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Concert Review – Korpiklaani & Ensiferum (The Concert Hall, Toronto, ON, 03/03/2025)

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***Review by Kevin Ibbitson and photos by Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi***

OPENING ACTS: NiNi and Trollfest

KORPIKLAANI and ENSIFERUM are two of my favourite bands and it’s been way too long since I seen them last, like over a decade ago. So you could imagine that it was time for me to add new merch to my growing collection during their Folkfest Of The North Tour 2025 concert in Toronto at The Concert Hall, brought to the city by Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment. To be honest, I have also out grown my current tees and I was looking forward to replacing them. My brother Keith and I arrived early to get a good spot in line to facilitate the process of procuring said merch as soon as the doors opened. My brother Keith, who is the photographer for the Headbanging Moose, had with him two exquisite poster-sized photos of Korpiklaani’s lead singer Jonne Järvelä from the last time they played Toronto, hoping to get them autographed at the meet and greet for V.I.P. ticket holders even though we didn’t have meet and greet tickets. We did have a volunteer in the front of the line who was willing to do it for us and we accepted the opportunity with much appreciation. Right at that exact moment Korpiklaani just happened to be walking by and my brother showed him the photos of which got Jonne enthusiastic approval. That being said, the doors opened a little later than expected but the process of entry went smoothly so off to the merch stand I went. I was about fifth or sixth in line and was happier than a pig in shit when Korpiklaani’s tour manager told me that they had plenty in my size. The problem was that merch wasn’t fully set up yet and so we all had to wait twenty minutes before we got served but to my great disappointment, when it was my turn, they couldn’t find anything in my size (3XL). As you could imagine I felt dejected and super disappointed that I had wasted 20 minutes in line for nothing and that I would not be able to get a good spot against the barrier at the front of the stage but luckily I found a decent spot to the left of the stage. My attitude for the opening act was a bit downcast as I was still stewing about the merch debacle.

Taiwanese musician NINI and her band took the stage to open the show and they proceeded to entertain us with their blend of traditional Chinese folk instruments fused with modern metal. Normally I would be totally into that sort of thing but it took me a while to get into it, no fault of theirs, they were great by the way. Nini was colourfully dressed in her traditional silk costume and looked absolutely adorable as she shredded out a short set complete with her rendition of duelling banjos and flight of the bumblebees. Nini is superbly talented in traditional Chinese instruments as well as playing modern guitars and the band was quite impressive as well. they closed their set with a cover of Brittany Spears “Hit Me Baby One More Time”. I noticed that the band was without a bassist and that could have made an even greater impression on me. My brother Keith picked up a Nini Patch for me to help cheer me up. 8/10

Band members
NiNi – Ruan, Liuqin, San Xian, ukulele, Irish banjo, DaoYu
Jesse Venom – vocals
Taylor Bellemare – guitars
Emilio Vergo – drums

If the Patch didn’t cheer me up, Norway’s TROLLFEST sure as hell did. It was my first experience with them and brother these guys are a hoot. As soon as they came strutting onto the stage in their pink flamingo costumes and blacklight face paint I knew we were in for a good time and instantly my mood picked up and was fist pumping and clapping along side everyone in unison. Trollfest can really get a crowd going if you know what I mean. Their show demands crowd participation and I was all in on it loving every second of it. I didn’t participate in the conga line as I didn’t want to lose my position but it looked like everyone was having a blast. My thighs are still hurting though from all of the couching and jumping up and down (I’m so out of shape) and I had a fist bump moment with one of their guitarists whom after their set handed me a set list, which was cool as fuck. It felt like Trollfest played a full set. I definitely want to see them again the next time they come back to Toronto, they were awesome and I had an amazing time seeing them do their thing. 10/10

Setlist
Dance Like A Pink Flamingo
Flamongous
Essenfest
Ave Maria (Charles Gounod cover)
Twenty Miles An Hour
Kaptein Kaos
Illsint
Renkespill
Pina Colada
Kjettaren Mot Stromen
All Drinks On Me
Espin Bin Askeladden
Helvettes Hunden Garm

