LIVE FROM THE PIT: Beast in Black, Sonata Arctica and Frozen Crown

Eighties inspired synth metal hits London as Finnish band BEAST IN BLACK played a sold out show at the iconic O2 Forum in Kentish Town. An unmissable night of European metal, as they are joined by none other than legendary special guest SONATA ARCTICA and the epic FROZEN CROWN opening up the night of the Resurrection Tour.

There was a slight chill in the air as rain mist started to fall, whilst the crowds made their way into the venue, half still outside by the time FROZEN CROWN had started their set. The teal and blue lights shining as Giada Jade Etro with her raw commanding vocals enchanted the room. Three songs from their latest record The Legend of the Six Kings made an appearance, including The One, Reborn as well as Who Wants to Burn in Heaven being one of the standouts, all giving the set a dark fantasy ambience with Italian flair.

Heavy guitar riffs filled the room as Jade and Federico Mondelli harmonised together with their dual vocals throughout the songs. For their penultimate song a cover of the classic Iris by the GOO GOO DOLLS but make it metal, which got the crowd going with fists in the air. The band asked “Do you want some more heavy metal?” going into the final song I Am the Tyrant with intricate melodic guitar work, ending their set on a high note.

Next up the crowd was in for something special with Finnish legends SONATA ARCTICA, who celebrated their 30th anniversary this year. With eleven albums worth of material to choose from there was a good mix from their catalog with a lot of crowd favourites. From the early Ecliptica staples like FullMoon to later hits like Closer to an Animal, their set perfectly captured their history. Tony Kakko’s stage presence is a major part of why SONATA ARCTICA have lasted as long as they have, a powerful theatrical performance that connects with the crowd, his hand movements guided the room throughout the vocal harmonies with total command.

The guitar work by Elias Viljanen on Paid in Full delivered a strong melodic hook, perfectly backed by keytarist Henrik Klingenberg’s melodies, bringing in those soaring synth leads that the band is known for with an emotional keyboard solo. Lyrically still as emotional as it was almost two decades ago. The emotional high points with ballads Tallulah got the crowd swaying their hands back and forth and Shy, which Kakko turned into a shared moment, letting the audience with a sea of voices sing the lyrics back to him. Finishing off their set in true SONATA ARCTICA style with Don't Say a Word, before breaking into their signature "Vodka" ritual, the crowd was thoroughly hyped up for the main event.

Even before BEAST IN BLACK came on stage, their stage production was unveiled with a massive industrial cyberpunk drum riser in the middle complete with twin turbines and monolithic exhaust pipes on either side. In the darkness the engine came to life, as the fans in the turbines started to spin, the glowing white lights shined onto the crowd whilst the theme to Mortal Kombat played. The promise of an epic metal spectacle kept the crowd in suspense.

With anticipation building for their upcoming album Fear the Beast, the fans were eager for a taste of new music. They didn’t have to wait long as the band burst into life with the live debut of Mighty Dragon followed by the title track. A triple onslaught of axes from guitarists Anton Kabanen, Markus Venehsalo and bassist Máté Molnár alongside a heavy drum beat by Atte Palokangas. Leading the charge frontman Yannis Papadopoulos, in his studded trench coat and shades, as he effortlessly went back and forth with soaring high notes and gritty melodic rock vocals.

The momentum continued throughout, Yannis getting the crowd in unison clapping to the beat with Born Again, to the dancing elements and eighties heavy metal tones in a lot of their anthems. The epic solos from Anton and Markus as the audience cheered on, this was a band firing on all cylinders from the first night of the tour. Going from the energetic power metal song Die by the Blade to another live debut with the beautiful ballad Lost Children showed incredible depth and dynamic range of their set. Yannis delivered another breathtaking vocal performance that held the room in his hands.

Fan-favourites like One Night in Tokyo and Blind and Frozen towards the end of the set brought it all together. The onstage chemistry was infectious with synchronised power stances, interacting with the fans, this was a band having the time of their life. Closing out with a triumphant performance of No Surrender proved BEAST IN BLACK is one to see live, a masterclass in modern power metal. Words and Photos: Amy Lynch