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I don’t know from whose brain leaked out this idea of this festival-tour - what a cool hit was it to collect those bands and overwhelm to european and american rockers?! Of course those bands are very popular already in Europe, maybe only Eluveitie wasn’t too known - till now - but USA was relatively an unbroken area - till now -
The european part can put down as complete success, much of venues were sold out. Though Budapest hadn’t be that but the mood was on the top.
This show mustn’t started without me. Korpiklaani already was one of my favourite bands from a while, I often listen Moonsorrow albums too and yes - Ensiferum - I had the luck to see them last December in a club in Budapest. I will never forget that experience what I got there - I became one of the biggest Enska-fanatics of Hungary - I didn’t really know Eluveitie and Tyr but I was curious to them too.
My pal came early afternoon and I jumped into his car with my Mom - oh, didn’t I tell it yet? My Mom is a hard metal fan - and WE made ourselves scare.
There was already a big queue at Petofi Hall but with 17 years concert routine it was no doubt at all that I will on the 1st row -

There were 2 local bands on this show,1st was Bornholm who plays a kind of pagan-black metal and after came Dalriada who are very popular in home circle. Their native folk-metal delighted hungarian rockers. While they pushed the themes on the stage I noticed Sami in the background as he grasping a beer watched our hope-band, I hope he liked them!
After came the viking warriors from Feröer-Islands on the scene. Honestly their music is nice listening at home, sitting or laying in the bed but on concert it isn’t too striking, at least it didn’t push me on my back- Although I must to admit, they presented quite beautiful choirthemes, especially in the 1st song and the last one was a dynamic and striking piece.
Aaaaaaand yes! After them came the Sword-Bearers because Korpiklaani’s bus included Moonsorrow singer/bassist Ville broke down somewhere between Slovakia and Hungary, as we heard later. But honestly I didn’t mind that. I wished SO MUCH to live over again that unforgettable experience what they can give with their music -
Paganfest background down. Ensiferum up. Vikingship folding screens to the sides. Sword-shield keyboard-instrument to it’s place. Ad Victoriam started, the guys marched in in their pretty finnishflag kilts and a big madness began as they took on Iron!!! There’s nothing that Enska can’t cure-They can play with extremely big energy and on this place also the sound was more better than on other show in December apart from Markus’ and Sami’s microphone, they weren’t audiable enough again
There were some terrible wounds on Petri’s legs - poor guy, what happened, did somebody keep kicking him? - as original battle decoration. Markus’ face was so blue as if William Wallace emerged from Braveheart. It suited to him! And Sami was striped upside down as a tiger Pretty! Emmi rolled her head behind the keyboards and Janne struck the stone-hard themes with so poker-face as Steven Seagal uses to fight without any effort. Brutal!
They arranged a very strong programme, there wasn’t any neutral gear. Maybe I have an axe to grind but I have to tell, hungarians love finnish bands / maybe they love us too / and one of its eloquent testimony that during Lai Lai Hei whole the hall screamed as one: "Hän katsoi maan reunalta tähteä putoavaa.." It was so creepy to hear even on 1st row ! Of course the elan didn’t stop, we screamed same way at Guardians of Fate: "Race with the wind.." and the starting melody at Tale of Revenge: "ó-óóó-ó.." as Petri-crony commanded They played a very interesting medley too what started as a theme of Conan movie but at the end became Iron Maiden’s Trooper. I’m not a hard Maiden fan but I can suffer it from them / though let me observe, they should play Deathbringer instead of this-well, I would flabbergasted of that-/. Token of Time striked so deadly too, as ordinary.
Sami gave again his form. I already laughed off my head on him in December show in Wigwam as he badgered Markus continously and even now didn’t leave him. And there was a particularly funny moment. They went out from stage at the end of Blood of the Price of Glory and later Markus came back and cheered up the crowd for make noise. Suddenly Sami run in, pushed Mahi away and cheered up too and then he almost brust out of proudness why he got bigger ovation; if he wouldn’t have ears he could grin round his head Bravo!
The top of the show was the almost 10 minutes-long Victory Songs. Ensiferum has unbelievable fantastic songs but noone of them can better than this. There are everything in that. It’s heroic and energic in same time, it gives off power and beautiness as from a wild horse. It nearly pains as they sing soo beautiful: "Voitonlaulut soi ainiaan"- it’s indescribable, must to experience to understand.

