Ereb Altor
Månegarm Open Air - 2024
Text: Tobias Nilsson Photo: Lunah Lauridsen
With Ereb Altor entering the stage, both the festival and we were landing on more familiar ground. The band played here back in 2019 on the very first festival,making them one of the very few returning bands so far, and as you can see here at the site, we of course saw them at House of Metal back in 2017. No, I wasn’t terribly impressed at that point, but Lunah Lauridsen liked them, and it was time to give them another shot.
Thank you so much Norrtälje, it’s fucking great to be back!”
- Crister ‘Mats’ Olsson (vocals/guitar)
A short vocal intro took us straight into I Have The Sky, also opener of their latest album, Vargtimman, and so we were off. The four members you probably know, and Alfred, their animal skull, led us down dark paths into the cold, unforgiving Swedish wilderness, and they did not falter in their step. The performance they gave was intense and present, and yet there was time for smiling a lot as well, showing that their statement about being happy to be back wasn’t just empty words. Mats also enjoyed talking to the crowd between songs, either setting the story up for the next track, like when he told us that Queen Of All Seas was about a man condemned for getting freaky with the devil in the shape of a forest spirit, or just general chit chat, which was also enjoyable.
The good mood and energy from the stage was clearly reaching the audience. This was the largest audience of the day so far, and people were clearly enjoying the show. There was a lot of headbanging up front, but even though the rest took a slightly calmer approach, they were no less invested, and gladly threw their horns in the air and shouted out their appreciation between songs. Of course, there was some singing and shouting along to the songs as well, as it should be. One stand-out moment for this came at the end of the final track, With Fire In My Heart…, which had fists pumping for the “blood blood fire fire” section.
I was impressed - Ereb Altor completely outdid themselves compared to the 2017 show. As mentioned, the show was intense and energetic, but also retained a positive mood, all delivered by a band that truly looked like they were having the time of their lives. This was a great time, and a perfect warm-up for the rest of the evening.
Setlist (incomplete):
I Have The Sky
Vargtimman
Fenris
Queen Of All The Seas
En Synd Svart Som Sot
With Fire In My Heart…
Thank you so much Norrtälje, it’s fucking great to be back!”
- Crister ‘Mats’ Olsson (vocals/guitar)
A short vocal intro took us straight into I Have The Sky, also opener of their latest album, Vargtimman, and so we were off. The four members you probably know, and Alfred, their animal skull, led us down dark paths into the cold, unforgiving Swedish wilderness, and they did not falter in their step. The performance they gave was intense and present, and yet there was time for smiling a lot as well, showing that their statement about being happy to be back wasn’t just empty words. Mats also enjoyed talking to the crowd between songs, either setting the story up for the next track, like when he told us that Queen Of All Seas was about a man condemned for getting freaky with the devil in the shape of a forest spirit, or just general chit chat, which was also enjoyable.
The good mood and energy from the stage was clearly reaching the audience. This was the largest audience of the day so far, and people were clearly enjoying the show. There was a lot of headbanging up front, but even though the rest took a slightly calmer approach, they were no less invested, and gladly threw their horns in the air and shouted out their appreciation between songs. Of course, there was some singing and shouting along to the songs as well, as it should be. One stand-out moment for this came at the end of the final track, With Fire In My Heart…, which had fists pumping for the “blood blood fire fire” section.
I was impressed - Ereb Altor completely outdid themselves compared to the 2017 show. As mentioned, the show was intense and energetic, but also retained a positive mood, all delivered by a band that truly looked like they were having the time of their lives. This was a great time, and a perfect warm-up for the rest of the evening.
Setlist (incomplete):
I Have The Sky
Vargtimman
Fenris
Queen Of All The Seas
En Synd Svart Som Sot
With Fire In My Heart…