Concert Reviews - Stratovarius + Bonus

Yep... I saw Stratovarius. Are you as surprised as I am?

I made an evening trip into Helsinki to check out this show. I've had Stratovarius floating around on my iPod since I was 17 but I can't say I've ever really gotten seriously into the music. Something about Kotipelto just reeks of cheese and as much as I think he's a good singer, I get sick of them pretty fast.

Kotipelto

Stratovarius has had enough drama since its birth to pretty much qualify it as a soap opera. The most recent news involves Timo Tolkki's leaving of the band. Tolkki wrote pretty much all the music and there was some messy business over the name Stratovarius but it seems that the remaining members of the band hold no real negative feelings. They brought in a young guy by the name of Matias Kupiainen to fill in on guitars and are now writing their own music without Tolkki as the God and Overlord of the music.

I was really thrilled to see Kupiainen live. I've seen him in interviews and he seems like a really interesting guy. He was so happy and lively on stage. Everyone was, really. They all just seemed spot on with the performance, no stress, everyone happy... a far cry from what they might've looked like a year or two ago with the longevity of the band so threatened. I sensed a lot of freedom amongst them and fellowship though. They all looked comfortable playing together, like everyone was having a good time.

The song selection was also really nice. I'm not so fluent in Stratovarius-nese but I recognised Destiny, Hunting High and Low, A Million Light Years Away, and a few more. Actually, quite a few considering how very seldomly I listen to their music. And they threw in a bass solo and a guitar/bass duel too, which was pretty darn excellent, if I do say so. Mathias and Jens passed off beers and riffs to each other, and they were both all smiles! Somewhere in the night the keyboardist began to mess around too, and whatever the setting he plays on is, I love it and he's really phenomenal. I love his playing, it always sounds so sharp and reminds me of King's Quest games (which is a good thing).

Kupiainen

My complaint? Only that Kotipelto's voice wears me thin after a while. I think he's brilliant, it's just not so much my thing. I was also situated for the first while behind the most retarded couple in the room who were waaaaay too into it. Painfully so. Shamefully so. It made me a bit ill. But hei, whatever makes you happy right?

Overall, good performance, good music, good everything. If it's a bad you like, you'd probably love it live. I don't think I'd go again but that's because it's not really my type of music.

So of course I snagged a setlist, but this time I was stealthy about it and asked the soundbooth guy. He gave me the most hardcore eye-roll I've ever received, but what the hell do I care about that? Here it is:

Destiny
Hunting High and Low
Speed of Light
Kiss of Judas
Deep Unknown
Legions
A Million Light Years Away
-Jens solo
Winter Skies
Phoenix
-guitar/bass solo
Forever is Today
Twilight Symphony
Eagleheart
EC Forever
EC Father Time
EC Black Diamond

Stratovarius

Year: Nov 2009
Opening bands: nada
Who I went with: me, myself, and I
Location: Tavastia, Helsinki, FI


*BONUS REVIEW*

What? Behold! You are getting a second review in here today! Aren't you lucky!

So who is this mysterious band I am reviewing? The one and only Leverage! A cheesy old epic metal band from Finland and one of the best times I've had at a show in a while.

This is music for amusement, for laughter, for pumping your fist in the air, for holding up your lighter, and for banging your head! I listened to the music for an hour before heading to Helsinki and then headed to the show with my friends only to wait way too long for the band to come out. But we were greeted with an enthusiastic group who played rather ridiculous music in the most awesome sort of way. The singer looked like a gym teacher (which I believe I was told he actually was at some point) and probably spent an exorbitant amount of time getting the wings in his hair to look so sublime.

I won't go into detail. All I have to say was this was one of the funnest shows I've been to. The sort of show you see to get drunk and go crazy at. A good times had by all show. No one is judging because they're all laughing and having fun. If you see it, go, have a few beers, put your fist in the air, and rawk! You'll see what I mean!

Leverage!

Year: Nov 2009
Opening bands: nada
Who I went with: Jake, Juho, Jake's friends
Location: Dante's Highlight, Helsinki, FI

Concert Reviews - Iced Earth

If you want to destroy your ears, I recommend checking out Iced Earth in concert. I saw them a couple days ago with Kilyakai and Early Man.

So, first things first. We went for dinner before the show and tried to skip as much of the opening as we could. We came in near the end of Kilyakai performing. They were okay, I suppose. The singing wasn’t that great and the singer had ridiculous stage presence. The music wasn’t bad and I have to appreciate that the sound was at least decent for their performance. Nothing special.

I can’t say the same for Early Man. It’s tough to judge when whoever is doing sound for your band has no clue what they’re doing, but even through that, I knew they were, quite blatantly, awful. You couldn’t hear the singer’s voice unless he was screaming, and the screaming alone was incredibly irritating. One of the guitars was far too loud and they were letting the guitars feed back WAY too much. Everything sounded sloppy, like a bad jam session. I wished they had played first so it had been them we missed most of. Such is life though.

Jon Schaffer and Matt Barlow performing Behold the Wicked Child

So out came Iced Earth. My brother asked me to call which songs they would start with, so I went with the intro to The Crucible of Man (In Sacred Flames), followed by Behold the Wicked Child (the first song after the intro) where the band would come onstage and play. I was right! And it was awesome. Frankly though, I didn’t really have any idea what songs they played. After the first two, the next one I knew was Burning Times, Watching Over Me, Dracula, The Coming Curse, and Stormrider (which Jon Schaffer sang for, which was cool). A couple I didn’t know offhand but found out later were Declaration Day (which was rad with Barlow on vocals) and High Water Mark. The encore consisted of Melancholy (The Holy Martyr) and Iced Earth. They played at least one song off Framing Armageddon, which sounded awesome with Barlow on vocals. There were a few others songs I didn’t know that I really liked, but in general it was all good.

Matt Barlow and his beefy arms

I have to say, Matt Barlow has a voice. That man can wail and the first time, I felt that my eardrum throbbing and I had to cover it because I was actually worried. I imagine that it must be hard to do sound for a man with a four-octave vocal range. You have to crank it up because otherwise you can’t hear his low vocals, but as a result, when he goes into those falsetto shrieks, it feels like you’re brain is about to explode in your skull.

Otherwise (not saying it was bad, just kind of intense) musically, the show was great. I think that Iced Earth’s website describes them as a galloping rhythm, not unlike Iron Maiden, but with a bigger, heavier horse. That was more evident at the concert than it ever has been before. You could really hear the influence. Jon Schaffer’s rhythm was loud and intense, and the drummer’s playing, particularly in the intro to one song that I didn’t know (High Water Mark), was quite enjoyable. Musically, aside from some issues with the sound booth and the turmoil in my ears from Barlow’s wailing, it was incredible. I only wished they played more songs I knew, like The Dark Saga, or anything (Dracula aside) off Horror Show.

Jon Schaffer singing Stormrider

One of the cooler parts about this show was that we had VIP tickets, so we got to hang out afterwards and meet the band. Or should I say, hang out afterwards and say hello, get some stuff signed, and then get your picture taken. “Meet” and greet pushes it a bit. I can’t really blame them, they’ve just been rocking and they’re tired. And they were still friendly, which was great. Jon Schaffer in particular seemed really happy to meet everyone who came out and they all really seemed to appreciate everyone’s support on their first show in Calgary (Matt Barlow stated that he thought Montreal was the most metal city in North America but that Calgary might’ve taken their place). I told Matt Barlow that I was glad that he came back and even though I imagine he hears that all the time, he seemed to appreciate the compliment. I gave my hellos and you rocks to everyone and by the time I got to Troy Steele (the other lead guitarist), I had nothing else to say. Regardless, when I got to him, he thanked me for coming to the show, and I thanked him for being awesome. He seemed pretty amused. After that we waited in line for pictures and I got in there, not knowing what to do, and Matt Barlow was laughing at me because apparently I couldn’t decide whether to do the metal horns in the picture and he said they were wussy or something. I was like, aww, I’m sorry, and he just laughed and gave me a pat on the back. They all seem like really nice, friendly, personable, down-to-earth people, and I have a lot of respect for them as musicians and as people.

