 | Written by Kirsti Heitz Photographed by Rob Botten (C) 2018 All rights reserved by www.metalmasterkingdom.com WINTERSUN w/ NE OBLIVISCARIS and SARAH LONGFIELD @ Opera House Toronto, ON, Canada October 9, 2018 Presented by Inertia Entertainment One of the last Toronto shows before the weather turns frigid was given my Finnish metallers Wintersun with opening acts Ne Obliviscaris and Sarah Longfield. Wisconsin based guitarist, Sarah Longfield, wowed the crowd with her 8-string guitar skills and youthful looks making many metallers go through a transition of “how old is she?” followed by “why is she so young and blessed with mad guitar skills?” which ultimately culminated to a short panic attack of “what am I doing with my life??”. |
To warm up the crowd, Ne Obliviscaris played a deliciously gothic set complete with high-pitched growls performed by a skinny black-haired vocalist, melancholic clean vocals, lethargic melodies, fast beats and even some violin arrangements. These Aussies are definitely a band you want to check out post-show to see if their material holds up to their live set. It 100% holds up, just make sure to listen to some of their earlier tracks.
Finally, what we have all been waiting for, Wintersun took the stage. Jari Mäenpää saunters onstage like the very image of Jack Skellington as he towers over the crowd and has an adorkable awkward stance. He has come out guitarless, and dedicates his focus to delivering epic growls, eloquent vocals and squeezing some excitement from the crowd. Timu Mäntysaari is the sole guitarist for this set, and he makes up for it by performing squeeling solos and complex melodies. With Kai Hahto on drums and Juuka Koskinen on bass, the beats and rhythms got fans headbanging and fist-pumping.
Early on in the set, the guys would perform coordinated guitar movements with Jari joining in with the mic stand, or Jari strumming Timu’s guitar while Timu would be performing the finger work. Personally, I love coordinated stage movements. When done correctly, you force a reaction from fans whether its excitement, a laugh or engagement. Like, during the (extremeley long, even per Wintersun standards) track "Summer" from their new album The Forest Seasons, at one point, Jari was doing some dorky butt-shaking. Then during the epic final chorus, all members stood stoic with hands behind their back while singing.
All in all, the spectacular and intrinsic music paired with a great stage performance made for an entertaining show by these adorable Finnish nerds. Wintersun songs have the magic of amazing choruses, as was proven during "Sons Of Winter & Stars", when fans united their voices to cry out the chorus in unison. For the encore, fans requested 10 more songs, but we were gifted with the more upbeat "Battle Against Time" which brought with it some crowdsurfing. Wintersun wrapped up the night with Jari grabbing a guitar and proving that he still has it while he double-tapped, wha wha’d and shredded his way towards the end of their set, leaving fans elated.
Finally, what we have all been waiting for, Wintersun took the stage. Jari Mäenpää saunters onstage like the very image of Jack Skellington as he towers over the crowd and has an adorkable awkward stance. He has come out guitarless, and dedicates his focus to delivering epic growls, eloquent vocals and squeezing some excitement from the crowd. Timu Mäntysaari is the sole guitarist for this set, and he makes up for it by performing squeeling solos and complex melodies. With Kai Hahto on drums and Juuka Koskinen on bass, the beats and rhythms got fans headbanging and fist-pumping.
Early on in the set, the guys would perform coordinated guitar movements with Jari joining in with the mic stand, or Jari strumming Timu’s guitar while Timu would be performing the finger work. Personally, I love coordinated stage movements. When done correctly, you force a reaction from fans whether its excitement, a laugh or engagement. Like, during the (extremeley long, even per Wintersun standards) track "Summer" from their new album The Forest Seasons, at one point, Jari was doing some dorky butt-shaking. Then during the epic final chorus, all members stood stoic with hands behind their back while singing.
All in all, the spectacular and intrinsic music paired with a great stage performance made for an entertaining show by these adorable Finnish nerds. Wintersun songs have the magic of amazing choruses, as was proven during "Sons Of Winter & Stars", when fans united their voices to cry out the chorus in unison. For the encore, fans requested 10 more songs, but we were gifted with the more upbeat "Battle Against Time" which brought with it some crowdsurfing. Wintersun wrapped up the night with Jari grabbing a guitar and proving that he still has it while he double-tapped, wha wha’d and shredded his way towards the end of their set, leaving fans elated.
We unfortunately don't have pics of Sarah Longfield. Our apologies.
| NE OBLIVISCARIS Photo credit: Rob Botten (C) 2018 www.metalmasterkingdom.com | WINTERSUN Photo credit: Rob Botten (C) 2018 www.metalmasterkingdom.com |
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