Arch Enemy - Rock City, Nottingham 10.02.2018

I'd been hoping to cover this gig ever since it was announced and I was so pleased when the word came in that I was good to go. I love Rock City and it's always a pleasure to cover gigs here.

First up, apologies to any Tribulation fans, due to a misunderstanding I missed most of the bands set and didn't manage to take any photos.

So on to Wintersun. Wintersun are a band I'd only recently heard of and I wasn't familiar with their material. I know, call myself a reviewer, I apologise for that, I'm more a photographer that comments on what I see on the night.

From the moment the band entered the stage they certianly had a large portion of the crowd singing along and the love for the band was evident all through their set. These guys are all talented and accomplished musicians and the vocals from Jari combine well with a mix of clean and harsh throughout the set.

As a first time witness to these guys I must admit my lack of knowledge of their material hampered my enjoyment of the band. I need to go and educate myself and listen to them. That said the delivery and energy of the band plus the obvious delight of the fans in the crowd made the set enjoyable and more than once I found myself nodding along. I heard enough to be intrigued and go and check them out further which I will certainly do.

Now for the main event.

The pit was the fullest I've experienced so far and the anticipation was palpable waiting for the band to take to the stage. One poor photographer had his battery run out on him during Wintersun's set and was sweating as his back up battery was on it's way via his girlfriend on a bus.

Wow...Arch Enemy are currently on fire. Any band that use Motorheads 'Ace of spades' as an intro set a pace to match up to and from the moment the band hit the stage the pace is relentless and it's like hitching a ride with a runaway train not stopping for anything. They are a well oiled machine that are oozing class. Everyone is at the top of their game. I'm guessing that's what comes with being on the road and doing the amount of gigs these guys have done. It was a joy to witness.

Alissa commands the stage and her vocals are faultless. The guitars sang all night and the solos are just mesmerising and backed up with the bass and drums the sound is complete and what a sound it is. Full on sonic bombardment of the highest calibre.

I'm a pretty new Arch Enemy convert and these guys are probably about as heavy as I go but I love the heaviness mixed with the more melodic aspects of their songs. A good selection of songs were performed, a mix of old and new to keep everyone happy.

The crowd sang along all night and hats off to the guy with the wizard hat and fluffy unicorn head on the stick you certainly got around the venue fella.

Oh, Yeah, the photographers girlfriend made it in time and he managed to get the full 3 songs and judging by the smile on his face I would say he was more than a little happy and why shouldnt he be, I know I spent the journey home smiling like a Cheshire cat.

Arch Enemy can I do this again and soon!?

Arch Enemy - https://www.facebook.com/archenemyofficial/

Wintersun - https://www.facebook.com/wintersun/

Photos & Review - Bandshotz