GIG REVIEW: AMORPHIS, ELUVEITIE, DARK TRANQUILITY & NAILED TO OBSCURITY Live at 013, Tilburg, NL

It’s often I see these days that concert legs in Europe often have double headliners or even more bands traveling together. The bang-for-buck ratio here is very good in most cases, but when you see lineups like the one on the 27^th of November in The Netherlands with the mighty Amorphis, the entertaining Eluveitie, Gothenburg-death giants Dark Tranquility and the good doom/death Nailed to Obscurity, you can easily get overwhelmed with how good things can be in the European metal scene.

The 013 venue in Tilburg was a fitting one for such a grand meeting as it can pack more than 3000 screaming metalheads, and it was so right from the start when the German act led by Volker Dieken and Jan-Ole Lamberti took the stage to play a small, yet concise set of 5 tracks that showed fans why they are quickly becoming a prominent piece of the death-doom society. Nailed to Obscurity “nailed” fans in awe and delivered a respectable opener set to the evening, which paved the way to one of the most revered and celebrated European melodic death bands out there, Dark Tranquility.

Focusing on new tracks and a few of the early 2000’s classics, Mikael Stanne, Martin Brändström, and company were applauded constantly while going through modern bangers like “Identical to None”, “Phantom Days”, “The Dark Unbroken” and “Atoma” while also gifting fans with favorites such as “Cathode Ray Sunshine”, “Hours Passed in Exile” and closing their appearance with the amazing “Misery’s Crown” which made longtime fans and curious spectators alike go crazy with its catchy chorus.

The addition of seasoned veterans is working wonders for DT live, and if they keep the same level of energy in the studio, we can anticipate a good follow-up record for ‘Moment’. With a strong and characteristic mix of introspective, emotional passages with high charges of energy and unrivaled stage presence by Stanne, DT made a performance that was nothing short of great.

Next up were the Swiss-sensation and probably one of the most well-known folk bands out there. Eluveitie focused on 2019’s ‘Ategnatos’ album and built their setlist around it, with tracks like “Breathe”, “Deathwalker” and “Ambiramus” intertwining with band classics such as “Inis Mona”, the always energetic “The Call of the Mountains” and “A Rose for Epona”. I would also stand out a couple of new tracks from the band that are being presented for the first time in this tour like “Anu” – which I assume will be featured in their upcoming album – and both tracks from their new single “Exile of the Gods” and “Aidus”.

I’m not really a fan of the band and having 9 people on stage at the same time, but they make it work like wonders and the ludicrous amount of instruments for a metal band actually fits their proposal live as well, making the experience very pleasant instead of all over the place; they take turns when necessary and everything works like the Swiss clock they are. This show was an incredible instrumental experience if anything, but the true highlight of the band is definitely vocalist Fabienne Erni. She sounds powerful and soothing at the same time, her stage presence is absurdly magnetic and her vocal skill is something that I have very seldom seen live; she can reach astoundingly high notes and maintain them easily and she actually sounds better live than in the studio. An amazing, amazing singer.

With the spirits high and the crowd already extremely pleased, it was time for the icing on the cake and the reason why many people attended the concert. When Amorphis hit the stage and the first chords of “Northwards” started, it became clear to those who had never seen the Finnish masters live why they are considered one of the best metal bands in activity. Esa Holopainen and Tomi Koivusaari mesmerize everyone with their groovy, melodic guitar riffs, Olli-Pekka Laine and Jan Rechberger create the perfect bass-drum combination and Santeri Kallio fills the room with organic, ethereal keyboard lines, all while the amazing Tomi Joutsen controls the crowd with flawless delivery.

Amorphis are truly a force to be reckoned with and could have simply played through their ‘Halo’ and post-2000 setlist easily but chose to take a step back into the past with two of their best tunes (and couple favorites of mine) from ‘Tales from the Thousand Lakes’, still their best album in my opinion. “Into Hiding” and “Black Winter Day” were a welcomed surprise, and old-school fans could revisit great moments from Amorphis’ initial stage, the reason why they are so consistent, competent, and creative today. Fan favorites like “Silver Bride” and “My Kantele” were also present, and mandatory closer “House of Sleep” put an end to a killer evening full of talent and good moments.

As my colleague Bean wisely said during his review of the UK leg of this tour, all bands here are must-see live and this is a great way to see different styles mixed together without ranging too far off the genres, and a no-brainer show if you’re a fan of Amorphis or Eluveitie because the two bands are packing a respectable setlist that is bound to please all.