Artist: Leaves' Eyes, Northtale, Metalite
Venue: Manchester, Academy 3
Date: 17th March 2024
"Aside from drummer Joris Nijenhuis, and the aforementioned Siirala, everyone else has only been in the band for the last few years, but they all seemed at ease with each other and worked really well, never letting the energy levels dip, from first song to last."
I freely admit that I don’t embrace the Symphonic Metal genre as some do. I really like Within Temptation and Delain, and like some of the Nightwish output. For me, there are just too many mediocre acts, jumping on the bandwagon driven by the acts mentioned previously. Having said that, I have taken to the new Metalite and Leaves’ Eyes albums, so thought this could be an interesting show. Northtale were an unknown quantity, but I was prepared to give them a go regardless. I also appreciate that bands of this type cannot be expected to travel with a thirty-piece orchestra and a twenty-piece choir, so backing-tapes are used, to replicate some of the more epic orchestral and choral arrangements in the songs.
Metalite were formed in Stockholm in 2015. The current line-up features Erica Ohlsson (lead vocals), Edwin Premberg (guitar), Robert Majd (bass), Lea Larsson (drums) and Robert Ornesved (guitar). It was clear from the off that the Swedish five-piece were determined to make the most of their touring opportunity in the UK. ‘Disciples Of The Stars’, from the recent ‘Expedition One’, was full of energy and the band made full use of the compact stage. Ohlsson came across as very personable and had a comfortable stage presence, as well as a good voice. The Metalite take on Symphonic Metal is highly commercial, with some of the songs having an almost Pop element at their heart. The likes of ‘Aurora’ and ‘Blazing Skies’ typified this musical stance, and it was hard not to get drawn in. The nine-song, thirty-five-minute set was over far too soon, especially (for me anyway) based on what was to come next.
Northtale hail from America and have been active since 2017. They have released only two albums to date, so it was somewhat surprising to find them higher on the bill than Metalite. I knew after just two songs that they would not be to my liking. I took in the first three songs up close, from the photo-pit, then retreated to the bar at the back of the room, to watch the rest of the set with a drink. Lead-singer Guilherme Hirose has been with the band since 2020, and his vocals are somewhat of an acquired taste. He has quite a high register and it didn’t help that the songs lacked identity, sounding (in the main) very similar to one another. There was no denying the quality of musicianship however, with guitarist Bill Hudson being particularly impressive. It may have been me, but it seemed the crowd thinned out a little, as the Northtale set progressed.
It was clear as the time approached that most people were in attendance for Leaves’ Eyes. A lot of their previous material has left me cold, but the new ‘Myths Of Fate’ is their most accessible set of songs to date (to these ears anyway). The band line-up has changed many times since the German/Norwegian outfit began in 2003. The most notable change was the loss of (female) lead-singer Liv Kristine, in 2016. I actually think her replacement, Elina Siirala, is more suited to the Leaves’ Eyes approach to Symphonic Metal, which makes a lot of references to Norse mythology. The band have attracted the tag “Viking Metal”, and the stage is adorned with shields and swords, to enforce this description. Founder member Alexander Krull adds unclean vocals and prowled the stage relentlessly, making a formidable presence. Aside from drummer Joris Nijenhuis, and the aforementioned Siirala, everyone else has only been in the band for the last few years, but they all seemed at ease with each other and worked really well, never letting the energy levels dip, from first song to last. I actually preferred the songs that did not feature harsh vocals as, even though they added contrast, I found them to be slightly distracting. Siirala managed to hold the crowd’s attention on her own and still gave the songs a great identity. ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’ was catchier than cold in Winter, as was ‘Dark Love Empress’, from ‘The Last Viking’ album. Krull appeared after a short break, wearing a Viking helmet and carrying a sword, for ‘Sign Of The Dragonhead’, a galloping dose of foot-on-the-monitor Metal. There was continuous face-pulling and shape-throwing from everyone in the band and when the instruction was made to “jump”, during ‘My Destiny’, everyone except the lady in the wheelchair next to me and myself (with the price of beer in the Academy venues I wasn’t spilling a drop) obliged.
Some of the between-song banter during the night was a little clumsy and predictable, but could be forgiven, based on the high-quality performances. Mention must also be made of the crystal-clear mix, which allowed for a nice “in-your-face” sound.
Two great bands and one not-so-great, but certainly a value for money show. If only that could have been said about the merchandise prices.
Review & Photos: Dave Bott
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