Esoteric - Ahab - Ophis

Doomwards Let Us Row

While everybody had a blast on one of those summer open airs this weekend, and I even had my own one in town, I rather decided to row doomwards ;) An excellent Doom Metal package finished its tour tonight nearby at • Kulttempel • Oberhausen: ESOTERIC, AHAB and OPHIS. No sooner said than done. So I thought anyway…

:: pics ::

At the end it was easier said than done. Fully knowing that the Kulttempel is the former Saint club behind the mighty Turbinenhalle I for an indefinable impulse got confused and checked the map again, just to realize that the club must have been relocated. Okay, puzzled out a new route and hit the road…
We arrived… at the private address of the club’s owner. The upshot was that we had a profound sightseeing trip through Oberhausen, while time flew. Luckily I found the right way quickly and arrived at 8 o’clock sharp. Of course at the club behind the Turbinenhalle…

We jumped in and got our stuff out while :: OPHIS :: already entered the stag... to do their sound-check… Hmm... okay. Hamburg based metallers apologized for the delay which was due to some difficulties and kicked off their set, after advising fans of a sales stall next to the merchandise selling Nazi shit, suggesting to spend money on better stuff. OPHIS play a 45 minutes set through last two releases. I actually was hoping for some new material as their last album Withered Shades dates back on 2010. In between Ahab’s drummer Corny appeared on stage fooling around and making the band laugh. Hehehe. Great show anyway.
Setlist: Intro, Earth Expired, Beneath Sardonic Skies, Funeral, The Halls Of Sorrow

Short break and a beer. Then lights go out and a bumpy intro tries to introduce :: AHAB :: They also point to the sales stall and make clear that they are against that Nazi shit. Then the seller was told to delete “incompatible” CDs, he seemingly obeyed. I don’t understand why the seller was not kicked out at all. I can’t image that the stall fee (if there is any) is that profitable to make a deal with such shop men.
However… As already said, the intro did not work properly, never mind, AHAB played an awesome show through their brand new album The Giant. Its maritime samples created a dense and intensive atmosphere. I so loved the sound of a rushing sea and was far away with my thoughts *sighs*. AHAB also play older songs. Here it is Ophis’ singer Phil up to mischief ;)
Setlist: The Divinity Of Oceans, Further South, Deliverance (Shouting At The Dead), Old Thunder, Antarctica The Polymorphess, The Hunt

To top the evening :: ESOTERIC :: is next. The Brits made people looking surprised when they got their effect boards out on stage. I already have seen them playing live and know what’s coming up: super dense, super complex and unbelievably intensive funeral doom metal. Sound isn’t the best, the bass totally over-distorted, because the PA sucked. The band plays itself into frenzy, best seen in Eradification (Of Thorns) from the debut album Epistemological Despondency with its changing dynamics. This song is an emotional roller coaster. It doesn’t change, when Ahab’s Daniel and Corny appear again on stage to rag. ESOTERIC smile and go on playing. I close my eyes and join the frenzy as well. No lights, no photos. I got caught, thrilled and taken away. I lose myself anywhere in my imaginary journey. ESOTERIC’s music is beyond everything.
Setlist: Abandonment, Circle, Beneath This Face, Disconsolate, Eradification (Of Thorns)

What a great evening! We got our stuff together and are about to leave, as another band brings on its equipment. WTF? Ok, it’s Saturday. Maybe disco and karaoke? No? No! Not at all! It’s another regular Doom Metal band. :: FAAL :: from Holland, who - without further ado - invite to the Esoteric aftershow party. I’m totally surprised, haven’t heard anything of another band. But Wiebke says that FAAL were announced on the first tour flyers. Only a handful of people are still there drinking the last beer or wanting to talk to the other band members. FAAL start playing while the change-over music was still playing and the DJ acted super dumb to switch it off. What a cheek! What disrespectfulness to the band! Really.
What I could hear out musically was great stuff!

Again quite a strange concert evening. As I learnt later FAAL was indeed booked as local opening act for tonight’s show. Many problems and difficulties (no one described closer) caused first a cancellation of FAAL’s show, later they got told they could play anytime after ESOTERIC. Really odd and actually bad behavior!