Probably the most anticipated package tour I’ve attended this year came by way of the Scandinavian invasion Live Concentration North American Tour featuring Sweden’s Katatonia and Scar Symmetry with Finland’s Insomnium and Swallow the Sun. This trek marked the first ever headlining appearance by Katatonia and the North American debut of both Insomnium and Swallow the Sun. Needless to say this was one line up that I wouldn’t miss at any cost. The event took place at the world famous Whisky A Go-Go on September 19th and in spite of a smaller less than glamorous club setting it was still a tremendous success. All of the bands were top notch and delivered stellar performances.

Up first was Swallow The Sun who in all honesty were my primary reason for attending this show. Ever since the release of their latest album Hope which I’ve been spinning constantly I’ve been hoping (pun intended) to see them in a live setting. Their sound which falls heavily on the doom metal front is accented with divine melodies and dark passionate lyrics. The interchangeable vocals of frontman Mikko Kotamäki our brilliantly displayed as he transitions between the brutal death metal vocals and the gothic like clean voice that haunts many of the bands songs. A special praise for the guys must be given for their rather well lit stage which allowed me to get some exceptionally great shots; the best of the lot in fact. For an opening band Swallow The Sun gave a truly commanding performance and I’m sure it’s safe to say that they were no doubt a pretty hard act to follow.

If you happen to be Finland’s Insomnium though there are no worries there as they bring to the stage a confidence that is rare in today’s Metal forum. Masters of their craft they are and definitely able to hold their own against any of their peers. How exactly these guys have been overlooked for so long is something of a mystery but if I had to guess I’d say it’s because the are Finns and not Swedes however I’m sure that following the current tour there will no doubt be a heightened degree of interest I their music. It would be great to see them come back and do a longer set. The bands latest release Above the Weeping World is an absolutely amazing contribution to the Metal realms and one of my very favorite albums currently in rotation on my ipod.

Scar Symmetry followed with a decent performance. I really like these guys and the last time I saw them they absolutely blew me away. I’m not sure what was different this time around but frontman Christian Allvestam did seem a bit under the weather having to force his clean vocals near the end of their set or let the audience take over. The bands diverse sound enables them to reach a much wider audience than the other bands on the bill that evening and thus they probably had the largest crowd of the night. The fact that they have been here before didn’t hurt their attendance either. Scar Symmetry were also perhaps the most visually entertaining band of the night thanks to guitarist Jonas Kjellgren and his over the top facial expressions. All in all they were a vital part of the tour and it would have been less had they not been onboard. I can’t wait for them to come back and do a proper headlining tour; hopefully in the not too distant future.

Finally the main event had arrived and the response given was nothing short of overwhelming. Sweden’s Katatonia have been a pinnacle of interest in the gothic doom Metal genre for many years now and it was great to catch them on their first ever headlining tour of the states. While I did appreciate them fully during this event I was also a bit disappointed in the overall production. The lights were ridiculous and you could barely see the band on stage. In addition I was relatively unimpressed with their stage presence especially frontman Jonas P Renkse and the word boring was what cane to mind more that anything. On the other hand their music was fittingly dark and precise in every aspect. The crowd didn’t seem to find objection either and embraced their melancholic passion in all it’s glory. Personally I have always been a fan of the bands earlier material with Mikael Åkerfeldt handling the vocal duties but I must admit that I am growing more intrigued with Renkse’s clean vocal ability with the bands past few releases. To sum the night up this was a fantastic package bill and probably the most genuine Metal line up that I’ve seen in awhile. I am very happy to have been given the privilege of attending.