“Hexed” 2019 North American Tour – CHILDREN OF BODOM, SWALLOW THE SUN, WOLFHEART, FRAGMENTUM

“Hexed” 2019 North American Tour, April 5, 2019, The Rockbox, San Antonio, Texas, The United States

CHILDREN OF BODOM headlined The Hexed 2019 North American Tour fellow Finnish bands, SWALLOW THE SUN and WOLFHEART in tow. Each band brought a unique take on the melodic death metal sound. FRAGMENTUM added another take on the heavy/melodic style but hails from Belgium. FRAGMENTUM was selected with two other bands, HOLLOW CRY and SUMMONER’S CIRCLE, to play legs of the tour. I can’t comment on their performance, as I arrived at the end of their set.

The waves felt from WOLFHEART have certainly rippled across the pond. Not only does the band bring a fresh perspective to the genre, but they also bring lots of it. WOLFHEART have released four albums in their brief six-year existence. Their impression from last year’s tour with CARACH ANGREN and MORS PRINCIPIUM EST was still fresh in the mind of many attendees. A few WOLFHEART and CARACH ANGREN t-shirts proved that statement. WOLFHEART were the fastest, at least in terms of drums, and the blackest band of the night.

WOLFHEART opened by serenading fans through the PA with melodious acoustic chords, marking the intro to “Everlasting Fall,” taken from last year’s “Constellation of the Black Night” album. Then the band went through a lycanthropic shapeshift, blasting the crowd out of their tranquil slumber. Such was the dichotomy of their set—a mix of melody, atmosphere, aggression, black metal and melodic death metal with nods to AMORPHIS.

Tuomas Saukkonen surely upheld an aggressive image. With a bald head, tats, goatee, a chain around his shoulder and large frame, he resembled a younger Kerry King. The band has probably listened to SLAYER. Who hasn’t, but his looks were the only similarity to the titan thrash band. His riffs were more of the black/death variety with lower tuning than King. The group only played six songs but included at least one track from all four of their albums. WOLFHEART sounded great and received a nice pop from the fans. If this band continues releasing albums at the present pace and stays on the road as they have, expect them to majorly break out in the next ten years.

SWALLOW THE SUN were the most melody-driven band of the night. Their take on melodic death metal focuses more on down-tempo movements. At times the band approaches funeral doom, but the balance they maintain through each song makes their sound more complex than a single modifier. I last saw them over a decade ago with KATATONIA, INSOMNIUM and SCAR SYMMETRY. The band’s popularity has increased in leaps and bounds, and have delved even deeper into melodic territory.

Songs from newly pressed “Where A Shadow is Forced into the Light,” album showed an ability to harmonize clean vocals such as the soft passages on “Firelights,” while presenting gigantic death growls during darker, doom-filled parts such as “Upon the Water.” Lyrical themes on nature were in tune with WOLFHEART before them. Enchanting moons, shadowy pools of water—the tides, they exuded a gloomy serenity.

The band were shrouded in darkness, figuratively and literally. Vocalist Mikko Kotamäki and bassist Matti Honkonen shielded their faces through a hoodie and the light show further obscured their features. The group played a set culled from various albums including two tracks from “New Moon” and ended where they began, “Swallow (Horror Pt. 1).” Taken from “The Mourning Never Came” album, the dynamics, churning riffs and harmonious guitars seemed the perfect exit. SWALLOW THE SUN’s atmosphere, guitar harmonies and crushing death/doom create a big sound that must be experienced live.

COB have twenty years of releases to draw from for a set. They chose songs for their set taken from throw out their career, including several tracks from the early years. Many fans were likely turned on to the band from videos such as “Downfall,” the group’s opening song. In Alexi Laiho’s vast collection of riffs, this opening guitar part is one of his highlights, perfect for an opening shot of adrenalin. Said song came from the second album “Hatebreeder.” Early material such as “Everytime I Die” and “Hate Me!” were personal highlights, but new material from “Hexed” was captivating, too. Janne Warman is the perfect keyboard technician to Laiho’s superb guitar shred. “Platitudes and Barren Words” contains an infectious harmony. “Under Grass and Clover” featured a balanced mix of melodies and aggression.

CHILDREN OF BODOM played most of the early and soon-to-be classics, but with so many releases choice cuts get cut. In this instance, it was “Bodom After Midnight” and “Needled 24/7.” Laiho is the riff master and guitar wizard. His harmonizing with Warman is something to behold. The band sounded great, and the crowd fed off their electricity.

Even though Laiho played fine, he looked especially gaunt. He’s always been slight of frame, but tonight he looked unhealthy. It was noticeable to every person I spoke to after the show. Like mentioned earlier, it didn’t seem to affect his playing. Overall, the night was a big success. All the bands on the bill shared the Finnish melodic death connection, yet all the bands were unique. Each band didn’t overload their set with material from a single album. The sound was great and each band played with an energy that transformed the crowd. Finland continues to solidify its status as a heavy metal hotbed.