Triosphere’s debut album, Onwards, received good reviews after its release last year (perhaps handed out too generously?), and the band have also built themselves a reputation as a very solid live act after touring with bands like W.A.S.P., Kotipelto, and Chris Caffery. Playing up to the ranks of admirers of the band onstage, led by Ida Haugland’s passionate performance -– she really does the best of being locked to her bass all night –- Triosphere did very well, and, although they still need some variation in their material, they sounded pretty decent too. “Gunning For Glory” stood out, though, and with drummer JJJJ in the front seat, the band’s playing was excellent.
Kamelot, the last (and first) time they visited Oslo, put on a helluva show and the expectations of the impressively huge crowd were sky high when the band entered the stage to the well-known sound of “When The Lights Are Down” and “Soul Society.” ”Center Of The Universe,” ”The Haunting (Somewhere In Time),” ”Memento Mori,” ”Forever,” ”Karma,” and ”March Of Mephisto” were other well-known gems in the set list, and it was no surprise to see that the fans were eating out of Roy Khan’s hands from the very first second of the band’s performance. However, it was a surprise to see how huge the reaction was; this wasn’t a mere group of music lovers showing their appreciation of a favorite band (at least in Oslo terms), this was pure magic.
”Magic” is perhaps a bit too strong of a word to describe the band’s performance this night, but Kamelot showed once again that they have become a very, very good live band –- their playing was flawless, and although a bit rusty at times, Roy’s voice managed to survive (yet another) evening of smoke & mirrors. “Morning Star,” “The Human Stain,” and the title track, three of the strongest songs from the band’s latest effort Ghost Opera, also worked well in a live setting, but including “Descent Of The Archangel” off Epica seemed unnecessary considering the fact that The Fourth Legacy and Siege Perilous (as well as Dominion and Eternity) are still ignored by the band when selecting their set list. It is also unnecessary to include rather dull guitar, keyboard, and drum solos in the set -– they’re not playing THAT long in the first place -– but, after all, lots of bands take these breaks to a much further extent than Kamelot.
Overall, the band delivered a very convincing performance -– not as if that came as any kind of surprise …
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