Review & photos by Andrew Bansal
November 24th 2013, City National Grove Of Anaheim, Anaheim CA: Known for their folk-infused extreme metal tunes and extravagantly impressive live shows, Finnish band Finntroll released their sixth studio album ‘Blodsvept’ via Century Media Records in March this year, and it took them a while to get to North America to tour in support of this album but they’re finally here, on a full headline run with opening acts Blackguard from Montreal, Canada and Metsatoll from Estonia. In the Los Angeles area, Finntroll have always pulled large crowds and put on stellar shows in the past, but this was their first show since their gig at the Key Club on February 8th 2011, on the Finnish Metal Tour with Ensiferum, Barren Earth and Rotten Sound. So this was an eagerly awaited event but with it being on a Sunday night, and all the way out in Orange County, Finntroll’s Southern California fan base was put to the test.
Doors opened at 7 PM and the show began at 7:30 with the first of two local openers Psychedelia taking the stage. It was quite honestly the most bizarre opening act I have ever seen, as this band’s music was so far removed from any of the touring bands, it was not even funny. They played mainstream soft rock which had absolutely no juice or strength to it, and based on the sound alone, at times it was hard to tell whether it was generic music being played on the PA or a band was actually playing live. The band’s name didn’t make any sense either because there was nothing psychedelic about them. I’m not one to bash on local openers ever, but when a venue/promoter puts on a band that has no relation to the headline acts and has no draw whatsoever, I feel strongly about it.
Thankfully, the second local opener Xanthochroid was much better and much more in tune with what the show and the audience required. This band from Lake Forest, California played an intriguing brand of progressive metal, very cinematic in nature and possessing multiple layers and dimensions to it. They reminded me of the times when Opeth was a good band. I enjoyed the various elements they brought to the stage and they left no stone unturned in attempting to present themselves fully to this audience, including the use of a female singer and acoustic guitars. There were only two unfortunate, negative aspects of their performance. Firstly, the acoustic guitar was barely audible. They need a sound man who can get the mix right. And secondly, their 15-minute set was much too short for the kind of music they were portraying, and I could have easily done with 15 more minutes of their set. Anyhow, Xanthochroid created a solid first impression on me and this is a band I’ll keep my eyes and ears out for.
Soon after, the first band on this tour Metsatoll took the stage and played a seemingly endless set of uninteresting folk music that really does not pass as metal in my book. This is where I have an issue with some of these European bands who get categorized as ‘folk metal’. To me, bands such as Metsatoll don’t fit on a metal show because their music simply doesn’t have enough of a metal element to it. I’m extremely open-minded when it comes to various styles of metal and I’ve covered and will cover all kinds of it on my website, but the word ‘metal’ is the key here and Metsatoll’s excessive use of flutes and traditional instruments to go with the minimal use of guitars prevent them from being classified as such in my opinion. But even when I tried to disregard their genre and made an attempt to appreciate the music for what it was, I still wasn’t able to. To put it simply, their presentation and songwriting simply did not float my boat.
Hailing from Montreal, Quebec, melodic extreme metal band Blackguard used to tour relentlessly not so long ago, but they’ve slowed down their touring considerably in the past year or so, which this being only their second North American run of 2013. For me it was the first time seeing them since they opened for Kamelot at the House of Blues on September 15th 2011. Because of this long gap, I had somewhat forgotten about how great of a live band Blackguard really is, and last night I was reminded of it as singer Paul ‘Ablaze’ Zinay and his horde gave it their all for this audience with a killer 40-minute set. They brought out some unreleased material from the upcoming album ‘Storm’, along with well-chosen tunes off of the Firefight album, ‘Wastelands’ being the highlight of the entire set, and even dusted off some Profugis Mortis songs for the longtime fans. Paul and his band mates bring out infectious levels of energy whenever they perform, and as an extreme metal fan in the audience it’s hard to stand still. But I was amazed by the lackluster response from this crowd as they simply did not care about Blackguard’s music at all. Paul’s frustration with the crowd was evidently clear but he and the band still blazed through their set and didn’t let it deter them. I felt really bad for the band as they definitely deserved a better response. People’s close-mindedness appalls me.
