The last date of the fourth annual Paganfest hit the Big apple this last Sunday night at Gramercy Theater. It came as no surprise that the show was sold out weeks ahead of time, which of course added more to the hype of the great Pagan feast. This year’s line-up consisted of USA’s own Helsott,(who were the new comers of the the tour) also an angry colony of Norwegian wasps known as Trollfest, along with Heidenvolk from the Netherlands. Co-headlining, from the beautiful Faroe Islands, came the viking warriors known as Tyr, and finally, Finland’s finest warriors, Ensiferum, which made a triumphant return to the States.
Helsott
It’s safe to say that Helsott held our nation high up at the viking fest, showing that we Americans can also hear the call of the pagan gods. They moved the crowd more than expected, of course as only a few knew of them, which attest that they definetly left with new fans. Never the less they did not hesitate to demonstrate their gratitude towards the fans, promoters and others in the bill of supporting them during this tour. During the last songs of their set, the Norwegian band of Trolls, Trollfest felt the need to invade the stage, cheerfully running around, throwing paper around, and just plainly having fun with Helsott as they concluded their set, which of course was hilarious and fun to watch. Paganfest
Trollfest
As trollfest began their set, one could only wondered what was the deal with the bee outfits. Then it became apparent that it suited their music perfectly. Their last album release was “Brumlebassen” which is not surprisingly about bees, though these guys need to be given an A+ for creativity. Yet as hilarious as the theme may seem, the NYC crowd definitely was filled with fans of the band, and sure knew how to enjoy true Balkan metal. As they concluded their set, Helsott thought it was time to re pay the earlier visit of the Norwegian trolls. They snuck into stage, threw paper planes out into the crowd, and partied along side the members of Trollfest with hilarious party hats, and obviously booze. Though we cannot forget that one of the most memorable moments of the night was finely the perfectly executed wall of Death.
Heidevolk
Then they came… The dutch warriors known as hedeivolk to Paganfest. One cannot simply get over the mighty testosterone display on stage. They were supporting their latest album Batavi which is an ode to their Germanic ancestors and roots. It was simply amazing. The two singers tore it down, with powerful vocals that gave life to the beautiful Dutch lyrics accompanied by the band itself, which produced a perfect amalgam of real folk metal.
Týr
Hailing from the beauftiful Faroese Island came Tyr. It is not a surprise that they have a solid fan base here in the states. The crowd chanted along to songs with beautiful and meaningful lyrics; such as “Hold the Heathen Hammer High” & “Shadow of the Swastika” that were full of Pagan lore, along with their message of justice, tolerance and peace. Most certainly the female crowd had also their share of the fun on stage, as they were definetly enjoying the view of great looking Viking men.
NOTE: There was an issue with the uploader with certain TYR photos the rest can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kassandra_k_carmona/sets/72157633466978129/
Ensiferum
The fourth chapter of the annual Paganfest marked the triumphant return of the Finnish sword-bearing warriors known as Ensiferum. Their lastest release: “Unsung Heroes”certainly left their fan base in the States anxiously awaiting their return. Not much can be explained about their performance as one would lack the words to describe it… the fans went mad, crazy, and dazed. This was certainly the way to finish a great night of feasting the way Vikings did, with lots of alcohol and dancing.
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