Ensiferum / Naildown / The Belonging
6 April 2007
The Fridge, Brixton, London
The Fridge usually caters for the dance market and after this gig the quizzical looks traded between the queuing Cyber Dog kitted out clubbers and departing metal fans was comical to see. Winding back a few hours earlier and a painstakingly slow I.D. check, metal detector wand wave and body search meant annoyingly missing most of Bradford`s The Belonging. The band combines to weave a blackened deathly wall of sound, though not without hooks of melody from the guitars of Richard Lester and Paul Zaborowski. Dreaming Darkness eases up the pace, bringing to mind the more typical sorrow West Yorkshire has been a hotbed for. Meanwhile, closer Ashes Of The Fallen sees Rich Beaumont`s drums hit full throttle and wets anticipation for the follow up to The Belonging`s debut, Setting The Scene.
The Belonging set list:
Black Sun Rising / Eternal Kiss / Prophetic Visions / Dreaming Darkness / Ashes Of The Fallen Throne
Naildown`s debut World Domination drew a number of comparisons to Children Of Bodom and as Daniel Freyberg marches out, seemingly having raided Alexi Laiho`s wardrobe and guitar case, initial expectations are of a clone band. However, Dreamcrusher, from Naildown`s new album of the same name immediately indicated that they have moved on to forge their own "modern hybrid metal" sound, infused with big clean sung choruses.
Clearly pleased to be here, the Finns enthusiasm is infectious with bassist Matti Hämäläinen, complete with South Park tie, and guitarist Asko Sartanen constantly swapping sides. With a limited time, unsurprisingly the set weighs heavily on their latest album with Lame certainly not living up to its name. Strangely, the band omits their first single and video Eyes Wide Open and wraps things up with Shining Throne. Whilst Naildown`s revised approach went down well tonight and may help them pick up some new fans, this could be at the expense of some of their existing following with heavier tastes.
Naildown set list:
Dreamcrusher / Judgement Ride / Save Your Breath / Broken Down / Lame / Shining Throne
The evening truly did belong to Ensiferum however. Noting they had a mammoth 15 song set planned brought trepidation, but the band`s lively performance and equally enthusiastic crowd response saw time fly by.
Stripped to the waist, Petri Lindroos, leads the charge singing songs of Revenge, Victory and Battle. He also appeared to be the main focal points for the ladies in the crowd, whilst the more rotund, yet equally undressed, Markus Toivonen whizzed round the stage pulling comical poses and pulling faces.
The band preview five new tracks from the forthcoming Victory release and whilst One More Magic Potion is already familiar to some here, it`s Ahti, about the Finnish God of Water, that hits home hardest. Lai Lai Hei from Iron invokes a mass sing along with, rather expensive (£4 a bottle!) beers held aloft.
The band`s self titled debut is visited frequently, with the speedy Windrider and Hero In A Dream simply stunning. In recognition of their yet to be released new album, this trek was dubbed "Tour Towards Victory". With a continued wind of support like that blowing through The Fridge tonight, the Finns seem destined to achieve their album`s name.
Ensiferum set list:
Blood Is The Price Of Glory / Treacherous Gods / Tale Of Revenge / One More Magic Potion / Windrider / Lai Lai Hei / Ahti / Dragonheads / Token Of Time / The New Dawn / Victory Song / Hero In A Dream / Guardians Of Fate / Iron / Battle Song
LINKS:
Ensiferum
Naildown
The Belonging |