Band members
Trollmannen – vocals
Mr. Seidel – guitars
Fabio Grimdrap – guitars
Böesse Basshöl Nybazist – bass
Bjørn Dugstad Rønnow – drums
Drekka Dag – saxophone
Fjernkontrollet – accordion, keyboards
Trollbank – bouzouki

ENSIFERUM

Now I was pumped for seeing one of my absolute favourite bands, Finnish Folk Metal giants ENSIFERUM. I fell in love with this band back in the early 2000’s and I listen to them almost everyday. Like I stated before it has been a long time since I seen this band and talking about, the Opera House was the last place I seen them back when co-headliners Hypocrisy couldn’t make it across the border so Ensiferum played two full sets when they absolutely didn’t have to and that made them legends to me. Ensiferum kills it every fucking time I see them and Monday night was no exception. Although they didn’t play all the songs I wanted them to play (Iron, Token of time, Blood Is The Price Of Glory), The set list they chose to play was stellar none the less and they did play my absolute favourite song which is Treacherous Gods. My back was getting crushed as the crowd got pretty rowdy during their set and had some pretty good crowd surfing to boot. Sami Hinkka is an absolute wildman on the bass and is always full of infectous energy. Sami and I had a little Arnie and Carl weathers hand shake moment while Sami was running along the barrier hyping up the crowd with high fives, but when he got to me we clasped hands. Petri Lindroos and Markus Toivonen are absolute shredders on the guitar and Janne Parvianen destroys on the drums as well. Pekka Montin’s soaring vocals have been a great addition the the band’s sound since 2020. Ensiferum played a full set also and I can’t wait to see them again in the near future. As soon as their set was over my brother Keith informed me that he was over at the merch table and they found 3XL shirts for me so I left my spot to go support the bands by buying some sorely needed band tees. 10/10! I fucking love Ensiferum!

Setlist
Aurora
Fatherland
Twilight Tavern
Treacherous Gods
Winterstorm Vigilantes
Lai Lai Hei
The Howl
Run From The Crushing Tide
Andromeda
Leniret Coram Tempestate
Victorious
Wanderer
Rum, Women, Victory
In My Sword I Trust
Two Of Spades

Band members
Petri Lindroos – harsh vocals, guitars
Markus Toivonen – guitars, backing vocals
Sami Hinkka – clean vocals, bass
Pekka Montin – clean vocals, keyboards
Janne Parviainen – drums

KORPIKLAANI

I had to watch KORPIKLAANI kick ass from the back of the venue from then on until I went upstairs to the upper level and realized that the view up there was pretty good and the sound was a little better too. I was elated having added three new shirts to my collection and sat back and enjoyed Korpiklaani from upstairs. They sounded great up there and I had a great time. While folks were busy having a great time on the floor, the folks upstairs were doing the same. What I love so much about folk metal is that it has a more festive feeling. You don’t get bogged down with more serious attitudes that other genres of metal bring with them. I find folk metal more light-hearted and care-free than other genres. Don’t get me wrong about other genres as I’m sure everyone is at those shows to have fun too but some people take things too seriously sometimes and that’s okay but I just love the vibe that folk metal brings. Korpiklaani definitely brings that fun atmosphere with them wherever they go. They put on a great show that night and treated us to a pretty awesome drum solo during Metsamies which had the crowd roaring with approval. Korpiklaani are one of if not the best bands to see in the folk metal scene and I highly recommend that you should check them out if you have never seen them before. They are always so much fun. They finished off the night with their classic drinking anthem “Vodka” which was a perfect coda to cap off the end of the night. 10/10! Korpiklaani does it once again!

