[Dajana] Ah, long live Chinese cloning art – I definitely need some workable copies of myself! This 31 of May is one of these days again where a music and concert junkie like me needs to divide itself into (felt) 100 pieces to attend 100 shows at the same time (okay, there have been exactly 10 shows around). My first planning screamed VALBORG, then something changed, did not work out and I came back to my first impulse and VALBORG. In my hometown. Why roaming farther and farther…? NH loves the Zeitgeister, NH loves VALBORG! And I love them all…hahaha. Ok, joking aside, it’s no secret… and I never saw VALBORG playing live to date.

:: pics ::

[Dajana] The evening gets off the grid with my bike’s flat yet totally relaxed as the walk to Muenster’s • Sputnik Café • has some beerstops on its way. We are not in a hurry, the bands are neither. Opening act :: AUßERWELT :: kicks off almost a half hour belated (and then overrun their time). Founded back in 2011 Muenster’s local heroes just play their second show tonight and that they could not hide. AUßERWELT are insecure, played wrong and turned away from the crowd (and photographers), while the singer does not know what to do with his hands. To put them in the pocket does not look the best anyway. Well, practice makes perfect. AUßERWELT still have a long way to go till their brand of hip Post Black Metal turns into serious compositions and their performance builds up something like atmosphere. At least for the last two songs AUßERWELT have found something like a rhythm and acted a bit more homogenous and outgoing. There's still more to go.
[BRT] Yep, I just agree and even would like to concretize this show as over-ambitious with serious lacks in musicianship, especially the rhythm section, and want of charisma. Blast parts were uninspired and played badly. At least the youngsters got the right directions when it comes to the acoustic Post Rock parts. Tonight’s show was just too early for AUßERWELT. Outside the club I had more fun…
Setlist: WL, Odem, Euphorie, Wende, Nebel, Aufbruch, AGM

[Dajana] What a significant change when :: VALBORG :: entered the stage! The nasty Death/Black/Doom bastard of the Zeitgeister collective has already established itself some time ago and attained sort of a cult status. VALBORG musically strip down to the essence, are as experimental as unpredictable, mesmerizing brutal, coarse and spreading a Celtic Frost-like louring atmosphere. And that’s exactly what you get on stage. So amazingly wicked to kneel down! While four-stringer and singer Jan scares the hell out of people with his brutal and charismatic voice, axe-man Christian whirls onto stage and through the crowd like the devil himself. Well, skinman Flo is sort of nailed… but drums like a dervish. VALBORG – evilness set to music that is! And the underaged black metal boys and girlies took to their heels, frightened. Cute… Well, the location now empties visibly and that is definitely a shame! I anyway enjoy, adore and admire band and show till the last second. Intense! Stunning!
[BRT] Those both bands around VALBORG were totally misplaced. From the first second on VALBORG showed how to bring charisma and an in-your-face-attitude on stage and how you can rock the hell out with sophisticated music. Yes, this show was quite impressing and a good promotion to see their next one nearby. The common black metal fan seemed to be overstrained by this sound and performance… bad. If to nag at all… the singing was a bit to quiet and got swallowed by the pounding infernal.
Setlist: Tempelberg, Vervolv, Under The Cross, Dawn Of Gloom, Ich fresse die alte Sommernacht, Massaker in St. Urstein, Sakrale Vernichtung, Battlefield Of Souls, Eerie And Old, Whispers Of The Wizard

[Dajana] Um… let’s say, the so called black metal scene is quite active these days and flowering out stylistically. True is out, everything’s allowed that can be melted (or not) with Black Metal. There is a lot of crap sprouting but sometimes you may find a gem and for such gem I was hoping for tonight, because :: TOTAL NEGATION :: is signed to Temple Of Torturous and the brainchild of Wiedergaenger (also known for Aurvandil among others), two quality features. Tonight’s show is the release show of TOTAL NEGATIONs sophomore Zur späten Stunde | Zeiträume. And it is the first ever live performance. For that Wiedergaenger got himself a live band, all masked, and some paraphernalia on stage: lamps, a chiming clock Wiedergaenger started sawing at it little later, a bucket with soil and a spade, in use as well, a notebook for backing sounds, a Cajón and a mellotron? There was not that much space left anymore and band and frontman badly limited to live out staged and over-ambitious insanity. Musically I would like to put it all into the drawer for depressive suicidal Black Metal, melted with some Krautrock, which might explain the mellotron and harp tunes and other strange notes. This sounds thrilling on CD back home but live on stage one could hardly differentiate anything. Sound was not really the best and the focus not put on the music but the performance. The show was too arty farty and overdone.
[BRT] TOTAL NEGATION was as over-ambitioned as Außerwelt. The guys wanted too much and that one could sense out every minute, somehow pseudo intellectual… They hid behind masks but there was no atmosphere. Regarding skills there was nothing to nag about. I guess depressive suicidal Black Metal does not need to be set on stage by force. Such kind of music works best back home, when candles light up your darkness, trapped within your four walls left with your own fears. The highlighted shrill singing terribly went on my nerves… so I moseyed out to drink my beer in peace.
Setlist: Zeitwende, Zeit, Dead Day, Widerstand, Geist, Einzug

[Dajana] And the winner is… VALBORG! Clearly and in every particular. Okay, it was not a challenge to be honest ;) Anyway, I finally have seen them live and they blown me away. I need more of that! More beer makes me blissfully roaming the clubs and then I toddle off.
[BRT] Yes! I agree! By the way, a great evening with nice people. But one of the (at most) three beers must have been bad… My way back home by train wasn’t that comfortable… ;)

story © BRT & Dajana • pics © Dajana