© Metalexposure -
Paganfest -
Admittedly, I had high expectations for Paganfest. Ensiferum, Týr and Turisas are in my top five favorite bands, and I'd heard nothing but good things about Eluveitie. Though I arrived at Jaxx's long before the start of the show, several fans of all ages, a few proudly wearing red and black facepaint à la Turisas, stood in line along the outside of the venue. I could feel the anticipation among us as we waited, and the doors would not open for another two hours.
After what seemed like eternity, we were allowed in and almost immediately assaulted with metal. Sil Veth, an American black metal band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, took the stage first and did a great job setting the tone for the rest of the night. Alex Merek's it very nicely with Sil Veth's music; however, when he spoke to the crowd using the same overdone rasp, he sounded more than a little bit silly. Despite Mike Trush's often overpowering bass line, Sil Veth's performance was still great. Drummer Ruston Grosse displayed uncommon talent, keeping the band together all the way through a very technical and complex show. Unfortunately the venue cut them off in the middle of their last song, which ruined the momentum of their show.
The next band up was Apothys, an American death metal band from Springfield, Virginia. While there was nothing wrong with their performance, they simply were not on Sil Veth's level. The band members had plenty of energy, with the exception of bassist Corvus, who stood in the background for the duration of the set. However, they all lacked stage presence, which is oftentimes more important. As far as opening bands go, Apothys did their job; they kept the fans awake and ready for the headliners without making them restless. If Apothys wants to headline though, they'll have to put more into their shows than they did at Paganfest.
As soon as Eluveitie (pronounced "el WAY tee") got on stage, I knew we were in for a treat. The crowd cheered even as the band soundchecked their unusual assortment of instruments. The actual set was positively electric. It was easy to see that all the band members (and guest guitarist Terji Skibenæs of Týr) were having a great time up there. During one song, Sevan Kirder (flute), Meri Tadic (violin) and Anna Murphy (hurdy gurdy) stood arm in arm and headbanged with huge grins on their faces. The sight of so many talented musicians obviously having the time of their lives made the show incredibly fun, and their wonderful melodies were the icing on an already delectable cake.
Týr, my personal most anticipated band, would also be the one to disappoint the most.
The first songs of their set, both from their unreleased album Land, seemed slow
and dry. I know that replacement drummer Merlin Sutter (Eluveitie) must have been
tired after his own band's performance; he struggled maintaining the tempo for the
first half of Týr's set. The band finally hit its stride during "Wings of Time,"
and it seemed as if everyone had finally woken up. While there was minimal movement
on stage, lead vocalist Heri Joensen exuded a calm strength that gave each song (even
the lackluster first two) unmistakable intensity. The last two songs were a little
above acceptable, with a noticeable but forgivable goof by the drummer, but overall,
the performance fell flat. Part of the problem was the set order; Eluveitie's fast-
Thankfully, Turisas brought the energy level back up. The over-
Lastly, Ensiferum went on. I had seen Ensiferum headline at a bar in Finland, and
I knew what they were capable of. Indeed they did live up to my expectations with
a solid show. Ensiferum was the perfect band with which to end the Paganfest lineup;
their set was lively without being exhausting, and frontman Petri Lindroos took time
between songs to talk to the crowd. At the end of this epic show, I felt dehydrated,
tired, bruised and satisfied. Odin only knows why the United States has taken so
long to drum up enough interest in viking metal to warrant a countrywide tour, but
I hope that Paganfest will be here -
Ursula