Essigfabrik, Cologne, Germany 17th October 2023
Annisokay - “Abyss Tour 2023” - Special guests: To Kill Achilles, Fixation
The German Post-Hardcore / Metalcore band ANNISOKAY came to town, which gave their fans the opportunity to experience the explosive energy and electrifying sound of this four-piece from Halle/Saale, that has been winning over fans since their formation in 2007. Known for their melodic, aggressive sound, and captivating live performances, ANNISOKAY have carved out a name for themselves in the international music scene.
To Kill Achilles
Opening the evening were TO KILL ACHILLES, a quartet from Dundee, Scotland. So far, they are on their second album, which is called ‘Something to remember me by’. https://www.tokillachilles.com/
Music & Performance
At 8pm, the four members of TO KILL ACHILLES walked unceremoniously on stage and kicked off their set. Their musical style varies between Alternative Rock and Metalcore, one song even reminded me of the Noise Rock icons FUGAZI, with the guitarist using the almost clean Gibson SG sound to evoke this impression. Shouter Mark Tindal delivered an emotional and captivating performance, highlighting his own personal struggles during the past years, and showing immense gratuity to the audience for coming in early to see them, mentioning that delivering gigs equals therapy to the band members.
Rating
Music: 6
Performance: 7
Sound: 6
Light: 5
Total: 6 / 10
Fixation
Next up on menu were the Norwegian four-piece FIXATION. They appeared as a band in 2020 with their debut EP ‘Global Suicide’, and they have recently released their debut album ‘More Subtle Than Death’. https://www.fixationband.com/
Music & Performance
Fixation definitely know how to make an entrance. Shortly before 8:45pm, the lights went dark green, and the band members entered the stage to a bombastic intro with bells and suspenseful music, which elegantly morphed in to their first song. FIXATION definitely have an appetite for huge melodies, and longer song structures featuring diverse electronic elements. Singer Jonas W Hansen used his boyish charm to connect with the audience and fired them up as a true warm-up act would do. And it worked remarkably well. Although I bet that no one in the audience knew the band before, people started visibly enjoying the music, mosh pits and circle pits were formed, and the temperature in the almost sold-out Essigfabrik started to rise remarkably. FIXATION played their set in a very convincing way, and their gig ended after around 45 minutes playtime with a lot of applause by newly won over followers.
Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 8
Sound: 7
Light: 5
Total: 7 / 10
Annisokay
Over the years, ANNISOKAY has built a strong discography, including albums such as ‘The Lucid Dream(er)’ (2014), ‘Devil May Care’ (2016), ‘Arms’ (2018), and their latest release, ‘Aurora’ (2021). Each album showcases their growth and evolution, with a mix of electrifying riffs, soaring vocals, and hard-hitting drums. https://www.annisokay.com
Music & Performance
At 9:45pm it was time for the act of the evening. The lights went low, and four large screens on the stage came to life, accompanied by a mystically sound intro in perfect synch with the visuals. The band entered the stage and the intro morphed into the first notes of the opener ‘The Abyss’. Shouter Rudi Schwarzer greeted the audience with a “Köln, was geht?”, and the band kicked off the song. The audience was on board from minute one. The band also did their part to fire up the audience, guitarist and clean singer Christoph clearly enjoyed being able to communicate with his fans in his native language, and the whole mood was cheerful and relaxed. In musical terms, the band dialed up the energy levels. A steady stream of crowd surfers a kept the security busy, and for ‘Friend or Enemy’, Rudi did a little crowd surf himself. The audience was definitely here for that kind of action, which went on unabated, until the band announced with their song Coma Blue’, things were coming to an end after a mere 65 minutes of playing time. The audience - through frantic screaming and clapping - managed to bring back the band for two more encores, after which the Cologne crowd dispersed into the Tuesday night.
Setlist
01. The Abyss
02. Throne of the Sunset
03. What's Wrong
04. Ultraviolet
05. Bonfire of the Millenials
06. Like a Parasite
07. Good Stories
08. Fully Automatic
09. Human
10. Friend or Enemy
11. One Step Closer (Linkin Park cover)
12. The Tragedy
13. Unaware
14. Under Your Tattoos
15. Coma Blue
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16. Calamity
17. STFU
Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 8
Sound: 8
Light: 10
Total: 8.5 / 10
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