MORT EST NIHIL
Stockholm, Sweden - July, 25, 2003
by amasanin

Finally back and dazed and confused from a very eventful trip. To start from the very beginning... EOD arrived in Stockholm's Arlanda airport on the evening of the 24th. They stayed at their hotel for a while and then we took them out for dinner and coffee in Gamla Stan (Stockholm's old town) and back to their hotel to get some rest till the evening of the 25th. We got them to the venue around 8 o'clock from the back door cause there were people queuing up at the front already, they had their sound check, went backstage, the doors opened and a few minutes before 10 the live began.

This time there was no front row for me as I was running around till the live started but the venue had a big stage for a change and I could see very well from the back. The venue itself was also quite big so I could move around easily and get many different perspectives of the live. For the first 3 songs I was trying to get some pictures but I finished my film quickly on purpose to just stand and watch. The sound was the clearer I've ever heard in comparison to other lives but unfortunately there was some problem with the monitors and they couldn't hear themselves most of the time. Regardless it was coming out great and the energy was amazing. Some people complained that it was too loud but I personally found it just perfect. So on to the details...

As promised Közi had Akauzu-kun ^^/ and he was also wearing the Bratislava dress so I was as happy as can be. His hair was completely black and the makeup was typical Közi. Haruhiko was also completely white this time and I thought it suited his nicely, plus... he was wearing the same dress as Közi. To my surprise he was far more interactive with the audience and would go to the front often and kneel down and shake people's hands. People were automatically going for his hair unfortunately which I think annoyed him in the end lol - Közi was also going to the front but with him people were automatically going for Akauzu-kun. And then at some point I saw something I never thought would happen - Közi went to the left of the stage (he was on the right normally) and Haruhiko followed and they did a little duet together. They have a certain coordination all the time but never actually walked up to each other before, they keep their presence more spread on stage so it was a new experience altogether. And finally...

The music... what can I say.... I'm more impressed every time. The setlist is above so you can see what they played. Iconoclast seems to be the same since the spring tour (they tend to make little changes here and there all the time) so they've probably made up their minds about a final version. The new song which I have no name for as I'm writing this [edit: it's Metaphor] was very good solid industrial with minimal vocals. The vocals for Garden for a Zearlot were over the top again - lovely stuff. Desperado had undergone a few more changes (I didn't even recognize the chorus this time at first) and then when Logos and Eve of Destruction kicked in I was completely lost in the music ~ the atmosphere was so epic you just had to contribute somehow, it got very emotional. I wish people would get used to Eve of Destruction and start singing along to the la~lalala at least. After that very impressive ending Haruhiko said 'nice, thanks - goodnight' and they went offstage but after lots of screaming, clapping and stumping they came back for a brief encore with You Killed me First which sounds more and more punk to me every time I hear it. I think there was a part missing from the lyrics towards the end, Haruhiko just skipped to 'play on boy' towards Közi and after a little guitar ending it was 'see you next year'.

After the live there were so many people wanting to go backstage it was impossible so in the end we had to set up a signing event on the spot. We emptied the main room and sent everyone outside to Mondo's bar and then let them in a few at a time. They went in, queued up and got an autograph on the Autumn Tour flyers and a picture with them. This lasted a long time and afterwards they had to do an interview which also lasted a while so we ended up leaving Mondo around 2 o'clock even though the live finished just before 11. I think they were pretty much exhausted by then (I sure was). Their flight was very early in the morning so they left their hotel around 5am and went off to Poland and new adventures... So there you have it all.

Of the most unfortunate things of the evening in my opinion is that Haruhiko lost his pendant or most probably had it stolen. He was ok with it but I definitely wasn't! So cherish the pictures you have of him with it cause I don't think we'll be seeing it again :( And of the funniest things of the evening.... I'll just say... Közi stumbles a lot ^^ LOL...!

Amasanin July 30, 2003