Heathenfest America, the not-Paganfest-monikered tour which is otherwise basically Paganfest for all intents and purposes, gets underway next week! Break out those viking hats and beer steins and get on out there to catch Eluveite, Belphegor, Alestorm (the superior pirate metal band), Vreid and Kivimetsan Druidi at what’s sure to be the best / dorkiest / drunkest show of the Fall. Full list of dates for the MetalSucks-sponsored trek after the jump.

Click to read more…

The headline says it all; isn’t that lineup awesome? It’s kind of like Paganfest except slightly less dorky / more evil (nothing against Paganfest — we love that tour too). We were bummed Eluveitie canceled this year’s Paganfest II appearance so we’re excited to see them again, and we’re all for a tour that includes blackened death metallers Belphegor and the better-of-the-two pirate metal bands, Alestorm. Kivimetsan Druidi and Vreid are mostly new to me but they seem like they’ll fit right in on this tour.

Honestly, this year’s Paganfest was a bit underwhelming so perhaps this is a chance for redemption. Korpiklaani shouldn’t have been headliners, and while the lineup was solid it wasn’t strong enough to bring out all the crazy pagan-metal partiers: I was the only douchebag in the entire place wearing a viking helmet, for realz. Seeing as Heathenfest kicks off in the dark, dim early days of November, maybe it’ll provide a good excuse for sun-deprived metalheads to go and get rowdy with some frosty brews and pagan metal. Psyched!

-VN

Last week Vince told y’all about the 2nd annual, MetalSucks sponsored Paganfest USA, which will, once again, include the testicle-burstingly awesome Eluveitie. That Switzerland’s best pagan metal band (or possibly just band, period) is coming back to the States for another run of drunken raping and pillaging should be enough to get your blood pressure up, but in case, for some bizarre reason, it ain’t, the band has now released a new song, “Omnos,” on their MySpace page.

Click to read more…

We’re big fans of pagan metal here at the MS Mansion. BIG fans. Just last night Sammy O’Hagar waltzed in at about 5pm, still drunk and rowdy from the night before (!), dressed in a full get-up of warpaint and animal skins. Obviously there was no other choice at that point but to hand over control of the MS Mansion Mothership to the capable hands of the monkeys, so we put on Turisas’ The Varangian Way and started the party right back up again for the ol’ chap; the freight train kept rolling until at least 4am. Last thing I remember is Kip jumping on top of Axl’s desk and screaming something about “Battle!” and how we need to take vengeance against the other metal websites that constantly rip us off. As I type this, Sammy’s passed out in the bathtub clutching a bottle of Jim Beam while DBR and Satan Rosenbloom are snuggling in my bed; I had to sleep on the couch. Those fucking assholes.

Click to read more…

The second annual run of the MetalSucks-approved Paganfest USA tour — which one month ago announced it would include Primordial, Eluveitie, Moonsorrow and Blackguard (formerly Profugus Mortis) — has now announced the final lineup. Finnish folk-metallers Korpiklaani, whom to Kip W.’s dismay I once described as “Tetris metal,” will round out the bill along with New Jersey’s own Swashbuckle. If you can’t closely guess what a band called Swashbuckle might sound like, I suggest you get that eyepatch adjusted.

For more info check out the official Paganfest USA MySpace page. Dates are still TBA. Also check out the MySpace pages of Korpiklaani and Swashbuckle to dabble in the pagan/folk metal awesomeness.

-VN

I don’t know about you kids, but the inaugural run of Paganfest USA was the most fun I had at a show all year in 2008. Turisas, Ensiferum, Eluveitie and Tyr absolutely killed it, and the entire room was pumping their fists in the air to every song. And, oh yeah, we drank copious amounts of booze. My only regret: I didn’t wear a Viking costume.

Fortunately for me and my Viking gear, Paganfest USA will live on in 2009! Dates have yet to be announced, but the 2k9 incarnation will include Primordial, Eluveitie, Moonsorrow and Blackguard. See you there!

-VN

Monday was a crazy night for metal in the city, with no less than 4 awesome shows happening simultaneously. Yours truly chose to attend the most eccentric, with Keep of Kalessin, Eluveitie and Dying Fetus opening for metal stalwarts Kataklysm.

The night’s biggest calling card for me was Norway’s Keep of Kalessin; their recent release Kolossus is a fierce slab of fast, psychedelic black metal, an album I’ve jammed several times and really, really like.

