By Jase Walker
The train system is a mess, it’s bloody freezing and this shows on the other side of the country to me again but it wasn’t going to stop me making the trip! A tour like this stuffed with three absolutely fucking fantastic bands isn’t to be sniffed at, especially when it’s being headlined by Orbit Culture who have flown up the ranks in terms of status, and for good reason.
In addition to this is similarly rising stars, Gaerea, who recently made a pretty big splash at Damnation in the ÜK and has many people I know constantly flaming about them. In addition is Finland’s Atlas who absolutely blew me away earlier this year supporting ALLT in Haarlem. If I don’t leave this show tonight with ringing in my ears and feeling like I’ve done a workout just listening to it then I don’t know what will.
This is also the first time I’ve been to Effenaar and the full stage area is open including the balconies so it’s clearly done pretty damn well. I’m actually getting a better feel for how big the stage in this venue actually is as a result because it always felt so much smaller previously due to the closing off of the other parts of the room.
Anyway it’s time for Atlas to blow my head off again but this time with a far bigger stage to project from and I can really feel it this time. Admittedly I’m wishing the bass and bass drum was a bit stronger to drive the heavier segments more, it just kinda lacks a bit of oomph but the overall sound is so much grander and the extra space in the room really lets those disgusting guitar riffs sing.
Their sound has hallmarks of this new approach to metal that Nordic bands are leading the charge with such as Vildhjarta and Humanity’s Last Breath, the sort of sound that pushed the heavier sound that djent championed to it’s limits and birthed thall. While the vocals aren’t quite what the latter bands specialize in, Atlas mix it with softer vocals and ambient segments that remind me heavily of goth bands such as Tiamat.
It’s a bit of a shame that the backing tracks that cover specific melody elements are fairly quiet too because it subdues some interesting lead elements. To their credit though, and despite my own issues with their sound, they still absolutely smashed their set out and got the crowd properly warmed up which is what you need from an opener. Moshpit kicked off nicely, with a decent crowd response to them too, for all intents and purposes they did a fantastic job, I just wish they had a bit of a meatier sound.
Next up is Gaerea, with what looks to be quite a fancy stage setup with what looks to be two half circles either side of the stage that looks similar to the sort of Chinese dynastic symbols you’d see in Wuxia films. They light up in an intense crimson red so I think that’s probably the intent by the looks of things.
A somewhat ambient intro is immediately broken by intense double bass drumming thundering through the room and black metal styled guitar work. I can definitely feel already why so many people speak so highly of Gaerea because this already intense show is quite something to experience for the first time.
I’ve mentioned it before but Portugal isn’t particularly well known for its metal scene but it feels like these grew up together while listening to bands from Sweden, Norway and Finland on repeat because I can pick up elements of Children of Bodom and Emperor in their sound but with this distinct melodic flair that Gothenburg bands like In Flames and At The Gates championed. One thing that suddenly blindsided me is that one of their guitarists takes the mic and ends up belting out a melody that you expect from the likes of Nightwish. I was already sold but that’s just got me paying a lot more attention.
What I’m seeing here though is a band that, although they are the main supports, are clearly treating this show like it’s theirs. This is oozing headliner material show from every possible angle, they’re on stage acting like they are the only show on tonight and I genuinely feel like this could be just that. They clearly know they’re onto something good with their music and have a live performance to back it up and are fully intent on making their performance memorable to every person in the venue.
Going off the crowd reaction to them it seems that most people here are on a similar wavelength to me of “Heard of the band but never really listened” but by the end of the set have definitely found themselves new fans of Gaerea. Honestly if there’s one band I’d love to see them tour with from this point it’d be someone like Gojira. ANYWAY, that headliner show they’ve got in Melkweg next year looks very much more tasty now so I guess I’ll be having a bit of that.
Maybe a bit later than I expected, it’s time for Orbit Culture. I’ve been hyped to see these do a proper headline show for a while now and although I’ve missed chances, tonight I finally get that moment.
A large curtain fills the stage with some brief illumination prior to the band taking the stage, a sea of phones go up to capture the occasion. Shadowy figures appear and the crowd begins to whoop and cheer as the intro track builds up to the start of the set. The curtain falls to reveal a stage layout that weirdly reminds me a lot of Meshuggah, blinding lights and all! Again like the others it’s a bit light on the low end so I’m missing the fat rumbling of the floor but it’s a minor issue really. Other than that Orbit Culture sound epic, they have a truly commanding aura that reflects the incredible path they’ve forged up until this point. We’re barely past the start of the show and an absolutely fucking massive circle pit opens up in the centre of the crowd and people are going at it like their lives depend on it!
It’s notable how little lighting there actually is on the band, rarely looking like more than just shadows on stage while the (very fucking intense) light show matches every single chug and beat that the bands playing. Just from watching Orbit Culture you can see what they really truly excel at, is writing a really fucking good riff.
In a world that’s often dominated by grooves or over reliance on melodies provided by other means, Orbit Culture just goes full send on being unapologetically riffy as hell. I’ve always felt that they’ve had a vibe that seems to pay homage to a lot of Swedish melodeath but it’s undeniable that Metallica have shaped a lot of their style, there’s so many moments where you’d think a song wouldn’t sound out of place on the Black album. This is ultimately what makes Orbit Culture just so damn good though: there’s enough of the old guard in their sound to pull in the aged metalheads but enough of a real fresh approach to being heavy as hell to attract younger fans looking for something new.
A constant stream of crowd surfers comes overhead down the front, every one of them throwing their fists in the air as they move along to the front barriers. It’s genuinely such a far cry from the show I saw at Download festival so many years ago, Orbit Culture have carved a path out for themselves in a spectacular fashíon and after following this show through Europe via friends’ social media posts and then seeing it for myself has left me genuinely in awe. Orbit Culture have truly picked up the mantle of the new era of Scandinavian metal and are proudly carrying it into the future.
This is the sort of tour that is going to be looked back on as the tipping point for their career where they’ve moved on from “up and coming” to fundamental stalwarts of the Scandinavian and European metal scene. They’re clearly thankful for the giants that came before them and pay homage to them dearly but are dead set on making their own place amongst them.
Orbit Culture are going to inspire their own generation of young musicians and I fully expect in 15 years time to be watching a new band that’ll be channeling what Orbit Culture laid the foundations for. Absolutely fucking spectacular.