Amorphis/ Soilwork and Jinger- concert review

You know, December was fun, holidays and all, but did you ever go to an Amorphis show in January? One that was announced in August 2018? The hype is real, I am telling you. So, on this very cold evening of 22 January, in the year of Metallica/Slayer and others big gigs, I ice-skated my way to Arenele Romane, the Venue where the first big show of the year would take place. An interesting mix of Soilwork, Jinger and Nailed to Obscurity starring the finish classics of Amorphis.

Nailed to Obscurity, photo by Carlos Funes

Nailed to Obscurity is a band I didn’t know. Saw them on the poster and thought I’ll give them the live chance, so I got there shortly after they started playing (on schedule). They caught my attention really fast, as I was quite confused about what I was listening to. Went there for some melodic death metal and got some really nice mellow parts and clean vocals, combined with heavy guitar riffs and heavy drums (specific to the genre). Their approach to this style is definitely unique, with many twist and turns which gets you caught in a spiderweb. Even though I fell in love with their latest album “Black Frost”, which might be the apex of their “experiments”, I am eagerly waiting for a fifth studio album. Other than that, the show was really good, from Raimund’s voice (which happens to have a wide-range in it, with smooth transitions from low growls to clean), to a very good sound, low dark lights and lots of energy and smiles. I am sure they already had many fans in the audience but everyone loved them, overall.  

Jinger was a bit “outside” the line-up but still, put a hell of a show. Under some green and yellow cold lights, Tatiana showed again her great vocals skills, singing both with clean vocals and growls, with a contrast one has never seen before. It is really impressive how easy it seems for her to go from brutal, fast, low growl and high screams, to girlie clean vocals, a thing that can be enjoyed at its best on “Pisces”. The metalcore/progressive band was the twist of the night, one that the audience loved, but of course, Jinger has a pretty big fanbase in Romania.  Still, there wasn’t a lot of movement from the band on stage except for Tatiana, who kicks and punches and engages the crowd like a Xena of metal. The band knows their craft and they absolutely shred live, from the riffs to the intricate bass to the percussions and the dive-bombing bass drops, the band was on point.

About Soilwork I can say one thing: they are better live than on record, which was clear from the start, as they got the’s crowd attention within seconds. Dave and Sylvain’s guitars wove an amazing mesh of riffs that match perfectly with Sven’s keyboards. On the other side, Bjorn’s vocals are the power behind every moshpit. As the night was getting closer to the end, the venue was already boiling and getting really crowded, so the band had plenty to work with. Soilwork is all about power and energy and they managed to give us a great collection of old and new songs from the treasure trove that is the band’s back catalogue. Also, the chemistry between those up onstage and those in the audience is very real and pretty catchy. No matter how much you’ll try to get over and focus on something else, you’ll fail. The show was a full-speed ride.  

After a short soundcheck and a session of equipment moving, Amorphis finally came on the stage. Well, not immediately, but after a short tease with the intro from „The Bee”. The tension was growing and the public became really impatient as we all were waiting for Tomi Joutsen to take over. The concert started exactly as the song goes, with a wave of power and energy. We got the chance to enjoy songs from “Queen of Time” as Wrong Direction or Message in the Amber, but also some old “trademark”Amorphis songs. Silver Bride brought a general emotional state in the audience while House of Sleep raised all of our voices (not only when Tomi passed the microphone). There are some particular things that make Amorphis really impressive in a… different way. Their music has lots of soul and feeling, so the shows are usually full rides through hell and heaven. The connection between the band and the audience is also fantastic and you always get this feeling of “intimacy”. Also, their live performance is so close to the recorded version, it hurts, no matter the venue or the location. This is a plus that makes every show more than a live experience. You resonate with the band, being on stage, you can see them, you can feel them (because the guys are very expressive and intense while they play)  but also get covered in emotions as you hear live what you’re used to hearing in your earphones, ‘cause that’s where the journey of a fan usually begins.

Regarding the organization, can’t really complain about much. The venue was properly heated, the entrance had decent traffic so people didn’t have to stay in cold too much. The bars were, as usual, always busy, with long lines, so maybe some more people on that area next time. Also, the merch stand was pretty impressive, with a wide range of possibilities (Amorphis and Jinger had some really nice t-shirt designs). Other than that, the sound and the lights were flawless. Congratulations to the engineers and everyone who made this happen. We’re off to a good year!

