:: Main :: Thursday :: Saturday :: Summary :: Impressions ::

Mainstage •Triptykon - I Am Morbid - Rotting Christ - Brujeria - Suffocation - Defleshed - Hellbutcher - Wayfarer - Crypt Sermon - The Vision Bleak - Hyperdontia - Party Cannon

Tentstage • Imperial Triumphant - Drudensang - Gutslit - Friisk - Mass Worship - Naxen - Heretic Warfare

[BRT] Team NOCTURNAL HALL crept out of their tents feeling quite refreshed and without a hangover. And once again, at the most ungodly hour (!) (9 a.m.? That's not ungodly, the first matins are already over – Dajana), they drank beer, Sangrita, and later, of course, Köstritzer. This bunch is incorrigible. Oh, how wonderful!

[Dajana] Well... As soon as the sun comes over the hilltop, it's unbearable in the tent. At the latest, after the sirens wail and Esmiralda salutes (11 a.m.), it's over with sleeping anyway.
Besides, you have to be up early, because the first show starts at 12 noon sharp. And who wants to stand on the battlefield with an empty stomach... ;)
There were a few changes on this day, which caused some confusion at first. SUFFOCATION e.g. moved from Saturday to Friday, and Schizophrenia moved to Saturday.

:: pics :: PARTY CANNON ::

[BRT] Well, there have been years I've rather been giving the overly fun Gore-Core bands that usually play as the first band on Friday a wide berth. This time, it somehow worked out, and :: PARTY CANNON :: was also highly recommended to me the night before. So, who could say no to that?
The Scottish colleagues, who are more likely to be classified as Slam and Brutal Death Metal than any kind of -core, first threw lots of swimming rings, inflatable palm trees, walkers, and who knows what else into the audience and didn't even need to encourage the large party crowd to form a circle pit, it happened all by itself. The crowd had turned up in the most ridiculous costumes and kicked their Friday morning hangovers up the ass. It was entertaining and funny, of course, but enough is enough, right?
[Dajana] It's always nice to see how much love, imagination, and detail goes into creating these outfits. Just for this first band on this one day. Awesome!
I would never have guessed that the guys were from Scotland. I like this kind of humor... hahahaha. Actually, hardly anyone really pays attention to the first band on Friday, right? What's going on in front of the stage is usually more interesting ;)
Band: Daryl Boyce (vox), Craig Robinson (git), Mike McLaughlin (git), Chris Ryan (bass), Martin Gazur (drums)

:: pics :: HYPERDONTIA ::

[BRT] The rub is, the following band has to deal with a significantly smaller audience and usually has the problem of not being able to get the crowd going quite as well. After this huge outburst of energy at this early time, the crowd is usually exhausted and in need of fresh fuel.
This was also the case with Danish demolition squad :: HYPERDONTIA :: I actually like their records, but the band performed the songs somewhat bland and with a rather static stage acting. The rows in front of the stage thinned out, so the whole thing was a bit lackluster. Too bad!
Band: Mathias Friborg (vox, git), Mustafa Gürcalioğlu (git), Malik Çamlıca (bass), Rasmus Schmidt (drums)
Setlist: Death’s Embrace, Irrevocable Desaster, Servant To A Crippled God, Degradations Of The Flesh, Deluded, Snakes Of Innards, Grinding Teeth, Majesty, Teeth And Nails

:: pics :: THE VISION BLEAK ::

[BRT] There have been many attempts, but somehow, we haven't become friends, :: THE VISION BLEAK :: and I. I don't know, I can see what they want from me, but unfortunately it doesn't come across. Well, and that's confirmed once again here at the festival grounds. What I saw, I found overly ambitious. But I'm probably not the right audience.
[ Dajana] I really, really like THE VISION BLEAK, and I enjoy seeing them live just as much. But to my regret, I have to admit that the spark didn't fly this early in the afternoon. Despite all the theatrics and dramaturgy, the musical and visual concept I so love, I found the show bland and colorless. It somehow works better in a club. Hmpf. And unfortunately, I won't be able to see them at the Balve Cave in September... *sighs*
Band: Konstanz (vox), Schwadorf (git, vox), XXX (bass), Aline Deinert (violine), Seb (drums)

