The streaming concert business has been booming and many virtual concerts have come and gone; one we were really looking forward to was the CRIMSON SUN and RED MOON ARCHITECT show, two Finnish bands with an extreme amount of potential. The show was organized through East Coast Events on 5 June 2020.
The first band to perform was CRIMSON SUN, the melodic metal band who recently released their new album “Fates” earlier this year. Their album release show was one of the historic last gigs of 2020 that we got to enjoy and back then, the new material proved to be very live-appropriate. The new songs’ energy is so uplifting that a streaming concert would mean an instant good evening during the lockdown. The five-piece started with the dynamic “Beast Within,” making me want to jump around the room. The song has a pumping energy, which is no wonder if you know that it is about CrossFit. Continuing with “Virtual Reality,” I found myself wondering how relevant this song is right now and it was great to hear it again. The powerful “Fate of Nora” really was able to shine more compared to its studio version. “Towards the Light,” the title track from their debut album, followed. The track is one of the songs that made me fall in love with the sound of this band, so its live version is always welcome on any setlist.
Singer Sini Seppälä continued with introducing the special merch they created for the streaming concert; I took a brief glance over the T-shirts and the design looked wonderful. Next, the heavier “The Prison” impressed us; it’s probably the heaviest song the band has put out but it works so well live. I must say that the song sounded heavier than ever and it surely was a good rendition of its studio version. After such a heavy song, the softer “Memories Burning” was a welcome change. The song has an incredible build-up combining drums with vocals and a minimalistic guitar sound, before it explodes into a chorus. The band continued with the power metal-infused “Trailblazer,” which Seppälä introduced by reminding us that life is short. Continuing with two uplifting and energetic tracks, “We Are One” and “Essence of Creation,” CRIMSON SUN ended an excellent set with the closing duo consisting of the epic “Last Day On Earth” and finally, “Awaken.”
Altogether, the band played a great set, singer Sini Seppälä was her energetic self, while the rest of the guys paid more attention to what they were playing and thus delivered a top-notch concert. We certainly miss watching them play these songs live!
Setlist
1. The Beast Within
2. Virtual Reality
3. Fate Of Nora
4. Towards The Light
5. The Prison
6. Memories Burning
7. Trailblazer
8. We Are One
9. Essence Of Creation
10. Forever And Away
11. The Last Day On Earth
12. Awaken (Encore)
After a short changeover, RED MOON ARCHITECT got ready for their performance. Having reviewed their album, “Return of the Black Butterflies,” I always wanted to check out the doom metal act live. While I wasn’t completely sure why these two bands were put together due to their very different style, it was made clear to me by the appearance of bass player Jukka Jauhiainen, who apparently plays in both bands.
The uplifting, positive atmosphere from the previous show, turned around with the menacing, slow-paced guitar riffs the genre requires. Nevertheless, having such different bands play together, was a great idea since it also shows the multi-faceted Finnish metal industry. While RED MOON ARCHITECT clearly focuses more on delivering a dark and grim atmosphere, fans who like a bit more of a relaxed show could enjoy CRIMSON SUN and vice versa. The doom metal act did everything in their power to create those amazing soundscapes that made me enjoy “Return of the Black Butterflies” in the first place. I remember finding the combination of singers Anni Viljanen and Ville Rutanen hauntingly beautiful and in a live setting the combination of their voices can move listeners even more.
Through the exploration of soundscapes, RED MOON ARCHITECT managed to leave me with an overall relaxed feeling, forgetting about the dark reality of current times, with a setlist containing songs that beautifully progressed into one another.
All-in-all the combination of some of the finest acts of Finland was a welcome streaming event, as fans all over the world got to witness first-hand which hidden gems the country has to offer.
[adrotate banner=”3″]
Setlist
1. Wish for a Tear
2. Funeral
3. Tormented
4. Journey
5. Abscond
6. (Unknown)
7. NDE
8. Rising Tide
