Midgard Viking Centre, Borre, Norway
13–16 August 2025
When it comes to metal festivals, I have absolutely no problem crowning Midgardsblot the most unique of them all. There is something about the atmosphere at Midgardsblot that you simply don’t find anywhere else. Naturally, it comes from that strange and wonderful mix of Viking festival and metal festival. And even though it’s a bit surreal watching grown adults in Viking cosplay dance barefoot, the atmosphere is brilliant throughout the entire event. At times it’s comical, sometimes charming, sometimes painfully awkward – but always warm, friendly, and fun.
Recent newspaper articles have revealed that the festival is struggling financially – which, to be fair, isn’t unusual in the festival world. It takes years to build a stable economy. People who think festivals swim in money and can book any band they want without considering whether those bands actually sell tickets… well, they couldn’t be more wrong. Festivals are expensive to run, and if the crowds don’t show up, the numbers get red fast.
You can feel Midgardsblot cutting costs wherever possible. Luckily, none of those cuts really bother me. The one thing I do miss, though, is having two large stages. The small one inside the Gildehallen is simply too tiny for many of the bands playing there, which means you easily miss shows you’d actually like to see. You can only stand in a long queue for so long when there’s a real chance you won’t get inside at all.
On the positive side, there are also reports of record-high sales of day passes and historic sales at the bars. So let’s all cross our fingers that the festival gets the municipal support it needs.
WEDNESDAY
The first band for me was Tempel. Tempel was formed by brothers Inge, Espen, and Kjetil Gjermundrød back in 2012. At that time, Kjetil was also the drummer in Kvelertak. He’s no longer in Tempel, but Kvelertak is still what the band reminds me of the most. Tempel leans more toward hard rock, blending heavy metal and punk into a very enjoyable mix. I like what I’m seeing and hearing – especially their energy. Even in the blazing sun, the band radiates joy.
They do come across as a bit schizophrenic this afternoon, though, because one of the guitarists is wearing full corpse paint. The explanation is simple: he’s playing with Kirkebrann in the Gildehallen immediately after Tempel’s set. How he managed to get there in time, I have no idea – but he made it. One can assume he didn’t have to queue to get in.
Gaahls Wyrd are back with their second album, “Braiding the Stories.” A very strong record, and a good reason for their third visit to Midgardsblot after appearances in 2017 and 2019. The band looks far more confident on stage than the earlier times I’ve seen them. They seem completely in control, fully in command of their material, and without an ounce of nerves.
Gaahl has always appeared calm and assured on stage, but in Gaahls Wyrd he showcases a surprisingly varied vocal performance – everything from piercing high screams to the deepest growls from the cellar. I also have to mention drummer Spektre (Kevin Kvåle), who plays absurdly well. There are techniques in his drumming that steal a lot of my attention. No wonder he fills in for Frost in 1349 when Frost is busy with Satyricon.
Thankfully the sun has dipped low enough that the stage is now in shadow, and Gaahls Wyrd is unquestionably a band best experienced in the dark – though they handle daylight just fine.
Painkiller is a Judas Priest tribute band – yes, you guessed it – and it’s unusual for Midgardsblot to book cover bands. Still, some Judas Priest at the end of the first festival day goes down nicely. The band plays inside the cramped Gildehallen, but since the set is late, it never gets unbearably packed. Painkiller have been doing this for a long time, and it shows. The songs hit exactly as they should, and everything is performed with genuine respect for the originals.
I’m a fan of tribute acts who dress like the actual band, but here only vocalist Mathias goes full Rob Halford – probably for the best, since Halford is the member with the strongest signature look. Mathias sings incredibly well, especially the high notes. The low-register parts are a bit harder to judge since the Gildehallen sound is muddy in the bass frequencies. But the Halford-style high screams are what impress, and he nails those.
Rapid Fire, Metal Gods, Jawbreaker and of course Painkiller are all a joy to hear. The band does not play Breaking the Law – Priest’s biggest hit – which is odd. Personally, I don’t care, because the song is overplayed, but the crowd wants it and chant for it long after the set ends. The band seems to want to play an encore, but time is up – and in a fitting twist of irony, there will be no Breaking the Law.
THURSDAY
It’s been many years since I last saw The 3rd and the Mortal. That must have been Roskilde Festival back in 1997 – without Kari Rueslåtten. She was only with the band from 1992 to 1994 before Ann-Mari Edvardsen took over. So while many associate the band with Kari, she was only part of the early years, releasing just one EP and one album. In other words, this concert focuses on the doom metal era – the time of sorrow, melancholy, and gloom – before the band ventured into avant-garde territory, then alternative rock and electronic music.
