Finnish folk metal band Turisas in Dublin... They came... They played... They conquered and took the Dublin audience by storm. Already in early summer Turisas & Devin Townsend Project confirmed Irish concert dates in Dublin and Belfast. We took the opportunity to the see them at The Academy Dublin on November 8th. For a wet, cold Tuesday night the venue was pretty packed. Most of the people in the audience came to see Devin Townsend Project. Some of them were waiting already an hour earlier outside The Academy. Devin has a loyal fanbase here in Ireland. I knew Turisas music but I had never experienced a live show so I also didn't know what to expect and I was awaiting the things to come. And there was no disappointing. “Stand Up And Fight” - battle field atmosphere in dirty old town Dublin. And the winner of the evening were clearly Mathias Nygard and his band mates. Dressed in leather and covered in blood they took our hearts by storm. While listening to their powerful music you have the feeling to travel back in time. Outstanding for me were Olli Vänskäs solos on electric violin. He is one unit with his instrument - they all are I have to say. You can feel that all band members love what they do. They are authentic and have fun on stage. This is definitely the place where they have to be. Turisas are a band you have to see live to fully experience their music. It's not the same if you just listen to the albums at home. For sure they won some new fans on our island.

To sum up: unfortunately the gig was too short. But: well done guys - come back to Dublin soon ! We will welcome you with open arms. 9 out of 10 for powerful Battle Metal from Hämeenlinna, Finnland.