:: pics :: CRYPT SERMON ::

[BRT] With :: CRYPT SERMON :: vocals returned to the main stage, and one of the absolute insider tips in Heavy/Epic/Doom Metal. It was only in front of the stage that I realized how great this band is, because on record, the guys from Philadelphia had only been a side note for me so far. Unique riffing, great vocals, dramatic songs, and absolutely no Candlemass worship, but something of their own. Maybe it's because the band mostly ventures into US power metal territory and, unlike many other Doom bands, brings a ton of energy to the table. The band may still be a bit reserved on stage for the most part, but they have an exceptional singer in Brooks Wilson, who brings plenty of charisma and cool hippie fashion with him. White boots, huh? No one has dared to do that since Lemmy. Awesome performance! Guys, this is hot shit!
[Dajana] I've had my eye on CRYPT SERMON since the band's early days, due to the fact that guitarist Steven Janson used to be a writer at Nocturnal Hall.
I didn't expect them to come across so fantastically and thrill the crowd here at PARTY SAN. Nor did I expect, at close range, that singer Brooks Wilson would look so much like Peregrin Tuk (and I mean that in the most positive way). There's definitely a certain resemblance to Billy Boyd (with tousled hair, of course) ;)
This Friday, CRYPT SERMON released the EP Saturnian Appendices, a collection of B-sides from last year's album The Stygian Rose, which don't sound like B-sides at all. Great show and definitely a highlight this year!
Band: Brooks Wilson (vox), Steve Jansson (git), Frank Chin (git), Matt Knox (bass), Tanner Anderson (keys), Enrique Sagarnaga (drums) Setlist: XXX

[BRT] Münster's death metal demolition squad :: HERETIC WARFARE :: has earned an outstanding reputation as an excellent live band in recent years and proved once again, at the opening in the tent, that there is no way around the four of them. The guys blasted the songs from their two LPs into the audience with tight precision, making you wonder why they don't have a record deal yet. Good stuff, even if a few more melodies here and there wouldn't hurt.
[Dajana] I would have liked to see them too, but only had time for the last two songs... Tthe tent was packed and the atmosphere was so great that there were calls not only for an encore but for Münster too at the end ;)
Band: Jan ( vox), Fusel (git), Lukas ( bass), Leonardo ( drums)
Setlist: Apotheosis, Of Gods And Men, Perpetual Fire, The Eightfold Path, The New Devine, Hedonistic Perfection, Hell On Earth

:: pics :: WAYFARER ::

[BRT] A band that belongs more in the sunset than in the afternoon sun is :: WAYFARER :: from Colorado, who have managed to combine atmospheric black metal with elements more familiar from 16 Horsepower or Woven Hand on their magnificent American Gothic. Admittedly, at first this is a little unwieldy on their last record (but it's a grower). On stage, too, the guys' restraint meant that it took a while to warm up to the sound. But once you let yourself go, the cocktail is excellent. After a bit of a warm-up, I thought the performance was great, but I would prefer a small club gig again.
A nice touch: as soon as the guys put their instruments aside, they were already in the audience to see the next bands.
Band: Shane McCarthy (vox, git), Joe Strong-Truscelli (git), Jamie Hansen (bass), Isaac Faulk (drums)

[BRT] In the tent, things continued with another band from Münster, the alliteration lovers :: NAXEN ::, whose black metal unfortunately comes across as a bit thin. This is partly due to the sound and possibly also to the fact that all the overly long, sometimes very monotonous songs lack any real highlights. I found them much more compact and direct in the club, but unfortunately it didn't work for me here. It's a shame, because I still really like their records.
[Dajana] As already mentioned in the intro, Münster was strongly represented at this year's PSOA. But for me, there were only the last songs again, and everyone and everything sank into the fog...
Band: LN (vox, git), SP (bass), FH (drums)