That makes this a pure doom metal concert… in blazing sunshine… in beautiful surroundings. The contrast could hardly be greater. But the band doesn’t seem bothered. Kari Rueslåtten is as charming as ever and sings phenomenally. With three guitarists on stage, the band sounds heavy, tight, and well-rehearsed.
The performance itself is excellent, especially from Kari. But a couple of things hold it back. First, this isn’t festival-friendly music; an intimate indoor venue would have suited it better. Second, the band’s material from this era is limited to, again, one EP and one album. So certain parts drag slightly. But this is a 30-year anniversary show for those releases, so you can’t really complain. And regardless, it’s a joy finally seeing The 3rd and the Mortal with Kari Rueslåtten.
Finland’s Oranssi Pazuzu are already back in Norway after Desertfest Oslo earlier this year. They last played Midgardsblot in 2017. For those unfamiliar: they play psychedelic black metal. Their sound is completely unique – noisy, industrial, heavy on atmosphere – and they absolutely go for it on stage. They don’t connect with the audience much at first, but the longer the set goes on, the more people get into it.
There is essentially zero interaction with the crowd. But that’s fine – Oranssi Pazuzu play a kind of music where talking between songs doesn’t really fit. They simply crash straight from one track into the next. The music can be demanding at times, but fans have no reason to complain. The band delivers exactly what they’re known for, and then some.
Hypocrisy hasn’t been a frequent visitor to Norway the last ten years, but lately they’ve made up for it – with shows at Tons of Rock, Parkteatret, and Karmøygeddon earlier this year. Now it’s Midgardsblot’s turn. It’s a bit strange seeing the band on such a small stage – remember, the main stage isn’t open yet on Thursday – but it’s also cool to see them in a more intimate setting.
In today’s Hypocrisy, only Peter Tägtgren and Mikael Hedlund remain from the classic lineup. The rest are hired guns – live musicians who mostly joined around 2022, including Peter’s son Sebastian Tägtgren on drums. Despite being a fairly new lineup, the band plays incredibly tight. The sound is excellent, and everything feels sharp and powerful.
The setlist is varied: Eraser, Fractured Millennium, Roswell 47, and plenty more. Peter even digs into the old material: “Nu ska vi spela lite gammalt skit,” he shouts before launching into early tracks. In short: Hypocrisy delivers a set both old-school and newer fans can be satisfied with.
FRIDAY
TNT have been through a hard stretch lately. First, vocalist Tony Harnell battled cancer, and then drummer Morten “Diesel” Dahl had to fight the same illness. The good news is: they made it, and TNT are back in full force. They’re practically a national treasure – Norway’s biggest heavy metal band ever, after all.
Midgardsblot likes to book outside-the-box acts: pop like Bel Canto, soft rock like Stage Dolls, or classic heavy metal like TNT. TNT actually fits better than most, considering they already had Viking ships on stage back in the ’80s and wrote songs like Tor with the Hammer and Seven Seas. The latter closes the set.
They also fire off other classics: Forever Shine On, Eddie, Intuition, and of course 10,000 Lovers (In One). Ronni Le Tekrø plays flawlessly, as expected. What’s less guaranteed is Tony Harnell’s ability to still hit those insanely high notes at age 62. But good lord, he nails it. He sounds fantastic. Add two female backing vocalists and everything sounds even bigger.
A brilliant performance from TNT – and encouraging to see the band chemistry looking strong.
Mork has come a long way from being a one-man bedroom project in Halden to becoming a fully operational touring band. They started in 2004 but didn’t release their debut album, Isebakke, until 2013. There was plenty of turbulence when founder Thomas Eriksen tried to put together a live band, but against all odds he made it work – and now Mork sound truly great.
It’s also nice to see Asgeir Mickelson behind the drums – a face many will know from Scream Magazine and Inferno Metal Festival. But back to the show: the sun is blasting and it looks hot, but the band delivers. During Født til å herske, Dolk from Kampfar joins them on stage. The crowd is lively and even manages a moshpit.
Ensiferum previously played Midgardsblot in 2018, and their folk metal fits the festival well. As usual, their set is packed with upbeat, battle-ready hymns sprinkled with Finnish folk melodies. Personally, this leans a bit too much toward power metal for my taste. I prefer my folk metal on the darker side – preferably made by Gylve, Sigurd, and Kari. But full credit to Ensiferum; they give their all, and the energy spreads. The crowd erupts into a large moshpit, the sound is good, and there’s very little to complain about… except I caught myself yawning midway through.
Mayhem’s 40th anniversary show has been touring the world triumphantly. It features a visual backdrop of videos and photos that chronicle the band’s long history. The show moves backwards in time, which makes sense – the biggest classics need to come last. Compared to their shows at Sentrum Scene last year, this version is more compact, understandably shortened for a festival setting.
