It's been a summery hot Sunday and it's only the first day of spring (1 September).
Not that I need a reason to go to The Tivoli to see a live show and sip on an ice-cold beer, but today I could blame it on the sunshine, ha! Amaranthe is the real reason I'm at the venue and it's humming with the excitement of fans gathering for their first live fix of Amaranthe on their maiden tour of Oz.Yep! This is their first show in Brisbane ever. The vibe is simply palpable. Amaranthe's approach to integrating many metal genres and pop-rock elements in their songs is one thing. However, it's their triad of contrasting vocalists that makes them a sui generis tripartite threat in the industry – an audible triple treat IMO. It's tasty as!
The six-piece touring party is Elize Ryd (clean vocals), Nils Molin (clean vocals) and Samy Elbanna (harsh vocals). Elbanna is again filling the shoes of Mikael Sehlin in Australian and New Zealand. Bringing the live instrumentation are Johan Andreassen (bass), Olof Mörck (guitar), and Morten Løwe Sørensen (drums).
This band can blur the lines of metal and pop-rock, and dare I say some loose disco beats. I expect there will be digital and prerecording thrown into the mix to ensure we get the full cinematic, operatic and electronica feels that come with their brand of metal.
Stage lights dim and sparse smoke plumes start to rise from the back of the stage. Brisbane three-piece Krave appear and flick the switch that turns on our live music mode. Wasting no time with this opportunity to amass even more fans, straight off the bat they assault us with two brilliant high energy heavy tracks: 'Purgatory' and 'Alchemy'.
Krave - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Siana Davis (vocals, bass) showcases her stunning voice that can go from strong, smooth notes to ragged, edgy growls in a split second, while banging strings and throwing her bass around as if it weighed nothing. Lachlan Shirley (drums) centre stage is giving the tubs hell – I'm unsure how he keeps his glasses on his face as his head bangs back and forth, emphasising the force of his hits.
'Shapeshifting' is followed by a favourite of mine, 'Midnight' and it sends fans in the mosh pit into a collective tizzy. Davis asks if anyone knows how to be an animal. I'm not sure what she is inviting here, but it sounds like a hell of a lot of fun!
"Do your animal thing, right now! Mine is an octopus!" she commands. I admit her arms, legs and head have been flailing about like an octopus – yes she has a good self-imagery! Of course, we lose and let ourselves get 'Outta Control' too!
Krave - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Davis shares the next song is about being low and the simple, yet profound act of making it through one day at a time. She reflects on her journey, recounting her will to take it one day at a time, until those days turned into months and then a year, and now sharing that five years have passed since she once doubted she'd ever reach this point.
Subtly urging us to act with kindness, she instructs "say hello to the person next to you". Together we sing 'Take Your Bow'. The response is overwhelming, as devoted Kravers belt it out with emotion.
Closing with their banger 'Unalive', it crashes about our ears and has Davis and guitarist Ryan White tearing it up onstage. Davis ends it with a forceful, guttural gush emitting from her pipes halting in a brief moment of silence before a loud applause erupts. Awesome!
Shirley is convincing as master of the tubs, proving he is an integral part of Krave since replacing Sam Bertolone. It's still the vibrations of music nostalgia that pepper Krave songs along with Davis' ability to switch between contrasting vocals in an instant and White's crushing guitar chops that seals the deal for fans of Krave.
A digitised intro about the myopic decisions of man and humanity's reckless path toward self-destruction, leading us to create an artificial consciousness, which unforeseen becomes the catalyst for our fate opens the main show. Ominous!
Sørensen is the first to take to the dark, blue-lit stage to the cries of fans as he raises his sticks in acknowledgment. Mörck and Andreassen are next to receive a rowdy welcome as they hold spread-legged guitar stances on the front left and right risers. Their silhouettes look epic against the dim backlighting. Lights grow brighter and the trio start hammering out 'Fearless'.
Amaranthe - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Ryd brings her girl swag to the front centre riser, making a commanding statement dressed in lace pants, leather leotard and a three-quarter-length black trench coat. Fans go nuts seeing her for the first time and are already singing along.
Racing out to the stage in full metal get up, Elbanna rips into the growls and fans lose it some more while Ryd does ponytail windmills beside him. Last to join them is Molin and the crowd officially lost their sh.t. Molin sweetly waves at random fans in the crowd, making their night extra special.
Raising the middle finger to the 2020 lockdowns is 'Viral', an anthem for the time and second on the set and second from their album 'Manifest' (2020). Fans are infected with its high energy. Ryd, Molin and Elbanna's vocal cords have been lit from the get-go – no warming up, just hot to trot!
