SONIC PUMP STUDIOS, HELSINKI
Billed as a “practice session with fans”, ENSIFERUM mark their return to live performances for the first time in seven months with a full headline show split into three parts and interspersed with a fan Q&A, covering topics from whether they have plans for an acoustic record to frontman Petri Lindroos’s choice of footwear for the event. For the record, it’s slippers. The set is a folk metal fiesta; the band debut seven songs from new album Thalassic on its release day, including a stunning Cold Northland (Väinämöinen Part III) that sees newest member Pekka Montin outshine Lindroos on vocal duties and earning unanimous plaudits from the webchat accompanying the stream. The new material is complemented by a host of classics and rarities, none scarcer than Windrider from their debut album, which gets its first airing in half a decade. The interview sections themselves are a little awkward and stilted, but the strength of Ensiferum’s back catalogue more than carries them through to the end, and a joyous finale of From Afar ensures those who have tuned in will depart with smiles and the knowledge that their Friday night has got off to a very good start indeed.
ELLIOT LEAVER