I love going to see metal shows in Europe because the crowds get so into the show from the first note of the first band to the very last spark of the encore. It’s a fist-pumping adrenaline rush and a celebration of all things metal that just doesn’t happen back in the States.
The lineups at metal shows are quite different as well. This night would have three very different bands representing three different genres, but they would all be equally embraced by the wall to wall crowd. Headlining the night was German power metal titans Powerwolf. These guys are somewhere between Ghost and Sabaton, and they put on one hell of a performance.
Their latest album The Sacrament of Sin was awarded best album by Metal Hammer and for good reason. This juggernaut of a record laid the foundation for a brutal set that spanned their seven studio albums. Standouts of the night included the blistering opening “Fire and Forgive” along with five other numbers from the new album. Another highlight was the last song of the night “Werewolves of Armenia.” There’s something undeniably awesome about power metal in general, but Powerwolf live and breathe this sound and not only make it look easy, but they also make you feel like you are walking into a battleground during the 16th century.
Speaking of time travel, I have seen the future of metal and it’s called Amaranthe. Three singers (one male clean, female clean, and one male screamer) front this Swedish metal band that absolutely blew me away in Milan last week. They had it all, the image, the presence, the musicianship, and most importantly the songs. Each song was more massive than the previous and the contrast between the clean vocals and the screams took the music to another level. Add the soaring harmonies and blazing riffs, and you have the makings for one of the most exciting metal bands on the planet.
Touring in support of their latest album Helix (which was just released on October 19th), Amaranthe took to the stage for what could have easily been a co-headlining set to a capacity crowd at infamous music venue Club Live. I’ve been listening to their latest magnum opus non-stop since the show and it is easily a frontrunner for metal album of the year. Watch this one metalheads, hopefully the States will catch on and give the band the global breakthrough they deserve.
AMARANTHE
