Wolfheart, Fiend @ MOD Club St. Petersburg
Nov 2, 2017, St. Petersburg, Russia
It’s been more than 10 years since I have combined a bit of sightseeing in Helsinki’s sister city with attending a show of a Finnish act. Some things have changed – e.g. there are English signs at stations to guide tourists. Some things haven’t changed, though. For example that Helsinki still feels like a little village in comparison. And I managed to get lost at / in Nevsky Prospekt Central even 3 times that day, despite English signs and a map. Therefore I am not sure whether I had found MOD club without the aid of Julia, despite the fact it is so close to abovementioned Metro station. MOD Club turned out to be like a Bonsai-version of Helsinki’s Tavastia, same basic outline with stairs and a balcony, but 1/3 or even 50 % smaller. We should appreciate the stairs on both sides later, as the audience was as enthusiastic as last time (not as reckless, though, as the headliner did not require body guards on stage here).
Somehow the local support band Fiend rang a bell – yes, we had introduced them to you some time ago as a Fresh Act. Hence it was a great opportunity to enjoy this band live too, and indeed, those guys and the girl warmed – better: heated – up the crowd. A weird mix of Thrash, Melodic Death, ElectroPop and even Metalcore. Difficult to explain, but I can tell you that live this mix of styles works out brilliantly.
Singer and mastermind Leo does not only look a bit like Cavalera, he is also the born entertainer – what a pity I could not understand any of his chats with the audience. A captivating show, and judging the audience reactions, Fiend must have won over some new fans.
The club was not sold out, yet pretty full for a week day. Several people had been looking forward to watch Wolfheart as they had never seen them live. Therefore the band did not need to do much to get the crowd into clapping or shouting along, or going completely nuts. Amidst this enthusiastic audience it was almost impossible just to reach the stage – and yes, there were also mosh pits which have become rare in local Metal clubs, so I heard. In case you wonder why most of our photos were taken from the stairway viewpoint…
A great sweat-inducing show, the sound was great too – and I enjoyed a full headliner set, one of the reasons for this trip. The band seemed relaxed and in good mood, even Mika – who tends to be 100% focused on his guitar playing – was having fun with the audience. Basser Lauri acted as MC, as usual, but at the end of the gig Mastermind Saukkonen himself spoke and explained why Russia and especially St. Petersburg is so important for Wolfheart, because here he had met Mika Lammassaari 7 years ago on a tour. And again, despite an encores double feature, the show seemed to be way too short. Let’s hope those guys play a headliner set soon somewhere in/near Helsinki too…
PS: What was weird for me – around midnight this part of St. Petersburg seemed pretty deserted; luckily I discovered a Rock Bar nearby for a nightcap. Well, after only one “Iron Maiden” shot I felt indeed “Aces High” and no longer troubled by “Fear Of The Dark” to walk back to the hotel …
Fotos: K.Weber, J.Andreeva