Cemetery Skyline played a sold out Olympia in Tampere March 20, 2025. Although it was their first ever tour, they sold out all of the dates along side The Eternal (and Red Eleven on one date). Even though the venue was packed with warm excited bodies, it was somehow refreshing to be there and see it filled to the brim (on a Thursday no less!). The crowd was on its toes, hands in the air from the beginning of The Eternal’s set to the very end of Cemetery Skyline.
There couldn’t have been a better opening act than The Eternal. Their stage presence was spot on to set the mood for the evening and their music and setlist were perfect. It was an even mix of heavy rock, groovey melodies and melancholy to create an energetic yet cool atmosphere to lay for the gothiness Cemetery Skyline have cloaked themselves in.
The audience went crazy for Cemetery Skyline. And of course, these well seasoned musicians knew just how to play to the audience in this new context far from the music they are more known for. They played a “purely old school- from the first album” set as Mikael Stanne joked. They also included their newest release, a cover of Cyndi Lauper‘s “I Drove All night” which pushed the crowd even farther over the edge! There was another unexpected and very special moment for fans of Sentenced when they played a cover of the instrumental song “Konevitsan Kirkonkellot”. Overall, the stage presence and hype from the packed audience provided a wholesome and pure yet authentic rock show vibe with enough heavier and more melancholic moments to satiate all.
On a dreary Monday, 84th of January (or so it felt) the most metal circus came to put grimaces on the many painted faces of Tampere, bringing along the highest quality melodic death metallers the US has to offer. Avatar and Æther Realm played a packed (if not sold out) Olympia. Although it was a Monday, one would have never guessed by looking at the amount of people, and their enthusiasm. I was personally surprised to see a line out the door, as I approached the venue. The amount of people who seemed to be just as excited to see Æther Realm open was also surprising. At least half the audience knew exactly what to do when the band called for the “tiny metal hands”, a running joke within the band and its fan culture. It was quite an honor to be at their debut gig in Finland too, since they’ve also had a running joke that although they play high quality melo-death metal, they are, in fact NOT from Finland. Their vocalist mentioned it had been a dream of theirs for over fourteen years to play Finland and we were lucky enough to witness the dream finally coming true for the first time! The band not only played a beautiful set, with a perfect blend of more melancholic folk (my heart twinged at the mention of Appalachian folk!) and hard driving death metal, but were also incredibly sincere on stage. Their passion and humor along with their gratefulness for finally getting to play in Finland was pure and made the show all the more genuine.
The whole gig turned out to be unexpectedly amazing and unique in so many ways. Beyond Æther Realm‘s story and significance of this show for them, the enthusiasm of the crowd was like nothing I had experienced before. Specially at a smaller venue like Olympia, specially on a Monday in January. I mentioned the unexpected line out the door and genuine interest in the opening act, but there were also many people dressed up in Avatar attire. Intricately painted clown faces, costumes and other metal circus-esque aesthetics could be seen in at least a third of the crowd, or so it seemed. As I stood waiting between bands, I also heard a lot more English and other languages being spoken through out the crowd than usual, as well as listened in on their conversations of their travels to Tampere (and plans for going to the other shows in Finland as well). The fact that Avatar had a huge stage setup with them was also quite unexpected, and uncommon for Olympia (though knowing this band had recently played stadium gigs around Europe made it a bit more understandable). I believe this extravagance was also what lead to the first time I could feel the floor moving during the gig in Olympia ( and it wasn’t even during the mosh pits or wall of death, which was another thing I had rarely experienced at that venue, and agian, on a Monday no less!).
But after experiencing the show, it all made sense. The grandeur, the enthusiasm and dedication of the fans, the fact that the venue was near sold out, people traveling from other countries, everything. It was an epic experience. Not only the whole circus aesthetics and moments that were more theater than metal gig, but the bands presence, their cohesiveness and how they seemed to be completely at ease, in sync and enjoying themselves but still taking their music and showmanship seriously. The thread of darkness and heaviness that somehow maintained its presence despite the playfulness (including NSFW kind of playful) and circus aesthetic somehow made those kitschy gimmicks not too kitschy. It tinted the bright colors and glitz with a darkness that made it a bit more haunting than fun. The moments of seriousness and moodiness that the band members wove into the silliness, not to mention their talent theatrically as well as musically made it an unforgettable night. Only one month into the year and I can bet this gig will make it to my top 10 if not top 5. Both bands are now on my wish list to see again at a festival or club or anywhere in the near future!
December 17, 2022 Shape of Despair and Counting Hours played an iconic gig at Olympia Kortteli in Tampere, Finland.
Counting Hours warmed the night up, or chilled it down with pounding melodic doom. Followed by an intense 2 hours of funeral doom, including Shape of Despair’s newest releaseReturn to the Voidin its entirety, plus an array of songs from their earlier albums. It was the perfect way to welcome the darkest week of the year.