Set List:
1. Rise
2. Wastelands
3. Northern Storm
4. Tephra
5. Firefight
6. Scarlet to Snow
7. In Time
8. This Round’s on Me
9. The Dying Season
Finally, Finntroll hit the stage and played a 75-minute set consisting of material from their latest album Blodsvept as well as plenty of older tunes, much to the delight of this audience which had clearly come here to see Finntroll and only Finntroll. The most noticeable aspect of their live musicianship as compared to their previous LA gig was the change in stage appearance, with the shirtless kilt look giving away to regular clothes and giant ears. Based on last night’s show, I can honestly say I preferred the old look better because it carried more of a folk vibe to it and symbolized Finntroll to a greater extent as compared to the new look, in which they don’t really stand out or look as unique as before. But nonetheless, they more than compensated for this with the actual music, which at the end of the day is what matters most.
Vocalist Mathias “Vreth” Lillmåns sounded heavily under the influence of alcohol whenever he addressed the crowd and slurred through his words, but amazingly he didn’t let it affect his own or his band mates’ performance, as his vocals were sounding as good as ever and his stage presence was an apt representation of Finntroll’s fun, folk-dancy attitude. Aside from Vreth’s antics, the other most positive aspect of this Finntroll show was the performance of Brandon Ellis from the band Arsis, as he filled in for Finntroll’s regular guitarist Henri Sorvali who couldn’t make it on this tour. Even as a fill-in, Brandon made it seem like he’s a regular member of the band, such was the ease with which he was able to nail every part. Even though Finntroll is age-wise not an old band by any means, Brandon infused a touch of youthful energy and personality onto the stage and certainly impacted Finntroll’s show in a very positive manner.
The set was relentlessly awesome as the crowd was loving every minute of it and all kinds of mosh pits and dance circles were seen. Finntroll’s music is the kind of ‘folk metal’ I enjoy, as it’s still guitar-based, with the folk element comes from precise use of keyboards, the lyrics and vocal delivery, not from overuse of unconventional instruments. The main difference that makes Finntroll stand out and above most other so-called folk metal bands is, they bring the heavy.
Overall, Finntroll and Blackguard, and to an extent Xanthochroid, made the show worthwhile but the turnout was extremely pathetic as only the bottom-most of the five general admission floor levels of the Grove was filled with people. I have nothing against the Grove at all, I think it’s a lovely venue and I like seeing shows here, but it was most definitely the wrongly chosen venue for this kind of show, because if you ask any of these bands I’m sure they’d agree with me when I say it’s better to perform in a packed small venue rather than a nearly empty big one. With that being said, it was a largely enjoyable night out for those who did attend, and one would only hope for Finntroll and Blackguard to return to the States soon and perform at a better-chosen LA venue.
Finntroll interview coming soon
Check out Finntroll photos below:
Set List:
1. Blodsvept
2. Solsagan
3. Mordminnen
4. Ett Folk Förbannat
5. Dråp
6. Slaget vid Blodsälv
7. En Mäktig Här
8. Svartberg
9. När Jättar Marschera
10.Under Bergets Rot
11.Nedgång
12.Skövlarens Död
13.Skogsdotter
14.Häxbrygd
15.Jaktens Tid
Encore:
16.Nattfödd
17.Trollhammaren
Remaining tour dates:
11/26 – Las Vegas,NV – LVCS
11/27 – Tempe,AZ – Rocky Point Cantina
11/29 – Salt Lake City ,UT – In The Venue
11/30 – Denver,CO – Bluebird Theater
12/01 – Lawrence, KS – Granda Theater
12/02 – Dallas,TX – Trees
12/03 – San Antonio,TX – Backstage Live
12/04 – Houston,TX – Scout Bar
12/06 – Tampa,FL – Orpheum Theater
12/07 – Atlanta,GA – The Masquerade
12/08 – Louisville,KY – Diamonds Bar and Grill
12/09 – Baltimore,MD – Soundstage