Magic, Battle Hymns and plenty of Partying – PAGANFEST 2025 in Leipzig 

Zur deutschen Version geht es hier.

After January felt like it was eight months long, we were really looking forward to the Paganfest in Leipzig last Saturday. The outstanding line-up, which consisted of ELVENKING, HEIDEVOLK, TYR, ENSIFERUM and ALESTORM, not only led to a sold-out Felsenkeller, but also to a bombastic atmosphere! So much in advance: There was a lot to hear, a lot to see and even more fun with good live music!

Thanks again to lightinmirror.de, there’s no one I’d rather go on this wild journey with!

ELVENKING

I’ll say it right away: I saw that Paganfest had booked ELVENKING and there was absolutely no further discussion for me about who should be our interview partner that evening! I associate so much with the music of the Italians that I simply can’t miss an opportunity to see them when I get the chance! Fun Fact: My first review ever was ELVENKING’s Secrets of the Magick Grimoire!

What I appreciate about their sound is not only the live violin, but the attention to detail in terms of weaving music and myths. Listening to ELVENKING is like stumbling into a full moon fairy party and being so enchanted that you just can’t leave.

The set, which began with Throes of Atonement, from the album Reader of the Runes – Luna, which will be released in April, was characterized by a lot of enthusiasm and pure energy. This is all the more remarkable when you consider that the hall was only half full at the start of their set, 20 minutes after the doors had opened. However, the musicians around singer Damna were absolutely undeterred by this and played as if their lives depended on it. The set was also a really successful mix of songs from past releases, with Pagan Manifesto being slightly better represented with three songs. As a big fan of this album, however, this was absolutely no problem for me. 

As with every ELVENKING gig I’ve experienced so far, there was also a big problem here: The band didn’t play for 3 hours, contrary to my explicit wish. I thought that was a big impertinence! Nevertheless, my inner teenager was very happy again and I think that’s the main thing.

HEIDEVOLK

Next up were HEIDEVOLK and it must have been ages since I’ve seen the Dutch live. It must have been 10 years at least! I don’t really know why, because HEIDEVOLK actually embody a lot of things that we love about our music… 

What particularly characterizes HEIDEVOLK is the very catchy polyphonic singing, they have always had two singers, in combination with the fact that they have written most of their songs in Dutch. I find that particularly remarkable because Dutch is not a language that you are often confronted with in the music business. In this respect, there is something friendly and uncompromising about it and I really appreciate that. As a German, I can also make sense of some of the lyrics and that somehow turns the live performance into an entertaining puzzle show with the addition of Metal music!

So unlike the audience in the Felsenkeller, I wasn’t at all familiar with the band’s discography. I found it a bit languid around the 4th and 5th song, but they got that under control again with Saksenland and by Krijgsvolk at the latest, the signs were pointing to a raid party again. At this point I can confidently admit that I only really knew one song and that was the final one (and probably the one with the silliest meaning): Vulgaris Magistralis. Everyone sang along to it and HEIDEVOLK ended their set on an absolute high!

TYR

From my point of view, TYR had a luxurious starting position: The venue was full, the atmosphere was great and people were in the mood for good music. Unfortunately, in my opinion, TYR didn’t or hardly used this opportunity at all…

Although I should perhaps differentiate between the two: The only person I really believed that he was up for anything and really enjoyed being on stage that evening was the bass player. I didn’t really see the drummer and I think that the second guitarist just isn’t the most enthusiastic person. He’s probably more of the quiet “let me play” type! I didn’t like the demeanor of the singer, who also played guitar. It really seemed to me as if he was playing to the audience and as if he didn’t really care what people thought. It was more of a “take it or leave it” situation, which completely took away my enjoyment of the evening and also of TYR’s music… While there was still a lot of movement in the audience before HEIDEVOLK, from my point of view it looked like TYR had played the audience cold again. That was a real shame! The fact that they regularly left the stage and came back again, probably for dramatic effect, really didn’t help either. 

On a long tour like Paganfest, you can really have a bad day and I hope that was the case here. But there will probably not be another TYR show for us. What a shame!

ENSIFERUM

ENSIFERUM are a band you can always rely on! Their performance at Paganfest was no exception to this rule. Besides ELVENKING, they were also the band we were looking forward to the most.

The set started with the song Fatherland from the current album Winter Storm. At this point, I also expected this release to be the musical focus of their set. With a total of three songs, Winter Storm Vigilantes and Victorious were also featured, this was indeed the case. The rest of the set, however, was a best of the band’s history and a truly outstanding mix. When Twilight Tavern was the second song, I almost fell off my non-existent chair! Insane! I hadn’t expected that at all. I don’t want to give away too much of the set at this point, in case someone wants to go to one of the upcoming Paganfest dates and doesn’t want to know anything beforehand, but if you’ve been a fan of ENSIFERUM for a long time, you’ll have absolutely nothing left to be desired here.

The Finns fired up the room as much as you can with warlike anthems with a winter twist and it was just pure joy. Once again, they proved to us why they are a band we love to watch over and over again! At the end of their set, I could have gone home and been completely blissfully happy. If ENSIFERUM aren’t headlining the next Paganfest, then I don’t know!

ALESTORM

It’s certainly debatable whether ALESTORM are a good musical fit for Paganfest. I would say that it doesn’t tend to fit, but with ALESTORM you attract a lot of people and you also have a party magnet that is increasingly sought after in this form.

In my opinion, the band benefits enormously from Patty Gurdy, who gives the music more depth with her hurdy gurdy and vocals, especially on Voyage of the Dead Marauder. I hope they continue to have her with them in the near future, because she really is an asset to the band and brings a pleasant breath of fresh air!

Apart from that, the beer pirates‘ set was just as you’d expect: lots of nonsense, lots of silliness, a few pirates and even a potted plant…? The audience really went crazy during the songs, which speaks for the live energy of ALESTORM. But for us it showed once again why we are slowly but surely moving away from Power Metal and will only do selected bands of this genre; after half of the set it was just very repetitive for us. That’s not to disparage those who rightly like this music, but for us there’s just a lack of depth and variety. Humor can’t make up for everything and I’d rather listen to stories about epic battles, heartbreak, death and loss than hear the twelfth song about drinking… 

But these are really personal sensitivities and the remaining 1,200 people in the audience were overwhelmingly of a different opinion, and we really don’t mind them their. For us, however, it also meant that we could say goodbye before the encore!

As usual, we’ll continue here soon with an interview. I can already reveal that it’s one of my favorites so far. Yes, I know I say that a lot, but it’s just true, ok? In addition, there will soon be insights into the Black Metal Howling, which will take place on 08.02.25 in the Hellraiser. These are turbulent times and we couldn’t wish for better! Take care and see you soon!