Amorphis și Soilwork la Arenele Romane: Ultimele 3 zile de presale

Amorphis, Soilwork și Jinjer vor cânta pe 22 ianuarie la Arenele Romane în cadrul unui show METALHEAD. În deschidere vor cânta Nailed to Obscurity.

Va reamintim ca s-a intrat in ultimele 3 zile de Presale in care mai puteti gasi bilete la pretul special de 100 de lei la Acces General si de 155 de lei la Golden Circle.

Ulterior pretul biletelor va creste: 110 lei Acces General si 170 lei Golden Circle.

Biletele se gasesc in format electronic pe www.iabilet.ro si in reteaua fizica iabilet.ro/retea: Magazinele Flanco, Diverta, Hard Rock Cafe, Cafe Deko, Club Vintage, Club Quantic, Expirat Halele Carol (in intervalul orar: 18:00-22:00), Beraria H, Metrou Unirii 1 langa casa de bilete Metrorex, Magazinul Muzica, Magazinele IQ BOX – Telekom, Agentiile Perfect Tour, Magazinele Uman, sediul librariei Libmag (Bulevardul I.C. Bratianu, nr. 6, Sector 3), Casa de balet si pe terminalele Selfpay din toata tara.
27.12.2018

PROGRAM SI REGULI DE ACCES

ATENTIE: FUMATUL in cortul incalzit al Arenelor Romane este interzis, dar se va putea fuma in locurile special amenajate.

Portile Arenelor Romane se deschid la ora 17:30 iar concertele incep la ora 18:10

Accesul se face prin intrarea din parc a Arenelor Romane (cea mare, standard, de jos) si fiecare categorie de bilet va avea cate un coridor special. Accesul se face incepand cu ora 17:30 dar puteti veni la orice ora doriti sa vedeti trupele preferate, portile fiind deschise pana la finalul concertului.

Odata intrati in incinta Arenelor Romane nu puteti parasi locatia decat in caz de urgenta. In caz contrar va trebui sa cumparati un alt bilet

Accesul copiilor sub 7 ani este gratuit si este permis doar daca acestia sunt insotiti de unul dintre parinti, posesor al unui bilet valid. De asemenea, organizatorii recomanda, pentru a inlatura orice dubii, prezentarea la intrare a unui act doveditor al varstei copilului (copie). Va recomandam sa aduceti casti speciale pentru protectia auzului copilului. Volumul puternic poate afecta auzul celor mici.

Accesul minorilor cu varste sub 14 ani este permis pe baza de bilet si doar insotiti de un adult posesor de bilet valid.

Zona de concert are o singura zona de acces si cinci iesiri de siguranta marcate ca atare. Normele de siguranta le gasiti mai jos. La locatie va fi prezent un punct de prim ajutor.

INFORMATII UTILE

Este interzis in zona de concert:

  • accesul cu arme sau obiecte periculoase
  • accesul cu alcool sau alte bauturi si alimente din exteriorul zonei de festival.
  • accesul cu materiale inflamabile, canistre pe gaz sau masini de gatit de orice fel
  • umbrele (concertul are loc in cort incalzit)
  • aparate foto profesionale sau semi-profesionale (cu obiectiv detasabil);
  • aparate de inregistrare audio-video profesionale sau semi-profesionale.

De asemenea va rugam sa lasati animalele de companie acasa. Nu vor fi puse la dispozitie zone pentru depozitarea obiectelor de valoare dar ne bazam pe buna educatie si bunul simt al participantilor la festival.

PROGRAM

Open doors: 17:30

Nailed to Obscurity:18:10 – 18:45

Jinjer:19:00 – 19:45

Soilwork: 20:15 – 21:30

Amorphis:22:00 – 23:15

OBLIGATIILE PUBLICULUI

-sa respecte masurile de aparare impotriva incendiilor, stabilite de SC Sfinx Experience SRL;

-sa nu introduca sau sa nu incerce introducerea in incinta de faclii, artificii, petarde, torte, recipiente, materiale incendiare ori fumigene, substante toxice, substante iritant-lacrimogene sau cu efect paralizant (ori alte asemenea materiale, substante sau obiecte), obiecte artizanale si de distractie, pe baza de amestecuri pirotehnice, artificii din categoria “obiecte zburatoare luminoase”, pocnitori ori altele asemenea ce pot favoriza producerea si propagarea incendiilor;

