Trivium and Arch Enemy Ignite The Skyway Theatre

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Photos by David Rubene

 

With November being half over and the colder temps transition the colors of fall to the monochromatic look of winter, I guess it was no surprise that a cool light rain dampened downtown Minneapolis. However, this did not deter me from heading to the Skyway Theatre to catch a powerhouse metal show featuring Trivium and Arch Enemy along with openers While She Sleeps and Fit For An Autopsy. Trivium and Arch Enemy are shredding across North America both promoting their brand new kick-ass albums. Not only that, judging from the long long to get into the venue, the experience of hundreds of metal maniacs screaming, jumping up and down, and moshing together with the bands was going to be incredible … and no better way to spend a Tuesday evening.

Kicking things off was Fit for an Autopsy, a Deathcore band out of New Jersey who set the tone for the night with in your face vocals and hardcore rage displayed through drums and guitars which brought the crowd right into the intense vibe. Guitarist Patrick Sheridan had great command of the guitar and the audience, almost reminiscent of AC/DC’s Angus Young. Frontman, Joe Bad has a calm demeanor which is opposite of his vocals. An excellent way to start the night.

After that start to the evening, it was time for While She Sleeps to blast their Metalcore precisely to all metalheads that were already at the venue (and the ones still arriving). Formed in 2006, this Sheffield-based squad is currently promoting their new album You Are We, with their setlist also being almost 100% based on it. New songs like the opening tune You Are We, Silence Speaks, and the closing one Hurricane kept the audience in a total frenzie. Lead singer Lawrence Taylor had boundless energy as he leaped through the air with ease and then with crowd-surfing while singing. Equally energetic were his bandmates, Sean Long on guitar, Matt Welsh on guitar and vocals, Aaran Mckenzie on bass and Adam Savage on drums.

After a quick stage change, it was time!! Finally, after three long years of wanting to see Arch Enemy, the lights dimmed and the into music filled the Skyway Theatre. The crowd exploded when the band hit the stage. Arch Enemy put the pedal to the metal, sounding less melodic and more ruthless. Their new songs off Will To Power were insane with mosh pits instantly forming in response along with lots of growling and horns in the air.

Frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz, with her always exotic and apocalyptic attire, performed with endless energy and power. With two original members Michael Amott (guitars/vocals) and Daniel Erlandsson (drums), along with Sharlee D’Angelo (bass) and Jeff Loomis (guitar/vocals), they pulled no punches when it came to delivering those classic death metal sounds.  Lots of rip roaring guitar playing had the crowd banging their heads as if the guitar strings send out the wailing, mind controlling commands.

Arch Enemy released its latest album, Will To Power, back in September of this year and the energy is extreme and fresh with songs to melt people’s faces.  Arch Enemy played several songs off the new album, The World Is Yours and The Eagle Flies Alone along with older hits like War Eternal, As The Pages Burn, Avalanche, and wrapped up their set with Nemesis. Arch Enemy’s performance was 110% raw power with a perfect list of songs to keep the crowd head banging for duration.

After a short break, Orlando-based metallers Trivium took the stage by storm with the opening track of the title-track The Sin and the Sentence off the newest album, which made the crowd explode in awe and ignited some serious mosh pits all over the venue. Matt Heafy, Corey Beaulieu and Paolo Gregoletto were as electrified and in sync as usual, with Matt leading the fans with his “meme-generator” faces and gestures. Newcomer Alex Bent performed with excellence and is a relentless killing machine on drums, elevating the band’s already heavy sonority to a whole new level. Needless to say, he played all songs to perfection.

Trivium pounded the crowd with a great set of songs like Heart From Your Hate, Until The World Goes Cold, and In Waves. The band definitely knows what they were doing when they put a setlist together, trying to encompass all of the band’s phases in a little less than one hour and a half. Last but not least, when the intro Capsizing the Sea started playing we all knew the show was coming to an end, but not before Matt thanked Minneapolis for a fantastic night of metal, promising to always return to the city with another blast of Trivium music.

In the end, there wasn’t a single fan that wasn’t eager for more Trivium when the show was over. As the crowd filed out of the Skyway Theatre, there was non-stop chatter about the performances and a buzz about them returning soon. Can’t wait!

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