So, back in the saddle and on it again. Or more like, back in my wonderful absolutely amazing little tourcar, and heading down toward Huskvarna. This is a city and a venue I’ve never been in before, but after driving to Sweden Rock so many times, I actually almost found my way to Jönköping by default. How amazing isn’t that huh?
The drive was quite uneventful to be honest, a lot of headbanging and just cruising to my destionation, which was a MAX hamburger restaurant in Jönköping. I had gotten a lot of those discount coupons, and for once, they arrived at the time when I was actually IN NEED of them – like actually going to use them. How amazeballs isn’t that?
After a quick food and make up break, I headed off all the way to Huskvarna. You know, those all long five minutes it takes to travel from the specific restaurant in question to the venue.
Once at the venue, I was lucky enough to get a parking spot right at the venue and from there I was just very very confused. It has like a gazillion buildings, or well, three, so I had to send Jonathan photos of everything like “where do I go from here” and eventually I found the little house, where I found some people working that told me that that specific building was the venue, and that the doors open in two hours. So now we wait.
Jonathan and his friend showed up rather quickly, and we hung around for a bit. They went in to check out the merch, some more friends joined in and we had a jolly good time before the doors opened. Once the doors opened, we ran, well, more walked in and took our spots in the front row of this tiny little venue.
It is like one of those vintage dance halls in facts, round in shape and all in wood. I loved it. Time passed quickly, and Rexoria stepped on stage.
Rexoria
Rexoria is a local band from the area, Jönköping to be more exact, and they delivered a pretty good set. You could kind of tell they were from the area as they had quite som fans in the crowd. I enjoyed their set a lot, and on top of that they played a new song from their upcoming album.
After this, the wait began and sooner rather than later, Dynazty took the stage.
Dynazty
They opened up ever as energetically with “Run Amok”, and the response from the audience was pretty good if you ask me. They followed rather quickly with “The Northern End”, which, as you know, is my personal favorite song of them. I could seriously travel all over just to see them play this song. Over and over again.
Just as previously “Raise Your Hands” followed suit and then “Roar of the Underdog”. The energy and mood seemed to be quite a little better today if I may say so, as “Incarnation” roared out of the speakers. I love this song no less as I did a few days ago – perfect for live.
Artistic break followed by “The Human Paradox”, “Titanic Mass” and then wrapping the set up with “Startlight” ended the, for me, last show with Dynazty for this tour. I can’t believe it’s already over. I wish and hope they start touring a little more soon. I can’t get enough of this band.
And once they were done, they started shifting the gear, which was a little bit smaller today, which isn’t so weird – smaller venue you know. What I really hated this time, was the douchebag who showed up about when Dynazty was done, and started pressing in, almost squeezing Susanna out of her spot. COME IN TIME PEOPLE. The people in the front has usually waited hours, so leave them be!
Battle Beast
In estimated time, they came on stage and opened strongly, probably stronger than in Stockholm, with “Straight To The Heart” and then launching us into “Bringer of Pain”.
And there was a very, very good vibe in the audience, already from the start, and it got even better for “Familiar Hell”. Stockholm got nothing on these Jönköping-people.
“Into the Heart of Danger” was the next song, then followed by “We Will Fight” which seemed to be quite the crowdpleaser, before we lost pretty much all of the control we might have had in “Let it Roar”. The audience was a bit.. well, drunk I guess. A lot of annoying people, but I guess you just have to live with that right?
“Black Ninja” was next song to be ripped off, and seriously, this song live is nothing but amazement. There’s nothing quite like just stopping for a moment and the absolutely losing it in a deep headbanging beat. There’s a few bands who has songs like that, but there’s nothing quite like it.
Beautiful little moment in “Far From Heaven” before returning to seriousness in “Lost in Wars”. This song has come to grow so much on me, the more I hear it. Not only live, also just at home really.
And you know… you know how some bands, when you hear that one note or tone, it’s like everything inside you simply explode? That is the case for me when the keynotes of “Iron Hand”, after toying around with some Abba, echoes through the speakers, and you could tell and feel on the audience that I was not the only one… holy hell what a song it is!
“Bastard Son of Odin” was next on the list, and it is very true that for once in a while, they actually don’t speak bullshit when they say this is the song about us. Real vikings. And then…
So, as I might have mentioned in my previous post, Robert was set to host the afterparty with Battle Beast after the Stockholm, and in Huskvarna it was my turn. I even had to say my name in the mic and everything, which is very much a first for me. This was of course the intro for “Touch in the Night”, which STILL, is not the same without Laura there… but soon enough I’ll be seeing them with her!
They wrapped up the set with “Out of Control” and it was good to be at a place with people who did go out of control. I was a bit, hm, how do I put it. Not amused perhaps? Upon noticing how I’d been levitating more and more to the right. I started out in the middle in front of Noora, and now I was more and more on the right. Oh well.
The band returned to the stage with “King for a Day” before ending the entire set with “Beyond the Burning Skies” The band thanked for the evening and left the stage.
Jonathan managed to catch a drumstick as well as a setlist, and he was kind enough to give me the setlist. Which was so sweet of him, he didn’t have to do that.
After the show, we got ourselves some refreshments, headed to the merchbooth and then hung around the venue for some time simply to hang out, getting to know each other and for Toivo to get all the signatures from the bandmembers.
Once we “disbanded” I headed back to the same MAX restaurant in Jönköping for some travel food before embarking on the three hour drive home.
This show was pure amazement. Thank you Battle Beast, Dynazty, Rexoria, Jonathan, Toivo, August and Susanna for an amazing evening! Until next time!
// Sara
Sara Hammerzmith 