The “Rising From The North” tour rolls into London bringing some of the best in Swedish metal – Arch Enemy, In Flames and Soilwork – we checked it out!

So the Rising From The North tour rolls into London on the last date of the UK leg, having stopped at various locations around the country. This is a Swedish tour de force of metal, three top notch bands, each bringing their very own formula and sound to the table. It promises to be a special evening.

Arriving in Hammersmith on a rather damp autumnal evening, I’m impressed to see a huge queue of people winding its way through the assorted barriers at the front of the venue. Inside there a bit of a hitch with the photopass (which is swiftly fixed, many thanks Kirsten) but that allows me to watch the stream of people coming in through the front doors, seems like the queue is endless! Once inside the auditorium, it’s clear that the venue is almost already full to capacity even though it is a Sunday and still early. Good news for Soilwork who are already in full flow.

Björn Strid is in fine voice and looks like he is having a great time as he confirms everybody’s feeling by saying “what a great line up for this evening…”. Spirit of No Return blasts out across the venue, a fearsome song which has everyone nodding at the breakdowns and big choruses. The twin guitars of Sylvain Coudret and Simon Johansson fill the air, with Johanssons massive beard making him look like a modern day Noah.

Death Diviner slows things down a little, allows the vocals of Strid to shine and also gives the audience an opportunity to get singing along. The Ride Majestic keeps things ticking along nicely with some more opportunities for audience singalongs. The set is varied with elements from almost all of the back catalogue with Stålfågel closing the set. The final high vocal line is held by Strid for what seems like an age & the audience reacts and cheers, acknowledging some fine singing and a fine performance to get the evening kick started in fine fashion.

While the tour is a co-headliner, with Arch Enemy and In Flames taking it in turns, this evening the closing act will be Arch Enemy, so the scene is set for In Flames to take to the stage after a little bit of re-organizing and clearing up.

The guys take to the stage, Anders Fridén in fine voice from the get go, throughout the set he is chatting away with the audience, little anecdotes and interjections that help to make the band-audience bond real. Starting with “Cloud Connected” from the 2002 album Reroute To Remain goes down well, heavy as hell but still accessible. This sets the direction of travel for the rest of the set.

Take This Life from the album Come Clarity still keeps us firmly routed in heavy territory. The dual guitars of Björn Gelotte & Chris Broderick cutting through the venue, trading solos and riffs. Broderick spends the whole of the set smiling, this is clearly a man who enjoys being on a stage and his particularly enjoying this evening! Liam Wilson on bass takes a back seat for most of the set, staying towards the back of the stage but never the less making a significant impact on the overall sound. However, the overall mix is characterised by the extremely impressive drumming of Tanner Wayne which just drives the sound forward and keeps everything locked together. I should also mention the keys of Niels Nielsen at the back of the stage which add an additional layer to the sound.

Fridén smiles as he tells the crowd it is “time to boogie, shake your British hips!” for the intro to Paralyzed. The crowd dutifully obeys! In The Dark from the current album proves that In Flames are still alive and well in 2024 with much singling along. Fridén tells the crowd that this evening is a smorgasbord of Swedish metal, with Soilwork being crunchy, Arch Enemy bringing soothing melodies (I think this was slightly tongue in cheek!) and In Flames being compared to Ikea meatballs! This gives rise to a chant of “meatballs, meatballs, meatballs….” from the crowd. Fridén comments he’s not heard anything like it before (and I suspect won’t hear it again either to be honest!) saying “…that’s why we do this shit, fucking love you guys!“

Trigger sounds mammoth and Fridén implores some more crowd surfing saying that the security will catch you and give you a little kiss before sending you back out to rejoin your fiends! Just another little interjection that makes you smile and makes the connection with In Flames more real. Only For The Weak has everyone in the venue bouncing up and down and sees Fridén take a mobile phone from a punter and then taking photos around the stage before throwing it back into the crowd, this is clearly a man who is in his element and definitely enjoying himself!

State oO Slow Decay has everyone nodding, once again showcasing the phenomenal and relentless drumming of Tanner Wayne. The chorus of this classic also has everyone singing along, it is a proper earworm of a song. I Am Above is another song where the audience has a great opportunity to exercise their vocal chords with big singalongs!

