Finntroll @ The Opera House 12.08.2013

So, things have been busy lately. But, for the first time in awhile, I went to go see a show yesterday...&...by christ, was it awesome.
It had a solid line-up, Havok, Nordheim, Trollband, & of course, Finntroll. I regret now not hearing of Havok or Nordheim before because they put on a solid fucking show. All of the bands put on a great performance; they all had incredible stage presence, & it seemed as if they were having as much fun on stage as the audience. Far too many bands now just get up, play some songs, stand there like fucking pillars of salt, eternally trapped at Sodom.
It's rare that one sees a show in which every band to grace the stage does a top-notch job & their music is five-fucking-star. Definitely one of the best shows I've seen in years; maybe the best I've ever seen. It was way more than worth the $28.75 I paid. All of my expectations were completely blown away.

Havok was the first to go on. I was surprised at how impressive they were. Their style sounded like a fusion between Death & early Metallica. It's a damn good style! All of their songs were headband-inducing. Half of the time it looked like they were having more fun than the audience up their with their antics, even though I overheard a good number of people say they, "came just to see Havok." They all interacted with the audience which was really great to see. If I had the chance to see them again, without a doubt, I'd go.

Up next was Nordheim - a folk outfit that got up at 5.00 am just to make it here from Quebec City...so, fucking hats off for that dedication! Again, I had never heard of this band, so I had no clue what to really expect out of them. They were fucking solid. Great music. Great stage presence. Great band. I hope these guys drive eight hours to here so I can see them again.

I had high expectations for Trollband since I acquired their album awhile ago & fucking loved it. But...damn...did they obliterate those expectations. I was quite impressed that they sound just as good live, as they do on their album. & they were yet another band that just got up their, had fun playing epic music, joked around a bit with the audience. Rarely do you get great fucking musicians that are also really fucking cool dudes off-stage.
During the Finntroll set, one of Trollband's guitarists was in the audience taking pictures, after I did a double-take & realised who it was, I ushered him to my spot (right in front of the stage) for a better shot. Hell, he put on a great show, he deserved the spot more than I did. He was also a pretty nice dude & we had a small conversation in between headbanging & camera shots. After a few pictures, Routa tossed him the pick he was using (fucking awesome when bands do that); he put it on the edge of the stage to continue taking pictures of the show, but forgot it when he left...so, if by any chance Trollband reads this...I have your pick dude. If you guys are ever back in Toronto, I'll drop it off.

Anyways, the headliner - Finntroll.
Before the concert, I spent more than a month learning their lyrics to the songs I thought they were most likely to play...totally paid off when Routa saw me singing along halfway through 'Ett Folk Förbannat' & gave me a nod & the horns.
Fucking back at ya, Routa \m/
They played a great set. Epic songs! I'm always impressed whenever I listen to Finntroll. They played some classics from Jaktens Tid & their newer stuff off of Blodsvept & every brilliant song in between. I would kill to see this line-up again. It was just fucking awesome.

For my review on Blodsvept:

Go support these bands & purchase their music.
Havok - Unnatural Selection

Nordheim - Refill

Trollband - In The Shadow Of A Mountain

Finntroll - Blodsvept