Ne Obliviscaris Citadel/Exul tour: When air-violins weep
12.10.2024, Kulttuuritalo Helsinki, Finland
One of my favorite bands on tour again and with a special program – a must-see! And that’s an invitation for you too – because the tour has only just begun, you can still watch them live, so check the TOUR DATES immediately!
The Australians Ne Obliviscaris are something you don’t get to see that often in Europe, because they do not only create their special kind of extreme prog-with-violin-metal, but also organize and finance almost everything themselves. This evening, the band plays two of their legendary albums, namely Citadel and Exul, live in full – which means a 2-hour program, how cool is that? So there are several reasons not to miss this show – what’s more, you really are supporting the band on many levels, not only via the usual purchase of merchandise.
First on stage are the Australians Freedom of Fear to open the concert evening in front of a somewhat sparse but constantly growing crowd. Their brand of extreme music, which they themselves describe as melodic/tech/blackened metal, and their dramatic performance quickly captivated the audience – and me too. I always enjoy girl power delivering brutal growls, and their music can be compared to the headliners (e.g. the title track of their latest album Carpathia). The short set is met with enthusiasm, at the end all fists are up – the quartet has certainly won some new fans in Finland on their very first visit to Europe.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stalkermagazinerocks/54066264933/in/album-72177720321209999/
A quick changeover, then the second support band Walkways from Israel enters the stage, and just like the first act, it’s an encounter of a previously unknown act for me. Now facing a quite respectable crowd, the band delivers an the energetic performance, which is great for the audience, not so great for us photographers … A charismatic frontman with a powerful, versatile voice, a brutal sound mixed with catchy melodies – naturally that also goes down well with the Finnish audience. For my taste, this alternative metal has a bit too much -core influence, style-wise not really my cup of tea and therefore I don’t have much to add.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stalkermagazinerocks/54066265638/in/album-72177720321209999
Another short break and the headliners Ne Obliviscaris start their set super punctually, a triumph on all levels – there’s no other way to describe this evening. As soon as mastermind, violinist and clean vocalist Tim Charles enters the stage, the fans cheer so loudly that the venue feels like completely sold out (the seats at both sides could still have been fuller). Obviously, the Australians and their trademark violin metal have created a solid fan base which is constantly growing: a majority has seen the band before, but – as Tim’s inquiry shows – many are experiencing their first NeO concert here. For me, it must have been half a dozen shows by now – but I am still getting the chills, be it an emotional violin solo, jazz parts, flamenco rhythms or brutal, massive walls of sound with nasty growls, interwoven with an angelic voice – well, that’s what I mean with the NeO trademark sound.
Although the guitarists Benjamin Baret, Matt Klavins and Martino Garattoni, driven by the merciless blast-beat machine Dan Presland, appear fully focused on their complex song structures most of the time, the band never loses the connection with the audience. The two frontmen (Tim plus James Dorton as substitute for NeO growler Xen) hardly let the crowd rest. In addition to the classic mosh pit and raising fists, this time you can also observe modern dance moves and “air violin”, which also makes James smile time and again. Apart from that, Tim as a cheerful and confident entertainer keeps his witty announcements short but promises several times that the band will definitely be returning. Well, we certainly hope so! Because even after 2 hours of sophisticated Prog Metal, the audience still didn’t want to go home and demanded “And Plague Flowers The Kaleidoscope” as the final encore.
I can only repeat myself – brilliant band, fantastic tour package, check the tour dates and don’t miss this excellent live performance!
