LIVE FROM THE PIT: Eleine, Rexoria and Liv Sin

On their third UK date of their European tour, ELEINE with vocalist Madeleine Liljestam graced Manchester with their dark symphonic tones. Joined by heavy metal bands LIV SIN along with REXORIA on their “biggest adventure yet”, a triple lineup all hailing from Sweden. The fans at Rebellion were in for a treat as they poured into the venue.

It wasn’t long before the evening began, when LIV SIN made the first appearance to a warm cheer from the crowd. The group stood as silhouettes in the shadows, a bright white glow encasing them as they started to play the intro to Raven with a heavy relentless riff from their latest album Close Your Eyes released last year. The band came to life in full force, vocalist Liv Jargell giving an energetic visceral performance “you better beware the raven is here”.  

There was a focus on the new record and rightly so as the tracks filled the room with industrial intensity, melodic at points before switching to extreme aggression, tracks like Run showcased this perfectly. Jargell even at one point stepped off the stage to make a surprise appearance in the crowd, interacting with the fans as they each sang into the mic. The stand out moment was however from their 2023 album, KaliYuga, closing the set with King of Fools, certainly a favourite with this crowd with its anthemic chorus. 

Each of the three bands gave their own flavour of heavy metal, LIV SIN with their raw tone and commanding vocals. Next up REXORIA added in the theatrical flair with majestic royalty as frontwoman Frida Ohlin took to the stage. Radiating high octane energy, their blend of soaring, melodic hooks and galloping riffs had the whole room bouncing from the very first chord. 

This show at Manchester felt even more special for the band as they celebrated a birthday on stage for their very own guitarist Jonas Gustavsson, drinks all around as the members of LIV SIN joined in on the fun as the crowd sang. REXORIA continued their set with upbeat songs as red and blue lights pulsed to the majestic sounding Light up the Sky and Reach for the Heavens in Time.

Anticipations started to grow as the stage was set for ELEINE’s arrival. Their signature amber radiant light hit the members one by one as they entered, the hymn-like operatic vocals of Madeleine Liljestam from Towards the Fields echo through the venue as the tension starts to build. Before guitarist Rikard Ekberg unleashed a thunderous hard hitting riff backed by drummer Kevin Werder into second song Enemies, the intensity didn’t let go from there. 

For anyone who knows Rebellion, Ekberg made a joke about the support pillar that blocks part of the stage view. A photo of him was taped onto the pillar so that fans could see his face whilst he played guitar behind it. Liljestam also thanked the crowd for being so loud and beautiful, saying they didn’t disappoint for them to come back. It was two years ago that ELEINE played Manchester at the very same venue. Seeing a band of this calibre in such an intimate space gave fans a chance to see up close a grand performance, ELEINE made sure not to downscale their production and in doing so the whole pit got a front row experience. It’s precisely this that keeps the live music ecosystem alive when bands such as ELEINE support grassroot venues.

Their very presence on stage felt like a night of pure unforgettable grandeur, you could feel the weight each song gave to the room, which at times felt like it could barely contain within the four walls. The dynamic of Liljestam's powerful clean vocals with Ekberg’s deep growls that complemented each other, the heavy guitar riffs, fists of the crowd held up high and moments throughout the show that left you in awe.

Hearing the new songs such as Watch As We Rise and Empire Of Lies from their upcoming album The Water Taste Of Blood showed how much the band had evolved since their last album. But saving We Stand United as the penultimate song on the setlist, a dark, and gritty song with soaring vocals that got the crowd cheering as the ELEINE legion flag flew back and forth. The way Liljestam commands the stage, a dark elegance that draws you in, holding the audience captive through to the final note. Words and Photos: Amy Lynch