Four Metal bands took over the main room for The Academy Dublin for the Dark Tranquillity / Ensiferum double headlining tour, some of them its their first time on Irish shores. Its raining in Dublin and its early doors tonight, people are queuing with umbrellas up, eagerly awaiting this four band extravaganza.
As people are let in and start to fill the room German punk metal band Brunhilde are already on stage.
Caro Loy is strutting the stage in her black shorts, leather jacket and leopard print top as the band started their set with Come out Come out and their set list from then containing. (copied directly from bands set list)
Judas
Where Are You Going
I’m Crying / Miss God
-Gitarrenwechsel-
When You Were Born (I Was Already Dead)
Hell Or High Water
Friendly Fire.
Second band of the night are melodic doom/death metal Nailed to Obscurity from Esens Germany.
The lights are low and eerie, not changing much from a doomy blue as lead singer Raimund Ennenga
dominates the stage like some tall sorcerous waving his mic-less hand as if casting spells through out their set.
Unfortunately no set list was to be seen or found.
There wasn’t much talking between songs, if any! only at the end with Raimund Ennenga saying now we and Brunhilde have warmed you guys up nicely for Ensiferum and Dark Tranquillity enjoy and thank you for having us.
We come now to the first of the nights headlining acts Finnish band Ensiferum, the band label themselves as melodic folk metal.
The band arrive on stage with the intro Seafarer’s Dream and wearing their usual battle war painted faces and Sami Hinnka & Pekka Montin wearing a kilts and start straight into Rum, Women, Victory & Andromeda (songs taken from the same album as the intro Thalassic)
Its a trip back in time then with songs like One More Magic Potion and Into Battle, before returning to the album Thalassic for two more songs For Sirens and Run from the Crushing Tide.
Treacherous Gods follows next then it’s In My Sword I Trust were we see a crowd member holding aloft a full size sword through out the song and this crowd member is dressed in full leather Viking amour (no he is not with the band)
Finishing out their set we got Lai Lai Hei and From Afar, the band played no encore.
Finally we come to the second and last headliners of the night after a little delay (not surprising as the band crews and DME promotions crew have been working flat out tonight with stage swap outs and trying to keep four bands on time was always going to be a little behind, both crews doing a fantastic job) Dark Tranquillity! Swedish melodeath outfit. The lights have gone low again opting for a lot of blues and reds they open their set with Phantom Days / Transient from their latest album Moment.
Right from the start its obvious the Mikael Stanne is happy to be here judging by the broad smile on his face. Focus Shift / Monochromatic Stains / Forward Momentum get an airing and in-between songs Mikeal saying how its their first time in Dublin and wondering why they haven’t being before now going by the crowds reaction to the band and even apologising for not making it to Dublin before now.
Terminus / The Dark Unbroken / Final Resistance / Atoma all got played.
Again it really is obvious how much they band love being here as many times love gestures are given to the crowd by way of band members beating their hearts with a clenched fist, even at times Mikeal can be seen to be clearly speechless at the crowds reaction to the band.
Finishing out their set before the encore were the songs The New Build / Identical to None / Encircled and ThereIn.
After a very brief break the band are back to finish out there Dublin duet with The Treason Wall / Lost to Apathy (dedicated to the crowd) Misery’s Crown.
Over all the set list covered a good span of the bands history and the crowd were happy to leave heading back out into the rainy Dublin streets.
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