Kal-El/ Insomniac/ & Kind Live 10/19/25
Live at Sonia’s in Cambridge, Massachusetts USA *October 19th 2025*
When I first heard that Norway’s powerhouse band Kal-El was touring the United States a few months back, I was floored! I immediately purchased my ticket and was super excited to be able to witness the mighty band in a live setting. Their latest album Astral Voyager, Vol.1 (review here) dropped in May and it was my number one pick for the second quarter of 2025. Check out the list here. I was actually late to the party on discovering the band. I finally started listening to their music earlier this year and have been a huge fan ever since. I did a post about them back in February (read it here). Kal-El are a five-piece band featuring Bjørn Harald “Bjudas” Stornes on drums, Stale “Captain” Rodvelt on vocals, Kristoffer “Doffy” Ranaweera on guitar, Joshua “Josh” Bisama on guitar, and Bjørn Olav Knutsen on bass.
I went to the show with my friend Sam and his son Isaac. We arrived at Sonia’s just after the doors opened around 7:45. To my surprise, there were not a lot of people there. I saw Darryl from Kind at the merch booth and went over to say hi. Sunday night shows in Cambridge/ Boston can be hit or miss. I chatted with him for a bit and learned that Kind’s drummer Matt was really sick all week long and the band wasn’t able to rehearse for the show. I met Juan Garcia, the bassist for Insomniac at the merch table. He was a really cool guy and I talked to him about the band and tour, and proceeded to buy an Insomniac t-shirt. After talking with him for a bit, I bought two Kal-El shirts from their roadie/ bus driver, who was managing their merchandise. After the purchase, I headed to my usual spot, at the very front of the stage when Kind was getting ready to go on.
KIND
This is my third time since this past December (review here) that I got to see Kind perform live. I recently saw them at the end of August, playing with Duel (review here). They have become one of my favorite bands as of late and being the local act for this show, was a huge bonus. Kind released their last album, Close Encounters (review here) back in 2023. They just recorded a couple of new songs a few months ago. They played a pretty lean set of five songs, opening with their excellent doom heavy version of the classic, “Heard It Through The Grapevine”. They proceeded to annihilate with “German For Lucy”, “What It Is To Be Free”, new song “Lean”, and the crushing closer “Hordeolum”. They sounded fantastic as ever! Darryl dedicated all of his guitar leads to the late great Ace Frehley (who passed away last week). Drummer Matt was wearing a mask because he was sick but still managed to play exceptionally well. You couldn’t even tell that he was under the weather, based on his performance. They were terrific and despite the small crowd, Kind brought the energy and the heavy riffage. They never disappoint!
https://kindrocks.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/share/1BRYZpsBM5/?mibextid=wwXIfr
INSOMNIAC
Insomniac played next and definitely brought a new dynamic to the show. Their debut album called Om Moksha Ritam (review here) was just released on September 1st, on Blues Funeral Recordings. They sounded great! They played one song right after another and didn’t pause at all between tracks. It was a beautiful flow of music and they captured the sonic essence that is on the record nicely. I love the variety of styles from all three of the artists performing. Insomniac has a more transcendent sound that takes the listener on a trip into the cosmos and beyond. It was very cool hearing these songs live and the band was playing with a great purpose to honor Mike Morris, their band mate that recently passed, just before the album was released. Mike would have certainly been proud with how great they were able to articulate these songs in a live setting. It was a very cool experience.
https://insomniacvibes.bandcamp.com/album/om-moksha-ritam
https://www.facebook.com/share/19q5Mqcrwk/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Kal-El
After Insomniac got done playing, I was fortunate enough to meet Bjørn, the drummer of Kal-El. We conversed for a few minutes and he was very friendly and cool. I was asking him about the band, the tour, visas, etc. It was a cool conversation and he was so down to earth and gracious. I then positioned myself right in front of the stage with Sam and Isaac. The band hit the stage and opened up with “Mothership”, from 2017s Astrodoomeda. The sound was amazing! The thick fuzzy guitar riffs and hammering drums were incredible. When Stale’s vocals came in, it was game on! The band had such great stage presence and really got the energy going with their fantastic music. “Cosmic Sailor”, the last song on Astral Voyager, Vol.1, was next and completely crushed! Kal-El was firing on all cylinders and proceeded to play “Moon People” from the 2023 single. Next they played the first track off 2021’s Dark Majesty album called “Temple”. They played a great mix of songs including “Anubious”, the lead off track from 2019’s Witches Of Mars record. The next three tracks came from 2025’s Astral Voyager, starting with “Cloud Walker”, then “B.T.D.S.C.”, and finally the title track. It was so awesome hearing these songs being played and feeling the energy of the music take over. For me, live music is one of the best drugs ever. I usually carry that good vibe and feeling for a few days after a killer show. The last song they played was their brand new single called “Juggernaut”, from their upcoming Astral Voyager, Vol.2 record. What a nice surprise that was! The band just released the single a couple of days prior and the song kills. It seemed like everyone at the show had a blast witnessing the powerful performance of Kal-El. They were truly spectacular and I can’t wait to see them again. Sunday night shows are difficult because my work week starts on Monday-but a band like Kal-El doesn’t come around too often. In fact, this was their official first U.S. tour. This is definitely a band worth being sleep deprived for and they deserve all the love they get because, they absolutely rule!
