Travis' Review:
Ive seen Covenant before, two tours ago in San Francisco, and
I really enjoyed them live. After that tour they came out with
Europa which as an album I wasnt as thrilled with as I had been
with their earlier works.
The last album (United States of Mind), while not embracing as
dark of waters as earlier works, recaptured more of the Covenant
mystique that enthralled my music tastes so strongly in the beginning
and refreshed my interest in them for this show.
Covenant should definitely win the best dressed award (well In
Extremo had the coolest outfits but Eskil and company looked good).
It was hot but the trio did not let onto any discomfort despite
being layered in three-piece suits.
Eskil introduced their friend Heinrich who was a guest along for
the show, playing opposite Joakim on keyboards.
They opened with "Tour de Force" and went on to do what seemed
like every song off of United States of Mind. The only song I
recall off of an earlier album was the Wailing Wall of Sound,
so unfortunately none of the awesome tracks from the Cryotank
or Sequencer days.
The tracks they did do were better sounding than ever. One thing
that comes across in person is how much Eskil really enjoys performing,
(as the pictures relate) he had a big smile on his face and was
very energetic.
At one point between songs, he asked if the crowd was anxious
for the big show that evening (ie the reunion of Skinny Puppy!).
He went on to explain how he was looking forward to it as well
and the last time he had seen them was on their last European
tour 12-13 years ago. He related how much he enjoyed the experience
as well as the influence of the band itself. Me being a gigantic
Skinny Puppy fan, this was cool to hear from another band that
I enjoy (and one that hadnt adopted a cloned sound of SP).
Covenant prove you dont need any fancy lights, gimmicks, props,
or smoke clouds to put on a gripping, entertaining show.
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