For anyone not familiar with Keep of Kalessin, I would describe them thusly: four dudes that look like a goth version of Legolas from Lord of the Rings — on heroin — playing passionate, fast, psychedelic black metal. The following description would also be accurate: Enslaved on an 8-ball of cocaine.

Click to read more…

It always happens this way; you wait and wait and wait for a band you love to come around, and when they finally do they’re playing at the same time as that other band you’ve waited and waited and waited for. So it is tonight in NYC, FOUR-fold. So if you’ve still got an open card for the evening, check out at least one of these awesome shows, and if you’re ambitious and have deep pockets lined with cab money, check out all four! It’s a great night to be a metal fan in NYC, with headliners Wetnurse, Origin, Amorphis and Kataklysm sitting atop 4 totally well-rounded and deep tour bills.

Click to read more…

Anyone who went to the U.S. incarnation of this year’s pagan/folk metal festival Paganfest will tell you that it was positively one of the best, most fun concerts of the year so far (see also: live footage!). And anyone not smoking crack (and perhaps a few that do) will tell you that Eluveitie was one of the most exciting bands on the bill (no disrespect to Turisas, Ensiferum and Tyr who were also awesome. Well actually, Tyr was kind of a sleeper.) Eluveitie’s recent Nuclear Blast release Slania also happens to be one of my favorite records of the year, so when I was offered the opportunity to email a bunch of questions to Eluveitie mastermind Chrigel Glanzmann (vocals, mandola, acoustic guitar, tin and low whistles, uilleann pipes, gaita) I jumped at the chance. Chrigel shared his thoughts about the burgeoning pagan/folk metal movement, the obscurity of (and place in metal of) the hurdygurdy, the recent departure of Sevan and Rafi from the band, and the new (all acoustic!) album that is in the works. Read the interview after the jump.

Click to read more…

The MetalSucks sponsored super awesome fantastic Paganfest may be over, but if you missed it (or just wanna re-live a drunken night of heathen glory), our bro-bros over at Metal Injection have some awesome live footage from the final tour stop at B.B. King’s here in NYC.

Below, check out Turisas stealing the show with their rendition of “Rasputin.” Then head over to Metal Injection for more super duper sweet clips of Ensiferum, Eluveitie, and Tyr. And don’t forget to check out Vince’s recap of the night’s shenanigans!

-AR

The sense of community at the final stop of Paganfest USA — featuring Ensiferum, Turisas, Tyr, and Eluveitie — was unbelievable. These kinds of bands attract a very specific type of metal fan; perhaps a tad nerdier, weirder and a smidge smarter than the average bunch. After all, anyone who goes to watch a bunch of grown men dressed in fur loin cloths and full body-makeup play European folk songs in metal form can’t take their metal too seriously. But everyone in attendance at the sold out show at New York City’s BB King’s was there to fucking get down. Sadly I didn’t see any viking hats, but everyone had their beer steins raised high and kept them there all night long. There was a palpable feeling of excitement in the room — separate from the very obvious mass drunkenness — and everyone there was enjoying the hell out of these excellent bands in the most primal way. Excited chants of “hey! hey! hey! hey!” along with the beat, and fervent chants of each band’s name in unison were prevalent all night long. In short, the inaugural run of Paganfest was absolutely fucking awesome. This was one of the most fun metal shows of the year by far. After all, isn’t it supposed to be fun?

Click to read more…

So from what I hear, Paganfest has been a colossal success thus far. I think more of you should be writing in and telling us how awesome this tour is, ’cause a) we’re co-sponsors of the tour and we like to think everything we touch turns to metal and b) we won’t get to go until the last night of the tour here in NYC, so we need to live vicariously through you cats.

Below is some more awesome live footage of Turisas, this time playing Paganfest’s stop at The Boardwalk in Orangevale, California on May 7, 2008. And below that is the itinerary for all remaining dates on the tour, because for many of you, it’s not too late to go. And tell ‘em Axl, Vince and Kip sent ya.