-sa nu aduca in stare de neutilizare, indiferent de mod, semnele, afisele, marcajele sau altele asemenea, destinate apararii impotriva incendiilor aflate in incinta;

-sa nu aduca in stare de neutilizare, indiferent de mod, mijloacele tehnice de aparare impotriva incendiilor aflate in incinta;

-publicului ii este interzis sa dezlipeasca sau sa distruga reclamele, anunturile si afisele expuse de organizator in incinta ansamblului construit, precum si sa deterioreze, sa ridice sau sa mute semnele ori indicatoarele amplasate de organizator, pentru facilitarea accesului in incinta, a evacuarii persoanelor, a interventiei in situatii de urgenta sau a celor care semnaleaza existenta unui pericol pentru viata persoanelor;

-sa fumeze numai in locurile fara pericol de incendiu, special amenajate si marcate.

Biletele se gasesc in format electronic pe www.iabilet.ro si in reteaua fizica iabilet.ro/retea: Magazinele Flanco, Diverta, Hard Rock Cafe, Cafe Deko, Club Vintage, Club Quantic, Expirat Halele Carol (in intervalul orar: 18:00-22:00), Beraria H, Metrou Unirii 1 langa casa de bilete Metrorex, Magazinul Muzica, Magazinele IQ BOX – Telekom, Agentiile Perfect Tour, Magazinele Uman, sediul librariei Libmag (Bulevardul I.C. Bratianu, nr. 6, Sector 3), Casa de balet si pe terminalele Selfpay din toata tara si au urmatoarele preturi.

  • presale: 100 lei Acces General si 155 lei Golden Circle pana pe 5 ianuarie
  • presale: 110 lei Acces General si 170 lei Golden Circle paba pe 22 ianuarie
  • la intrare: 120 lei Acces General si 186 lei Golden Circle

Un eveniment METALHEAD powered by ROCK FM
08.08.2018
Concert Amorphis, Soilwork si Jinjer pe 22 Ianuarie la Arenele Romane

Amorhpis, Soilwork si Jinjer canta pe 22 ianuarie la Arenele Romane in cadrul unui show METALHEAD. In deschidere vor canta Nailed to Obscurity.

Finlandezii de la Amorphis se reintorc la Bucuresti anul viitor pe 22 Ianuarie la Arenele Romane (cort incalzit), pentru a ne prezenta cel mai recent album al trupei: “Queen of Time” dar si piesele care i-au facut celebri de atatia ani.

Formata in 1990, trupa finlandeza Amorphis a avut o ascensiune rapida pe scena metalului international, stilul abordat la inceput fiind death metal, insa, o data cu trecerea timpului, stilul trupei a evoluat catre progresiv metal sau melodic death metal.

Amorphis au revenit cu al 13-lea material de studio dupa o pauza de 3 ani. Albumul “Queen of Time’ a fost lansat pe 18 Mai anul acesta si marcheaza intoarcerea basistului Olli Pekka Laine, primul basist al formatiei.

Pentru acest material Amorphis a colaborat cu Chrigel de la Eluveitie dar si cu Anneke van Giersbergen.

In momentul de fata Amorphis inseamna:

Esa Holopainen – chitara

Tomi Koivusaari – chitara

Olli-Pekka Laine – bass

Jan Rechberger –tobe

Santeri Kallio – clape

Tomi Joutsen – voce

Soilwork vin din Suedia si sunt prezenti pe scena metalului din 1995.

In tot acest timp au lansat 10 materiale de studio, cel mai recent dintre ele fiind The Ride Majestic (2015).

De-a lungul timpului, in Soilwork au mai activat artisti precum Dirk Verbeuren, care in momentul de fata este tobosarul Megadeth sau Daniel Atonsson, fost basist si in Dark Tranquillity.

Au mai colaborat si cu Richard Evensand care a fost tobosarul Therion si Chimaira.

Componenta Soilwork este urmatoarea:

Bjorn “Speed” Strid – voce

Sven Karlsson – clape

Sylvain Coudret – chitara

David Andersson – chitara

Bastian Thusgaard – chitara

Taylor Nordberg – bass

Jinjer se reintorc la Bucuresti dupa concertul sustinut alaturi de Arch Enemy.