We still get guest appearances from Manheim and Messiah, which is fantastic. That means iconic tracks like Deathcrush, Chainsaw Gutsfuck, and Pure Fucking Armageddon. Mayhem is one of the bands I’ve seen the most times in my life; they play everywhere, and when you have the chance to see them… well, you take it.
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. Fortunately, I filmed it – it deserves to be posted.
But aside from the circus in the audience, we got a solid performance from the veterans.
SATURDAY
Svarttjern in blazing sunlight isn’t ideal – but that’s festivals for you. We’re used to it by now, even if it looks a bit wrong. Still, despite sun and smiles, Svarttjern delivers a strong show. It’s day four, and HansFyrste has also been DJing on previous nights, so I’ve seen him in better shape, but the band keeps the Norwegian black metal flag flying high. Raw, real, uncompromising. They also released a great album last year, Draw Blood, absolutely worth checking out.
Rune “Blasphemer” Eriksen now has his new band Ruïm – a group of experienced musicians whose debut album, Black Royal Spiritism – I: O Sino da Igreja, made quite a splash two years ago. Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to witness their very first live performance at Orgivm Satanicvm. Since then, they’ve only played twice more – meaning this is technically their fourth show ever.
With only one album out, you know roughly what you’re getting. And since Blasphemer was in Mayhem, it’s no surprise that a couple of Mayhem songs appear in the set. What is surprising is the small jab he takes at modern-day Mayhem. Even more surprising: Nag from Tsjuder handles the vocals on those covers. We get Fall of Seraphs and I Am Thy Labyrinth – two fantastic tracks from the criminally underrated 1997 EP Wolf’s Lair Abyss. Hard to complain. Excellent show.
Very few people gather in front of the main stage as Swedish band Hällas walks on. Maybe their ’70s-inspired prog/space rock is too far outside the festival’s usual profile? Hard to say, and they’re not exactly a big name in Norway – last time they played here was at Parkteatret in 2022, which isn’t a large venue.
Either way, the audience grows as the set goes on, and those who showed up are treated to a charming, pleasant concert. There’s something endearing about their ’70s cosplay – outfits that look borrowed from Abba, Bee Gees, and the Italian sci-fi disaster Starcrash. Silver, glitter, capes. But it all fits the band’s storytelling universe: Hällas is a character from their lyrics, a knight living in a parallel realm ruled by a tyrannical queen. So despite the retro aesthetic, the band does something unique.
A warm, friendly concert that fits perfectly on a bright August day in beautiful surroundings. Not entirely my thing, but credit where it’s due: the Swedes delivered a solid and enjoyable show.
Although Benediction is one of the early death metal bands, active since 1989 with nine albums behind them, they have only played Norway once before – in 2010 at Inferno Festival. Considering they’ve just released Ravage of Empires, it’s about time they returned. The Birmingham band is busy, especially frontman Dave Ingram, who has six other projects on the side. Ingram is also quite the personality. He might be one of the funniest frontmen I’ve seen.
When he goes to take a drink of beer, the crowd starts chanting “Chug! Chug! Chug!” He tells them, “Last time the audience wanted me to chug, I had to go take a piss ten minutes later.” But the crowd keeps chanting, so he gives in. After the next song, he’s sprinting backstage with his legs crossed and hands between them. This continues throughout the set, and I’m laughing out loud several times.
But Ingram isn’t just entertaining between songs – he also growls like an absolute monster. His speaking voice is raspy, but when he sings, it’s brutally powerful. The rest of the band is equally strong, and we are treated to top-tier, old-school death metal. Excellent concert.
Tsjuder has played Midgardsblot twice before, and this year they’ve also been busy with Inferno Metal Festival and Hellbotn a week later. In other words, Oslo-area festivalgoers have had plenty of opportunities to see them this year. As with their other recent major performances, including at Inferno, the second half of the show is dedicated to Bathory covers. After Emil Wiksten’s long but impressively dynamic drum solo, we get legendary classics like Sacrifice, Woman of Dark Desires, Call from the Grave, and Raise the Dead. Few do Bathory as well as Tsjuder, and it’s great to see Melander still involved. Quorthon’s music clearly lives on.
The festival ends with a torchlight procession, where attendees walk through the grounds and down into the dark towards the camp. A large bonfire is lit, and people drum enthusiastically on anything that resembles a drum. The fire creates a magical atmosphere, and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. The hippie vibe is strong. For me, it all gets a bit overwhelming, so I stumble back to the car and head to bed instead. Then I can dream of the good moments – and look forward to next year.
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