Ramblings From the Rail
Wintersun/NeObliviscaris/The Sarah Highland Band
September 17th, 2018
Atlanta, GA
Monday night metal was alive in Atlanta as Wintersun and their tour mates Ne Obliviscaris and the Sarah Highland Band played The Loft. This was the third stop on the 2018 North American tour, in support of The Forest Seasons. I believe in being upfront with my readers, and I didn’t know that much about any of these bands before heading into the show. I did know that Wintersun was from Finland and it was a big deal they were here. I requested this assignment so I could learn about these bands and experience something new.
The Sarah Longfield Band kicked off the night. Unbeknownst to me, the band had been out talking to a few people in line while we were waiting to get in. I thought this was really cool! When the three piece took the stage I noticed there no bass player…. strange…but man it worked! The best way I could describe the transcendent 20 minute set would be the technical prowess of Stanley Jordan, meets the free form of Phish, and the sheer shred of Marty Friedman. Jazz metal maybe??? I don’ know how to categorize this instrumentalist trio, but they were really awesome. Give them a listen, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Ne Obliviscaris was up next. I had two initial observations: 1) man that’s a big drum kit and 2) why does every guitarist in this band have at least one extra string on their guitar? I thought I would be in for some proggy math rock snooze fest but nothing could have been further from the truth. Despite some electrical issues in the opening number, these guys played a mind blowing double vocal set. The guttural tones from Xenoyr reminded me of Amon Amarth. When the melodic death metal would come to a pause, Tim Charles and his violin would usher in a beautiful tranquillity for breaks in the brutality. The Australian band ripped through their 6 song set, playing fan favorites Urn (Pt. 2), As Embers Dance in Our Eyes, Intra Venus, and Devour Me Colossus (Pt. 1 & 2). The crowd really loved these guys, especially one young lady who continually professed her love for them during the song breaks, crowd surfed three times to be closer, and then for some reason was escorted out of the show – I guess because her heart was just too full of love, maybe? This was an impressive sextet and I will definitely look up more of their catalog.
During the set break, the house music played some interesting mash up songs that were really fun to listen to. Imagine Ozzy singing Crazy Train to the music of Earth, Wind, and Fire’s Let’s Groove Tonight. If that doesn’t tickle your pickle, how about Michael Jackson’s Beat It to the music of The Trooper by Iron Maiden. I had never heard these but they are on YouTube, look them up.
Finally, the lights dimmed and the members of Wintersun took the stage. The band launched into Awaken from the Dark Slumber as Jari Mapenaa bounded onto the stage in a Bruce Dickinson-esque manner and the crowd erupted. I know it sounds cliche, but this crowd was on fire. I think I was in the handful of people that didn’t know all the words to every song and wasn’t singing along at the top of their lungs. This the first tour that Jari has not pulled double duty as vocalist and guitarist, giving him more opportunity to keep the crowd energized and engaged with every note the band played. The new traveling guitarist Asim Searah was a great complement to Teemu Mantysaari as they rocked through a great setlist with a mix of old (Time,Battle Against Time, Winter Madness)and newer songs (The Forest That Sleeps and Loneliness), as well as a new song yet to be titled.
Wintersun was so genre-bending/blending that it was a real treat to watch and experience without any preconceived notions. One minute I’m listening to melodic death metal and before you know it’s power metal at its very best. Hints of Black metal that smoothly transitions into Folk Metal. The musicianship I witnessed this night was near perfection. But what impressed me the most was how much the band appreciates the fans. At the end of the night, Teemu personally handed picks to all of us that were standing in front of him during his performance. All the members shook hands, high fived, and thanked all of us on the front row, as well as standing on the barrier to greet others in their devoted legion. To me, this was everything. I was on the fence about buying a shirt, not that I didn’t want one, but I was trying to be responsible and I just overpaid for a Judas Priest shirt on Friday. But after how much I saw they cared for the fans, it was the least I could do to help support them in their trek through America, and thank them for a great night of metal. I just want to say Thank You for opening my mind to new music and I hope you guys will let them do the same for you.
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