It is a Decapitated evening for me. The last time I saw them was way too long ago, in 2021, when they played Inferno festival as a support to their Carnival Is Forever flawless record. They totally killed it, it was an enhanced record listening experience, and Krimh on drums (now in SepticFlesh) played all the nuances from the record. Whoa! 
It is an interesting and quite unusual combination of bands today, new and old to me. 

Employed to Serve are a pure groove! Clean vocals are quite sour, but the set is lit and very breakdown-oriented. Somehow I have never encountered the band before, despite having heard the name. It is meant for headbanging, good headbanging! Half an hour - very well-balanced, it resembled some Power Trip. I wanna see a longer set from them and will definitely check the records out! 

Decapitated have the best entry I have ever experienced! An intro and then a sudden all-in blast without any notice. The drums this time are done by fantastic James Stewart (Vader and other great acts - seriously, check his bands out!). 

Decapitated are pure perfection. I would add a bit more bass to the mix, but we all know it is Vogg who is the main focus here. 

We had some technical issues with one of the kick drum mics or cables, and even Killswitch’s  Adam ran around to help out. The break revealed Eemeli Bodde’s entertainment talents (and the TV anchor’s voice-over voice). I think the band had to cut the set a bit, but despite that it was the main highlight of the show. No one in Norway is any close to that level of playing, and it is fantastic to see the band alive and kicking - doing it against all the odds.

For some reason Fit For an Autopsy is a bigger act, and it felt like a forty minute breakdown with one note.. Yes, it is louder (also because simpler), better lights, Josean Orta is tenderly pushing the drums like keyboards sounding monster, but it is way too monotonous for me. Well, it is obviously difficult to impress after Decapitated. 

On the second part of the set Josean gets into the swing of things and starts hammering away, and Pandora song sees a nice circle pit, but the main takeaway for me is a good quality of the sound. It is great that such a formula works, obviously they are doing the right thing. But to me it is just too uninventive. 

Killswitch Engage have a very interesting stage setting and very charming warm lights right and left to the drummer. Now, this is a headliner. As all of the lineup except for Decapitated, Killswitch also have breakdowns, but it is a much more diverse music with very firm vocals and At The Gates - vibed moments. And they enjoy the set so much - not just standing in front of the audience, but chaotically “dancing” around with their instruments. 

I can clearly hear that Faith No More is an inspiration here. Jesse Leach is crowdsurfing while singing, and it all is an organized chaos, but so refreshing. 

“You guys like the new records?” - it just gives the audience a big smile. Yes, we do. 
Awesome band and a very pleasant experience. Go see them live!