Live at The House of Blues

Hollywood, California

May 17, 2009

Review and Photos by Travis Baumann

I have been listening to Pagan and Folk metal for quite some time now and fans of this style have always spoken about Korpiklanni as being one of the top of the genre so when they were announced to be coheadlining the second Pagan Fest with Primordial I knew it was not to be missed.

While a good number of the bands that play this style of music focus on brutal war songs from Viking inspiration, Korpiklaani are more like bards or minstrels that predominantly sing about partying, drinking, and good times with songs like "Vodka", "Beer Beer", and "Wooden Pints".

They sing a good number of songs in their own Finnish language as well, so they may be all about drinking too for all I know, but their predominant hits in English are definitely about good times.

They have a festive sound to match their lyrics, utilizing lively fiddle playing and an accordian that keeps tempo with the heavy guitars and metal drums that keep them solidly placed in the Metal genre.

While the vocalist has a harsh voice it is by no means the brutal onslaught of traditional dark metal, keeping a gruff side to the partying but still inviting.

You can tell the sextet really enjoys playing before a live audience by the beaming grins on their faces. They were very excited to be touring North America and especially to be playing on the famous Sunset Strip in Hollywood.

They dress in medieval folk era garb and utilize a lot of trappings from that style including a cool deer or elk skull for their mic stand, the antlers framing the singer's face.

They do emphasize the respect and worship of nature and the world around us that is a part of Pagan mythos and heritage. Their name itself means "Clan of the Wilderness" and they play upon this, along with drinking, more than revel in Viking life and slaughter like a number of bands in this genre do.

All of their album covers portray a very similar looking figure that is a wizened druidic type character with a long beard in various nature settings.

Their overall aesthetic is one of natural beauty, festivity and just a bit of darkness thrown in which I guess is what attracts me to them and why they are not just a typical folk band but part of the metal genre despite their cheerful outlook.

The audience loved the set, and were energetic and enthusiastic even after four other bands before hand. Many of the fans broke into jigs, kicking their feet up and sang along to all of the songs. The lead singer bantered with the audience and made everyone laugh and have a good time.

They were very different from Primoridal, the coheadliner who played immediately before them, as Primordial are very serious and a bit more gloomy and I love them for that but it is nice to have a bit of light hearted partying the last thing on a long night of great music.

To sum it up, they were great to see live, a really upbeat and happy metal band and very talented at that. They offer something out of the ordinary, even for an already unique subgenre of metal, and have a great sound that is the perfect lively soundtrack to a night (or day) of drinking.