The Power of Metal tour had come to Hamburg, and we were of course on spot to check this event out. As the tour-concept almost exclusively revolves around different kinds of prog-metal bands, opener Thaurorod felt somewhat as an outsider, with their more symphonic power-metal persuasion. Still, we were not about to hold that against them, and entered the hall with an open mind.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since the last time we saw this Finnish rising star on the melodic metal heaven, and apparently a couple of its members had been swept away by it during that time.
I already knew that the vocalist was not going to be the same, but it was news to me that keyboard player Emmi Taipale had also left the outfit, making way for Mika Karjalainen (not Häkkinen (famous Finnish formula 1 race-car driver) as introduced on stage) instead. This guy normally resides in the melodeath band Whispered, so whether his position with Thaurorod is a permanent one, or if he is just standing in for the tour I cannot say at present, but his skills certainly seemed up to par, even if his performing came in short compared to the other members of the band.
At this point I see fit to turn your attention to the new man behind the mic, Mister Michele Luppi from Italy. Vocally, he did a great job just as Markku Kuikka had done, but what created the largest difference was that Luppi was performing the pants off both himself and the audience! I can only congratulate the guys of Thaurorod in finding a singer who fits the energy of the rest of the band so much better, and the Thaurorod fans out there who will have excellent live performances to look forward to.

By that I would think you have guessed my feelings about this show already, but what about the rest of the quite well-filled hall?
For the most part, I must admit that people were taking the concert in without much response given, but this was to be expected for an opening band I suppose. Still, I was glad to see that Luppi really stepped into character as the new frontman, and did a great job at getting people into the show. He got everyone to cheer along to Pasi Tanskanen as he played his bass-only bits, he was just as active as the rest of the crew in striking one metal pose after another, and during one of the last songs he got down into the photopit to get closer to people. Heck, he even found one who could sing along to most of the lyrics when handed the microphone! I’m sure this made this persons entire night worthwhile, and this was still only the first band!

So, a great energy and smiles across the line in the band; and a band which have upped the ante since the last time I saw them. This was a very positive start on the evening, and even though I announced them as the outsider of the pack, I’m sure they got several of the crowd in a good mood as well.

Setlist:

Warrior’s Heart
Tales Of The End
Morning Lake
Guide For The Blind
Scion Of Stars
Shadows And Rain