SWALLOW THE SUN, INSOMNIUM AND OMNIUM GATHERUM
LEEDS RIOS – 01/12/09
It’s bitingly cold outside and what better way to bring in the month of December than with an evening of Finnish gloom. There’s a bit of confusion upon arrival at the venue, when I discover the gig is in the basement; I’ve always viewed this room as one for “local” gigs for local people and this is the first major band I have seen down here though its intimate cosiness makes the ideal setting for a gig like this one. I wasn’t expecting much from Omnium Gatherum, having previously heard a couple of songs that left me with no particular desire to delve any further and while they didn’t exactly set my world alight they did play a competent set that got the night off to a decent start. While the muddy sound does them no favours, the melody comes across quite well in the mix and is not quite the 2-dimensional death metal style I had prepared to snooze off to. ‘A Shadowkey’ has a streak of atmosphere running through the lively melodeath riffage while ‘Into Sea’ has a real crunch to it that gets my foot tapping. While Jukka Pelkonen’s growl has a tone that’s not unpleasant on the ears, his incessant horn-throwing is most off-putting and strikes as trying way too hard to be down with the younger half of the crowd. After spending an eternity at the bar (cash register crisis!) I decide that Omnium Gatherum, while exceeding my expectations, have overstayed their welcome and thus go for a sit down in a dark corner somewhere to drink my pint. After my patience in getting it, I think I earned it! Next!
Now, fellow Candlelighters Insomnium are a different story and having thoroughly enjoyed their latest offering I was anticipating their set with almost as much fervour as the headliners. The minute this fearsome foursome hit the stage we take flight into a whole other league and the band that went before are swiftly eradicated from memory (thankfully I took notes). The guitars on ‘Where The Last Wave Broke’ bend and flex into some angular melodic death riffs and together with the fearsome growl of Niilo Sivanen it sounds rather formidable. The drummer, in his sleeveless shirt, bashes the skins with machine-like accuracy and certainly brings a certain amount of energy to the sound. It is the haunting atmosphere in the melodies that really give Insomnium an edge over other bands in the genre, and this translates effortlessly in the live setting. The crunchy, sturdy wall of sound that is forged as the three guitarists all go at it, is balanced out by the clean, soothing vocals and melancholic chorus melodies. There is a richness to numbers like ‘The Killjoy’ and ’Drawn To Black’ and you always pick up on that genuine passion and the vibe that the band are really into what they’re doing. Unlike the previous lot who left me almost as cold as it was outside, this set really hit the spot and I can’t imagine many were disappointed.
Having caught Swallow The Sun once before at BOA2008 I was roughly aware of what to expect, and while I had appreciated their outdoor set back then it was only afterwards when I was given the reissue of Hope to review that I got into them proper. My warning to my other half was basically don’t dismiss them if they don’t blow you away, as now being the proud owner of their entire discography minus one, I feel qualified to state that they are a band you really have to know to fully “get” them. Now, somehow I managed to take little more than a page of notes compared to the other bands, which usually means either there’s very little to say about them or else I’m too busy getting into the music and this case it’s definitely the latter. With little spectacle (given the minimal lighting rig), the Finnish gloom-mongers take their posts and strike up the opening bars to ‘These Woods Breathe Evil,’ taking us on an intense journey through tracks both new and old. Continuing with the second track on the new album, ‘Falling World,’ it is clear they are intent on playing as much off the new album as possible without neglecting more established set staples and its ethereal, drawn out guitar lines don’t fail to leave me mesmerised and its soporific melody has me practically in a trance. The chorus to this number is simply stunning, and for me one of the highlights of the set along with firm favourite off the Hope album ‘Don’t Fall Asleep,’ another one that draws you in with its darkness and depth. ‘Sleepless Swans’ is every bit as crushing as it is on CD, and while the vocalist hardly moves from the spot it at least makes photographing an easy task. I have to admit that these are an odd looking band, in the sense that to glance at them you’d expect them to be the kind of backs-to-the-crowd, shouty-shouty hardcore ninnies which isn’t the case at all and it just goes to show how you can’t always judge a book by its cover. Knocking over a full pint at the end was enough to cast a gloomy cloud over things, though on the bright side it’s good to be at a gig that finishes nice and early.
Luci Herbert
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