Ghost / Motorpoint Arena Nottingham
Metal stars Ghost, started the UK leg of their Ultimate Tour Named Death at the Motorpoint Area in Nottingham last night, and LiveWire were there to capture all the pomp and ceremony as Cardinal Copia and the Nameless Ghouls came to town!
Swedish hard-rockers Ghost kick started their UK leg of The Ultimate Tour Named Death tour on Saturday night at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham. The evening started with two, very different but thoroughly enjoyable support acts. First up we had Tribulation, a Swedish heavy metal band from Arvika. Originally formed in 2005 and formed of four members; Jonathan Hultén (lead guitar),
Adam Zaars (rhythm guitar), Johannes Andersson –(bass & vocals) and Oscar Leander (drums). They delivered a powerful set of occult and supernatural mythological influenced black / heavy metal.
The tempo then changed with All Them Witches taking to the stage. A three piece American rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of drummer Robby Staebler, vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Charles Michael Parks Jr., and guitarist Ben McLeod. All Them Witches were really enjoyable, delivering what one concert goer described to me as prog rock Sabbath, with Jim Morrison on vocals, which is kinda accurately descriptive.
Then the black curtains came down and the service the worshippers had been waiting for began ! The set was stunning in it’s scale and proved a perfect backdrop for the arrival of Cardinal Copia and his Nameless Ghouls. The sweeping staircases a fitting backdrop for the elegant swirling of the Cardinal and his Ghouls as they moved around the stage light footed almost waltzing around the stage effortlessly.
The band worked effortlessly together to deliver a near perfect show for their followers, with the Ghouls providing the crowd with moments of light relief performing pantomime-like guitar-solo battles, and comically gesticulating at each other while the Cardinal changed costume (several times). Their humour making a nice change from so many metal bands today unwilling to drop the hard exterior image.
But nothing could detract from the impeccable performance of Tobias Forge, the Cardinal. His graceful movement around the stage, his stylish costumes and his cheeky interaction with the crowd stole the show. It’s not often you go to a metal gig to be told that the next song is going to make your ass wobble! But he was right !
But, its not all smooth imagery and slick presentation, what Ghost do so well is they deliver sonic-ally too. And boy, do they deliver ! The majority of the set list came from the Meliora and Prequelle albums, and their musical ability shone throughout. From the pounding hypnotic basslines of “From the Pinnacle to the Pit”, through the dancefloor rhythms of “Dance Macabre” to the heavy riffs of “Mummy Dust” ending with the anthemic fan favourite “Square Hammer” the band performed flawlessly.
This wasn’t just a metal gig, this was a show. Three very diverse and different acts, that somehow gelled so well together to give a complete experience for those that arrived early. Ghost set their level high, and delivered in abundance, leaving everyone present wanting more as the house lights slowly came back on.
Support was provided by the excellent Tribulation, a Swedish Black Metal band from Arvika, who mix heavy metal with occult and supernatural mythology, alongside US blues/metal band All Them Witches from Nashville, Tennessee. A varied mix of three bands, but the different styles worked well together for a highly entertaining evening.
