2009 IS A GREAT YEAR TO BE A PAGAN METAL FAN

We’re big fans of pagan metal here at the MS Mansion. BIG fans. Just last night Sammy O’Hagar waltzed in at about 5pm, still drunk and rowdy from the night before (!), dressed in a full get-up of warpaint and animal skins. Obviously there was no other choice at that point but to hand over control of the MS Mansion Mothership to the capable hands of the monkeys, so we put on Turisas’ The Varangian Way and started the party right back up again for the ol’ chap; the freight train kept rolling until at least 4am. Last thing I remember is Kip jumping on top of Axl’s desk and screaming something about “Battle!” and how we need to take vengeance against the other metal websites that constantly rip us off. As I type this, Sammy’s passed out in the bathtub clutching a bottle of Jim Beam while DBR and Satan Rosenbloom are snuggling in my bed; I had to sleep on the couch. Those fucking assholes.

Hopefully this year Sammy can find other outlets at which to get out his pagan metal willies, ’cause there’s two killer pagan tours hitting the U.S. The first features Tyr, Alestorm and Suidakra and is rolling through the U.S. as we speak — we caught Alestorm and Suidakra at the Scion Rock Fest this past weekend and let me tell you, those are two fun motherfucking bands. The other is the second annual run of the MetalSucks co-sponsored Paganfest USA. This year’s lineup features Korpiklaani, Eluveitie (back from last year), Primordial, Moonsorrow, Blackguard and Swashbuckle. If it’s anything like last year’s tour, it’s going to be a rip-roaring, drunken, beer-swilling, shout-along, rowdy good time. Check out this sick Metal Injection live footage of Turisas at last year’s Paganfest. When the music kicks in and spontaneous chants of “hey! hey! hey! hey!” erupt through the crowd… that’s what it was like pretty much the whole time. For every band. Every song. Hours upon drunken hours. Smashing fun.

-VN