Bands: Ankh (HU), Tales of Evening (HU), Niburta (HU),
KerecsenSólyom (HU), Virrasztók (HU), Darkest Era (UK),
Arkona (RU), Dalriada (HU), Silent Stream of Godless Elegy (CZ)
Venue: Club 202, Fehérvári út 202, Budapest
Time: September 29, 2012 - 3.15 pm
Entrance fee: 3 499 HUF
Time: September 29, 2012 - 3.15 pm
Entrance fee: 3 499 HUF
The time for Samhainfest has come and gone. Seriously, it's more than obvious that Budapest is the place for folk metal events like these. The crowd was huge, crazy and wild; and so were the bands, amazing bands, I must say. I won't go much into details, I hope my photos will bring you at least one piece of the hot atmosphere from Saturday.
This festival was also a turning point for my photography. First of all, I finally took my new lens for a ride. True, I shot with it at Sziget festival already, but not like this. (There's a post from Sziget here as well, but it's hidden for now, as I have to do some changes. It will be back on soon.) I can honestly say that I've really enjoyed myself shooting the bands this time. The lights were really good, and the bands showed such diversity that I would have been utterly sad if I had not been allowed to shoot. Big thanks to the organizers for that.
Ankh has just released their first EP, named Tükörterem. A friend of mine, Tamás, wrote a review of the album both in English and Hungarian. Check it out here! and be sure to also have a look at Tamás's Facebook page. He puts a lot of work into presenting the world of folk music to people all around the world, not just Hungary as the name suggests. Here's the link: Folk Metal Hungary.
Now, back to Saturday. The first bands had short setlists, but nevertheless presented their work in best light possible. Unfortunately, at some points during the whole evening the sound was a bit off. Sometimes the singer's voice could not be properly heard, while the guitar would stand out too much. Despite that, the band warmed the crowd up quite well with songs such as this one:
With quite less folk elements, but the same level of energy, Tales of Evening took over the stage. Fans especially loved the beautiful singer Ivett, with a singing technique slightly different from the other bands vocalists', but nevertheless wonderful. The band also has a video out, have a look here:
Niburta. I always feel like a little girl when I have to write something about these guys. What can I say? I really love their music; even before they added Macedonian folk song and lyrics into it. That bit blew my mind. Now I'll stop my cheesy rambling and just (im)patiently wait for the album, Scream from the East. I posted about the release and one of the songs here, so I'll show you Mašala, the Macedonian song this time. It's a story about a hurt, cheated guy:
KerecsenSólyom was the biggest and nicest surprise for me on Saturday. Wow! The effect that the band had on me was enormous. I've listened to their music once or twice before, but for some reason it never stuck with me. On Saturday, however, they completely amazed me. Even though they didn't use any folk instruments on the stage (too bad, I was really looking forward to that hurdy-gurdy intro on A Hősök Mulató Mezeje), the energy of the band, mainly the singer, completely put the playback into the back of our minds. Of course, upon returning home I gave their studio work another chance and it was successful! So, here's my recommendation to you:
I've seen Virrasztók at Rockmaraton in July, and same as then I have to say that these guys always have the best lighting system. Even if their music wasn't so good, it would always be so nice just to look at them on stage. :) Fortunately, the music they make is really appealing, they call it psychedelic folk metal, but you really have to be there to feel that flow of energy.
Not to forget, what I also loved about this evening was an enormous number of violins on stage (Ankh, Niburta, Virrasztók, Dalriada, Silent Stream of Godless Elegy), never enough.
Setlist: Intro, Szigeti Veszedelem, Fehér-fekete, Vidróczki, A Kaszás, Az Én Időm.
Darkest Era performed as the first of the three foreign bands. They came from Northern Ireland, where they formed in 2005, as a celtic metal band. When compared to the other bands of the evening, though, one could easily notice the difference, not that it meant anything less for the band on Saturday. They certainly got the crowd going, and rocked them hard.
Interestingly, there are two female members in the band - but neither is a singer. One of them, Lisa, is in charge of smashing on the drums, while Sarah amazes fans with her guitar skills.
