Author: Absinthe Moon Photography
Trollfest – 03/06/2025 – Chicago
I’m really not sure what to say about a group of dudes coming out in pink tutus and dressed like pink flamingos featuring a saxophone player other than, ah that must be Trollfest. All that aside, I’ve never actually seen Trollfest live before, and all I can say is, wow, what a blast. These guys came out rocking during their own unique style. The fan interaction was great with the world’s longest conga line and having half the crowd sit down and half of the crowd jump and then making them switch several times and lastly having the entire band randomly just lay down and play dead on the stage mid song. The music was great, the atmosphere was great, and the show was great.
Dance Like a Pink Flamingo
Flamongous
Essenfest
Ave Maria (Charles Gounod cover)
Twenty Miles an Hour
Kaptein Kaos
Illsint
Renkespill
Piña Colada
Kjettaren mot strømmen
All Drinks on Me
Espen Bin Askeladden
Helvetes hunden garm
Ensiferum – 03/06/2025 – Chicago
Ensiferum has finally returned to us. Not having performed in the Chicagoland area since January 12, 2019 at Joliet’s The Forge. The band was received with a roaring welcome. They came out though like it was just yesterday and went straight into a rocking set. You could tell the fans loved that they came back with the slow trickle of bands that have been making their returns since the “dark times” when bands didn’t tour in the US from overseas. It was a sad time and we are so glad that bands like Ensiferum have returned.
Aurora
Fatherland
Twilight Tavern
Treacherous Gods
Winter Storm Vigilantes
Lai Lai Hei
The Howl
From Afar
Andromeda
Leniret Coram Tempestate
Victorious
Wanderer
Rum, Women, Victory
In My Sword I Trust
Two of Spades
Korpiklaani – 03/06/2025 – Chicago
Korpiklaani returned to the greater Chicagoland area less than a year since their last show. This time opting to play at The Outset in Chicago after that previous May 3, 2024 show in Joliet at The Forge. In recent years, Korpiklaani had greatly reduced their number of bouncy “party” songs in their set opting instead to play more of slower, deeper material. These songs are great in their own right, but lots of fans that were coming out for the drinking and partying had made comments that they missed that side of Korpiklaani. This tour, or at least on this show, Korpiklaani opted to return to a greater mix of the party songs and there was definite pleasure amongst the crowds demonstrated heavily in the pit by circles of fans doing interlocked kick lines and dancing. All in all a great show.
Rankarumpu
A Man With a Plan
Saunaan
Happy Little Boozer
Ievan polkka
Rauta
Aita
Oraakkelit
Kalmisto
Tuli kokko
Vaarinpolkka
Leväluhta
Gotta Go Home (Boney M. cover)
Iron Fist (Motörhead cover)
Viima
Metsämies
Sahti
Tequila
Vodka
Havron – 03/05/2025
Havron is a fairly new band to the Chicago scene having moved to here in 2022, but they have been progressing in leaps in bounds, already playing on bigger shows such as this. The band features some players that are know from their other endeavors including: Lariyah from Iron Wings Tattoos, ViaOmega Magazine, Darkadya Books as well as her other current band Dieve Noire. Josh from bands Akhlys, Aoratos, Havron, Avgrum and Dieve Noire. And Mike from Novembers Doom, Among The Living and formerly from Degredation and Hollowpoint. With that much talent behind the band, it is no wonder that they come out as an opener, but the fans don’t behave like they’re an opener with them jumping and screaming along. All in all, Havron put on a great show.
Aether Realm – 03/5/2025 – Joliet
Tarot
The Emperor
Death
The Magician
Should I?
Swampwitch
She’s Back
Guardian (With Tyr)
TMHC
The Sun, the Moon, the Star
(Outro)
Tyr – 03/05/2025 – Joliet
Tyr returned to the Forge in Joliet holding the heather hammer high. Although I will admit that I haven’t been getting out to shows lately as much as I’d like to, I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t caught a Tyr show since they played The Pearl Room way back in 2009. I have to say I was quite impressed and will be seeing them again on their next US Tour. Tyr delivered a phenomenal performance coming out strong with the fan favorite, “By The Sword In My Hand” and continued their Pagan/Viking set list and had the crowd moving, moshing and crowd surfing along with the best.
By the Sword in My Hand
Axes
Ramund hin unge
Shadow of the Swastika
Evening Star
Ragnars Kvæði
Hammered
The Lay of Thrym
By the Light of the Northern Star
Hail to the Hammer
Regin Smiður
Dragons Never Die
Blood of Heroes
Encore:
Sinklars vísa
Play Video
Hold the Heathen Hammer High
Testament 09/27/2024 Chicago
Headlining and finishing of the Klash of the Titans tour was the almighty Testament. These Bay Area Thrash Legends came out strong and stayed strong through their entire set. Featuring the shredding guitars of Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson, the vocals of the only metal vocalist I know that was ever featured in the Smithsonian Chuck Billy and all tied together by the bass of Steve DiGiorgio and drums of Chris Dovas Testament really delivered one great set. Although I can’t speak for everyone out there, I think the Big 4 can step to the side, because for me a better thrash metal show (in no particular order) would be Testament, Kreator, and maybe Overkill. Either way, if you love thrash metal and don’t know Testament then it’s time to check them out.
Eerie Inhabitants
The New Order
Apocalyptic City
Raging Waters
The Preacher
The Haunting
Trial By Fire
First Strike Is Deadly
A Day Of Reckoning
Alone In the Dark
Do Or Die
Disciples Of The Watch
Over The Wall
Into The Pit
Kreator 09/27/2024 Chicago
So this Klash of the Titans tour pinned Kreator and Testament as co-headliners and both bands are legends in their own rights. However, I myself love Kreator. Having seen them probably close to ten times, they have never disappointed me to date. Although for a while there it did seem like I was cursed while trying to take photos of them. From the time they used heavy fog and no stage lights for the first three songs to the time that one of their roadies was being less than pleasant and jumped off the stage after picking a fight with a fan thus pushing me out of a good shooting place I always seemed to have bad luck trying to take photos of them. In recent years I’ve had better luck, this show included.
All that aside though, Kreator came out and delivered another phenomenal thrash set included one of my personal favorite songs, “Phobia”. With Mille Petrozza’s commanding vocals and Ventor’s crushing drums Kreator had the crowd flying high with crowd surfers and pit after pit forming in their wake. If you’ve never had the opportunity to catch Kreator live and you like Thrash Metal as much as I do, I highly recommend taking the time to catch one of their shows. And as always “THE KREATOR WILL RETURN!!!
Sergio Corbucci Is Dead (Intro)
Hate Über Alles
Phobia
Enemy Of God
666 – World Divided
Hordes Of Chaos
Hail To The Hordes
Betrayer
Satan Is Real
Mars Mantra (Intro)
Phantom Antichrist
Strongest Of The Strong
Terrible Certainty
The Patriarch (Intro)
Violent Revolution
Pleasure To Kill
Possessed 09/27/2024 Chicago
Although I can’t say that too familiar with Possessed I had heard of them and that in itself says a lot for the opening act on a tour of this magnitude. I never had a guide to metal growing up and kind of have been discovering bands myself for years and am still discovering them to this day. From talking with fans, I learned that Possessed was basically the first Death Metal band.
All that being said, Possessed took the stage at about 6:50PM to a still growing crowd as people got off work and battled Chicago traffic to get in. That didn’t stop them though from blowing the roof off of Radius Chicago and putting on a killer show.
SET LIST
Pentagram
Ritual
Tribulation
Graven
The Exorcist
Demon
Death Metal
Swing of the Axe