Setlist
Rankarumpu
A Man With A Plan
Saunaan
Happy Little Boozer
Levan Polkka
Rauta
Aita
Oraakkelit
Kalmisto
Pixies Dance
Levaluhta
Gotta Go Home (Bony M. Cover)
Iron Fist (Motörhead Cover)
Viima
Metsamies
Sahti
Tequila
Vodka

Band members
Jonne Järvelä – vocals, acoustic guitar
Kalle “Cane” Savijärvi – guitar
Jarkko Aaltonen – bass
Sami Perttula – accordion
Olli Vänskä – violin
Samuli Mikkonen – drums, percussion

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Album Review – Korpiklaani / Rankarumpu (2024)

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Can you hear the striking Folk Metal sound of the ragged drum played by one of the most iconic Finnish bands of all time?

A highly revered and massively popular Folk Metal ensemble known for their signature style of Finnish Folk and Heavy Metal that runs the gamut of emotions for one of the most honest, unique and enthralling sounds in heavy music, Lahti, Päijät-Häme-based outfit Korpiklaani has just unleashed upon us their twelfth studio album, titled Rankarumpu (or “ragged drum” from Finnish), the follow-up to their 2021 release Jylhä. Once again produced, mixed and engineered by Janne Saksa at Sound Supreme Studio, mastered by Svante Forsbäck at Chartmakers, and displaying a beautiful artwork by Jan “Örkki” Yrlund of Darkgrove Design, the new album by the shaman at heart Jonne Järvelä on vocals and acoustic guitar, Kalle “Cane” Savijärvi on the guitar, Jarkko Aaltonen on bass, Sami Perttula on the  accordion, Olli Vänskä on the violin, and Samuli Mikkonen on drums and percussion showcases a band revisiting their older sound with faster tempos for one of their catchiest albums to date, putting every single person alive to dance together with those Finnish rockers.

The opener Kotomaa (“homeland”) already invites us all for a fun and dancing Folk Metal party, with Samuli sounding amazing on drums while Sami and Olli kick some as with their respective accordion and violin, followed by Tapa sen kun kerkeet (“kill while you can”), sounding thrashier thanks to the riffs by Cane, with Jonne delivering his inebriate, raspy vocals nonstop; and there’s more of Sami’s accordion madness in Aita (“fence”), leading his horde of vodka drinkers while inspiring us all to prance around the firepit. The breathtaking Saunaan (“sauna”) is a song that will ignite some ruthless mosh pits, therefore turning the floor section into a real sauna, with Jonne roaring in great fashion supported by the electrifying sounds blasted by his bandmates, and the blazing guitar by Cane kicks off the also fast-paced Mettään (“into the woods”), which seems to be the norm throughout the entire album, and of course Samuli benefits a lot from that; whereas Kalmisto (“march to the grave”) is a groovier tune by Korpiklaani with the low-tuned, metallic bass by Jarkko adding thunder to their already classy sound.

The title-track Rankarumpu brings to our avid ears an overdose of Finnish Folk Metal led by the rhythmic beats by Samuli while Jonne keeps declaiming the song’s Finnish lyrics with tons of passion, followed by No perkele (“damn it”), and of course with that name the song was going to be a banger. Needless to say, I would love to see them playing it live, with the accordion by Sami sounding even more incendiary during the song’s headbanging four minutes. It’s then time for a melancholic tune titled Viikatelintu (“reaper bird”) which, despite being a good song, is not at the same level as all others, sounding very generic at times. Back to a more vivid and vibrant sonority we have Nouse (“rise”), where once again Samuli hammers his drums nonstop, creating a healthy paradox with Olli’s charming violin. Oraakkelit (“oracles”) is another firepit prancing hymn by Korpiklaani, with Olli and Sami stealing the spotlight with their beyond folky sounds, while lastly we have Harhainen höyhen (“lost feather”), closing the album on a high Folk Metal note thanks to the amazing vocals by Jonne and all the wicked sounds blasted by his crew.

You can enjoy Rankarumpu in all of its glory on YouTube and on Spotify, check what the band is up to on Facebook and on Instagram, including their tour dates (and if you check what they did here in Toronto a few weeks ago by clicking HERE you’ll certainly want to see them live), subscribe to their YouTube channel, and above all that, grab a copy of their fun new album by clicking HERE or HERE. Can you hear the striking Folk Metal sound of the ragged drum played by one of the most iconic Finnish bands of all time? If your answer is yes, then Rankarumpu will certainly bring a lot of joy to your shamanic heart, no doubt about that.

