If you know anything about Wales you know that when their rugby team plays against England, it’s a big deal. Even though the match is being played in Twickenham, the streets of Cardiff are teeming with red jerseys moving to and from pubs and clubs after a monumental victory. The general mood of the entire nation is decided by the 80 minutes spent watching the match. But that feels like a million years ago now for those huddled in the basement-like surroundings of Cardiff’s Barfly. The feeling of anticipation is electric as tonight’s gig is quite special. DARK TRANQUILLITY are an understated band of pioneers from Sweden and even though most people above ground, celebrating the win, wouldn’t have the faintest as to who Dark Tranquillity are, to the people clambering to prime position in front of the small stage, they’re legends.
This tour was meant to feature Omnium Gatherum followed by Evile as support. Due to Evile dropping out, Omnium Gatherum have been bumped up to prime support position and a local support act has been selected for each venue. Tonight’s support is Newport death metal band DESECRATION. They have a strong reputation in the UK. If vocalist Ollie looked familiar to anyone in the crowd it might be because he was involved in a BBC Three show called ‘Singing With The Enemy’ in which his other band, Amputated, were forced to collaborate with an all female pop quartet Fallen Angelz. The show also discussed Ollie’s 9 to 5, although loathes people connecting his music to his day job as a practicing mortician. The band perform brutal track after brutal track perfectly. It’s frustrating that a band this good are stuck in an area where the scene is more orientated towards fringes and hardcore dancing, because death metal with this integrity and delivery should be held in higher regard.
OMNIUM GATHERUM have graced our shores before but were a different entity at the time. Their last trip to the UK saw vocalist Jukka’s first experiences with the band on tour and since then the bassist slot has been filled by Eerik. Not only this, the latest album ‘Stuck Here On Snake’s Way’ has seen them take a break from their usual style and be more progressive and thrashy. Despite supporting one of Sweden’s finest, Omnium Gatherum are Finnish, yet they’re perfectly suited as their sound has less of a the Finnish death metal sound to it, as though it’s born of the Swedish framework. The crowd here tonight aren’t the type to stand back with folded arms and the tiny stage lacks a barrier so the band get to feed off the energy. New track ‘Nail’ is our taste of great things to come from the band. As they’re in the process of arranging the new material for the next opus, this is our first chance to hear in what direction the band is moving. All signs point to a more melodic feel. Their chemistry together onstage gives us the sense that the band are now a complete unit. Hopefully they’ll be back here again when they’ve finished their new album.
Some minor technical difficulties prolong the wait for DARK TRANQUILLITY to come on and for those at the front, the suspense is excruciating. One fan, that has been stood firmly in his spot since the doors opened, is going to be attending each and every date on the UK tour. This means he will go to all 7 dates across the UK. When complimented on his dedication he brushes it aside be saying, with a shrug of the shoulders, “They’ve saved my life”. By the time the sound of the intro to ‘Terminus’ hits our ears, you can cut the atmosphere with a knife. Though the venue is small, the energy could fill an arena and the intimacy means that Mikael Stanne is able to stand above those gathered before him like a preacher giving a melodic death sermon. The congregation hangs off his every word and it’s obvious to see it in the faces of each of the band members that they’re truly enjoying themselves. Songs like ‘Therein’ and ‘Misery’s Crown’ make for an emotive sing-a-long by those at the front of the room as Stanne turns to individuals to scream in unison. As the night draws on, the band gladly announce that the curfew is no longer in effect and they can complete their set as intended, much to the audience’s delight. Those waiting to enter the club for it’s indie club night are going to have to just wait a little bit longer. Before show closer ‘The New Build’ Stanne stirs everyone into a frenzy and as the performance reaches it’s climax it’s still hard to believe that the godfathers of Swedish melodic death are a mere few inches away. This is quite possibly one of the greatest metal shows to hit this part of the world and the fact that few truly get it is part of what makes it so special.
PHOTOGRAPHY: © Owain Richards