'Digital World' is performed mostly in darkness with fleeting front lighting creating an obscure atmosphere. I think it's deliberate. It highlights the instrumentation without the full visual of the band members. Man, the guitar is coming in hard and heavy, I can feel it dropping and along with the bass it's a killer breakdown that is raising the energy and taking us into full guitar worship mode!
Amaranthe - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Ryd does standing split kicks in the middle of the stage. I was so concerned she was going to take out Mörck's eye with her stiletto, that I screwed up my shot!
'Damnation Flame' sees all three vocal parts get decent ear-time much like 'Fearless' and after 'Maximize', Molin tells us that since it's their very first Australian tour and all they thought they had "to do something special for the Aussies", and since we are having a tonne of fun together they play the lively track 'Boomerang'. It's an apt song title, that's for sure.
Giving up the gold with 'Strong', '365' and then the bouncy vibes of 'PvP' – confirmed as being the official anthem for the Swedish e-sports team.
Molin is delivering pitch-perfect clean and powerful vocals while attempting to give himself whiplash from tossing his hair around. He and Ryd must be competing for title of human windmill! Fans adore his vocal chops and charisma, and I love how he keeps it metal in every way.
Amaranthe - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Elbanna is giving up the growls like a demon spawned from the bowels of hell. Claiming fans through his guttural gushes and rough rap, not to mention his unstoppable energy. The dude is bounding all over the stage. No one can question why he is the fill-in for Sehlin. I think Amaranthe should consider taking it next level and turn themselves into a four-vocalist band keeping Elbanna (dare I utter metal ABBA? Ha!) Yes, I know, Lost Society may be a barrier.
Shifting into a lower gear, Ryd's vocal shine throughout 'Crystalline'. Lying on a front riser she embodies a leading lady in a live musical with Molin as the leading man joining in part way through the song. Her childhood love of Disney and metal is epitomised in this grand arrangement. Soft siren melodies and orchestral, almost cinematic vibes meet the crushing crescendo, blitzing like a tornado.
I catch my breath as fans clap their hands above their head to the intro for 'The Catalyst', another song where all three vocals punch in equal measure. It's a gloriously heavy trip. 'Re-Vision' follows with a pitch-perfect mix of clean and dirty vocals. Don't get me started on the dancey beat under the modulating metal tones that gives pause to some ramped up electronica – sublime also erring on the cinematic as well.
Molin reminds us how "we used to have lighters" back in the day and asks us to do the "2024 version" and light up the venue with our mobile phones. I'm in awe how Amaranthe can bring stadium performance feels within an intimate venue setting.
Amaranthe - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Taking us all the way back to their beginnings with another moody track that showcases Ryd's ability to invade your being with haunting vocals, is fan favourite 'Amaranthine'. The song ripples with emotion and the different vocal styles and changing beats, as the flow of the music hammers home those feels.
With faux stars twinkling all around, fans sing-along even taking lead vocals in some parts and loudly singing the chorus "Like a sign. Like a dream, You're my amaranthine." Ryd is performing without fault from her operatic crescendos to her soothing melodic refrains; she is versatility personified.
Andreassen has been dropping solid killer bass tones all night, dealing out the rhythm while Sørensen is attacking the kit like a wild savage – perhaps his inner animal is an octopus too.
'The Nexus' and 'Call Out My Name' concludes the set to a roar of cheers, whistles, screams, claps and foot stomps. This crowd ain't done yet, calling for "one more song!" – our dedication is returned with news that we will get more than one!
Another from their 'Manifest' album 'Archangel' is first, backed up by 'That Song' from the 'Maximalism' album. This uses the drum beat of Queen's 'We Will Rock You' and the uplifting lyrics raise the mood even higher. Adding to the beat of Queens' smash hit, is a lyrical snippet too and the fans raucously sing-along to this.
The insanely infectious and groovy beats of 'Drop Dead Cynical' is unleashed and the mighty hooks and melodies are throwing fans into a final fit of ecstasy. Fans are dancing and singing right to the very end of the show, and even has us staying to raise horns as we are photographed behind the band.
Amaranthe - image © Clea-marie Thorne
The contemporary approach to layering with recordings on the tour added to the theatrics and cinematic feels of the show, giving more dimension to our audible pleasure. However, it is the live instrumentation of Mörck, Andreassen and Sørensen that gives it edge and definition, exploding and lulling in tight perfection in all the right places with precision throughout the set list of fan favourites.
Ryd, Molin and Elbanna superbly contrast, fuse and layer their unique vocals proving this combination of three main vocalists is gourmet. It may sound bizarre, but if you've never checked them out I swear the recipe is delicious and you should feast on it – stat!
More photos from the concert.
