"After quickly greeting the audience, Symbolic dived right in and kicked the festival into gear. Demonstrating firm conviction and strong musicianship, the band delivered a solid dose of '80s inspired metal in the vein of early Metallica and other bands in the same genre. Impressive solos, a steady bass, even bass solos, and a competent drummer who got right down to it - it sounded really cool."
Martin Thinnesen, www.gaffa.dk, 5 March 2005.
"When Symbolic opened with an excellent instrumental piece with '80s inspired turbo shredding on the guitars, the crowd banged their heads in respect. The band displayed great musicianship, playing countless riffs and fast guitar runs - often harmonized. World-class."
Henrik Damm, www.soundvenue.com, 6 March 2003.
Upcoming shows:
To be announced.
Previous shows:
Lions and Barrels Mini Metal Festival, Copenhagen, Saturday 4 February 2012
In December 2011 Symbolizer received an invitation to perform at a metal festival at Lions and Barrels, situated in Copenhagen at Parken, Denmark's national stadium. The twelve bands at the festival were: Symbolizer, Downswitch, All the Demons, Blessing the Unknown, Haltefanden, The Columbian Necktie, Waiting for Sedna, Chainfist, Betrayer of Light, Nembience, Atius and Diretone. We were also asked if we could provide backline for a number of other bands like we have done before at Copenhagen's legendary hard rock venue The Rock, and we were happy to accommodate both requests. Symbolizer opened the festival at the big stage at 8.30 pm performing a 45-minute set comprising the hardest and heaviest material in our catalogue to give the massive concrete foundations of the mighty stadium a good shake and blow the festival wide open. Special thanks to Nils Krøyer and to all the friends, fans and relatives who showed up and made this a really great night!
Mosten MC Raceday Festival, Ørsted, Friday 2 September 2011
This was Symbolizer's first show in Jutland since 2005 and it was great to be back and rock out at the Mosten MC Raceday festival, which includes drag racing, motorcycles and rock'n'roll. A total of 16 bands played inside the Hall of Rock Friday and Saturday with Symbolizer kicking into gear at 10 pm Friday and roaring their way through a turbo charged set of high octane Symbolizer classics. With all engines running at full blast, the band's pistons were glowing red-hot and the thunder from Symbolizer's combustion chambers was audible miles away. Special thanks to Mosten MC, to the hard rocking audience and to Nuns with Guns for lending us their gear.
Lygten Station, Copenhagen, Friday 27 May 2011
This show took place inside the old railway station Lygten, which is now a music venue. On board the heavy metal train this evening was Symbolizer along with Eciton, The Absent and Symposion. All four bands went full steam ahead and shook the foundations of the old building with loud metallic roars that no freight train would have been able to match. This was Symbolizer's first gig with our new drummer Lars, who hammered away on the drums without mercy and played an intense drum solo. Many thanks to Kasper for arranging this gig and special thanks to our diehard supporters who showed up once again and rocked out!
Muzikhuset, Raschs Pakhus, Rønne, Saturday 29 May 2010
We were very happy to be invited by Rytmisk Musik Bornholm (RMB) to play a concert at Muzikhuset on Bornholm at an event featuring Sunless Dawn, Chill, Djinnai and Papercut. Symbolic arrived in bright sunshine in Rønne on the Sunshine Island of Bornholm, which fully lived up to its name the whole weekend. As nightfall descended, Symbolic started ravaging their way through a barrage of lacerating riffs and songs of thrashness and blackness which echoed into the night.
Many thanks to Henrik and Mette from Muzikhuset and to Kenneth and Frank from RMB for organising this event, and many thanks to Sunless Dawn, Chill, Djinnai and Papercut. See you on tour one day!
