After the opening concert with Illnath and then some recreational time with cheap beers and kind bartenders it was time for the band we all, or at least I (as I can only speak for myself) had come for; Svartsot.
I was still curious as to how they would be after the great line-up changes they had undergone since the last time I saw them, which was at the Danish Metal Awards, or DMeA (which you can find a review of under Articles here at the site).
As the bands only remaining active member, and primus motor, we saw Cristoffer J.S. Frederiksen on guitar; and his newly acquired war-brothers were Thor Bager on vocals, Cliff Nemanim also on guitars, James Atkin on bass, Hans-Jørgen Martinus Hansen on various folk instruments and last but possibly liveliest, Danni Lyse Jelsgaard on drums.
We had already seen Martinus Hansen with Svartsot as he stood in for Stewart C. Lewis (who is currently on hiatus, but still considered a member of Svartsot) on the bands excellent show on the Ragnarök Aaskereia Tour last year, and Lyse Jelsgaard wowed us with an impressive stamina as he got back on the stool after already having laid down beats for Illnath just about twenty minutes earlier.

Svartsot’s show started off with the creaking of a dragon-ship setting the mood, after which they quickly continued with Tvende Ravne. Already at this point they had the audience pretty much completely on their side, and already in the second song, Skovens Kælling, the sing along started.
In addition to playing several songs from their debut album Ravnenes Saga, Svartsot were also kind enough to present us to three completely new tracks which will most likely be featured on their next album; Højen På Glødende Pæle, Æthelred and Grendel. Højen På Glødende Pæle felt like a classic Svartsot track, Æthelred had a very happy melody combined with heavy-as-hell riffing (which in a way also is classic Svartsot) and for Grendel Martinus Hansen switched the flutes he had used up till this point with an accordion. Sadly this instrument was almost completely inaudible as the sound for the night wasn’t the best ever…

The sound was actually a bother all night, so it wasn’t possible to give a completely honest opinion on the new musicians; although it did look, and as far as it was possible, sound like they were completely up for the task of bringing Svartsot further. There wasn’t much movement in the show, but this was certainly due to the small stage which had probably been built with three undernourished Brit-poppers in mind, not six well-built Vikings who were cramming for elbow-room.
It was also the poor sound that allowed me to give Bager the benefit of a doubt on his vocal capabilities, although they initially did not impress me all too much.
As the night wore on, it would turn out that his vocals weren’t his biggest problem however…
It was embarrassing to see that even after several months in the band he still had to have a folder containing all the lyrics with him on stage, and the drunker he got, the worse his performance also got. A lowpoint which springs to mind was when he called Hedens Døtre an acoustic track and left the stage with beer and axe in hand to join the crowd on the floor. Ironically, this was the highpoint of the concert, as the musicians finally got to show off their capabilities by themselves, and they did an excellent job of it.
Another incident which sadly sticks with me was when Bager exclaimed that he was throwing his clothes of as this was what we had paid for, and even though horrified requests for him not to do it arose from the audience, off came his sheep-skin jacket and our eyes were blinded as he revealed a milky-white body trained by beer and beer alone.

So what can I say?
The songs are still great, and I have high hopes for the new album after the treats we were handed tonight.
Svartsot still contain competent musicians who know how to get the right mood going; sadly Bager managed to transform it all into something looking like amateur-night on a bad day, and I must say with regret that this was the most disappointing Svartsot show I have witnessed to date.

Setlist:

Tvende Ravne
Skovens Kælling
Nidvisen
Højen På Glødende Pæle
Spillemandens Dåse
Hedens Døtre
Æthelred
Skønne Møer
Grendel
Havets Plage
Jagten
Gravøllet
Drekar
Jotunheimsfærden