Best moments of the album: Kotomaa, Saunaan and No perkele.

Worst moments of the album: Viikatelintu.

Released in 2024 Nuclear Blast

Track listing
1. Kotomaa 3:10
2. Tapa sen kun kerkeet 2:26
3. Aita 3:47
4. Saunaan 3:18
5. Mettään 4:19
6. Kalmisto 4:22
7. Rankarumpu 2:43
8. No perkele 3:58
9. Viikatelintu 3:21
10. Nouse 3:23
11. Oraakkelit 3:12
12. Harhainen höyhen 5:16

Band members
Jonne Järvelä  – vocals, acoustic guitar
Kalle “Cane” Savijärvi – guitar
Jarkko Aaltonen – bass
Sami Perttula – accordion
Olli Vänskä – violin
Samuli Mikkonen – drums, percussion

Concert Review – Korpiklaani (The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto, ON, 04/13/2024)

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A night full of melody, pirates, sauna, beer, vodka, dancing and circle pits to warm up the hearts of all fans of good heavy music in Toronto.

OPENING ACTS: Illumishade and Visions Of Atlantis

Round 2 of a very metal weekend in Toronto started with “round 2 of very bad traffic”, taking me over an hour to reach once again The Phoenix Concert Theatre when it should have taken me only about 35 or 40 minutes in total this Saturday night. Well, at least this time I was able to see all bands, those being ILLUMISHADE, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS and KORPIKLAANI, during their party-like Rankarumpu North American Tour 2024, one more unforgettable event organized by the unstoppable Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment. My friend Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I were a bit tired from the previosu night of brutality by Thy Art Is Murder, but as soon as the first band hit the stage the adrenaline started to flow and our batteries charged up quickly.

That first band was Switzerland’s Symphonic/Progressive Metal/Rock outfit ILLUMISHADE, and let’s say they won the hearts of every single person at the venue instantly with their talent, charisma, and passion for what they do. Of course all band members were great, but it was their frontwoman Fabienne Erni who stole the show with a hypnotizing performance, with her soaring vocals and beautiful moves captivating the eyes and ears of everyone at the venue. The band has recently released the album Another Side of You, available on BandCamp and on Spotify, with their setlist being almost entirely based on that album, and with songs like Here We Are and Cloudreader sounding awesome live. I really hope they return to the city sooner than later for another great show, because they’re an amazing new band from the Swiss scene and they’re definitely going places based on the quality of their music.

Setlist
Elegy
Enemy
Here We Are
Riptide
In the Darkness
Cloudreader
Tales of Time
World’s End

Band members
Fabienne Erni – vocals, piano
Jonas Wolf – guitars
Mirjam Skal – synths, orchestration
Yannick Urbanczik – bass
Marc Friedrich – drums

After a quick break, the venue was taken by storm by the most beloved pirates to ever arise from Austria. Yes, you read that correctly, as I’m talking about Melodic/Symphonic Power Metal privateers VISIONS OF ATLANTIS, who put on a fantastic show for our total delight. Spearheaded by one of the most charismatic, talented and charming duos of the entire Power Metal scene, the stunning Clémentine Delauney (what a voice, my friends… what a voice!) and the electrifying Michele Guaitoli, the band brought a storm of heavy music to all fans at the venue, blending songs form their most recent album Pirates, like Master the Hurricane and the extremely catchy Clocks, with new tunes like the cheesy but awesomely fun Armada, from their upcoming album Pirates II – Armada, to be released on July 5. Their show was so full of energy to the point there were several mosh pits going on during some of their faster songs, all of course led by Michele who had all fans on the palm of his pirate hand the whole time. You can enjoy their music on BandCamp and on Spotify, as usual, and board their pirate ship when they invade your city for a sweet live concert. HAIL JOLLY ROGER!

