Insomnium, Club Quantic, 22.03.2018

I haven’t been to a concert in so long, I was starting to have withdrawal symptoms! I don’t know what was going on lately, but it seemed that every time we had tickets to a band we were really excited about, something would happen at the last moment to prevent us from going. We missed Amon Amarth&Grand Magus, Arch Enemy&Jinjer, Haggard… sad days indeed. But the sad days were over the other night, when we finally managed to see Insomnium (another band with a crappy history of trying to reach a live concert of theirs).

The event took place at Club Quantic, which had quickly become our favourite spot for live shows because everything that happens there usually has such a relaxed and professional vibe. The other night the tables were taken out to make room for the Golden Circle section, but it was still wonderfully uncrowded, chill and well organised. And for the hundredth time, I just want to say how much I love the metal community in Romania, everyone is so nice and civilised, queueing patiently for the wardrobe, tokens and drinks lines, all sorts of people letting me pass in front of them, protecting me from being pushed, watching out for my drink, always apologising for the slightest nudge, always using the right exits… I know it must sound like the ordinary, but that’s not how things work in everyday life, where everyone is so busy and in a hurry that they forget to treat others with respect, let alone kindness and courtesy. But every time I go to a metal show, I feel like I’m in a different world, one that looks like the real world is supposed to look like. 

Anyway, back to the actual show. The opening act was Tribulation, a band I thought was very young, judging by their exaggerated eagerness to impress, but that I later discovered is actually active for 13 years.  I could’ve understood their over the top acting if they were a new act, still trying to find their identity and getting used to performing live, but what could’ve passed for inexperience in this case came off as incredibly artificial. I do like bands that employ theatric elements and costumes and I appreciate the effort they put into it, but I also want them to retain the slightest bit of genuineness. I would like to see them enjoy being on stage and playing music, not trying so hard to be unique and memorable (as if face painting and excessive hand waiving are unique in this genre, anyway). I suppose the music was decent, but I was interested in the guitarist’s blouse more than anything, thinking if I could buy one for myself. Not a good sign…

And then, Insomnium. It was such a difference to see these guys creating a gloomy atmosphere just with music, lights and down-to-earthness, as opposed to doing it with “look at me, I’m so dark” theatrics. I have a confession to make. I am not an Insomnium fan. Or better said, was not an Insomnium fan, because after last night… let’s just say I made my husband very happy, since he’s been nagging me to properly listen to this band for ages now. I did enjoy them before, which is one of the reasons I wanted to see them live (the other bigger and more obvious reason being my husband’s enormous fandom), but I guess I didn’t really have a grasp on what they truly were about. Needless to say that after the first few minutes, I was fascinated. To my shame, I say I had no idea they could be so beautifully and piercingly doomy, and that is what they won me over with. The melo-death parts are still good, but as you probably know by now, that is not a genre very close to my heart. The doom, however… just gorgeous! 

I probably was in a minority being much more enthralled by the first half of the show, which was slower paced and very touching, but for almost an hour, I was in my happy place. It was like no one else was around and I was not in a crowd anymore, but in a Northern forest, just sinking myself completely into the music. It’s a sensation I haven’t even began to experience again since seeing Saturnus (which has since them become my benchmark for almost losing touch with reality during a show). 

The second half contained more traditional melodic death tracks and while it was a lot of fun and I headbanged to the point where the pain in my neck that was tormenting me for the last 3 days disappeared for a couple of hours, I found myself longing for the more somber and musical tracks in the beginning. Not because the rest was weak, but simply because the earlier tracks fascinated me so much and put me in such a great mood that I wanted to go back there. Hats off to them though for managing to make such a smooth transition between the two parts, I didn’t even realise when we were off to what sounded almost like another band. 

Since then, I’ve done my homework and started listening more to these guys and I’m really impressed. They definitely touched a chord that I never expected them to do, based on my first impressions of them. But honestly, there’s really no better way to get to know bands than a live setting. It’s the place where you get to truly experience them and understand them at their essence. It may make them (as it did with Insomnium) or break them (as it did with Tribulation), and not only because I get to give their music my full unaltered attention and dedication, but because seeing them on stage gives me a glimpse into their relation to the art they produce and to me that’s a huge part of connecting to an artist or not. Humbleness, genuineness and what appears as a real love for the music and the audience are some of the most beautiful things you can experience while watching a musician perform live and the other night, Insomnium poured this on us abundantly.