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Concert Review – Battle Beast (The Opera House, Toronto, ON, 05/11/2024)

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The indomitable Battle Beast returned to Toronto during their first ever headlining tour in North America with one of the most vibrant and entertaining shows of the year so far.

OPENING ACT: Blackbriar

Two days after the bards took the city of Toronto by storm with a flawless performance, it was time for another European band to show us everything they got at the always amazing The Opera House. I’m talking about the indomitable BATTLE BEAST, who are headlining a tour in North America for the first time ever after having opened for several bands in the past few years (like for example their show with Kamelot and Xandria last August). Supported by the up-and-coming band BLACKBRIAR, Battle Beast brought endless electricity to the stage in Toronto with their Circus of Doom Over North America 2024, another excellent event hosted by  Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment, and another amazing opportunity for both Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I to enjoy some high quality heavy music on a pleasant Saturday night.

The fact the doors opened at 7pm but Assen, Netherlands-based Alternative/Symphonic Metal band BLACKBRIAR only began their concert at 8pn was great, as it gave everyone time enough to buy merch, enjoy some time with their friends, and even get to the venue in time just like what happened to me, as I made it to The Opera House only five minutes before the show due to the insane traffic to get to Toronto. Well, I gotta say I’m very happy I could make it this time, as the band kicked some ass on stage, and I’m sure they’ll get bigger and bigger and return to Toronto sooner than later. Still promoting their 2023 album A Dark Euphony, the band spearheaded by the charming and talented frontwoman Zora Cock was phenomenal throughout their entire set, and the warm reaction of the crowd was visible in the huge smiles on the band’s faces. Their frantic bassist Siebe Sol Sijpkens was on absolute fire the entire time, even having a GoPro attached to his bass during one of the songs, so I guess we’ll see some wild footage of the Toronto show in their social media in the coming days or weeks. Blackbriar are definitely going places, and if you want to know more about one of the rising forces of the Dutch scene, go check their gentle but heavy creations on Spotify as I’m sure you’ll love their music.

Setlist
Crimson Faces
I’d Rather Burn
Far Distant Land
Forever And A Day
Arms of the Ocean
Selkie
Deadly Diminuendo
Lilith Be Gone
Cicada
Until Eternity

Band members
Zora Cock – vocals
Bart Winters – lead guitar
Robin Koezen – rhythm guitar
Siebe Sol Sijpkens – bass
Ruben Wijga – keyboards
René Boxem – drums

BATTLE BEAST

It was close to 9:30pm when Helsinki, Finland’s own Heavy/Power Metal/Hard Rock machine BATTLE BEAST ignited one of the most energetic and fun performances of the city this year, proving why they’re finally headlining a tour in North America. My only complaint as usual is that they didn’t (or maybe I should say can’t) play anything form their older albums, but fortunately the material found in Bringer of Pain, No More Hollywood Endings, and Circus of Doom is awesome enough to guarantee a night of top-notch heavy music for all attendees. In addition, I need to say that their merch is a thing of beauty, offering a variety of items including patches (like the one I got with the band’s logo) and stunning shirts, all for a very reasonable price. That shows how much they care about their fans, and of course if you’re able to afford anything from a band, you become an even stronger fan of that band, right?

As mentioned, their setlist was pretty much a “best of” from their last three albums, with only the Power Metal hurricane Bringer of Pain missing to make it perfect, but of course songs like Straight to the Heart, Eye of the Storm, Bastard Son of Odin (born to kick your ass!) and Wings of Light were more than enough to keep the energy level truly high, resulting in some frantic mosh pits in the floor section, something kind of unexpected for a Battle Beast concert. Of course, all that was only possible due to another breathtaking, undisputed performance by one of the best vocalists of the current metal scene, the incendiary she-wolf Noora Louhimo, who had the entire crowd on the palm of her hands the entire time due to her undeniable charisma, onstage presence and soaring vocals. Moreover, she doesn’t stop dancing not even for a single second, leaving some of us fans breathless just by watching her moving around nonstop.

