On the early-summer evening of May 29th, 2026, the cinematic-progressive outlet EARTHSIDE from the US stopped in the pearl of Northern Germany, Hamburg, as part of their first headlining European tour. As support, they took none other than Raphael Weinroth-Browne, the Canadian cellist who has been on every proghead’s radar for the last couple of years due to his work featuring bands like WOODS OF YPRES, LEPROUS, VOLA, and many more. For every European city the tour party visited, they invited a local band to open the evening. In Hamburg, the progressive metal sound of PENETRACTOR was on opening duties.
EARTHSIDE‘s latest album, “Let The Truth Speak,“ was released in 2023 via Mascot Label Records, and showed the crowd in the progressive spheres how much more sophisticated the songwriting of the quartet could get, a statement they had already made back in 2015 with their first full-length album, “A Dream in Static.” This is one of the elements that might stand out the most when listening to EARTHSIDE. From a band whose focus is mostly set on instrumental pieces, the journey they take the listener through their compositions is highly engaging. Many people might know them from their collaborations with renowned guest vocalists like Daniel Tompkins from TESSERACT, Björn Strid from SOILWORK, among others. Logistically, it is, of course, beyond difficult to get all vocalists together for touring, which is why the band has their recorded vocals on tape during their live shows. However, there is a very important point to be made here, and that is how on a live setting, the recorded vocals serve as an accentuation that allows the spectator to be fully engaged with the greatness each and every musician in this band has to offer, paired with their energetic and passionate delivery.
In a world filled with short-lived and constant input that aims to catch listeners’ attention for a short gap of time, experiencing bands like EARTHSIDE live feels like a breath of fresh air. As a spectator, losing oneself in the care and detail these great musicians put into their craft feels like an effortless and highly rewarding task. Check out our gallery of PENETRACTOR, Raphael Weinroth-Browne, and EARTHSIDE below…
Text and photos by Michelle R.
Penetractor
Raphel Weinroth-Browne
Earthside