The full band

All in all, these guys are really just great people. They really put their all into their music and appreciate every person who comes to see them play. For their first time in Calgary, it was a great show. I wished I knew more songs that they played, and I hope one day my ears stop ringing, but I was really impressed and I am glad I got to see them. I’d definitely check them out if they came again.

Iced Earth saying goodnight

Year: November 2008
Opening bands: Kilyakai, Early Man
Who I went with: Michael Widmer, Jeff Wiseman
Location: Calgary - Mac Hall ballroom

Concert Reviews - Gamma Ray/Helloween

Ah, Helloween. Helloween is one of the first metal bands I got into after Iron Maiden, along with Blind Guardian and Iced Earth. You can imagine my elation upon discovering their imminent concert at the Mac Hall Ballroom with Gamma Ray.

Gamma ray is, for lack of a better description, old Helloween. They were formed by Helloween's first singer (Uli Kusch also played for them before joining Helloween) and Kai Hanson sings for them to this day. So seeing Gamma Ray with Helloween is like seeing a band that sounds just like old Helloween playing with Helloween. Translation: pretty cool.

I've heard a song or two of Gamma Ray's here and there but otherwise I haven't paid much attention to them, being a bigger fan of new Helloween over the old stuff. So, being unfamiliar with most of Gamma Ray's songs, I was quite pleasantly surprised.

Kai Hanson from Gamma Ray, formerly of Helloween

The music was good, Kai Hanson sounds just like he used to and is really quite enjoyable to watch onstage, and, to my true enjoyment, they did a great rendition of Ride the Sky off Helloween's first CD, Walls of Jericho, which Kai Hanson sang on.

They played some pretty good songs, a newer one called Empress that was about being bitten by a vampire, or a princess, or perhaps both, and they got the crowd going pretty good to Heavy Metal Universe. Gamma Ray is also the first "opening" band I've ever seen to come back for an encore, though I suppose technically they were touring together, not so much as an opening. But to my elation, they played Send Me A Sign, which is pretty much the only Gamma Ray song I know, and I'm rather fond of it.

Gamma Ray, Calgary 2008

Helloween was, ah, well, what can you say about Helloween? I really didn't know what to expect from Helloween. There were a lot of songs I was dying to hear but I didn't know what I was going to get because this was their first time in Calgary, and I would say that for a first time concert, a good selection of old favorites in with a couple newer ones is probably the way to go. That's pretty much what we got.

Andi Deris of Helloween

Andi Deris was phenomenal to watch. He's not quite as pretty in real life as photoshoots would lead you to believe but his voice is still unreal. He's also quite funny to watch, giving us lessons in German profanity and the like. He was also really good at getting the crowd all hyped up.

Michael Weikath of Helloween

Michael Weikath was an interesting sight to see. His visage is, like in most of his pictures, not unlike an old potato that's sprouted a quaff of fuzzy hair. He's a great player but has a bit of a cocky thing going on and tends to flick his wrist in a rather affeminate way, which I admit bothered me after I noticed it.

Sascha Gerstner of Helloween

Sascha Gerstner, I actually saw walk by me when I was buying a shirt but didn't recognise him as the newest and youngest member of the band. He was, along with Andi Deris, the one I enjoyed watching the most. He was far better looking than anyone else for one. Also, his style was just overall great. He's great to watch, he looks like he's having fun and not trying to impress anyone, he's just having a good time. And the music is great. I didn't know they had a second guitarist but I was pleased with the result for sure!

Markus Grosskopf of Helloween

Markus Grosskopf adds another member to the strangely misshapen old men of Helloween, however, his bass playing was catchy and enjoyable, as you can only hope from a bass player. Without him, it wouldn't have been Helloween right?

Dani Löble of Helloween, during a drum solo

Lastly is Dani Löble. If anyone has heard me talk about the drummer that has been with Helloween since Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy, you'd have heard a glowing report. In his own words, he is a "symbiosis" of Helloween's two former drummers and I couldn't agree more. He takes the styles that both of the others had and uses the parts that work from each to make it his own. He actually did a drum solo in the middle of the show that rather blindsided me with amazement. He to this day remains one of my favorite drummers to listen to. It's nice to see the drumming in a band stand out to me.

