Live Reviews : Finntroll, Stormtide & Arbrynth @ The Evelyn, Melbourne 20/06/2014

Images: Justin Tapp
Words: Jonathon Besanko

The other night saw Finnish folk metallers, Finntroll, take over the Evelyn Hotel in Melbourne. And what a night it was! Whilst door open was pushed from 8 to 9, the crowds still gathered strong for what would be a great evening. Australia was receiving yet another amazing Finnish band on our shores and it was destined to be one heck of a night!

Arbrynth

Opening the night was Arbrynth. The Evelyn’s intimate setting was the perfect backdrop to a melodic and engaging set. And this same intimacy translated well to the following acts also. Arbrynth’s style was a keen mix of ambience and melody. Its unexpected coupling made for an interesting opener to the evening, and its understated rhythm, met by the welcomed gathering of soothing feminine vocals and harsh, masculine growls made their outing all the more potent and consistent. With a fairly warm welcome behind them from an already sizeable crowd, there was a good level of innovation behind Arbrynth; and their approach to everyone-receives-the-limelight made it easy to appreciate the finer points in their music.

Amongst the flashing hues of red, green, blue and white, the vocals were at times slightly low for 5-string bassist/vocalist Tina Konstantinidis. Labelling their music as ‘forest metal’, the clear folk melodies that play into Arbrynth’s music was often touched on by hints of doom metal and traditional. It made for a sound that, whilst at times mellow and atmospheric, was at others deeply horror-driven by a foreboding darkness and that was ever at bay by a soft veil of light. Arbrynth were by no means the balls-to-the-wall folk that some people may have been expecting from a Finntroll support, but they were nonetheless engrossing and soulful, and their delivery onstage was both grim and memorable.

Stormtide’s music was more indicative of the good-time, party folk that I’m sure the majority of the crowd was waiting for. And this idea was furthered by the frantic energy they brought forth in the audience. With an assortment of chanting and fist pumping throughout the evening, Stormtide had the Evelyn in their clutches for the entirety of their set.

Taking over vocalist duties for the night was Stormtide’s original frontman Alex Williams, who was filling in for Damian Rogers who was unavailable to play this particular show. Whilst Williams wasn’t always on the mark, the consistency in Stormtide’s music more than made up for it. And the great amount of energy the guys exuded was quite a thing to behold. Stormtide basked in it all, too. With the continual support the crowd gave them, the pit just went off time-and-time again. Their sound is described is being folk/symphonic metal, but there were definitely parts of their set that could well be classified as ‘pirate’ also; especially on the likes of tracks like ‘Ale Sea’ off their 2013 debut EP, ‘A Skalds Tale’.

Stormtide

‘We’ve come so far to be here,’ Williams began. ‘All the way from Geelong. That’s a dangerous journey… fucking Corio!’ as the crowd burst into laughter. Between singing directly to people to crowd and playing off the strong crowd response, Stormtide were excellent live; especially more so when you consider they’ve only been at this for a year now. Whilst unfortunately time constraints cut their set a song short, the band still ended with a bang, and earned themselves one of the warmer welcomes of the night.

And he we are, at the final act of the evening, the mighty folk metallers Finntroll. I’m not kidding when I say that from the first song, it went off. As soon as frontman Mathias “Vreth” Lillmåns emerged on stage with all the other lads, the response was infectious. The crowd was jumping from the first few seconds, and as minute passed, the crowd grew. I swear by about the second or third song, the entire dance floor area in front of the stage had into its own mosh pit. And that was a fairly large amount of space that it covered, mind you.

Playing a variety of songs from both ‘Blodsvept’ and their earlier discography, this trend in the pit continued throughout the night with folk melodies abound. And with each member of Finntroll donning pointy-troll ears, top hats, war paint, and bizarre uniforms, the theatrical aspect of Finntroll’s set promised to us was certainly returned tenfold.

‘Good evening, Melbourne,’ Vreth began. ‘Finntroll is in town!’ Finntroll sounded great on the night and their exuberance and joyous spirit played wonderfully off the ecstatic presence of the crowd. Beneath emerald hues and deep reds, the lighting furthered the theatrical element of Finntroll’s set, and the band sounded best during these moments where the folk aspect met its dramatic high point.

Vreth was ever the gracious and engaging frontman. Continually coaxing out stronger reactions from the crowd and channelling both his light and darker sides, at points where the humppa influence would quiet, this empowered, blacker side of him arose from within.

Finntroll

Finntroll revelled in bearing all: whether it was songs from their earlier years, to more current releases, and from their sillier, light-hearted moments (of which there were many!) to times when they were downright horrifying. Finntroll were never afraid to play off each of these unique sides to their music and it made the live experience even greater.

Always encouraging crowd interaction, mosh pits, and even a wall of death at one stage, the one thing you could never say Finntroll don’t possess is their sheer love for what they do. It was clear from the get-go and both Finntroll and the audience fully embraced the folk metal that comprised this night.

Choosing to close on a familiar note, the band ended with what is arguably Finntroll’s most well-known track; that being, of course, “Trollhammaren”. ‘Melbourne, you all know this one,’ Vreth had announced. ‘I want to see you get crazy!’ And that we did. It was the perfect closer to what was a great night, and Finntroll have been yet another amazing international act I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of seeing live. Here’s to the next one!

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