Klash of the Titans is an accurate synopsis for the highly anticipated co headlining tour of German Thrash veterans Kreator and Swedish Death Metal giants In Flames, which to many Heavy Metal enthusiasts seemed like an odd combination with two very distinct subgenres attracting two very distinct fan demographics. While there was a definite klash of style, the marriage of these two European heavyweights for one massive night somehow worked incredibly well. While Kreator brought the heat and theatrics of classic 80s Euro thrash, In Flames finished off the crowd with their hardest hitting thunderous death tracks, and if you happened to see In Flames play last year on their Knotfest and Megadeth support circuit… no you didn’t. This round is far more monumental and one fans would be foolish to miss.
Adelaide had the privilege of hosting the first show for the Australian run and with that came the fresh energy and adrenaline of kicking off a tour. While Kreator were bringing the fire, they also expected nothing less from the crowd in return- frontman Miland ‘Mille’ Petrozza commanding the undivided attention, noise and enthusiasm from the audience, so by the time 1990 hit ‘Coma of Souls’ was fired out, everyone was well and truly fired up. The crowd incitement persisted with Mille demanding “old school crowd surfing” for belter ‘Betrayer’ which was welcomed with a frenzy.
In addition to the incredibly vigorous performance of fast filthy and impeccable sounding classic thrash, the production and theatrics of the whole thing was glorious. Mascot ‘Violent Mind’s terrifyingly enormous three-dimensional head floated above the stage in the background, and I have some serious questions about the logistics of that, while the use of light and sound created the perfect hellscape for the continuous onslaught of frenetic and diabolical anthems like ‘Satan Is Real’ and ‘Hordes Of Chaos’.
Costumed Violent Mind mascots stood ominously at each side of the stage for ‘Phantom Antichrist’ resembling grotesque hell monks with glowing red lightsabre spears, and much to everyone’s satisfaction, the ‘Flag Of Hate’ was waved high for the intro to the championing 1986 debut track, but not before some very dramatic use of the perfectly synced smoke machines in place of pyrotechnics. Closing with ‘Violent Revolution’ and ‘Pleasure to Kill’ Mille ordered one final lark from the crowd as a wall of death formed and the pit went ballistic. Satisfied and victorious, Mille held his guitar in the air, like an offering to the gods in return for one hell of a show.
In Flames were met with eager cheering from the audience who had reconfigured themselves during the changeover, fans having the opportunity to get up close to the stage as Hindley Street Music Hall was comfortably full, allowing for plenty of movement and interaction with the band. Once again, the whole execution was meticulously delivered with an apt use of stage lighting and sound effects offering the production quality and drama of an arena show accompanied by such a hard-hitting heavy sound that my ears are still ringing this morning. It begs to be pointed out that although the quality of stage production is exceptional, guitarist Chris Broderick definitely needs more wind to really amplify the whole long haired action figure look he’s got going on that personifies his remarkable playing abilities.
Frontman Anders Friden teased that he had seen the setlist and it’s impressive, but if we walk away unhappy, “f**k you”, however the selection of popular tracks picked from their enormous and stylistically evolving catalogue didn’t disappoint as every track was met with cheer, delivered with ferocity and evoked uninhibited movement and dance, jumping, stomping and if course headbanging. Friden continued Mille’s campaign to keep the crowd energy high consistently demanding more, yelling “scream for me Adelaide!”, weirdly stating “I want to SMELL you!” and “lose your f**king mind!” before fast paced belter ‘State of Slow Decay’ got the entire floor bouncing in sync.
Touring Bassist Liam Wilson had a hard time containing all that fresh tour energy, absolutely going off the entire set while Friden boasted his distinguished depth and range of both clean vocals and gnarly gutterals proving that his showmanship and relentless energy is what makes their live performances so extraordinary. An otherworldly sounding ‘blergh’ closed out ‘The Mirror’s Truth’ after the audience were ordered to create “the biggest circle pit of the night’. Closing out with anthem track ‘Take This Life’ In Flames concluded an epic show of nothing but bangers.
The contrast in styles did not ‘Klash’ as much as I anticipated, and while the opposing fan demographics were fairly obvious among the punters, the idea of showcasing two very different but equally enormous European Heavy Metal bands was a successful rager, with the energy peaked for the entire night. The vast difference in pace and sound did not shift the affable mood at all and the audience remained engaged and captivated by the intensity of both performances. In fact, both acts delivered such intensely immersive sets that it really felt like I had been to two different shows, which is pretty good value and bloody efficient for a Tuesday night. They say variety is the spice of life, and this show brought a palatable and interesting mix of flavours to the table with enough heat to burn your face off.
Photos by Rock Tsar Photography
With special thanks to John Howarth & Destroy All Lines for the media access