Also, it’s important to say that as now headliners, Battle Beast made sure they brought the big guns to North America, adding some wild and entertaining elements to their performance. For instance, there was a moment of whiskey drinking where they even shared some cups with the crowd, a more-than-colorful keys-drum-whatever machine guided by keyboardist Janne Björkroth, a cover version for Badfinger’s Without You sung by the band’s electrifying bassist Eero Sipilä, and a guitar-driven version of The Imperial March. And as the icing on the cake, right after that we were treated to a thrilling, pulverizing triumvirate of pure heavy music during the encore with Master of Illusion, King for a Day and Beyond the Burning Skies, putting a brilliant ending to a very successful night for the band, and leaving them more-than-eager to return to Toronto soon, as the city has become one of their favorite places in the world to play. Well, in my humble opinion, they should always return to Toronto as headliners, because they kick ass. PALJON KIITOKSIA, BATTLE BEAST!

Setlist
Circus of Doom
Straight to the Heart
Familiar Hell
Armageddon
Place That We Call Home
No More Hollywood Endings
Eye of the Storm
Without You (Badfinger cover)
Where Angels Fear to Fly
Bastard Son of Odin
Russian Roulette
Wings of Light
Eden

Encore:
The Force Theme / The Imperial March (John Williams cover)
Master of Illusion
King for a Day
Beyond the Burning Skies
Top Gun Anthem (Harold Faltermeyer song)

Band members
Noora Louhimo – vocals
Joona Björkroth – guitars, backing vocals
Juuso Soinio – guitars
Eero Sipilä – bass, backing vocals
Janne Björkroth – keyboards, orchestrations, backing vocals
Pyry Vikki – drums

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Album Review – Battle Beast / Bringer Of Pain (2017)

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Bringing to our ears and hearts first-class music inspired by the golden years of Heavy Metal, the most electrified metal squad from Finland are ready to storm the world once again with their brand new kick-ass classy album.

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battle-beast_bringer-of-painAfter listening to Bringer Of Pain, the fourth full-length album by Finnish metallers Battle Beast, there are two immediate conclusion that come to my mind. First, that the motto “100 % Heavy Metal – 0 % Bullshit!” couldn’t be more precise to describe the electrified Heavy and Power Metal compositions by this Helsinki-based squad. And second, the entire album feels like it was recorded back in the 80’s or 90’s due to its sensational old school aura, but only released now in 2017. And perhaps paying a tribute to the golden years of heavy music was the original goal of the band with Bringer Of Pain, starting with its impactful name. “The title is more than just a catchy punchline,” bassist Eero Sipilä explains. “’Bring the pain’ as a phrase means ‘giving your best’, stepping up against the odds, something that really sums up the spirit of this band and this album. The fact that the name also brought to mind a certain Judas Priest album definitely didn’t hurt either.”

The album’s classic album art, crafted by the specialist of realistic fantasy art Jan Yrlund (Darkgrove), is the perfect depiction of what Battle Beast have to offer their fans this time. “The cover art is mainly involved with the title track of the album, “Bringer of Pain”, which is obviously about this super evil female character destroying stuff. We brainstormed a little around this topic and then sent some sketches to Jan, who returned with the picture, some mean-looking woman who appears like she’s coming through the box art to kick your ass. And since ‘kicking ass’ is pretty much exactly what this band is about, we considered it a very fitting cover.” In addition to that, the main change from their previous album, the flammable Unholy Savior, is the departure of guitarist and main songwriter Anton Kabanen, but that doesn’t mean the band couldn’t maintain their signature sound alive, with newcomer Joona Björkroth fitting perfectly to everything Battle Beast stands for.

The first track of this rousing album, Straight to the Heart, brings to the listener pure upbeat Heavy Metal from the 80’s with the electrified keyboards by Janne Björkroth and the flawless vocals by the fiery metal goddess Noora Louhimo turning it into an instant classic. Put differently, it’s that type of metal music that will put you to dance right away while you scream its chorus from the top of your lungs together with Noora. Albeit the name of the album and its cover art bring the unbeatable Painkiller to our minds, the title-track Bringer of Pain actually reminds me of another high-octane classic by the almighty Judas Priest, “Freewheel Burning”, which obviously means it’s beyond awesome. Furthermore, the frantic performances by Pyry Vikki on drums and both Juuso Soinio and Joona with their blazing guitar riffs and solos, together with the song’s epic background vibe, turn it into the best of all tracks in my humble opinion. Whereas the first single of the album, King for a Day, unites classic Heavy Metal with old school Hard Rock, feeling at times like a modern metallic version of Survivor’s hit “Eye of the Tiger” with another blast of the sensational keyboards by Janne, not to mention its catchy chorus, which will certainly stick inside your mind for a long time (“King for a day / He kills the truth and looks away / King for a day / Lives like the world would end today / King for a day / What do you hide, why do you lie? / Who made the rules for this game? / Who is paying your champagne? / All the mercy in the world / Cannot save you anymore / King for a day”).

