The Raven Age have been steadily gathering momentum over the past few years and their slot with Gojira will be something else to add to an already impressive resumé. Mixing heavy modern metal guitar and drums with clean vocal harmonies allow the band to create something different from the norm.
Front man Michael Burrough acknowledged that his vocals were maybe not as ‘brutal’ as the average Gojira fan would like but when the band broke into songs such as ‘Eye Among the Blind’ and ‘The Merciful One’ the crowd in the Academy did not mind one bit.
New track ‘Salem’s Fate’ started with a slower more melodic feel but built to a crescendo giving Michael the opportunity to the crowd in the front row, albeit with a few confused looks initially. Judging by the response from the audience around me, I would say The Raven Age gained more fans this evening.
Seven long years have ed since Wacken when I went to see ‘the poor band stuck in the tent during Iron Maiden’ and have been a fan of Gojira ever since. Joe Duplantier informed the crowd that the band had travelled for 25 hours to get to Dublin but that didn’t slow them down in the slightest.
With tracks like ‘ Silvera’, ‘Stranded’ and ‘Flying Whales’ all within the first 20 minutes, Gojira showed the fans in the Academy why they are one of the top metal acts in the world (and why their album Magma won the Golden God for “Best Album” last night).
The stunning light show was the perfect accompaniment to the relentless pace set by the band. ‘Backbone’ and ‘L’Enfant Sauvage’ were followed by a drum solo by Mario Duplantier, which was just the right length to showcase his skill without becoming tedious.
They saved my personal favourite ‘Ouroborus’ for the encore and promised that they would return to Ireland soon. Given that this show sold out so quickly, the number of people already looking for tickets and the quality of the performance tonight, Gojira will need a bigger venue on their next trip.
All photos by Kerri Clarke of Exposing Shadows Photography.
