April has already pleased us with two excellent shows and it doesn’t stop. With the trio consisting of BORKNAGAR, KAMPFAR and DIABOLICAL, another killer package tours throughout Europe and shouldn’t be missed by any means. So, once again I rode down the roads towards the :: Kulttempel :: in Oberhausen, Germany.
The weather was springlike warm and sunny and the fans arriving at the Kulttempel easily countable. Huh? Here I noticed that I was one hour too early. Clock-change is a bitch. But… it might have been a twist of fate as we will see later ;) Anyway, it also was one of those days where everywhere in the Ruhr area shows took place and thus scattered the fans to the four winds.
Although every single band on the bill should have filled a club itself they all together only made it to fill the Kulttempel half. At best. And that is really, really bad. All three bands would have deserved so much more…
:: pics :: DIABOLICAL ::
The evening got kicked off by :: DIABOLICAL :: and that way too early. The Swedes started a half hour before the announced time. If I wouldn’t have been there too early I would have missed them. As so many other fans… F*ck!
DIABOLICAL were rarely seen as of late, which might be due to the fact that the old school death metallers have entered the studio to record the follower of 2013’s Neogenesis. Two new songs got live presented and I have to say they are promising. DIABOLICAL still groove as hell and have many a great riffing to offer. Though, the crowd did not really honor that, was reserved and lame with response, although frontman Sverker "Widda" Widgren did his best to get the crowd up and moshing. Too bad. I anyway look forward to the new album!
Setlist: Into Oblivion, Requiem (new), Reincarnation Of The Damned, Wolves' Choir, new song, Eye, Metamorphosis
:: pics :: KAMPFAR ::
Next up were Norwegian Grammy winners :: KAMPFAR :: and they attracted many more fans. The changeover was really quick.
We hardly were able to get something to drink when KAMPFAR entered the stage. Now the club filled up nicely and the crowd came close to the stage. KAMPFAR regularly releases records on a high level of quality and rightly gained a huge fan base. On their new album, Profan, KAMPFAR have excelled themselves again and put out another masterpiece of Norwegian Black Metal, worth a Spellemannprisen. Frontman Dolk effortlessly mastered the crowd right from the beginning with the opening track from the new album. Much more, of course, with the classics followed shortly after. Fists were raised and long hair was whirling. The Nordic cold froze the spring’s breath tonight. That I call energy and power! When Dolk took off his shirt to show his KAMPFAR tattooed six-packs also the girls were in heaven. How is he doing this? I mean, he isn’t the youngest anymore, you know… ;)
While drummer Ask almost completely disappeared behind his kit, it was bass player Jon, who, with a grim face, acted as the counterpart to Dolk.
If you go to a KAMPFAR show, you expect a highly energetic black metallic inferno. And that is exactly what we became tonight. Just awesome!
Setlist: Gloria Ablaze, Ravenheart, Troll, Død Og Trolldom, Daimon, Tornekratt, Hymne, Mylder, Our Hounds, Our Legion
:: pics :: BORKNAGAR ::
When it comes to :: BORKNAGAR :: I’m quite undecided. I loved them in the past till Quintessence and then lost sight of them. Live shows I have seen sometimes later were rather disappointing and I felt confirmed. I had no expectations towards BORKNAGAR tonight. I was here for Kampfar and Diabolical and was already satisfied.
In January BORKNAGAR have released their 10th record, Winter Thrice, which is - to me - a surprisingly strong one. So, let’s see what they are about these days ;)
Um… well… I don’t know what happened but BORKNAGAR entered the stage rather cut in half and harmed. ICS Vortex had a leg injury, was hobbling and needed to sit while playing. Vintersorg was missing and so was Lazare. Chrome Division singer Athera, normally doing backing vocals live, took over the main vocals. He needed a lyric book but solved that quite cleverly and generally convinced as a singer. But highlight of the show was surely drummer Baard Kolstad, who might be as old as the band. Between Dauden and the official closer The Dawn Of The End he played a drum solo that left us speechless and with jaws dropped. Wow! What a talent! And finally the audience spent some lively response.
Yes, despite the circumstances, BORKNAGAR played a great show, epic and powerful. And also the singing ICS Vortex did not disappoint as so many times before when he sung totally off-key. Next to brand new tracks BORKNAGAR surprisingly played quite a few songs from The Archaic Course, and of course Quintessence and even one from the self-titled debut. Great set! Really. But all in all I have to say that Kampfar was the secret headliner tonight. As for that BORKNAGAR at least scored in my eyes ;) As already mentioned, all bands would have deserved much more but though it was a great show.
Setlist: The Rhymes Of The Mountain, Epochalypse, Oceans Rise, Cold Runs The River, Ad Noctum, Universal, The Eye Of Oden, Frostrite, Icon Dreams, Ruins Of The Future, Dauden, The Dawn Of The End // Colossus, Winter Thrice
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