ENSIFERUM HAVE BEEN particularly busy bees over the pandemic. Alongside the release of their seventh album, Thalassic, they’ve also taken the opportunity to perform more livestreams than the majority so far. This one – their third overall and first of 2021 – sees them appear at Hellfest’s permanent home of Val De Moine in Clisson, this time armed with a drone camera that sweeps over them in grand fashion and enough pyro to light a small city.
From the off, the band are clearly delighted to be playing live for the first time since last August, and are replete in their customary war paint. The blend of power and folk metal they so expertly demonstrate sounds gargantuan for the duration of their one-hour show, and the flame jets that seem to be present for every song add an extra layer of pizazz to the occasion. As with their previous livestreams, the bulk of the set comes from Thalassic itself, with a few classics sprinkled in along the way like the devastating From Afar. Keyboardist Pekka Montin once again steps out from behind his instrument to lead a thunderous one-two of The Defence Of The Sampo and Run From The Crushing Tide that brings the energy levels up to their maximum. The fun continues in the guise of Treacherous Gods and One With The Sea before Two Of Spades brings everyone home in the best possible way.