By james art 
Review and photography by Manny Manson for MPM
Beneath Birmingham’s brick railway arches stands XOYO, a new-to-me venue formerly called The Mill has been taken over and refurbished.
Tonight is my first visit for three metal bands who will no doubt be putting on a full sonic assault for the eager fans queuing around the block waiting to get in as typical UK weather decides we need a bit more rain for the garden. Tonight promises to be a heavy metal carnival again, with Finland’s “BATTLE BEAST” headlining their ongoing “Circus of Doom” tour. They were joined by “BYRMIR” and “SERENITY”, both bands new to me live, but promising Viking sagas, symphonic grandeur and a lot of theatrical metal mayhem.
The night started with “BYRMIR”Viking metal powerhouse from Helsinki, Finland delivering their brand of melodic death metal. Formed in 2006 during a summer camp under the name LAI LAI HEI, after a song by Ensiferum. The band quickly made a name for themselves in the extreme metal scene with their epic soundscapes that combine death metal aggression with folk inspired melodies. Their discography includes “Breathe Fire to the Sun” (2011), “Slayer Of Gods” (2016), “Divinity” (2017), “Wings Of Fire” (2019) and their latest album, “Voices in the Sky ” ” (2022).
“BYRMIR” are:-
“Victor Gullichsen” – Vox
“Joona Björkroth” – 7-string guitar is not playing as she is on paternity leave.
“Patrik Fält” – drums
“Yarkko Niemi” – bass
Sean Haslam – and string guitar
With a reputation for intense live shows, BURMER opened the set with the title track from their latest album, “Voices in the Sky”. The song’s powerful combination of soaring, clean vocals, growls and symphonic elements immediately grabbed the crowd. It was a triumphant start, and it was obvious it wasn’t their first rodeo, with ‘Victor Gulliksen’s voice rising over the wall of sound like a Scandinavian war cry.
Next comes “Ride on Spirit,” another part of “Voices in the Sky,” with its galloping riffs and thunderous drums. BYRMIR’s tight instrumentation is nothing short of impressive and the Digbeth crowd responded with the first of many headbanging sessions, this is a knowledgeable crowd and they know their Scandinavian metal. “Joona Björkroth’s guitar solo, as sharp as a Viking sword, cut through the hall as the band’s epic melodies conjured up images of longboats, icy fjords and battle-ready warriors.”
Things took an absurd but hilarious turn during “Herald of Aegir”, where guitarist “Joona Björkroth” found himself defeated by a stuffed pike, thanks to vocalist “Viktor Gullichsen”. The crowd loved it, especially ‘Owen’, a local with some inexplicable fishy connection, who cheered louder than anyone else. Only in Viking metal will a fish-based weapon become part of the show.
The short but intense set ended with fan favorite “Fly With Me” and her introduction to Zuckerberg and the explosive Kentucky Fried Chicken-influenced closer “Wings of Fire” (from “Divinity”). Each song was greeted with roars from the audience, who were clearly here for some mythical metal escapism. As BYRMIR left the stage they rushed to the bar for a drink, the venue had the heating on so refreshments were much needed, ready for the next chapter in the night’s metal saga.
Next on stage was the Austrian symphonic metal titan, ““SERENITIES”“. Formed in 2001, SERENITY has built a career by weaving historical themes into their music, mixing orchestral arrangements with pounding metal. With influences ranging from Nightwish to Blind Guardian, their discography spans eight full-length albums, including Words Untold & Dreams Unlived (2007), Fallen Sanctuary (2008), The Last Knight (2020), and their latest offering “Nemisis AD” (2023). Their line-up has undergone several changes over the years, but currently it is
Andreas Schipflinger – drums,
“Georg Neuhauser” – Vox,
“Chris Hermsdörfer” – guitar,
“Marco Pastorino” – guitar
“Fabio D’Amore” – bass.
“SERENITIES” opened their 45-minute set with “The Fall of Man” from their 2011 album “Death & Legacy,” a song full of symphonic grandeur and fast-paced guitar. “Georg Neuhauser” commands the stage with his operatic voice, while fellow guitarists, both sporting LP-style white left-handed guitars “Marco Pastorino” and “Christian Hermsdörfer” deliver intricate riffs and soaring solos. Their combination of historically inspired lyrics and bombastic metal immediately draws the country crowd, who raise their fists almost in unison.
Next is “Ritter, Tod Und Teufel (Knightfall)”, a medieval-themed tune from their 2013 album War of Ages. The crowd seemed to enjoy the narrative mood of the piece as Neuhauser delivered lines like a king addressing his army before a climactic battle. The band’s clean, tight performance turned the brutal XOYO venue into a sea of nodding heads as they worshiped this Austrian symphonic metal.
By the time Set the World on Fire from Codex Atlanticus (2016) kicked in, the crowd’s energy was booming, the combination of head nodding and heating up had the temperature feeling like you’d entered Valhalla. As majestic, sweeping orchestral arrangements filled the space, it added to the sense that something epic was unfolding. Between songs, Neuhauser charmed the crowd with banter, even mentioning England’s infamous King Henry VIII before launching into “Legacy of Tudors” (also from “War of Ages”).
The set ended on a high note with “Lionheart” a tribute to English Richard the Lionheart from The Last Knight. The crowd responded in kind, fists raised and horns in the air. The historical references may have been lost on some, but the soaring melodies and powerful performance of “SERENITY” more than made up for any educational gaps as, with heads down and horns up, fans, now numbering several hundred new ones, galloped along to this song .
