Heidenfest Brno 2026: From pink flamingos through pirates to Viking warriors – crazy costumes and epic melodies!

Sunday evening, January 18, 2026, at the Sono music club in Brno belonged to world pagan folk metal and pagan metal. It was the 10th stop of the European Heidenfest tour, which started on January 9 in Tilburg, the Netherlands, and will conclude on February 8 in Rennes, France. Over the course of this month, a total of 28 stops will take place, mostly in Central and Western Europe, and Brno had the honor of hosting the only Czech stop of this phenomenal festival. As a big fan of these genres myself, I simply couldn't miss it.

And how else to begin this article than with the atmosphere before the whole event kicked off? Despite the colder weather, fans began gathering in front of the club as early as 3:00 PM, roughly two hours before the doors opened. Members of the performing bands were also staying at the adjacent hotel and occasionally stepped outside, giving fans the opportunity to meet their idols and say hello.

Once the doors opened, everything quickly gained momentum. The front row beneath the stage was filled almost immediately, and the hall gradually filled up like a slowly filling swimming pool. Fans grabbed a quick beer or another drink, then rushed to their spots to enjoy the evening. A rich program awaited us, featuring five bands, each offering something slightly different—whether visually, musically, or thematically.

The first to take the stage were the Californian "pirates" The Dread Crew of Oddwood. Their melodic, cheerful songs were a very pleasant and welcome start to the evening. Although the band is considered folk metal, they play purely acoustically, without typical metal instruments—using acoustic guitar, mandolin, double bass, and bouzouki instead of electric guitars and bass. Their music evokes the atmosphere of a medieval tavern, even though the band itself does not officially identify as medieval.

After their performance, a quick stage change followed, and just 15 minutes later, the Norwegian "flamingos" Trollfest burst onto the stage. This cheerful folk metal band performs in extravagant pink flamingo costumes and delivers rhythmic, energetic melodies, almost like a party band. The instrumentation was already more metal-oriented than that of the previous band, but the music still carried a joyful folk spirit.

During the next short break, however, the atmosphere grew more serious. Time to raise your shield and pour beer or mead into the horns, because the Dutch "Vikings" Heidevolk were next. This pagan metal formation with elements of Viking metal is significantly heavier than the previous two bands. The songs were sung in Dutch, with two English-language exceptions ("Wolf in My Heart" and "Drinking with the Gods"), which are translated versions of the original Dutch lyrics. The texts are very singable, and even fans without knowledge of Dutch could easily join in, at least during the choruses.

The band consists of six members and, besides fully metal instrumentation—electric guitars, bass, and drums—features two full-fledged vocalists (Jacco de Wijs and Daniël den Dorstige). Their songs are either sung in harmony or structured as vocal duets. A typical example is "Yngwaz' Zonen," which was also played during the evening, where Daniël asks questions and Jacco responds together with the choir-like backing vocals of the rest of the band. The melodies are march-like and battle-driven, and the central theme of most lyrics is Norse mythology—Vikings, expeditions, battles, celebrations of victory, death, and the journey to Valhalla. As someone who partially understands Dutch, I can personally confirm this.

After Heidevolk's performance, an even heavier band took over: Finntroll, who incorporate black metal vocals and growls into their folk melodies—sometimes derogatorily described as "vomiting into the microphone." Their style is often referred to as "troll metal." The band performed wearing pointed ears commonly associated with elves, although their name and imagery clearly reference trolls. They deliberately deviate from the Hollywood and Tolkien portrayal of elves, presenting trolls in a different form than audiences are used to seeing in films.

Although Finntroll is a Finnish band, their primary language is Swedish—they belong to the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland, which makes up more than 5% of the population. This minority has produced many culturally significant works for Finland (including the original Swedish version of the Finnish national anthem, later translated into Finnish—but that would already be a topic for another article).

After the final break, the stage was taken over by the last band of the evening: the Finnish folk metal legends Korpiklaani. Hailing from the city of Lahti, the band is known for cheerful folk melodies and the use of traditional instruments such as violin and accordion, while vocalist Jonne Järvelä occasionally plays the hurdy-gurdy (for example in "Rauta"), all combined with metal instrumentation. The band originated from the earlier project Shaman, and traces of shamanism can still be felt in some of their songs.

Their lyrics often deal with Finnish mythology, the connection between humans and nature, celebrations of life, drinking alcohol, and typically Finnish themes such as sauna culture. Korpiklaani do not emphasize elaborate costumes but maintain a recognizable and consistent stage outfit. Early in their career, the band sang in English before switching to their native Finnish, and some songs exist in both language versions. During the Brno concert, songs in both languages were performed.

A big personal surprise for me was the inclusion of the older song "Metsämies," one of my all-time favorites, which I had never heard live before. And what better way to end the evening than with "Vodka"?

After the final notes faded, we visited the merch stands, where it was still possible to meet many of the performing musicians. Even without official signing sessions, they greeted fans warmly, took photos, signed items, or simply chatted. Heidevolk especially earned my admiration—they stayed until the very end of the evening with their full lineup present. It's always wonderful to see that metal musicians are, at heart, ordinary people who genuinely enjoy meeting their fans.

For this human approach and for the outstanding performances, huge thanks go to all the bands—every single one of them played brilliantly. The very short 15-minute stage changeovers were also a pleasant surprise and ensured there was never a dull moment. Thanks also go to the organizers, promoters, and everyone involved in making the evening run smoothly—everything went according to plan.

And last but not least, thank you to all the fans. You created an amazing, friendly atmosphere. Everyone enjoyed the night, concert after concert, united by a strong sense of togetherness. It was easy to strike up conversations about metal, concerts, and related topics even with complete strangers. No problems, no aggression, no excessive drunkenness—just mutual respect and shared passion. It's clear that metal unites us and turns us into friends. And that's exactly how it should be.