The poster promised three bands: HammerFall, Evergrey, and Elvenking.

Virgil was excited for Elvenking because of “Seasonspeech,” their four-seasons song from the early aughts. We walked into Tally Ho Theater hoping for some of that Italian folk flair.

Symfinity

The first band on stage was not on the poster. “A fourth band,” Virgil whispered. “An amuse-bouche.”

They were Symfinity, out of New York, and they have a flautist! Partway through she switched to piccolo. The Woodwinds, then.

Their singer conducted the whole set in what can only be described as a pirate conductor’s outfit, battle standard in hand, with a bandana on his head. They remind me of Rainbow more than anything else, but with a live flautist the comparisons to Jethro Tull write themselves.

They closed with the flag aloft and the horns up for this show on Sept. 13. I met them afterward, and they are very nice people with symphony backgrounds (hence the name). They’ve been playing together for over a decade, and they play with heart.

Watch Symfinity perform “Flipside” live on YouTube:

Evergrey

After Symfinity wrapped up, the truth landed – there is no Elvenking tonight. Apparently they couldn’t get visas at all. Virgil’s amuse-bouche fourth band was actually a substitution.

Helloween’s “I Want Out” blared from the PA as interstitial house music. Elvenking wanted in.

“Banned,” Virgil hissed. “Enemies of the state.”

On paper, no. Elvenking had posted a statement four days earlier, which I had not seen. On paper, their work visa petition was approved. It was approved about a week before the first date, which left no time to book a consular appointment.

An approval you can’t use is a denial with better manners.

“A door that opens after you’ve gone home is a wall,” Virgil said. He’s right, and it’s a tactic. Nobody in the federal government has to say no to a touring band in 2026. They just have to not say yes in time.

Then the house lights dimmed to cover Evergrey’s entrance. We never saw them descend the stairs from the green room. They were simply there.

Evergrey plays a downtuned groove very reminiscent of Nevermore. They also lean into the Gothenburg sound pioneered by At the Gates and In Flames. In particular, they remind me of Soilwork’s brand of melodeath. Evergrey is from Gothenburg, so they come by it honestly.

They also have a darker thread they like to pull, straddling the prog and power metal line with death and doom flirtations.

Then a second discovery: the man on the drum riser was Chris Quirarte, on loan from Redemption (frontman Tom Englund’s other band). Evergrey’s own drummer, Simen Sandnes, had visa issues too.

I learned the rest afterward, from Englund’s tour video. It wasn’t just the drummer. Keyboardist Rikard Zander was out with visa issues as well, so the synth parts ran on backing tracks.

Those parts deserve a live performer. It’s a shame we didn’t get one.

Vikram Shankar, also of Redemption, had covered keys at ProgPower in Atlanta two nights earlier, but he couldn’t do the tour. Leesburg was the first night of Evergrey’s US run. They played it with a borrowed drummer and a laptop.

The night’s tally: one Italian band, one Norwegian drummer, one Swedish keyboard player. Elvenking’s statement said they weren’t the only band affected. In 2004, Helloween had no money and a record nobody wanted, and they still made it to Jaxx. In 2026 the room is full at Tally Ho and a third of the bill can’t get into the country. We’re being robbed of music.

Vocally, Englund kept reminding me of The Night Flight Orchestra, or should it be the other way around and NFO reminds me of Evergrey?

There were lots of solos for both guitarists. Stephen Platt is the new guy, by way of Scar Symmetry, which only strengthens the Gothenburg line.

“A Touch of Blessing” finally arrived with a curious dancy intro that I don’t recall being present on the album recording. That song was my first introduction to Evergrey, by way of The Inner Circle: a Tower Records purchase, and a gamble at that.

Watch the official music video for “A Touch of Blessing” by Evergrey on YouTube:

“Leaving the Emptiness,” off the new record, leans into the resurgent popularity of emo. They closed with “OXYGEN!” and commanded an encore chant (circumstances did not allow an encore).

HammerFall

I ran into Naveed, the singer from Eyes of the Nile (I reviewed them last year at Tally Ho), who will play this same stage in November. It reminded me of my experiences at Jaxx, where you would frequently encounter the opening band members in the pit while the headliner from northern Europe was melting your face onstage.

For the uninitiated: Jaxx was a nightclub in Springfield that served as the home for heavy metal in Northern Virginia for over two decades. Tally Ho has the same scrappy vibe and basically the same clientele.

HammerFall arrived like kings. The whole venue was here for them. Frontman Joacim Cans took the stage in his Sunday best, clearly feeling bonita.

Tally Ho is such a small venue for such a big sound. “Avenge the Fallen” was a strong intro, and then they immediately went old-school power metal with “Heeding the Call.” Epic.

“Any Means Necessary” is disco metal (complimentary). “Hammer of Dawn,” “Freedom,” and “Renegade” followed at a gallop.

Then came a vigorous “Hammer High,” with the band getting the crowd directly involved through pantomimed hammer-holding. Virgil hoisted his with both hands. “A real one would be heavy,” he insisted.

“Last Man Standing” was a crowd pleaser. “Fury of the Wild” was another fun jaunt: many solos, much guitar. “Chapter V: The Medley” commanded a HAMMERFALL chant from the crowd. These guys are studs.

The crowd was still at full force for “Let the Hammer Fall.” During “The End Justifies” they took the time to introduce everyone on stage: David Wallin on drums, Fredrik Larsson on bass, Pontus Norgren on guitar, founding member Oscar Dronjak, and Joacim Cans, the last to say “hello.”

“(We Make) Sweden Rock” closed the main set. After a minute or two they wandered back out. “Oh, are you still here?” Cans grinned. We were, and “Hail to the King” was the reward.

They closed with “Hearts on Fire,” perhaps their strongest song from the Crimson Thunder album. I lament only that they didn’t play more from that record, which was my introduction to them. An advertisement for it in Metal Hammer magazine worked on me, and Tower Records got my money for that one too.

Watch the official music video for “Hearts on Fire” by HammerFall on YouTube:

It left me wistful for the days of buying albums and magazines at the Tower Records in Tysons Corner in the very early aughts. I ran into some ghosts from my past who remember going out to Tower with me. They said I’m the one who got them into this stuff. Tower Records is long gone, and so is Jaxx. The ghosts and I still have somewhere to go.

Tally Ho is the new Jaxx.

Here are some photos of HammerFall performing live at Tally Ho Theatre on Sept. 13, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Gerald Henry.

Here are some photos of Everygrey performing live at Tally Ho Theatre on Sept. 13, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Gerald Henry.

Here are some photos of Symfinity performing live at Tally Ho Theatre on Sept. 13, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Gerald Henry.