#i was just about to run out of energy for primo grinding too

[rubys-domain]

holy shit i actually got a fav sword

[aedan-mills]

OKAY, I had to do this:

Dead Poets play Genshin Impact and who they Main

Neil: Jean, Xiangling, Xingqui, and Bennet

- He has the WORST 5 star luck, literally only gets 4 stars or JEAN (his Jean is c3)

- Loves playing Co-op, especially to help Todd Grind for materials

- The moment he got Qiqi, he felt bad that he had to take out Jean if he needed her on the team, so he puts Qiqi on his spare party (because he got attached to Jean)

- Really wants Venti and Zhongli on his team, he cries about it all the time

- Also Mains Razor, Chongyun (when he plays with Todd), Beidou, and Kaeya

- Type of guy to do single pulls everyday (doesn't really save up a lot UNLESS he knows who he wants in a banner)

- He likes to try imitating the voices of the characters randomly

Todd: Xingqui, Chongyun, Mona, Diluc

- everyone is jealous he has a Diluc

- he doesn't know how to build Diluc but he's happy Diluc can do 3k hits

- He mains Xingqui more because he feels like they're similar

- He always has Chongyun with him because they're bffs

- Todd hates doing domains or bosses alone (especially Wolf and Oceanid) so he asks Neil to help him with his bennet

- Todd also got Zhongli and Venti but he doesn't wanna tell that to Neil

- He rarely pulls so he has 4k primos just rotting away

- REALLY invested in the story/lore <3

- Takes a lot of time with his Tea pot <3 (named on of his dogs Neil)

Charlie: Eula, Lisa, Ningguang, Beidou

- His team is more "aesthetics" than practical

- HE ALWAYS MAKES LISA CLIMB, even if he loses energy a lot

- Really enjoys beating up bosses, since he has a C5 nigguang built his Eula's PHYS DMG so high, he's a one hit kind of guy

- ALWAYS IN MORA-HELL somehow???

- he likes to back seat game Todd whenever he sees him use Diluc wrong but just really wants his own

-his alternative party is Kaeya, Zhongli, Childe, Traveller

- He will always use Zhongli to make Dong statues

- "GUYS CHECK OUT EULA'S THIGH"

- If you don't tell him off, he will steal your resources when you're not looking

- has no self control with wishes so he wishes everyday too

- is willing to buy genesis crystals (already did for Childe and Zhongli and Eula ;) )

Knox: Traveler, Amber, Kaeya, Lisa

- He's that kind of guy who will use the original team just because SOMEONE said Amber/ the og party sucks

- Will actually defend Amber with his life (She's at least c3 now)

- If he's not using Traveler, he'll use the Xiao he accidentally got cuz he feels like he kins this emo boy a lot

- has 6k primo gems rotting away and EVERYONE is LIVID

- He enjoys playing with Todd and Neil more than Charlie and the others since they don't complain about his fighting style

- He likes to skip dialogues because he just wants to fight

- prefers playing the events or side games more than the actual story, but when he plays in each story, he will always switch to Traveler so he doesn't see the weird switch out

Meeks: Venti, Hutao, Ningguang, Diona

- FUCKIN BUILD GOD

- All of his characters, even 4 stars, are AT LEAST lvl 60-70

- even Amber

- He also mains Mona, Bennet, Eula, Jean, Sucrose, Albedo

- Really enjoys the lore so he, todd and pitts like to theorize about the Moon, the archons, khaenri'ah, timmy

- He knows when to save up for Pity, almost always wins 50/50

- Does Dailies really quick and does domains, ley lines, everyday, and organizes weekly boss co-ops with the others

- Speed runs the Spiral Abyss, of course he does

- He taught Charlie how to build, he regrets it now since Charlie will always ask him to do domains with him

- He and Pitts do a lot of Co-Op together since they both World level 8 now and 2 characters for each is better than 1 each

Pitts: Yanfei, Venti, Qiqi, Beidou

- Memes the shit out of the game

- He'll always send the group chat the stupidest genshin memes yet they never get sick of it

- plays it in Japanese Dub

- He once saved up for Hu Tao (his fav character) but lost 50/50 and still sulks about it until this day

- Aside from being really good at builds, he tends to be the type to invest a lot in his teapot

- He and Todd had the prettiest Teapots <3 <3

- Whenever stories come up he switches back to Eng Dub because he can't be bothered to read important info

- depending on the character he wants, he'll make a physical, literal SHRINE for them (as a joke) but it actually worked when he did it for Yanfei and Venti so....

