Poets of the Fall returned to Amsterdam after their last visit in 2023. I didn’t see the band before, but got acquainted with the music through their video game music for Max Payne and Alan Wake. I found out they even made one of the songs for the old Death Rally game.
Unfortunately for me, this was the celebration of the carnival of rust. Even though I do like some of the songs of that album, I kind of hoped they would play some of the songs from the video games such as Late Goodbye, Take Control or Herald of Darkness from the Alan Wake 2 game. I noticed that they played a lot of ballads, and songs that will probably be enjoyed by the more die hard Poets fans.
The band shined at the moments they played their heavier, more up tempo songs. The instruments were impeccably played, no mistakes were heard and especially the guitarists were extremely precise with their sound and solo work. The main guitarist’ style reminds me a lot of Steve Vai, including the guitar, showmanship and intricate solo work. I discovered later they played one song from his solo album, which is a definite recommend if you are into their more heavy work.
We still enjoyed the show a lot, there is great chemistry between the band members. The bass player might be the happiest fin I’ve ever seen. When the band returns for an Old Gods of Asgard show I’ll definitely return!