Powerwolf, Amaranthe & Kissin Dynamite, SWX, Bristol
Not long after entering the SWX - a great venue for this sort of gig - we were greeted by the sounds of AC/DC’s Kissin’ Dynamite, before Kissin’ Dynamite (7) themselves blast onto stage. This is their first tour on British soil, but they seem made for this crowd, some of which are evidently steadfast fans. With songs such as I’ve Got The Fire, Sex Is War and I Will Be King (during which vocalist Hannes Braun donned a Mercury-esque regal cloak), it’s clear the band love what they do. Guitarists Ande Braun and Jim Muller pulled out all the stops, harmonising, riffing, solos galore with Steffen Hailer and Andi Schnitzer working double time on bass and drums respectively. The band definitely have the sound to fill a venue like this, along with the attitude to fill an arena.
A brief break, and Amaranthe (5) take the stage. Having kind of caught them at Bloodstock Open Air last year, where they were plagued with sound problems, leaving them with only half their set, I was looking forward to seeing the proper thing. With the band starting off with Maximise, the setlist was a good mix of old and new, the band’s debut album and latest albums dominating the set, with a few fan favourites such as Digital World and Drop Dead Cynical pumping the crowd up with the Amaranthe brand mix of melodic metal, industrial beats and clean, harsh and symphonic vocals. However, after Drop Dead Cynical, the majority of the band left the stage, leaving bassist Johan Andreassen to perform an impromptu comedy set to fill the time. Now, a similar thing happened during the aforementioned technical difficulties at Bloodstock, and at that point, it served a purpose. However, tonight in Bristol, I wasn’t sure why it had to happened at all, with Johan swearing at the crowd, sticking his finger through his fly and attempting a viking clap, the only purpose it seemed to serve any momentum the band had built up, and the last two songs unfortunately felt like a struggle to regain any of that.
Thankfully, Powerwolf (9) were on top form. Having first caught Powerwolf at BOA on the Sophie Lancaster stage nearly a decade ago, it’s been brilliant to see the band go from strength to strength. While at their core, they’re still the humble, wacky band that stood on that stage in 2010, it’s clear they’re now very comfortable with the clear adoration the crowd give them. With this being the Sacrament Of Sin tour, it’s no surprise the majority of songs tonight were from the album of the same name, with Demons Are A Girl's Best Friend, Fire And Forgive, and Incense And Iron dominating the opening minutes of the set. Attila Dorn seems born to play the role of frontman, using whatever gaps he can to whip the crowd up, often dragging the classic band tactic of ‘I’m not sure that was loud enough’ out a bit too long.
The Greywolf brothers both work brilliantly, the guitars weaving in and out of each other, Matthew’s solos and riffage tight. Drummer Roel Van Helden also seems built for the band, blasting out salvos of machine gun drumming. However, props have to be given to keyboardist Falk Maria Schlegel, who not only provides the church like atmosphere with his keys, but seems to act as the band’s hype man whenever he’s not playing, running back and forth across the stage, pumping his fist and whipping up the crowd into a frenzy. Highlights of the night included Stossgebet from the latest album as well as classics Amen And Attack, We Drink Your Blood and personal favourite, Resurrection By Erection, a perfect example of how a band with a great sound can still be goofy as fuck. If tonight was anything to go by, Powerwolf’s main stage slot at BOA will guarantee smiles all round.
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