I knew very little about Bloodred Hourglass, but I had listened to one of their songs online in the lead up to the show which did nothing for me at all. The song I heard, which I think came from their latest album, was a very up-tempo and screechy deathcore-adjacent piece which was not what I was expecting - and it put me off listening to anything else. Following the band's 40 minute set last night, though, that song very much seems to be an outlier - and I really enjoyed much of their pretty traditional take on the Finnish melodic death metal sound. Whilst the songs were not as anthemic as they could have been, there was a huge amount of melody coming from the guitars throughout - with Joni Lahdenkauppi (guitar) in particular impressing. As a three-guitar band, the two other guitarists did sometimes take lead duties, but Lahdenkauppi took the lion's share of the leads and solos - and he really stood out. His playing was always tasteful and melodic in that mournful Finnish fashion. There was one song about halfway through the set which had a really slow-burning mid-section where he laid down some Pink Floyd-esque melodies - whilst other songs did include some more metallic shredding which was also really well done. Vocally, I thought that frontman Jarkko Koukonen was strong - although sadly he was a bit low in the mix at times. Perhaps the band would have sounded a bit more anthemic had he been higher in the mix - but I heard enough to think that Bloodred Hourglass deserve more investigation. Nothing they played sounded like the song I remember hearing, which I assume they did not play, so it seems strange that it was released as a single. Sometimes bands can really do themselves a disservice with which songs they choose to release as a single - and hearing the song I did, which I assume was the newest single that came up when searching on YouTube, essentially put me off hearing anything more by the band, when, in truth, it was not representative of what appears to be their core sound. It is always worth going into gigs with an open mind, then, and I felt that the excellent guitar leads and gloomy atmosphere of Bloodred Hourglass got the show off to a fine start.
It was only around 20 minutes later that Pain took to the stage - and for the next hour or so the large crowd was treated to a 13-song set packed with groovy metal and pulsing beats. They were certainly the odd ones out on the bill, and it perhaps took sections of the crowd a while to get going, but I had a good time with Pain - even if they have never wholly been my thing. This was my third time seeing them, as I previously saw them opening for Nightwish in both 2009 and 2012 - but I never really kept up with them. I did review I Am (which can be read here) last year, and did spend a bit of time listening to some of their other albums in the lead up to the show, but I am certainly no Pain expert. Most the band's songs, though, or, at least, those they chose to play live, are easy to latch onto - and The Fleece was soon full of big choruses and pulsing synth beats. Led by the death metal legend and producer extraordinaire Peter Tägtgren (vocals/guitar), Pain fit in around his day job as the frontman of Hypocrisy and running The Abyss studio - so I think that this was likely their first proper tour in a while. I certainly do not remember seeing one advertised for a few years - and I enjoyed catching up with them again since it was well over a decade since I last saw them. Early anthems such as Don't Wake the Dead and Call Me, which guitarist Sebastian Svalland sang part of in place of Sabaton's Joakim Brodén who sang on the original, were all packed full of energy - but I think my favourites early on were the creepier Zombie Slam, which brought the best out of Tägtgren vocally, and the much faster metal of I'm Going In. Pain's sound is quite varied, but it is rarely out and out metal - which helped I'm Going In to somewhat stand out. Despite the plentiful synths, though, the band's music is still very guitar and bass driven. Bassist Jonathan Olsson did a lot of heavy lifting throughout the set, even playing the bass on a keytar during one song, whilst the riffing from Tägtgren and Svalland felt generally pretty heavy. The band clearly do not take themselves too seriously, either, with a few costume changes during the show - particularly during the smoother, dancier Go with the Flow. Later on, anthems like The Great Pretender and Party in My Head got the crowd going, who seemed more on side by this point, but late highlight for me was Have a Drink on Me with its slide guitar and blues vibe. It was a song which showed Pain's variety - before a big sing-a-long rendition of Shut Your Mouth brought the band's set to a close. The setlist was:
It's Only Them
Don't Wake the Dead
Call Me
Zombie Slam
Suicide Machine
Suicide Machine
I'm Going In
Go with the Flow
Same Old Song
The Great Pretender
Party in My Head
Have a Drink on Me
Let Me Out
Shut Your Mouth
The changeover between Pain and The Halo Effect was also quite quick. There was very little hanging around all night, which made the evening fly by, and it was less than half an hour before the lights went down and the instrumental piece This Curse of Silence played over the PA as the musicians of The Halo Effect took to the stage. For just over an hour, The Halo Effect then delivered a 14-song set which included most of their debut album and some choice cuts from the new album. Given that they only played for a just over an hour, with everything over by around 10:30pm, I imagine that a couple more from the new album could have been squeezed in - but it is not uncommon for sets by heavier bands to be shorter than average, and The Halo Effect's set was a high-energy one which kicked off with March of the Unheard. Generally the sound mix was good, although frontman Mikael Stanne fluctuated. At times he could be heard clearly, his powerful growls filling the room, but sadly at times he was quite buried in the mix - and it seemed to vary quite considerably throughout as if those at the desk were struggling to get the mix right overall. The rest of the band sounded tight and powerful, though, with Niclas Engelin's (guitar) leads nicely cutting through the mix. Given The Halo Effect's core sound, this guitar focus in the mix was welcome - and both Engelin and Patrik Jenson (guitar) drove the band with their interlocked riffing throughout. As mentioned, older favourites dominated. The mid-paced anthem Feel What I Believe was an early highlight - but it was perhaps The Needless End which impressed the most during the early part of the show. Another big favourite for me during the first few numbers was the explosive new single Detonate - which is one of my favourite cuts from the new album. It is another real anthem, with Stanne's chorus prompting plenty of singing, and I feel like the song will likely be a setlist staple going forward. Cruel Perception was another new song which came across well live, but it was followed up by a monstrous take on the slightly gothic A Truth Worth Lying For - which allowed Stanne to showcase his clean vocals briefly. There were other songs in the set which included such, but he tends to focus on his growls with The Halo Effect - and his harsh voice still sounds strong despite how long he has been at it by this point. The crowd were really into what the band were doing, too. They were perhaps more reserved than I expected, but there was a lot of love shown in between each song - with even the non-album track Become Surrender receiving plenty of cheers, before a final new cut in What We Become showed that the new album has its fair share of anthems. It was left to a suite of older tracks to finish the show off, then, with Last of Our Kind feeling quite poignant given how long all of these guys have been playing this type of music for - and the soaring guitar leads in Days of the Lost felt as good as ever. Without leaving the stage and coming back again, Stanne announced that things would come to a close with their first ever track - with old single Shadowminds bringing the hour or so of heavy music to an anthemic and melodic close. There was a lot of love shown to the band as they took their bows - and I imagine that The Halo Effect will want to return to the UK again soon should the rest of their shows be as well received. The setlist was:
This Curse of Silence
March of the Unheard
Feel What I Believe
In Broken Trust
The Needless End
Detonate
Conditional
Cruel Perception
A Truth Worth Lying For
Become Surrender
What We Become
Gateways
Last of Our Kind
Days of the Lost
Shadowminds
Coda
Whilst a couple more songs would have certainly been welcome, it is hard to criticise what was a strong showing from The Halo Effect. Whilst the band had something of a head start due to their collective reputations, they have not relied on anything from the past and are certainly standing on their own feet with this latest venture. Those who turned up to Bristol yesterday certainly saw that - and I hope that the band remain a going concern despite the other commitments the members have. Pain and Bloodred Hourglass were good, too, so the whole evening was a great one - and it was great to get 2025's calendar underway.
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