Kamelot‘s The North American Shadow Tour 2018 made a stop at the City National Grove of Anaheim on May 5 with Battle Beast and Delain.
The Finnish power metal band Battle Beast kicked off the show. Frontwoman Noora Louhimo, guitarist Joona Björkroth, bassist Eero Sipilä, founder/guitarist Juuso Soinio, keytars Janne Björkroth and founder/drummer Pyry Vikki wasted no time getting the hearts and fists pumping.
My first experience with Battle Beast was in June of 2017, on their first tour in North America, I enjoyed them right away. The second time around I loved them, and the fans ate it up, within the year they have grown tremendously, the energy is infectious. The nine-song set consisted of songs from their latest release Bringer of Pain via Nuclear Blast Records, with Black Ninja from their self-titled album Battle Beast and Touch in the Night off the album Unholy Savior.
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All photos by Tammy Greene
©2018. Please DO NOT copy or use without permission.
Battle Beast
Next up was the Dutch Symphonic band Delain. Interesting fact about Delain, they were envisioned to be a musical project featuring guest musicians, and not as a live band. Their dream had changed. Releasing five studio albums, two EP’s then in October 2017 Delain released a live album, A Decade of Delain: Live at Paradiso all the while developing a significant following of fans. The eleven-song set mainly focused on their 2016 release Moonbathers via Napalm Records, adding Get the Devil Out of Me, Mother Machine and the song title track off the album We Are the Others, plus Don’t Let Go off the album The Human Contradiction. Judging by the tremendous applause, frontwoman/co-founder Charlotte Wessels, founder/keyboardist Martin Westerholt, guitarist Timo Somers and Merel Bechtold and drummer Ruben Isreal gave their fans a memorable performance.
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Delain
And now what the fans have been waiting for the power metal band Kamelot.
Do you believe you can love a band in an instant? I do, December 6, 2015, I covered Kamelot for the first time, at The Regent touring behind their prior release Haven, I loved it. Finally two and a half years later, Kamelot is back. On the “Shadows Over North America Tour” in support of their recent release The Shadow Theory.
As the lights dim, you can faintly see the outline of the drum cage, sitting behind the skins is Alex Landenburg of CyHra, having an issue with his legs drummer Johan Nunez had to step out of the tour. As each band member enters the stage, the lights come up, keyboardist Oliver Palotai, bassist Sean Tibbits, founder/guitarist Thomas Youngblood and guest vocalist/growler Lauren Hart from Once Human, lastly frontman Tommy Karevik wearing a dark cloak with a hood, looking a bit mysterious, opening the set with Phantom Divine of the latest release The Shadow Theory followed by Rule The World from the album Ghost Opera, rounding out the first three songs with Insomnia from the album Haven.
The Grove of Anaheim took on a life of its own with the laser lights, fog, and smoke effects. Fifteen song set is never enough I along with all the fans wanted more. A nice mix of songs, including the greats from the Haven album, with the fists and hearts pumping, Karevik slows it down a bit, asking everyone to take out their cell phones and light them up in lieu of lighters for the song Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife) from the album Silverthorn with guest vocalists Charlotte Wessels of Delain and Lauren Hart of Once Human.
No show is complete without the solos. Landenburg gave the fans a great drum solo, also keyboardist Oliver Palotai solo leading into the song Forever from the album Karma. In a blink of an eye out walks Herman Li of Dragonforce to shred the guitar with Youngblood and Tibbetts to close out the show. This was a great moment for me, as I mentioned earlier it was the Kamelot/Dragonforce tour that introduced me to this phenomenal band.
Fans are chanting Kamelot… Kamelot. Karevik, Youngblood, Tibbetts, Palotai, and Landenburg reenter the stage for the encore of Liar Liar from the Haven album, love this song. What a great night of music from all the bands, hope to see Kamelot back here soon.
Connect to Kamelot on all social media, tour updates and news. Pick up the latest release The Shadow Theory via Napalm Records.
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Kamelot Setlist:
Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire)
Rule the World
Insomnia
The Great Pandemonium
When the Lights are Down
End of Innocence
Veil of Elysium
Here’s to the Fall
Raven Light
Drum Solo
March of Mephisto
Amnesiac
Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife)
Keyboard solo
Forever
Encore:
Liar Liar
Kamelot