Obscene, Roskilde, Saturday 26 December 2009
When Symbolic along with thrash metallers Pariah received an invitation to play a winter holiday show at Obscene, the well-known underground metal venue in Roskilde, we were more than happy to participate. The venue's maximum capacity of 150 people was quickly reached, and Symbolic's music seemed to ignite the hungry and restless crowd of metal and punk youngsters who were in high spirits. It became a raw and intense, no-holds-barred concert in the true anarchist punk tradition. With a lot of headbanging and pushing and shoving in front of the stage, Symbolic even had to take a few steps back on stage to avoid being thrown over by the tumbling moshpit crowd. Thanks a lot to Obscene's manager Jane Hansen and to the rest of the Obscene crew for organising everything, and thanks to all the rock'n'roll party animals who turned up and made this an unforgettable night!
The Rock, Copenhagen, Saturday 12 September 2009
We were very happy to be back at good old The Rock again at this big, one-day metal bash with a total of 11 bands, who apart from Symbolic were: Electric Hellride, The Fall From Grace, Fox And A Bath, Death Rides A Horse, Trusted Few, Impalers, Haltefanden, Scornful, Hideous Invasion and Kami. It was a great, late summer night with hundreds of people turning up and rocking out from 5 pm until 2 am! Symbolic hit the stage at 10:15 pm and delivered a show consisting of four classic songs and our newest song Technocratic Lies, which seemed to go down very well. Thank you very much to all the metal affectionados who showed up and filled the dark vaults of the mighty Rock once again. You are the best!
Ungdomshuset, Dortheavej 61, Copenhagen, Saturday 8 August 2009
This evening Symbolic and fellow metalheads Threadfin played at Ungdomshuset
(The Youth House) at Dortheavej 61 in Copenhagen, the successor to the legendary old Ungdomshuset at Jagtvej 69, which was demolished in 2007. Since its birth in 1982, Ungdomshuset has hosted countless punk and hardcore concerts with a diehard spirit. Stimulated by a good PA sound and a very responsive audience, our concert on this evening became one of our best so far with the band sounding tight and focused. Many thanks to the friends and fans who supported us. Special thanks to the activists at Ungdomshuset, in particular to Jakob and Mette, and thanks to the kitchen crew for cooking excellent vegan food.
Lades, Copenhagen, Thursday 23 July 2009
Four years after our last show there, Symbolic returned to Lades in Copenhagen, the music venue that has live bands performing almost every night of the year. We had invited our metallic friends Trauma Machine from Sweden to join us there for a summer night of metal. Both bands delivered powerful performances in the melting hot cellars of Lades and received enthusiastic response from the audience. Muchas gracias to our fans and friends who showed up to thrash away the night, and special thanks to organisers Ulrik and Peter from Lades.
Sceneskraek Festival, Seden Beach near Odense, Saturday 23 May 2009
Symbolic played a show at this brand new open air festival at the beautiful Seden Beach near Odense. The event was organized by the music society Sceneskraek in Odense, which had worked hard to make this event come true for the first time. It was our premiere show with our new drummer Jesper Olsen, who blasted his way through an intense performance, and it was also the premiere of our brand new song Technocratic Lies. The Clerk of the Weather had blessed the festival with shimmering sunshine and clear blue skies, and Symbolic played their set overlooking the tranquil Odense Fjord inlet in the beautiful sunset twilight. Thanks to everyone from Sceneskraek, the other bands and the audience!
Kraftwerket, Valby, Friday 7 March 2008
On this evening, Symbolic played their first ever show at Kraftwerket, the underground metal venue in Copenhagen. The quartet shared the evening with fellow metal heads Ulm and Inimical. At this show, we displayed our impressive, new backdrop banner which had been hand-sewn by our own dazzling seamstress Mr Hard. Thanks to everyone who helped organize this show, in particular to Pavel and Rusland from Kraftwerket and to Jes from Ilumia.
