Going back some 15 years or more one of the big staples of Metal was a band called Lacuna Coil. Thought of as a female fronted Symphonic Metal band, they seemed to group up easily into the Goth Metal bands of that day that were so popular. However, Lacuna Coil were not this at all. They were always quite unique in boasting two powerful singers in Christina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro, female and male strengths, together. Be that as it may, Christina Scabbia quickly became an icon of female vocalists in Metal and perhaps, along with Angela Gassow, Tarja Turunen, Amy Lee and Sharon den Adel, paved the way for a lot of modern female fronted Metal. One such band could even have been the Folk Metal 9 member virtuoso Eluveitie. Themselves a strong part of Folk Metal, offering very interesting instruments and powerful Metal backings. They, also, are with two powerful vocalists: Chrigel Glanzmann and Anna Murphy. Much more modern and with that folk melody and brutal edge, they are a powerful result of the times and a band that is a force to be reckoned with. The forum is a large venue, like an opera house and just as hard to fill. A pairing of these two giants with support from Infected Rain was going to require such a venue but it was always going to be a trouble to fill. Lacuna Coil are just one of those big names that have faded somewhat in to the past and Eluveitie are perhaps a giant of an underground movement in Metal. Passionate and growing stronger but perhaps not for this kind of size. It is with a heavy heart that we’d missed Infected Rain, a band well worth checking out in their own right. It served as an eager anticipation of a night that was set up for failure or worse, the faded obscurity? Eluveitie are an extraordinary band, 9 members and with so many interesting instruments like: Tin Whistles, Bagpipes and Hurdy-Gurdies. Their melodies are a significant token to the bygone days of fantasy and mythology. It makes for beautiful music underpinned by precise and strong Metal. Furious drumming, exciting guitars and the effective, brutal growls of Chrigel Glanzmann. With bands like this, it can be surprising how free flowing they can be on stage, and how they manage to dwarf it at the same time. Smashing out classics like ‘De Ruef vo de Bärrge’ and ‘Inis Mona’. Evidently a family having fun with music that is all parts brutal Metal without that cutting edge. Melodies taking over to deliver fantastic music played beautifully for us. It’s enchanting how brutal they are without being brutal. But the stunning moment comes with Anna Murphy’s voice. An epic venue made silent and overshadowed by once voice. ‘Artio’ played without any back up at all, just her goddess-like voice. 9 It was an epic milestone, but, the old favourites had yet to take the stage. Lacuna Coil are a different band entirely, they had recently gone through their own little exciting changes and are in support of a much more brutal album than most audiences would perhaps remember, Black Anima. In fact when band members were clad in paint like Mudvayne, it almost surprised audiences. But this was quickly overtaken by the quick enthusiasm that the band had. They were amazingly energetic and without a massively imposing presence. Like children gleefully and excitedly punching out classic and heartfelt songs. They had a confidence of kings and queens of the genre but with a childlike power that made them feel fresh still. They far too easily breathed their life into songs like ‘Our Truth’ and ‘Heaven’s a Lie’, which almost felt overtaken by the sheer carnage of new music that didn’t quite have that familiarity. But Lacuna Coil’s fun knew no bounds, bringing a Metal cover to the stage in ‘Enjoy the Silence’. This was a haunting and yet not quite so powerful hit as Depeche Mode’s version, but it got crowds thoroughly engaged all the same. The encore was stretched into songs bringing forth the never before performed ‘Save Me’ and their Christmas themed ‘Naughty Christmas’. It was an exciting note to end on, if only stretched out from an already long set. Lacuna Coil, are not a forgotten band, but a band that had kept strong by the years, matured and ever powerful. 7 Check out our full gallery here. Eluveitie Facebook: /eluveitie/ Twitter: @Eluveitie
Setlist: here. Lacuna Coil Facebook: /lacunacoil/ Twitter: @Lacuna_Coil
Setlist: here.