May the Kingslayer cometh!
THRONEHAMMER were already an exceptional phenomenon when metalheads whispered about their first two albums Usurper Of The Oaken Throne and Incantation Rites. With their third record, Kingslayer, released in December 2023, they have now pushed the doors wide open and are suddenly on everyone's lips. And on many stages. Big and small.
Last year at the Rock Hard Fest, THRONEHAMMER absolutely wowed me, so I couldn't help but go and see the Brits in a small setting, up close and personal, especially as my schedule finally allowed it.
So my first concert in the young year of 2025 was to be THRONEHAMMER at :: Rockpalast :: Bochum. How good that I was already in town, because it was our team member BRT's birthday. There was delicious cake and good music. Congratulations and all the best again at this point :) Actually, the birthday boy and his guests (along with other NH members) would have loved to be at the concert too, but well... it was hard to tear myself away from the cozy get-together... ;)
Another short detour across the highway with a wonderful wolf moon shimmering through the clouds. At 7pm, it still looked pretty deserted around the venue. Well, it was Sunday, soccer was on (big thing in this area) and it was freezing cold outside. As the show wasn't due to start until 8pm, there was still a little time left and the fans gradually started to arrive. In the end, the Rockpalast was reasonably filled with around 60 or 70 very enthusiastic fans. In terms of the atmosphere, there were at least 200 :)
THRONEHAMMER singer Kat was bustling around the venue, chatting to fans here and there or having a good laugh on stage during the preparations. She is close to the fans, that for sure. Her boys were more reserved, or maybe they just had enough to do. My first stop was at the merchandise and a THRONEHAMMER long sleeve changed hands for 30 euros :) It was a good idea, because it was quite fresh in the Rockpalast and so I could put the shirt on as well ;)
:: pics :: KILL REFLEX ::
There was no support band announced for this evening, but as a local support band had always played on the whole tour, it was hardly surprising that someone else got on stage first at Rockpalast.
I actually had never heard of :: KILL REFLEX :: before. But that's ok, because they haven't been around that long (2017). And since the Bochum/Düsseldorf band, like so many others, was knocked out by the Evil-C, the debut EP Product Of Disgust was only released last year (you can buy and listen to it in full on the BandCamp page;)).
At 8 o'clock the intro started - I would say an excerpt from a movie soundtrack? It was big and epic and sounded familiar. At the beginning of the half-hour set, the sound was still a bit unbalanced and the band a bit stiff, but after three or four songs, KILL REFLEX got the groove and put on a good show. The audience reacted rather cautiously (which wasn't due to the band, but to Sunday, Monday blues and all that) but went along with it. Only the Wall of Death didn't work out at all. Nice try though ;)
Musically, the guys move between black, death, thrash and groove metal, with reminiscences of Morbid Angel to Pantera. There were a lot of great riffs, hooklines and melodies, long instrumental passages but also heavy thrashing and some blast parts. KILL REFLEX had a lot of fun on stage, but there were still some bumps here and there, which means that the band still lacks a bit of (live) routine. But that didn't detract from the show and the overall atmosphere ;)
The aforementioned EP Product Of Disgust was played in its entirety, plus four other songs that didn't correspond to the documented singles. So, I assume, this was new material and we can expect at least another EP in the not-too-distant future. Yup, that was cool, that was fun :)
Band: Hank (vox), Matt (git), Lester (bass), Andreas (drums)
Setlist: Intro, Bastards, Scum, 417, Pain, Shadows, Product Of Disgust, The Reaper, Ashes
:: pics :: THRONEHAMMER ::
:: THRONEHAMMER :: didn't keep the audience waiting long afterwards, even a few more fans joined and then the show started with the title track of the current album: Kingslayer!
Massive guitars walls with a proper edge of Stoner Metal, pumping bass, hypnotic melodies and catchy choruses that everyone could sing along to. Dude, that was mighty! Doom that breaks boundaries, so to speak. This is hardly surprising given the backgrounds of the individual band members, who have a wide variety of influences. But that's exactly what makes THRONEHAMMER so special musically. And, of course, the vocals.
Kat Shevil sings and growls her way through the songs with such dedication, bleeding with heart and soul, that you wonder if she won't burn out emotionally in the long run. Kat lives the songs, from the first to the last note. That's phenomenal and had already thrilled me at the Rock Hard Fest.
The band (the other members) likes to stay in the background to give Kat the space she needs to perform, which is a shame because there's a lot to see in terms of solos and playing technique in general. However, the stage at Rockpalast is also quite small, so it's difficult to really let off steam. But every now and then they did break out, especially guitarist Stuart West ;)
There was nothing to complain about in the setlist either, the best of the best, basically the essence of all three THRONEHAMMER albums! Everything was just right.
Yay, that was awesome! Just too short. Somehow. The concert was over by 10 pm and you could relax on your way home and still get a good night's sleep to be fit for Monday morning. Of course, I would have wished the bands a much bigger audience and the Rockpalast more purchasing power for beer. Nevertheless, a lot was sold at the merch, as you could see from the shirts. A very nice concert evening and a perfect start into the new year!
Band: Kat Shevil Gillham (vox), Stuart West (git), Tobias Utz (git), Uwe Void (bass), Markus Ströhlein (drums)
Setlist: Kingslayer, Thy Blood, Sacrosanct Grounds, Triumphant Emperor, Shieldbreaker, A Fading King, Thronehammer
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