of Crimson Thunder, rain started falling down from the roof over the stage, and using light effects, the HammerFall logo was created within the falling water! My jaw almost hit the floor in amazement, it was just so cool! The band carried on with the crowd-pleaser Blood Bound, a perfect live song that really got the audience going. The dynamic Renegade shook people up even more.
The show was full of surprises! I had been wondering, what kind of show the guys would bring to town, would they have big hammers or a guy dressed up like their mascot, Hector? None of that was necessary, as the atmosphere was created using burning fire, falling rain and spectacular laser and light effects! Lasers painted the HammerFall shield above the stage, as the band went into a convincing version of one of the best newer songs, Last Man Standing. Very cool delivery of this one! Heeding The Call is also an old favorite of mine, and provided a great sing-a-long opportunity, I immediately grabbed. Glory To The Brave is such an amazingly beautiful song, full of emotional depth, and when it was performed with great passion and feeling, I was almost in tears.
Then it was time for new guitarist Pontus Norgren to show his worth on the axe. I have always enjoyed the guitarwork of Stefan Elmgren, so I was a bit worried when he left HammerFall, and though his successor is good, Stefan was missed tonight. The guitarsolo was very enjoyable, but somehow, I just missed that extra something Stefan had.
The guys continued to delight my ears with songs like the new, solid Any Means Necessary, and the powerful The Way Of The Warrior, that made me sing loud and put a smile on my face. The ballad Between Two Worlds was delivered in a captivating way, with soft flames burning in the background and Joacim Cans' beautiful voice soaring in the air.
The band was clearly enjoying themselves, they played at a high intensity and had a professional, yet passionate approach to performing; the musical side came across as flawless, and a good contact to the audience was evident. I love bands that actually bothers to put on some great stage clothes, have a hotter-than-hell light show, some fire and a nicely decorated stage, and really put their hearts into delivering a spell-binding show. During Riders Of The Storm a massive amount of fire was used, and after a breathtaking deliverance of Trailblazers, some words were written in the sky: "Vil ni ha' mer'?" ("Do you want more?") Though the laser effects had lost the initial element of surprise, I just couldn't help but love it, it was too cool! The crowd screamed their lungs out for the final encore, Hearts On Fire.
In conclusion, this was one of the best HammerFall gigs I have ever seen! A splendid setlist, covering all the albums, cool and surprising effects and above all an inspired and well-performing band made this a gig to remember!
Setlist Sabaton:
Intro
Ghost Division
The Art Of War
40:1
The Cliffs Of Gallipoli
Attero Dominatus
The Price Of A Mile
Primo Victoria
Metal Machine/ Metal Crüe
Setlist, HammerFall:
Intro
Punish And Enslave
Crimson Thunder
Legion
Blood Bound
Renegade
Hallowed Be My Name
Last Man Standing
Heeding The Call
Glory To The Brave
Something For The Ages
Drum solo
Any Means Necessary
Natural High
The Way Of The Warrior
Between Two Worlds
Riders Of The Storm
Lore Of The Arcane
Trailblazers
Let The Hammer Fall
Encore:
Hearts On Fire
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All photos taken by Lunah Lauridsen - www.metalmoments.com | Written by Nina
Friday, May 8, 2009 |
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