Napalm records stumbled upon a gold mine when they announced a North American tour with two of the most diverse bands on it’s roster. Sirenia and Arkona has set the metal world on fire for over a decade. Adding the supporting acts such as MindMaze and Sicosis made this show a must see. Despite the inclement weather it was some how fitting music to describe all the stories we hearing about Norway and Russia. The dreary weather fit well. Inside however was festive and somewhat perplexing due to the nature of Webster Hall. Other rooms in the venue had a crowd of dance and urban music, which is always amusing.
Sirenia have been around since 2001 and it is the first time they are invading the USA shores. What made this event memorable is that the fans supported a pledge campaign to make it happen. So to give a little extra Oomph Arkona was on board to celebrate their 15 years anniversary.
Arkona took the stage with the now traditional Russian folklore music blaring from the house speakers. It has always set the tone and give an insight of the Slavic history that the band embodies.Masha and Company are steep in tradition in a sense she is a practitioner of Slavic culture. It show in her clothing , interviews and her voice that eventually will put her up there with metal gods. To everyone’s amazement the band did a 12 song set with little interaction due to time constraint. Arkona did deliver as always and despite the language barrier. The music they live and stand by shows that music is truly a universal language.
Sirenia capitalized on this first tour by literally playing songs from their humble beginnings all the way to the present. Song’s from their debut album like “Meridan” made it onto an impressive setlist. Many songs from the latest album Dim Days of Dolor was introduced to people who may not know of them. “Ashes to Ashes,“ “Godess of the Sea,“ and “Elusive Sun “ reminded the audience why it is a must have CD to own. They managed to make most of the intimate stage setting feel like an arena.
Once Arkona and Sirenia wrap up their tour dates, Arkona will be doing Exit Festival in Serbia while Sirenia will partake in the Metalfest Open Air Festival in the Czech Republic.
