A year and a couple of months have passed since Ensiferum delivered their latest album, One Man Army, upon the stone of sacrifice, and now it was time for their following raid to reach Danish shores, or more closely Amager Bio in Copenhagen.

The pre-raid delivered by our own Heidra, and Fleshgod Apocalypse, had expertly softened the Danish guard, and now it was time for the main force to move in for the kill.
The raiding party didn’t look quite like I had expected it to however. Where their usual keyboard player once stood proud and strong, now stood someone completely different, bearing quite a different weapon. A red-haired girl with an accordion. My initial thought was, is this the much fabled Netta Skog, who once travelled with fellow Finns Turisas? I could not be sure, and as the battle was just about to commence, I had no further time to dwell on this.

The rest of the outfit was more familiar to me, and they all seemed geared for the night of carnage that lay ahead. The five-man strong one-man army had gathered, and the horns sounded the alarm. The march of war had brought Ensiferum here, and they were ready to wield the axe of judgement over us.
This heathen horde, the guardians of fate if you will, had apparently downed one more magic potion than the treacherous gods of Denmark, and therein lay their imminent victory. Soon, they would all be like a warrior without a war. Suddenly from afar, a wanderer came, bearing the two of spades up his sleeve, ready to tip the scales of the battle in our favour however. In my veins, I could feel my ancestors’ blood beginning to boil in the twilight tavern known as Amager Bio. My brethren around sang a song of defiance towards the Finnish horde, chanting the old words of power lai lai hei, as they gathered strength for one final strike…
After the initial battle had died down, many lay slain across the battle field, and in my mourning heart I could feel a tale of revenge beginning to build. In my sword I trust I shouted, as I raised the bloody iron to the sky, ready to fight another day…

“Copenhagen, sing along with me!”
- Sami Hinkka (bas)

Wow, that was an insane amount of clever banter. Did you catch the references? If not, I’m not sure what you’re doing reading a review about Ensiferum, that’s for sure!
Anyway, back at the show, these Finnish metalheads were ripping it up in the now familiar fashion that we have come to expect – focused, fiery, and fulfilling. Sami Hinkka was as lively as ever (still managing to keep the contents of his kilt hidden from view), and Markus Toivonen also kicked it up, slightly less, but still a great performance.
The real gem of the show however, was the highly humorous Netta Skog. Yes, it was her, even though it took more than half the show before it was mentioned. Still, the way she danced and pranced around the stage kept us smiling and the entertainment at a high level!
Apart from this, the show was pretty much run at full speed – there wasn’t much time for talking between songs, and even though I have often been heard to call for more music, less talking, a bit more interaction from Lindroos’ side would have been nice.

“Copenhagen, one last circle slash moshpit!”
- Petri Lindroos (vocals/guitar)

Even so, Ensiferum held a good grip on the Copenhagen crowd. Amager Bio wasn’t close to selling out, but there were quite a few people, enough by far to raise the heat in the hall, and raise the volume when singing along to the songs.
Many were the songs of this Finnish group that raised the spirit of the audience, yet nothing took us quite as much by surprise (no, the setlist wasn’t super surprising) as the inclusion of a snippet of Manowar’s Hail And Kill in Iron, which put the finishing move of tonight’s set. Here Toivonen entertained by playing with his guitar behind his neck, while Hinkka was pouring beer down his throat on the front.

Ensiferum displayed a nice set of battle moves during the raid, but ultimately their overall tactics were a bit too familiar. Their newest member was their strongest asset, and a fine addition to the team. Of course, we will see them again, and I’m guessing they will be even better bonded the next time.

Setlist:

March Of War
Axe Of Judgement
Heathen Horde
Guardians Of Fate
One More Magic Potion
Treacherous Gods
Warrior Without A War
From Afar
Wanderer
Two Of Spades
My Ancestors’ Blood
Twilight Tavern
LAI LAI HEI
Mourning Heart – Interlude
Tale Of Revenge
In My Sword I Trust
Iron