Setlist
Master the Hurricane
Clocks
Mercy
Tonight I’m Alive
Heroes of the Dawn
Monsters
Armada
Melancholy Angel
Pirates Will Return
Legion of the Seas

Band members
Clémentine Delauney – female vocals
Michele Guaitoli – male vocals
Christian Douscha – guitars
Herbert Glos – bass
Thomas Caser – drums

KORPIKLAANI

If you have never seen the incendiary Finnish Folk Metal crew KORPIKLAANI live in your life, you have no idea what you’re missing. Let’s say that from the very first notes of the song Kotomaa, from their brand new opus Rankarumpu (to be reviewed here at The Headbanging Moose soon), it was a wild party with lots of dancing, beer, vodka, the heat of a real sauna, and so on, driving all fans crazy inside the venue. The last time I saw the band live was way back in 2014 during Paganfest America Part V (yes, that festival existed one day in Toronto), but I must say this Saturday the band was a lot tighter, more professional, more vibrant and heavier than ever, with of course frontman Jonne Järvelä stealing the spotlight with his inebriate vocals and classy dance moves.

Their setlist was a thing of beauty, blending old school songs like Wooden Pints and Happy Little Boozer with several new ones including Aita, the title-track Rankarumpu, and the breathtaking Saunaan, proving the band is in great shape and form in their new album. Also, it’s always fun to witness Sami Perttula on the accordion and Olli Vänskä on violin live, as their instruments bring an amazing vibe to all of the band’s songs, and of course that translates into endless dancing and jumping inside the circle pit (which was VERY intense, by the way). Well, let’s say things got even faster and rowdier inside the pit during the encore when they played the classics Beer Beer and Vodka, proving booze will always be the best fuel for any heavy music party, leaving all fans eager for more Korpiklaani the second their wild show was over. You can keep up to date with all things Korpiklaani by clicking HERE, and DO NOT miss their live concerts in your city or wherever you are, alright? VITTU, PERKELE, SAATANA!

Setlist
Kotomaa
Wooden Pints
A Man With a Plan
Happy Little Boozer
Journey Man
Ievan polkka
Gotta Go Home (Boney M. cover)
Aita
Tuli kokko
Pidot
Leväluhta
Sanaton maa
Rankarumpu
Pixies Dance
Juokse sinä humma
Tapa sen kun kerkeet

Encore:
Viima
Metsämies
Saunaan
Beer Beer
Vodka
Outro (Mother Earth)

Band members
Jonne Järvelä – vocals, acoustic guitar
Kalle “Cane” Savijärvi – guitar
Jarkko Aaltonen – bass
Sami Perttula – accordion
Olli Vänskä – violin
Samuli Mikkonen – drums, percussion

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Album Review – Korpiklaani / Jylhä (2021)

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The Finnish clan of the wilderness is ready to put us all to dance around the firepit once again with their majestic fusion of folk elements and heavy sounds.

Forged in the already  distant year of 1993 (first as Shamaani Duo and later as Shaman), Finnish Folk Metal institution Korpiklaani is more than ready to put us all to dance around the firepit once again with their fusion of folk elements and heavy sounds found in their eleventh studio album, titled Jylhä, and let me tell you there couldn’t be a better name to describe such awesome record. Jylhä is the Finnish word for “majestic”, which is exactly what frontman Jonne Järvelä, guitarist Kalle “Cane” Savijärvi, bassist Jarkko Aaltonen, violinist Tuomas Rounakari, accordionist Sami Perttula and drummer Samuli Mikkonen have to offer throughout the album’s 13 original compositions in the impressive span of one hour of music, all embraced by the beautiful artwork by Finnish designer Jan “Örkki” Yrlund (Darkgrove Design), resulting in one of the most sonically diverse records they’ve ever written and, therefore, proving why they’re considered one of the most important names of the genre alongside giants the likes of Finntroll, Eluveitie, Ensiferum and Turisas.

