Normally, when I have a show coming up with bands I’m not familiar with on the line-up, I will make it a point to try and listen to a few songs from each beforehand to get a sense of what to expect and if I’ll like them or not. However, Swallow The Sun’s performance on March 9 at Hawthorne Theatre in Portland, Oregon, was a last minute addition to my already very packed concert schedule. As a result, I didn’t have time to familiarize myself with any of the bands on the bill.
I was vaguely aware of Swallow The Sun, of course — they are a band similar to others I frequently listen to, so their songs occasionally would come up in my Spotify algorithm—but they weren’t an artist I actively sought out much before seeing them live. I was completely unfamiliar with their support for this run: Austrian post-black metal band Harakiri For the Sky, the American post-metal band Ghost Bath from North Dakota, and “death beats” synth artist Snakes of Russia. Having not even heard the names before, I went into this show blind—and I am so glad I did. My lack of expectations resulted in an evening full of wonderful surprises, the discovery of some new favorites, and a newfound appreciation Swallow The Sun more.
The first surprise of the evening came when I saw the setup for Snakes of Russia, the musical project of Joseph Holiday and the first opening act of the night. A metal show isn’t where you’d typically expect to find a DJ booth, but, considering Holiday’s gloomy and atmospheric beats, it set the scene for the evening of atmospheric death metal that followed. Holiday’s music reminded me of a suspenseful post-apocalyptic video game. It adequately foreboded the mood of the evening, but gloom-aside, I could also see myself listening to his beats while working on something that required intense focus.
Note: the following paragraph touches on themes of suicide due to the nature of this act’s music. If this topic could bring up unwanted feelings for you, please feel free to skip to the next paragraph.
Ghost Bath continued the evening’s theme of gloom with what they describe as “depressive rock and roll.” The band’s name, Ghost Bath, refers to a method of suicide by submerging oneself in a body of water, and their merch boldly proclaims their music as “music to die to.” With this in mind, one could likely predict the style of music and lyrical content their set would entail. Still, I was blown away the moment vocalist Dennis Mikula broke into his deep growling vocals overlayed with wailing screams. Despite being “music to die to,” I felt very alive with the raw emotion the band exuded.
Harakiri For The Sky followed, conducting an emotional train with their powerful vocals and intense energy. Their heart-wrenching lyrics, combined with beautiful melodic elements and thick plodding riffs, incite a wave of emotion in the listener. Throughout their set, I felt the anguish, grief and heartbreak that vocalist Michael “JJ” Kogler sang of, while simultaneously feeling a sense of beauty, hope and passion. With songs averaging between 7-10 minutes in length, I remained captivated and thoroughly enjoyed the ride every moment of their hour-long set. Honestly, Harakiri For The Sky was the standout of the evening for me, likely because of the sheer amazement after going in with no expectations. Later research revealed Harakiri For The Sky are actually a duo: vocalist JJ Kohler and multi-instrumentalist Matthias Sollak.
During the performance. Sollak played guitar with the accompaniment of a touring guitarist, bassist, and drummer, but in the studio he writes and tracks all of the instruments solo—guitars, bass and drums—making the instrumentalism of Harakiri For The Sky’s music all that more impressive to me. After such a fulfilling set, I felt the night could have ended there, and we still had the headlining act, Swallow The Sun, to follow—and whatever capacity for feeling I had left in me, they captured.
Swallow The Sun’s energy was on a different wavelength than the previous acts, but no less passionate and emotive. The Finnish death metal band entered with a calm, yet dominant, presence, commandeering the audience’s attention. They performed with a grace and solemnity that proved they were no strangers to the stage. This attitude correlated well with their atmospheric style, which weaves melodic elements with deep growling vocals.
I am generally a fan of music that makes me feel as if I’m transported to another dimension, and Swallow The Sun was no exception to this. It was a hard adjustment back to reality as soon as the show ended, but for me that is a sign of a good show — whenever I can escape reality for a bit and experience a sense of catharsis through music, the performance has worked its magic. Considering I almost skipped this show, but was left with such contentment after attending, this night was truly a blessing from the concert Gods.
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