Let’s talk about the Eluveitie, Infected Rain, and Ad Infinitum concert! It was the first metal (and folk metal) concert of the year for me so I was pumped. Unfortunately, the excitement was dampened by the awful sound quality. In the front of the stage at least, the situation was dire. I am well aware that the best sound is usually next to the FOH booth, but I want to see up close the bands and feel that energy from the beginning. It wasn’t until halfway through Eluveitie’s set that things improved. I was grateful I had remembered to bring my earplugs, but I really felt bad for Ad Infinitum—their set suffered the most from the bad mix.
I’ve been following Ad Infinitum on and off since 2020 and it was my first time seeing them live, so I was excited. They’ve been incredibly active, consistently delivering music with a dramatic flair (go figure why I like them). Their most recent album, “Abyss,” came out in 2024 and continues their dark, theatrical sound. But let’s talk about the real tragedy of the night: they didn’t play “Marching on Versailles” or “See You In Hell,” my absolute favourite songs. I was ready to belt out every word, and then—nothing. Still, it was exciting to finally see them live after their incredibly active pandemic years—virtual hangouts, surprise acoustic releases, merch drops—they truly kept their fanbase engaged. We did get a lot of other good songs and they definitely rocked!
I was honestly taken aback by Melissa’s stage presence. She can sing, she can dance, she can command the room. She can also be my motivation to hit the gym when I don’t want to. But joke aside, she is killing it! The band is still new and she is a force of nature as a performer in a way it took many more years for other vocalists in the genre. I like how they had a little game of pitting us against Cluj in a contest of who’s louder, but Melissa brought the microphone to all the guys and involved them in the “game”. I like seeing everyone get their moment. Also, side note: Adrian’s guitar looked hilariously tiny, and I’m not sure if it was just him being tall or that looks like a toy guitar. All in all, good songs, good energy, hopefully we’ll get to see them soon again when the sound is actually better.
Infected Rain took the stage next, and what a difference it made to have half the stage cleared up. Hailing from Moldova, they’ve carved their niche in the metalcore scene with their raw, emotional energy. Lena’s signature dreads flew through the air as she commanded the audience. Hearing her speak in Romanian, even with some hesitation, sparked a patriotic pride in the crowd. It took some extra effort to get them moving—a little insistence to form a wall of death, a push to make them kneel before the breakdown—but she got them under her control by the end. Their style of music is harsher than what I usually listen to, but I can definitely say they kick ass. It’s amazing to see bands and vocalists that are different, and yet not compare them, but realise how much they complement each other and what a good tour this was. I didn’t know any of the songs before the show, but I can tell you my favourite one was Fighter.
Then came Eluveitie, the Swiss folk metal powerhouse known for blending traditional instruments with metal riffs. They started the show strong with Helvetios and Ategnatios. Soon after this tour, they are releasing a new album, Ànv, diving even deeper into Celtic mysticism. It’s always interesting to see a band with so many people on stage and so so many instruments. I don’t even know how to name them all. I wonder if they have an internal competition of who can learn how to play the weirdest instrument. The crowd was definitely here for them and they erupted when A Rose For Epona started. Even I knew that one.
Chrigal was in top notch form you could almost see him pushing the show and band in front as if he was steering a ship. Fabienne was her very charming self and showcased her vocal range. I was surprised at some point she was growling as well. Cool stuff. But there was just so much happening on stage at any given time, it was a party. I truly think more bands should bring violinists!
I gotta say, I love it when bands perform in languages other than English—it adds so much depth. Could I tell you what they’re singing about? Definitely not, but I enjoy it. By the encore, when they played “Premonition” and “Inis Mona,” it was absolute chaos in the best way possible.
Overall, despite the early sound issues, the night delivered on energy and passion. Each band brought their own flavour, and by the end, the folk metal party was in full swing. I wanna give a special shoutout to Rockstadt, the organisers. First of all, for not packing the hall beyond its limit even though it was sold out and many more people wanted tickets. Next, simply for doing the show and doing shows in Bucharest. I am happy to see more events and more promoters because it means more shows for us. Competition is good.