Swedish symphonic metalcore band Imminence came to San Diego for their first time on March 22nd. Their current run is in support of their latest album, The Return of the Black, released on March 7th. The newest album is an extention of their 2024 album The Black, that not only features new singles such as “God Fearing Man” and “Death Shall Have No Dominion”, but also re-recordings of fan favorite tracks featuring guest appearances by Joel Holmqvist of Aviana ("The Call of the Void"), Tim Charles of Ne Obliviscaris ("Come What May"), Niklas Karlsson of Orbit Culture ("Continuum"), and Lucas Woodland of Holding Absense ("Death By A Thousand Cuts"). It was a night of dynamic sets and a collision of continents as supporting acts included Landmvrks and Jiluka, creating a diverse and energetic lineup.
First up was Jiluka, Japan’s rising visual kei metal band, who delivered an absolutly stunning performance. They came out, dressed in all black with glowing red lights attached to their outfits. The band members all walked out individually with the crowd going absolutely nuts with every entrance. I had never heard of them before this night but it appeared that a majority of the crowd was there for them! I saw some fans dress up in similar clothes as the band and were dancing along. Having never heard of them, I went into this show completely blind and was blown away by the power and intensity of their set.
Next on the lineup was metalcore powerhouse Landmvrks, who made the journey all the way from Marseille, France. Their set kicked off with their leading single, “Creature,” which is from their upcoming album The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been set to be released on April 25th. Midway through their set, the band took a brief semi-acoustic turn as vocalist Florent Salfati took the stage alone with an acoustic guitar, and began a stripped-down version of “Suffocate”. It really showcased Salfati’s dynamic range and brought a moment of calm to the night. His acoustic guitar that looked like electric guitar and that was cool cause i’ve never seen a band play with one live before. Before their set ended, the band also introduced the audience to three other tracks from their upcoming, including “A Line in the Dust,” “Sulfur,” and “Blood Red.” Each song demonstrated the band’s growth and evolution over the years.
With the stage dark, a fog rolled over it and filled the air. The backdrop was two church windows and a door in the middle with the bands logo on top. Imminence is the perfect balance of delicate and wrecking. With their heaviness and initensity, to the quick turn around when lead singer Eddie Berg grabs his Violin and the entire atmosphere changes. Eddie also created such a haunting sound when he screamed INTO his violin, using it as a mic. They’re presence truly captivates the room and it’s such a unique feeling that's hard to describe. We were left in awe their entire set. The focus of the setlist was the band’s breakout album The Black with a few other fan favorite including “Erase”, “Ghost”, and “Temptation”. They closed out their set with “The Black”. At the very end, the band all came together and gave the audience a few bows which was so respectable.
Theres still a few dates remaining of The Return of the Black Tour! Be sure you don’t miss out of this absolutely stunning show!
Remaining Dates:
3/28 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues
3/29 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
3/30 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore
4/1 - Norfolk, VA - The NorVA
4/3 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Roxian
4/4 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore
4/5 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
Comments