It’s always going to be a fun evening when the Pagans and Pirates are in town and when Paganfest rolled into Manchester it was no different.
Elvenking opened the preceding’s with their brand of Italian Folk Metal and immediately hit us with an impressive and powerful ‘Throes Of Atonement’, leaving no stone unturned when it came to sheer brutality and epic soundscapes. Lethien managed the right wing adding delicate and intricate string work courtesy of his violin while Aydan and Headmatt intertwined to create mesmerising riffs, chords and fretwork. ‘Silverseal’ was monumental in the set, absolutely hypnotic with its perfumed backbone of powerful vocals and crushing basslines, while ‘Elvenlegions’ wrapped the set up and left the crowd baying for more, vocal in their desires for extra and displaying a real hunger which is perhaps propelled by the fact that these isles very rarely see a glimpse of Elvenking. The whole set had been a success, Damnagoras had orchestrated it with brutal vocal work and titanium lung capacity which allowed him to deliver each lyric with pride, passion and downright elegance.
Next on the Pagan landscape was the Dutch representatives Heidevolk and they hit hard from the moment they opened to the last resonating chord which they signed off with. Jacco De Wijs was a dominating presence, stalking the stage as if out to slay his latest prey, dispatching his vocals with effortless ease yet a decadent power while his brother in arms, Daniel Wansink, married up his vocal efforts to that of De Wijs to create a brutal harmony of dual vocals which seemed to shroud you with an addictive quality which begged for you to absorb every vocal with adoration and respect. ‘Winter Woede’ was charming and allowed Romeijn and Van Baest to ply their trades with an air of energy and flourishment while Middelwijk pounded on his thicker strings with a barbaric and muscular intricacy alongside the pulverising and vicious attack on the skins from Van Den Heiligenberg. ‘Drinking With The Gods’ is almost anthemic in the Heidevolk camp and tonight it was shown the rightful respect from the crowd which it absolutely warranted while the cover of the Normaal track ‘Vulgaris Magistralis’ was compelling and compulsive while still maintaining a Heidevolk style which made it absorbing from start to finish.
Tyr attacked the stage next and they brought a level of audible maturity and aggressive luxury with them. ‘By The Sword In My Hand’ was absolutely crushing and sing along inducing, igniting the Folk party with impressive efforts from the gathered hordes in the Warehouse tonight. Joensen was a powerhouse on the vocals and a magician on the strings alike, each track was shipped with a passion and pride which was tangible and evident from each faction of the band tonight. ‘Blood Of Heroes’ and ‘Dragons Never Die’ were absolutely colossal in their portrayal on Manchester soil and they were true representations as to why Tyr are pretty much godfathers in the Folk metal frontline. Every track displayed on the Tyr set list tonight were majestic and regal in their deliverance, each exhibited with a thirst and honour which was admirable and attractive in equal measures.
The elite uber deities of the Folk metal camp, the sword bearing Finns Ensiferum infiltrated the sizeable stage and pillaged from the off. The latest sacrifice ‘Winterstorm’ was represented well tonight and heralded future anthems with the likes of the barbarous ‘Fatherland’ and the venomous ‘Victorious’, both were measured and luxurious with a blistering backbone to its skeleton. ‘Twilight Tavern’ was absolutely alluring while ‘Andromeda’ was gripping and addictive, each demanding the vocals to be spat out with a hunger and an endearing rage which only added to the theatrics and emotion of the whole show. Hinkka was an absolute warrior on the flank, taming and nurturing his thicker strings with a charming and engaging charisma which pulled you in and seemingly offered you a carafe of mead as worthy guests who had stumbled upon their tavern. The set was well represented with offerings from albums which spanned the Ensiferum journey, unfortunately omissions from a couple of albums is simply a case of being a victim of your own success, when you have so many excellent creations to draw from I guess there will always be forfeits which have to be made. That being said, this was a lesson in how to deliver a metal show, a true celebration and one which I hope to be a part of very very soon.
It was time for the ‘Twilight Of The Thunder Duck’ set, and with three huge inflatable ducks on stage it was obvious who was about to rock us. As ‘Keelhauled’ filled the speaker stacks and the stage was attacked by Bowes et al we were well and truly carved open by the swashbuckling Alestorm vessel. The crowd, most in Alestorm shirts charting the bands history and many sporting pirate uniforms in one guise or another, simply let loose. The whole place erupted and showed the appreciation for the pirates landing on their shores and bringing the Alestorm party to town. The set progressed with a catchy ‘Mexico’, an epic ‘Alestorm’ and a feel-good ‘P.A.R.T.Y’, Bowes vocals were animated and colourful while the fretwork from Bodor and Murdock were entwined with each other, creating one body of attractive and alluring captivation. The Alestorm ‘anthems’ are timeless and the likes of ‘Nancy The Tavern Witch’ and ‘Rumpelkombo’ (which closed out the set) are as fresh and relevant today as they were when they were born in 2008 and 2011 respectively.
It’s been a while since we joined the Paganfest party and on the back of tonight’s celebrations I sincerely hope it doesn’t take as long until the next one turns up in town.
Simply put …………… Wow what an evening.
