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Ajattara + Cataleptic - 2/11/2011 - Nosturi - Helsinki

February is typically the time to kick-off tours for the new season, and Ajattara comes here today with a brand new album, “Murhat”, that, while still preserving the band’s trademark, sounds fresh and appealing.
That’s why it’s quite strange to see only few people, maybe around 200, attending to the gig of Mr. Pasi Koskinen (aka Ruoja) and Co. But it’s more of a shame for the opening act, Cataleptic, which finds itself to play in front of a small bunch of curious fans, while most people still have to reach the venue.
The band replaces Scalping Screen, which had to cancel their appearence at the last moment, and that’s why they are still listed on the sheets with the running order, placed around inside Nosturi. The lack of interest of most part of the audience makes so that the performance doesn’t quite catch with the atmosphere, but good things come from this Death/Doom 4-piece, even in the short set of about 20 minutes. Sometimes they remind me a bit of Bolt Thrower, and that can’t be bad.
The gig is however too short to even get into the mood of it, but after all the band has only 2 demos so far. I would like to see them, for a proper judgement, when there will be more material available.
Ajattara takes its time to get on stage, while a recording with some sort of religious-like hymns to Satan is on air, to the amusement of the crowd, and then begins the show with the new “H.A.I.”. There’s not much of an audience, as I said, but they sure know how to make the band hear them with their involvement in the show. Some small imperfection at the beginning of the show with the sounds doesn’t seem to bother much the ecleptic vocalist, who often stops to stare at the audience as to tease them.
The set is balanced between (many) new songs, and older ones, such as “Säälin Koira” or the more famous “Naaras”, while the fans call for the new “Aura”, single that preceeded the last record. “Ihmisen Luku” comes instead, but the audience isn’t disappointed, especially when the following is “Antakaa Elää”, which ignites more the people in the front (even though most of the audience is in the drinking area).
“Aura” is next, and finally satisfies the request of those guys who kept asking for it. As the show goes on quite smoothly, with the band sticking to their “no talk, just play” attitude, it appears that the latest addition Mynni “Tartunta” Luukkainen (Sotajumala, Black Sun Aeon,...) is more and more at ease in his role of guitar player/backing vocalist. For the occasion we have also two female singers half-hidden in the background from the smokey-dark atmosphere, their role after all is mostly to stand there still.
“Veljet” and “Apilas” continue the show from the new album, and I must say the songs of the blood-covered piece are as good on cd as they seem to be live. The encore is preceeded by “Saatana Palvoo Meitä”, when there’s still a couple of songs to be played, and the crowd have still the chance to go crazy on the famous “...Putoan”, track which closes today’s set.
I would say that the new material sounds quite convincing, and only the lack of audience (it’s not like Ajattara have played all the time) is a big downside of this gig. Lazy metalheads! The show all-in-all was good though, and well balanced between new songs and the band’s hits. I’d give it a 7+ out of 10.


Photos:
Ajattara


Cataleptic


Report a cura di Marco Manzi