Photos & words by Terrell Stewart
The chilly snowy weather didn’t keep music lovers from seeing their favorite bands this past Friday evening for a night of music on the darker side.
Starting this evening off was Wilderun, a collective healing from Boston, whose music has been described as symphonic progressive folk. Starting their set with the song, “Distraction II”, I wasn’t sure what to think at first but, as they moved through their set, their sound was different to me but interesting. Watching the crowd’s reaction, at first, there were a few who were really into the music, others looked like what I was thinking, not sure.
They were powerful in their delivery and vocalist Evan Anderson with his mixture of clean and extreme vocals added to a sound that grew on me and with the crowd. It’s kind of hard for me to explain, but I do recommend checking out their music.
Wilderun Photo Gallery
With a smooth turnover on stage, I was excited to see Omnium Gatherum again. I covered their show last year and had a good idea of what everyone was in for. The melodic death metallers took the stage and opened their set with “Slasher” from their 2023 EP release of the same name, let the head-banging begin! The energy level in the Gothic Theatre exploded and did not let up.
With the band urging everyone on, they moved about the stage interacting with each other and their fans. As a photographer, I was on the move constantly smiling the whole time because this is one of the most fun bands I have had the pleasure of photographing. Listening to their amazing musicianship and watching them showcase their skills with their instruments mesmerizing the crowd while they moved back and forth across the stage, is something to witness live.
Winding down their set with the song, “New Dynamic” the members of Omnium Gatherum moved to the front of the stage to a roaring crowd that wanted more. Vocalist Jukka Pelkonen asked the crowd, are you ready for a picture? With that, the band piled on top of each other for their picture with the crowd. This is a band that is a must-see live.
Omnium Gatherum Photo Gallery
The lights dimmed, a cheer from the crowd roared and the opening to the song, “1696” started. The sound is about to get darker. Insomnium made their way to the stage and lead vocalist and bassist Niilo Sevänen moved to the microphone and in a deep voice chanted the lyrics, while then the guitars exploded and Niilo’s vocals turned extreme, with the sheer power of Insomnium rocking the venue.
As the band moved through their set, there was little said between songs and the head banging turned into a mosh pit and there were a couple of brave souls that crowd surfed their way into the pit in front of the stage. Indeed, it was a dark and powerful set of music. After a quick break that followed the avalanche of riffs, Insomnium band returned for a three-song encore finishing their night with, “Heart Like a Grave”.
I must say, there was an interesting contrast in the music and stage presence between the bands this evening, and I recommend every metalhead out there to try to catch this tour package as they continue trekking through the States until May 11th.
Insomnium Photo Gallery
