IN FLAMES & ARCH ENEMY // O2 ACADEMY, GLASGOW
IN FLAMES & ARCH ENEMY BRING THEIR “RISING FROM THE NORTH TOUR”
TO GLASGOW’S O2 ACADEMY
★★★★★ (5/5)
IN FLAMES & ARCH ENEMY PERFORMING AT GLASGOW'S O2 ACADEMY
PHOTOCREDIT: PAUL STORR
The lights drop and Swedish titans Arch Enemy take to the stage. From the very start, the metal titans have the crowd in the palm of their hand, with the commanding presence of frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz. With her intense, almost villainous stage persona, Alissa looked like she stepped out of a comic book and delivered a vocal performance that was equally powerful.
The set opened with a blast of energy in "Deceiver, Deceiver" that whipped the crowd in to a frenzy right from the start. The floor was alive with mosh pits and crowdsurfers, with one guy in a checkered shirt making more trips over the heads of fans than anyone could count. Arch Enemy didn’t let the intensity drop for a second, and Alissa’s relentless energy pushed the crowd to their limits.
The crowd lit up the room with their phones during “My Apocalypse,” creating an almost eerie but beautiful scene before the band launched back in to their sonic assault.
Another highlight of the night came with "War Eternal," where the dueling guitar solos ripped through the venue, before we got a world premiere of new track "Liars and Thieves", another sure fire classic to add to the bands ever growing catalogue.
Arch Enemy left no one standing still, and the energy in the room—matched with their powerful performance—made this a night that Glasgow metalheads won’t soon forget.
Up next we have Swedish metal veterans In Flames.
From the opening track "Cloud Connected", the crowd is fully engaged, moshing and screaming along as the band kicks things off with a burst of energy. Frontman Anders Fridén is in top form, his growls and clean vocals standing out through the heavy riffs and soaring melodies.
Second song in and we are hit right in the face with the classic "Take This Life", which again has everyone going crazy.
Newer tracks, from latest release Foregone, blended seamlessly with classics like "Only for the Weak" and "Trigger," show how well the band has evolved while staying true to their roots. Crowd surfers are again a constant, with the floor turning into a sea of bodies moving constantly.
A standout moment comes during "Meet Your Maker", with guitar work from Björn Gelotte and Chris Broderick as amazing as ever.
In Flames prove once again that they’re still one of the most exciting bands in metal, and their performance was a testament to their enduring legacy. Fans left sweaty, exhausted, and already waiting for the next time the band comes to town.
