HEAVY METAL PERSE and RANGER were certainly an interesting pairing for this occasion at On The Rocks, on March 30th, 2024, on another night that, if it didn’t end up as sold out, it was pretty damn close. This was also the third time in town for the Kajaani boys in less than a year, so it seems the locals cannot get enough of both heavy metal and “perse” (or ass in English).
But first heavy/speed act RANGER took the stage in front of a good bunch of enthusiastic fans. The band gave a strong delivery, focusing more on the heavier and earlier part of their catalogue, which helped in bringing out good energy from the crowd in preparation for the following band. The guys appeared to be in good shape in their performance, and especially the songs from the early EPs gave their most dedicated fans something to violently bang their heads to.
Interestingly enough, there was a bit of a switch in the audience between the two gigs, so the fans of the headliner took the spotlight when it was HEAVY METAL PERSE‘s turn to rock the stage. The show began with their first record, in the notes of “Kauan eläköön kuningas!,” among the chants and cheers of their audience. From there, the setlist proceeded more or less in chronological order, with a couple of songs from their sophomore album and then the most recent “Jumalia Paossa,” despite some frequent shouts to the song “Tapio” from their earliest full-length. As expected, it was a pretty fun night, with both the fans and the band enjoying the atmosphere to the fullest and the occasional crowdsurfing attempt. The title track from the last album was going to end the gig, but the enthusiasm of the audience brought the band to give an additional encore with “Uusi Alkemia.”
So this cheerful Easter Saturday came to an end, and people started to frantically get things ready for some kind of DJ set, as most of the audience began the usual exodus towards the cloakroom. If there is one certainty from any HEAVY METAL PERSE gig, it is that eventually it will be a fun night, and this time was no exception. Until the next occasion!
RANGER
HEAVY METAL PERSE
Photos by Marco Manzi
