Speaking of bands with strong new albums, ARCH ENEMY and TRIVIUM had a hero’s welcome at the Skyway Theater in Minneapolis on a Tuesday night with a packed house of metalheads coming out to support a very strong co-headlining tour package.
I missed FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY’s set and most of WHILE SHE SLEEPS but I did see quite a few people in the crowd repping some fresh merch from both bands.
ARCH ENEMY came out victorious to a loud crowd hungry for the return of Swedish band. Launching straight in to the new track “The World is Yours” the band had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hand right out of the gate. Running straight into “Ravenous” and “Stolen Life” they didn’t give the crowd a chance to breathe until the break before they launched into “War Eternal.”
By this time, I don’t know who to keep my eye on more. The insanely talented guitar duo of Michael Amott and Jeff Loomis who only solidify any reasoning behind me never picking up a guitar. The phenomenally tight rhythm section of Sharlee D’Angelo on bass and Daniel Erlandsson crushing the drums. Or the energetic frontwoman commanding the stage, Alissa White-Gluz. All 5 of them put on a massive feast for your eyes and ears.
Their set list did not disappoint equally balancing new material from Will to Power and War Eternal with their massive back catalog. “War Eternal,” “The Race” and “As the Pages Burn” sound right at home with mainstays “We Will Rise” and “Nemesis”.
ARCH ENEMY is a rare band that has now changed singers 3 times with great victory. They made great albums with Angela Gossow but these two albums with Alissa have become my favorites in the Arch Enemy catalog. The band has become bigger and bigger with every release but the band is not resting on it’s laurels and this live set definitely proved that. ARCH ENEMY knows what you want and gives you everything you were expecting. Seeing how they only comes here once or twice on an album cycle, don’t sleep on an opportunity to see them live.
Here’s what I was a huge fan of, the venue was still packed like it was for ARCH ENEMY and the crowd was just as loud when TRIVIUM came out to the intro on “The Sin and The Sentence”.
“Down from the Sky” had a new fire in it tonight sandwiched between “The Sin and The Sentence” and “Betrayer” from the new album. New drummer Alex Bent shined during the whole entire set bringing new intensity to older Trivium tracks flawlessly intertwining them with the new material.
“Like Light to Flies” and “Rain” from Ascendency could have been a victory lap for them but they sounded even better live tonight than ever before which led into a crushing “Dusk Dismantled”. Even the more rock radio friendly tracks like “Until the World Goes Cold” and the latest single “The Heart from Your Hate” sound amazing live when stacked up with the heavier knockouts “Kirisute Gomen” and the closer “In Waves.”
Matt, Corey and Paolo had smiles on their faces the entire set and rightfully so. TRIVIUM is stronger than ever and the new album The Sin and The Sentence shines because of it. Which naturally leads in to probably the best show I’ve ever seen from them.
I can trace all the times I’ve seen TRIVIUM over the years back to the Ascendency touring cycle when they played the Quest Club in the middle slot of a Children of Bodom tour with Amon Amarth opening. Think of how massive that tour would be now! Or when TRIVIUM toured with Lamb of God and Machine Head and had a little known opener named Gojira. Pretty sure we should have a re-do of that tour in an arena setting.
This is why there should be more tours like this. Two metal bands on top of their game both having entertaining vocalists, guitar pyrotechnics, insanely talented bassists and crushing drummers. Besides this being an extremely successful tour package for both bands, the ultimate outcome being ARCH ENEMY made new fans out of TRIVIUM fans and TRIVIUM made new fans out of ARCH ENEMY fans. Both bands got to play headlining sets giving you more bang for your buck!
Hit the jump to see more of Brett Zisler's ARCH ENEMY photos!
Hit the jump to see more of Brett Zisler's TRIVIUM photos!
ARCH ENEMY’s set list
THE WORLD IS YOURS
RAVENOUS
STOLEN LIFE
WAR ETERNAL
MY APOCALYPSE
THE RACE
YOU WILL KNOW MY NAME
BLOODSTAINED CROSS
THE EAGLE FLIES ALONE
AS THE PAGES BURN
DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD
WE WILL RISE
AVALANCHE
SNOW BOUND
NEMESIS
TRIVIUM’s set list
THE SIN AND THE SENTENCE
DOWN FROM THE SKY
BETRAYER
UNTIL THE WORLD GOES COLD
LIKE LIGHT TO THE FLIES
RAIN
DUSK DISMANTLED
STRIFE
THE HEART FROM YOUR HATE
KIRISUTE GOMEN
THROWN INTO THE FIRE
IN WAVES
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