Justin Nuoffer
IMMINENCE
w/ Landmvrks + Jiluka
3/15/25 – The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
©Justin Nuoffer/NuofferMedia.com
The Swedish metalcore outfit Imminence has arrived in Milwaukee backed by more fanfare than ever. The line built early and formed down the street. The massive Rave/Eagle Ballroom facility loomed in front of it. The damp weather held no one back from this night. Back in May last year, Imminence played at a very busy and crowded Majestic Theater in Madison, WI. Unsurprisingly, they are now trekking into larger cities and venues.
The Rave is a staple of the Milwaukee music scene. Thousands of artists have graced its haunted halls, and it is time Imminence left their mark. Entering the building through the side door, you are ushered to the security check, followed by a short walk up the stairs into the main foyer and box office area. Once inside, the merchandise setups in the corner had lines stretching down the corridor. In the main room, the general admission floor quickly filled up. Up above in the VIP area that wraps around the entire floor, fans began grabbing their seats and purchasing drinks at the bar in the back. Overall, the mood was very chipper and anxious.
First up is Jiluka, the Japanese band that mixes 1980s Japanese cosplay with its self-proclaimed brand of electro-gothic metal. The black leather-clad foursome took the stage to plenty of fanfare, and many fans were dressed similarly to the foursome. Jiluka consists of Riko on vocals, whose vocal capabilities shine through the material. The pure strength and range of screams and gutturals give the already brutal songs an extra punch.
Riko was on top of a catwalk that stretched the entire length of the stage. With Sena on guitar and Boogie on bass, their material is disgustingly heavy, and the breakdowns are a work of art. Every single one booms and knocks the dust from the rafters. Drummer Zyean smashes the kit effortlessly while thoroughly engaging with fans out front. Jiluka smashed their way through five tracks, opening with their newest release “Kvlt” and closing with “Ven0m”. “Ven0m” turned heads with the online community, and it opened the Milwaukeeans’ eyes wide as well. The neon lights created a mood, and the pure heaviness proved that Jiluka’s first US tour was well worth the wait.
Check out our Jiluka concert photo gallery below:
Next to brutalize the stage is Landmvrks. The metalcore outfit from Marseille, France, is once again in the States touring, but this time promoting their upcoming album The Darkest Place I’ve Ever Been, which drops April 25th. Four tracks from the album were featured in tonight’s set. Opening with “Creature,” Landmvrks set the tone right away for the onslaught of heavy rippers they had planned. They pounded the stage with three of their first five songs coming from the album, and the response to them was overwhelming – almost as if The Rave crowd knew every note by heart.
Frontman Florent Salfati is a smooth operator on the microphone. He casually patrols the catwalk and unleashes a fury of screams relatively easily, often encouraging the crowd surfers to get going and understand the assignment. Bassist Rudy Purkart and drummer Kévin D’Agostino shook the room in unison. They boomed the low end and were ferocious.
On the back half of their setlist, they primarily featured songs from 2021’s Lost In The Waves album. Included within it, they featured “Suffocate,” a mostly acoustic track that was a much-needed break and whose beauty was unmatched. Guitarists Nicolas Exposito and Paul Cordebard complemented each other well. The lead and rhythm guitarists dish out an assault of tasty riffs. With “Self Made Black Hole” being the final song, they both managed to take a spot up on the catwalk and took a sort of victory lap throughout the dialed-back song. The pure earnestness of their emotions within the live atmosphere delivered a human aspect rarely seen in bands these days. They had a genuine appreciation for the crowd in front of them, who were eating up everything they dished out.
Check out our Landmvrks concert photo gallery below:
The growth of Imminence has already been noted, but it impresses. The band has already proven to be a well-polished force to be reckoned with. As the room swelled with fans, the anticipation built, and the noise level inside The Rave kept growing. Imminence is the Swedish metalcore band that has found itself rising at a fast pace over the last year. With the stage dark, a fog rolled over it and filled the air. The backdrop is two church windows and a door in the middle. Within each of the three items, their circle logo shines brightly.
