Saturday November 15th I drove two hours north with my sister and my girlfriend to see Amaranthe live at The Sandlot(Part of the bar called The Watering Hole) in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Opening for them was Lullwater and Butcher Babies. Unfortunately I missed but you can check them out here. They are a mix alternative and southern rock and hail from Athens, Georgia.
Next came the Butcher Babies who brought their energetic and fierce stage presence to The Sandlot. While not exactly my go to style of metal, their Metalcore meets Modern Thrash Metal is very groove orientated, with guitar solo-less songs, which always have a focus on both Heidi and Carla, the bands two vocalist. These two ladies scream, go guttural, yell, and can even sing though the latter is less than the rest. I do think they have a quality production on all of their cds, my only issue live was that the guitar was lower in the mix then I would like. It must the lower tuning that guitarist, Henry Flury that made everything sound drums, bass and vocals. Though there is definitely no denying the man can play, and the ladies command the stage. All in all it was a solid set, with half of the set coming from their current Century Media release, Take It Like A Man. I had the pleasure of meeting Heidi after the show was over, and she was grateful of all the fans who came to say hello, and honestly is a very sweet person who is genuine.
Speaking of commanding the stage and being full of energy, headliner Amaranthe really delivered from the get go. Starting with Massive Addictive’s Digital World. The production was top notch, the mix was equally balanced, and the three headed vocal attack was at their best. Though this North American tour is unique since male clean vocalist, Jake stayed behind in Sweden to care for his family. I wish him, his wife, and their new baby only the best. Filling in for him, is the rather unknown but equally capable Chris Sörbye. You can check his band out
HERE.
He really had a chance to shine near midway through the set, on the song Over and Done in which he took the stage alone. He showed this crowd that he is definitely capable of filling in, yet not trying to copy what Jake has done. He easily made the song his own, while staying true to the melody, Speaking of True, the band’s latest single, was another ballad featured on the night, which Chris shared the song with the always consistent and passionate Elize Ryd. The other ballad of the night was the always popular Amaranthine. The rest of the songs were the faster, always energetic songs Amaranthe is known for. Highlights include the theatrics of Ryd, the always amazing guitar solos, of one Olof Mörck. Growler Henrik, also had his fair share of the spotlight, and for a growler he is one of the better ones in my opinion. I tend to be incredibly picky with these type of vocals, but his vocals can be understood, yet are equal parts guttural and powerful. Overall if you are a fan of the band, you would be happy to hear that each disc they have released, had songs performed during the setlist. Twenty songs, with four appearing in the encore.
This was easily worth the drive from Milwaukee to see Amaranthe and Butcher Babies. Amaranthe were also very nice and took their time talking to a special meet and greet of fans who had a chance to meet them. Each fan getting a chance to speak to all the members of the band. It was fun taking pictures, talking music, and seeing how thankful they are to play for a few hundred here, when they could play either festivals or larger venues in Europe. If you are on the fence about any of the bands, I am not sure seeing them live would change your mind, but the energy produced by both bands, is definitely addictive(maybe even massively!). |
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