LIVE REVIEW: Within Temptation & Evanescence @ Utilita Arena, Birmingham

It might be teeming down with rain and bordering on Baltic outside, but the combination of fizzing bonhomie and palpable anticipation inside practically ignites Birmingham’s Utilita Arena. The reason for which is simple. For tonight, the Worlds Collide Tour rolls into town and brings with it two of modern metal’s biggest – and at this point, arguably most wanted – bands in the spectacular form of EVANESCENCE and WITHIN TEMPTATION. Two years and no fewer than four rescheduling attempts later, this sublime marriage made in symphonic/goth rock heaven can finally unfurl their grandiose live vision upon the gathered masses. 

Before the evening’s two rotating headline sets can commence however, there’s the not-so-small matter of Tennessee’s VERIDIA to attend to, who have the enviable (if not mildly intimidating) task of opening for the aforementioned juggernauts. And the trio do so with polished alt-rock ease. Sitting somewhere between SPIRITBOX, SKILLET and ICON FOR HIRE, there’s a versatility to the band’s musical arsenal, with songs like Blood Diamond, riff-soaked Poppies and I Won’t Stay Down veering between electronica-spliced beats, percussive thunder and pop-tinged grooves. Deena Jakoub is passionate and engaging; her searing vocals seamlessly intertwining with Amy Lee’s during piano-driven ballad I’ll Never Be Ready. The reverence held for the EVANESCENCE chanteuse is unmistakable during Deena’s introduction and seeing the two perform such an emotionally-rooted song (Jakoub sadly losing her father recently) is both hair-raising and heartwarming.

Rating: 7/10

As the bubbling electronic strains of Artifact/The Turn begin filtering out, it takes but a glimpse of Amy Lee’s silhouette on stage – illuminated by a retina-popping display of purple LED lights – to send the mercury skywards and this swelling audience into unbridled ecstasy. Plunging headfirst into a beguiling salvo of goth-rock tinged Broken Pieces Shine and Made Of Stone, EVANESCENCE are on resplendent form; awash with crunching guitars and thundering drums whilst visually the production is packing enough fireworks to rival the Fourth of July.

Early noughties nu-metal nostalgia is the order du jour as fan favourite-cum-chuggernaut Going Under (culminating with one of the biggest venue-wide singalongs of the night) is dispatched early on, but it’s surprising as it is compelling to see a setlist largely comprised of newer, heavier cuts from 2021’s The Bitter Truth. There’s a marked depth and raw defiance to both Better Without You and Use My Voice. “Gather your friends and wave your gun in my face!” Amy rages on the latter, before that huge, open-hearted chorus crashes in with her insistent cries of “Don’t you speak for me!” to give the song an empowering sheen to boot.

At the risk of sounding woefully simplistic however, Lee’s vocals are just utterly captivating to hear and watch. Seat her in front of a grand piano and jaws are guaranteed to drop. And it’s that ensuing intimacy and vulnerability that lends gravitas to tonight. From the melodic elegance of Your Star to My Immortal’s (the set’s definitive highlight) colossal, heartstring-pulling melodrama, this is EVANESCENCE at their most powerful. You can hear a pin drop as Amy’s brooding cries of “I held your hand through all of these years / But you still have all of me!” turn this arena into a swaying sea of lit-up smartphones. In conclusion, it’s an unforgettable outing; marred only slightly by the lack of band interaction during (and between) songs. 

Rating: 8/10

The same cannot be said about WITHIN TEMPTATION, whose rousing camaraderie is indicative of a band very much in sync with one another on stage and off. And what follows suit from the co-headliners tonight is nothing less than a flamboyant outpouring of symphonic metal-soaked brilliance. To say they come out the gates swinging is perhaps the understatement of 2022, and at the risk of sounding shadier than an autumn day, the WITHIN TEMPTATION production blows that of their predecessor’s right out of the water – and then some. Operatic opener Our Solemn Hour – complete with cinematic-style visuals via the big screens as well as that chilling Winston Churchill wartime address – is a spine-tingling triumph; and the jump-off for a sixteen-song set of festival headlining proportions.

Rolling out the hits with bombastic aplomb and accompanied by some astonishing, face-melting pyrotechnics, riff-driven Faster and Paradise (What About Us?) (featuring Tarja Turunen‘s face beamed onto a big screen above the stage) literally soar, sounding like bonafide classics, whilst arms are raised during an anthemic and commanding Stand My Ground. Ambience and thundering guitars combine for epic belter The Purge before Raise Your Banner sees Sharon Den Adel proudly waving a Ukrainian flag for the song’s duration. It’s a genuine moment in terms of the band’s frequent and amiable interactions with this appreciative crowd, something that is mirrored later on when she briefly halts Entertain You due to a fan becoming injured.

If a futuristic stage setup complete with Hollywood movie-worthy explosions and a gigantic, flashing head wasn’t fantastical enough, seeing Sharon rise skywards sat in a hoop – akin to a floating angel – will surely do it, her crystalline voice belting out and reducing these onlookers to quivering heaps during an absolutely stunning rendition of All I Need. And with just enough time to launch symphonic supernova Ice Queen and Mother Earth’s synth-meets-strings drama ensures the fiery theatrics continue right until the eye-popping end. Tonight in Birmingham, WITHIN TEMPTATION are on career-defining form. 

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Birmingham from Serena Hill Photography here:

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