Remember back in December, on the heels of their tour with Meshuggah, when I asked for a headlining run from In Flames in the aftermath of Foregone? Well, shit, here we are! Less than half a year later they’re back in North America, supported by Creeping Death and Gatecreeper, and once again I was fortunate enough to be in attendance for one of the stops, camera in hand. Exactly a week ago today I made the trip down to Hampton Beach to document what was only the second stop on this current run. Unsurprisingly, this was an absolute blast of a night, start to finish. So let’s talk about it!

As is tradition, I’ll provide some context around the evening first. Hampton Beach is less than two hours from these mountains, but more than enough of a journey for a work day (and night). Appropriately, I bailed on the desk job a little early to give myself some time to get down there and check in on one of my favorite local brewpubs in the region, that being WHYM. Beer and food consumed, it was a short trip the rest of the way to the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom. For some further background, I’m actually originally from this area, have been to many different shows at this venue over the years… and don’t particularly miss any of it. So keep that in mind as I go through some of this stuff. For starters, the area itself seemed largely unchanged – the touristy t-shirt shops, arcades, average (or worse) seafood restaurants, and divey beach bars were all still very much there. For better or worse. And being early May on a grey, cool evening the vibe pretty much fit my memory. That said, the sand and the ocean was great to see, the salt air was refreshing, and in the quiet seasons the New England coast really is a special aesthetic. All of that I very much appreciated, even in such a short visit.

As far as the venue itself goes, honestly, I have nothing but good things to say. The Casino Ballroom is a bit of a funky place – considering the capacity (2,200 apparently), the layout is pretty quirky with a wide standing room area in front of a relatively small stage, and seating areas in the way back that I don’t think I’d ever prefer occupying. Still, the place has hosted some legendary names, and each of the three bands on this night sounded great in my book. Clearly they’re doing something right. But enough of all of that, let’s get into the show itself.

Creeping Death kicked things off, and one thing was apparent immediately… I completely overlooked Boundless Domain last year. That’s a damn shame. Naturally, this set was pretty well dominated by their recent album, and I’m glad it was. It gave me the kick in the ass that I needed. Bookending the set to match the album, with the title track and “The Common Breed”, was a great move specifically. Now, I’m not going to sit here and claim this album, or Creeping Death more generally, is doing anything groundbreaking that will change the course of death metal forever or some shit. Frankly, I’m not embedded in the genre enough to even pretend to know what I’m talking about in that sense. However, what I will say is that this is some seriously fulfilling death metal that is crammed with tons of dense, groovy riffage. Creeping Death know what they want to do, and they fucking do it. That translated super well live, and it was a performance that put them over the top for me, in a certain sense. Seriously. Boundless Domain has basically been on repeat the entirety of the past week.

On the other hand, we had Gatecreeper next, who’s new album is still forthcoming. Granted, Dark Superstition is only a week away, but that could still mean a few things in terms of this set. I know they’ve dropped a few new tracks so far, and while I have mostly enjoyed them, they still lacked a little something for me. Perhaps I was hoping for a little more from the production for a desert death metal sound… Depth maybe? Density? Are those the right words? I have no idea. I wanted it to suffocate me more, I guess. Either way, we’ll see how it all lands together next week. But as for this show, I was curious how the experience would compare to what I had heard so far. They did in fact work in some new material, including the one track that struck me initially in “The Black Curtain”. No doubt, the impact felt more fully realized in this live setting. With dense fog and dark lights cascading over the stage, in both sight and sound I was completely enveloped – literally and figuratively – in what Gatecreeper were doing. The entire product was dark, brooding, and just really freaking cool. Death metal out of the desert… this seemed pretty close to what it’s supposed to look and feel like. So, just like that, Dark Superstition is right near the top of my release list for next week.

And finally, the mighty In Flames. A full hour and a half performance from the Swedish legends was upon me. I’ll start by saying that I went into this expecting to hear a set that heavily leaned on Foregone, especially considering how well-received it was last year. And yes, technically it was the most represented album on the night. By one. Which includes the album and set opening “The Beginning Of All Things That Will End” instrumental. Excluding that, of the 17 other tracks, Foregone represented three of them, the same as A Sense of Purpose. That, my friends, absolutely rules. 10 total albums were represented, reaching all the way back to Whoracle. No matter what era of In Flames you prefer, you would have been taken care of. Speaking personally, seeing and hearing “Bullet Ride” performed live is something I will remember forever. New, old, crowd favorites, deep cuts… they broke it all out. In Flames have always managed to curate strong setlists – effectively finding ways to represent their history – but this was next level. I won’t reveal any more tracks than that, just in the off chance someone is attending a future date and wants to be surprised. But just know that you won’t be disappointed.

But how did it look and sound? In a word, ideal. This was a great environment to take in the performance – a venue size and capacity that made sure the impact of the show was felt by everyone, but at the same time nothing looked, sounded, or felt constricted. Whether it was a track from 1997, 2006, or 2023, the performance was tight, and distinctly powerful. One thing I did find interesting is how, despite the constant evolution of their sound over the years (decades), these songs still work really damn well alongside each other in a live setting, regardless of how they’re organized. Looked at individually, the differences in style can be jarring. But these sets, as dynamic as they are, just fucking work. I can only connect this back to the musicians on stage. Driven by the energy of Anders’ stage presence, each and every track is delivered with passion and cohesion across the stage, front to back. In Flames have long been masters of their craft, and their live performance ensures there is a never a doubt about that. I don’t miss many In Flames shows when they come through my general area, but I feel especially privileged and honored to have attended and covered this one. In Flames We Trust.

So yeah, those are my thoughts on what was a truly awesome night in my old neck of the woods. To wrap up, for anyone looking to jump on one of these dates (and you should), the party wraps up on May 26 in Dallas. Here’s the full remaining schedule.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb