Enslaved / Winterfylleth
Winterfylleth
Enslaved´s warm-up, Winterfylleth, was a definite surprise. They sounded awesome, but when you looked up, something was drastically wrong; none of the members had corpse paint, or costumes on. They looked like the run-off-the-mill English lads –not to mention the drummer, who looked like an English boxer, moustache and all.
However, what they played was good black metal. Once you got over the initial shock, they were really enjoyable. The next surprise was a marching band walking across the stage shouting “FECKARSE”.
As it turns out, the guys from Enslaved were on the last stop of their tour and wanted to celebrate a bit. The Manchester metallers followed through with the rest of their set and the publicum was very pleased.
Enslaved
After a little break, Enslaved took over and proceeded to shake the house a bit. It was quite obvious to see and feel that they really gave their all. There´s not much more one can say, apart from that it was a killer gig and that Winterfylleth played tit for tat and stormed the stage with cardboard Viking masks and swords. The crowd took in the newest songs, like the opener, “Riitiir” with gusto. Although the set list consisted mostly of their latest production, there were some tracks from the good old times, like “Ruun” and “Alfadr Odin” –which Grutle dedicated to “the best support band we´ve ever had”.
It seemed that pretty much everyone was pleased and entertained. One of the highlights from the audience´s part was when someone came in in a wheelchair. Not just any wheelchair, but one with a breathing apparatus and a scissor lifter, which elevated him up 2 metres. Of course it took a bit for them to get in and everyone gave space. In the end he probably got the best seat in the room and enjoyed the whole show.
In the end, the sole minus comes from the lack of outfits from Winterfylleth –black metal isn´t just about the music, but also showmanship, which does not include moustaches.