+++Hey guys! It’s Angela from Arch Enemy here. Over the next few weeks I’m gonna be checking in with updates from our U.S. Tyranny and Bloodshred tour. But before that madness begins on May 9 in Philly, I thought I’d give you a little taste of what’s to come. Below is the dirt from our Amsterdam, Paris and Antwerp gigs. +++

We are moving into the tour bus today. Apparently its Motorhead’s vehicle. And what a bus! Double-decker, 15 meters long. Very nice and a little posh inside. Just have a look!

This is how my cosy little space looks like:

Check out the Arch Enemy clan in the lounge downstairs HERE and HERE. I am not in the picture, because I am wearing pajamas and glasses. I know, this is not metal

And this – ladies and gentlemen – is Lemmy’s personal ice bucket!

Playing Amsterdam on a Saturday night - wohoo!!! Our Dutch friends know how to have a good time! The show was sold out and with broken hearts we had to watch the ticket office turning all these kids away. But the total cap of the venue, Melkweg, is 1400 and security is simply the most important thing – too many tragic events in overfilled clubs have happened to risk anything.

Textures did a great job opening up for us – we had them out with us in the past. The venue was boiling up and smelled quite interesting: A melange of sweat and cannabis – they must have been smoking my chocolate, haha.

It was easy to launch into a furious, high rising set - 90 minutes of excessive metal! I loved every second that night - to leave the crowd completely exhausted and happy is the best reward you can get!

Check out this shot from side stage:

Unfortunately we couldn’t launch into a proper celebration afterwards – a long drive to Paris called for an early bus departure. But here a few backstage impressions:

Me, my friend Susan (Murder Syndicate/Cliteater), Green&Blacks organic chocolate and a kick ass new Legion Of The Dammed Hoodie – I am happy!

And my girls Luna:

and Eline:

Here is a cool clip of Michaels solo spot:

Arriving at noon in Paris – just in time for the load in. It’s the best time of the day to sleep: You hear the crew getting out of their bunks and into working gear: The sound of others working real hard is very soothing to my ears… haha! It’s the feeling everything will be taken care of, its all going to be fine. I love getting up a lot later and walking into a ‘ready-to-rock’ venue. We handpick our crew, so they’re the best: hard working, lovely, funny and all smoking hot

Speaking of smoking hot: It’s my brother Benjamin’s birthday today and I managed to get a hold of him in his new home in the south of Spain. My little niece Lavinia will be joined by a tiny terror brother soon. Benjamin lives a very different life from mine, but it’s just as crazy.

Paris, Bataclan is packed with almost a 1000 souls ready to thrash. They are already going berserk when Textures hit the stage, forming huge circle pits. By the time we go on, the temperature has risen to sauna-level and the air is pure mist. We are basically breathing water instead of oxygen. The French maniacs are frantic. Singing along with the lyrics and the melodies, showing no signs of fatigue. I start feeling light-headed towards the end of the set and seeing little stars. There is no air left in the house! We look freshly showered with clothes on. It’s just the smell that gives the truth away. Its pure fucking sweat and we worked hard for it. And the French crowd beats every other audience so far on this tour! Je t’aime – merci beaucoup!!!

Here is a good clip from “Revolution Begins!”:

And here is a bit from “Nemesis”

Check out this cute letter I received from a very young Arch Enemy girl: Tuukka from Finland!

Exhausted but very happy we crawl into the bus that night to drive up to Belgium Antwerp. We have played Hof Ter Lo a couple of times before. Getting the Belgium crowd going is not that easy. The show will be on Monday evening – a day most people hate with a vengeance, everybody sober and tired from the prospect of a long working week ahead. Not the best circumstances, and the show falls a little short compared to all the others as a result. The audience really makes 50% of the show happen and tonight the atmosphere isn’t magic. It’s a shame because I want them to let go, let loose. By the end of the set they are finally catching fire, but then the show is over. And I make a mental note: No shows on Mondays in Belgium - let it be a day off!

Here is a great clip of “Enemy Within”

And go HERE to check out some photos from that show.

Since we’re off to England next, we need to discuss and decide the set for the UK shows – We are getting clear orders from our lighting engineer Richard.

See Michael working on the setlist right here:

We hurry and get out of the venue to make the ferry to England. We miss it anyway and now we are all hanging out on the bus, jamming silly music. We have to wait to 4.30 AM for the next boat and then it’s a 90 minutes crossing. I haven’t made up my mind yet if I should stay on the dark, locked up bus in the belly of the beast or hang around on deck for the crossing. Both options are equally tempting. The thought of having a day off tomorrow in good ol’ England is a good one though. And the prospect of four upcoming raging mad shows is exhilarating. Manchester is already sold out; Birmingham, Glasgow and London are closing in quickly too. I am getting all excited just thinking about it and must jam some Judas Priest now. Defenders of the Faith – Hells yeah. As our religion is METAL TO THE LAST BONE!

Amen to that!
Yours truly, Angela

PS: I found a cool interview with Michael that he conducted with GetInThePit TV

And also this one with Daniel