Smash Into Pieces—bringing It All Together In Manchester

The most obvious success of Swedish music is ABBA in the seventies and early eighties; then the rock group Europe paved the way for metal and rock groups from Sweden with their worldwide hit, The Final Countdown.

The emergence of a thriving metal scene continues with acts like Royal Republic and now electronic/rock act Smash Into Pieces, who, like their peers, combine thrashing guitar riffs mixed with a melodic score, resulting in a winning combination.

As the band arrived at the Ritz in Manchester, the four-piece led by singer Chris Adam Hedman Sörbye gave a performance that was razor sharp.Their drummer, The Apocalypse, who resembled a cross between Darth Vader from Star Wars and Knight Rider, wore a hood that lit up in different colours depending on the nature of the track, leaving you wondering how he was able to see so proficiently.

Combining the energy of metal with the industrial steel of electronica gave tracks Trigger and Heroes Are Calling a sharpness, albeit with a melodic twist. Their songs could be considered pop tracks wrapped up in a metal coating. If they removed the often heavy-and-dark trust their songs come with, perhaps their tracks would be more radio-friendly.

Their influences from Linkin Park and, at times, The Killers, came to the fore numerous times, though a duet with Linda Battilani of the support group Halflives on Boomerang showcased a lighter side to the band.

 As they encored with Six Feet Under, Smash Into Pieces were very much live and dangerous.