DEVIN TOWNSEND at Sentrum Scene (Oslo, Norway)

Special Guests: HAKEN

Sunday, November 24, 2019

by Jorge Patacas

Creative genius Devin Townsend returned to Oslo after eight months where he performed acoustically as part of the “An Evening with Devin Townsend” tour. This time the focus was his latest solo album called “Empath” which was released earlier this year via InsideOut Music label.
The evening started with the opening act Haken, hailing from London, England. This six-piece outfit has been around since 2007 and have released five full-length albums so far with a great reception from fans and media. And that night wasn’t an exception as they played in front of an enthusiastic crowd who showed up early to see their concert too. Their style is clearly rooted in the Progressive Metal, but they play it in a modern way which means they have influences from the likes of Meshuggah specially on the riffs, and they even throw some jazz influences on the mix which are always praised by the fans. Highlights of the show were “Cockroach King” which they call their “hit” and the final song “1985” which features synthetizers that really take us on a journey to the 80’s.
After some minutes, it was turn for Devin Townsend and his current solo band that consists of ten members from which the first to come out on stage was mexican Diego Tejeida who is actually keyboardist for Haken, so he manages to play two complex sets every night. He appeared on stage with a hawaiian shirt and began mixing piña coladas to serve to the other musicians who were also dressed as if they were on vacations. That’s what Devin actually said when he took the mic for the first time in the evening, they would take us on vacation for two hours. They started the show with “Borderlands” and “Evermore”, two songs from his latest release while a caribbean beach was displayed on the big screen behind the stage.
As the setlist went on, we were transported to snowy landscapes, the night, the day, and even the Northern Lights. The visual part on his show is as important as the music, and the images adapt in a perfect way to each climate on the songs, they even change in every change of tempo in perfect timing, no failures. Really impressive.
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Inspired by mythology and folklore, Voluspá was founded by vocalist Sól Geirsdóttir and bassist Stefan Roke in 2012 and now it’s a four-piece that also includes Hilde Stenersen on backing vocals and Varg Saastad on guitars and other additional instruments.
This Norwegian folk rock band started out as a studio project and finally took the stage with two great performances at Midgardsblot festival this year. They’re currently working on new material and we talked with the band about this as well as their history, the instruments they use and more!

RISE! – When and why did you decide to start with this project?

Voluspá: It was Sol who started the project by herself back in 2007. It was then the songwriting began. Sol later met our bassist Stefan Roke who has been producing and arranging the songs in studio from 2013. Since then, Voluspá has been a studio project – until now.
Sol started this project from a need to express herself musically and artistically through lyrics, melody and style. The need to connect with the past and to create something that later could end up as a music career.

R!: – What’s your musical background? Have you been involved in other bands in the past?

V: When it comes to the band, we have different musical backgrounds. Varg is the creator of the neo-folk project Fedrespor and earlier drummer and composer in the black metal band SEKT that was active between 2007 and 2012. Varg has also been involved in other underground music projects that probably will never be released. Stefan has worked as a sound-tech in Demningen studio with Erik Grønner. He has also been involved with the rock band Plinth from Bergen. Sol has classical vocal training as well as traditional folk vocal training (kveding). She attended a folk high school in Voss back in 2007/08 where she began writing several of the songs that we released and developed for the “Trollbunden” release this year.
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SONATA ARCTICA at Parkteatret (Oslo, Norway)

Special Guests: EDGE OF PARADISE – TEMPLE BALLS

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

by Jorge Patacas

After their acoustic tour that landed in Oslo last March, the Finnish power metallers Sonata Arctica returned to the Tiger City, this time with an electric set as part of their European leg of the tour in support of their latest album “Talviyö” (Finnish word for “Winter Night”).
Doors opened at 19 hs. and half an hour later, the first opening band took the stage. What a great feeling it is to discover a good band in their live show. That was the case for me with the Finnish quintet Temple Balls who play Hard Rock in the vein of the 80’s Glam scene. They were formed in 2009 and have released two albums, latest one is called “Untamed”, from which they played some songs that night including “Ball and Chain” and “Distorted Emotions” which undoubtedly would have been radio hits if we were living in the 80’s. They have catchy tunes, good riffs and the right attitude to conquer audiences. Let’s keep an eye on them!
The other band opening for Sonata Arctica on this tour is Edge of Paradise. The Los Angeles-based outfit has played in Europe only once at the Femme Festival in the Netherlands back in 2017, so this was their first show ever in Norway and the second of their European tour. Personally, I have followed this band since the beginning and saw how they evolved at all levels over the last eight years. Their new album called “Universe” is an example of this. It was released by Frontiers Records on November 8th, so we got to hear some of the new songs live, including the catchy singles “Universe”, “Face of Fear”, “Alone” and “Fire”, for which they also made great videos. The charismatic frontwoman Margarita Monet has a powerful and large vocal range, while the other original member, Dave Bates, showcase his skills on the lead guitar, specially on the solos where one can clearly notice his classical influences.
The rest of the current lineup consists of David Ruiz (guitar), Mike Bear (bass) and Jimmy Lee (drums), and they all together had a great performance which concluded with a cover of “Bad”, originally by Michael Jackson. Looking forward to seeing them again soon!
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The multi-instrumentist Thomas Eriksen is the mastermind behind Mork, one of the most prominent bands in the current Norwegian Black Metal scene. “Det Svarte Juv” is the name of the fourth full-length studio album released this year by Peaceville Records. We conducted an interview with Eriksen to discuss the new album, the old school Black Metal sound, the story behind the name, his hometown Halden and more!

