It doesn’t happen often to see both MÅNEGARM and THYRFING at the same time, even more so on a special occasion, as both bands mark this year their 30th anniversary, and decided to celebrate it with two shows in Stockholm and Göteborg, at Slaktkyrkan and Monument respectively. We went to the Stockholm gig on January 31st, 2025, which also featured the local SEID as a warm-up act.
This was also the first time we ventured into Slaktkyrkan, having been in the same area before when Kraken was there. The venue looked quite anonymous from the outside, in an area that shows a lot of potential right across from Globen, where there already exist a few interesting restaurants and bars, along with other venues such as Hus 7. It took a bit longer than expected for the bands to get things ready so the audience had to wait some extra time before flooding into the main hall.
There was already a decent crowd when SEID took the stage, adorned with bones and horns, while the frontman entered the scene holding a big drum. The guys had the perfect opportunity to present their latest effort “Hymns to the Norse”, and in fact identifies itself as “Norse Black Metal”. The title seems to suit them well and they are heavily influenced by the pagan black metal from the early days, with their own twist and that clear Swedish touch to their extreme sound as well as the more melodic, folkloristic component. In the end, they set up a good atmosphere that properly warmed up the audience to what was about to come.
THYRFING followed up with a very good show, embellished by a setlist that touched throughout their whole discography. Their vocalist is a force to reckon with and always has a strong presence, but the whole band showed a good attitude in an excellent display. For one hour half, the temperature went up in a crowded Slaktkyrkan, with a good part of the fans really going berserk even before the actual song from their debut full-length was played (followed then by “Kaos Återkomst,” which wrapped up the show).
It’s always a pleasure to see THYRFING live, as they have a very good energy and intensity to their shows, which simply drags the fans into the frenzy, and especially when playing in front of such a dedicated audience it does make a difference. The only negative note in their gig was the little brawl that took place at some point of the show involving a dude who had a few drinks too many and was starting to harass the lady next to him; never a good scene to witness.
Finally after a little more waiting behind the black curtains covering the stage, it was up to MÅNEGARM to close this thrilling evening in front of their excited fans. With the singer and former drummer-turned-bassist leading the way, the band focused a bit more on their more recent material, yet ignited the crowd with some “classics” from the older “Vredens Tid” and “Vargstenen,” as well as “Ursjälens Visdom” (from “Dödsfärd”) and “Drakeld” (“Nordstjärnans Tidsålder”). There were not only Swedes excitingly raising their fists and head-banging wildly in the front, but some people came even from the US just for this evening, and the enthusiasm of the audience in the front was at least as visible as the band members enjoying themselves on stage.
It had been a really long time since we saw MÅNEGARM last, and this felt both like a trip to memory lane and a long overdue revisiting of a band that has rarely disappointed throughout the three decades of their career.
Eventually, we decided to do the smart thing and leave the venue just a little bit before the mass of people still inside, to minimize queuing and calmly heading towards the metro and then our hotel. It’s certainly a bonus to have a venue – or rather a bunch of them – so conveniently located and a metro service that runs throughout the night, something that has not yet become a thing in Helsinki for instance (for whatever reason, despite of course having night buses). Awaiting the two bands was a trip to Västergötland for the show in Göteborg on the following day. For us tonight was certainly a pleasure. Till next time!
SEID
THYRFING
MÅNEGARM