9 May 2008 Fat City San Francisco, California
10 May 2008 The Vault Long Beach, California
11 May 2008 The Cell Block Phoenix, Arizona
12 May 2008 Chics El Paso, Texas
13 May 2008 The Launchpad Alburquerque, New Mexico
14 May 2008 Crush Lounge Tulsa, Oklahoma
15 May 2008 Ridglea Theater Fort Worth, Texas
16 May 2008 The White Rabbit San Antonio, Texas
17 May 2008 Java Jazz Houston, Texas
19 May 2008 The Masquerade Atlanta, Georgia
20 May 2008 Volume 11 Raleigh, North Carolina
21 May 2008 Crocodile Rock Allentown, Pennsylvania
22 May 2008 BB Kings Blues Club New York, New York

-AR

So the MetalSucks co-sponsored Paganfest has commenced, and by the looks of the below footage of Turisas performing “Rasputin,” the fans are responding, um, positively.

Who would have ever thought that dancing the jig would have a place in the pit? Take that, karate-chopping asswipes of the world!

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/zZzLoWwhsX0" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

After the jump, watch more footage by and of overly excited Paganfest fans, learn the true meaning of the phrase “Fuck the guitar solo,” and get a complete tour itinerary so that you can attend a Paganfest gig near you. ‘Cause if you don’t go, we’re sending Turisas to rape and pillage your hometown.

Click to read more…

Well, the tour we’ve all been excited about since November,  the MetalSucks co-sponsored Paganfest, start tonight, and guess what? The first date, at The Opera House in Toronto, is apparently already sold out!

And is it any surprise? This tour has four amazing bands – Ensiferum, Turisas, Tyr and Eluveitie – that are gonna make you want to chug mead from a stein, smack the bar wench on the ass, and then throw your arm around your buddy for a good old fashioned sing along. Nothing homoerotic about that.

Check out the Paganfest America MySpace page for more info. In the meantime, the complete tour itinerary is below. When it comes to this tour, make Harold and Kumar’s trip to White Castle your models: no matter how far you have to travel, no mater what treacherous terrain you must traverse, no matter what obstacles you must overcome, GET YOUR ASS TO ONE OF THESE SHOWS. And tell ‘em MetalSucks sent ya.

25 Apr 2008 The Opera House Toronto, ON – CANADA
26 Apr 2008 Medley Montreal, QC – CANADA
27 Apr 2008 The Palladium Worcester, Massachusetts
28 Apr 2008 Jaxx Springfield, Virginia
29 Apr 2008 Peabody’s Down Under Cleveland, Ohio
30 Apr 2008 Harpo’s Detroit, Michigan
1 May 2008 Chicago Powerfest (Pearl Room) Mokena, Illinois
2 May 2008 Station 4 St. Paul, Minnesota
3 May 2008 Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom Denver, Colorado
5 May 2008 Studio Seven Seattle, Washington
6 May 2008 Hawthorne Theater Portland, Oregon
7 May 2008 The Boardwalk Sacramento, California
8 May 2008 House of Blues Hollywood, California
9 May 2008 Fat City San Francisco, California
10 May 2008 The Vault Long Beach, California
11 May 2008 The Cell Block Phoenix, Arizona
12 May 2008 Chics El Paso, Texas
13 May 2008 The Launchpad Alburquerque, New Mexico
14 May 2008 Crush Lounge Tulsa, Oklahoma
15 May 2008 Ridglea Theater Fort Worth, Texas
16 May 2008 The White Rabbit San Antonio, Texas
17 May 2008 Java Jazz Houston, Texas
19 May 2008 The Masquerade Atlanta, Georgia
20 May 2008 Volume 11 Raleigh, North Carolina
21 May 2008 Crocodile Rock Allentown, Pennsylvania
22 May 2008 BB Kings Blues Club New York, New York

-AR

Monsieur Axl Rosenberg said it best when he stated that Switzerland’s Eluveitie are like In Flames only sexier; I’d add to that “only decidedly more medieval.” While it’s true that Slania might remind us of the best of In Flames from time to time, to make that comparison would be to rob Slania of its originality. With violins, bagpipes, a hurdy gurdy, and flute juxtaposed with death metal growls and classic twin-lead guitars, Eluveitie have created a near seamless blend of Celtic folk and Gothenburg metal. If a non-metal friend of mine asked me what the fuck Pagan Metal is I might just play them this album, and I might just don my knight armor for affect. “Primordial Breath” is the perfect album opener, both brutal and truly pagan-riffic in composition. First single “Inis Mona” (video here) makes me want to head to the hills of Scotland for a frosty pint in an old bar on a cobblestone lined street. The non-English female vocal lead in “Slania’s Song” courtesy of hurdy-gurdyist Anna Murphy fits perfectly, complimenting the brutal guitars and growls in a way that’s not corny in the slightest. The violin and Gregorian chant that comprise all 3+ minutes of “Anagantios” are a chilling, haunting, and perfectly beautiful match for the brutal metal you know is lurking right around the corner in “Bloodstained Ground.” And there it is, like a sledgehammer of thrash waiting to pummel you into sensibility before opening into a surprisingly brutal flute-led chorus (who knew there could be such a thing?) that leads into a syncopated cacaphony of orchestral goodness. And it’s this mix of orchestral goodness with neo-classical death metal that makes me feel like I’m galloping on my horse, spear in hand, shield raised high, charging towards an angry herd of invading barbarians. Or at least I’m at a Renaissance festival full of people who like to play dress-up on the weekends. But either way, boy is it fucking fun, and shit, this album absolutely slays — dragons, that is.

