chthonic live

Kiuas opened in the smaller of the Garage rooms with a cracking set, but minus frontman Asim Searah. Instead we had guitarist Miko Salovaarah and bassist Teemu Tuominen sharing the vocal duties and doing a creditable job between them. They provided an energetic display of epic power metal that served as a decent warm up for the sold out gig.

ChThonic were the band I had come to see and when they bounded on stage to deliver their own unique blend of black metal they received a hot response from the crowd. I have previously reviewed their latest album, Takasago Army, and it was clear that while not many people there knew the songs, they appreciated them in the only way possible: moshpit ensued.

There is a distinct contrast between earlier works and the productions from Takasago Army. The latter is much more melodic, much better defined, and to be honest, the band seemed more comfortable playing them. Maybe that’s just about practice, but the difference was noticeable as the newer songs seemed to flow better. I also enjoyed the use of the traditional instrument (box zither?) during the Takasago Army songs that lent a somewhat haunting sound to counteract the brutality of the guitars and the vocals.

Interaction with the crowd was good and the promised signing session pre-headliner act was duly delivered with good humour and attention to detail. Was I impressed by ChThonic? Oh yes, everything about them was good on the night. It’s probably about time they started some headlining tours, instead of being on the undercard.

And then came the bonus band. There are some bands that could go out on stage and play theme tunes from TV soap operas, or nursery rhymes, and get a crowd moving. Turisas are one of those bands. They always produce an electrifying performance, always interact well and are always top class entertainment, and to be fair, you can’t ask for more than that. Which is exactly what they delivered. Wandering up and down their now somewhat expansive repertoire, but relying on some old favourites from their back catalogue, they put on such a show that the moshpit was endangering the sound desk, with the poor soundtech having to brace his machine against the under pressure barrier.

Turisas as the headline act deserve all the plaudits for what they do, but actually, Kiuas and ChThonic played their part in delivering an evening of high entertainment, and, if you were moshing, some bruising too.

by Alan Thomson