Festivals are a fantastic opportunity to check out bands you may have never heard before, but those bands will shine even brighter at their own concert: having seen Evergrey perform at Bloodstock earlier this year, it was a real treat for us to get to experience their live show in full-force in Sheffield, with the concert setting allowing the group to dial both the majesty and intimacy of their performance up to eleven. Rounding out the line-up with fellows European progressive metal enthusiasts Klogr and Inner Vitriol, Evergrey’s latest live outing left the crowd stunned, with the extreme technical accuracy each band showed doing little to take away from the emotion of their performances.

Opening the night to a meagre crowd of only fifteen (the band even made a joke out of counting everyone between songs) were four-piece outfit Inner Vitriol, who’s shockingly virtuosic grooves opened the night on a muted note. The playing from guitarist Michele De Lauro and bassist Francesco Lombardo was absolutely jaw-dropping as the pair pulled off a number of syncopated grooves in odd time signatures, and though drummer Michele Panepinto was quite reserved behind the kit, his rhythmic flourishes suited each track well— what was lovely to see was that the group had more to offer than just spectacle, as each song coalesced into an infectious and emotive odyssey rather than a numerical exercise. Gabriele Gozzi’s hushed vocals did wonders to guide each track forwards, even if his willowy voice could get lost in the mix at times, and the mixture of sounds left Inner Vitriol’s set with a surprisingly contemplative, withheld mood compared to the more bombastic showings of bands to come.

‘Butterflies’ (which, as Gozzi joked, was “a sixteen minute ballad”) was undoubtedly the standout of the entire show as Lombardo’s hauntingly beautiful bass lines carried the track forwards with a gentle momentum— despite its extreme length, the song had everyone gripped from start to finish, making those sixteen minutes feel more like six. Equally impressive was the group’s stage presence as the four-piece seemed completely indifferent to the limited crowd size, instead encouraging everyone to “act like you’re an arena crowd!” Despite the lack of massive, blaring riffs or anthemic choruses, Inner Vitriol still went down as a memorable and impressive act, and one we’re keen to check out further very soon.

Turning up the energy were the following band, Klogr (pronounced K-Log-R), who’s hard-rock infused progressive metal sound brought a much more impactful act to the event. The band certainly made quite an impression from the off between the screens behind the group (displaying everything from creepy clown movies to shark hunting footage) and the characterful sunglasses of frontman Gabriele Rustichelli, setting Klogr’s show up to be far more off-the-wall and cinematic than Inner Vitriol’s relatively stripped-back aesthetic. Adding to this feeling was Rustichelli’s speeches between songs, culminating in a powerful and poignant message on environmentalism and the dangers of overfishing before the group’s closer, ‘Guinea Pigs.’

The band’s music certainly lived up to that larger-than-life aesthetic, combining the progressive metal the event was based around with the high-energy hard rock of a band like Grand Magus. Tracks from the group’s newest album ‘FRACTURED REALITIES’ made up a significant portion of the setlist, with the thunderous barrages of ‘Gravity Of Fear’ and ‘One Of Eight’ bringing an absolutely crushing sound into the fold. The band all played extremely well— especially Maicol Morgotti, who’s drumming brought an additional heft to each track— and though the band could be a little static at times, the show was nonetheless a bombastic and theatrical addition to the event, going down very well with the growing crowd.

Seemingly determined to dwarf Klogr’s theatrical showings, Evergrey’s show began with a three-minute countdown… to another three minutes of ambient build-up before the group finally took to the stage— it was a self-indulgent introduction, but not an unwelcome one, and the crowd were clearly all for it, screaming out as Tom Englund and company launched into ‘Falling From The Sun.’ The song’s flowing grooves and show-stopping chorus were amplified ten-fold in the live setting, with the crushing rhythm section bringing additional weight to each riff: that didn’t stop the more melodic elements from shining through, however, as Englund’s clean vocals and the technically marvellous guitar solos always managed to find a comfortably spot in the sound. From the opening run of tracks, it was clear that the band had dialled in a well-balanced, crisp mix befitting of the musical odyssey the group would embark on. From modern hits like the wistful melodies of ‘Say’ or the crushing chorus of ‘Misfortune’ to more classic picks like ‘King of Errors,’ the band were reaching across their catalogue to deliver an all-in-one Evergrey experience.

In spite of the technical accuracy necessary for many of their songs, it was remarkable to see the band clearly having a great time with each other on stage: whether it was Englund joking that keyboardist Richard Zander was experiencing “brain dysfunction” when he messed up a song’s intro or the band dedicating an entire segment of the show to relate to the football fans in the crowd, Evergrey were loving every second. Even when the screens behind the band— which had been displaying a varied mixture of artwork throughout the show— cut out unexpectedly in the encore, the band took the opportunity for more jokes and laughs, with Englund heading off to grab himself a gin and tonic. Thankfully, the tech team got those screens back up again soon, allowing the band to close the show the right way with ‘Our Way Through Silence.’

Though the three progressive metal bands couldn’t have been more different from one another, Evergrey’s newest show proved to be a powerhouse in performance, showmanship and all-around fun. It was refreshing to see each group takes themselves quite unseriously, lending themselves to the intimate nature of the venue, and we still have melodies from all three acts stuck in our heads: all in all, Evergrey proved that you don’t need a gigantic arena to put on a stunning show.