The band’s touring members walk out onto the left riser and place themselves behind a microphone and a keyboard rack. Across from them, Peter Hanström gives a wave to the crowd and sits behind his drum kit. Without notice, the intro to “Paralyzed” kicks in, and the rest of the band takes the stage. The eruption of noise is deafening in the air. The walls and flooring rumbled. Blasts of light shot across the room. The insignia on the door and windows glowed. The impactful moment grabbed one’s attention tightly and never let go until the final note.
The show itself was packed full of artistry and metalcore gems. The focus of the setlist was the band’s breakout album The Black. “Ghost” and “Beyond the Pale” followed the opening backbreaker, and it set a defined tone for them to pound out the album that allowed them to pack bigger rooms. Up front, Eddie Berg provided monstrous vocals while stomping around the catwalk. He engaged with the crowd, often pushing them to get moving faster in the pit. On the outside edges of the stage, guitarists Alex Arnoldsson and Harald Barrett shred through riff by riff. They abused the catwalk by stomping and jumping all over it. Their energy was contagious.
With a technical glitch halting the show entirely during “Death By A Thousand Cuts,” Berg took the time to have the room’s lights turned up and introduce the band. As he sat on the edge of the stage he repeatedly thanked the crowd and asked questions like “How many are from Milwaukee?” and “How many traveled here?” The crowd started yelling questions such as “What does your bracelet say?” Berg replied with, “Dog daddy. I am a proud owner of five dogs.” The back-and-forth with the fans was human. He also announced that Christian, the normal bassist, was at home with a newborn, and their friend David was filling in for the time being. It was a unique moment that became a highlight. How often do artists stand on the stage before a nearly sold-out Rave crowd and have a Q&A to kill time?
As the show moved along, it was structured more as a theatrical performance piece. Every time Berg grabbed his violin and played, he contorted his body, leaning and stretching all around. His most gripping moment was the serenading song “Alleviate,” with just a keyboard backing him up, his voice cracked and delivered an honest sincerity of the lyrical content, only to end with a couple-minute-long call and response of “oh oh oh oh” over and over. Time stopped, and the circle pit ceased to move during it. The moment was rather breathtaking. Mid-set, they delivered powerful tracks “Continuum”, “ Death Shall Have No Dominion”, and “God Fearing Man”. Two of them are new singles from The Return of The Black re-release. The fact that they maintained their heaviness and polished layers in a perfect mixture was striking. Imminence has matured their sound from simply another metalcore outfit to something completely different.
After a very short break, Imminence showed their ability to be true showmen once again. Whether it was Barrett roaming the stairs mid-stage while over-emphasizing his motions with a bow in his hand as he tapped away with the loose strings floating around, or it was Berg and his violin providing a unique layering and soloing the show to a close, they were at their peak form.
With “The Black” and “Le Noir” as the closers, it couldn’t have been a more perfect way to end it. Imminence is, without a doubt, the next big band to come out of the metalcore scene. With what was witnessed tonight, it feels as though they are just touching the tip of the iceberg for their material and live show.
Check out our Imminence concert photo gallery below:
Leaving The Rave, one has to believe the entire billing proves that the genre is alive and well, both internationally and growing within the US once again. The subtle differences of each band made this an incredibly fun evening. Watching the next generation push forward and seeing Imminence on their second American tour pull in this type of rowdy crowd is encouraging. Their performance was something that sticks in one’s head and leaves a good feeling.
Heading out into the cold night, in retrospect, was entirely worth it. The smiles and excitement plastered on the fans’ faces couldn’t be wiped off by the weather. That is when you know the band did its job to the highest degree. This tour was worth thirty-three dollars and then some. This show is worth so much more than that amount, and it would be foolish to miss it.
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