RISE!: – You have released your fourth studio album “Det Svarte Juv” this year again via Peaceville Records, what do you think is the best of working with the label?

Thomas Eriksen: Yes, we had everything planned out correctly to have it out during the Inferno Festival in Oslo, where Mork also had a show-spot. So everything went along very well, with listening-sessions, signing-sessions, Mork beer-launch, the show and the release itself. Before signing with Peaceville, I was in dealings with other big labels as well. However Peaceville turned out to be the better for my needs at the time. Today all four albums are out via them and the co-operations work out well and I am allowed a lot of freedom. I guess they have noticed that I am somewhat in control of what I am doing and that I am a hard dedicated worker for my art.

R!: – What was your main source of inspiration when writing “Det Svarte Juv”?

TE: The title itself is actually about ten years old. It was back then planned out to be a concept EP depicting the faces of depression and downfall. However the idea was shelved. Move ahead about a decade and I am faced with my own personal dark times. With the passings of several family members, break-up and illness, all within one single year really colored my world. So the title popped out again and felt like a fitting one for this current album. It’s a varied album with themes from depression all the way to strong self-belief and self esteem. Musically I have been letting loose more and more for each album, by not sticking too much to the firm frames of classic primitive black metal. I have of course gained more confidence throughout my Mork career, which also helped letting me open up my creativity influences even outside the genre.
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HØSTSABBAT 2019 (Oslo, Norway)

October 4-5, 2019

by Jorge Patacas

Are you a Stoner, Doom, Psychedelic, Prog or Heavy Blues fan? Have you ever thought of a festival lineup full of bands from these genres in an unusual location such as a church!? Seems unreal? Well, you can actually get that at Høstsabbat in Oslo, Norway!
The promoters started the festival six years ago in a different venue, but moved to the Kulturkirken Jakob last year, so this was the second edition at this place, and it’s just perfect. The acoustics and the atmosphere of the church clearly fits this kind of music and everybody’s satisfied with it. The program was split in three different stages this time, the main one was the chapel, then there was another one in the crypt with a limited capacity for 120 people and just crossing the street there was a third stage at a bar called Verkstedet with a capacity of 140 people where only Norwegian bands performed.

Day 1:

Shows at the main room kicked-off with Skraeckoedlan, a Stoner-meets-Psychedelic four-piece from Norrköping, Sweden. “Eorþe” is the name of their third studio album which came out this year and is a collaboration with sci-fi author Nils Håkansson. We got exposed to their fuzzy riffs since the beginning of a show that featured lots of overwhelming energy which comes from a ten year career experience.
When going downstairs, one was able to appreciate the art exhibition curated by Linda K. Røed and Trine Grimm, two artists originally from Haugesund which are well-known within the Norwegian metal scene. Linda’s works can be found on album covers from Darkthrone, Svattjern, Glittertind and many other bands, and Trine is a full-time tattoo artist with a studio based in Oslo.
Then the North Americans Yatra took over the stage. The trio has been touring Europe for the first time after hitting the road in their homeland following the release of their debut album “Death Ritual”, so we were able to witness their bombastic Sludge Doom performance with aggressive screaming vocals.

When reading the name Electric Eye, the first thing coming to your mind is, of course, Judas Priest, but don’t get confused, this four-piece from Bergen has absolutely nothing to do with the British Heavy Metal masters. It’s hard to describe their style, but they sound quite atmospheric with lots of psychedelic rock sounds making sure to transport us to a sonic journey where the keyboards are essential. Electric Eye has been around since 2012, released three albums and they’re ready for more!
Next in line was the Swedish band Stuck in Motion, who played in the crypt. Their Psychedelic Blues captivated the audience who filled the place. They use guitars, bass, drums, keyboards that always have a leading role on their tunes and even percussion for those that have a hippie-vibe on it. Some even exchanged their instruments, which shows that at least three of the musicians are multi-instrumentists. This is a very interesting band to check out.
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