In the middle of studying for my final exams before the summer I decided to take a break and go see a few bands playing at the club Bergsbron in the neighbouring city Norrköping here in Sweden. This was yet another event set up by Klubb Koma in collaboration with Madhouse Productions who are both doing a great job for the local music scene. This would be an evening to remember for several reasons as you will soon realize.

The opening act Last Temptation had the unfortunate destiny to open up for one death metal band and one black metal band which isn't exactly the most ideal line-up for them. However, being a local act they still managed to get the crowd's attention even though their music didn't appeal to everyone. The sound at Bergsbron usually doesn't impress anyone but this evening every band actually sounded very good. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that producer Magnus "Devo" Andersson handled the sound.

Last Temptation did well and I immediately found out that this band should be experienced live and not at home in front of your stereo. Their gothic tinged form of mid-paced heavy metal suddenly came to life in a way that it didn't when I last listened to their debut full-length album. Last Temptation is fronted by the former Seven bassist Kennet Jansson but I still don't think much of his vocal capabilities. He has a very rough and edgy voice and he doesn't use enough power to make it sound good. It sounds ok but nothing more, the same goes for a live situation. All in all the band gave the audience a nice performance and they also did two good covers of Sentenced and Megadeth.

Now to the thing that will make most people remember this evening a little more than other Friday evenings. When I entered the stage area at Bergsbron when I heard that Last Temptation had started playing I, and many others I'm sure, noticed a strange smell. Then, in the middle of the band's set one of the staff cut off their playing and told everyone that there was a fire in the kitchen and everyone had to go outside. Luckily it was not very serious and everyone was allowed to enter again twenty minutes later when they had evacuated the smoke. Last Temptation managed to get back on stage and finish their set without any other interruptions.

Next to enter the stage was the death metal monster Sargatanas Reign which is one of the hottest upcoming acts from Norrköping at the moment. They are no newcomers though as they have been working their way up since 1997 and are currently working on their second full-length album which will probably be released some time in the fall through an as of yet undisclosed label. Even though Lord Belial is generally more well known I think that Sargatanas Reign was the band who attracted the largest crowd to the venue.

This was not their first performance on the local scene but it was the first time I got to see them live as I have always failed to attend their previous shows for one reason or another. Tonight was however the live debut for their new singer Jonas Matsson who used to front the Jönköping based death metal act Nominon (recently signed with Singapore's Konqueror Records). My first opinion of him, based on this only show, is that he is a good solid death metal vocalist but he doesn't really stand out on an international level.

This is yet another band which you should definitely experience live. While Last Temptation managed to get some friendly cheers from the audience there was now some real activitiy in front of the stage which one of the guitarists in the band had a literal taste of as he was slapped in the face at least once by a somewhat disoriented guy in front of him. He was not late to return the favor. This was one of the most intense live shows ever at Bergsbron and the members of Sargatanas Reign all showed off their individual skills. Most Swedish bands follow in the footsteps of At The Gates or In Flames but this is a band who have much more in common with Florida bands such as Morbid Angel and Death. It is technical, brutal and very well done indeed. Some samples enhanced the performance further and they came off as a highly professional band.

Lord Belial was the most experienced band who were invited to play this Friday evening. With four full-length albums under their wings they are one of the veterans on the Swedish black metal scene. Unfortunately for them some people were already started to leave the club at this time but there was still a dedicated crowd in front of the stage. After some turbulence in the line-up they have now returned to the classic original band with the three Backelin cousins. Only guitarist Hjalmar Nielsen (also of Enthralled) is new to the band.

If Last Temptation was the most atmospheric and Sargatanas Reign the most intense then Lord Belial was the darkest of the three bands. This was also a band who displayed some impressive instrumental skills and it is not difficult to realize that they have been around for some time. To be honest the last couple of releases from Lord Belial have not really made a lasting impression on me but I like a lot of their earlier work and I very much enjoyed their live show this evening. For those who are not familiar with their music it is rather diverse Swedish black metal with some Dissection similarities.

May it be that I am getting old but I often tend to lose focus and get tired when the last band of the evening starts playing but this was not the case this time. I don't know if it was Lord Belial or just the fact that I didn't drink that much as I still have a lot of studying ahead of me. All three bands did well I must say and if you have not heard of any of them before go check them out because they are all made up of both talented and experienced musicians. Also, look out for new albums from both Sargatanas Reign and Lord Belial before the end of 2004.

All photos are copyright of Vincent Eldefors and Caroline Christiansen. Please don't use them yourself without expressed permission. Thanks a lot also to Jenny and Jonas from Madhouse Productions, Tomas and Petter from Klubb Koma, the bands and friends for making this a nice evening!