Cameron: Zhongli, Barbara, Jean, Rosaria

- at first he didn't like the game

- He's not used to playing video games but he eventually got really attached to Venti's story

- He also really likes Barbara because she's so nice ;u;

- When he got Jean, he was fully invested on building her

- When he got Zhongli, he became fully invested in the game (especially the liyue story)

- He doesn't like to ask for help from his friends so he self-studies how to build and ends up showing Meeks really useful stuff

- He and Meeks are the best players of the group even if Cameron doesn't always Co-Op

- The only time Cameron really asked for help was during Twisted Realm and Azdaha

- ever since, he'd ask Neil or Meeks for help because they don't shit on him for the game

- He's the type to be updated with every banner so he reports to the others on who to save for

- Source of all the Redeem Codes <3 He watches all the live streams

Bonus:

Sticks: Kazuha, Venti, Eula, Hutao

- is the one who introduced them to the game

- source of some of Pitt's memes

- builds just as good at Meeks but is just as modest as Neil

Chris: Klee, Diona, Qiqi, Sucrose

- She likes the baby characters so much <3

- she mains Diluc on the side but doesn't really show people because she wants to be known as the chibi collector

Ginny: Xiangling, Bennet, Xingqui, Chongyun

- uses the national team because someone said so (she mastered them too)

- she's really good at spiral abyss haha

- will let you steal her mats if you help he with oceanid

[devils-gatemedia]

The Gods of metal have certainly been looking after us all so soon into the new year. Before heading to our cousins in mainland Europe, The Avenged Sevenfold/Disturbed/In Flames tour is currently packing them in up and down the length of these shores. Crossing their paths on the same routes is what could be called the “Nuclear Blast Triple Treat”; headliners Sabaton, special guests Accept and opening act Twilight Force, currently all residing with the good folks at NB. Blowing into town the same night that all hell broke loose on Scotland’s travel network, the Swedes and Germans provided a welcome distraction from normality for a few hours.

I once took my kids to see The Krankies, together with John Barrowman, in panto. As surreal as that combination might sound, it was daft, silly fun. Swedish purveyors of ‘adventure metal’, Twilight Force could also be described as daft, silly fun. ‘Lord Of The Rings metal’, ‘Robin Hood metal’, or just plain old ‘dudes-in-hoods metal’ were deemed too silly and daft, so ‘adventure metal’ it is. In some instances, power metal and symphonic metal involve a pinch of salt along with a tongue firmly in the cheek, but these guys go several steps further than that. This is a Sabaton show after all, so inhibitions are checked at the door, as I screwed my eyes up and squinted towards the stage, and towards the guys cramped at the lip of the stage, struggling to make sure they don’t fall off. Sabaton’s production is so big the stage is cordoned off with a balsa wood wall, and the two preceding acts run the risk of going head-first into the first few rows. Twilight Force are risking ridicule with their cloaks, hoods, staffs, and at one point, a sword, but they seem oblivious to everything as they run through a short set in support of recent album ‘Heroes Of Mighty Magic’. Confident enough to not only attempt, but succeed at, some audience participation, it’s all good, clean, family fun, and at one point I’m certain I heard someone in the crowd shout out “He’s behind you!”. There are some decent songs on the album, ‘Riders Of The Dawn’ and ‘Powerwind’ spring to mind, but on the live stage the imagery is so in-your-face that, for me at least, they lose their charm.

Teutonic terrors, Accept, are welcomed onto the stage with a roar befitting the headliners, and judging by the amount of Accept t-shirts in the crowd, these guys are going to give Sabaton a fair old ding-dong of a battle. With a new live album to promote, the set is naturally culled from ‘Reckless And Live’. An incredible package, that should cure even the most ardent hater of live albums, it’s made up of four decades of Accept’s best loved tracks from the Dirkschneider era, as well as the current Mark Tornillo line up. It’s two songs from recent times that open the show, as ‘Stampede’ gives way to ‘Stalingrad’, the latter, a crunching blend of chugging guitars, old school metal, and beer hall vocals. The pit that has been brewing quite nicely, breaks off during the guitar break near the end, and everyone puts their arms over the person next to them and what can only be described as a fucked up version of the can-can ensues. Founding members, Peter Baltes on bass and legendary guitarist Wolf Hoffmann, look incredible. Many bands from decades ago that are still treading the boards today look out of shape and like they’re going through the motions. These guys are lean, fit, and healthy, and have me asking myself if these are still the same musicians that I first saw supporting Judas Priest way back in (cough) 1981? Man, I’ve let myself go! Musically, they are still on point and benefiting from the renewed sense of urgency that American Mark Tornillo injected into the band in 2009. Latest members, drummer Christopher Williams and guitarist Uwe Lulis also play an important role in the band by bringing some youthful piss and vinegar to the party. It’s a trip down memory lane for the vociferous crowd, as Accept steamroller through four decades of metal, ‘Restless And Wild’, ‘Fast As A Shark’, ‘London Leather Boys’ and ‘Metal Heart’ all hit the mark. Tornillo seems to be struggling with a sore throat as he reaches for the higher notes. It doesn’t seem to be anything more than a cold, and after an early night tucked up in bed, he should be as right as rain. The set ends naturally with what else but ‘Balls To The Wall’. During the finale, Lulis notices a drum stick lying on the stage and hands it over to a kid in the crowd who is dressed in full Sabaton regalia. A nice touch to end an amazing set.

