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Omnium Gatherum + Dead Shape Figure - 2/22/2011 - Tavastia - Helsinki

I had no previous recollection of the evening’s first band, Dead Shape Figure. I think I’ve heard the name before, but somehow I thought it was just another awful metalcore act. I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be nothing like that. The band started 17 minutes late, which was rather annoying. At least one eager fan vented his frustration by shouting maniacally at the empty stage.
There were only under 50 people there when the band finally started their set. Those who were there really weren’t alive at all, everyone was just standing around. This is rather strange considering how catchy Dead Shape Figure’s songs are, they just roll along at a furious pace and the technicality keeps the things interesting. The band members themself were active, and took the stage by showing off their guitar skills with constant flashy solos. The vocalist even jumped into the crowd, did a few laps and ran upstairs. Sadly not even this got the boring crowd going. The gig ended in a low-budget version of the classic guitar-wrecking trick; the guitarist ripped all the strings off his guitar, which was amusing.
The band managed to make an impression, and I even found myself buying their newest album called “The Disease of St. Vitus”. The complex songs and skill of the players make for a good combination. Also, the live sound was superb. The same can’t be said for the lighting, half-way through their set the vocalist asked if anyone in the crowd knew anything about lights, since they had left their “light guy” at home.

Omnium Gatherum is a band I’ve really wanted to like for a long time. There has been so much right on their records, but sadly way too much more wrong for me to enjoy more than a few songs per album. Now, with their newest album, “New World Shadows”, they finally manage to make good on all the promise the band has had. The only complaint I have on the newest record is the same I’ve had for the past three: the vocals. I just simply can’t stand the style of the growls, and I’m not the only one.
There was a proper crowd, about 150 people, which is good for a gig on Tuesday. The sound was really good for OG too. The guitar-heavy mix was ideal, since it brought out the melodies and slightly drowned the vocals, which do sound better live than on CD. The setlist was nearly perfect, with six out of nine new songs and the best off the previous album, “The Redshift”. Only the “hit single”, “Into Sea”, felt out of place amongst the far superior songs. A bit surprisingly, even the clean vocals, done on record by Dan Swanö, sounded good live.
To summarize, this was by far the best gig I’ve seen from Omnium Gatherum, a gig so good it seemed impossible only a few years ago. The band truly has found it’s way, and one can only hope they’ll stay on this new-found path to glory. If so, then we can expect great things from this band still.

Setlist Omnium Gatherum:
01) Ego
02) Into Sea
03) New World Shadows
04) Distance
05)Nova Flame
06) Everfields
07) Chameleon Skin
08) Soul Journeys
09) The Return
10) Nail
11) Deep Cold

Report a cura di Markus Karppinen