Finntroll, Moonsorrow, Swallow the Sun Concert

Hails and pixels metalheads! Sorry about the delay in between posts, just got a bit lazy and some shit going down in real life that I might go into later. Anyway here is a catch up post for the concert involving Finntroll and Moonsorrow.

The concert was over at a restaurant/bar in Mesa called UB's. I've never been there before but it's a decent sized venue; about 100 capacity. The opening band was a local one called Adavant whom I've seen prior when I saw Eluveitie. Not a bad folk metal band, though a bit odd considering they originate from the Valley of the Sun and not the fjords of Scandinavia. Their songs are typical singing about drinking, celebration and the glory of battle. And of course they have a female singer, who I saw while they were taking down their set and complimented her band on a great job and how I saw them previously. Apparently that was a different female singer and she was the new one. My bad.

The second band was a thrash metal band from California called Bonded By Blood. Really great riffs that reminded me of early Exodus, Overkill and a bit of old school Kreator. Every single riff was mosh and headbang worthy. The only negative I had with the band was the singer. He wasn't lacking energy or anything it's just that his vocal styling didn't seem suited for the brand of thrash metal they were playing. I think a more shout style like Tom Araya or psuedo-growling of Miland Petrozza would fit better. There was little between song banter and what bit was there was commenting on the stupid anti-immigration law that Arizona passed and they joked that they might get deported. This band I'll keep an eye on.

I took a personal intermission to refuel my metal gut with some Whataburger. I came back in time to catch a handful of songs of Swallow the Sun. They're not a bad live band, though I think I enjoy them more on the record than live.

After them was Moonsorrow. Tons of energy and the audience enjoyed them immensely. Unfortunately sleep started to overtake my body and I had leave half way through their set. Perhaps next time I'll down some coffee or energy drinks to compensate. By the way, I left with a pretty awesome Moonsorrow tour shirt.

New CD Purchases

Hails and pixels metalhead gamers! I recently stopped by the great local metal store in Phoenix; Metal Devastation. To anyone in the greater Phoenix area or about to visit, please visit that store. It is filled with metal goodness from pretty obscure black and death to the more mainstream acts. The T-Shirt selection is fantastic as well. Anyway, here is what I picked up:

Swallow the Sun - Hope



No, this isn't a concept album about Barack Obama, in fact this album came out in 2007. This is the third album from Finnish doom/melodic death metal band Swallow the Sun. I have only heard a handful of songs before but I loved what I heard. Since I plan on attending their show this Monday, I felt I had to know at least some songs from them. The album has a great presence and reminds me a lot of Opeth if they went in a more slower progression style. Vocalist Mikko Kotamaki sounds quite a bit like Mikael Akerfeldt when he growls.

The music isn't too complicated however I feel that the producer could have pushed the vocals up in the mix a bit more. While I don't care too much for the vocals, these are quality enough that I want to hear them.

Moonsorrow - V: Havitetty

I have heard Moonsorrow before from their first album, Suden Uni and enjoyed it immensely. It's a wonderful blend of black and folk metal though the band leans more toward the folk side. This album explores more of that and begins to show a more progressive side with epic song length; two songs on the album clocking in at about 30 minutes each.

I wanted another album from Moonsorrow as I'm seeing them on Monday as the headliners with Swallow the Sun. I hope the show goes great and I can't wait to see them.