From Sweden To Nashville: Imminence Take Nashville With & By Storm
Founded in 2009 in Trelleborg Sweden, five people started a band that would one day become so in demand in The United States that eventually an entire tour would unfold, selling out shows left and right, bringing fans an experience that has been long since forgotten in live music. Imminence was formed by Eddie Berg and Harald Barrett initially, later adding the missing pieces with Christian Höijer, Peter Hanström and Alex Arnoldsson. The five piece powerhouse was carefully constructed and surgical creating their sound which many now call “violin-core”. Imminence’s sound is one of a kind and stands tall above everyone else in the absolute best way possible. Something else that makes the band stand out is the artistic aspect of their music videos. Imminence take telling the stories of their songs seriously and are able to convey it with such brutal beauty each time a new video drops. It was for these very reasons that I could not wait to see them perform live for the first time!
Imminence have recently released their brand new record ‘The Black’ which is currently doing very well on Spotify and selling vinyls like they’re fresh kladdkaka. The Black is a record I have had on repeat since it released on April 12th. It makes for a perfect addition to their already sensational discography. One of the best things about this band is that the songs have immense replayability. Knowing all of this, I was ready to make my trek from Kentucky down to Nashville for what would be one of the best shows I’ve ever seen and some of the worst weather conditions for traveling 200+ miles.
The journey from home to Eastside Bowl in beautiful (well most of the time) Nashville was not that bad. Light rain accompanied by a playlist of songs I curated just for this trip. Once I parked and got myself situated for doors, I made entry into this relatively new venue on Nashville’s east end of town. Once inside it felt like I stepped back in time in the coolest way imaginable. The floors were carpeted in retro color with an elevated 16 lane bowling alley, small stage for light music next to an elegantly throwback style bar and diner style booths that partitioned the bowling area from the bar. This place was really interesting. Something was missing though, the venue! Once I walked further in past the bar, tucked away was a slender hallway that led into the concert venue portion of this rather large building.
The first band to take the stage would be Lansing Michigan’s finest, Of Virtue. Lead by Tyler Ennis and co-lead by guitar and vocals Damon Tate, technical monster Ryan Trinh on drums and Michael Valadez on guitar, the Michigan quartet is steady on the rise and show no signs of slowing down at this point even gaining attention from WWE Superstar Rhea Ripley. Of Virtue opened the show, guns blazing and feeding off the hot energy of the Tennessee crowd. The band opened with their song “Cut Me Open” and it was the perfect way to warm up the fans for the night. Energetic and at times seemingly unstoppable, Of Virtue continued the assault with their hit “Cold Blooded” from their 2023 record ‘Omen’. Of Virtue lead singer Tyler Ennis would inevitably close out the band’s set by entering the circle pit himself and signing with the fans their last song “Cannibals” in stellar fashion. Crowd surfing and singing his way back to the stage, Ennis rejoined his bandmates and left it all right there on stage on a humid and dangerous night.
After stepping outside to get some air, I was able to speak to vocalist Tyler Ennis and made damn sure to give him and the band their flowers for that momentous performance. It was a nice break from the humidity of the venue and to their credit, Eastside Bowl had fans going all night, but due to the severe weather sweeping the tri-state at that time with flash flood warnings and tornado watches, it was bound to happen. We were all sardines in a can inside the concert hall and we were perfectly fine with it. Because up next was Catch Your Breath. I for one am glad I did catch my own breath before this band took it away.
Lights out, Catch Your Breath rushed to the stage to pour gasoline on the fire and opened with their song “Fade”. Lead singer Josh engaged the already pumped up fans and took us all on a ride with his visceral vocals. Josh backed by his powerhouse band Teddy on guitar, Ciananon on bass and drummer Onell, the Austin Texas hard rock outfit came to impress with this performance. Catch Your Breath came to play and made sure to keep everyone on their toes. This was a good ole southern ass beating on the senses and I was very impressed by their set in a number of ways. If you ever see these guys playing a show near you, don’t hesitate to buy a ticket and prepare to have your shit rocked.
After gathering what was left of myself from two bands absolutely annihilating my senses, I was ready for Imminence to get on stage and show us all what Sweden already knows. I was NOT prepared for what was about to unfold. Lights went out. Amidst the darkness, ominous music played throughout the room, reverberating in each one of us. The feeling was otherworldly and somewhat supernatural in nature. You really felt like you were about to experience something. Suddenly a member of the crew brought out an incense burner and gave it to the crowd momentarily to then be passed back to the crew who would then place it in front of the drums almost as a way to cleanse the air and energy for the band. This was definitely about to be special.
The music faded and the smell of incense was all around me. The intro to “Paralyzed” began with each member walking on to the stage. Eddie Berg sounded absolutely incredible. Hitting every note vocally as well as on his violin. It was truly masterful to watch. It was also hard to focus because of a number of reasons. One being how sweaty I was and two being how mesmerizing the band was to see perform. It was tricky because I wanted to take it all in but I was also there to document this beautiful performance so I had to snap out of it quickly and focus. Seconds later I gained my composure and began to get in a zone of my own, seemingly in sync with the band. It was a marriage of photojournalism and performance art that I have never in my career felt before. The band would transition into their second and third song seamlessly. Playing “Ghost” and “Beyond The Pale” back-to-back. Harald Barrett’s playing and his screams were a sight to behold versus just hearing it on a record. Not to mention Peter Hanström’s insane pulse pounding drumming. This was definitely an experience. Damn Sweden knows how to throw down.
If you know anything about this band then you know they don’t do anything half assed. Imminence out on one of the most incredible performances I have ever experienced in my years of photojournalism and as an avid concert goer. This show quickly became the front runner for top 5 concerts ever for me. I look forward to seeing Imminence coming back to The United States for many years to come. The band would close out their show with my favorite song off of their newest record “The Black”. Watching Berg playing the violin and screaming into it was unlike anything I have ever seen before. You felt like he was screaming from actual pain and maybe he was. Maybe that’s what it’s all about. The feeling of the lyrics and the feeling of the music in your chest.
Be sure to see this tour because it is one not to miss. Check here for more dates:
