Even though we’ve just seen progressive metal act LEPROUS as a special guest for APOCALYPTICA, when the band announced a headlining show along with progressive MONUMENTS and Nordic folk act KALANDRA at Vanha Ylioppilastalo in Helsinki, we knew we had to be there. Even the weather’s mood swings (which resulted in a minor blizzard) on March 13th, 2023, didn’t didn’t stop us from heading downtown to watch these performances!
We hadn’t seen KALANDRA before, so were pleasantly surprised when they turned out to be magical. While the lighting may have contributed to the otherworldly atmosphere, it was mostly vocalist Katrine Stenbekk who carried the show. Unfortunately, the set was on the shorter side, so we hope to see this band soon in a longer setting.
We recently saw MONUMENTS at last year’s Dark River Festival and were pleasantly surprised about their energy and the band once again delivered a solid performance. It was especially entertaining to watch Werner Erkelens headbanging while lifting his bass up and down, as if it’s weightless.
After a surprisingly short turnover, LEPROUS came on stage. While the band played an incredibly tight set, packed with a lot of fan favorites, it was a little clear that touring during European winter can become quite challenging. It sounded a little bit as if singer Einar Solberg was struggling a tiny bit with his voice, but nonetheless he managed to nail all the high notes with ease. The 14-song setlist was quite dynamic, with tracks coming from different albums, but a slight focus on “Aphelion.”
Check out our photo gallery here…
Kalandra
Monuments
Leprous
Photos by Laureline Tilkin
