Soaking Up The Scandinavian Metal SOILWORK / DARK TRANQUILITY / HYPOCRISY / MNEMIC The Trocadero Theater in Philadelphia, PA
By Steve Trager
One of the best tour packages to come through Philadelphia Pa most recently has to be the SoilWork - Stabbing the Drama North American Tour which featured Dark Tranquility, Hypocrisy, and Mnemic all traveling together. It is what I myself would call the Scandinavian Metal Tour. Each band is well known separately such as SoilWork, Dark Tranquility, and Hypocrisy who all have seven studio CD's to date. Aside from these three bands who all from Sweden, Mnemic who is out on tour with these guys are from Denmark, basically a hop skip and a jump over a pond in Scandinavia. For some of these bands they have tour extensively around the states in fact SoilWork has played in Philadelphia Three times before going out on a current headlining slot. As any fan can see that Metal still reigns in many parts of Europe with the likes of these four acts who graced the trocadero theater stage for what I would call a great show of pure metal European style.
Opening the Show, Denmark's own Mnemic who have Two CD's which includes their recent effort intitled The Audio Enjected Soul. For this five piece power quintet who has never played anywhere in the US before as they mentioned and their first visit to Philadelphia. Mnemc's twenty minute set not only set the tone for an explosive metal show, but got the crowd into that metal vibe generating from the stage as only True to heart metal bands can do these days. With not knowing what to expect from any of these bands set to play, you just get blown away from one or two songs that says it all right there with the music. As if twenty minutes wasn't enough for this band to warm up the crowd which was almost at a total sell out capacity, Mnemic not only got some respect from the fans but CD's were flying off the merchandise booth at the show after their set.
Another Great Band also from Sweden who has graced the trocadero stage many times on other tours, Hypocrisy a band that goes without saying they can shred on stage with just a few guitar cords from one song into a set. not to mention the head banging that proceeds along with this four piece band says it all just by watching them perform a sweaty thirty five minute set that included "Fire In The Sky " "Pleasure of Molestation," and "Turn The Page " among the old school favorites that have built the sound of Hypocrisy from day one.
The lights went down and Dark Tranquility quickly went into their first opening song of their show. With seven records under their belt, kind of hard to pick and choose what to play and what not to play for the least amount of slot time on this tour. Yet Dark Tranquility is a band that you can just sink your teeth into note for note. I myself was never really into Swedish Metal until last night after seeing these guys play their ass off and work the crowd into a frenzy, I was amazed and couldn't believe that Sweden has soo many great metal acts much like Dark Tranquility, who haven't played in Philadelphia in over a year and half. Dark's set included "Final Resistance ," and "Undo Control " amongst the dark metal that this band is famous for throughout their history.
SoilWork an amazing band all their own, brilliant musicians, great guitar work and mind pounding vocals sum up this six piece outfit who headline the states for the very first time with an amazing eighty minute set ranging from all their albums including material from "Stabbing The Drama" to which is the best studio works yet from SoilWork. If you were to best describe this band, it would be like a well oiled machine bursting with sizzling outtakes and ear gripping melodies as one can only see in SoilWork. As if headlining isn't enough for these guys on this tour, they have secured a slot on this years return of the mighty OZZFEST rounding acts on the second stage, how sweet is that for millions of bands to be selected to caravan at OZZFEST. Listening to any one of their well crafted CDs is one thing, but to be apart of a mind blowing metal show with the likes of SoilWork is quite an experience overall. A well selected set of eighteen songs picked out to entertain the Philly crowd at the trocadero theater which are : " Stabbing the Drama", " Bastard Chain", " Flameout", " One with the Flies", " ChainHeart Machine ", "Overload", " NeedleFest", " Bringer", " Nerve", " Figure No. 5 " " Like an Average Stalker", " Room Number 99", " Rejection Role", " Blind Eye Halo", " As We Speak ", " Sadistic Lullabye" and the Grande finale track of their truly amazing live show "Follow The Hollow".
Defiantly a superior tour package from Scandinavia featuring all these great bands including the top spot of SoilWork who brought the house down with them after a great performance back in Philadelphia Pa at the famous Trocadero Theater where more bands have grace this place then one can count since its initial opening in the early eighties as a true rock venue.
