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Dark Tranquillity Plays Portland

Dark Tranquillity, Amorphis, and Fires in the Distance @ Hawthorne Theatre (Portland, Oregon)

Back in 2001, I was mostly out of the musical loop. I had very young kids at the time and was starting a new job. Fortunately, I had a good friend who would turn me on to music I wouldn’t have found on my own.
He sent me Dimmu Borgir’s “Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia”, Opeth’s “Blackwater Park”, and Dark Tranquillity’s “Haven”. In the following year, I received In Flames’ “Reroute to Remain” from him. Those four CDs received a ton of listens from me and changed my musical listening ever since rather significantly.

Five years later, I saw Dark Tranquillity live for the first time, opening for Opeth, in Eugene, Oregon. This past Friday night, I was fortunate to see them for the fifth time (but the first time in the USA since 2006). Between those shows, I saw DT a couple of times in Sweden and once in Denmark.

The location for Friday’s show was Portland’s Hawthorne Theatre. I went to a show there once before—more than 10 years prior—and vowed never to return. I’ve skipped traveling to Portland and seeing many bands over the years because they were playing at the Hawthorne and my first experience there was so bad. However, this was Dark Tranquillity, and I was in town anyway so I broke my vow.

Turns out, the Hawthorne Theatre is not so bad anymore. The people working at the Hawthorne that I dealt with in 2013 were horrible. Everyone in 2024 was fantastic! There are still certainly issues (small and low stage, poor acoustics, movement bottlenecks, etc.), but many improvements have been made. The lighting is not great, but it is improved. There is now a photo pit! Water is accessible. The venue is officially off of my “not-going-there” list.

First band up on this evening was Fires in the Distance. Another friend, with similar music tastes to my own, turned me on to their 2023 album, “Air Not Meant For Us”, late last year. Great band and album. I would love to see them get big—big enough to play live on a much larger stage that includes a grand piano and space for the other instruments/musicians (violin, cello) featured on the album that were prerecorded on this evening.

Amorphis and Dark Tranquillity are “co-headlining” on this tour—switching off the closer on alternate nights. In Portland, Amorphis went first.

For whatever reason, I’ve never been a huge fan. However, I warmed to them in the preceding weeks after adding the songs they would likely play to my regular playlist.

I dug a couple of the t-shirts they sported on this evening (Mastodon and Windhand).

Amorphis went with mostly strobes during the first couple songs which is not good for photography or my head (as strobe lighting usually gives me a headache). I bounced out of the photo pit at that point thinking the strobes would continue, but after getting far enough away from the photo pit that I couldn’t get back to it easily, the strobes stopped. Murphy’s Law I guess.

The show wasn’t announced as being “sold out”, but it must have been as it was difficult to move during the Amorphis set. That goes not only for those at the front but the back and sides were packed as well. To get to the balcony you had to wait in a line that only moved when someone exited as it too was at capacity.

The bar had some fun with the drink names (titles of new Dark Tranquillity songs). I've seen this done at European metal festivals, but this was a first for me in the USA.

Different lighting issues arose for Dark Tranquillity. With a video screen behind the band, other stage lights were mostly off (to see what was being projected better I suppose). Hence, unless a band member was being hit with the light from the projector, they were in the dark. Some weak white spotlights on the front of the stage area would have been nice and wouldn’t have spoiled the projected visuals.

Dark Tranquillity has dropped “The Wonders at Your Feet” from their setlist which was disappointing to me. In fact, they didn’t play anything off of Haven. Two off of “Damage Done”, two from "Character", and three songs from “Fiction” were nice to have in the set though.

DT setlist:

Shivers and Voids
Hours Passed in Exile
Forward Momentum
Unforgivable
Atoma
The Last Imagination
Nothing to No One
Neuronal Fire
One Thought (hadn't been played live in the USA since 2005)
Cathode Ray Sunshine
Not Nothing
Empty Me
Phantom Days
Lost to Apathy
Misery's Crown

Overall, this was a wonderful evening. I left with a big smile on my face.

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Cattle Decapitation Announces European Tour Dates

American deathgrind legends Cattle Decapitation has announced that they will be teaming up with deathcore outfit Shadow Of Intent for a co-headlining tour of Europe. Joining them will be Boston technical death metal band Revocation and South African deathcore group Vulvodynia.

The tour dates are as follows:

23.01.25 Germany - Nuremberg @ Löwensaal
24.01.25 Belgium - Sint-Niklaas @ Casino
25.01.25 The Netherlands - Amsterdam @ Melkweg
26.01.25 Germany - Wiesbaden @ Schlachthof
28.01.25 UK - Birmingham @ O2 Institute
29.01.25 UK - Glasgow @ SWG3
30.01.25 UK - London @ Electric Brixton
31.01.25 UK - Bristol @ Marble Factory
01.02.25 UK - Manchester @ New Century Hall
02.02.25 UK - Southampton @ Engine Rooms
04.02.25 France - Paris @ Elysée Montmartre
05.02.25 France - Lyon @ La Rayonne
06.02.25 Switzerland - Zürich @ Komplex 457
07.02.25 Austria - Vienna @ Simm City
08.02.25 Germany - Munich @ Backstage Werk
10.02.25 Czech Republic - Prague @ Roxy
11.02.25 Germany - Leipzig @ Felsenkeller
12.02.25 Poland - Warsaw @ Proxima
14.02.25 Germany - Hannover @ Faust
15.02.25 Germany - Berlin @ Huxleys
16.02.25 Denmark - Copenhagen @ Amager Bio
17.02.25 Sweden - Stockholm @ Fryshuset
19.02.25 Norway - Oslo @ Rockefeller
20.02.25 Sweden - Gothenburg @ Trädgårn
21.02.25 Germany - Hamburg @ Fabrik
22.02.25 Germany - Cologne @ Essigfabrik
23.02.25 The Netherlands - Tilburg @ Poppodium 013
Tickets go on sale this Wednesday, Sept. 25th at 11am CEST / 10am UK time

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Obituary Announces UK Tour Dates

Florida death metal veterans Obituary has announced that, less than a month after they tour Europe supporting Sepultura on their farewell tour, they'll be returning to the UK in December for a series of headlining shows. Support on the trek will come from thrash metal stalwarts Sadus. A message from the band reads:

"U.K. Friends… How sick is this gonna be?

"We are ending our year with you guys and dragging our long time friends..the One and Only Sadus along with us for what will be Absolute EPIC SHOWS!

"Tickets on sale Friday!"

The tour dates as follows: More...

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Eddie Hermida Guests In New 9 Dead Music Video

Gloucester City, New Jersey-based slamming deathcore outfit 9 Dead premiere a new single and music video titled "The Untold". Eddie Hermida of Suicide Silence and All Shall Perish fame guests on both, track and video, streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below.

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Shiva Premiere New Single & Lyric Video

Sydney, Australia-based deathcore band Shiva premiere a new single and lyric video by the name of "Heed The Collapse", streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below. The track features a guest appearance by Sam Cameron of A Night In Texas.

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Wardruna Premiere New Single & Music Video

Wardruna has announced their new album Birna, set for release in January 2025, and have just dropped a new single titled "Himinndotter," which is currently streaming. The single is accompanied by a video directed by Tuukka Koski, filmed in Norway's stunning Rondane National Park.

Explains Wardruna frontman Einar Selvik: More...

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