Alestorm + Ensiferum + TYR + Heidevolk + Elvenking

5 O’Clock on a Monday, a wonderful idea to get rid of all the anxious and horrendous thoughts of the saddest day of the year

starting by reaching the end of the waiting line, that was absurdly long , we began the journey of the night; being able to enter the holy venue which is the Ancienne Belgique, probably one of the greatest venue for metal and alternative music. while inside, the merch booth was enormous, of course with all of the bands announced.

with that said once inside, facing the podium, we were absolutely enchanted by the set of elvenking, a brilliant power metal band from Italy. all horns up, literally, cause with a full grown stag crown was on the singer’s head. their sound was pure, clear, enjoyable as their full set, and the crowd was already ready to party. first rows were heartwarmingly screaming all the lyrics, feeling all the words spat at us as an elvish lullaby from a deep enchanted forest . deeply satisfying for all of us. power at its best.

pagans beware, because it is soon Heidevolk‘s turn, translated literally in “pagan’” from dutch. other category but the party couldn’t have been complete without this genre. mixing the set from English lyrics and sometimes even dutch, the venue was absolutely cooperating, first ( pagan ?) moshpits started, ancient gods were released from their hearty skin and became souls dancing all around. killer set, brilliantly lead by their two singers. an enjoyable first drink on our way to Valhalla .

after “a few” ales, and starting to feel more and more like viking warriors, we welcomed Denmark’s finest, TYR, 2 brilliant guitars, 1 six chords bassist and a strong drum. singing hymns of nature in their mother tongue, allowing powerful head banging to continue. their music is for sure meant to be played live . and all the crowd approved to each and everyone of their perfect balanced songs . singer heri brought fire from the dragons with him from Faroe Islands . all vikings braced themselves and remained stunned by their set for sure and hyped for the rest.

from Faroe to Finland, it is Ensiferum’s turn, and oh lord what a performance it has been. we now know well that Finland bring fire tracks with them. could be the temperance, could also be the weather or simply the innate talent for metal. yes, and talent it is, opening with fatherland had us blown out. tone was set. bassist, impossible not to see, was almost stealing the scene. what on earth could they possibly do to let us enjoy more their time on that podium . as winter storm vigilantes resonated, folks lost it . good thing the gods grated all of our wishes before the ascent to the skies.

Aye, aye, aye, privateers are ready to embark the ultimate journey, navigate with black banners and sail the seven seas. ales on hand, ducks floating, liquids were pouring from the skies. oh well no wonder alestorm is ready to set sails. jumping, fighting against the current to remain on our feet and not succumb the pirates wrath, we were acknowledging the real P.A.R.T.Y.. I mean starting hard with fan favourites that was impossible not to fall into this frenzy. keelhauled , shipwrecked and all the way to Mexico. absurdly, well calculated setlist, giving space as well to patty their hardy curdy player, who brought that particular touch to the show, amazing us with her stunning voice. amazing, ready to row as Nancy the tavern wench went on. and those pirates know their classics, don’t They ? heavy hearts, almost the end of the set and we were allowed to raise our drinking horn and toast to those folks who can certainly entertain with such no efforts. cause in the end we were just there to drink your beer, and possibly drown all of our sorrows, at least for a night .