Huldre was, after winning two smashing victories at the Danish Metal Battle event and sweeping home the internet voting as well just for good measure, Denmark’s strongest contribution yet to the Wacken Metal Battle. On top of that, they had the prestigious spot as the final contester to play this year.

As the curtain was drawn aside, we saw a stage set with a veritable forest, completed with bones and skulls of various animals, and a band smiling and ready to rock.
In front of the Headbanger Stage, the floor was well-filled with people. Danish flags were waved, a chant filled the air, and the Huldre stick-on tattoo, their latest merch weapon, was seen on many an arm and a single forehead. The crowd was ready to be rocked.
The set began with the slow and enticing Beirblakken, and even though the sun was shining outside the Bullhead City tent and the hot air was standing still inside, our minds were still drawn into the mystifying nature-romantic world of the band. As soon as we were there, the trap sprung, and Huldre unleashed Ulvevinter on us, a song very much at odds with the actual surroundings but still potent enough in its delivery to get heads banging.

Back on the stage, the band seemed to feel right at home. They looked confident and relaxed enough to have fun with it.
Especially noteworthy was the delivery of Nanna Barslev and Laura Emilie Beck, the latter of which didn’t let her advanced pregnancy have much noticeable effect on her dancing and prancing about the stage. Barslev had her usual good grip on the audience, and even though neither stage nor playtime allowed for her usual visit in the crowd, she still did her part in getting the party going.
The men of the band delivered the music just as well as we’ve become accustomed to, but a bit more time out on the edge of the stage wouldn’t have hurt. Even so, their smiling faces and swinging performance backed the show quite nicely.

A Huldre show wouldn’t be a Huldre show without some special gimmick, and the Wacken crowd was in for something completely new – prior to the show, the band had specially prepared a large selection of animal bones which they had written the band name on. These were fittingly handed out at the beginning of Knoglekvad, which translates to Bonesong, and as Barslev sang about throwing bones around this was exactly what was going on in the crowd – how the Wacken security felt about this is unknown, but I saw one red-shirted guard pick a bone up from the photopit and smilingly hand it to a young girl perched on her fathers’ shoulders.
After this it was time to slow things slightly down again with Skærsild which got to bring a fulfilling end to a show that was over almost before it had begun, but those are the terms for the Wacken Metal Battle competition. Appreciation from the crowd was manifested in the throwing of some form of golden objects up to the stage – without knowing exactly what they were, the act itself spoke of what the Wacken audience wished for the band – gold!

At the time of writing this, the judges were deliberating, but Huldre delivered a win-worthy concert, no matter how things go with the competition. All there is to hope for now is that the exposure the band got by playing here will make longer shows possible in the future.

Setlist:

Beirblakken
Ulvevinter
Knoglekvad
Skærsild