The tribal beats by Samuli kick off the dark and folk Verikoira (“bloodhound”), a headbanging, beer-drinking tune by those old school Finnish guys with the violin by Tuomas and the accordion by Sami taking us back on a journey to a distant time, whereas it’s time to slam into the circle pit and drink some vodka in the name of Folk Metal in Niemi (“the cape” or “peninsula”), a song about the triple murder in Lake Bodom in 1960 that shocked the whole Finland, with Jonne leading his horde with his inebriate vocals while the slashing guitar by Cane adds some extra spice to the overall result. Then we have Leväluhta (“algae”), with its name taken from a spring in Isokyrö where remains of approximately a hundred Iron Age bodies have been found buried, highly inspired by Finnish traditional folk music where Samuli’s beats dictate the rhythm accompanied by the wicked accordion by Sami; followed by Mylly (“the mill” or “grinder”), the story of a man’s journey to the mill who on his way sees a figure sitting on a fence, a “devil” with a hoof as a  foot. Musically speaking, it’s another entertaining round of their fusion of Folk and Heavy Metal where Jonne nicely declaims the song’s dark words.

A melancholic and pensive intro led by Jonne’s introspective vocals evolves into a dark and metallic Folk Metal extravaganza titled Tuuleton (“windless”), showcasing the razor-edge riffs by Cane in constant paradox with the crying violin by Tuomas, while in Sanaton Maa (“wordless land”), inspired by a legend known at least in Kaukola and Valkeala in Finland, a beautiful melody flawlessly flows from their unstoppable riffs, violin and accordion, resulting in a Folk Metal headbanger that will please all fans of the band. The violin by Tuomas keeps crying in Kiuru (“lark”), not as inspiring nor as vibrant as its predecessors despite the decent job done by Jonne with his trademark raspy vocals and the always stylish riffs by Cane; and Cane continues to extract electrifying sounds from his stringed axe in Miero, showcasing elements from Doom and Melancholic Metal carefully inserted in their traditional Folk Metal, therefore exhaling sadness while Jonne is effectively supported by his bandmates’ backing vocals.

Get ready to prance around the fire pit together with the boys from Korpiklaani in the fun Pohja (“base” or “ground”), where Samuli is on fire with his crushing drums while Cane and Jarkko make our heads tremble with their riffs and bass jabs, not to mention Tuomas’ incendiary violin solo. Then more traditional, old school Finnish music in the form of Folk Metal is offered to us all in Huolettomat (“careless”), keeping the atmosphere light and exciting while Jonne’s vocals sound like a drunk minstrel from the past; and never tired of drinking and partying around the fire, the band brings to our ears the straightforward Anolan Aukeat, with Samuli and Jarkko providing Tuomas and Sami a strong base for their refined violin and accordion sounds. Their second to last display of insanity and booze comes as the semi-acoustic extravaganza titled Pidot (“feast”), which should work really well if played live mainly because of how much fans of the band love this type of dancing tune, and last but not least Korpiklaani fire the grim and heavy Juuret (“roots”), presenting their usual dexterity and musical roots infused with pensive and sluggish sounds, changing its shape and form as the music progresses and with Cane, Tuomas and Sami displaying all their passion for folk music.

In a nutshell, we can rest assured that as long as the Finnish clan of the wilderness is among us, our good old Folk Metal will remain alive and kicking, with albums like Jylhä beautifully showing how majestic and fun Scandinavian Metal (as well as all other styles from the north) can be. Hence, don’t forget to give the guys from Korpiklaani a shout on Facebook and on Instagram, to subscribe to their YouTube channel and to search for them on Spotify for more of their first-class music, and of course to buy your copy of Jylhä by clicking HERE​ or HERE. Every single time Korpiklaani release a new album, you know it’s time to stretch our legs and arms, grab some cold beer, start the fire and get ready to spend hours and hours dancing around the firepit, celebrating the Scandinavian culture and, above all, our deep passion for heavy music together with those unstoppable Finnish metallers.

Best moments of the album: Niemi, Pohja and Huolettomat.