Formata in anul 2010, dupa ce Tatiana Shmailyuk a devenit solista trupei, Jinjer si-a castigat in scurt timp titlul de cea mai buna trupa de metal din Ucraina. Cu influente precum Lamb of God, Pantera, Gojira, Killswitch Engage, Death sau Chimaira, Jinjer abordeaza un mix inteligent de progressive si groove metal impodobit cu elemente funk, raggae si jazz. Dedicati in totalitate muzicii pe care o creeaza, ucrainenii de la Jinjer au lansat trei albume de studio, cel mai recent fiind “King of Everything”, material lansat sub egida casei de discuri Napalm Records. Romania este un loc in care Jinjer canta cu nostalgie de fiecare data, fiind una dintre primele tari in care le-a fost apreciata munca.

Concertul va fi deschis de germanii de la Nailed to Obscurity, trupa activa din 2005 cu 3 albume lansate care au conturat ca stil un melodic-doom metal.

Cel mai recent album a aparut in 2017 si se intituleaza King Delusion.

In prezent din trupa fac parte:

Jan-Ole Lamberti – chitara

Volker Dieken – chitara

Jann Hillrichs – tobe

Carsten Schorn – bass

Raimund Ennenga- voce

Biletele se gasesc in format electronic pe www.iabilet.ro si in reteaua fizica iabilet.ro/retea : Magazinele Flanco, Metrou Unirii 1 langa casa de bilete Metrorex, Magazinul Muzica, Magazinele IQ BOX – Telekom, Hard Rock Cafe, Beraria H, Targul Cartii (Pasajul Latin), Agentiile Perfect Tour, Magazinele Uman si in Statiile de Plata SelfPay din toata tara.

Biletele au urmatoarele preturi:

  • earlybird: 95 lei Acces General si 135 lei Golden Circle (in fata scenei) pana pe 1 octombrie
  • presale: 100 lei Acces General si 155 lei Golden Circle pana pe 1 decembrie
  • presale: 110 lei Acces General si 170 lei Golden Circle paba pe 22 ianuarie
  • la intrare: 120 lei Acces General si 186 lei Golden Circle

Se pun in vanzare doar 1800 de bilete. Concertul are loc in cort incalzit. Sunt in vanzare doar 400 de bilete Golden Circle in fata scenei.

Un eveniment METALHEAD powered by ROCK FM

Rockstadt Extreme Fest 2018- Review

After four days and four nights of extreme metals and some not so extreme but still around, I finally found my words. I wish I could but I have nothing bad to say about Rockstadt Extreme Fest. I truly believe that it is one of the best metal festivals, if not the best, we have in Romania. Everything was flawless, from my point of view.
The info point was much appreciated and also that liitle flyer with the map and the schedule made things a lot easier for many of us.


The location of the festival is just stunning, surrounded by mountains, close to the beautiful city of Rasnov, but at same isolated. Being at the base of the citadel, it allowed us to take short trips, to visit the surroundins, the cave, the city, and, of course, Râșnov citadel. One thing that was difficult to take was the temperature difference. During the day, you could’ve gotten a nice tan by only walking around the are, while during the night, if you were not drunk enough, you needed a long sleeve, a hoodie and a jacket.

About the pricing system, there was some waiting, but most of it was at the entrance. It’s hard to let hundreds of people in through only three checkpoints, while there were others trying to get out. Other  than that, I understand the food bar was a bit crowded, and that is pretty much all. Personally, I never stood more than five minutes for a beer or anything to drink. For tokens, tho, the line was always busy. The food was very good and eveyone appreciated the longdrinks, shots and the others alcooholic drinks the bar served.

I didn’t sleep in the camping areas but I think there some things worth metion. First, in spite of the all complaints, I think the price was really cheap, for what you get. Both camping areas were clean, organised, had security, so only the people with those special bracelets could get inside and some of the nicest bathrooms I saw, regarding the live show. First, there were separate spaces for women and men, and both areas had showers (in containers, with sinks and mirrors) and very clean toilets (from what I’ve heard, there was someone who came once in a while to clean them). I am sure everyone appreciated that, especially the girls. Still, the one thing that kept the campings from perfection was the lack of shade. Of course, the area was surrounded by forests so there was plenty outside the campnig.

