Amon-Sethis, a French Prog Power Metal band based in Grenoble, is no stranger to the cosy local venue of Le Brin de Zinc in Chambéry, just at the other end of the valley of Grésivaudan, to the point of calling the place their “second home.” After releasing their excellent fourth studio album, Part III: Dawn of an Apocalyptic World, earlier this year, the band has embarked on a tour of French stages and festivals.
Tarchon Fist
Since Italy is just a stone’s throw away, on the other side of the mountain, the long-time friends of the band, Tarchon Fist from Bologna, were chosen to start the evening. Having been on the road for twenty years, the band plays in a resolutely vintage style, straight out of the NWOBHM era. In terms of vocals and instrumentation, Tarchon Fist could easily be mistaken for an offshoot of Iron Maiden or Cloven Hoof. After all, the Italians proudly boast of being the genre’s dinosaurs.
They had a perfectly adequate amount of time on stage, which allowed them to explore their discography and deliver a solid, diverse set. This included the track “Soldiers in White”, which was dedicated to the healthcare workers during the COVID pandemic. Other memorable and catchy tracks included the excellent ‘Ireland’s Rebels’ from their latest album, The Flame Still Burns, released in 2023.
After finishing their set with the eponymous track from their latest album, they surprised the crowd by covering “Run to the Hills”, featuring Julien Tournoud from Amon-Sethis. This was their way of thanking the audience members who might not have heard of the band before. Overall, the set of Tarchon Fist was a great way to start the evening!
Amon-Sethis
For once, the narrow stage at Brin de Zinc offered Amon-Sethis a little more space. Unfortunately, this was due to the absence of keyboardist Ben, who was ill. As a result, the keyboards were replaced by samples, which was a shame since orchestrations are an important part of Amon-Sethis’s atmosphere (At least there won’t be any false notes,’ joked the audience…)
As their latest album was in the spotlight, their performance began with the introduction of the album, followed by the opening track, ‘Lamentations’. This wasn’t the first time Amon-Sethis have, in all modesty, incorporated pyrotechnics into their performances, but this time Julien Tournoud appeared on stage with a new Egyptian funerary mask and two torches with the best effect.
As usual, the band’s sound was excellent, and any initial imperfections were swiftly rectified. Although the new album initially seemed slightly inferior to the previous one, it contains hidden treasures and easily rises to an excellent level on stage. While the bass was slightly less prominent in the mix of the album, Laéticia, with her fretless bass,s took the lead again on stage. Another new feature of this tour is Dédé, the new guitarist who seemed to be very happy to be part of the band and performed admirably.
Among the highlights of this recent album were “Lord of the Dark Water” and its strange yet haunting chorus, as well as the singles from Part III, “At the Threshold of Doom” and “The Rise of the Tyrant”. These tracks retain a melodic quality but feature sharp and aggressive riffs. Fans from the band’s early days may have been disappointed that the setlist focused almost exclusively on their most recent works, ignoring albums released in the 2010s. There are several reasons for this: the band is proud of its transformation and progression, and with a new guitarist who has only been with the band for a few months, choices had to be made.
The band was happy to be home and was in great form, as best heard on “Osiris, God of the Dead” and its nothing but challenging chorus. The crowd was equally enthusiastic when it came to giving their all on “The Rise of Aoutef’s Army”.
After focusing on the hard-hitting tracks in the first two-thirds of the set, the last part focused more on the band’s progressive experimentations. As for the staging effects, Julien didn’t forget to bring out his genuinely antique grimoire adorned with hieroglyphics. You might not have expected to hear “Kubatalawa” and the almost ballad-like “My Sister, My Love, My Pharaoh” before finishing the set with “Pyramidion”.
With each new album and live performance, Amon-Sethis proved that they are not about to stop progressing and telling stories. From the vocals to the instrumentation, the concert was outstanding in every respect.
Be the first to comment