Worst moments of the album: Kiuru.

Released in 2021 Nuclear Blast

Track listing
1. Verikoira 6:19
2. Niemi 3:42
3. Leväluhta 3:50
4. Mylly 4:43
5. Tuuleton 5:50
6. Sanaton Maa 4:29
7. Kiuru 5:26
8. Miero 4:21
9. Pohja 4:28
10. Huolettomat 4:16
11. Anolan Aukeat 3:05
12. Pidot 3:47
13. Juuret 6:19

Band members
Jonne Järvelä – vocals, mandolin, hurdy gurdy, violafon, shaman drum, djembe, flute
Kalle “Cane” Savijärvi – guitars, backing vocals
Jarkko Aaltonen – bass
Tuomas Rounakari – violin
Sami Perttula – accordion
Samuli Mikkonen – drums

Concert Review – Paganfest America Part V (The Opera House,Toronto, ON, 05/01/2014)

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An awesome multicultural festival in the world’s most multicultural city.

paganfest_2014Let me start by asking a very simple question before I actually talk about the amazing festival that happened last night: who the hell had the brilliant idea of scheduling a festival at SIX O’CLOCK ON A THURSDAY, a  day and time where pretty much EVERYONE is still at work and there’s also a lot of traffic? Because of that, I guess many people that attended PAGANFEST AMERICA PART V yesterday at The Opera House, in Toronto, missed at least the opening act, American Folk Metal band Winterhymn, and maybe even some of the other bands. Fortunately I was able to get there before 7:30pm and could watch half of the concert from the following band and the rest of the festival, which is where this review starts!

VARG

01paganfest toronto_vargPeople dressed up accordingly (which means Viking, warrior and/or pagan costumes), corpsepainting, lots of good and cold beer, friends hugging each other and dancing together, metalheads screaming with their fists and horns in the air, and German Melodic Death Metal band Varg kickin’ ass on stage! The first impression from the festival was very positive, and knowing the Pagan Metal community in Toronto is so big was great for me. Not only that, getting in contact with Varg for the first time was also amazing as their music has that kind of energy I love, and although I don’t know German (they sing only in their mother tongue) it was easy to follow their message in each song. Highlights to the excellent song Guten Tag and to the girls the band called on stage to headbang like crazy, and I promise I’ll go after more of their material in the future.

Band members
Freki – vocals, guitars
Managarm – bass, backing vocals, guitars, lead guitars
Hati – guitars
Fenrier – drums

CHTHONIC

02paganfest toronto_chthonicA few microphone issues, a relatively short setlist and the absence of keyboardist CJ Kao didn’t prevent Taiwanese Orient Metal warriors Chthonic from delivering an unforgettable performance at The Opera House. “WE ARE CHTHONIC FROM TAIWAN!”, screamed an all fired-up Freddy Lim to the fans, who promptly responded screaming and raising their fists in the air. The band looked pretty excited to be back in Toronto for the first time since their tour with Arch Enemy in 2011, and their music sounded even more powerful and cohesive this time.

After the beautiful intro Arising Armament, our beloved Taiwanese icons Freddy, Jesse, Dani and, of course, the stunning Doris Yeh, kicked off their concert with the superb song Supreme Pain for the Tyrant, from their 2013 album Bú-Tik, and it was impossible not to scream at full force with them “Let me stand up like a Taiwanese! Only justice will bring you peace!”, lyrics that make total sense even for non-Taiwanese fans like myself. We’re all together in this war, right? By the way, almost the whole setlist was based on the Bú-Tik album, with the exception of the classics Oceanquake and Takao, which closed the show. Highlights to the great songs Sail Into the Sunset’s Fire and Defenders of Bú-Tik Palace, which sounded even more amazing live.

