Normally when it comes to reviews, words come pretty easily to me. I sit down, focus on the task at hand and just type away. But with my review of Glittertind’s show in Oslo…well, it has been a very different story altogether. What can you say that will give justice to a performance that completely and utterly took your breath away?
The last time I saw Glittertind live was about half a year after they released their Blåne for blåne album, when they played very intimate shows in Ål and Otta in front of seated crowds. This, however, was a different kettle of fish entirely – this show took place in John Dee in front of a noisy and enthusiastic metal crowd, so the atmosphere was completely different. And whilst I enjoyed both crowds, I have to admit that it is a lot more fun to be a part of a crowd that was so thoroughly excited about the songs being performed onstage.
The show was the release show for their latest album Himmelfall, so the set featured a decent amount of tracks from the album. However, the setlist spanned over a lot of Glittertind’s back catalogue as well so there was something for everyone nestled somewhere in the set. When I saw them last, they reworked all their older songs in their newer acoustic style (which was incredible!) but this time they played the songs in a largely similar style to the original renditions, so it has been nice to see both sides of the coin, so to speak.
There were plenty of great inclusions in the set, from powerful opener Olav Engelbrektsson (which also serves as the opening track for the aforementioned Himmelfall) to the beautifully gentle rendition of Fnugg av snjo and the energetic Glittertind. Høyr min song (Til Fridomen) was given a more electric feel and a slightly faster tempo, which gave the already-good song a new spin, and Forføraren had an especially fun atmosphere with plenty of people singing along in the crowd to it.
My personal highlight of the set was Sundriven. It’s not one of my favourites on Djevelsvart, but when I saw it twice in 2015 performed in a new acoustic style, I fell in love with that rendition. So when this song began in an electric style, I have to admit my heart sunk a little because a small part of me was holding out for hearing the incredible acoustic version again. However, that slight disappointment was very short-lived because once again, I was blown away by the performance – it had the same special vibe to it, just with a little bit more guitars! The emotiveness and colour to the track was something to behold, and fully cemented Sundriven as a song that definitely needs to be seen live to be fully appreciated.
This isn’t a show I will forget any time soon. It had everything, and I can’t stop thinking about what an incredible experience it was – it has made me lost for words, and nothing I say can quite sum up exactly how amazing it was. I keep wishing time travel was possible so that I could go back and live it again!
11/10
