Kicking off their Endtime Signals European tour, Gothenburg melodic death metal veterans DARK TRANQUILLITY gave an electrifying performance at Teatro in Turku. We had the pleasure of being the very first stop on a long list of tour dates, and it was a treat to witness such a strong start. Joining their ranks for this tour are Portuguese Gothic metal group MOONSPELL and German melodic death metal group HIRAES, both of whom complemented DARK TRANQUILLITY very nicely while giving fantastic performances in their own right.
Starting off the show was HIRAES, bringing that raw melodic death metal sound that anyone going to see DARK TRANQUILLITY would enjoy. This was their very first time playing in Finland, but no doubt they’ll be leaving a wake of new fans as they tear their way through this tour. HIRAES is made up of the members from the now inactive band DAWN OF DISEASE, as well as vocalist Britta Görtz, previously of the band CRIPPER.
Last year HIRAES released their second studio album, “Dormant,” which we fortunately got to hear a lot of during their short but sweet set. “Dormant“ feels like a more refined continuation of the energy from their 2021 debut album “Solitary,” while maintaining that aforementioned raw melodic death metal sound. This sound is in no small part thanks to Britta’s brutal, harsh vocals, which were a definitive highlight of their performance. Her crowd interaction came across as very humble and personal; their excitement to be playing in Finland got us all the more excited that they were here.
Next to play was the dark and mystical MOONSPELL. They walked on stage to their spooky instrumental track, “Perverse… Almost Religious.” Then, they quickly kicked into high gear by starting off with a fan favorite song, “Opium.” Frontman Fernando Ribeiro’s dulcet baritone never fails to elevate their sound with a touch of epic grandeur. He did a great job hyping up the crowd between songs, he has this big charismatic personality that just seems born for stage performance.
Their setlist included a hefty variety, with songs such as “Alma Mater” or “Awake“ hearkening back to their mid-1990s era. MOONSPELL has a tendency to bring older tracks back, as we got to see with the song “Full Moon Madness.” MOONSPELL first released this song back in 1996 as the closing track of their album “Irreligious,” and now it had the opportunity to serve as the closing track of their live set. It wasn’t all old stuff, though; we also got to hear more modern tracks like “Common Prayers,” off their 2021 album “Hermitage.” “Common Prayer“s has a bit softer vocals than most of their other songs, while still sounding resoundingly MOONSPELL. Getting to hear the full range of MOONSPELL’s writing over the years made for a very well-rounded set.
Finally, the mighty DARK TRANQUILLITY hit the stage. Last Summer, we got our hands on their latest album, “Endtime Signals,” so it’s no surprise that we got to hear a lot of that new album. In fact, their set started the same way as the new album, with the track “Shivers and Voids.” We also got to hear other new songs such as “The Last Imagination,” “Unforgivable,” and “Not Nothing.” They all worked fantastically in a live setting, especially “The Last Imagination,” which is sure to be on their setlist for years to come.
Speaking of songs that will never leave the setlist, DARK TRANQUILLITY also played some crowd-pleasers from their last two albums, “Atoma“ and “Moment.” They seem to be on a real hot streak in regard to album releases, for a band that has been releasing albums since the ’90s, it’s pretty awesome to see that their new stuff is just as well-liked by their fanbase as the classics. That doesn’t mean they shy away from their classics, though; this set included some real deep cuts and old tracks. One of these older deeper cuts was “Cathode Ray Sunshine,” which sounded incredible with the modern DARK TRANQUILLITY sound. Seriously, they need to rerecord this song; it was remastered in 2009, but a full rerecording would do it wonders as Mikael Stanne’s vocals have aged like fine wine, and their studio album soundscapes have just gotten better and better over time. But I digress, it was a masterfully put-together setlist that showed all the best sides of DARK TRANQUILLITY.
While on the surface this tour serves to celebrate and share the new DARK TRANQUILLITY album, which it does very well, it also has so much in store for those wanting to reminisce about the “classic” age of melodic death metal and Gothic metal. Those who grew up listening to these bands in the 1990s are going to have one hell of a nostalgia trip, while also being introduced to new music from these bands as well as from the superb HIRAES. It’s the perfect combination, because DARK TRANQUILLITY reminds you of how much you love classic melodic death metal, and then HIRAES is right there to deliver you that sound in their own way.
Written by Ken Kirwin
Photos by Magdalena Niemczura
Setlist
- Shivers and Voids
- Hours Passed in Exile
- Unforgivable
- Forward Momentum
- Wayward Eyes
- Terminus (Where Death is Most Alive)
- Atoma
- Nothing to No One
- The Last Imagination
- Neuronal Fire
- Cathode Ray Sunshine
- Empty Me
- Not Nothing
- Phantom Days
- Final Resistance
- Therein
Encore:
- The Wonders at your Feet
- Lost to Apathy
- Misery’s Crown
