Scandinavian Heavy Arts Tour- Dark Tranquility, Soen, and Persefone
I opened up to metal music late and with apprehension. I believed that metal shows would be too intense and angry for me, having spent many years seeing music that you only sway to. This past year, I’ve ventured into many new genres of music, and metal has been the one that continually surprises and excites. It’s not just the stage show experience that captures me, but also the crowd. Metal bands and fans are incredible, and I was able to spend an evening with a packed room of fans for the Scandinavian Heavy Arts Tour at Come and Take It Live this past Saturday for the double bill of Dark Tranquility and Soen, with support from Persiphone.
Come and Take it Live is a genre-neutral Austin music venue, but leans heavily toward showcasing metal and rock tours. Away from the crowded downtown bars and venues, it’s a nice change from circling downtown looking for parking or dodging Waymos. Come and Take It Live has enough spaces to escape to, but the experience remains intimate; even in the back, you aren’t far from the stage.
Persefone, Andorran progressive death metal band, kicked off the evening with an intense set, led by vocalist Daniel R. Flys. Despite it being early in the evening on a Saturday, the room was already packed, and the energy was instant. There was no media pit, so the fans were directly in front of the band, allowing Guitarists Carlos Lozano Quintanilla and Filipe Baldaia to criss-cross the stage and interact with the audience. The music was cinematic - building and fading like a rollercoaster ride with glitching speed; at times, it was intense and abrupt, and at others, contemplative and restful. As the set went on, Flys directed the crowd to form a circle pit, which Baldaia joined with his guitar - the crowd swirling around him. The show ended with Flys showing genuine, overwhelming appreciation for the crowd with an atypical metal send-off: heart hands. This is what I love about metal shows - the ability to experience a range of emotions in a single set.
While waiting for the next set, the conversations between strangers were around me, “are you here for Soen or Dark Tranquility- with both mentioned equally, but the answer never “both”. Each band had its die-hard fans, and this co-headlining tour was introducing them to the other band for the first time.
Soen, the Swedish progressive metal band, took the stage next. Though the mood was the same- heavy, and insistent- this wasn’t death metal, this was dreamy metal. Vocalist Joel Ekelöf took the stage, his stunning voice like a call to action, and immediately connected with the crowd. The band left the stage every few songs so that Ekelöf could return with a new costume- perhaps a visual representation of the changes in direction the band has taken over multiple albums. The standout of the set was “Primal,” a timely call to fight against the rulers who keep the working class underfoot. “They’re parasites dependent on the working class. They build their thrones on our broken backs and feed us the remaining scraps”. The lyrics were projected behind the band with images of confetti falling, dissolving the things that hold us back from our power.
Dark Tranquility, the Swedish melodic death metal band, took the stage last. I was aware that the lead singer Mikael Stann had been called the happiest man in death metal - and as soon as he took the stage with his joyous smile, I got it. In between screaming and growling song lyrics, a lovely smile and head nod would appear; the contrast was perplexing for a moment, and then filled the room. The circle pit was active and intense, with participants equally smashing into each other and patting each other on the back. Again, this is why I love metal shows: the juxtaposition of darkness, fight, and hope.
The Scandinavian Heavy Arts Tour still has a few more stops in the US and Canada, you can catch them in the following cities:
4/17 – Baltimore
4/18 – Philadelphia
4/19 – Boston
4/21 – New York
4/22 – Montreal
4/23 – Toronto
4/24 – Cleveland 4/25 – Detroit