Also, two bands were not able to perform but the organizers dealt with the problems in such way it was not even noticeable and everything went on schedule.

Every  night had an after-party where people had lots of fun. It was interesting and satisfying at the same time to see hundreds of metalheads dancing on metal/rock/pop, dubstep and many others genres. I think that says a lot about the maturity of the audience, being able to have fun no matter the music. Last night had a special edition of ’90 tunes, which was a real blast, with people dancing on the stage, everyone jumping around on songs like Captaion Joe (and actually doing the dance), la isla bonita and so on. It was quite an end after four days of extreme metals.

I think that other things that people appreciated were the concrete sidewalks, the ”charging area” for those who slept in tents and had little access to a power source for their phones, and the organizers attetion for preventing the „mud”, the classical mud we’re used to at this event. Fortunately, the weather was on our side and we received four full days of sun. There was also a pretty generous merchandise area, with a wide range of t-shirts and CD-s.

About the concerts, I think every band brought something different  and unique on the stage. Though I appreciated every person  that got up on the stage, I didn’t got to see all of bands (but I’ve heard most of them). Regarding the show, the sound was almost flawless, with small exceptions, but overall better than what I got from a festival so far.
Because it would take many pages and much time for you to read them, I will stick to what I think were the best live actions. I will also be a bit cliche, but most of the headliners slayed the stage. WASP came with so much energy and power, it shocked everyone, and I am so grateful I got to see a piece of music history along with some other thousands of people. Powerwolf put on one hell of a show, even without all their fire toys, kept the audience alive with energy and enthusiams, while singing about werewolves and vampires in their homeland. Some people complained about the sound not being high enough. I think it was more than decent. Amorphis was impressive in a… different way. Their music has lots of soul and feeling, so it was more emotional, to say so, with songs like Silver Bride and House of Sleep. One great thing about Amorphis. Their live performance is so close to the recoreded version, it hurts. Obituary is not my cup of tea but people described the show with some big words.

 

In the last night, InFlames ended the festival with a show to remember. With a full Wacken stage set, with lights, led screens, projections, light pillars and fireworks, everything was insane. It was late, after four days of boiling during the day and freezing during the night and everyone enjoyed every second of the show. There was a great communication with the audience, the guys smiled all the time and were obviously excited to be there.
I will also mention Septicflesh here because they had a show that impressed me beyond any expectation and I think they deserve to be close to the headliners.  Their music is more than fascinating and seing them live really brings everything to a whole new level. You can’t help but feel their music.
Other bands I really enojoyed from the main stage were Dirty Shirt (which I saw before but never get tired of), Brujeria, which were totally crazy, with their mexican vibes and funny attitude combined with the hard guitar riffs and drums. GoatWhore had an interesting sound and Belphegor made a really nice show.
Fleshgod Apocalypse finally managed to get on the romanian shores, after being robbed and having to cancel their concerts, including the one from the Indoor Rockstadt. Man, they killed that stage. First, their costumes, make up, attitude were basically yelling that was going to be good. Their mix of classical, renaissance sound combined with extreme drums and guitars, alongside the beautiful opera voice of Veronica  and the deep powerful vocals of the leadsinger just takes you to a very interesting trip through „space and time”.

About the second stage, first band that got my attention was W3 4R3 NUM83R5, which was also the first band I got to see from all the festival. I knew some songs from them but never got the chance to see them performing live. Pleasant surprise. The sound was very good, some nice djent, lots of energy, great communication with the public.  Also, Sur Astru was a very interesting experience and I think these guys are going places. Impure Vilhelmina and The Thirteenth Sun had pretty good shows but I would enjoy more to see them in separate shows, as I think they could do even better.  Gutalax was at least fuuny to watch, and they had show people kept talking about.  As for the main stage, the sound was nice and clean and every band played according to schedule, no events, just more crowded by the day, which was a good thing.

As I said before, I wish there was something even remotely bad about this festival, but it isn’t. I talked to people that never missed an edition of REF and they said this festival is just getting better and better, more and more professional. I asked some that came this year for the first time and they were surprised. As for me, I shall never miss a year of Rockstadt Extreme Fest. Congrats to everyone who puts tons of  effort, every year, into making this, the best metal festival from Romania.