There is something about the winter season that makes a metal night that much more perfect! Recently, European metal giants Sabaton with special guests Kreator and CyHra packed a sold out Minneapolis Music Hall for an amazing and aggressive night of music for a packed house of rabid metal fans! CyHra was first to take the stage!
This week, you will get to read our interview with CyHra! Like a phoenix rising out of the ashes of Amaranthe, In Flames, Rhapsody, and Shining, CyHra showcased that they are here to stay with their blistering set. The fanbase that was there to see Sabaton was immediately won over with the vocals and commanding stage presence that frontman Jake E. possesses along with the twin guitar attack of Jesper Stromblad and Euge Valovirta, and the grooving yet heavy as all get out rhythm section composed of Peter Iwers on bass and Alex Landenburg on the drums. Jake E. showcased his love for Minneapolis and the audience, and you can feel the emotions of his singing as he blitzed through the songs “Heartrage”, “Here To Save You” and the raucous set closer “Karma”. The moment that immediately stood out to me was that Jake E.’s commanding of the audience and letting the audience know that CyHra was not another side project, that they were here to stay. Here is the complete setlist:
- Dead To Me
- Letter To Myself
- Here To Save You
- Heartrage
- Closure
- Karma
Up next to destroy the night was German thrash metal titans Kreator! Kreator brought their apocalyptic themed thrash metal to the masses with their super tight technical playing with intense smoke filled strobe light epilepsy inducing energy. They “kreated” an insane circle pit as the band was smiling down upon its hordes. The crowd was lit up for their intense set as they have been known to be labeled as “Germany’s answer to Slayer”. Kreator definitely showed why they are considered legends in Europe with their heart attack inducing speed metal and the stage vibrato that frontman Mille Petrozza possesses as a frontman and as a guitar player. Here is the setlist:
- Phantom Antichrist
- Hail To The Hordes
- Army Of Storms
- Enemy Of God
- Satan Is Real
- Civilization Collapse
- People Of The Lie
- Flag Of Hate
- Phobia
- Gods Of Violence
- From Flood Into Fire
- Hordes Of Chaos(A Necrologue Of The Elite)
Lastly, Swedish metal giants Sabaton were the last to take the stage, and let me tell you, this crowd was amped up and ready to go from the first note! Sabaton did an impeccable job of creating the anticipatory setting for the evening! I know that this was taken from my stupid cellular device, but this doesn’t do justice to how crazed and how amped up the audience was for Sabaton on this night! I just wanted to take a quick video because it immediately showed that the audience was ready for Sabaton!
The stage setup for Sabaton was very unique with its military themed history that they sing about. It included replicas of high powered guns(don’t ask me what gun model it was), with army helmets, and the drum set up was awesome as it appeared to be surrounded by a bunch of leaves as it looked protected by a fort. The video screen backdrop that showcased the military war events that Sabaton were singing about enhanced the performance of the band without it being a distraction from the band. The crowd sang along like crazy to “In The Army Now” and they broke in like an empire with the songs “The March Of War” and “Ghost Division”. The crowd sang along to every word, a military winter coat was presented to Joakim Broden, the vocalist of Sabaton, and several pairs of aviator sunglasses were presented to the band as well. They all wore the military winter coat and the aviator sunglasses with pride! I loved the fatigue pants that they wore as Joakim even joked about how he was rocking out so hard that it ripped a hole in the crotch of his pants! Everyone got a laugh out of that! Crowd erupted into chants of “Sabaton” between virtually every song and Sabaton showcased why they were the kings of the underground metal world! It is plain to see why they practically close out festivals in Europe, and fans in America are just beginning to discover them here! I see Sabaton at Metallica level of worldwide popularity in about ten years, they were that unbelievable live! Here is the setlist below!
- In The Army Now
- The March To War
- Ghost Division
- Uprising
- Blood Of Bannockburn
- Cliffs Of Gallipoli
- Lion From The North
- Swedish Pagans
- Carolus Rex
- Final Solution
- Resist And Bite
- Night Witches
There are a few remaining dates on the North American tour featuring Sabaton, Kreator, and CyHra. Check out the tour dates below!
Tuesday, March 6th- The Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Wednesday, March 7th- The Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland
Thursday, March 8th- The Ritz in Raleigh, North Carolina
Saturday, March 10th- Jannus Live in St. Petersburg, Florida
Sunday, March 11th- Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia
For tickets and further information in regards to the shows listed above, click here!
Sunday, March 25th- Download Festival in Sydney, Australia(w/Amon Amarth)
Tuesday, March 27th- The Tivoli in Brisbane, Australia(w/Amon Amarth)
Thursday, March 29th- EX Theater Roppongi in Tokyo, Japan
Saturday, March 31st- Matsushita IMP Hall in Osaka, Japan
Wednesday, August 15th- Sabaton Open Air Festival in Falun, Sweden
Find Sabaton at the following locations:
www.instagram.com/sabatonofficial
