On the 9th of May, 2009, the doors of Helsinki’s Nosturi were opened to welcome those metalheads who came to see EMBREACH, HATEFORM, MYGRAIN, and PROFANE OMEN playing a gig together. The occasion for this event was the 30th birthday of Teemu Suominen of Metalheim Agency. All of the bands are represented by Metalheim Agency and were there to greet the man of the moment. Check out the gallery here.
I don’t know whether it was due to the aforementioned occasion or maybe the moon was in the right phase and the stars were in the right disposition, but for whatever reason, from a technical standpoint this concert was flawless. For the first time ever, there was simply nothing to complain about: the light was spectacular, the sound was just right, everything was perfect. Obviously, the technicians did their best.
Nosturi’s upper bar seemed to be more crowded with the event’s guests than the lower level. It was a lucky coincidence for the younger part of the audience as there was plenty of space for a proper moshpit and they used it all.
MYGRAIN were one of the most awaited bands to enter the stage that evening. They had released their second album, “Signs of Existence,” in February 2008 and have not played many live gigs since then. It was great to see that the band is still in great condition and totally capable of shattering your world. Eve (keyboards) must be the most headbanging keyboardist in Finland. You’d expect a gal in such a rough male band to stay unnoticed somewhere in the corner behind her keyboards, but that is just not the case. Eve can play keyboards, headbang, and simply rock out all at the same time. You have to notice her and admire her and the way she perfectly fits into such a heavy band. Tommy (vocals) used his voice to its full capacity. I hope the audience didn’t forget to use their ear-plugs. He and the rest of the band were like candles on the birthday cake. The kind of candles that you wouldn’t be able to blow out because they will blow you up before you manage to understand what has happened. Some of the old hits were played that night, including “Misery Assembly Line” and “Veil of Sun.” MYGRAIN’s performance was smashing and I am sure some of the necks in the audience were hurting a fair bit over the next few days. Their set created just the right atmosphere for the headliners of the night to enter the stage.
PROFANE OMEN have recently released their new album, “Inherit the Void,” and seemed to be excited about playing the new stuff live. They were a blast. Jules Näveri (vocals) stormed out on stage overflowing with his endless energy charge, and the crowd hardly stood still for the rest of their set. The rest of the band didn’t waste their time either and altogether they turned on the crowd almost immediately. Songs from the new album were welcomed warmly by all the crazy slamming in the audience. That’s what the band’s music inspires you to do – go as wild as you can, let out all your anger, and headbang till your head flies off. How else can it be, if what you see on stage feels like putting two fingers into an electric socket. During this set, PROFANE OMEN also played songs from their debut album, “Beaten into Submission” (2006), such as “Rewind,” “Painbox,” and one of their best songs so far – “FMH.” Jules sounded as good as ever, switching from growling to melodic vocals and back with ease. This guy has one hell of an engine inside him and it surely roars loudly. If you have seen PROFANE OMEN live, you know that their performances are basically lit by the band’s insane energy. If you haven’t seen them yet, don’t hesitate a single moment – the guys are playing a bunch of festivals this summer, so don’t miss them!
All in all it was a rather heavy night – heavy in the sense of music, atmosphere, and in the sense of lifting your head the next morning. But it was all worth it!
Setlist:
Intro – Seconds
1. Rewind
2. Superpowertrip
3. God in a Bottle
4. FMH
5. Base
6. I Have Seen
7. In the Middle I Breathe
8. Right to Retaliate
9. Disconnected
10. Information
11. Gunshot/Mindset (encore)
12. Left to Disintegrate (encore)
13. Painbox (encore)
Written by Tanja Caciur
Musicalypse, 2009
OV: 7357
Photos by Jana Blomqvist
