Mexico City
Circo Volador
23/8/09
Latin American metal fans have a reputation for being a particularly devoted bunch, which perhaps explains why Mexico City seems to be blessed with a steady stream of no-nonsense metal shows in no-nonsense venues.
The Circo Volador (roughly 3,000 capacity) is an old converted cinema that looks reassuringly well-worn in places, with a couple of graffiti murals and countless posters of previous concerts adorning the walls. The beer is cheap (the equivalent of roughly £2 a pint), the atmosphere is friendly, and the fans’ enthusiasm isn’t waning despite the steadily rising heat.
The only slight worry is the echoing sound that plagues Mulux Pac‘s set. The local quintet’s thunderous, riff-laden attack doesn’t really break any new ground, but they do sound admirably tight and brutal in all the right places, and they deservedly whip up a decent-sized pit down the front of the steadily growing crowd.
For the second of two nights at this venue, Swedish death metal veterans Arch Enemy are dusting off plenty of older, rawer favourites; the kind of set which, as vocalist Angela Gossow informs us, they can only play in Mexico and Japan due to a relative lack of demand elsewhere. Any doubts as to the validity of such a statement are soon quelled, with the crowd going utterly apeshit as the band rip into ‘Enemy Within‘ with the force of a rocket-powered juggernaut.
It’s a pretty fearsome introduction, and from then on, the highlights come thick and fast. ‘Bury Me An Angel‘ is as fine an example of unbridled death metal fury as you could wish for, ‘Pilgrim‘ sees some jaw-dropping dual solo action from guitarists Michael and Chris Arnott, and the closing ‘We Will Rise‘ is as epic as it is heavy.Overall, it’s a fine soundtrack to the insanity that unfolds in front of the band, with every song greeted by pumping fists, hurricane-esque pits and deafening chants of ‘ARK ENEMY!’. Hey, you can forgive these folks the odd mispronunciation, trust me.
The smile on Angela’s face at the end of their set says it all. Arch Enemy have never exactly been slackers in the live setting, but they play with more fire and venom tonight than I’ve ever witnessed at their UK shows. And with a following like this, it’s pretty safe to bet that they’ll be back in Mexico City in the not-too-distant future.
Alex Gosman