Swedish heavy metal legends In Flames have just kicked off their 2012 North American Tour. They are touring in support of their 10th studio album released last year, Sounds of a Playground Fading, via Century Media. On Friday, they arrived in Michigan and played the Royal Oak Music Theater, 15 minutes outside Detroit. Along for the tour is Florida metal lords Trivium, Veil of Maya, and Kyngs.
The show kicked off with California stoner rockers Kyngs. This three piece band has good energy, a great sound, with an awesome vocalist. They had a Soundgarden-Sevendust sound and the crowd was digging them. I never seen nor heard of these guys before, but I look forward to seeing them again more in the near future.
Next up was Veil of Maya, a metalcore band out of Illinois. These guys were very heavy and fun to photograph, but they were a bit to screamy for my tastes.
Next up was Trivium, and it seemed there were plenty of fans here just for them. These guys never disappoint, their high energy, killer riffs, and good looks make for one hell of a show. They recently released their 5th album, In Waves, via Roadrunner Records. They performed a few of their new songs, which were well received by fans. After the set, I saw dozens of fans leaving the venue. I was surprised to see hard core Trivium fans leave and not even stick around for In Flames! What?!
Finally it was time for In Flames. I remembered back to the first time I ever heard of these Swedish guys. My cousins from Poland were huge fans, and were visiting the USA in the summer of 2005. When I asked the girls what they wanted to do while in America they said, "Ozzfest Tour!" So we roadtripped to four Ozzfest dates and had the time of our lives. They were super excited to see In Flames perform, informing me that they never seen the band live, because they had never performed in Poland. I of course, instantly became a fan.
In Flames has not been to Detroit since their last album was released in 2008. They were scheduled to perform on the 2011 Mayhem tour, but jumped off the tour due to personal family issues. Detroit fans have been eagerly awaiting their return and to hear them play songs off the new album. The fans were screaming with excitement.
The band finally came out on stage, smiling and laughing. The crowd howled and sang along with each song. The energy from the fans was intense, and the band was definitely feeling the Detroit love. Singer Andres Friden thanked the crowd numerous times for coming out and spending their hard earned money on the concert tickets and for buying the new album. Friden was very talkative between songs and even entertained himself by grabbed a photographer's camera and taking pics of the crowd, all while belting out lyrics and not skipping a beat. They played a few songs from the new album and all their biggest hits. Overall, a killer show that was long overdue! I hope they don't stay away that long ever again!
Check out the tour dates & get the new album here: www.inflames.com/
IN FLAMES SETLIST @ THE ROYAL OAK MUSIC THEATER, ROYAL OAK, MI 1.13.2O12
SOUNDS OF A PLAYGROUND FADING
DELIVER US
ALL FOR ME
TRIGGER
ALIAS
SWIM
THE HIVE
THE QUIET PLACE
WHERE THE DEAD SHIPS DWELL
FEAR IS THE WEAKNESS
COME CLARITY
ROPES
DELIGHT AND ANGERS
CLOUD CONNECTED
THE MIRROR'S TRUTH
TAKE THIS LIFE
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