Last but not least, all band members are not only exceptional musicians, but also really good people. It’s easy to be mesmerized by Doris’ performance on stage, or by the unique sound of the erhu beautifully played by Freddy, but things get even better when you have a chance to interact with them offstage. Freddy, Doris and Jesse were extremely relaxed, happy and very, very considerate of all their fans, taking pictures, answering any questions and having a beer with everybody. At least for me, that explains a lot why they are so successful and becoming so important in the world of heavy music. All I can say is THANKS, CHTHONIC! It will always be my pleasure to “stand up like a Taiwanese” with you guys!

Setlist
1. Arising Armament (intro)
2. Supreme Pain for the Tyrant
3. Oceanquake
4. Next Republic
5. Sail Into the Sunset’s Fire
6. Defenders of Bú-Tik Palace
7. Takao 

Band members
Freddy Lim – vocals, erhu
Doris Yeh – bass, backing vocals
Jesse Liu – guitars, backing vocals
Dani Wang – drums
CJ Kao – keyboards*

* Missed the concert in Toronto due to personal issues.

TURISAS

03paganfest toronto_turisasIn my opinion, the show by Finnish Symphonic Power Metal band Turisas was the most anticipated concert of the night, and also the one where you could see the highest amount of smiles on the faces of the crowd. I don’t remember seeing so many people dancing and prancing like yesterday, especially when they played their cover version for the discotheque classic Rasputin, by Boney M., but they kicked ass during the whole gig, of course.

There were very few moments where either the songs were too long or too slow, but the fans didn’t care too much about that and enjoyed every single second of that “Viking fest”. Besides the awesome craziness of Rasputin, the most memorable songs were Battle Metal, Stand Up and Fight and We Ride Together. Did you notice all their best songs are related to battle, courage and loyalty? That’s what has always made Heavy Metal so powerful in regards to inspiring people to face their fears and challenges in life, and I’m sure all fans that are studying, working or doing anything else today are a lot happier and feeling better than during the previous weeks or even months.

The whole band was on fire, especially frontman Mathias “Warlord” Nygård and violinist Olli Vänskä, who didn’t stop banging their heads for a single moment. Those guys love what they do, and will keep on rockin’ for the rest of their lives without a shadow of a doubt.

Band members
Mathias Nygård – vocals
Jussi Wickström – guitar, backing vocal
Jesper Anastasiadis – bass guitar
Jaakko Jakku – drums, percussion
Olli Vänskä – violin, backing vocal

KORPIKLAANI

04paganfest toronto_korpiklaaniAfter Turisas were done, many people had to leave as it was getting really late and they probably had to get ready for a full day at work the next day. Unfortunately those who left missed all the dancing in between concerts when the DJ played some excellent old traditional Finnish songs, but the fans that could stay to the end of the festival were able to enjoy that and, of course, another “dance party” with Finnish Folk Metal band Korpiklaani and their music tailored for drinking beer and dancing with your friends.

It was my first Korpiklaani concert and I was impressed by frontman Jonne Järvelä’s charisma and bassist Jarkko Aaltonen’s technique. Jarkko is a beast with his bass, which could be easily appreciated in fun songs such as Tuonelan Tuvilla, Vodka and Ievan Polkka. How come this awesome bass player has never been mentioned in any lists of “top bassists” that I’ve seen? Or maybe I’m checking the wrong lists? Anyway, it was another great heavy music concert, which made every cent spent with the event ticket even worthier than before.

Band members
Jonne Järvelä – vocals
Kalle “Cane” Savijärvi – guitars
Matti “Matson” Johansson – drums
Jarkko Aaltonen – bass
Tuomas Rounakari – violin
Sami Perttula – accordion

And that was the end of a truly multicultural festival with bands from the United States, Germany, Taiwan and Finland, with fans from several different backgrounds speaking different languages, in the most multicultural city in the world. Honestly, I have no idea how it can get any better than this. Maybe Paganfest VI next year can answer that question, right? Well, until then, I’ll proudly wear my Chthonic’s NEXT REPUBLIC T-shirt on the streets to show everyone that it doesn’t matter if you’re Canadian, Brazilian, Taiwanese, German, Finnish or anything else: if you’re a headbanger, you’re definitely part of the unbreakable and unique republic of HEAVY METAL.

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