The Pawnshop
February 14th, 2013
Ears still ringing, despite wearing earplugs, it’s time to lay down a review of last night’s show at The Pawnshop. Never having listened to any of the opening bands, they proved to be an interesting and somewhat unexpected mix.
Ancient VVisdom was quite enjoyable, providing a dark, pounding, acoustic flair for the evening. Their primal sound was aided by a frontman who was reminiscent, at times, of Jim Morrison. While there were not too many people in the venue at this point, it seems as though this band made a few new fans.
Royal Thunder were definitely something different to my ear. Their own small fan base turned up, seeming slightly out of place in the crowd with those who were obviously there for Enslaved. With a vocalist who reminded me a little of Janis Joplin, Royal Thunder was fairly well received by the now more crowded venue.
Pallbearer were also well received by the crowd, making it obvious that there were more than a few doom fans looking to get their fix in attendance. The slow, sludgy, characteristic sound of doom metal provided some contrast for what was to come next.
The venue was packed and there was a definite feeling of anticipation in the air when Enslaved took the stage, greeted by cheers from the gathered crowd. They opened with the title track from their latest release, RIITIIR, setting the tone for a night of mostly newer material. The amount of energy Enslaved brought could barely be contained to the stage and frontman Grutle Kjellson provided plenty of interaction with fans in the front rows. The moshing and headbanging continued in earnest as the set progressed with ‘Roots of the Mountain’ emerging as one of the favorites of the night. The slower parts of some of the songs provided a showcase for the musicianship found between the members of this progressive black metal band and a small respite in the frantic energy from the crowd. After a drum solo, the encore concluded the show with ‘Fenris’ and ‘Isa’.Strangely enough, many people seemed to disperse before the encore and missed two great songs. Most of the band members, especially guitarist Ivar Bjørnson, took time to shake hands and thank members of the audience, although it was the audience who owed thanks for a fantastic show. After two hours of high octane metal, the vast majority of the crowd trickled out into the night completely satisfied.
______________________________________________________________________
As a personal side note:
After witnessing Enslaved on Barge to Hell in December, I was unsure that the experience could translate so well into a much smaller venue. I mean, watching them live on the pool deck, playing a set of mostly older material with a thunderstorm lighting up the night sky in the background? It doesn’t get much more epic than that. Also, I found it a bit interesting that they opened with ‘Isa’ on Barge, and concluded the other night with it. That being said, I was impressed and found that I really enjoyed the small-venue, well executed set.