Arkona, on the other hand, comes from Russia and has been around a bit longer than Darkest Era. They play folk metal in combination with slavic paganism. I've been a fan for so long that I don't even remember how I got into it. The singer Masha is such an amazing singer and charizmatic woman, she just blows everybody's mind with pure appearance on stage. Not to mention the addition of folk instruments such as bagpipes to their music, with the rest of the amazing musicians. Here's what it's all about:
The main act of the evening (although, for me it was Arkona), Dalriada's show was already running quite late, so the band had to make it shorter than intended. Fortunately, it turned out to be a good idea, since the main singer Laura is pregnant. For that reason, band will also cease performing until March, as they pointed out. On stage they were once again joined by Fajkusz Banda, a string band, to help out with the folk melodies. The end of the concert also saw the live performance of Dalriada's newest single, A Dudás, on which a bagpiper and an additional singer came out. On the bad side, Dalriada had quite some problems with the sound, but it did not stop all the fans in the club to support them in front of the stage.
Setlist: Ígéret, Napom fényes Napom, Hírhozó, Kinizsi Mulatsága, Hunyadi és Kapisztrán Nándorfehérvári Diadaláról (Saltarello), Borivók Éneke, Leszek a Hold, Szondi Két Apródja 1. // A Dudás, Hajdútánc.
The closing band for the festival was Czech Silent Stream of Godless Elegy. They've been playing since 1995, and with the latest album developed the most prominent folk style. Although a lot of people left the venue after Dalriada, there was quite a crowd still gathered in the club, supporting the band. They performed with such enthusiasm that you just couldn't resist basking in their music. For those who did not stay: you missed one hell of a band. Here's some of what they prepared for us in Budapest:
Aaand: you can access the galleries here, through either:
Thanks to all the bands for making such breathtaking music, to the people for supporting them, organizers for bringing this to Budapest, and everyone who helped me - you know who you are. ^^
~there are links to the gallery at the end of the post~
This festival was also a turning point for my photography. First of all, I finally took my new lens for a ride. True, I shot with it at Sziget festival already, but not like this. (There's a post from Sziget here as well, but it's hidden for now, as I have to do some changes. It will be back on soon.) I can honestly say that I've really enjoyed myself shooting the bands this time. The lights were really good, and the bands showed such diversity that I would have been utterly sad if I had not been allowed to shoot. Big thanks to the organizers for that.
 |
| Ankh |
Ankh has just released their first EP, named Tükörterem. A friend of mine, Tamás, wrote a review of the album both in English and Hungarian. Check it out here! and be sure to also have a look at Tamás's Facebook page. He puts a lot of work into presenting the world of folk music to people all around the world, not just Hungary as the name suggests. Here's the link: Folk Metal Hungary.
Now, back to Saturday. The first bands had short setlists, but nevertheless presented their work in best light possible. Unfortunately, at some points during the whole evening the sound was a bit off. Sometimes the singer's voice could not be properly heard, while the guitar would stand out too much. Despite that, the band warmed the crowd up quite well with songs such as this one:
Ankh - We Are Gonna Fall (video)
Setlist: Ankh, Éj az Erdőben, (new song without title), The Longest Journey (Pt. I), We Are Gonna Fall, Tükörterem // Lezárt Szemek.
 |
| Tales of Evening |
With quite less folk elements, but the same level of energy, Tales of Evening took over the stage. Fans especially loved the beautiful singer Ivett, with a singing technique slightly different from the other bands vocalists', but nevertheless wonderful. The band also has a video out, have a look here:
Setlist: Intro, Álmodd újra, Az én csodám, Hajléktalan lélek, Credo, Inkább egyedül, Lázadás, Reménysziget, Az én mesém, Outro.
Niburta. I always feel like a little girl when I have to write something about these guys. What can I say? I really love their music; even before they added Macedonian folk song and lyrics into it. That bit blew my mind. Now I'll stop my cheesy rambling and just (im)patiently wait for the album, Scream from the East. I posted about the release and one of the songs here, so I'll show you Mašala, the Macedonian song this time. It's a story about a hurt, cheated guy:
 |
| Niburta |
Setlist: The Descent (intro), Balkanic Heart, Nap és Hold, Mašala, Dance of Satyrs, Forgotten Path (feat. Alkonyat of KerecsenSólyom), Awakening.
