Words: Letty Sharp // Photos: Ian Mc Donnell
Finnish metal band Amorphis and Swiss metal band Eluveitie came to Dublin for a night of metal. The 4-band bill completed by German metal heads Nailed to Obscurity and veteran melodic death metal band Dark Tranquillity hailing from Sweden. The Academy was full to the gills of metalheads ready for the night’s music and performances.
Nailed to Obscurity we’re up first, warming the Dublin crowd up. The band started slow, with some vocal sound issues but that was resolved by the 3rd song. As the set went on the band got heavier and picked the energy up, showing their doom side for the first half of their set and settling into heavy riffs and really getting the crowd going. This is the second time the band have graced the Academy stage, the first being their debut earlier this year. The band brought a great presence and the crowd were ready for more.
Nailed to Obscurity setlist:
Black Forest
Protean
Liquid Mourning
Clouded Frame
Desolate Ruin
A short while later the venue went dark again and the Swedes Dark Tranquillity took the stage. The band were also very energetic, bringing their death metal to the excited crowd. After the band played, ‘Identical To None’, lead singer Mikael Stanne asked the crowd if they were ready for, ‘Some Gothenburg Death Metal’. They didn’t slow down after that, taking it up even more with, ‘Lost To Apathy’. The band played a lot of deep cuts and songs that had never been performed live which the crowd appreciated. Their set flew by and before you knew it the set was over. The crowd were loving it and were ready for even more.
Dark Tranquillity Setlist:
Identical To None
Lost To Apathy
What Only You Know
Atoma
Cathode Ray Sunshine
The Dark Unbroken
Hours Passed In Exile
Phanom Days
Misery’s Crown
Co-headliner Eluveitie were a sight to behold when they came onto the stage with their 9 band members. From tin whistles to violins the band were a very interesting sound. The combination of folk instruments and chugging guitars worked very well with Chrigel Glanzmann and Fabienne Erni balancing each other out with their different singing styles Chrigel was the extreme side of the band with his growls while Fabienne had the angelic voice and took the softer songs over. The band got a few mosh pits going during their more metal leaning songs. Drummer Alain Ackermann got a moment to shine during an impressive drum solo which would have anyone worn out after a minute. The band then returned to the stage and played more belters ending their initial set with the epic number, ‘The Call Of The Mountains’. The band left the stage but the crowd demanded that they play one more. They ended up playing 3 more, ending the epic set with, ‘Inis Mona’. For anyone who hasn’t seen the band and is curious, do yourself a favour and go see them as you will never experience the like of them!
Eluveitie’s Setlist:
Intro
Exile Of The Gods
Nil Reloaded
Deathwalker
Epona Metal
Anu
A Rose For Epona
Thousandfold Reloaded
Ambiramus
Alain’s Drum Solo
King
Breathe
The Call Of The Mountains
Encore
Aidus
Ategnatos
Inis Mona
The Second co-headliner Amorphis hailing from Finland were last but certainly not least. The crowd were ready for the final act and the band did not disappoint. The band opened with, ‘Northwards’, and got the crowd going once again. They then played, ‘On The Dark Waters’, the first two songs were off of their new album, ‘Halo’, which was released in February in 2022. This is the second time the band have been to Ireland, the first being back in 2016 in the Button Factory. The band kept the energy up going into, ‘Silver Bride’. The band had endless keyboard and guitar solos. Even after 32 years, the band can still keep up with the newer kids. Singer Tomi Joutsen is sounding terrific vocal wise. The band kept going and every song intro got a louder cheer. The band ended their set with, ‘House of Sleep’.
Amorphis Setlist:
Northwards
On The Dark Waters
Death Of A King
Silver Bridge
Into Hiding
Wrong Direction
The Moon
Seven Roads
Black Winter Day
My Kantele
The Bee
House Of Sleep
The 4 band line up offered different styles of metal and none of them were a disappointment. It was a great night for metal in Dublin.