Badeanstalten, Slagelse, Saturday 1 September 2007
Three years after our first visit there, Symbolic once again played at Badeanstalten in Slagelse. It was a pleasure to be back and rock West Zealand. Like last time, the evening was organized by TRIO Musikforening, the music society that supports live music in and around Slagelse by setting up many concerts. Three bands were billed for the evening: Symbolic, Rageborne and Psy:code, and all three made sure that any nearby jet airplanes were inaudible. Symbolic played a 45 minute set with an emphasis on the newer songs. Thanks to everyone who helped organize this show, in particular to Nadia from TRIO.
Metal at the Castle, Hillerød Slotsbio, Saturday 30 September 2006
The charming old cinema Hillerød Slotsbio was the place where Symbolic played their first ever live gig on 2 February, 2002. This time, four years later, Symbolic played there again together with Epic, Ground Control and Reminiscence. The present drummer of Reminiscence, Daniel Wald, was Symbolic's first drummer,
who played with us on our first gig. He and many others helped us organize this event, which was blessed by an excellent PA sound. All four bands, who offered very different styles of music, played great sets. The evening presented Symbolic's new line-up: Anders Jensen on bass and Morten Hard, our previous bass player, on guitar. Thanks to everyone who helped us organize this event!
The Rock, Copenhagen, Saturday 12 August 2006
When we were asked by The Rock to support German metal legends Disbelief for their show in Copenhagen and supply backline gear, we were happy to help out. Symbolic had mobilized their territorial army forces again, and the two bands drew a nice crowd. Symbolic also performed a brand new song called The Living Dead, a zeitgeist comment in the typical political style of the band. This out and out hard rocker seemed to please the audience, and we are already looking forward to playing it again at our next show. It was the debut show for our new bass player, Mr Hard, who laid a solid foundation for the music. Disbelief, who had driven 11 hours straight from Frankfurt, also played a great set that really got the crowd going. Thanks to everyone for making this a great evening!
The Rock, Copenhagen, Saturday 11 February 2006
What a night... Approximately 600 people turned up and witnessed the first BATTLE OF ISLANDS event at The Rock in Copenhagen, thus making it the biggest crowd Symbolic have played for yet. The event presented three metal bands from Fyn and three from Sjælland: Third Eye, Symbolic, Mindmare, Hefty Menneske, Anoxia and Palt. All six groups had called out legions of supporters, thereby packing the venue close to capacity limits and making it an incredible night. This was Symbolic's third consecutive show at The Rock in just seven months! It was also the debut for our new guitarist Nikolaj who handled the challenge very well.
Special thanks to Anoxia and Nils Krøyer from The Rock for conceiving this concept, thanks to the sound engineer for an excellent PA sound, and muchas gracias to all the wild metal dudes and dudettes who showed up. Yours is the night!
The Rock, Copenhagen, Thursday 1 September 2005
Once again Symbolic played at The Rock in Copenhagen following an invitation from former Symbolic guitarist Allan Follin's new hard rock band Threadfin and Copenhagen thrashers Bleak. This was Bleak's farewell show and Threadfin's debut show. Symbolic had had time to rehearse more with Allan this time and sounded tight and focused. All three bands had used their extensive underground network to spread the word about the event, so despite the show taking place on a weekday, the hard rock cave was almost filled once again. Special thanks to our beloved supporters, who once again secured a strong turnout. You are in our hearts!
The Rock, Copenhagen, Saturday 9 July 2005
This was Symbolic's first ever show at Copenhagen's biggest metal venue
The Rock. Symbolic were booked together with two other metal bands Anoxia and Third Eye, both hailing from Fyn. Anoxia and Third Eye had hired a bus to transport their fans from Fyn to Copenhagen to see the show. Symbolic had also invited an army of friends and guests, so the turnout for the event was pretty impressive (we didn't know we had so many friends!) A fantastic summer evening unfolded with all three bands delivering strong, powerful performances. Symbolic, who headlined the show, had borrowed their former guitarist Allan Follin for this special occasion, and the band delivered a 50-minute set of their songs, many of which are already well-known underground classics.
Thanks to everyone for making this an unforgettable evening.
