Profane Omen / Amoral / MyGrain
28 March 2014, Nosturi, Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki Special: 35 YEARS OF PROFANE OMEN, AMORAL & MYGRAIN – celebrating b-days together is always a great idea, and even better when Finnish bands of such high quality do it. And indeed a lot of people showed up punctually – probably not only because of this real cheap 15e entrance fee – therefore the first act could entertain a quite big crowd.
Not necessary to write a lot about bands that have proved their live qualities many times before (which has been mentioned at STALKER many times too) …
MyGrain
had a blast on stage, as usual, maybe not quite as crazy as their ”Planetary Breathing” release/b-day bash at Bar Loose. Well, despite this goofy dance around the drum kit “how band colleagues spend their time during the guitar solo” … After smash hits like “Rats in the Cradle”, “Of Immortal Aeons” and “Alienation”, I noticed Tommy´s voice problems, he struggled during the last 3-4 songs – and found out later that because of his bad flu it was a miracle he had actually made it that far into the show…
Amoral
Admittedly, I had never been such a big fan of this band and therefore was not interested in this controversy about singer Ari Koivunen and the style switch from Melodic Death to Power-Prog-Metal/Hardrock. Yet this time I was really impressed by the band – the lights, the show, the display of skills – and the song “Prolong A Stay”, crowned by a very emotional and touching vocal performance. But then the microphone was handed over to former singer Niko Kalliojärvi, because also Ari had the flu and could hardly stand upright… The rest of the gig focused on “good old times” which was welcomed by their fans, I had rather preferred to hear more of the new CD ”Fallen Leaves & Dead Sparrows”…
Profane Omen
present a real challenge to photographers… and this time the raw energy exploded in a way that I felt I need a stash of Valium just to be able to think of sleep the next 3 weeks… hell, what a band! The hyperactive peers of the likeable front dervish Jules hardly granted their crowd a rest, the material clearly focused on their new 4th album ”Reset”. But also old hits were played, in the middle of the set the former bass player Tomppa Saarenketo came on stage to play “Damaged Justice” and “Gunshot/Mindset”. Before that a former drummer (and founding member) who was in the audience received a hearty welcome. Therefore the show had the flair of a family meeting, which ended in a big jam session with all 3 bands´ members, and Guns´n Roses´ “Get In The Ring” was somehow fitting, as at least 2 singers must have felt like this… great finale of a great evening!
