Tyr returned to Tampa for the first time in over a decade, bringing a fun night of melodies, headbanging, and hammers.
Leading into the show, Tampa had a fairly typical afternoon rain shower that was accompanied by a brief loss of power in the area surrounding The Orpheum. Luckily, the venue itself did not experience the power loss and the show went on without delays. Inside the venue, there was a mix of standing room and table seating as well as a nice patio outside with a taco truck for fans to grab some air and a snack between sets.
Othalan opened the night with a fun set of black metal coated with pagan mysticism for the heathens, degenerates, pagans, or people just wanting to have fun. Classic black metal riffs put a harsher edge on their heavy metal base, giving a nice old-school feel to the music, matched by their traditional corpse paint and black metal band attire. They had a solid turnout for being the first band of the evening and plenty of cheering from their local fans.
Othalan
Photo Credit: Mar Morannon
As Withering Earth shored their (metaphorical) longship at The Orpheum, the crowd had nearly doubled in size. The central Florida viking metal band brought the battle to Tampa, delivering crushing riffs and melodic leads with a tinge of death metal aggression. They certainly looked ready to seize victory in battle, with their faces painted in viking warpaint and dressed in leather and furs. They kept the crowd active with plenty of chants and general shout outs, including announcing their debut full-length album, Runebound Legacy.
Withering Earth
Photo Credit: Mar Morannon
Tampa was very excited to see Aether Realm return for the first time since 2016, and the band has answered the TMHC’s call to hear more songs off of Tarot. The set starts with four songs off of that album, including the title track, before playing some newer stuff off of Redneck Vikings From Hell. Aether Realm have plenty of live experience, which shines in smaller venues where they’re able to interact more closely with the crowd.
Frontman Vincent Jones is a whirlwind on stage, stomping back and forth across the space, windmilling, and pointing out at the crowd. His energy is matched by Heinrich Arnold and Donny Burbage playing guitar on either side of him and there are several moments where the three sync up to windmill in unison. Drummer Tyler Gresham is a machine behind the kit, alternating blast beats with the occasional slower and showier rhythms, keeping the energy high while allowing some moments of rest.
The Orpheum was absolutely ready to “show them where the crew’s at” with a massive circle pit and plenty of people singing and screaming along to the songs throughout the set. This show was extra special, as they celebrated Tyler’s birthday by having the crowd sing to him at the end of the set.
Aether Realm
Photo Credit: Mar Morannon
Closing out the night were the legendary heavy metal band, Tyr, opened with the battle call of “By The Sword in My Hand,” and the crowd raised up, ready to endure the fight together. While the setlist is similar to the 2024 tour to promote their newest Battle Ballads, with a few songs changed out or re-ordered, the setlist spanned their whole discography. They played several songs from the new album and also pulled out older works like “Hail to the Hammer” and “Regin Smidur.” While viking/pagan metal certainly has bands with questionable politics, Tyr made sure to drive home where they stand in the current climate with the addition of “Shadow of the Swastika” to this year’s setlist.
Tyr has a long tenure and a frequent tour schedule, allowing the band to play with a level or familiarity that keeps them tight on the harmonized riffs and allows them to give more attention to their showmanship, which is constantly on display. The two original members of the band present as nearly polar opposites on stage. Frontman Heri Joensen’s stoic and intense persona is broken occasionally with gestures of wide arms and invites for the audience to join the band on their journey.
Meanwhile, bassist Gunnar “Gunz” Thomsen is constantly smiling and interacting with the crowd, drawing fans into the show and making everyone feel welcome. The newest addition, Hans Hammer on guitars, brings both technically acute guitar work and an air of mystery to the crew, with his face often hidden under his hood as he plays. Rounding out the lineup, Tadeusz Rieckmann is having a blast behind the drumkit, raising sticks high, standing up, and making faces at the audience any time he can.
There was a brief moment during “Ragnars Kvaedi” when the venue sound cut out for all of the guitars, but the band handled the misstep with professional grace, continuing the show as if nothing was amiss and picking back up at the final solo when everything kicked back in. The fans at the show seemed unconcerned about the surprise drum solo, and were happy to jump right back into enjoying the set as things continued.
While the mosh pit mostly died down for Tyr, a small row pit amassed for “Dragons Never Die,” including one person happily sketching away in a notebook while rowing. Fans must have gone home exhausted after their long journey this night, after all of the jumping and rowing, but that didn’t stop them from holding their heathen hammers high for the final song of the encore, closing out the evening with a celebratory song of pagan pride, and sending everyone home with one last jolt of energy and camaraderie.
Tyr
Photo Credit: Mar Morannon
If you don’t want to miss out on awesome shows from Aether Realm and Tyr, you can catch them at one of the remaining dates on the tour:
02/19 Corpus Christi, TX @ House of Rock
02/20 Oklahoma City, OK @ 89th Street Collective
02/21 Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
02/22 Denver, CO @ The Marquis
02/24 Las Vegas @ Backstage Bar
02/25 Santa Cruz @ The Atrium @ The Catalyst
02/26 Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
02/27 West Hollywood, CA @ Whisky-A-Go-Go
02/28 Roseville, CA @ Goldfield Trading Post
03/01 Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall
03/02 Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep
03/03 Lawrence, KS @ The Granada
03/04 St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall
03/05 Joliet, IL @ The Forge
