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Monday, February 3, 2014

Dark Tranquillity / Omnium Gatherum / Exmortus @ Baltimore Soundstage 2/2/2014

We went to see Dark Tanquillity ($22) at the Baltimore Soundstage. For a show on Superb owl Sunday, we saw a large number of people we know. Ethan, Joel, Steve M, Chena, Scott, JADE, Sean, Jason, Dorothy, Miss Lindsey, her friend John, Brittany, Larry and Jay, mike, Mary, Bronson, and Matt (I think there may have been one or 2 more).


There were about 100 people there overall, which isn't great, but I think the Superb Owl's draw that many people succumbed to conflicted with this. And to add to that there was apparently some tour bus drama which caused Omnium and DT to be late (!!).  And inspecting the setlists from the previous night, things were cut short as well :/ That really sucked, and there was more time, unless there was some sort of curfew at the venue?   We got there after 8, and apparently Exmortus had already played (but March to Victory did NOT!).  I think there could have been more extended sets, but for whatever reason things seemed to be cut shorter...

Merch- Omnium Gatherum had a few shirts ($25)- album cover, their lego-hand-logo, and a hoodie ($40), their CDS ($15), they had vinyl too but I think that sold out. Something was $5 on the table, a wrist cuff or a sticker. DT- some meh looking text heavy shirts ($25 I think), a hoodie, I think they had the new CD. Exmortus- CD ($10), A shirt (album cover- $15 or 20 I can't recall), a cassette of the album (!), and maybe one more thing. I should have taken a picture, but I forgot it was the 2nd night of the tour.

Omnium Gatherum's members took the stage and played their intro (instead of having it piped in!) and the vocalist ran on and started growling to the start of a great set!  They all had Omnium Gatherum lego-hand-logo shirts, so it looked like they were on a team (minus the drummer who was shirtless). I think the uniformity was a nice look.  The drums were a bit too loud, but I either got used to it or they evened it out, because their set was AMAZING.  They played mostly songs from their new album (Beyond), which what I was most familiar with- their brand of progressive melodic death metal was very enveloping at this smaller venue (as opposed to say, Enslaved at the Fillmore a couple days ago), which made for a fuller experience.  They got a pretty good audience reaction, but there were no pits. I was left feeling like Dark Tranquillity has to be amazing+1 for them to top this short set.  Near the middle of their last song, they were given some sort of cue from one of the stage managers or something and the frontman went over and said something to most of the band.  Looking at the previous night's set, it seems like things were cut a little short. My favourite of their set: "New Dynamic."

Dark Tranquility took to the stage to a very intense reaction! They stormed on to a couple new songs and sounded pretty solid throughout the set.  There were parts that reminded me of their double live in Italy "Where Death Is Most Alive"- where the crowd sings along to a few songs (ex: "ThereIn")   Their Frontman Mikael Stanne was very energetic and he effortlessly glided across the stage, even quasi-moonwalking at various points.  There were a couple issues with the guitar leads being a little buried by the bass, but it still was mostly fine.  The pits opened up on the third song and were pretty constant, which I felt strangely relieved when they surfaced. I guess I was expecting more pits!  I almost partook during "Monochromatic Stains" (my pick for best song of their set).  I believe that that song boasted the craziest pit of the evening.

Their setlist had a number of their new songs from their latest album "Construct," with some selections you may have also heard on the aforementioned live album as well. I would have liked to have heard more 'Damage Done,' personally. Not having seen them before, I think it was a decent set list selection tho.

I think overall that their performance was a bit more high energy (a different type of energy than the proggier OG) and attention grabbing. Not that I didn't love OG's set, but DT was a bit more interesting to watch. I think I was more excited for OG, but DT's energy was directed in that more direct way, which made me feel DT had a better performance. Just barely tho.

Next Show: Chimara? Deafhaven?

Photos:
Omnium Gatherum
Omnium
Dark Tranquility
DT


setlists:
Omnium Gatherum (8:56- 9:30)

  • Luoto 
  • New Dynamic 
  • New World Shadows 
  • The Sonic Sign 
  • Soul Journeys 
  • Living in Me 
  • The Unknowing 



Dark Tranquillity (9:52- 10:54)

  • The Science of Noise 
  • White Noise/Black Silence 
  • What Only You Know 
  • The Fatalist 
  • The Silence in Between 
  • The Wonders at Your Feet 
  • The Mundane and the Magic 
  • Monochromatic Stains 
  • Terminus (Where Death Is Most Alive) 
  • Endtime Hearts  
  • Final Resistance
  • ThereIn 
  • Misery's Crown 


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