 | Written by Alex Stojanovic Photographed by Anna Sklavos (C) 2019 All rights reserved by www.metalmasterkingdom.com WITHIN TEMPTATION w/ IN FLAMES and SMASH INTO PIECES @ Rebel Toronto, ON, Canada March 6, 2019 Presented by Live Nation |
Click here for our interview with Sharon den Adel of Within Temptation
The Canadian winter season might be in its home stretch, but frigid temperatures are still making their presence known. However, that's not stopping metalheads from all around Toronto and surrounding areas from hitting up all the great shows that come through town. On a freezing cold Wednesday on March 6th, Rebel in Toronto was host to a great European double bill, featuring Within Temptation, with special guests In Flames, and openers Smash Into Pieces. Initially, our very own Amina Abdelwahab was set to cover this show. However, due to a last minute change in her schedule that was out of her hands, she had to cancel. As a result, she asked me if I could substitute for her, and since I luckily had time in my schedule, I said I would. I will also fully admit right now. Within Temptation was a band I was obviously familiar with for a long time, but I never got around to listening to their music until recently, but the few songs I got around to listening to, I enjoyed. However, what I seemed to enjoy the most about Within Temptation was Sharon den Adel's voice. The lady has one hell of a set of pipes.
| SMASH INTO PIECES Photo credit: Anna Sklavos / (C) 2019 www.metalmasterkingdom.com | Opening up the night was Swedish outfit Smash Into Pieces. In all honesty, they seemed a bit out of place on this bill, and that's mainly because they sounded a lot more pop than metal influenced. Sure, they had the distorted guitars and heavy vocals (in certain areas), but in my honest opinion, their modern pop metal sound wasn't my cup of tea. On top of that, each song the band played seemed to mirror each other. You could certainly hear pre-recorded vocals happening during certain songs, and many of you know how I feel about them. As I was looking around in the crowd, there was hardly any participation going on, but rather watching politely. The only time there was participation was when frontman Chris Sorbye encouraged the crowd to do something, like clap their hands or make some noise. He even at one point crowdsurfed, which seemed like an attempt to hype up the crowd and get some sort of movement going. The drummer, who played on an electronic kit, wore a helmet with flashing lights. The helmet made him look like Kylo Ren from Star Wars. This isn't meant to be a diss to the band. It's merely my observation and honesty. I wish the band well in their future, but they were just not my cup of tea, and they felt out of place. Several other people around me felt the same way. |
Next up was In Flames. This is when the crowd really started to liven up. It was my first time seeing In Flames, and I like how Anders Friden enjoys having fun with the crowd by teasing certain audience members, but in a respectful way. A couple of examples were when he spotted a person in the front row who didn't seem all that impressed, but Anders assured him that he would banging his head by the end of the set. Another standout moment was when he was teasing a person who was using his phone. Anders then asked to borrow the phone, and started filming the crowd from the stage. However, what drew the most laughs during this moment was when Anders started joking about calling the guy's mom. Thankfully the guy took it as a joke (hopefully). This moment even got a good laugh out of the security guards.
Many people who have gone to see this tour will know that guitarist Niclas Engelin is at home recovering from surgery, so filling in for him was none other than Chris Broderick, who also happened to have his birthday on this night. Obviously, the material In Flames has released since Sounds Of A Playground Fading has split the camps. The main focus of the setlist was material from that album, onwards (including songs from the new album I, The Mask), with songs like "Voices", "Where The Dead Ships Dwell", "Monsters In The Ballroom", "I Am Above" and "The Truth" just to name a few. However, the band never forget about the old-school fans who prefer the older stuff. Even though they only played two songs from the old era, it's better than nothing, right? Clayman was as old-school as their set got, with the track "Pinball Map", but they also treated the fans to "Cloud Connected".
Many people who have gone to see this tour will know that guitarist Niclas Engelin is at home recovering from surgery, so filling in for him was none other than Chris Broderick, who also happened to have his birthday on this night. Obviously, the material In Flames has released since Sounds Of A Playground Fading has split the camps. The main focus of the setlist was material from that album, onwards (including songs from the new album I, The Mask), with songs like "Voices", "Where The Dead Ships Dwell", "Monsters In The Ballroom", "I Am Above" and "The Truth" just to name a few. However, the band never forget about the old-school fans who prefer the older stuff. Even though they only played two songs from the old era, it's better than nothing, right? Clayman was as old-school as their set got, with the track "Pinball Map", but they also treated the fans to "Cloud Connected".
| Closing out the night was Within Temptation. As I mentioned at the top, I'm a newbie to their music. I obviously knew that they were slightly on the symphonic side, but I finally got around to listening to them when I was asked to step in and cover the show. I had no idea what to expect from their live show, but I was impressed. Having just released their new album Resist, they opened their set with three brand new songs. That's usually a gutsy move, to play three new songs right out of the gate, but given that their new material has been getting a lot of positive reception, there wasn't any issues, and the fans were singing along to the new material as if they knew it for a long time now. The circular set of lights in the center of the stage gave off a Pink Floyd visual vibe, and they had a handful of video screens on stage. Another great thing about the show was that they didn't go overboard on the stage production. It was kept simple with the video screens, keyboards and drums. Sharon den Adel's vocals were on point, and I was mesmerized by her vocal performance, from the smooth melodies to the insane high notes she hit. What a voice! Her stage costume also made her look like a cross between a princess and a warrior. | WITHIN TEMPTATION Photo credit: Anna Sklavos / (C) 2019 www.metalmasterkingdom.com |
Aside from the new songs the band played, which were "The Reckoning", "Raise Your Banner", "Endless War", "In Vain" and "Supernova", the band treated long time fans to several fan favourites like "In The Middle Of The Night", "What Have You Done", "Paradise (What About Us?)", "The Heart Of Everything", "Stand My Ground" and "Mother Earth". As a result, they touched on songs from six out of their seven studio albums. This was one of those situations where I walked in not knowing what to expect, but I walked out being really glad that I went and got to experience both Within Temptation and In Flames live. Would I go to another Within Temptation show in the future? At the moment, I wouldn't say "yes", but I also wouldn't say "no". We'll see what the future holds. However, they put on a fantastic show and fans loved what they witnessed.
| WITHIN TEMPTATION Sharon den Adel - Vocals Jeroen van Veen - Bass Ruud Jolie - Lead guitars Martijn Spierenburg - Keyboards Mike Coolen - Drums Stefan Helleblad - Rhythm & lead guitars Label: Vertigo Records / Spinefarm Records Website: www.resist-temptation.com | IN FLAMES Anders Friden - Vocals Bjorn Gelotte - Guitars Chris Broderick - Guitars Bryce Paul - Bass Tanner Wayne - Drums Label: Eleven Seven Music Website: www.inflames.com www.facebook.com/inflames | SMASH INTO PIECES Chris Adam Hedman Sorbye - Lead vocals Benjamin Jennebo - Guitar, bass & vocals Per Bergquist - Guitar, bass & vocals Apocalypse DJ - Drums Label: InVogue Records Website: www.smashintopieces.com www.facebook.com/SmashIntoPieces www.twitter.com/smashintopieces |
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