Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
I could swear that by the looks, it is a US hard rock band, but Stage Dolls are, in fact, Norwegian, formed in Trondheim in the early 1980s. They had hits like Love Cries and Wings of Steel, all from the late 1980s. While Midgardsblot is mainly regarded by community as a Nordic Folk/black metal event, having diverse bands such as this one is definitely a welcome thing. The event does not become too niche, and there is a healthy diversity considering all that tribal drumbeat happening later on.
Newcomer MÍO is a Norwegian “folk ’n’ roll” band mixing folk, rock and punk — with fuzzy harding-fiddle, folk instruments and raw vocals that give a wild, energetic sound. Their music combines traditional folk-music tonality and storytelling with gritty rock energy, creating a modern yet rooted vibe. MÍO+1 The band released their debut album Ingen tid å miste in 2023; in 2025 they followed up with a darker, more intense album titled Hva nå?.
Norwegian musician Sylvaine (Kathrine Shepard) usually performs with a band, but this time she came with an acoustic solo set. Bathed in blue light, Kathrine looked very etherial, matching well her musical presence (and one of the rare cases when Gildehallen array of present-dat discoteque LEDs makes for a good atmosphere). The set was closed, as a nod to the audience, with an unexpected Helvegen cover.
Another Finnish landing on the festival, energetic battle metal veterans Ensiferum made quite a show on the smaller Valhalla stage. Despite positioning themselves as ‘folk metal’, they are not really dress up too much. The audience was all-in this time, with a rare sight of many warriors in chainmail and helmets joining the moshpit (is it even safe?).
Black metal legends were set to close the third night of Midgardsblot on the main Hellheim stage with their 40th anniversary show. It is interesting to see how metal fans seemingly pop out of nowhere for such bands, while they are hardly noticeable at the festival at other times.
The show heavily features a video backdrop recounting the band’s history. To be honest, this production choice felt off-brand: turning an unapologetic, angry, and often tragic past into a highly polished, well-produced clip. Black metal in general is famous for its lo-fi, DIY roots – and there was nothing DIY about this intro. I would be happy to see some integrity, all that technical expertise of viodemakers deliberately hidden under something that came out as more matching experience, immersing the audience into the “raw” feeling that black metal bands cherished back then. Alas, access to money and fame moves their production aspects close to the mainstream.
hellonartzine.com also writes: What made this particular show different was the audience. I’ve rarely seen such strange behaviour during a Mayhem concert. During the moshpit, I saw a witch – yes, a witch – being tossed around like a rag doll. Full witch hat and everything. I also saw a guy completely upside-down in the pit with only his legs sticking up over the crowd. And someone tried to start a rowing pit, which is not exactly standard for a Mayhem show. Absolutely bizarre.
Billy Messiah, a member during 1985-86, appeared for the final three songs. While this was certainly a nod to the band’s early history, for the remaining forty years he has not really been associated with Mayhem, making the moment feel more like a historical gesture than a living part of the band. Gigs usually build toward a sense of climax at the end of the set, and closing the show with a former member from the distant past felt oddly anticlimactic.
After this “warm-up” the most resilient visitors were able to continue with another Folket Bortafor Nordavinden appearance on the small stage.
On the fourth day I have decided to slow down a bit and enjoy most shows from start to end. Journalism sometimes gets in the way of just appreciating the atmosphere and music, and I wanted to balance that.
First for the fourth day were Apocalypse Orchestra from Sweden, an interesting folk/doom crossover band with a powerful stage presence. There is an ultimate test, to play one’s set on the direct sunlight, and AO did that with their eerie ease.
Spearheaded by Dutch composer and multi-instrumentalist Faber Horbach, Sowulo is a visionary project rooted in mythology and deeply connected with pagan and animistic topics. Faber is yet another former member of Heilung’s warrior crowd, and the band features an active member Nina Cornelia Schilp on harp). While many songs of the band are pretty moody, in a social media post Faber promised a more dynamic set and did not disappointed on that. The latest release NIHT was out just days after the festival.
Folktronica artist Runahild and her partner Astralseid are another residents of the festival. Although we did not get Folket playing in Gildehallen this year (a gig that was a legend from the 2024), some fun has been definitely had here, with almost the same people who were there a year ago.
Eihwar, aka “Viking War trance”, a French project that was arguably the most underestimated by the Tuska organizers this year — judging by the 400-metre line forming at the small stage — was chosen to close the festival. Some audience members feel that the band somewhat oversimplifies or overusing the “Viking” narrative. My personal view is that they never claimed to treat the subject with academic seriousness, so it was never reasonable to expect something comparable to Hindarfjall or Wardruna in terms of closeness to Nordic lore. What they do bring to the table is a kind of entertainment that is hard to imagine at a super-serious, book-based “epic cinematic Viking” concert, and it generally allows people to let their hair down after a long festival stretch.
Heilung’s “merch department” — Kai’s company Old Norse — has collaborated with them quite successfully, and apparently without any issues regarding the difference in artistic approaches. We’re looking forward to seeing them in Helsinki for a gig in April 2026.
And to close the review, more people — serious, fun, young, old, focused on reenactment or just on reverie.
