This season has been incredibly busy with events of all kinds, new tours, rescheduled tours, festivals, special club shows… many of which have been selling out their respective venues, which just goes to show how much live music has been missed. One of the many postponed tours (twice to be exact) was that of eclectic Italian death metallers FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, who finally managed to get back on the road and hit Helsinki in full force by filling Ääniwalli to the brim on October 30th, 2022.
The evening began with PRESSURE POINTS. This band from Heinola had fallen off the radar for many years before releasing two new singles this year. Already in front of a decent-sized crowd, they have been having a special guest in this tour, as bass player Janne Parikka was unable to join, so his shoes have been filled by Mikko Herranen (MISTERER), who brought extra enthusiasm to the tightly-packed stage. It was good to see the band alive and still kicking, and their brief set worked nicely to get the audience in the right mood.
DENIGRATE came next. Featuring members from DEAD SHAPE FIGURE and FOUL CIRCLE among others, the Tuusula-based combo upped it a notch with their vocalist constantly interacting with the audience and even jumping off the stage, shaking hands around the hall at some point during the show, in which they had the opportunity to showcase their new effort “Blackguard.”
With their music and attitude, they kept the spirit of the night high enough and ready for OMNIUM GATHERUM, who were next on stage. Much of the first half of the show was focused on their latest record, “Origin” (2021), while the latter was more focused on older material, ending with “Skyline.” These smaller venue shows play in favor of the band, compared to those more detached big festival shows. Not having seen the band live in a proper club gig in a really long time, it seems as though they have really been upping their game. Their explosive energy has been contagious from beginning to end, leaving everyone with a smile and garnering big cheers before the headliners took over.
When FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE took the stage, it was quite hard to move around inside the hall. The changeover took a few extra minutes to set up the custom mic stands, platforms, test the lights, and get all the props ready for the show, but in the end, it was well worth it. Following the example of the previous band, the Italians made the crowd their own from the first notes of the opening song, “Fury,” in a show with a very nicely balanced set – powerful and intense. The addition of soprano Veronica “ValchiRea” Bordacchini to their ranks added a new dimension to the band’s music and their symphonic side and she seemed to fit in quite well with the band. When the show was nearing the end, the encore gave a triple extra with “The Fool,” “The Egoism,” and “The Forsaking,” closing on a high note in front of an enthusiastic and quite young crowd.
Certainly FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE once again met our expectations in full, but it was the full package that worked quite well together as an event. Isn’t it nice to have so many live shows happening again?
PRESSURE POINTS
DENIGRATE
OMNIUM GATHERUM
FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE
