| 21/11/2002 |
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SENTENCED + LACUNA COIL + BLACKSHINE PRATTELN, SWITZERLAND live reportage by dalia fc di giacomo and Salvo "Lovedeath" Russo (Italian) all photos © by Stefan W. Vogelaar |
| Today is a very exciting date for gryphonmetal, and in particular for Salvo Russo who appreciates very much Lacuna Coil and Sentenced too. You can imagine how we are longing for attending this gig. Salvo is a fan of Lacuna Coil since ages, he likes Cristina Scabbia so much , that's why it wasn't a problem for him to take a flight from Sicily in order to see Lacuna Coil live together with us. Indeed it was a wonderful occasion to organize a gryphonmetal meeting and to join forces for this concert, that is without doubts one of the most interesting and important of the year. |
| BLACKSHINE - www.blackshine.nu |
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| Ok people, in the afternoon Cristina Scabbia gave us a cool interview , and in the evening we enter the Z7 with a lot of enthusiasm : you can bet that a place in the first row is ours! God gave it to us and damned be who could ever steal such a fantastic position to an almost astonished Salvo, that finally can see his beloved Lacuna in a relaxed way and in the best conditions possible, without the too much turmoil that we can usually find in German or Italy for gigs like this one. A little big dream for him and for me too comes true. The venue becomes crowded and the first band is on the stage. Blackshine is called this band, and, though my mind was thinking of Lacuna and Sentenced , i listen to Blackshine with the attention i still can put at disposal. This quartet (vocals+ guitar, guitar, bass and drums) is seeming so young to me, but it is already showcasing a good amount of experience. The sound is not bad and these young boys are enough self-assured in the way they play. Their songs have many Sentenced and Motörhead influences , with good melodic insertions, solide rock frames , and, from time to time, some Death flavours too, above all for what drums can be concerned. When the rythm speeds up , guitars and bass are under a cool pressure, but , unfortunately, in my opinion, they are not innovative at all. The frontmann shows a lot of determination, and the band is in possession of a good technique, but , at the end of story, methinks they are simply the umpteenth clones of what we are used to see so many times. The gestures and the stageacting is nothing new, they are basically imitating the usual boring schemes. Among the song proposed we can mention Sacrifice. At 20:51 Blackshine have ended their show, ok next one , please, it can only be better. |
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LACUNA COIL
- www.lacunacoil.it
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our review -  -
www.laceworks.it
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And here we go: 21:05, the venue is good crowded (i was told later that
there were around 780 persons). The first acclamations from the crowd
can be heard. Someone is shouting "Cris! Cris! Cris". What should
it mean?Cristina Scabbia, Cristiano Migliore or Cristiano Mozzati? Who cares? The important thing is that the
crowd is waiting with a great interest for the Italian Lacuna Coil, after
the success of their new release Comalies.
The melodic Gothic Metal will be represented by one of its best icons,
methinks. And finally they appear on the stage among warm applauses ! White
light, smoke effect: Lined up near the stage edge they begin
the concert with To live is to hide, showing at once an incredible powerful
energy. Synchronous headbanging, good motion, cool new dresses. Oh finally,
if i'm not wrong, the old priest-like simple tunics are cast-off,
substituted by a model, which
still maintains the typical Lacuna style, but with a better look and some
metal touch more. Cristina, beautiful and clever like always, appears to me
to be extraordinary inspired and in good mood, a lot better in comparison to
the M'era Luna 2001 show, where she seemed to me a little bit nervous ,
bored and unsatisfied (well , this was my impression).
Dressed in black , Cristina is totally self assured with her acting and she
is pleasantly moving around the stage. The band around her is looking great.
I cannot describe it otherwise. I have no words, cause, after one year, i see
in them an energy, a strength and a capacity to offer an excellent
coreography like i would have not imagined. I had already heard a lot of cool
impressions from English admirers who saw them in London, but this line up,
plucky and well balanced, before my eyes, lets me
astonished. And the second song Swamped opens the Comalies series among the
general consent, while Andrea Ferro is in perfect form. "Danke
schön! Thank you!" from Andrea and we can go on with Cristina
announcing Heaven's a lie . Ovations. Moreover the Comalies songs get even
more weight and strength if heard live. I can also admire Cristiano Migliore's
7 strings guitar, hand made by Lace Works ( www.laceworks.it
). The band holds energy and ranks all the gig long,
offering good solos, heaviness, melodic arpeggios, rhythms and
vocal duets, with an incredible dynamism and above all with an
incredible timing and perfect cooperation among all members. In few
words they are putting on a brilliant show. I don't want to speak
about how they sing and how they play, cause they are offering exactly
what the audience expects from them (sometimes maybe too perfectly). I
would mainly underline this cool and nearly unexpected stageacting. In
few words Lacuna are not only an elegant band, but also a group of energetic
headbangers and heavy musicians. The songs proposed are simply the killer.
Senza Fine is announced by Cristina underlining the fact the lyrics are in
Italian, followed by the new Self Deception , Falling
again (from the "In a reverie" album)
and the sad When a
dead man walks, this last one announced by Andrea. The first part of the
show ends here among a roar of acclamations from the audience. Applauses
"senza fine" , we could say! Obviously it's encore time . Cristina comes
back smiling, running towards her admirers and Andrea appears
back with a videocamera, recording this general enthusiasm. Tight
Rope sounds then absolutely enthralling, and even more Daylight
Dancer. The
new Lacuna Coil stuff sounds very cool live and the band is supporting this
new production in the best way. Congratulations!
SETLIST: To live is to hide Swamped Heaven's a Lie Senza Fine Self Deception Falling again When a dead Man walks ---------- Tight Rope Daylight Dancer
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Cristina Scabbia with gryphonmetal 's Salvo and Dalia: Cristina you rule! |
SENTENCED
- www.sentenced.org
our review
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22:20. lights are off: the applauses of the audience and The
Cold White Light intro with the typical cries of the loons let
announce Sentenced. The band appears, the one member after the other, and,
as last, Ville enters the stage among lots of
applauses. Cross my heart and hope to die
is the first song that Sentenced present, so we are all along
the line with the new release having opened this show exactly like the album
begins. And obviously it is a success, cause this new stuff has an
enthralling refrain. and the first step is done, followed by the
presentation of Neverlasting and Sun
won't shine. Well the more the show goes on, the more i notice how
the band seems to me a little bit bored and tired. Yes this
was a very intense tour with few days off, not very long but
characterized by important gigs almost day by day. It's clear that
traces of tiredness can be recognized, but beyond these considerations, i
see a certain boredom in Sentenced. Brief is the light
is interpreted with angriness, showcasing rhythmics that need a lot of work
done by the guitars and Ville is successfully in underlining a cool stop-
start effect round the end of the song. And now it's the turn of Aika
multaa Muistot (everything is nothing) which is one of the most
beautiful songs of the new production, and obviously this evening too it
gets a cool impact, meeting the taste of the crowd. But no
way, still something is there, giving out perplexities and perplexities
about this performance. There is something that doesn't work perfectly.
Singer Ville seems now already too tired in order to go on. The "suicide"
-like attitude seems only lack of innovation. The band is
great and very conscious to be, they play with a kind of easy "non
chalance" cause they are Sentenced the Great, Sentenced The
Clever, Sentenced the Big, but paradoxally i get the impression they suffer
with nonchalance for something. I repeat : boredom? stress? too much work?
well everyone can have a negative day, but i don't know whether this is only
a temporary indisposition or Sentenced no longer believe
in the utility and meaning of a performance in itself. My apologises if i'm
wrong. The audience , though the many applauses, remain a little bit
introvert and the first headbangings hardly start. The band is rather static
and remains often too much back, leaving mainly only on Ville's shoulders
the duty to interface with the crowd. Sami Lopakka is doing a great
work on his guitar, but he's never full involved in the show, bassist Sami
is the only one who comes nearer to the audience providing also some backing
vocals, being clearly the second image- man of the band. Guitarist
Miika is providing good solos, to tell the truth, but he is as static as a
statue. The very blonde and long haired Vesa Ranta is powering his band
-fellows but practically no one can see him well, completely covered by
darkness and drum kits. Finally the keyboard player Antii is really involved
and lively , headbanging a lot, following the music with enthusiasm,
only pity that he is not playing that much being not kept very busy,
though it's a good that sentenced don't want to use background tapes.
Therefore a more emphasized atmospheric keyboard- background, without
exaggeration , would have made the sound more intense. And again the
placement of the band that is too far from the audience, and its
automatisms in playing, spoil all the potentiality for a cool performance.
Methinks it's time to find more determination, cause
Sentenced is a wonderful band, one of the best in the Metal scene so far. so
what? Sentenced: so what? Do you want that 100 other bands take
your place and with right? So let's show more angriness , more strength,
more power, more evilness and more freshness next time, both in stageacting
and playing, please.
