Insomnium were only in the UK last year but now they’re back with a new album and a European tour to support it, and they have Fleshgod Apocalypse and Stam1na in tow with them.
Playing their debut UK show, it was an honour to witness this special performance from Stam1na (8/10) and it was well worth the wait to finally see them live. The five of them put on one hell of an energetic show and you could really tell how pleased they were to finally be performing in the UK. With a little more of a focus on their new album SLK, they powered through an excellent set and even took the time to joke about how people always ask them about why they’re always naked! Finishing up with new song Panzerfaust, it was a great end to the set, giving the crowd one last time to bang their heads.
Up next was Fleshgod Apocalypse (7/10) and it was such an atmospheric performance from the band. Their stage outfits and presence was incredible and whilst there wasn’t a vast amount of variation between some of the songs, the performance itself was good and it was great to see an actual piano being used onstage, the sight of it really added to the mood. You could tell the crowd were really into them, especially in the latter half of the set and when they left the stage, everyone was yelling for an encore – which is somewhat rare for a support act!
Of course, Insomnium (9/10) were on top form as ever. This is a band that puts on a ridiculously tight show and the way they move together as one unit truly is something to behold – it’s rare when a band is so together as this one and the sound quality was also of a high standard throughout. They were great when we saw them supporting Children Of Bodom last year, but it was like they’d got even better in the twelve months since the last time!
It was an excellent set from the four-piece and there was a good balance of old and new material, with plenty of new tracks from Shadow Of The Dying Sun and even played The Elder from their debut album, which was incredible to witness! It really did feel like Insomnium could do no wrong because the crowd responded well to whatever they did, and their enthusiasm fed into the band’s performance.
An all-round great night – the line-up worked really well and all three bands put on great shows. This will be a gig that people will remember for a while to come.
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Read our review of Shadow Of The Dying Sun here.
