Pagan Fest (Ensiferum, Turisas, Tyr, Eluveitie)
3 May 08, Cervantes Masterpiece Theater, Denver, CO
by Ryan Starr
It finally happened. After years of waiting to see the folk metal bands I love, they finally tour the US, under the name Pagan Fest. Upon arriving at the venue, I was shocked to see how many people were lined up outside the door, waiting to get in. Since folk metal is kind of new to the American audience, I wasn’t sure what the response was going to be. I was pleasantly surprised, not only were there a lot of people, but they were all as excited as I was. People who never travel to Denver for shows, showed up for this one.
Opening up the show was
Eluveitie, who started off the set with the single from their newest album
Slania titled
‘Inis Mona’. From that point on they began to amaze the crowd with their fantastic music and energetic stage presence. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a band that active on stage. There was head banging, dancing, and tons of crowd interaction. And of course, when the band is having fun, so is the crowd. Every song had the crowd screaming and singing along to the music. The atmosphere was simply amazing. Unfortunately there was one problem, something the band had no control over. This problem was the sound. There was hardly any guitar or mandolin in the mix. And while this was only a minor setback for Eluveitie, since their melody often lies in the whistles, violin, and hurdy gurdy, this was a major problem for the next band,
Tyr.
Tyr, coming all the way from the Faroe Islands, was welcomed by the Denver crowd with loud cheers and terrible sound.
Tyr had the same mix problems that
Eluveitie did. Unfortunately their sound is heavily reliant on guitars, and since we could not hear them, things kind of fizzled down. That didn’t stop
Tyr from putting on the best show they could. Vocally they were spot on and bassist Gunnar Thomsen did a great job getting the crowd involved for their short five song set. They also debuted two songs from their upcoming album
Land, which garnered a positive response. Sound problems aside, I think the set went well. I just hope they come back again and get a proper mix.
Third was the mighty
Turisas, my favorite band on the tour. I have been a fan of
Turisas just before
Battle Metal came out in the US. Since that day I’ve been yearning to see them. 4 years later, here they are, waging war on the US. My first thought was, “holy shit! I can’t believe they’re here”. The second thought was “I wonder how they are going to pull off the symphonic orchestration”. I have seen videos where they using the accordion to play those parts, but for the US tour they used a backing tape, which made very happy because it adds so much power to the music.
Turisas, in my humble opinion, put on the best show of the night. The thing that struck the most was the passion in which they played. A lot of people think that a band that looks and sounds like
Turisas can’t be serious. But after seeing them live, I can say without a doubt that they truly feel their music. Violinist Olli Vänskä played with such ardor, it was hard to dispute their love for the music. Also, vocalist Mathias Nygård, has a commanding presence on stage, head lead every song like a warlord leading his army to victory. And they succeeded.
Headlining this epic expedition was
Ensiferum. Their set seemed solid, especially since the sound man had worked out most of the kinks. Their stage show was notably different from the rest of the bands, which can be attributed to their high velocity and straight forward style. The aural and visual change in pace was welcomed by most, even if some of us were worn out from the previous three bands. The crowd lit up with a huge pit and there were even a couple brave souls stage diving (and avoiding security) which brought some subdued smiles to the band.
Looking back on this show, I can honestly say this is the best concert I’ve seen in years. There may not have been flashy lights or Pyro, but what they lacked in special effects they more than made up for with passion and energy. Pagan Fest is only on its 10th day. So if you were looking for a reason to go, take my word for it and check it out. You won’t be disappointed, I guarantee it.
Official Pagan Fest Website
Official Ensiferum Website
Official Turisas Website
Official Tyr Website
Official Eluveitie Website
Official Spinefarm Website
Official Century Media Website
Official Napalm Website
Official Nuclear Blast Website
Official Pagan Fest Myspace
Official Ensiferum Myspace
Official Turisas Myspace
Official Tyr Myspace
Official Eluveitie Myspace