Lades Kælder, Copenhagen, Thursday 30 June 2005
Symbolic had been invited by fellow thrashers Anoxia to play a gig with them at this small, cozy Copenhagen venue Lades Kælder which in keeping with true die-hard rock'n'roll spirit has live music 365 days a year (!) and has hosted many metal and rock bands in Dr Evil's Lab of Rock. Following guitarist Sammy Mogensen's departure from Symbolic earlier the same month, the band played this gig as a trio.
Korsør Metal Festival 2005, Kulturhuset, Korsør, Friday 27 May 2005
This festival took place at Kulturhuset in Korsør. Symbolic played their first ever show here with four other bands representing a wide range of styles. The bands were: Zobug, Mindlock, Scam and Fiji. The event was brilliantly organized by the society AMOK which took care of sound, gear, food etc. Kudos especially to AMOK's cook for serving the best Chilli con Carne we have had for ages.
Thanks to everybody who supported this event.
Motorship Metal Festival, MS Stubnitz, Copenhagen, Saturday 21 May 2005
Motorship Stubnitz is a 1960s era 80 meter long former freeze & transport vessel of the DDR (former German Democratic Republic) high seas fishing fleet. Since 1992 it has served as a mobile platform for music, cultural production, documentation and communication. The ship has her home port in Rostock, Germany.
Brendan Morse of Orifice Agency met with the crew of the Stubnitz while on tour in October 2004. They discussed that they had sailed all over Europe with Stubnitz for the past ten years, but had never been to Copenhagen. Seeing a great opportunity for cooperation, the crew of Stubnitz and Orifice Agency set out to make this event become reality. After consulting and seeking permission from over 13 government agencies, a nice three-week program was scheduled for the month of May, culminating in the much anticipated, gigantic Motorship Metal Festival on 21 May 2005. This event brought together 20 kick-ass metal bands from Denmark, Germany and Sweden playing live on two stages inside the ship, thus making it one of the biggest and most spectacular metal events ever to take place in Copenhagen. The bands were: Sacrificial, KloAK, Sickseed, Feared Creation (S), Star Rats, Zenith, Disco Error (S), MNA, Caput (D), Palt, Hefty Menneske, Bleak, Demolition Inc., Calistra, Shameless Bastards, downEdge, Symbolic, Adversary, Scrotum, Mudslide.
Approximately 440 metal boys and girls partied and rocked out on the ship during the entire day and night from 14:00 to 05:00 the next morning, a manifestation of the strength of the metal scene. Some innocent passers-by entered the ship thinking it was a mainstream pop music event, but they were in for a big surprise...
Like the other bands, Symbolic were very pleased to take part in this historic event. The band went on stage around 20:00 and enjoyed playing their set in the unusual surroundings of the art ship. The sloping, grey steel walls of the ship with massive cooling pipes and surreal welded works of art added a cool, metallic reverb and huge ambience to the music - true heavy metal in more than one sense of the word!
Symbolic - and we are sure we are talking on behalf of all the bands taking part in this event - would like to send a massive thank you to the crew of the Stubnitz and especially to the organizer, Brendan Morse of Orifice Agency, who put an enormous amount of risk, time and effort into making this incredible Floating Music Festival event come true. Denmark needs more rock'n'roll party makers like you, Brendan!
BioBar, University of Copenhagen, Friday 1 April 2005
This gig took place at the BioBar, the biology students' bar at the University of Copenhagen. The cozy club with ultraviolet light and fluorescent fish painted on the walls has hosted a number of metal and hard rock bands, and Symbolic, who are always eager to explore new waters, were happy to dive in. To improve the catch, Symbolic had also invited fellow thrashers NAFT into the pond.
You can check out BioBar's website here.
