IN FLAMES, LACUNA COIL, THE SWORD, SEEMLESS

I arrived at Newport Music Hall in Columbus just as doors opened about 7 p.m. Having not heard too much from Seemless or The Sword, I was a bit skeptical of the openers. Lacuna Coil has some great tracks but not necessarily an outstanding total effort in my opinion so I thought the direct support could be a bit lackluster. None of those really mattered though, the kings of melodic death themselves (not to mention my favorite band of all-time) In Flames were in town to shower us with brutality.

After sipping a few beers and making my rounds, Seemless were finally up to bat. As I said before, I hadn't heard much out of these (if anything at all actually) so initially I wasn't sure how to take them. I did know that they are fronted by Jesse Leach (formerly of Killswitch Engage) who I've always enjoyed but I digress. For those who've never heard of them, Seemless is almost Southern hard rock with a metal edge, think almost Godsmack meets The Haunted with blues elements. A couple of the highlights of their set were “Cast No Shadows” and “In My Time of Need”. Overall, if you like intensity of The Haunted with a more laid back, almost mainstream approach, check out Seemless.

After Seemless, The Sword crept up to the stage with much anticipation from the crowd. I know that a lot of people have been singing the praises of this band so I myself was also eager to hear their sound. The Sword is a very melodic metal band with an emphasis of the guitiars. They come off sounding much like older Black Sabbath actually. Much of their set was from “The Age of Winters”, which at that point I hadn't checked out but after seeing them live, I rushed to pick it up. Some of the highlights for me were “Freya” and “Winter's Wolves”. The Sword played a good set but really didn't have much in the way of stage presence. They didn't really interact with the crowd whatsoever so that was probably my only knock on their set. I do recommend checking them out live as well as checking out “Age of Winters”.

Lacuna Coil was next in direct support to In Flames. And other than the fact that Cristina Scabbia is gorgeous, I was definitely looking forward to seeing what they sounded like live. To be honest, I didn't give “Karmacode” or “Comalies” very good reviews because I felt like their tracks are more or less “hit or miss”. However, their setlist included tracks that I really enjoyed off those efforts such as: “To The Edge”, “Fragile”, “Swamped”, “Enjoy the Silence”, “Heaven's a Lie”, and of course, “Our Truth”. They sounded better in concert than they do on their albums. Lacuna Coil's stage presence was great, interacting with the crowd well, and keeping everyone upbeat adn having a good time. It's been a long time since I've seen a band create that kind of atmosphere. I definitely recommend you check Lacuna Coil out in concert. (Note: There even was a proposal on stage at the end of their set, which I thought was pretty cool of Lacuna Coil to allow)

Finally, it was time for the heavy-hitters of melodic death, In Flames. I've personally loved In Flames for a very long time, so that being said, you already know that this will be a slanted review. But honestly, this is by far the best time I've seen In Flames. This being my forth or fifth time seeing them, I already knew what to expect as far as what they would play but an In Flames concert is not necessarily the most fun I've ever had at a concert before. I think most of that depends on Anders' mood more than anything else. I seen them just play the songs and leave before which left me feeling kind of a bit empty at the end of their set. But tonight was quite different. Their energy saturated the venue. Anders' interacted very well and was in a great mood. Another thing that I was afraid of with this show is whether or not the vacancies of Bjorn and Jesper. I was curious as to how In Flames would sound with Henrik Danhage (Evergrey) and Niklas Engelin(Engel/Passenger) filling in. My nervousness was quelled quickly with In Flames opening with “Pinball Map” (as usual) and sounding amazing. So do not fret, these guys know what they are doing. The hits kept right on coming with “Leeches”, “Cloud Connected”, “Trigger”, “Only For The Weak”, “Touch of Red”, “Resin”, “Come Clarity”, “Graveland” (yes, that is correct Jester Race fans), “The Quiet Place”, and “Take This Life” among others. The band then closed with “My Sweet Shadow” to conclude an amazing evening.

Although Seemless didn't necessarily start off the night on a high note personally, the bands that will be the reason you are going to the show are amazing. This run has now concluded but the next time you get a chance to see Lacuna Coil or In Flames, take advantage of the opportunity. Til next time, stay brutal.