[Dajana] The journey towards Balve was quite pleasant and the new hotel turned out to be a lucky choice. Unfortunately, I heard that the good Mrs. Waltermann has passed away in the spring (rest in peace) seeing her pension now permanently closed.
The Prophetic Overture on Thursday seems to become an annual ritual as well ;) Festival goers were appearing early and in large numbers to gather on the meadow in front of the great :: Balve Cave ::. The crowd was welcomed with beer, bonfires and four acoustic sets, and a reading by and with Ernie Fleetenkieker in the afternoon. This time with the reading first, last year there were probably only a few frozen figures present ;)
:: pics :: ERNIE FLEETENKIEKER ::
[Dajana] Who doesn't know him, :: ERNIE FLEETENKIEKER :: from Krachmucker TV. Every metal-head should have listened to his podcast at least once or has seen him flitting across various festival areas. I actually haven't been able to catch Ernie at one of his readings yet. But here we are! Just in June he published his first book, the Metal Manifest, via :: Index Verlag :: (there are other great books too ;)), Ernie read from here at the opening of PROPHECY FEST 2023.
[Seb] Ernie already managed to make the horde in front of the stage laugh with the sound-check... this man is a born entertainer. In addition to the occasional raunchy humor, Ernie also had a lot of profound things to say about metal after 30 years as a fan and musician. Next to excerpts from the new book, the audience was also included in the "free part" of the lecture, so that the good 40 minutes were actually much too short for the "set". Outsiders would certainly be a bit surprised that encores were demanded at a (more or less) reading as part of a festival ;)
Afterwards, the Metal Manifest - now already in its fourth edition after only a short time - (of course with signature and dedication upon request) was selling like hot cakes right at the edge of the stage. Who was still undecided on Thursday, had the chance to make up for it over the next two days at the merch, or simply to talk shop for a while.
[Dajana] No one who attended the reading was undecided. The book went like nothing. My humble self has also grabbed courageously an issue (including signature) and has been sitting in the deck chair on the balcony laughing since then :)
P.S. The footnotes are the cracker *laughs*.
P.S.S. ERNIE FLEETENKIEKER is currently on tour. Check out the dates and go there!
P.S.S. I also purchased book: Swans: Sacrifice And Transcendence - The Oral History and I guess it won't turn out quite as funny ;)
[Seb] I still have the book in front of me, there were still a few new acquisitions on hold. But it's definitely one of those that I'll devour on my next vacation at the latest.
:: pics :: ILLUDIUM ::
[Dajana] The Californian post/shoegaze/doom metal project around Shantel Amundson is one of the latest signings at Prophecy Productions and was therefore booked for the festival on short notice.
[Seb] The musical opening of the PROPHECY FEST was provided by the singer of :: ILLUDIUM ::, who was standing on stage all alone with her guitar. The rest of the band was just a guest that evening. The songs were accordingly very, very quiet and thoughtful, so that the entry into the festival was quite comfortable. To what extent or whether material was played that would also be found on the “normal” sets the next day, I couldn't say at this point. According to her announcements, the songs often dealt with personal experiences (birth, death as central themes).
Band: Shantel Amundson (vox, git)
Setlist: Sempervirens, Soma Sema, Ätopa, Where Death And Dreams Do Manifest
:: pics :: THURNIN ::
[Dajana] The acoustic Neofolk project of the Dutchman :: THURNIN :: already played at the Prophetic Overture last year, but only after I had already capitulated to the cold. New year, new chance ;)
[Seb] After last year's solo performance THURNIN had brought along a friend (Nathanael Larochette, member of the "chamber folk ensemble" Musk Ox) on guitar. The two clearly brought a lot more momentum into the "house". Next to pieces from the highly acclaimed first album Menhir, with Acquiescence, Saera and of course the title track, a foretaste of the successor Útiseta, which will be released at the end of September, was given. Successful performance, which was enthusiastically received by the audience!
Band: Thurnin (git), Nathanael Larochette (git)
Setlist: Winds Of Decay, Vicariously, Utiseta, Voyage, Acquiescence, Saera, Tristam, Trials Of Menhir
:: pics :: 1476 ::
[Dajana] Salem, Massachusetts, city of witches and acoustic black metal born from the darkness of A.A. Poe and Stephen King... (they are usually filed under Art Rock/Neofolk/Post Punk or Post Black Metal. But I'm on the fence too ;)) - so the announcement for :: 1476 ::, which fit perfectly. The Americans came for the PROPHECY FEST for the first time to Europe, and, as it was heard, it will not be the last time ;)
[Seb] 1476 was the first band to appear in full strength and even brought some percussion on stage. The US-Americans had prepared a special set for the gig and you could see how much they were looking forward to the festival. Despite the pure acoustic set, the crowd in front of the stage really got going, especially during the finale Our Ice Age there was hardly any stopping for some. I have no idea whether this was a group of “super fans” who had traveled behind 1476 or whether the free beer had its effect, but the boys really went wild.
The band was visibly impressed by the reactions and said goodbye after a successful performance with the announcement that those who would watch one of the two gigs in the cave tomorrow would face a "drastically different experience" ;)
Band: Robb Kavjian, Neil DeRosa (drums, perc), Nate Adelman (git), George (bass)
Setlist: Where Kings Fall, A Dream In Exile, Sorgen (Sunwheels), Tristesse In Exile, Solitude (Exterior), Beyond The Meadows, Beyond The Moors, Our Ice Age
:: pics :: VRÎMUOT ::
[Dajana] Also :: VRÎMUOT :: were already present at the Prophetic Overture last year, respectively had their debut on the big stage the year before. At that time it was a show that should be unique and not be repeated in this constellation. Well, this evening there was at least the same constellation, with a very nice stage decoration to it. And the first fires were lit on the lawn.
[Seb] Hmm. The gig of VRÎMUOT was preceded by a very meticulous stage set-up, light and sound check, all kinds of decorations. Lights and animal bones were arranged meticulously and then the good man comes on stage capped and gowned, but with sneakers!? Strange. Strange also describes the music quite well. More or less it is fairy tales and legends from the region (the Teutoburg Forest – Dajana) set to music as Neofolk songs. Not bad, but the previous two bands were much more fun.
Band: T.S.
Setlist: Holles Rat, Folkhoolistik Minnesang, Die Mär vom Steinernen Mann, Hateful Visions, An Den Mond
[Seb] Dajana had always raved to me about the unique atmosphere on the first day, and I must say that this was not exaggerated at all. Basically a kind of folk/hippie concert, where for some reason the majority of the audience was dressed in black ;)
Thanks also to the organizer for the excellent festival signature beer! Not only did we enjoy it on site (at least when the understandably long line in front of the free beer wasn't too demotivating), but we also immediately bought a 3-carrier each for home. And hats off: There was enough to last until the last note! Now off to the cozy Hotel Antoniushütte in the district of Eisborn, about 7.5 km away, to recharge the batteries for day 2.
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