Imperiet, Herning, Saturday 5 March 2005
Symbolic played their first ever show in Herning and in Jutland at this all-weekend Metal Showcase event featuring metal and hard rock bands from all over Denmark. Bands billed for Friday 4 March were Cynical Son (Odense), Fall From Grace (Odense) and Submission (Esbjerg), while Saturday 5 March had Compos Mentis (Århus), Symbolic (Copenhagen), Torn (Copenhagen) and S.A.D. (Herning). Lipid from Vejle were also scheduled for Saturday, but unfortunately had to be cancelled and rescheduled for Thursday 10 March.
Symbolic's concert went down well, and their 50-minute set noticeably included a brand new song, Illusive Future, which was performed for the first time ever. The band made quite a few new friends in Herning and would love to come back. Thanks to everybody who showed up and supported Metal Showcase.
You can check out Imperiet's website here.
Multisalen, Gildbroskolen, Ishøj, Saturday 22 January 2005
Yours truly Symbolic were invited to perform their metallic onslaught at this event named Saturday Night Live Metal II. Excellently organized by drummer Lars Borup and other people from RMI, the evening marked the debut of the exciting new power metal band Seven Thorns. Two other metal acts were also billed, Kami from Roskilde and NAFT from Copenhagen. Despite freezing temperatures outside, the concert was blessed with an impressive turn-out and a great atmosphere. Lars from Seven Thorns and Jesper from Symbolic were interviewed by TV-Ishøj, and a TV report from the show will be broadcast on TV-Ishøj 1 on 8 February 2005 at 8 pm and rerun on Friday 11 February at 8 pm, Saturday 12 February at 10 am and Tuesday 15 February at 8 pm.
Klauzdal, Herlev, Thursday 16 December 2004
Symbolic had the opportunity to play this show at the Klauzdal club in Herlev together with Plush, Centrum, Miyagi, Caspian Chronichles and Jens Strøm. The evening comprised styles ranging from acoustic ballads to metal. This was a good chance for Symbolic's new guitarist Sammy Mogensen to play live with the band for the first time. Sammy had joined the band only two weeks earlier and had to learn the 25-minute set in just sixteen days - a daunting challenge which he handled very well.
You can check out Klauzdal's website here.
Badeanstalten, Slagelse, 11 September 2004
This show was organized by TRIO Musikforening, a music society who has been very active in promoting and developing popular music in and around Slagelse by setting up many concerts. It was Symbolic's first ever show in Slagelse and also their first ever show outside the Copenhagen area, so everybody in the band were anxious to do their best and play a great show. Three bands were billed on the night: Shifting December from Esbjerg, Symbolic and Racore from Slagelse. Arriving in town in the late afternoon, Symbolic and the other bands were wined and dined like in a first-class hotel by the well-organized and friendly people from TRIO. The concert was well-visited and Symbolic blasted their way through an intense 45-minute set. The band received good applause and were asked back on stage to perform Destructive Fanatic as an encore.
You can check out TRIO's website here.
Stengade 30, Copenhagen, 14 August 2004
Symbolic had received a special invitation to play a concert with NAFT at Metalex's and Anne's double 22nd birthday party at Stengade 30. It was a beautiful, hot summer night with temperatures both inside and outside the club climbing almost unbearably high. Symbolic opened the evening and fired their set at full tilt in the faces of the metal fans, who responded enthusiastically and among whom many familiar faces were seen. The band had sharpened their performance for this their fourth gig with the new line-up and sounded lean, mean and tight. Symbolic drank a toast to Metalex and Anne and congratulated them on their birthdays before playing the last songs, ending the set by unleashing the devastating forces of Thanatos Unleashed.
On The Rocks Festival (Rock Stadion), Ishøj Stadion, Ishøj, 19 June 2004
Once again Symbolic played in Ishøj, this time at the On The Rocks Festival (Rock Stadion), an open-air concert staged by Rytmisk Musikforening Ishøj (RMI). Organizing a rock festival at a stadium capable of holding some 10,000 people was RMI´s biggest gamble yet, and the hardworking people behind RMI deserve all the credit they can get for having the sheer guts to organize such a big event.
