There is only one way in which one can describe the "Kaos over Europe" tour: A night of absolute madness. These Trolls in the Forest tour sees one of the most fun bands launching on a bumbling tour across Europe.
 

First up on stage was CRYPTIC FOREST, a German Black Metal band formed in the Black Forest in 2003. Whilst initially starting out as a one-man-band, this soon changed, with the full lineup and EP being finalized in 2011. With their debut album "Ystyr" having been released in 2012, much of the setlist stemmed from this album. Their performance was full of energy and passion; despite having snapped a string towards the end of the gig, the guitarist still played on to the end. Although this did somewhat affect the sound, CRYPTIC FOREST nevertheless put on a very good show, and most certainly got the crowd warmed up for the night.
 

Setlist:
1. King of Cryptic Forest
2. Crown of Ice
3. Creature of the Dark
 

The penultimate band of the night was FINSTERFORST, a Pagan Metal band which was founded in 2004, also in the Black Forest region of Germany, the same as their former label mates CRYPTIC FOREST. With their latest release being their third full-length album, "Rastlos", released in 2012, their setlist contained a mix of songs from their complete discography. FINSTERFORST put on a very energetic show that completely captivated the audience. Particularly memorable was one of their tracks which started out with a long guitar solo; the guitarist took centre-stage, whilst the rest of the band gathered round him, sitting on amps, drinking beer, and watching the guitarist with rapt attention. Noteworthy was the performance of the drummer, who had also played the CRYPTIC FOREST set; having played two full sets back-to-back, he was still going strong by the end of FINSTERFORST's set. This band was very well received by the audience, with their final song "Ein Lichtschein" garnering calls for more. However, it was now time for the final act of the night.
 

Setlist:
1. Lauf der Welt
2. Ein Lichtschein
 

TROLLFEST were the headliners of the night. Having seen them at Ragnaroek Festival over the weekend, I was really excited to see them again. These guys put on an amazingly chaotic performance. Appearing on stage dressed in white lab-coats with black paint smeared across their faces, looking like the survivors of some catastrophic lab explosion, TROLLFEST looked like your typical garden variety mad scientist. These crazy Norwegians take chaos to a completely new level, with simpleton-like expressions, and excited, happy-go-lucky smiles. This year marks the 10 year anniversary of TROLLFEST's reign of pandemonium. What started out as just a fun project soon morphed into a debaucherous band that soon became very popular, and the Munich show proved just why this was.

In addition to the drummer with a full drum kit, two of the band members also have smaller kits, including everything from tambourines to cowbells. This allows the band to do intricate and dynamic interplays, with one drummer following the lead of the others in an ever faster flurry. With seven members on stage, even the live performances are chaotic, with everyone all over the place. Having just recently released their full-length album "Kaptein Kaos" just last month, the setlist contained a mix of songs off of this album, as well as older tracks. One of the songs that went down well was "JegerMeister";  not only is this song super catchy and fun to sing along to, but when the frontman appeared on stage at the beginning of the song, he had donned on a back-mounted canister, with trigger in either hand that pumped jets of liquid into the crowd.
 

The one downside of the venue at which TROLLFEST played was that the stage was particularly small, especially considering the number of band members on stage. However, TROLLFEST's solution to this was to join the crowd. At one point, the guitarist and bassist chased each other through the crowd, playing hide-and-seek amongst the delighted fans. Towards the end of the set, these two even stage dived into the crowd, still playing their instruments as they were borne aloft, crowd-surfing around the venue.

For their encore, TROLLFEST reappeared on stage dressed in a random assortment of costumes, with everything from a roman gladiator to a crocodile. These mad scientists were clearly having the time of their lives, even going as far as begging the sound technician to be allowed to play one final song, even after having played three encore songs. This final track "Essenfest" was a debauchery affair, with the band singing raucously about overeating. Halfway through the song, the tempo dropped to a drowsy speed, with the band collapsing on stage, almost falling asleep, with just enough verve left to lazily strum at their instruments. But with drudgery, they soon roused themselves to get right back into the swing of things, ending the night on a definite high.
 

Setlist:
1. Intro - Trolltramp
2. Kaptein Kaoså
3. Vulkan
4. Brakebein
5. Brumlebassen
6. Toxic
7. Grosse Echsen
8. Karve
9. JegerMeister
10. Ave Maria
11. Illsint
12. Døden Banker På
13. Rundt Bålet
14. Intro 2 – Trollkamp
15. Åpne Sjø
16. Renkespill
17. Garm
18. Essenfest

This was truly a night for all fans of Pagan and Folk Metal, and definitely one of the most fun concerts I have been to. If you ever get the chance, I would highly recommend catching a TROLLFEST show; you really won't regret it.