Amon Amarth + Finntroll: Glasgow Live Review!

Face-painted Finnish trolls blasting out carnival metal tunes in the middle of Glasgow? You’ve either had a swig too many of the city’s infamous tonic wine or you’re packed into the heaving Cathouse to behold the sight of Finntroll in full swing... Worrying thing is, you have to check your breath just to make sure!

And it’s no wonder, the truly unique Europeans really take some explaining; singing in Klingon with songs entitled Manniskopesten and Slaget vid Blodsälv which sound like the score to a B-Movie horror flick on loop, you either have to be prepared to ask no questions and join the party wholeheartedly... or piss off.

Not surprisingly the sweaty Glaswegian’s rubbing against each other tonight fancy getting hammered with a bunch of trolls, so there’s no need to go home just yet. Vocalist Wilska (what? did you expect John or Allan?) is as happy as a kid with candy floss as he bounds about the stage orchestrating a wave of air punching a chest beating. Their mix of Euro metal meets folk music proves an infectious concoction on their Scottish debut and amazingly the odd drunk amongst the masses even attempts to sing along to their favourites Trollhammaren and RivFader before heading back for the Buckfast.

Viking metallers Amon Amarth are a much more straight forward prospect although no less enthralling and a tad more devastating. Having just crashed into the Western shores on Scotland earlier that day, before pillaging a few villages on their way to the venue, they are now ready for a meaty feast metal.

Between chugs from their beer-filled horns the frontline of half-naked Hegg and Ted Lundström and thankfully fully dressed Olavi Mikkonen and Johan

Söderberg treat us to some pounding battles tunes. The bracers and Scandinavian melodies are all which separate Amon Amarth from an extreme metal pigeon hole and tonight they are simple relentless in their quest of aural rape all who dare stand before them.

Gavin McInally