When Trivium hit the stage Monday night, they exploded.  The packed crowd at the Marquee Theater in Tempe was ready and waiting.  Trivium helped draw a younger crowd for headliners Children of Bodom, and the energy they brought was definitely felt on stage by the band.   Riff after riff, chant after chant, the crowd’s favorable reaction to Trivium grew.  The band took great delight in watching the number of bodies increasingly taking part in crowd surfing.  Around the time of the final hammer of ‘Gunshot To The Head Of Trepidation’ and ‘Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr’  the hardcore Bodom fans finally took notice. Those at the front continue to go off while those waiting strictly for Bodom seemed to have awakened.

Rumblings in the press have stated that if Trivium continues its frenzied popularity growth and maintains their hunger, they might take the throne from those has-beens in San Francisco.  Their new album, due out early next year, could prove interesting.  While participating in so many tours back to back, the guys should be careful about overexposure (remember Linkin Park?).

Trivium set list in no particular order:
The End Of Everything (Intro) / Rain / Like Light To The Flies / Drowned & Torn Asunder / Ascendancy / Suffocating Sight / The Deceived /  A Gunshot To The Head Of Trepidation / Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr

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Next up was Children of Bodom. 

The band’s name originates from a 45-year-old Finnish murder mystery (one of the most notorious mass murders in Scandinavian history) which took place near the band's home region. Back in 1960, four teenagers went camping near Bodominjärvi (Lake Bodom). They were brutally stabbed leaving only one of them, a boy called Nils Gustafsson, barely alive. The triple murder was never solved.  In early 2005, the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (KRP) declared the case was solved based on some new analysis on the blood stains.   The trial started on August 4, 2005. On October 7, 2005 Gustafsson was freed of all charges.

After a brief break following Trivium’s performance, a break barely long enough to wipe the sweat from your head and grab an overpriced beer, Children of Bodom was welcomed to chants of “Bodom! Bodom! Bodom!” before the they could even take the stage.   They wasted no time launching in to Living Dead Beat, which is from the new release, Are You Dead Yet?   Following songs included Sixpounder, Silent Night Bodom Night, Hate Me – each offering a solid, flawless performance.  There were over the top solos including some duals where Alexi and Janna stood side-by-side. There were the appreciative "Fuck yeah!" yells to the crowd and the pit retained its energy previously ignited by Trivium.  All in all, Children of Bodom fans – both old and new – left satisfied and sweaty.

The band only has a short time left in the states for this tour before heading back across the seas.  You should definitely see them if there is a show near you.  Remaining dates:

02.12.2005 SAN ANTONIO; TX / White Rabbit
03.12.2005 HOUSTON; TX / Meridian
05.12.2005 TAMPA; FL / Masquerade
06.12.2005 ATLANTA; GA / Masquerade
08.12.2005 WASHINGTON; DC / 9:30 Club
09.12.2005 PHILADELPHIA; PA / Trocadero
10.12.2005 WORCHESTER; MA / Palladium
11.12.2005 MONTREAL; QU / Medley
12.12.2005 TORONTO; ON / Opera House
14.12.2005 NEW YORK; NY / Irving Plaza

Children of Bodom setlist in no particular order:
Living Dead Beat, In Your Face, Are You Dead Yet?, Sixpounder, Angels Don’t Kill, Needled 24/7, Chokehold, Hate Me, Bodom After Midnight, Follow the Reaper, Everytime I Die, Silent Night Bodom Night, Downfall, Hate Crew Deathroll

Photos to follow