Heaven Shall Burn really startled us when they announced the Final March tour and two selected Impericon festivals "before an indefinite break". Worry not though; as drummer Chris Bass confirmed, the German titans are not breaking up, just taking some time off. That being said, and after a burden was lifted from our shoulders, we attended the first date of the tour, also featuring August Burns Red, Whitechapel and In Hearts Wake, in Wiesbaden.
I would assume our beloved Aussies opened with "Passage" but unfortunately I only made it back upstairs just in time for the next songs, "Overthrow" and "Healer". In Hearts Wake was lacking a member, as guitarist Ben Nairne had to stay back due to health reasons. This however didn't stop the rest of the guys from having the time of their lives even as a quartet. The band's energy and chemistry is truly remarkable. The kids in the crowd would probably agree, seeing as on the closing track, "Refuge", also produced the first wall of death for the evening. (9)
Up next was Whitechapel. Almost two years after our initial encounter, I still prefer them on record than live. Sharp as a blade, the deathcore outfit was excellent from a technical viewpoint as any professional should be. In their case, there lies the problem; they are way too professional, at times appearing as a well-oiled but very passionless machine. Unpopular opinion, but the second time didn't do the trick for me. Maybe a future third time will. (7)
August Burns Red was the exact opposite, giving new meaning to the word "performance". Energetic af, they took over the stage with a bang. The only downside of their performance was the fact that the rhythm section was swallowing the intricate details of their music. Another thing I came to realize, especially in comparison with the times I've seen them in the past, is how much I've grown out of them. That aside, their show was very pleasing. (8)
Fasten your seatbelts, this is gonna be long. Heaven Shall Burn is and will always be one of the best things to come out of this continent. This tour found them with a bombastic upper-scale stage production, including a crazy light rig, pyros and fog which only made them look more intimidating. From the second they hit the stage, it was chaos; pits, crowdsurfing and relentless headbanging. In fact, throughout the hour and a half they spent on stage, there was at least one crowdsurfer in sight at all times. The band had a vibrant energy that puts to shame kids half their age, with Markus Bischoff being particularly talkative (no idea what he was saying but he kids around me seemed content). Regarding the setlist, it was rather unconventional, more order-wise than the choice of songs itself. "Voice Of The Voiceless" still ranked quite high but I was genuinely surprised that "Counterweight" and "Black Tears" (with the roaring screamalongs) weren't part of the closing of the main set and the encore respectively. The references to the recent album, "Wanderer", were limited to four, thus giving enough space for a thorough throwback to the older (and fan acclaimed) material. On a side note, that day also marked the birthday of guitarist Alexander Dietz. It must be a very nice feeling to have a sold out crowd singing "happy birthday".
The instrumental "Awoken" introduced the encore, followed by -you guessed it- "Endzeit" while the heroic "Valhalla" closed the performance in the best way possible; lots of pyros and smiling faces in the crowd. (10)
Impericon fest Oberhausen is next and I am really looking forward to it.
All pictures courtesy of Dearohwell Photography
I would assume our beloved Aussies opened with "Passage" but unfortunately I only made it back upstairs just in time for the next songs, "Overthrow" and "Healer". In Hearts Wake was lacking a member, as guitarist Ben Nairne had to stay back due to health reasons. This however didn't stop the rest of the guys from having the time of their lives even as a quartet. The band's energy and chemistry is truly remarkable. The kids in the crowd would probably agree, seeing as on the closing track, "Refuge", also produced the first wall of death for the evening. (9)
Up next was Whitechapel. Almost two years after our initial encounter, I still prefer them on record than live. Sharp as a blade, the deathcore outfit was excellent from a technical viewpoint as any professional should be. In their case, there lies the problem; they are way too professional, at times appearing as a well-oiled but very passionless machine. Unpopular opinion, but the second time didn't do the trick for me. Maybe a future third time will. (7)
August Burns Red was the exact opposite, giving new meaning to the word "performance". Energetic af, they took over the stage with a bang. The only downside of their performance was the fact that the rhythm section was swallowing the intricate details of their music. Another thing I came to realize, especially in comparison with the times I've seen them in the past, is how much I've grown out of them. That aside, their show was very pleasing. (8)
Fasten your seatbelts, this is gonna be long. Heaven Shall Burn is and will always be one of the best things to come out of this continent. This tour found them with a bombastic upper-scale stage production, including a crazy light rig, pyros and fog which only made them look more intimidating. From the second they hit the stage, it was chaos; pits, crowdsurfing and relentless headbanging. In fact, throughout the hour and a half they spent on stage, there was at least one crowdsurfer in sight at all times. The band had a vibrant energy that puts to shame kids half their age, with Markus Bischoff being particularly talkative (no idea what he was saying but he kids around me seemed content). Regarding the setlist, it was rather unconventional, more order-wise than the choice of songs itself. "Voice Of The Voiceless" still ranked quite high but I was genuinely surprised that "Counterweight" and "Black Tears" (with the roaring screamalongs) weren't part of the closing of the main set and the encore respectively. The references to the recent album, "Wanderer", were limited to four, thus giving enough space for a thorough throwback to the older (and fan acclaimed) material. On a side note, that day also marked the birthday of guitarist Alexander Dietz. It must be a very nice feeling to have a sold out crowd singing "happy birthday".
The instrumental "Awoken" introduced the encore, followed by -you guessed it- "Endzeit" while the heroic "Valhalla" closed the performance in the best way possible; lots of pyros and smiling faces in the crowd. (10)
Impericon fest Oberhausen is next and I am really looking forward to it.
 |
| Heaven Shall Burn |
 |
| Heaven Shall Burn |
 |
| Heaven Shall Burn |
 |
| Heaven Shall Burn |
 |
| Heaven Shall Burn |
 |
| Heaven Shall Burn |
 |
| Heaven Shall Burn |
 |
| Heaven Shall Burn |
 |
| Heaven Shall Burn |
 |
| Heaven Shall Burn |
 |
| Heaven Shall Burn |
 |
| Heaven Shall Burn |
 |
| Heaven Shall Burn |
 |
| Heaven Shall Burn |
 |
| Heaven Shall Burn |
 |
| Heaven Shall Burn |
 |
| August Burns Red |
 |
| August Burns Red |
 |
| August Burns Red |
 |
| August Burns Red |
 |
| August Burns Red |
 |
| August Burns Red |
 |
| August Burns Red |
 |
| August Burns Red |
 |
| August Burns Red |
 |
| August Burns Red |
 |
| August Burns Red |
 |
| Whitechapel |
 |
| Whitechapel |
 |
| Whitechapel |
 |
| Whitechapel |
 |
| Whitechapel |
 |
| Whitechapel |
 |
| Whitechapel |
 |
| Whitechapel |
 |
| Whitechapel |
 |
| Whitechapel |
 |
| In Hearts Wake |
 |
| In Hearts Wake |
 |
| In Hearts Wake |
 |
| In Hearts Wake |
 |
| In Hearts Wake |
 |
| In Hearts Wake |
 |
| In Hearts Wake |
 |
| In Hearts Wake |
 |
| In Hearts Wake |
 |
| In Hearts Wake |
All pictures courtesy of Dearohwell Photography
0 σχόλια :
Post a Comment