LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: Blind Guardian, Ensiferum, Seven Kingdoms in Worcester, MA (11.26.25)
Metalheads get judged by their appearance all the time: leather, spikes, face paint, the whole mythology of looking unapproachable. But the Palladium on the night before Thanksgiving did not feel dangerous or dramatic. It felt like a gathering of people who understand the same language of noise and escape. That is the part outsiders never really see.
Seven Kingdoms opened. I walked in without any real connection to their music. That sometimes makes a set hit harder because you are not waiting for familiar cues. They started with “Diamond Handed,” the kind of opener that does not overcomplicate itself. The riffing was sharper live than expected, the sort of tightness bands usually earn after weeks on the road. The chorus cut through clearly, and the drums landed with more weight in the room than on any recording I had heard. For a band that stepped out in cheeseburger slides and comfortable clothing, the contrast played in their favor.
Later, they moved into “The Serpent and the Lotus,” the first moment of the night when they reached for something bigger. The opening melody carried more atmosphere than anything else in their set. It was less of a sprint and more deliberate. Their vocalist pushed into longer phrasing, and the crowd shifted into quieter attention. Not every song needs to be a head-down gallop. This one pulled people in without having to yell for it.
Ensiferum came out and erased whatever softness was left in the room. The temperature changed instantly. They opened with “Winter Storm Vigilantes,” a song that comes out swinging with no buildup. The guitars tore through the first melody like they had been waiting all day to release it. The crowd responded on instinct, the kind of shared motion that happens when the music decides for people.
“Way of the Warrior” followed, and that was the moment the front half of the floor truly tilted forward. The song is structured for movement. The chanted sections, the drum pacing, and the repetition were designed to pull bodies into it, whether those bodies planned to move or not. The band did not need to encourage anything.
Then “Andromeda” shifted the tone. The pace opened up, and for the first time in their set, the melodic lines had room to stretch instead of constantly pressing down. The keys and layered vocal parts came through more clearly than expected. It did not lower the energy but changed how it carried through the room. By the time I had to clear the pit, Ensiferum were only three songs into their set, with another five or six ahead of them, and the crowd already seemed fully committed to the world the band was painting.
During the break before Blind Guardian, I stepped outside. I ended up speaking with someone wearing an Iced Earth hoodie. That logo is not something you see often anymore. We talked about old shows, including my first concert, an Iced Earth gig in Las Vegas, and how the possibility of ever seeing Demons & Wizards live again is gone. No moral lesson, no warm reflection. Just a simple acknowledgment of what used to exist.
When Blind Guardian finally came out, Hansi kept his introduction short. “Tomorrow is Thanksgiving; tonight is not.” That was it. They opened with “War of the Wrath,” the familiar spoken introduction that always sounds like someone opening a heavy door to another time. Then they launched into “Into the Storm.” Hearing it again felt like falling into an old memory without warning. The guitars surged forward, and the rhythm section kept the pace relentless.
“Blood of the Elves” arrived early in the set and changed the texture of the room. The song carries a story-focused cadence that pulls attention inward rather than outward. It is fast, but it builds rather than bursts. Blind Guardian always had a way of making fantasy-inspired material feel grounded through sheer conviction.
“Nightfall” came not long after. The harmonies rose and fell with a type of weight that did not need any visual drama. The chorus stretched across the room whether people sang or not. The space shifted again. The Palladium stopped feeling like a physical location and more like a place sealed off from whatever existed outside.
Hansi sounded steady and controlled throughout. The guitarist beside him, with long white hair that has become part of his identity at this point, played with the confidence of someone who has lived on stages for decades. No unnecessary movement. No effort to show off. Just precision and familiarity.
Walking out afterward, the cold air felt too sharp. It was like the door to another world had closed as soon as you stepped past the pavement. Nothing life-changing happened. Nothing profound. Just a night of loud music, small memories, and a kind of familiarity that stays with you for reasons you cannot always explain.
Photos – Blind Guardian, Ensiferum, Seven Kingdoms at Palladium in Worcester, MA on November 26th:
