SWALLOW THE SUN, SOLSTAFIR AND MAR DE GRISES
LONDON UNDERWORLD - 19/12/10
London was still partly shut but metal heads were out in force at Orange Goblin and Fear Factory who were all in town as well as here. I am sure the visiting bands from Finland and Iceland were having a good giggle at the chaos caused by our ickle bit of snow but we are not really used to it being that chilly. Speaking of which, that brings us nicely on to the first lot tonight who coming from Chile itself must have been feeling a little out of their natural climate. You would not particularly associate Mar De Grises sound with being synonymous to South America; it was as though they had got stuck in Scandinavia on their journey and had adopted the style of many an atmospheric doom band from the region. Having only had one brief listen to recent album ‘Streams Inwards’ I had not taken it all in and watching them for the first time I also felt I was barely scratching the surface of their densely textured sound. The drumming struck as particularly impressive and it was keyboard player Juan Escobar who handled the vocals too, looking quite precarious at the front of the stage surrounded by guitarists and bassist. Mood wise this worked perfectly as support to Swallow The Sun on tour and musically it was easy to lose yourself within the epic sounding numbers. Speaking of being lost it has to be said that all three bands were hugely over reliant on dry ice and were often shrouded, making photo taking a real mission. One song, (I believe) ‘One Possessed’ slowed the pace and took on a bit of Floyd and the flowing maudlin scope of Anathema. Another called ‘To See Saturn Fall’ was also aired and the band got much appreciation from both new and old fans making their first visit to the UK a worthwhile trek.
Solstafir were tightly reined by the running schedule this time round and we believe the Icelandic stadium arthouse rockers as I decided to call them only had time for four numbers. Despite this they really made them count and were as mighty and impressive as ever. The riffs came hard and fast and the croons from singer Aðalbjörn Tryggvason leapt upwards to the rafters as the band took us into the raptures of ‘Kold.’ This lot hailing as they told us from the very ice and snow itself must like being in England as it is here a lot of their musical nuances derive from. The impact of Fields Of The Nephilim is undeniable on costume, thick dirty chugging bass and glistening guitar shards. I also could mention everyone from The Cure to U2 and The Mission and many others from goth to post punk but they wrap everything up in their own style. The more reflective slow burning ‘Goddess Of The Ages’ sounds magnificent but when they are at full flight and bristling with near psychedelic intensity the band really take your breath away. They passed around a bottle of Jack just to tip things in the right direction before going over the edge and hitting the stratosphere, really mashing our heads by climax. I have to wonder if Carl McCoy has heard this lot and if he needs a new backing band? Solstafir were chillingly spectacular tonight! (PW)
It’s a half-full Underworld at best as our intrepid Finnish 6-piece step onto the stage but given the Arctic conditions outside and the competition from two other high-profile metal shows within spitting distance, one has to admire the fact that Swallow the Sun have managed to pull in this many. This is clearly a testament to a hard working, talented band whose songcraft and commitment to the live arena is finally starting to pay dividends. Fresh off the back of a lengthy tour with Katatonia, they’ve barely paused for breath before heading back out on the road to fully showcase the tunes from 2009’s ‘New Moon’ album and it is a confident outfit indeed who launch into ‘These Woods Breathe Evil’.
It must be said, whoever has been tinkering with the PA at the Underworld recently has done a marvellous job – the sound all evening has been excellent and this is no exception for Swallow the Sun. The drums are crisp, clear and full, the guitars creamy and thick, the bass growling. Moderate in numbers though the audience may be, lacking in enthusiasm they are not – hair flails, fists are raised and the climax of each track is greeted with a roar of approval. The stage is set for a great show with the band clearly connecting with the devotees who have braved the blizzards to see them, lashing the crowd with their trademark deft blend of punishing heaviness and delicate reflection. Miko Kotamaki is an intriguing frontman, at times displaying an almost Jonas Renske-esque level of discomfort and at other times grasping the mike stand and windmilling like John Tardy.
The balance of the set is well-judged, old and new, fast and slow sitting seamlessly together. The end of ‘Sleeping Swans’ is crushing, doleful and morbid, whilst ‘The Justice of Suffering’ from 2007’s ‘Hope’ album causes an outbreak of violent headbanging amongst the faithful. ‘The Ship’ slows things down to an almost crepuscular crawl – fully underlining the fact that at heart, Swallow the Sun are a doom band through and through, irrespective of the more polished stylings they have brought on board as their career has progressed. Climaxing with a frenetic rendition of ‘Swallow’, the Finns cap off an excellent showing and also highlighting without question that they are a worthy headline in their own right. One feels that the stage is set for Swallow the Sun to catapult themselves into the upper echelons of the extreme metal movement and it will be intriguing to see where they go next. (FA)
Review by Frank Allain and Pete Woods, photos by Pete Woods
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