Eivør and Lucky Lo played not one but two magical shows in Tampere Finland 11-12.4 2022. The first show at G Livelab was a very special show for both acts. Lo excitedly mentioned that it was the only show on the tour she had a piano to play and looked like she was truely enjoying herself while playing! Both acts included the grand piano in their set, as well as Lo with her banjo and Eivør (accompanied by Mattias Kapnas on the piano) with her drum and guitar. They played unique renditions of songs as well as other songs not previously played on the tour. I was only at the second gig at Olympia on “official” business but since I also attended the G Livelab gig I want to include it in the report. I really loved the idea of these two shows together, very different venues and atmosphere that complimented each other well and gave us an opportunity to see, feel and hear these beautiful artists in unique contexts.
Eivør and Mathias at G Live Lab
Lucky Lo at G Live Lab
I have to admit, Lucky Lo‘s music is not something I would naturally listen to, but I thoroughly enjoyed both sets. She has such a humble charisma that delivers her music to the audience in such an honest and comforting way its entrancing. Although her music spans themes and sounds that are light, funky and uplifting as well melancholic and fragile, it all feels intimate and warm. In the state of the current world, it was a welcome feeling.
At the Olympia show, she explained how playing simply on the banjo is a glimpse of the core of her music and writing process, and that the recorded music might sound a bit different than what we were hearing then, since it includes a full band and much funkier vibe. One moment that gave me chills was when she was introducing the song “Sunrise/Sunset” explaining it was about life and death inspired by a good friend who had passed away.
As she struck the first notes of the song, a puff of smoke shot up behind her, illuminated by a light, like a ghost. I don’t think it was intentional or if many others noticed but it struck me.
She seemed to go with the flow of the gig, and at one point was openly pondering which song to play next. Someone from the audience suggested one of her songs and she bashfully admitted she could not play it on banjo, that she had tried but she just didn’t think it sounded right. She then remembered the previous night she had been inspired by Eivør when she played a Leonard Cohen cover (which she hadn’t done on the rest of the tour), and decided to also play a cover, and excitedly jumped into “Strawberry Fields Forever”.
These two shows were also special because they were the last of the tour, at both shows they both deviated from the setlists they had stuck with for the tour, and graced us with songs they hadn’t played live in a long time or ever!
Eivør‘s set at G Livelab was quite different on many levels (an intended pun because I personally experienced the gig both from the balcony of the venue and standing in the crowd, and even that provided a different experience). Watching from the balcony felt a bit more like watching a show, still intimate with the ability to also watch the audience but a bit detached. When I went to the floor though, it was surreal. Eivør‘s voice was so ethereal and being closer to the stage and closer to the music was almost other worldly and yet made it all more real. She played a few songs there they didn’t play at the other show such as “Verð Mín”, “Silvitni”, and few covers from Leonard Cohen and Julee Cruise. As well as really interesting adaptions of the songs they had been playing, since it was a somewhat acoustic show, or at least “Duo”, minus the full band plus a grand piano. A few of the more melancholic slow songs had an almost old timey cabaret feel.
However, at Olympia, even the intro music took the night into a completely different atmosphere. It was intense. Epic yet melancholic low grumbles of orchestral, electronic music that slowly built up the anticipation. I think because it was the last show of the tour, the whole band also helped build that anticipation through out the night. As the end came closer, they all played harder, more passionately, more loose. Eivør‘s music strings together such a wide spectrum of emotion and sound into a short space of time its really intense to see live! One moment you’re dancing to a light-hearted beat, the next you’re traveling into another time and place, something ancient and foreign yet nostalgic, and the next you’re almost in tears with a raw melancholic comfort. And of course those ethereal chants and throat singing she does with her drum are always an experience on their own. Although they are simply sounds and chants, her movements and facial expressions while she’s singing almost tell a story of their own, up for interpretation on a personal level yet clear somehow.
It was great to finally be able to see her “new” songs live, unfortunate that her latest album Segl had been released amidst the first year of the pandemic. Although I had seen her perform some of them during her live stream shows during the 2020 summer (I have to mention it was really great to kind of get to know her and her music during those weekly home recorded live streams that summer, and made me even more eager to see her live again!). And was also a treat to see, again, some songs they had not played during the rest of the tour, since it was the last show (I have a personal history with the song “Boxes” and that was one extra song they played, not to mention seeing that insane vocal magic live, gave me chills!).
To introduce the song “Gullspunnin” she recited a poem and explanation of the song and its meaning, with low atmospheric background sounds as accenting her words. It almost felt like a guided meditation, which, as I think now, isn’t such an unexpected thing to experience at her gig. Her spoken words, and sung words, chants, throat singing, growls, laughs and all the lows and highs of the music hit so many different themes and emotions its like acupuncture of the soul, in some ways providing a release that ends in peace and contentment. Even if you aren’t familiar with her music, or don’t have any personal history with her songs, it is such an intense and magical yet humble performance it will be an unforgettable experience for anyone.
Dark Art Conspiracy 
You must be logged in to post a comment.