The crew scurry about in darkness preparing the stage for Sabaton. The tank is under wraps. We know it’s a tank, they know we know it’s a tank, but it’s still a huge thrill when it gets uncovered. Steadily moving their way up in venue size over the last few tours, this is the largest Sabaton production to date, in the largest venues that they have played over here. The intro tape of ‘In The Army Now’ gives way to ‘The March To War’. Drummer, Hannes Van Dahl takes his place atop the tank which has kicked into life. Joakim Broden can’t be seen through the strafing spotlights, but we can hear him… “We are Sabaton, we play Heavy Metal and this is Ghost Division!”. The rest of the band bound on to the stage, and explode into a flurry of headbanging, windmills, and infectious energy. The massive video screen is flashing up image after image as the band’s logo rises from a wall of fire. Make no mistake, Sabaton have put their hearts and money into this show. Broden is his usual hyperactive self, and covers every inch of the stage during the first few moments. The crowd surfers are coming over the barriers already and security are in for a long shift.

No time to catch a breath as the screen works in tandem with the band as they break into ‘Sparta’, the first song of the evening from latest album ‘The Last Stand’. Sabaton are joined on stage by two Spartan warriors wearing nothing more than some golden budgie smugglers, helmets, and big bloody spears. Not to be outdone, Broden has done a quick costume change into a full on warrior head dress a la Gerard Butler in the movie ‘300’. It’s great theatre, and the crowd joins in with the chants of “Sparta” throughout the song. Sabaton are a great distraction from the day to day grind of modern life, and it surely must be a crime to be grumpy at one of their gigs? As they kick on through another new track, ‘Shiroyama’, people are smiling, pumping their fists, and raising their drinks to the sky. This is fantastic, switch-yer-brain-off, entertainment. That’s the key word at a Sabaton gig… entertainment. They put on a show, they give the crowd their money’s worth, and work their arses off to ensure that everyone leaves smiling. When Broden introduces ‘Swedish Pagans’, it sets off some frantic bouncing from the crowd, and from the viewpoint of the balcony, it looks the entire crowd is bouncing as one. The pit changes to a conga line, like a hairy-arsed version of a hen do in Blackpool, and it’s impossible not to crack a smile. Sabaton are wary of the fact that they toured only ten months ago, and want to make sure that they do something different. They have new material to air, but that’s not enough, so the crew quickly set up for an acoustic number. As Joakim mugs about on the piano, new guitarist Tommy Johansson takes over and the band chill out on ‘The Final Solution’. Again, it’s all about giving the loyal fanbase something different. Fans know that they will get ‘Carolus Rex’, ‘Primo Victoria’ and ‘To Hell And Back’, so anything that’s different is a bonus. Unsurprisingly, ‘Blood Of Bannockburn’ joined the last two tracks mentioned as part of the encore. The keyboard-heavy track was divisive when ‘The Last Stand’ was released. Unless you’re Scottish, chances are you’ll pass over the track, but in front of a partisan crowd, Sabaton can’t go wrong. There are collectors from the Poppy Scotland organisation in the venue tonight, raising money for ex-servicemen, and there is a great moment when Joakim gets one of them on stage. Saying that every country is good at sending people to war but not so good at looking after them when they return, so this was a worthy cause. Broden also says that people should give up the price of a drink, and as he likes to drink he would drop some notes into the bucket. It looks like over £1,000 was raised on the night for a fantastic charity, and again proves how generous the metal family can be. ‘To Hell And Back’ rounds the evening off in fine style, and the bouncing-as-one recommences. You would have to have been hard nosed not to have enjoyed yourself tonight, as it was a memorable evening in many ways.

What next for Sabaton? 2018 is the tenth anniversary of the ‘Art Of War’ album. Perhaps a played-in-its-entirety tour to celebrate?

Review: Dave Stott

Images: Lara Vischi

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Live Review: Sabaton – O2 Academy, Glasgow The Gods of metal have certainly been looking after us all so soon into the new year.