Musically, they did have a pretty good selection in the manner I had expected - old favorites with a few well-known (singles) new ones thrown in. They had a nice creepy-ish intro, just as I expected, and opened up with Andi Deris belting out Kai Hanson's old tune, Halloween! After a brilliant rendition of Halloween, they also played such old favorites as Sole Survivor, Mr. Torture, If I Could Fly, Eagle Fly Free, Dr. Stein, and a couple others I couldn't place. They did play two songs off Gambling With the Devil, which were As Long As I Fall (one of the songs I wanted to hear) and Paint a New World, which I didn't care much about hearing, but was still really good.

In regards to the song selection, I really can't complain. Hearing Andi Deris sing those old songs of Kai Hanson's really was a treat. I absolutely love Deris's voice and I was really stoked to hear it in those old songs. I mean, I would've loved to hear songs like Time of the Oath, The Departed (known to many as my all-time favorite song ever), and Mrs. God (my theme song). Mrs. God was the only one I was truly disappointed not to hear. I didn't expect to hear the other two but I had hoped that they'd play at least one song off KotSK: Legacy and I knew if they did, it'd be that one. I mean, it's only their second oldest CD, you'd think they might've done it. But alas, no such luck for me. Not that I'm complaining, they've got a lot of great music and you can't expect to hear everything you want in one concert. Looks like I'll just have to go see them again, yes?

The encore was a particularly good treat. They did two, for starters. The first was kind of a mashup of Master of the Rings songs, including Where the Rain Grows into a very crowd-involved long version of The Perfect Gentleman, which was pretty killer. Then of course, they came back WITH Gamma Ray for the second encore to play Future World and I Want Out (old Kai Hanson songs from early Helloween), which was unbelievable.

Helloween and Gamma Ray, united, playing the second encore of Future World and I Want Out

So what can I say? I thought this show was bloody brilliant and I hope to see them again and maybe I'll get to hear a couple more of those songs I missed out on last night. Gamma Ray is exactly what you need to warm you up for Helloween and overall I just thought it was great. Just... you know... try not to stand behind a big fat guy whose farts smell like he's shitting his pants. I really advise against that. Way to almost ruin a great concert for me buddy.

So my advice to Helloween fans is to go see them. The live experience will not disappoint.

Helloween: Andi, Sascha, Markus, Michael, and Dani in the back

Year: October 2008
Opening bands: Gamma Ray
Who I went with: Michael Widmer, Mike Wiseman, Andrea Wiseman, Frank Coetzer, Jaco Coetzer
Location: Calgary - Mac Hall Ballroom

Concert Reviews - Sonata Arctica

If you're not familiar with Sonata Arctica, go listen to Reckoning Night and Unia right now. I only started listening to Sonata Arctica in the last year and they quickly moved up to become one of my all-time favorite power metal bands.

I was pleased to find that I was able to stand on a set of stairs at this venue for the show which gave me an ample visual field to watch the entire show. Tony Kakko is a cute little man who was dressed in a manner that reminded me of my brother when he's snowboarding. They all looked and sounded fantastic and I am ever impressed by Henrik Klingenburg's ability to play the keytar and actually make it cool instead of undeniably lame. Tony Kakko has a voice that could make a bear purr like a kitten and while sticking mostly to songs off their newer albums, they didn't fail to give us some old live favorites like Fullmoon, The Cage, and Victoria's Secret (dedicated, as always, to those wearing underwear).

For an encore, Tony Kakko split up the crowd and had everyone making different drum noises and then used his "drums" to play a tune and started singing We Will Rock You by Queen. This tiny little Finnish man puts on an undeniably great show and the musicians are enthusiastic and play to the crowd and for the crowd.

If you are ANY sort of power metal fan, even if you haven't listened to them that much, go see them. Follow them around. You will not be sorry.

Year: 2008
Who I went with: Michael Widmer
Opening bands: no idea
Location: The Starlite Room, Edmonton

Ton Kakko belting out another song.