Administering a mighty mid-morning shot of symphonic adrenalin, Swedish metallers, Cloudscape deliver a high-octane wake-up call of captivating proportions.

Clinging to a can of Carlsberg for essential onstage sustenance, enthused frontman, Mike Andersson proposes a toast to the crowd before the band resume their trademark technical blizzard of sublime soundscapes and guitar-fuelled melodrama. Despite a momentary meandering of appreciation illustrated by an errant voice in the crowd who utters an eloquent, “Fuck off” in reply to Andersson’s tremulous falsetto, the audience are, for the most part, utterly enthralled.

Resplendent in a Slash-like ensemble of velvet shirt and skin-tight black leather, bassist, Hans Persson unleashes a mighty succession of thunderous riffs as Andersson wields the mike stand with glittering, stadium rock showmanship. By turns majestic and anthemic, “Will We Remain” features immaculate, face-melting axemanship while “Darkest Legacy” is slick with cinematic ambience. Andersson’s lavish, almost operatic tones soar effortlessly above a mind-bending array of otherworldly electronica. Showcasing both tireless stamina and agility throughout, Andersson’s vocal capacity makes for a truly compelling performance.

Poignantly emotive yet packing sufficient heavy metal artillery to largely escape the much abhorred power genre, Cloudscape are epic theatricality incarnate.

Author: Faye Coulman