battle-beast-2017In Beyond the Burning Skies, Battle Beast deliver a beautiful and inspiring musicality, with Noora stealing the spotlight with her powerful and precise vocal lines while the rest of the band maintains a high level of energy flowing from their instruments. Needless to say, listening to this classy chant will make your day better for sure. Then we have Familiar Hell, a song about our inexplicable fear of change and how change can actually bring happiness and joy to our lives, with Janne and bassist Eero Sipilä keeping the adrenaline running from start to finish (if this song had been written in the 80’s, it would have definitely been a top-chart hit); followed by Lost in Wars, a mid-tempo composition showcasing an epic atmosphere with Noora and guest vocalist Tomi Joutsen sounding like the beauty and the beast, boosted by the song’s heavy riffs and thunderous keyboards. And Bastard Son of Odin might have the cheesiest song name, lyrics and rhythm of all, but that ends up working really well as Battle Beast are masters in crafting this type of music. In a nutshell, their “Viking mode” sounds absolutely great, especially the raspy screams by Noora and the galloping bass and drums à la Iron Maiden by Eero and Pyry, respectively.

We Will Fight, an potent Power Metal hymn tailored for singing along with the band while holding your fists in the air, is another mid-tempo tune that enhances Noora’s vocals through its mystical aura and steady beats, while Dancing with the Beast is a very good surprise amidst so many heavy tunes. The first time I saw the song’s name, I honestly thought it would be more ferocious like any song with the word “beast” in it. However, it’s a smooth 80’s Hard Rock ballad with very gentle instrumental pieces, with the sexy voice by Noora leading its pleasant sonority. On the other hand, Far from Heaven is just a below average song that’s way too mellow, sounding like a lame ballad from any of those generic “top 40” artists, which obviously means it’s the worst of all songs hands down. It’s well-played and very melodic indeed, but it lacks punch and electricity. anyway, if you go for the digipack edition of Bringer Of Pain (which can be purchased HERE), you’ll be treated to three amazing bonus tracks, all displaying the band’s trademark high-voltage Power Metal, with Rock Trash being by far the most awesome of them. This is a superb metal hymn that should have been part of the regular version of the album, perhaps its closing tune instead of that boring ballad.

We can never get tired of the indomitable Battle Beast, right? That’s why the band is always willing to share more of their music and their lives with us, which in the case of Bringer Of Pain comes in the form of three entertaining official track-by-track videos from the band that can be seen HERE, HERE and HERE. And Valentine’s Day might be dead and gone this year, but I’m sure if you give your significant other the “Bringer Of Pain special bundle” (for guys or for girls), his or her love for you will only grow stronger than metal. Or you can go to the official Nuclear Blast webstore and choose your favorite option from several versions available. Battle Beast are more than ready to storm the world once again with Bringer Of Pain, bringing to our ears and hearts another shot of their first-class heavy music, and we should be more than thankful for that, as well as for the band not giving us any sign at all of slowing down or giving up metal. Quite the contrary, it seems that their battle will rage on for many years to come.

Best moments of the album: Straight to the Heart, Bringer of Pain, Beyond the Burning Skies, Bastard Son of Odin and Rock Trash.

Worst moments of the album: Far from Heaven.

Released in 2017 Nuclear Blast

Track listing
1. Straight to the Heart 3:31
2. Bringer of Pain 3:04
3. King for a Day 4:33
4. Beyond the Burning Skies 4:39
5. Familiar Hell 4:04
6. Lost in Wars (feat. Tomi Joutsen) 4:34
7. Bastard Son of Odin 3:34
8. We Will Fight 3:26
9. Dancing with the Beast 3:42
10. Far from Heaven 4:20

Limited Edition Digipack bonus tracks
11. God of War 3:56
12. The Eclipse 4:30
13. Rock Trash 3:13

Band members
Noora Louhimo – lead vocals
Juuso Soinio – guitar
Joona Björkroth – guitar, backing vocals
Eero Sipilä – bass guitar, backing vocals
Janne Björkroth – keyboards, backing vocals
Pyry Vikki – drums

Guest musician
Tomi Joutsen – male vocals on “Lost in Wars”