-VN

(four out of five horns)

Slania comes out today on Nuclear Blast. Be sure to catch Eluveite this Spring on the Paganfest USA tour. Full dates are listed here.

[Eluveitie on MySpace]

Here’s the video for Eluveitie’s new single,”Inis Mona.” It comes off of their latest album, the super awesome Slania, which is in stores now, and which I can virtually guarantee is better than any other new European melodic death metal album you might buy between now and May.

Yeah, I said it.

In case you somehow missed the 8 trillion other posts we’ve written about it, Eluveitie will join Turisas, Ensiferum, and Tyr and on this spring’s Paganfest USA tour, which MetalSucks is proudly co-sponsoring. That means that you should, like, totally go.

A complete list of tour dates to follow after the video…

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/iijKLHCQw5o" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Click to read more…

Their disco balls, that is.

OH! Rimshot!

This video, about the making of Turisas’ clip for “Rasputin,” is possibly even more entertaining than the finished product itself… although it does ruin the illusion that these cats dress like pagans all the time.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/i3APJvKFgbk" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

You can watch the finished video for “Rasputin” here.

After the jump, find the obligatory tour itinerary for Paganfest USA, featuring Turisas, Eluveitie, Tyr and Ensiferum.

Click to read more…

[kml_flashembed movie="http://lads.myspace.com/videos/vplayer.swf" width="430" height="346" fvars="m=17543089;type=video" wmode="transparent" /]
Fuck yes, dude! The final itinerary for this spring’s Paganfest America has been released. 26 dates, 26 chances to throw on your dead animal hide and party like it’s 1999 B.C. with a killer bill that includes Ensiferum, Turisas, Tyr and Eluveitie. I gotta tell you, I’m so excited about this tour that I actually tried to hit my girlfriend over the head with a large branch and drag her to the bedroom. Sadly for me, she managed to get ahold of the branch and, well, let’s just say that Uncle Axl now knows better than to try that kind of thing without wearing a cup.

ANYWAY, above, enjoy the video for “Rasputin” by Turisas; after the jump, find a complete list of tour dates. And, oh yeah, don’t forget to check out the Paganfest America MySpace page for more info!

Click to read more…

As the sure-to-be-awesome Pagangest America tour grows ever closer, one of the bands on that trek, Eluveitie, have posted a new song, “Inis Mona,” on their MySpace page. The song comes from the band’s forthcoming new album, Slania, which drops February 15 on Nuclear Blast.

And don’t forget that Eluveitie will hit the road as part of Paganfest America starting in April, joining Ensiferum, Turisas, and Tyr on what is sure to be a tour too crazy for the Common Man who doesn’t understand the simple pleasures of raping, pillaging, wearing dead animal skins and generally behaving in a manner that my parole officer claims is “anti-social.” Check back here often for updates or you can head on over to the Paganfest America MySpace page.

-AR

Even more dates have been added to this spring’s awesome Paganfest America tour, featuring Ensiferum, Turisas, Tyr and Eluveitie! Click through the jump to get an up-to-date itinerary, or visit the Paganfest America MySpace page. In the meantime, here’s Ensiferum’s totally epic, totally awesome video for “Ahti.” I’m assuming it was made by a director who really knows how to work with a budget, and wasn’t nearly as expensive as it looks. Either that, or you can really get more bang for your buck over in Finland…

[kml_flashembed movie="http://lads.myspace.com/videos/vplayer.swf" width="430" height="346" fvars="m=7913078;type=video" wmode="transparent" /]

Click to read more…