It’s always a great sight to see a long line stretch out from the entrance to Clwb Ifor Bach on a week night. The line consists of Viking warriors and pirates, not to mention the bloke dressed as both. Passers by stare and laugh to themselves as a girl clad mostly in furs and war-paint leads a call and response style chant of “BATTLE” and “METAL”. It goes without saying that this is a special gig in more ways than one. Wales is often overlooked by the big-named metal bands, the C.I.A being the host to the majority of big events. So it’s impressive to see that Turisas, from Finland, have packed out tonight’s venue.

First to play are Scotland’s ALESTORM. If you are actually able to imagine pirate-metal then you’re probably not far off the mark. A shrewd choice of genre perhaps when Depp and Bloom have helped push the pirate agenda. Songs about rum, treasure maps and wenches get the swelling masses jigging for joy. Any fears that a metal sub genre founded on such a specific angle might not have a long shelf-life don’t matter when you’re in the moment and yearn to wear an eye-patch.

Next up are a band that don’t meddle in costumes and cosmetics. NORTHER, one of Finland’s finest, may well be playing to new ears tonight, despite being a mainstay of Finnish metal. Playing mostly new material, long-term fan opinions are probably split, although this doesn’t stop them winning over the fresh meat.

The tension mounts as everyone waits for TURISAS to march onto stage. It’s admirable that they made it here at all considering the mysterious recent disappearance of their accordionist. In his place stands a blonde, 17 year old, Finnish beauty. It won’t be surprising if the line-up adopts her as a full time warrior. Before the first note hits you, the smell of manky fur does as each member is dressed head to toe in armour, fur and blood. The epic nature of the music, having been proclaimed as “Battle Metal”, is rousing. Fists are pumped furiously as though tonight was the eve of a medieval war! Vocalist, Mathias “Warlord” Nygård, not only acknowledges Cardiff as Welsh, but samples the local beer on-stage, announcing it as superior to a certain Belgian beverage. Perhaps the weirdest thing, more so than the “hum-pa” duet performed on violin and accordion is the fight that breaks out at the back during Turisas’s ingenious cover of Boney M’s ‘Rasputin’.