It’s been 6 years since we’ve heard much of anything from ENTWINE, and suddenly they’re back! However, with a new album that’s definitely a step up from the teen-centric albums of the past, we’re pretty excited to welcome these guys back to the music scene! They threw an album release party at Finlandia-talo in their hometown of Lahti on October 10th, 2015, and we were there to see what they had in store for us. We also grabbed Mika Tauriainen for an interview before the show, which you can read over here! And check out the gallery here!
This was a fairly extravagant CD release party. For the VIPs, there was a buffet before the show in the venue, and a meet and greet afterparty. Sadly, as we are not Lahti natives, we were only able to stick around for the show itself, since there was not enough time to check out the party and get to the trains after the set concluded.
The show was fairly late to start – by 22:10 they still weren’t on stage. When the lights finally dimmed, it started with some ambient noises and a heart monitor sound before the band came on stage to kick things off with “End of Silence,” the first track off their latest release, “Chaotic Nation.” It was a strong start to the show and we were immediately impressed by the quality of the stage production off the bat – the sound was good and the lights were fantastic. I was amused to notice that Mika Tauriainen (vocals) had cut off his hair, mostly, and what was left of it was standing delightfully on end, bed-head style.
The first three songs were new ones, and Tauriainen was pretty cute as they ended, asking the crowd to cheer some more. They were quite happy to oblige, cheering louder and louder the more he flicked his hands upwards in encouragement. The next segment of the show was made up of older songs that likely haven’t been heard live much for several years. Tauriainen mentioned how he had been really unprepared for their last show, which was probably Dark River Festival, and the crowd teased him about his hair, wondering if he had been unprepared in that department as well.
It’s not that often that a drummer catches my attention, but I was fairly blown away by Aksu Hanttu. He was soaked to the core after two or three songs, though that might have been because he had some water dumped on him. That guy really goes all-in when he plays live though. He’s quite a showman and has a lot of flare, yet still plays absolutely brilliantly. I was impressed.
It was really nice to see the enthusiasm and dedication of this crowd – these guys may have been gone but they were certainly not forgotten, nor had they forgotten how to put on a show. Tauriainen was singing quite well, spraying water on everything and everyone, and cuddling up to his bandmates. They had the exact right amount of energy for the size of the stage, and the right mood to get the crowd screaming and jumping up and down. During “Frozen by the Sun,” Tauriainen disappeared, only to reappear at the sound booth to sing from there, which got a few screams. He was alone except for the track for the first half of the song or so, only joined by the band towards the end as he made his way back to the stage.
I would argue that their style as a whole has matured a lot since the last of their shows I was at, back in 2009. There’s a whole lot less Goth and a lot more grit and rock. This is as true for Tauriainen’s voice as it is for the band’s sound as a whole. And they genuinely looked happy to be back. The new music fits in well to this as well. It’s the same sound, but a different band around it – more world-wise and thoughtful.
As for goofy moments, Tauriainen started acting like Frankenstein’s monster coming to life as they started up “The Evil Lives in the Shadows” (which, incidentally, is pretty cool live), and after the song, took a moment to lean against the mic. As we wondered if he was catching his breath, he said that he thought he was feeling the crowd’s heartbeat, but then realized it was his own. He then told a story about how back in the day the other guys teased him for not moving at all one stage, looking really awkward, and that now that he moves around more, he needs more time to catch his breath.
“Break Me” was definitely a fan-favorite, as a flood of girls came rushing up to the front, jumping up and down. This continued through “Chameleon Halo” as well. I admit that I can’t remember if the encore gap started then or a few songs later, but I do recall that “Plastic World” was in the encore, naturally. Sadly, we had to dash for our train before we saw the last song, so we don’t know what they closed out the night with.
I have to say, this band is almost completely different from the Gothic metal band I saw at Nummirock back in 2009. Everything about them has improved in the 6-year gap since I last saw them, from the quality of their songs right up to their stage performance. If you had asked me 3 months ago if I was interested that ENTWINE was back, I might have given a casual shrug and said, “I guess,” but now, it’s a excited, “Yes!” and I’m really looking forward to what these guys might do in the future!
Setlist
1. End of Silence
2. Saint of Sorrow
3. Lost, but Still Alive
4. Fatal Design
5. Strife
6. Bleeding for the Cure
7. Twisted
8. Frozen by the Sun
9. Bitter Sweet
10. Fortune Falls
11. As We Arise
12. The Evil Lives in the Shadows
13. Revolt for Redemption
14. Break Me
15. Chameleon Halo
16. Out of You
17. Surrender
18. Plastic World
19. ???
Written by Bear Wiseman
Musicalypse, 2015
OV: 4634
Photos by Lene L.
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