A string of exciting bands playing pop, blues, surf, rock and metal delivered great music all day long at the massive stadium.
Unfortunately the Clerk of the Weather was in a terrible mood; showers came and went during most of the day, but the festival went on as planned and the audience were in high spirits. In the early evening when it was their turn to enter combat, Symbolic turned their amps all the way up to 11 in an attempt to frighten off the rain clouds. The trick actually seemed to work, halfway through Symbolic's set a beautiful rainbow appeared on the blue horizon as a clear sign of surrender, and at the end of the show the rain had almost stopped. The open air PA sound was loud and crystal clear, and Symbolic's hard-edged rock'n'roll seemed to go down very well with the freezing crowd, so the band were more than pleased to play the indestructible Destructive Fanatic as an encore.
Saturday Night Live Metal, Ishøj Bio (Ishøj Centersal), Ishøj, 8 May 2004
This show was set up by the newly formed society Rytmisk Musikforening Ishøj (RMI). One of the excellent ideas behind RMI was to set up rock and metal concerts at the mighty former movie theatre Ishøj Bio (Ishøj Centersal) and at other venues. Four bands were billed on this RMI's debut night: Symbolic, Palt, Hippie-Død and Guds Vrede with Symbolic headlining the event. All the bands were held in awe by the size of the auditorium, and this is undoubtedly the biggest indoor place Symbolic have yet played. Symbolic fired away with restless hungry energy and the band gave Transfixed in Time as an encore.
You can check out RMI's website here.
MMGP, Tex Hot'n'Rock, Copenhagen, 17 April 2004
With short notice, Symbolic were given the opportunity to perform one song at this melodic metal event at Tex. Jesper Brogaard (bass) and Allan Follin (guitar) had joined the band only a few weeks earlier, so the band had to practice intensively with the new line-up to become tight for the show. On the night, the band rocked Tex by performing Politicians, which once again proved to be a real crowd-pleaser.
Emergenza Festival, Stengade 30, Copenhagen, 4 March 2004
Once again Symbolic played at the Emergenza Festival. Stengade 30 was completely sold out, a testimony to the success of the Emergenza Festival. Symbolic played a mixture of new and old material, including Destructive Fanatic, a fast-paced metal song once written by Lars Friis, Janus Gringer and Raz. Lars Friis, now in Faith Industrius, was present at the show and Raz paid a tribute from stage to Lars, one of his big heroes on the electric guitar.
Emergenza Festival, Lille Vega, Copenhagen, 5 April 2003
Symbolic entered the stage and performed the same set as in Stengade one month earlier, only this time played tighter, with more conviction and a much improved stage act. The band clearly enjoyed playing at Lille Vega, and the enthusiastic support from the metal crowd made it a highly memorable show.
Emergenza Festival, Stengade 30, Copenhagen, 5 March 2003
This show was the first "real" gig with new drummer Jacob Bitton manning the battery. Symbolic closed the evening with their show which was blessed with a great PA sound, the band's best so far, and the band were delighted to play at Stengade 30 for the first time.
MDGP, Tex Hot'n'Rock, Copenhagen, 21 September 2002
Symbolic entered this annual metal event to give the crowd a good melodic thrash metal show. Only one song was allowed per band, and Symbolic opened the show performing Paradox, which quickly ignited some serious headbanging. Symbolic's show was videotaped by Copenhagen TV show Late Night Metal for later broadcast, and Raz was interviewed by Late Night Metal.
Hillerød Slotsbio, Hillerød, 2 February 2002
This was Symbolic's first ever live gig. The show was one of two release parties held by Nearvous Records to celebrate the release of their compilation album Upcoming Rock 2002, which contained the Symbolic track Thanatos Unleashed. Symbolic headlined the event, which took place at Hillerød's charming old cinema Hillerød Slotsbio. The show was well received and resulted in vigorous stage diving and cheering by the audience, and naturally Symbolic obliged the demand for an encore.