Wisteria - pleasant surprise -- well executed black metal, very tight band, I'd say the drummer was better than Katatonia's. Little bit of a jazzy and freakout vibe coming from them, which is a pleasant adulteration from a genre that -- as much as I love it -- tends to begin to sound samey.
Swallow the Sun - I've seen these guys before, but I didn't remember until I actually saw the guys and recognized them. It's the kind of music that really needs to be heard loud. But they need to headline so that I can hear Plague of Butterflies. Or at least play one of the parts from it. LOL @ "In the old days, vampires used to suck blood; now, they just suck." (beat) "...cock...and it was with that thought that inspired me to write this next song: New Moon". Jonas did guest co-vocals on one song (I forget which one). That was nice.
Orphaned Land -- I'm actually familiar with these guys, they're Israeli (but I don't think they hold to any religious standing, as they let a lot of middle-eastern influences into their music, and at one point the lead singer [who is dressed in a baptism robe/shroud] says, "Yes, I am Jesus Christ, and they got it all wrong -- I fucking love fucking black metal. Mayhem fucking rules."] Although they did play Hava Nagila.). Lot of cheesy props (snake charmer, llama, etc....made out of tin foil and garbage bags). I kind of got the feeling that they upped the silliness quotient since this was (I am quoting now) THE LAST NIGHT OF THE FUCKING TOUR.
Katatonia -- okay, that fucking ruled. They were better (or I was in a better mood, perhaps...or a little of both) than the last time I saw them (on the Great Cold Distance tour), despite Jonas not being able to sing this time (terribly off key), and the drummer...well, he was a little stiff. Especially after the excellent drummers that Wisteria, Swallow The Sun, and Orphaned Land all had. But still, they were in a good mood, and sharing it with the crowd, and of course at this point the silliness quotient went exponential (especially on the last song, for which I presciently went to the back of the venue -- anyone in the pit got dowsed with silly string). Highlight was the Swallow the Sun contingent coming out and taking over for Teargas -- the singer and drummer both took over their respective duties, so the drummer controlled the wah-wah pedal while the guitarist (I don't know which is which, but...the skinny one -- he's got muscles, but he's just ...skinny looking -- I'm thinking Jonas needs to quit stealing his food, because he gained weight since the last time I saw him...and that'll fuck with your hormones and your voice) played his solo. The singer from Swallow the Sun is really great, I learned from that song. There was more silliness, but I think what I enjoyed so much was the set -- they pretty much played all my favorites (except maybe In The White and Ashen).
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