Tour Title: In Flames & Moonspell
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Tour Title: In Flames & Moonspell |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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3 | |
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3 | |
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5 | |
| Go to Reader Reviews |
Abyss's Review (11/19/99, L'Amour, Brooklyn, NY):
No Swede 'Til Brooklyn
O.K. Having to trek all the way out to Brooklyn to see metal is just a travesty in this day and age, but this was my second opportunity to see the Swedish masters of melodic death, In Flames, and it was not to be missed. Having seen them at the most recent Metalfest (where, by most people's accounts, they ruled the weekend) I was only disappointed by their being placed on one of the smaller stages. Although one wouldn't guess it due to the technical proficiency in which they play, In Flames are a live band. They are clearly well within their element in front of a crowd, and the New York crowd was well into them.
The crowd was well warmed up by Moonspell, the Portugese goth/metal outfit that seemed to bring their own following. The crowd was well into them, and in their better moments, so was I. While their older, more "metal" material often got me going, their more experimental stuff (Irreligious to the present) failed to capture me. It was played well (the crowd even got an encore), but when the vocals drift from scream to deep throated croon, I get lost. Reminds me way too much of that annoying singer from Crash Test Dummies. But I am being a little harsh because fans of the band got, it seemed, all that they asked for.
"The band seemed to enjoy being able to entertain us ignorant Americans, and I couldn't notice a mistake all night."
By the time In Flames took the stage, most of the high schoolers seemed to have left. Of course it was 12:30am by the time they started, and the crowd had lost some of their pluck (there is no reason for a show to start so late, some of us like to go out drinking after, to a place that doesn't charge 5 bucks a beer). [ed. note: I'm sorry, but you are talking about New York City, aren't you...??] But once the intro started, the crowd rose up to the challenge and supplied the band with the necessary energy to have a killer show. The sound was disappointing compared to the Metalfest, which may have been due to acoustics- it just seemed a lot more muffled. But it wasn't bad enough to ruin the experience, this band is just too good. Their overall live presentation is much heavier than on their most recent records. While I am a huge fan of their discs, they may do well to find a producer that can re-create their live sound. It gives already-great, newer songs like "Jotun" and "Colony" a new dimension, and made both of these tracks the highlight of the evening for me. The set was nice and long, a good hour and forty-five minutes, much better than the puny slot allotted in Milwaukee. Stage presence and technical detail were evident all night, with the band seeming to enjoy being able to entertain us ignorant Americans, and I couldn't notice a mistake all night. It's nice to see such attention to detail in an arena where many bands seem to slack off and cut corners. Couldn't give this a great rating though, due to sound problems, and an inescapable feeling that they could have been even better, especially after seeing them the last time. But anyway, people already seem to realize that I'm a hardass when it comes to ratings anyway.
Photos by Cynthia Pelzner
Death's Review (11/19/99, L'Amour, Brooklyn, NY):
Another Friday night, another trip to Brooklyn. Why these gigs can't play Manhattan I'll never understand. Nevertheless, the prospect of another whalloping from In Flames was all the incentive I needed to make another outer borough trip.
We arrived at the venue a bit early, with enough time to "chill" out front and mingle a bit with the metal faithful. As we handed out a few Metal Judgment fliers, it was great to meet some of the readers and to receive such wonderful feedback. It seems folks are enjoying the site . . . [ed. note: Help us spread the word, metal faithful!]
"The gig never caught fire, at least not on the level I was hoping it would."
The scene out front was probably the most happening metal place on the planet that night, or at least in the northeastern United States. Members of In Flames, Type O, Immolation, label employees, fanzine editors, and hordes of fans hung out, shot the breeze, and drank beers for a long while before anybody even entered the venue. It was great to see that everyone made the trip, and the spirit of community that the best metal shows always engender seemed to hang in the air. I was psyched.
Photos by Cynthia PelznerWe moved inside just as Moonspell took the stage. No wonder everyone was outside -- inside you could not even move! They had shut down the back bar "oasis" that had served as the perfect respite at the Mercyful Fate/ Nevermore gig a month earlier. Big mistake. How can you buy twenty beers if you can't even get near the bar? Anyway, we found a place to chill, and turned our attention toward the stage.
Moonspell pretty much sucked. Sure, they had their moments, I guess, but I for one am not into their brand of . . . whatever the hell it is. I've heard the Type O comparisons, but I'm not buying it. Type O can be good! These guys don't know what the hell they are: metal, new wave, or something in between. I suppose they kicked ass in spots, with some decent double bass drumming and some interesting guitar work from time to time, but their set seemed to drag on forever. And when you can't wait for a show to end, that has to tell you something. Whatever these guys are selling, I'm not buying.
And then came In Flames. They ripped through killer track after killer track, severly hampered by a dampened and dull mix, but full of energy nonetheless. I can't really blame the room for the mix, because Nevermore and Fate sounded awesome. Perhaps my expectations were too high after their incredible Metalfest gig, but the energy level just wasn't there. Sure, tracks like "Jotun" and "Colony" had the heads-a-bobbin'. But for the most part, the gig never caught fire, at least not on the level I was hoping it would.
Still, we were witnessing In Flames, within a subway car's reach of New York City, and that has to count for something. You could tell that many Gothenberg-loving fans were out in full force, and for some the show was obviously approaching a religious experience. For me, it was more a case of "been there done that" last July in Milwaukee. But I can't penalize a great band on a great tour too heavily. At least European-style metal bands are touring the states. Because I have the utmost respect for In Flames, because they put on a solid show, and because it was a great metal scene when it wasn't too crowded to appreciate it, I'll give the gig three fleshless, severed heads, and hope In Flames comes back to try again.
Hel's Review (11/19/99, L'Amour, Brooklyn, NY):
Once again, I'm stuck in the undesirable situation where, if I want to see an awesome band, I have to schlep all the way from Manhattan to Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. But I've been high on In Flames since I'd first put their new release, Colony, into my CD player, and after seeing them shred the Milwaukee Auditorium to pieces at the Metalfest, I was ready to walk across hot coals to see them again. Dragging my ass to L'Amour was child's play.
The opener was Moonspell, a band I have to admit I don't know too well. After a couple of songs, I realized why that is. Having never been a big fan of mood music like Type O Negative, it's no big wonder that I wouldn't be a huge Moonspell fan.
"There was so much energy coming from the stage, I wondered if they could power their own instruments in the event the electricity failed." Do you resent my comparision? Well, I'm not the first one to say it - after their set, I was chatting with a girl next me and she explained to me that she was there with her friend because her friend was a huge Type O fan and they'd heard Moonspell sounds just like Type O. To compound this concept, Type O frontman Peter Steele was seen in the audience during Moonspell's set and disappeared from the venue immediately after said set. So I'm certainly not the only one drawing parallels. Pete wasn't the only one to vacate after Moonspell - a hoard of other people also disappeared when the set was over.
During their set, the black-clad bandmates looked as though they'd had a baby-powder fight before the show - all of their clothes were covered in white splotches. Unfortunately, that was basically the most interesting thing to look at onstage. They all stood there like lumps - very little presence. While the musicianship was there, the rest of the set was lackluster. And, as I said before, I'm not a huge fan of the style of music they play. Their fans loved it, however, and were enthusiatic enough to garner an encore.
Photos by Cynthia PelznerFollowing the break, the main attraction hit the stage. I was so excited - and so distraught when the sound was shit. SOOO bad. I was told that it was because the band had slept through sound check. Whatever the reason, I fervently prayed the sound would improve, and fast! Regardless, the band played as if they never sounded better, and a couple of songs later, that was true.
As in Milwaukee, they played an amazing set. Many favorite tunes pulled from the latest release with a strong complement of songs from their other albums too. These guys play like they're having the time of their life. Having been hooked with the primo seat on the ledge at the back of the venue, I was too. There was so much energy coming from the stage, I wondered if they could power their own instruments in the event the electricity failed.
In a conversation we had earlier, Abyss had said he thought In Flames sounded even heavier live when we saw them in Milwaukee than they do on their records. It's impossible for me to look back and definitively say that is true, but in retrospect, I think it might be. And that's saying a LOT! But one thing I can say for sure, like their new album, their set felt TOO SHORT. When it was over, there was a void. Unfortunately we didn't get an encore like Moonspell's fans did. But, we did get a better show overall.
Moonspell
Photos by Cynthia PelznerIn Flames was so good, in fact, it completely overrode their sound problems AND the fact that I didn't really dig the opener. 5 SKULLS - come back to the U.S. SOON.
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