With this reviewer being a fan of Ola Englund's (9) YouTube content and music for around 8 years, there was no chance I was going to miss seeing the Swedish metal guitarist play his solo material on UK soil for the first time. And I couldn’t think of a better city than Birmingham, given that it is known as the ‘Home of Metal.’
Opening with the newest, high energy single Game Over it’s clear from the start Ola and his band mates (drummer Jon Skäre and bassist Joel Truelsen) are very much locked in together. The riffs hit hard, the groove from the rhythm section is tight and the solos are played with such a degree of technical proficiency that I was pretty stunned from the start of the set.
To go along with the high energy set, the stage production puts some bands that have toured more to shame. With graphics on the screen behind them and a lighting show that is simply mesmerizing it’s clear that despite the venue's smaller size, the band want to present the biggest metal show possible. Hej Hunden comes in with tight snare fills and blasts. After which the main riff hits and is just a fantastic groove with an amazing feel.
A personal favourite song of mine Demonetized is played not long after, with a fantastic synth line. Skäre is giving the crowd as much energy as possible, getting them to wave along. Once the synth dies out, it’s back to business. With the first riff having such a Pantera flavour to it that, if someone played it to me, I could believe that it was a lost Dimebag riff.
Ola then slows things down a bit by playing a chilled out track, Bluesy Mc Bluesface. While the title may be a bit silly some of the phrasing and articulation is very on point and makes for a very decent blues piece. Also using an Otamatone in place of the original harmonica solo is a great choice and gets a few giggles from the crowd.
Afterwards is an absolutely fantastic rendition of Pantera’s A New Level. Given that it was Ola’s Pantera covers that helped me discover him. I had secretly hoped for a Pantera cover and was left with a massive smile on my face as the band smashed through it.
Next up is CRINGY AF, a song that sounds like it could definitely be from the height of the 80s instrumental guitar scene. It Sounds like it would fit perfectly on a playlist next to Satriani or Vai. The main melody lines are once again tight and played with extremely accurate proficiency.
As we get to the last moments Ola mentions about how he receives some negative comments online because of the nature of his job. One such commenter once said ‘Your shit is ass, quite the instrument’. Englund’s response to this?...to name a song and his whole tour around the title. It’s a classy move and certainly helps to win the crowd over more.
To finish this spectacular set is the amazing Stars & Ponies, once again with an epic synth line that helps gear the crowd up for one last song. When the intro riff kicked in there were definitely many people giving their necks a work out. It’s a slow dirty riff that hits hard, along with the main solo and leaves a very hyped up crowd ready for the next act.
Ola’s more riff based approach to writing instrumental guitar music is definitely a huge part of why I enjoy it. It’s never over complicated when it doesn’t need to be. And he certainly isn’t shy of just grooving and letting the riffs speak for themselves. An absolutely amazing gig and one that will stick in my memory for a while.
Opening with the newest, high energy single Game Over it’s clear from the start Ola and his band mates (drummer Jon Skäre and bassist Joel Truelsen) are very much locked in together. The riffs hit hard, the groove from the rhythm section is tight and the solos are played with such a degree of technical proficiency that I was pretty stunned from the start of the set.
To go along with the high energy set, the stage production puts some bands that have toured more to shame. With graphics on the screen behind them and a lighting show that is simply mesmerizing it’s clear that despite the venue's smaller size, the band want to present the biggest metal show possible. Hej Hunden comes in with tight snare fills and blasts. After which the main riff hits and is just a fantastic groove with an amazing feel.
A personal favourite song of mine Demonetized is played not long after, with a fantastic synth line. Skäre is giving the crowd as much energy as possible, getting them to wave along. Once the synth dies out, it’s back to business. With the first riff having such a Pantera flavour to it that, if someone played it to me, I could believe that it was a lost Dimebag riff.
Ola then slows things down a bit by playing a chilled out track, Bluesy Mc Bluesface. While the title may be a bit silly some of the phrasing and articulation is very on point and makes for a very decent blues piece. Also using an Otamatone in place of the original harmonica solo is a great choice and gets a few giggles from the crowd.
Afterwards is an absolutely fantastic rendition of Pantera’s A New Level. Given that it was Ola’s Pantera covers that helped me discover him. I had secretly hoped for a Pantera cover and was left with a massive smile on my face as the band smashed through it.
Next up is CRINGY AF, a song that sounds like it could definitely be from the height of the 80s instrumental guitar scene. It Sounds like it would fit perfectly on a playlist next to Satriani or Vai. The main melody lines are once again tight and played with extremely accurate proficiency.
As we get to the last moments Ola mentions about how he receives some negative comments online because of the nature of his job. One such commenter once said ‘Your shit is ass, quite the instrument’. Englund’s response to this?...to name a song and his whole tour around the title. It’s a classy move and certainly helps to win the crowd over more.
To finish this spectacular set is the amazing Stars & Ponies, once again with an epic synth line that helps gear the crowd up for one last song. When the intro riff kicked in there were definitely many people giving their necks a work out. It’s a slow dirty riff that hits hard, along with the main solo and leaves a very hyped up crowd ready for the next act.
Ola’s more riff based approach to writing instrumental guitar music is definitely a huge part of why I enjoy it. It’s never over complicated when it doesn’t need to be. And he certainly isn’t shy of just grooving and letting the riffs speak for themselves. An absolutely amazing gig and one that will stick in my memory for a while.
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