Setlist:
Ad Victoriam
Iron
One More Magic Potion
Ahti
Lai Lai Hei
Guardians of Fate
Tale of Revenge
Token of Time
Cover Medley
Victory Songs
Blood is the Price of Glory
Treacherous Gods
Battle Song

Unfortunately once everything will end, after Battle Song Enska slipped away from stage. I became a little sad of this but my Mom commanded me to stay at my place because we must to jump on 3 more bands. Yes, Maria Lieutenant!
Eluveitie came and opened at once with their big hit: Inis Mona! Ááá, it was brutal! I woke up a little from lethargy. They play so drawing music, folk and hard in same time. /Ok,it’s suits on almost every Paganfest bands-/ Sometimes it reminds me exactly on In Flames by guitar reefs. Their line-up is really interesting: 8 people are on stage, 2 minigirls on left play violin and wheel-fiddle and 2 tattooed Sandokans clown on right in the persons of Krider twins.Deadly!
Finnish came again after Swiss: Moonsorrow. It can fall into trance of their music. Really! Especially that-oh yes. Intro began, guys came and started to play 1st song. At that time my heart stopped for some moments. I couldn’t believe to my ears. Even I almost fainted /not joke!/ -For they started to play my biggest favourite I couldn’t thought I would hear it live in my life!!! RAUNIOILLA!!! Áááá!!! I didn’t perceive anything of my surroundings, I only flew above the frozen finnish fields on the wings of melodies-Those who don’t know this song, let’s get it immediately, better than any drugs / although I have no too much experiences in them-/ And other songs can make same feelings, for example Sankaritarina.
Ville played on his bass holding almost knee-deep and swung his long gold mane /wish him got bald- / and Mitja on the left sometimes circled with his arm so large that I thought he would fly away soon-Instead of Henri we could delight now in Janne’s funny bald head and great voice.
After Köyliönjärven Jäällä Ville introduced to us Korpiklaani coffee: 2 cl of Jägermeister, 2cl of vodka  and 2 cl of Baileys. Cheers! And of course came the usual wish from him too: "Can you make some fucking noise??!!!??!!"
For last we could enjoy the also not really short but really high quallity song Jotunheim.
By the time Korpiklaani came  many of people got tired and went home but the most persistents was a part to a real humppa-party.The jolliest Paganfest band gave a bunch of their beer-scent songs with 2 news among them from the last Korven Kuningas album. Jonne performanced Orbina by sitting on a log and grabbing a drum and then one of new songs: Kipumylly; also Paljon on Koskessa Kiviä sounded cool in live.
Kalle sometimes danced so cheerfully before me that his first-class rhythm-sense infected on me too and I followed him and he liked it /or just the beer grined out from him..? It didn’t missed the beer sprinkle, unfortunately mustn’t be handing out because of big distance between stage and audience where cameras recorded whole the Paganfest show. / I just don’t know for who and why had it recorded? According to previously rumours it will be a dvd but for example Jarkko didn’t know anything about it, as I knew later. /
After approx. 6 and half hours in 1st row maybe it’s not wonder that I got tired but I was quite satisfied.We could enjoy 7 great bands performance for a simple ticket, it’s so cool!
Going out I could catch Jarkko and Kalle for some pics. And then my pal packed me and Mom and we cut and run to home.
3 days later I was on the road to Leipzig for another Paganfest, where I met with my dear german friends at 1st time:Jeanny and Kerstin  and a large and great party began!!!




(All pics were made by Raven and Rempi. Thank you so much )