Entombed A.D.

Beta, Copenhagen - 2014

Text: Tobias Nilsson Photo: Lunah Lauridsen

Entombed, the inventors of the Stockholm death metal sound, and later the equally famous death ‘n’ roll sound, passed away earlier this year, and out of the ashes arose Entombed A.D., featuring Lars-Göran ‘LG’ Petrov, Olle Dahlstedt, Victor Brandt, and Nicolas ‘Nico’ Elgstrand.
An album was recorded, and Back To The Front saw much acclaim for a return to the old, uncomplicated death metal roots of the band. A European tour was soon to follow, and in mid-November the band came calling on Copenhagen…

With them was the Swedish doomy band The Graviators, and it was their job to warm up the Danish crowd before Entombed A.D. would go in for the kill.
I had no knowledge of this band before entering the confined space of Beta, where the show was underway, but it didn’t take me many seconds of listening before I was hooked. The feeling the band had going for them reminded me slightly of good old Cathedral, without sounding anything like they were ripping them off or anything. Niklas Sjöberg’s vocals were just right for the style, and Martin Fairbanks provided some cool riffing over the heavy as led rhythm section provided by Johan Holm and Henrik Bergman.
Quite a lot of the audience was already present, and with a beer in their hand they seemed to enjoy the music without spending too much of the energy they would need later on. All in all, The Graviators delivered a nice support gig, and were a pleasant surprise to begin the evening with.

“Sunday evening in Copenhagen, fuckin’ aye! Is there a beer for me?”
- Lars-Göran ‘LG’ Petrov (vocals)


And then it was time for Entombed A.D. …
Lights down, and when they came back up the floor was filled with people and out from behind the backdrop the band came wandering in, smiling and looking very pleased with the turnout. A very happy and enthusiastic Petrov made a short announcement on behalf of the band, and then they began playing.
Pandemic Rage was the first song to be played on a setlist that contained only three original songs, where the rest was all classic Entombed material ranging from way back in the time to the more rock ‘n’ rollish era. Pandemic Rage was an obvious choice due to it having a video and all, which probably made it a bit more known than the rest of the material, but honestly, Back To The Front as a whole could easily bear a bigger exposure in the set. Not that there were any of the other songs I wished out.

It wasn’t just the set that was to die for though. It would seem that with the small line-up change had come some kind of cleansing as well, and the added A.D. represented not just a shift, but a rebirth of the band. Sure, I’ve always felt that Alex Hellid seemed pretty damn cool on stage, but I’ve never seen the band as a whole look as happy and playful as I saw them this evening. If this is what we get for the chance, then sorry dude, but good riddance.
The performance as a whole was a study in how to do things right – Dahlstedt was hard at work behind his drums but still managed to get a trick or two with the sticks in, and the three at the forefront of the stage were mobile, energetic, and above all, happy. I can’t seem to stress this point enough, they were all so friggin’ positive! Constantly smiling, with all of Petrov’s little comments and moves, and the other two guys headbanging and posing like crazy. And those songs! And the sound! And the performance! Gaah!

It was no wonder that the audience went wild as hell – during the first song tension was building, but apart from a little bit of headbanging at the front nothing much was to be seen. When song two, hell broke loose on the floor! Guys ripping their shirts of and throwing their sweaty bodies against other sweaty bodies, bumping into people and equipment alike, beers flying every which way now, shouts deafening the ears if the music hadn’t done so already – it was pure mayhem!
And yet, everyone was as happy as the people on the stage were, gladly sharing a toast with strangers and friends and band members (who weren’t at all above sharing a drink or two with us), roaring along to the lyrics as best everyone could, and simply having the best time of their lives!

Entombed A.D. may have started out in 2014, but in the deep of it beats the heart of good old 90ies death metal from Sweden, and when listening to them now you immediately transport back to the days of pimply teenage rooms, drinking lukewarm “folk-öl” without a care in the world, and simply banging your head for the hell of it.
This is what it felt like to be at the show in Beta, and I hope Entombed A.D. comes back soon to bring us this wonderful feeling once again. Hell, I’ll go as far as saying that this is a strong contender for concert of the year!

Setlist:

Pandemic Rage
I For An Eye (Entombed cover)
Revel In Flesh (Entombed cover)
Second To None
Eyemaster (Entombed cover)
Living Dead (Entombed cover)
Out Of Hand (Entombed cover)
Wolverine Blues (Entombed cover)
Damn Deal Done (Entombed cover)
The Underminer
Left Hand Path (Entombed cover)
Chief Rebel Angel (Entombed cover)
Supposed To Rot (Entombed cover)
Abnormally Deceased (Entombed cover)
Serpent Speech (Entombed cover)

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