 |
| KerecsenSólyom |
KerecsenSólyom was the biggest and nicest surprise for me on Saturday. Wow! The effect that the band had on me was enormous. I've listened to their music once or twice before, but for some reason it never stuck with me. On Saturday, however, they completely amazed me. Even though they didn't use any folk instruments on the stage (too bad, I was really looking forward to that hurdy-gurdy intro on A Hősök Mulató Mezeje), the energy of the band, mainly the singer, completely put the playback into the back of our minds. Of course, upon returning home I gave their studio work another chance and it was successful! So, here's my recommendation to you:
Setlist: Intró, Hadak Ura Szekerén, A Hősök Mulató Mezeje, Aquileia Ostroma, Népmese, Kerecsen, Révülés.
I've seen Virrasztók at Rockmaraton in July, and same as then I have to say that these guys always have the best lighting system. Even if their music wasn't so good, it would always be so nice just to look at them on stage. :) Fortunately, the music they make is really appealing, they call it psychedelic folk metal, but you really have to be there to feel that flow of energy.
Not to forget, what I also loved about this evening was an enormous number of violins on stage (Ankh, Niburta, Virrasztók, Dalriada, Silent Stream of Godless Elegy), never enough.
 |
| Virrasztók |
Darkest Era performed as the first of the three foreign bands. They came from Northern Ireland, where they formed in 2005, as a celtic metal band. When compared to the other bands of the evening, though, one could easily notice the difference, not that it meant anything less for the band on Saturday. They certainly got the crowd going, and rocked them hard.
 |
| Darkest Era |
Setlist: An Ancient Fire Burns, On the Crest of Doom, Heathen Burial, To Face the Black Tide, Poem to the Gael, The Last Caress of Light, The Morrigan.
Arkona, on the other hand, comes from Russia and has been around a bit longer than Darkest Era. They play folk metal in combination with slavic paganism. I've been a fan for so long that I don't even remember how I got into it. The singer Masha is such an amazing singer and charizmatic woman, she just blows everybody's mind with pure appearance on stage. Not to mention the addition of folk instruments such as bagpipes to their music, with the rest of the amazing musicians. Here's what it's all about:
 |
| Arkona |
Setlist: Az' (intro), Arkaim, Goi, Rode, Goi!, Ot Serdtsa K Nebu, Slovo, Pamyat', Slav'sya Rus'!, Zaklyatie, Kupalets, Katitsya Kolo, Leshiy // Stenka Na Stenku, Yarilo.
While talking about Arkona, I'd like to show you another project of Masha and Sergei: Nargathrond (video).
 |
| Dalriada |
The main act of the evening (although, for me it was Arkona), Dalriada's show was already running quite late, so the band had to make it shorter than intended. Fortunately, it turned out to be a good idea, since the main singer Laura is pregnant. For that reason, band will also cease performing until March, as they pointed out. On stage they were once again joined by Fajkusz Banda, a string band, to help out with the folk melodies. The end of the concert also saw the live performance of Dalriada's newest single, A Dudás, on which a bagpiper and an additional singer came out. On the bad side, Dalriada had quite some problems with the sound, but it did not stop all the fans in the club to support them in front of the stage.
Setlist: Ígéret, Napom fényes Napom, Hírhozó, Kinizsi Mulatsága, Hunyadi és Kapisztrán Nándorfehérvári Diadaláról (Saltarello), Borivók Éneke, Leszek a Hold, Szondi Két Apródja 1. // A Dudás, Hajdútánc.
The closing band for the festival was Czech Silent Stream of Godless Elegy. They've been playing since 1995, and with the latest album developed the most prominent folk style. Although a lot of people left the venue after Dalriada, there was quite a crowd still gathered in the club, supporting the band. They performed with such enthusiasm that you just couldn't resist basking in their music. For those who did not stay: you missed one hell of a band. Here's some of what they prepared for us in Budapest:
Setlist: Mokoš, Tváří v tvář, Dva stíny mám, Wizard, Skryj hlavu do dlaní, Pramen co ví, Slava, I Would Dance.
 |
| Silent Stream of Godless Elegy |
Aaand: you can access the galleries here, through either:
Thanks to all the bands for making such breathtaking music, to the people for supporting them, organizers for bringing this to Budapest, and everyone who helped me - you know who you are. ^^
