In Flames Set The Observatory On Fire On Their Winter North American Tour
Venue: The Observatory Orange Country on 11/6/19
In Flames has been a band on my radar for quite some time. I got into them later than most when their 2016 album “Battles” hit the shelves. I was stoked when their North American Tour was announced, as I had still never seen them live. Along with the band came support from Red and Arrival of Autumn, giving the evening a mixture of metalcore, post-hardcore, hard rock, and melodic death metal. This night was truly amazing.
First up was Arrival Of Autumn from Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada. This was my second time seeing and photographing these guys, the last time being a little over a month prior on the last date of their tour with Soulfly, Incite, and Prison. The band is the perfect mixture of metalcore and melodic death metal. Unfortunately, due to traffic, I was only able to photograph and catch the last song and a half of their set at The Observatory, but something that is evident about Arrival of Autumn is just how strong and together they are as a band. From their riff heavy instrumentals, courtesy of Ryan Sorensen and Brendan Anderson, to their thick basslines, thanks to Kevin Student, technical drumming from Ty Fox, and the mixture of a wide array of singing and screaming from vocalist Jamison Friesen, the band has a very strong sound that have blown me away both times I’ve seen them. The band played a 7-song set, most of which came from their debut 2019 release “Harbinger”, which was released via Nuclear Blast. Arrival Of Autumn is truly an amazing band and I cannot wait to catch their set again next time they’re in Southern California!
SETLIST
- Hurricane on the Horizon
- Witness
- Better Off Without
- The Endless
- Apocalyptic
- Old Bones / New Blood
- The Horror
Up next was Red from Nashville, Tennessee. This was my second time seeing these guys, with my last time being in March of 2018 when they co-headlined The Regent with Lacey Strum. I didn’t know much about them the first time I saw them but became a big fan after seeing them the first time. I now own every one of their six albums on physical copy and was happy with the songs they chose for their 9-song set. They mixed songs from their albums, along with songs from their 2019 EP “The Evening Hate”, which they released via The Fuel. I would best describe their sound as a mixture of Nu Metal, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal, and Hard Rock. Their sound is dynamic, blending each of these songs into their diversified discography to perfection. When you go see Red live, the first thing you will realize is just how energetic vocalist Michael Barnes is, truly engaging with the crowd and owning every inch of the stage. Guitarist Anthony Armstrong, and twin brother and bassist Randy Armstrong own their sides of the stage with ease, slaying those guitars with ease. In the back of the stage, you’ll find drummer Dan Johnson drumming with force with his double bass drums on point. The band was a joy to see, and I especially liked them more now that I actually know the music they were playing. I cannot wait to see Red again in the future.
SETLIST
- Fight Inside
- Death of Me
- Confession (What’s Inside My Head)
- Let Go
- From The Ashes
- Already Over
- Feed The Machine
- The Evening Hate
- Breathe Into Me
In Flames from Gothenburg, Sweden finally hit the stage last. The band really went all out in terms of choosing their setlist, putting together 21-songs that showcased songs from ten of their thirteen albums. What blew me away was hearing the band’s change in sound over the span of their 30-year career as a band. Their musical style mixes together melodic death metal, metalcore, alternative metal, and heavy metal. The band played the perfect mix of the heavy, with some of their more melodic songs, to make both old school fans and newer fans alike very happy. Of the 21 songs they played, 6 of those songs came from their newest album “I, The Mask”, which was released in 2019 via Eleven Seven Records in North America, and via Nuclear Blast throughout the rest of the world. One element to the band’s sound that is iconic when many think of melodic death metal is their heavy use of guitar solos and dueling guitar parts, courtesy of Björn Gelotte and Chris Broderick. Both Gelotte and Broderick had great stage presence and interacted a lot with the crowd. The band’s older sound was strictly melodic death metal, but as time went on, vocalist Anders Fridén started incorporating more clean vocals, which truly helped bring the band in a different direction. Fridén told jokes between the band’s songs and was very active on stage. Bassist Bryce Paul headbanged like crazy and was also very big on crowd participation while he slammed out those bass notes. Drummer Tanner Wayne closes out the band’s lineup, playing an intricate drum patterns with ease. Wayne was previously in post-hardcore bands Chiodos and Scary Kids Scaring Kids but has since joined the metal greats of In Flames and helped them create “I, The Mask”, which has truly become my favorite record from the band to date. Just like their live set, the new record mixes together elements from melodic death metal with elements from metalcore, alternative metal, and heavy metal. They played a truly amazing set that left a lasting impression on me. I cannot wait to see them next time they come out to Southern California!
SETLIST
- Cloud Connected
- Only for the Weak
- Take This Life
- Clay Man
- Where the Dead Ships Dwell
- Call My Name
- Behind Space
- Follow Me
- Monsters in the Ballroom
- All for Me
- (This Is Our) House
- The Hive
- Wallflower
- Here Until Forever
- Burn
- Voices
- Everything’s Gone
- Colony
- The Truth
- I Am Above
- The End
The Winter North American Tour was an amazing spectacle to attend. I was finally able to see In Flames, who completely obliterated my expectations out of the water. It was great to see Red again, who were insane at this show and tore that stage up. And it was great to see my new friends in Arrival Of Autumn tear up that stage again, even though I was only able to catch a couple of songs. Truly an amazing night!
In Flames | Red | Arrival Of Autumn
Photos + Review courtesy of Jamie Kaufman | Instagram
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