This was fabulous. It was a night of firsts at Baltimore Soundstage, as Battle Beast made a stop in Charm City Saturday night, the penultimate date on their first North American headlining tour. Supporting Battle Beast was newcomers Blackbriar, touring North America for the first time ever.
I should have known this was going to be a special night when I queued up with everyone else right after doors opened at 7PM; the line to get into Baltimore Soundstage still snaked around the block. It was so long that I was a little nervous about making it inside in time to photograph Blackbriar. My fears were assuaged as security moved us through swiftly. Once inside at 7:58PM, I was told by security that Blackbriar would not be taking the stage until 8:15pm, as the meet and greet ran late. Relief!
Blackbriar took the stage and hit the crowd with gorgeous symphonic metal. The Netherlands-based band is promoting their latest album, 2023’s A Dark Euphony. This is an album that one reviewer praised as being “generation and genre-defining,” which is massive considering it is only the band’s second full length album (the first being 2021’s The Cause of Shipwreck). The songs explore gothic themes; sung by mesmerizing lead singer Zora Cock, they took on a magical quality.
The darkness of the songs was in direct contrast to the big smiles onstage, as the rest of the band (René Boxem, Bart Winters, Robin Koezen, Ruben Wijga, and Siebe Sol Sijpkens) all appeared to be absolutely stoked to be playing for the Baltimore crowd, which returned the love. Unusual for an opener, Blackbriar played for nearly an hour, even returning to the stage for an encore!
The Baltimore date of Battle Beast’s Circus of Doom Over North America tour was the first time I had ever covered or seen the Finnish power metal band (Juuso Soinio, Pyry Vikki, Eero Sipilä, Janne Björkroth, Noora Louhimo, Joona Björkroth). I will tell you right now, it will not be my last.
I decided I was not even going to listen to any of their songs prior to Saturday night. I wanted to leave open the possibility of being surprised and delighted by a band that was new to me. It worked. Man, did it ever work.
The Circus of Doom Over North America tour supported the band’s latest album, the aptly titled Circus of Doom (2022). The band’s set was heavy with this new material, but songs from earlier albums were woven into the show too. Fortunately, the photo pit was not crowded Saturday night, because it did not take long for the crowd to start throwing crowd surfers our way.
The members of Battle Beast crowded the small stage in Baltimore and filled the venue with its collective spirit. There is this wonderful thing that happens at shows sometimes when the conditions are exactly right. You have a crowd that is totally hyped and projecting tons of energy onto the stage. The band, if it is playing its cards correctly, receives that energy and hypes the crowd in return. This energy gets volleyed back and forth until it multiplies and fills the venue, whether it is a stadium or a 1,000-person venue like Soundstage.
That is what happened Saturday night. The love fest was infectious and explosive. Battle Beast knows how to work a crowd, especially one that was hungry for a headlining show from a clearly adored band, and it is easy to see why their fans love them so much.
Rocking, fun, high energy songs? Check. Great musicianship? Check. A willingness to be silly and have fun on stage? Double check. One of the best vocalists I have seen in years? HELL YEAH. Noora Louhimo is just jaw dropping; what an honor it was to be able to aim a camera in her direction. The voice, the charisma, the ability to work a crowd, the horns! At first, I thought, why is she in costume while the rest of the guys are dressed in relatively “normal” street clothes? I get it now—Louhimo is an alien being from another galaxy, and the rest of us are just mortals on this dumb rock spinning through space. She is unbelievable.
Of course, the rest of the guys are not slouches either, moving around Louhimo and stirring up a power metal storm. Scattered throughout the show there were opportunities for a little fun. There was a moment of bourbon drinking, pouring some fine Bulleit into the requisite red cups. Because no great band is afraid of a little genre-bending, there was a cover of Elton John’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” sung by bassist Eero Sipilä. There was a silly moment where keyboardist Janne Björkroth pulled some kind of keyboard/drum machine around the stage, and, at the beginning of the encore, a guitar version of Star Wars’ “The Imperial March.”
In other words, Battle Beast knows how to throw a party. I cannot wait for their next one. Alas, this tour is over; however, Battle Beast will tour Europe this summer, which will include several dates in Finland in case you would like to catch them on their home turf.
BLACKBRIAR
BLACKBRIAR SETLIST
Crimson Faces
I’d Rather Burn
Far Distant Land
The Seance
Forever and a Day
Arms of the Ocean
Selkie
Deadly Diminuendo
Lilith Be Gone
Cicada
Until Eternity
BATTLE BEAST SETLIST
Circus of Doom
Straight to the Heart
Familiar Hell
Armageddon
Place That We Call Home
No More Hollywood Endings
Eye of the Storm
Can You Feel the Love Tonight
Where Angels Fear to Fly
Bastard Son of Odin
Russian Roulette
Wings of Light
Eden
The Imperial March
Master of Illusion
King for a Day
Beyond the Burning Skies
