LIVE REVIEW: Wind Rose @ Electric Brixton, London
There’s barely enough room to breathe in Electric Brixton tonight. A capacity crowd has piled into the venue for WIND ROSE, but while it can feel a little bit claustrophobic, it’s also heartwarming. Power metal once struggled to get a foothold in the UK, but thanks to the increasing popularity of acts like SABATON and POWERWOLF, the audiences are growing, and more bands are being lifted up.
One such group are ORDEN OGAN. Already a huge name in their native Germany, the five-piece are still climbing the ladder on this side of the channel, but they’ve got an impressive collection of albums in their back catalogue. They begin their set in suitably dramatic fashion; their mascot Alister Vale prowling the stage in a gas mask and top hat while a voiceover narrates his tale of damnation, before kicking off properly with F.E.V.E.R. It’s a big, barnstorming power metal song with an irresistibly catchy chorus, and quite frankly, that could describe the next nine songs too.
Led by their towering vocalist Sebastian ‘Seeb’ Levermann, their hour onstage is a masterclass how to do this music properly. Songs like Heart Of The Android and Gunman are as good as anything you’ll hear from the scene’s leaders, and the sheer enthusiasm gets fists pumping and heads nodding. They also get remarkably heavy at times and have a couple of breakdowns that would make DESPISED ICON nod in approval.
Seeb is an engaging focal point with a firm grasp of crowd control, and he manages to raise a few laughs with his banter too. The closing The Things We Believe In comes across like the best track that half the metal world has never heard of, and while a sizeable chunk of the audience clearly doesn’t know who they are, their set is a triumph. If tonight confirms anything, the only reason they’re not already huge is because most of the UK hasn’t a clue what an ORDEN OGAN is.
Rating: 9/10
In contrast, everybody in the venue knows who WIND ROSE are. The world’s premier Dwarf metallers could have been nothing but a one-hit wonder with a novelty song and vanished after Diggy Diggy Hole went viral, but instead they’ve grown in stature. It’s been six years and two albums since their megahit, but their popularity has only increased. Hell, the line for the merch stand is so big, it cuts off one of the bars. DS has reported on a lot of gigs over the years, but this is the only time we can recall where more people are queuing to buy inflatable pickaxes than beer.
If we had to pinpoint how they’ve done it though, it’s simple. WIND ROSE are a seriously good band, and their gimmick is more of a side dish than the main course. It might be fun to dress up like Thorin Oakenshield and sing about mining, but their real strength is that they write bloody good metal.
So, when they walk out and open with Dance Of The Axes, there’s barely time to say “Hey, those are regular sized guys,” before the place goes mental. The pit erupts into life, hands are raised aloft, and every word gets bellowed back at the stage. The Great Feast Underground follows, and the venue becomes one big party, before Army Of Stone sends us to war in epic fashion.
Later, an enormous Trollslayer threatens to be the highlight of the set, and there’s a moving tribute to Ozzy Osbourne when they cover Shot In The Dark. Admittedly, the momentum does dip somewhat when they play some of their older material (To Erebor is for the Long Beards only), but it escalates again with Together We Rise.
And yes, Diggy Diggy Hole is pure pandemonium, especially with the Yogscast joining them (they’re the Youtubers who wrote the original). It’s a delightfully stupid, grin-constantly track and it’s all but impossible not to enjoy yourself. Then they round things off with a spirited performance of Rock And Stone (including a dance remix epilogue).
Against all odds, WIND ROSE are in this for the long haul. It may be easy to dismiss them as a throwaway act, but they’ve got some serious chops in their arsenal. This could easily have been one of those shows where you’re counting down the minutes until the hit single arrives at the end, but it was a stumpy-legged riot right from the start. If pushed, we’d argue that ORDEN OGAN were marginally better, but this was a sterling night for two of the genre’s brightest hopes.
Rating: 8/10
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