My Sweet Shadow from the 2004 album Soundtrack To Your Escape closes the set. It has been a musical journey covering most of In Flames career, all delivered in perfect style. Fridén gives heartfelt thanks to the crowd and asks them to embrace kindness, love and respect. You can’t argue with that, the world could do with a lot more of this. In Flames leave the stage to much applause and cheering, this feels like a headliners performance to me and the crowd reaction also confirms this to be the case.

So there is a brief pause while an army of stage hands carry out a not insignificant re-organisation of the stage to make it ready for Arch Enemy. Then the lights go down and the PA plays Ace Of Spades by Motorhead, the crowd sings along!

Starting with the epic Deceiver, Deceiver from the current album Deceivers, Arch Enemy hit the stage running. This is a cracker of a song, blending elements of punk and metal beautifully! The World Is Yours keeps the pace up. Nice hooks and solos. Michael Amott shines at centre front of the stage, knocking out solo after solo with panache and no small amount of style. New guitarist, Joey Concepcion, stays stage left but also throws in solos that sound sharp and elegant. Indeed the pair bounce solos and riffs nicely off one another.

The ever present and imposing figure of Sharlee D’Angelo on bass along with Daniel Erlandsson on drums provides a solid canvass for the two guitarists to perform their art. The line up is completed by Alissa White-Gluz, pacing around the stage and producing vocals and growls that make your toes curl. It’s an impressive band of musicians, playing complex music with precision and passion.

House Of Mirrors continues in the same vein, lots of glorious solos and opportunities for singalong choruses. Dream Stealer is one of the two new songs aired this evening, it’s unrelenting pace and aggression is akin to a slap in the face, while still managing to retain accessibility and a hook that is difficult to shake off. The Slayeresque riffing is also very cool, bodes well for the new album, Blood Dynasty which we’re expecting to land in March 2025.

War Eternal slows things down a little while not making any compromises and the number of crowd surfers provides a constant challenge for the security guys and gals at the front (indeed the surfing has been quite prolific throughout the evening). Alissa White-Gluz announces another new song, Liars And Thieves saying it is brand new, not out on any recordings yet and it will give the audience a taste of what to expect from the new album. First impressions are positive although live it is always difficult to assess new material. There is furious windmilling from White-Gluz and more fine riffing from the guitarists.

The Eagle Flies Alone is a chuggathon with massive riffs and infectious lines that demand participation or at the very least head nodding! First Day In Hell allows for some more audience participation with White-Gluz conducting the audience in singing the opening riff along with Amott styling it out on the guitar. The crowd laps it up. Sunset Over The Empire is another furious slice of metal, Alissa White-Gluz storming around the stage, wielding a large Arch Enemy flag. Throughout the set the light show has also been mega, very atmospheric and definitely impressive.

Nemesis from the 2005 album Doomsday Machine bleeding into Fields Of Desolation is a great way to end the set amidst large Arch Enemy bouncy balls pinging around the venue. The band take a well earned bow and throw an assortment of picks and drum sticks to the first couple of rows at the barrier. Arch Enemy shows are always full on energy, however I think this evening, they didn’t quite make it to top gear. Close but not quite there.

As I wrote this review I checked when I had last seen Arch Enemy and In Flames share a stage, it was Bloodstock way back in 2007. I remember at the time, Arch Enemy put on one of the best shows I’d seen (even to this day, it is still up there with the best). For the London bash in 2024, the tables are turned, whereas Arch Enemy just smouldered, In Flames (and please excuse the pun) were on fire.

An excellent gig, showcasing 3 of the best Swedish metal bands out there. What’s not to love.

The Rising of the North tour now continues through Europe ending in Sweden and Finland in early November 2024.

All concert photography by Graham Hilling. You can check out more of his work on his website, here.

Arch Enemy online: Website / Facebook / Instagram / X (formerly Twitter) / YouTube / TikTok

In Flames online: Website / Facebook / Instagram / X (formerly Twitter) / YouTube

Soilwork online: Website / Facebook / Instagram / X (formerly Twitter) / YouTube

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