After two impressive performances, the moment everyone was waiting for finally arrived. The Finnish “BATTLE BEAST” emerged from the wings to the thunderous applause of his loyal fans. Formed in 2008, BATTLE BEAST has become one of the leading bands in the power metal scene, known for their bombastic sound, catchy choruses and incredible live performances. With influences ranging from classic metal bands like ‘Judas Priest’ to more theatrical acts like ‘Nightwish’. The discography of “BATTLE BEAST” is full of anthemic tunes. Albums such as their self-titled “BATTLE BEAST” (2013), “Bringer of Pain” (2017) and their latest, “Circus of Doom” (2022), have carved their name and reputation as both modern metal titans and must-show alive.
The current lineup of “BATTLE BEAST” includes:
“Noora Louhimo” – Vocals
“Juuso Soinio” – guitars
“Joona Björkroth” – Guitars deposited by “Atte Aho”
“Eero Sipilä” – bass
“Jane Björkrot” – keyboard instruments
“Pyry Vikki” – drums
The lights dimmed and the room filled with smoke as the group took their positions. As the intro track “Circus of Doom” blared through the speakers, the title track from their latest album, it was immediately clear that “BATTLE BEAST” meant business. Bathed in blue light, against the backdrop of the Circus Big Top. Noora Louhimo, frontwoman of the band Valkyrie, commanded the stage from the first note. Her powerful voice filled the hall as CO2 cannons shot plumes of smoke in time with the music.
The tempo didn’t slow down as the band tore through “Straight to the Heart” (from “Bringer of Pain”). Louhimo’s stage presence was as mesmerizing as ever; she strutted around the stage like a warrior queen, her green pearl jacket changing color to gold as the lights caught it, engaging with the audience as she sang the high-octane chorus. The music of “BATTLE BEAST” is a perfect blend of melodic cuts and catchy metal riffs, and the audience responded with non-stop head banging, the energetic movements causing the protective barrier to rock back and forth with their movements
Next comes “Familiar Hell” (also from “Bringer of Pain”), a song that has become a BATTLE BEAST anthem. The crowd joined in, singing along as smoke and lights swirled around the band, it felt like the compact XOYO had turned into a medieval battlefield. Luhimo’s voice rose above the strumming guitars and the heat in the room pushed the mercury off the top of the thermometer.
“Armageddon” and “Place We Call Home” from “Circus of Doom” continued the onslaught, each song building on the energy of the last. The sound of “BATTLE BEAST” is both cinematic and brutal, combining massive, symphonic elements with face-melting riffs and thunderous basslines.
The band then switched gears with “No More Hollywood Endings” (from their 2019 self-titled album), a more theatrical, almost pop-metal track. Louhimo’s dynamic range was on full display, going from ferocious power metal queen to delivering balladic choruses with equal finesse as she launched into the anthemic ‘Eye of The Storm’, another from 2022’s Circus of Doom.
Then came one of the most unexpected moments of the night. “Eero Sipilä” took center stage to cover Elton John’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight.” It was an odd choice, but the crowd embraced him, swaying and singing along, the lights on their phones shining brightly as the bassist sang . On command the crowd joined the chorus. When he finished, “Eero” shouted “just like you can sing Disney ballads from the 90s, you can also sing heavy metal.” It was the calm before the storm when the band promptly performed “Where Angels Fear to Fly” (again from “Circus of Doom”), the crowd was once again encouraged to sing along, which they did, with abandon. This was followed by more fan favorites “Bastard Son of Odin” and “Russian Roulette” (both from “Bringer of Pain”).
The set ended with ‘Eden’, an epic, moving track from ‘No More Hollywood Endings’, the intro in which Noora encourages sing-alongs and response before killing it with an epic rendition of this ‘Beastly’ epic anthem. With the stage now empty, the crowd roaring for an encore, the band did not disappoint. Atte Aho (Joona stand-in) came out and performed a solo of ‘The Force Theme’ from ‘Star Wars’, BATTLE BEAST watched as he smashed the neck of his Jackson guitar, screaming, wailing and wailing, only for the keys and drums to join in and take on ‘The Imperial March’, with ‘Joona’s’ brother ‘Janne’ playing this orchestral masterpiece on guitar; while ‘Eero’ poured frothy beer into his mouth as he played and ‘Pyry’ marked time with a crushing drum.
The band quickly reformed to finish the night, giving more smoke and flashing lights, with ‘Master of Illusion’, ‘King for a Day’ (from ‘Bringer of Pain’) with its appeal to be the loudest crowd of the tour , and the grand finale, “Beyond the Burning Skies” (another from “Bringer of Pain”). The roof went up as these final songs played out, XOYO now in a new postcode, such was the combined power of thunderous riffs and bouncy fans hoping for more as the band thanked Birmingham for turning up to the bath. Noora looked visibly emotional as she asked for the obligatory band/crowd photo. And as the last note faded and the audience cheered for more, the Top Gun theme played over the soundtrack, all perfectly signaling the victory of the ‘BATTLE BEAST’ in Birmingham.
From the viking fury of “BYRMIR” to the symphonic elegance of “SERENITY” and finally the incredible power metal spectacle of “BATTLE BEAST”, it was a night that delivered on all fronts. Each band brought their A-game and the crowd responded in kind. Whether you came for Viking sagas, historical epics or pure power metal bombast, you left XOYO knowing one thing for sure: this metal circus was for the masses.