Ok, and in the meanwhile Noose is proposed: ah Noose one of the best song of Sentenced repertoire, but it sounds somehow empty though acclaimed. Slowly the audience begin to warm up and when Ville announces Broken like the last song of the evening, voices of disapproval can be heard. We go on with No one there, good song , but maybe it sounds to slow and soft after Noose and Broken. In my opinion Ville is now a little bit disheartened or disconcerted when announcing with a beer can in the hand the song Nepenthe, a song that finally sounds persuading! Among applauses we go through Suicider and Excuse me while i kill myself. The band really goes away now, and the audience is asking for more. The usual scene, so the band comes back, "thank you", ok and so on, eccetera , eccetera, and the encore is offered : and the crowd begins to organize a moshing on the notes of Bleed and the speedy The Trooper. With the old tracks Sentenced have the final acclamation , and what an acclamation!: a second encore is called but no, the band doesn't come back , no second encore, sorry, sorry, sorry....so i would spend some words now about how less persuasive this setlist seems to me, it is more or less what was presented on the Summer Breeze, but clearly with less energy and without giving that fantastic gloomy atmosphere of the new album. Moreover the fact that in such a tour songs like Killing me killing you, Drown together or Fragile are excluded is only a kind of suicide. Let's hope in a better next time, Sentenced...! I can bet on it! But this evening anyway Lacuna Coil have won! |
| review by dalia "gryphon_spirit" di giacomo |
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SETLIST: Intro Cross my Heart & hope to die Neverlasting Sun won't shine Brief is the Light Aika Multaa Muistot (Everything is Nothing) Noose Broken No One there Nepenthe Farewell The Suicider Excuse me while i kill myself -------- Bleed The Trooper |
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italian
review by Salvo Russo
LACUNA COIL+SENTENCED
Beh che dire......un evento che ricorderò per sempre e
ringrazio Dalia di avermi dato la possibiltà di aver visto uno splendido
concerto!!!
Finalmente ho visto i Lacuna Coil dal vivo!!!Un gruppo
eccezionale che penso potrebbe ottenere consensi anche dal popolo non
metallaro per la capacità di saper far musica con un tocco e una classe
inconfodibile, frutto di una duttilità che nasce
dalla ricerca di una ricetta musicale che a parer del sottoscritto è
assolutamente unica! Non è un caso che nascono proprio ora i primi
tentativi di imitazione.....
Veniamo alla serata!Iniziano i Blackshine una band
composta da 4 ragazzi che sono uniti dalla passione per i Sentenced; Bravi
e lineari non propongono niente di innovativo ma riescono ad accativare le
simpatie di una sala con quasi 800 persone!
La scaletta prevede che i secondi siano i Lacuna
Coil! Che emozione!!!! Fumo e atmosfera ed eccoli.......Cristina è
splendida ..mentre gli altri indossano un nuovo completo che personalmente
non mi piace tantissimo ma che ha la sua resa; Il primo brano è "To
live is to hide" che mi riporta dietro di un anno .....ottimamente
eseguito cosi come le nuove "Swamped"
e "Heaven's a lie" che fanno
davvero venire la pelle d'oca per il grande spirito di interpretazione dei
nostrani Lacuna Coil; Il pubblico svizzero SI PERMETTE di fischiare
l'italiana "Senza Fine" per la
lingua che non è gradita...(al diavolo i nazionalisti svizzeri!) ma
i Lacuna Coil si superano!Una canzone assolutamente favolosa e la
convizione che i nostri siano più che ottimi dal vivo si rafforza sempre
più ascoltando "Self
Deception", la malinconica "Falling
Again" che mi ha riportato al 1999...e nella profonda "When
a dead man walks". Dopo una breve pausa
i nostri rientrano per il gran finale che è dir poco stupendo!!!!Si
comincia con "Tight Rope" che è
esegiuta in maniera energica e si chiude con la vibrante e intensa "Daylight
Dancer"; il sound dei nostri è
ulteriormente migliorato grazie all'utilizzzo delle chitarre a 7 corde
handmade e la sempre strepitosa effettistica Line6! Voto
all'esibizione 9!!!!Beh non dò 10 forse perchè ripeto non mi piacciono
gli abiti dei ragazzi...quello di Cri...è perfetto!!!!!
Bene è la volta dei Sentenced; Dopo un'accuarta
preparazione del palco eccoli lì!!!! Ville è proprio lì vicino a me ...
Che delusione!!!!!!!!!! Un'esibizione insufficiente e a
dir poco noiosa dove ha regnato il piattume di una band che
sembra quasi di suonare per il vil denaro! Musica
piatta, scelta della scaletta discutibile,
dinamica data alle songs molto superficiale e cantato di Ville da
dimenticare!!!!!2 anni fà a Milano furono molto più
in forma! A giudicare dal discreto ultimo loro album
mi chiedo,,,sarà la stanchezza di una tournèè
alquanto lunga e stressante , la serata no o cos'altro? Certo
che le nuove leve incalzano (vedi Blackshine) e se è vero che i Lacuna
Coil sono valsi il prezzo del biglietto (io ero nella Lacuna guestlist....grazie
a
Dalia e Stefan..e ai Lacuna) i
Sentenced avranno deluso chi per loro ha dovuto pagare 35 franchi.
Salvo Russo
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Niederrohrdorf
- Switzerland