Paganfest North America Part IV
With Ensiferum, Týr, Heidevolk, Trollfest and Helsott
Starlite Room
April 9th, 2013
With a highly anticipated line-up, it came as no surprise that the Starlite Room was a full house for Paganfest. It seems that one can expect that the bands on Paganfest always manage to put on a stellar show, and last night was no exception. With this tour being the first time that Týr, Heidevolk, Trollfest and Helsott have made stops in Canada, we can only hope that they will soon be back again.
Unfortunately I missed the majority of Helsott’s set. A show starting at six in the evening is a little early, and Starlite must be trying to repair their reputation for doors opening and shows starting significantly later than what the ticket says. Either way, I was impressed by what I did hear and this lesser known band from the United States served to energize a crowd eager to hear more folk metal. If Helsott manages to make it back, I will not be missing their set next time.
Norway’s Trollfest proved to be a frenzied, frantic attack of fast paced folk-flavored metal. Silly headpieces made a good accompaniment to vocalist Trollmannen’s sense of humor, which was well received by the audience. While I was quite unfamiliar with their material, this did not seem to be the case with a significant portion of the audience. Familiar with the material or not, Trollfest revved up the crowd. Seeing a saxophone used onstage was an interesting complement that is not found at too many metal shows, but it definitely works in this band. Trollfest describe themselves as being ‘about alcohol, joy and music’, and this was evident in a well played set. While I found the sound a little muddy, it may have been due to the sheer amount of instruments being played at once, overpowering the small venue.
Heidevolk was the big hit of the evening. Even though their lyrics are in Dutch, they managed to connect well with the audience. Listening to their studio recordings, one might be surprised to find the bombastic manner in which they translated to stage. Sounding hard and heavy, with clear sound throughout the entire set, Heidevolk brought the crowd to another level of energized. The two vocalists worked amazingly well together, providing voices that resonated clearly and powerfully throughout the venue. Rarely have I heard clean vocals translate with such force from recordings into a live performance. Favorite songs of the night proved to be ‘Saksenland’ ‘Nehalennia’ and ‘Vulgaris Magistralis’. I believe this city would welcome Heidevolk back anytime.
While I found Týr’s set to be quite enjoyable, there were some issues with being able to clearly hear the vocals on some of the songs. Despite this, the band from the Faroe Islands certainly did not disappoint. With music anchored in traditional Viking styles, Týr presents a sound quite unique even to folk, pagan or viking inspired metal. They played a set of material familiar to most Týr fans, proving they know exactly what to deliver to the audience. The ‘hammer’ songs, as they were described by vocalist/guitarist Heri Joensen, were favorites of the crowd. It seems that the only complaint anyone had about Týr’s set was that it was not long enough. The audience certainly wanted more.
Ensiferum came out in true Ensiferum style: playing a well oiled set and delivering heavy, near perfection songs. For someone who has seen Ensiferum numerous times, they never seem to disappoint. I was hoping for more of the older material, having to settle for a few old songs. Most of the audience seemed more than satisfied with a set heavily focused on material from the last two albums. ‘Twilight Tavern’ was a crowd favorite, along with ‘Iron’, which everyone seemingly either knew, or caught onto in a speedy fashion. ‘Burning Leaves’ translated well into a live situation, sounding much heavier than on the album. This is a band that is always energetic live, and always proves their skill as musicians, inspiring epic circle pits and plenty of headbanging. They were definitely a fitting end for a night of excellent pagan-themed metal.
