(Live Review) EIVOR + SYLVAINE - Chicago, IL (2/16/25)
Welcome friends, fans, and followers to the Beard & Little Johnny review #13. Once again, it is your Metal nomad the Beard along with the Viking of the Pits, Little Johnny and we are here at Thalia Hall on the south side of Chicago for a mix of folk and death metal featuring Eivor & Sylvaine.
The Beard has chosen to join Little Johnny on the main floor for this event, a decision that initially surprised the lad until he saw pictures of both Eivor and Sylvaine. He then shook his head saying “Hot chick singers. Of course you have to be close up. Beard, you are an old man, so listen to me and TRY not to propose to either of them, huh. It just makes you seem sad.”
“Remind me why I even bring you Johnny?” “Because I class you up Beard. Everybody wants to party with me. Speaking of which, how about we hit the bar?”
After picking up a couple IPAs, we found a spot with a decent view and awaited Sylvaine. It was initially a rather sparse Sunday night crowd; however, it did fill in and by nights end it looked like at least a few hundred people were there.
SYLVAINE
Sylvaine (aka Kathrine Shepard) walks a path between folk music and death metal. A tall blonde ethereal woman who would be equally as much at home in Lothlorien (of Middle Earth) as in her native Norway. Her musical tales, spanning four albums, are a mix of Norwegian folk legend in all its beauty and terror.
Sylvaine vocally moves from the misty quiet, yet beautiful, crooning of an elf maiden in a gladded forest to the shocking screams of angry creatures stripped of their favorite items and blaming you for it.
Shepard's vocal range and talents allow listeners to both hear and see harmonized duality. It is Nature, soothing and yet terrifying in its unrestrained beauty. Her first two songs were strictly on the folksier side though with “Dagsens auga sloknar ut” from her brand new Eg er Framand EP. These songs were followed by “Morklagt” from the Atoms Aligned Coming Undone album. Without her accompanying band on this tour, Sylvaine greatly lessened her death metal voice instead sticking largely with her “sweet voice.”
During song three, however, “I close my eyes so I can see”, from her most heavy release Nova, Sylvaine let out her death side, and even without the heavy band accompaniment, her screams while bathed in blue and red light were akin to a dark Galadriel unbound. (Ed: I didn't know that you are a Lord of the Rings geek, Beard.)
This short set was far more about her sedate side though and she followed with “L’Appel du vide” a French language song from the Atoms Aligned release with a concluding rendition of “Eg Er Framand” (ie. 'I am a Stranger'). The total set length was about 35 minutes.
Little Johnny appeared in the back beer in hand and said “Beard, what the hell was that? That wasn’t metal.” “It was folk metal little dude.” “Yeah well folk you then because that was not what I thought we were gonna hear.”
Eivor live Chicago, IL 2025
EIVOR
Hailing from the Faroese Islands, Eivor's quarter century of music making has been described as folk, pop, and even electronica. She has produced ten albums (not counting EP’s, live material, and collaborations.)
Her first four numbers were all from her latest release Enn. “Ein Klota” was primarily keyboard and strings, with a mix of operatic or symphonic lyrical style in her own language. “Jaroarta” added drums and percussion making it sound like a Viking aria, again sung in Faroese. “Hugsi bert um teg” struck me as more symphony pop than anything else. On that one I thought this is how Lady Gaga would sound if she were Norwegian. “Purpurhjarta” her fourth in a row from “Enn” was catchy.
Eivor then played a few from other releases including, “Let it Come” and “Skyscrapers” from Segi. “Trollabundin”, from her self-titled release, was good and at this point I was actually invested in watching both her and her band perform.
The title track from Enn would come next and then “Upp Ur Oskuni” (NO Johnny, that is NOT what it means.) Most of the songs off the new album were in this set, so fans certainly knew what to expect if they bought it.
The Faroese “Hymn 49” was a traditional song/hymn from her village of six-hundred permanent residents. This one was full of Vikingesque peace and sorrow, even though I didn’t understand a word of it. “Salt” & “I Tokumi” were her cuts from Slor before she concluded with an excellent “Gullspunnin” featuring a rhythmic beat and Eivor's throat singing. The band really tapped into something there. Even Johnny was bobbing. A big crowd pop on that one.
Eivor's voice reminds me of the act Autumn Tears and their three album arc Love Songs for Dying Children. I do not listen to that very often, but whenever I do I am struck by the twin sides of beauty and sorrow cleaved yet one.
Eivor did return for an encore of “Falling Free” (and no Johnny that is not a dyslexic Tom Petty cover) from Room and then the requisite band introductions and bows. Her set time was about an hour and a half.
Although her audience certainly enjoyed it, Little Johnny was still unsure. He held that it shouldn’t be considered metal, but that it was hypnotic, and he found himself bobbing to it, so he didn’t hate it.
“I still think I got a little hosed Beard, but both chicks could sing good. That first one “could” at least do Metal and the headliner one beat on that ceremonial drum a lot. Do you think they have one of those in merch?” “We aren’t even going to find out Little Dude.”
Concluding thoughts, neither act was what I expected. Sylvaine is better when she has her entire touring band and can do the back-and-forth thing between the folk and the death sound. Eivor does have a Viking sound and is really for people who dig Leaves Eyes either from the Lovelorn or Vinland Saga eras.
I am going to award Sylvaine 81/100 for the solo stuff and Eivor 86/100 for the full band and bigger show material. Even if something is not my style or preference, it is about how well the artist does what they do and Eivor “was” good at what she does.
And, in fact, that does it for another episode of Beard & Little Johnny. Be sure to catch us at all our newest places. TikTok is still @thebeard0728. We have two Facebook sites. Mark McQueen for reviews of everything under the sun and more. The Beard & Little Johnny Facebook for just concert pictures and videos. Of course, you can still catch us right here intermittently at The Mighty Decibel and keep checking thebeardandlittlejohnnyreviews site as it develops.
Until next time, this is the Beard & Little Johnny saying, “Live Life” “Stay Heavy” and “Horns Up.”