Finntroll, TYR & Skalmold at Epic in Norwich

Monday night I went along to the Finntroll, TYR & Skalmold event at Epic in Norwich. I’d only ever been to Epic once before, for a TV recording so I had absolutely no idea what to expect from it as a live music venue.

When the bands play live, the raised seating at the back is taken away, and the stage is higher up, separated by a barrier as expected but with two massive HD Screens either side of the stage so you can see everything clearly, regardless of where you are in the venue. We thought this was an awesome idea.

The beer selection at Epic was, well, pretty much a standard gig venue selection. On keg there was a choice of either Stella Artois, Beck’s Vier or Marstons Smooth along with some bottles and cans of yet more crap. Prices were £3.80 a pint, which hits what I was expecting pretty much.

Now, onto the music! Skalmold were up first with their haunting brand of Folk Metal playing such an upsettingly short 30 minute set, mostly comprising of stuff from their latest album Born Loka. They’re incredibly tight as a band, and very heavy but more serious than your average band of the same genre. They were certainly enjoyable.

Next up was Týr, a band I have seen once before at Hammerfest in 2009. As they admitted when they walked on stage, a lot of people may not have heard most of their setlist live as they’d be playing a lot of new songs which was totally fine by me as Valkyrja is possibly my favourite album of theirs. They brought their style of catchy Viking tunes that make you want to dance a bit, but at the same time go forth into battle.

And finally, of course, Finntroll, the band that made me fall in love with Folk Metal. They stormed through an impressively massive hour and a half set, bouncing through pretty much their entire back catalogue and finally it came… the song I first heard… Trollhammaren, their final track of the evening. It was everything I hoped for and more!

Overall, it was a totally fucking awesome gig in a great venue. The sound quality, the size and the ability to see all without getting crushed to fuck at the front of the stage makes it possibly my favourite venue in Norwich. Sheer brilliance on Monday and I want to do it again!