On April 9, 2019 the Finnish metal band Children of Bodom was on tour in support of their tenth studio album, Hexed. The Rtiz Ybor in Tampa FL has recently become a hot spot for metal shows for Florida and was a perfect spot for the lineup that evening. There was a solid crowd in attendance that night all looking forward to some headbanging, moshing, and great metal music. The first opener, who I unfortunately missed, was Summoner’s Circle a six piece metal band. They are touring to support their 2018 album Tome and you can find more information on them at their website https://www.summonerscircle.com.
Next up was Wolfheart the metal band from Lahti, Finland. Started in 2012 after vocalist Tuomas Saukkonen retired all his other metal projects, he was completely focused on building Wolfheart. Tuomas self-published Wolfheart’s first album Winterborn in 2013 and did all the instruments and vocals. The album did well on the Finnish charts which led to a tour the following year putting together a complete band lineup. Their following two albums also charted very well in Finland for their melodic death metal sound. In 2018 the band released Constellation of the Black Light via Napalm Records and went on tour to support it. And after completing a North American tour in Fall 2018, they came back to North American again to continue its support. Wolfheart is Tuomas Saukkonen (vocals), Mika Lammassaari (lead guitar), Lauri Silvonen (bass), and Joonas Kauppinen (drums).
They started off with “Everlasting Fall” from Constellation of the Black Light. The song, the first track off the album, starts off with a very melodic guitar playing before ripping into hardcore metal riffs and drumbeats. It’s a phenomenal song that will get your blood pumping, horns up high, and headbanging. And the band felt the same with Mika and Lauri were headbanging and hair twirling during the song. The band dropped the stage lights to near dark with only blue illuminating behind them. They followed with “Aeon of Cold” from their 2015 album Shadow World which was harder and faster and had the crowd moshing hard. Though Wolfheart’s set was short, they did put on a spectacular live performance. For more Wolfheart music, merchandise, and information you can visit their website at https://wolfheartofficial.com. Their setlist from that night:
- Everlasting Fall
- Aeon of Cold
- Strength and Valor
- Breakwater
- The Hunt
- Boneyard
Swallow The Sun was on next. The melodic death metal band from Jyväskylä, Finland formed in early 2000. After a demo release in 2002 the band signed a record deal and released their debut album in 2003 The Morning Never Came. In 2005 their second album Ghosts of Loss was released and did very well on the Finnish charts. The band toured and continued a successful career releasing five more studio albums and one EP. They’re touring in support of their seventh studio album When a Shadow is Forced into the Light that was released via Century Media Records on January 25, 2019. Swallow The Sun is Mikko Kotamäki (vocals), Juha Raivio (lead guitar), Matti Honkonen (bass), Juho Räihä (rhythm guitar), Juuso Raatikainen (drums), and Jaani Peuhu (keyboards).
They started off with “These Woods Breathe Evil” from their 2009 album New Moon. The song has a nice mellow sound before getting into a heavier riff. But, it’s Mikko’s high toned vocals that immediately catch your attention as he hits these notes. His vocals are very unique and fit perfectly with their style of metal. They followed up with “Upon the Water” from When a Shadow is Forced into the Light. Once again, the song starts out beautifully and keeps a melodic sound throughout the song even with Mikko’s screaming vocals. The band definitely knows how to maintain an emotional mood throughout their set. I personally loved when they played “Firelights” right after from the same album. Once again, the band had a short setlist, but a lot of their songs are lengthy. Still, they sounded great live and put on an impressive performance. For more Swallow The Sun music, merchandise, and information you can visit their website at https://swallowthesun.net. Their setlist that night:
- These Woods Breathe Evil
- Upon the Water
- Firelights
- New Moon
- Stone Wings
- Deadly Nightshade
- Swallow (Horror Pt. 1)
Then it was time for the headliners Children of Bodom. The metal band from Espoo, Finland started back in 1993 but it wouldn’t be until 1997 when they released their first album Something Wild. The album received phenomenal praise and had them immediately out for a European tour and onto the start of their successful career. It wouldn’t be until 2003 when they would go out on their first world tour for Hate Crew Deathroll, which became the band’s first album to achieve Gold certification and hit #1 on the Finnish album charts. The band would go on to release ten studio albums with Hexed recently released on March 8, 2019. The band even did a cover album in 2009 titled Skeletons in the Closet. Children of Bodom are Alexi Lahio (vocals, lead guitar), Daniel Freyberg (rhythm guitar), Henkka T. Blacksmith (bass), Jaska Raatikainen (drums), and Janne Wirman (keyboards).
They walked out to a loud ovation, raising their hands up in thanks to the crowd. They started off their set with the title track from their 2005 album “Are You Dead Yet?” Alexi staying behind the mic was fierce and intense in his vocals and playing. And the music matched his intensity along with the crowd’s reaction to the song. They went even harder with “In Your Face” from the same album. Daniel and Henkka were headbanging and even Janne was behind the keyboards. So far, the crowd was enjoying the set and the mosh pits were running hard. Children of Bodom was having fun right away and through the set, Alexi would talk to the crowd thanking them for coming and ensuring they were having a good time. He urged them to sing back to them if they knew the lyrics to the song. Of course supporting Hexed they played the three well-known singles “Platitudes and Barren Words”, which I truly enjoy, “This Road”, and “Under Grass and Clover”. The crowd truly loved their closing set of “If You Want Peace… Prepare For War” from Are You Dead Yet? The crowd was throwing up horns, jumping, and moshing. They encored their set with “Hate Me!” from the 2000 album Follow The Reaper and “Downfall” from the 1999 album Hatebreeder. For more Children of Bodom music, merchandise, and information visit their website at https://www.cobhc.com. Their setlist from that night was:
- Are You Dead Yet?
- In Your Face
- Platitudes and Barren Words
- Bodom Beach Terror
- This Road
- Every Time I Die
- Under Grass and Clover
- I Worship Chaos
- Hecate’s Nightmare
- Angels Don’t Kill
- If You Want Peace… Prepare For War
Encore:
- Hate Me
- Downfall
All three bands provided a spectacular metal experience that evening and I look forward for their return.