Hey everyone !
The Italian Dwarves were back in Paris for a sell-out date at the Glazart. I was surprised by the choice of the venue. The band are used to performing with rather imposing stage costumes. I can easily imagine the singer slapping his big shoulder pads all over the place.
Nevertheless, I've been wanting to see them for some time now, having missed the Alestorm show in 2022, where they opened.
SEVEN KINGDOMS
The first band to hit the stage is Seven Kingdoms. They're a power metal band with a female vocalist from Florida. The Americans have been going strong for 15 years. And you can hear it. It's clean, very clean. The singer's voice is impeccable. She doesn't miss a beat. The other musicians are not to be outdone: technically, there's nothing to criticize.
The sound is quite vintage, partly due to the preponderance of mid-range sounds. But while they may not be revolutionising the music, I had a good time with their second degree. The 'Cheeseburger Queen' proudly wears beautiful hamburger slippers, given to her by a fan a few years ago. Alain Chabat would approve.
Setlist :
Universal Terrestrial
Chasing the Mirage
Life Signs
Valonqar
Love Dagger
Magic in the Mist
A Silent Remedy
Diamond Handed
ALL FOR METAL
Next up is All for Metal. The first thing that catches your eye is their sheer numbers. There are seven of them on stage - five musicians and two dancers. Very complicated on the Glazart stage. I've lost count of times I've seen one of the singers walk into a dancer. It adds a little funny dimension but I'm not sure it was deliberate.
Musically, I find the band a bit of a cliché, with Manowar's influence omnipresent. Their stage outfits are a mixture of skai leggings and Role-Play costumes. However, I should point out that the band is very young, barely a year old, and there's already very professional. Everything was precise, sound and technique were clean, and every member seemed to have a lot of fun. Maybe they'll define their identity in the future.
Setlist :
- All for Metal
- Fury of the Gods
- Raise your Hammer
- Born in Valhalla
- Prophecy of Hope
- Mountain of Power
- Hear the Drum
- Legends Never Die
- Run
- Goddess of War
WIND ROSE
The show started even before the artists enter the stage. In fact, the overexcited audience was singing at the top of their lungs a tune from Dungeon of Naheulbeuk (the geekiest among you will know Mon Ancêtre Gurdil) while waiting.
Once the set change was complete, the dwarves finally made their entrance on the Glazart stage. And what an entrance! They kicked off with Army of Stone before moving on to Fellow of the Hammer: two of the most popular tracks from Warfront (their latest album).
Do I really need to introduce them? The dwarf metal community was formed way back... in 2009. But it was with the release of their Diggy Diggy Hole cover that they became widely known, thanks to TikTok (I won't say that often). Their sound was that of power mixed with folk inspired by the world of Tolkien. That didn't stop them from bending their concept by offering a song taken from the lore... of Warhammer. A geek’s Paradise! Communication with the audience is good, even if you could hear things like "The next song is about a battle..." between almost every track. Despite their small size, the energy on stage was undeniable. The same energy was to be found, tenfold, in the pit.
There's a clear evolution between their latest album and the rest of their discography: while their predecessors offered a kind of folk accompanied by well-saturated guitars and good drum blasts, Warfront deliver a power closer to that of Sabaton. Personally, I prefer the latter, but I like the others too. The Italian dwarves effectively alternated new songs with older ones.
When I heard Together We Rise followed by the Diggy Diggy Hole, I supposed it was the end of an intense but somewhat short set. But the band surprised me by following up with Tomorrow Has Come. It was undoubtedly my favourite track, but it was still a ballad, which is strange for the end of a set. It wasn’t over: Wind Rose finished - for real this time - with I Am the Mountain. What a great show !
Setlist :
- Of War and Sorrow
- Army of Stone
- Fellows of the Hammer
- Drunken Dwarves
- Mine Mine Mine
- Gates of Ekrund
- King Under the Mountain
- Battle of the Five Armies
- The Art of War
- Tales of War
- Together We Rise
- Diggy Diggy Hole
- Tomorrow Has Come
- I Am the Mountain
The pandemic may seem like a thing of the past, but its consequences are still shaping today's live music scene. With all the concert postponements, we're seeing a logjam of bands trying to get into Parisian venues. The Glazart may not seem the most suitable venue at first glance, but thanks to it bands of Wind Rose's stature means they can come to us.
The sound was also very good. Admittedly, I was stuck at the back of the room to enjoy the show from the height of my six feet, but that didn't stop me from having a great time. A big thank you to them!
That's all for this evening. I look forward to seeing you at future events. Stay tuned!
Ciao !
Klo pour BGP MUSIC LIVE
Portfolio by Matt CHATENAY