:: pics :: HELLBUTCHER ::

[BRT] I came to (Nifelheim's) :: HELLBUTCHER :: rather late, as I don't usually get into blackened Thrash Metal very much. But I've made my peace with it, especially with these eccentric Swedes. Since Nifelheim is currently on hiatus, Hellbutcher is going on tour himself and seems to be much more active than his main band ever was.
Yeah, that was really fun, even though they only played the 33 minutes of their debut album and a Maiden and a Venom cover version. Of course, I can understand that this is meant to create a clear break with Nifelheim, but the fans would certainly have liked to see a little more in this direction. At least there was something for the leather and studs-spoiled eye. But there will be a club show soon. Go there, I say!
[Dajana] This guy is just awesome. I'm talking about Mr. Per “Hellbutcher” Gustavsson. The man of studs, spikes, and grimaces. And pyrotechnics. It wasn't just the photographers who got roasted - the band did too, as the wind occasionally blew the fire inside.
Btw... was that really Axe on the drums? Without hair???
Band: Hellbutcher (vox), Necrophiliac (git), Iron Beast (git), Eld (bass), Devastator (drums)
Setlist: The Sword Of Wrath, Perdition, Violent Destruction, The Horns Of The Horned God, Death rider, Possessed By The Devils Flames, Devils Power, Infernos Rage, Losfer Words, Black Metal

[BRT] Swedish :: MASS WORSHIP :: :: really blew me away with their wall of sound in the tent. It was really energetic and rousing. Awesome stage show, guys! I didn't know the band at all, but I think their somewhat unusual mix of Death Metal/Crust/Meshuggah is pretty cool, at least live. Well, it's brutal as fuck, completely devoid of melody, and has as much substance as a powerful blow with a frying pan. Sporty!
Band: Claes Nordin (vox), Gustav Eriksson (git), Dadde Stark (bass), Fredrik Forsberg (drums)

:: pics :: DEFLESHED ::

[BRT] Old Men Thrash Demolition Party Part 3. What only worked to a limited extent with Dark Angel, and was most recently conveyed quite convincingly by Demolition Hammer, was now also delivered by the Swedish band :: DEFLESHED ::, who returned to the stage in 2021 after a 16-year hiatus and presented their comeback album Grind Matter in 2022. So, dear thrashers, there you have it: a lesson in Thrash Metal that was brutal, ultra-fast, and yet groovy at the same time. Maybe the stage was a little too big for three people, but the intense performance left nothing to be desired, except for more of the same. Here, Dark Angel, watch and learn! I would sum it up as compact and in-your-face!
[Dajana] There's nothing more to add to that. I also thought the show was terrific and stayed in front of the stage to properly celebrate the Swedes. Frontman Gustaf Jorde is such a cool, charismatic guy, who can resist?
Band: Gustaf Jorde (vox, bass), Lars Löfven (git), Matte Modin (drums)

:: pics :: SUFFOCATION ::

[BRT] New York veterans :: SUFFOCATION :: as usual laid waste to everything musically, putting on an appealing stage show with the fattest sound and an excellently disposed Ricky Myers, who has been maltreating the microphone for six years. Nevertheless, the increasingly technical blasting leaves me pretty cold. Maybe it's because it sounds completely routine and not very spontaneous, or simply because the songs sound dead calculated. I don't know, I'd like to like it better, but unfortunately it bores me quite quickly.
[Dajana] Charisma the third, or fourth, or whatever, as far as the frontman's charisma is concerned. Ricky Myers is quite a force. Just look at him, the man is 50! SUFFOCATION are a sure thing anyway, I've never seen a bad show from them. Ultra brutal, that's how it should be! And I actually don't find them too technical. There's always enough groove to keep your head on your shoulders ;)
Band: Ricky Myers (vox), Terrance Hobbs (git), Charlie Errigo (git), Derek Boyer (bass), Eric Morotti (drums)

:: pics :: BRUJERIA ::

[BRT] The Californian non-but-still-Mexicans :: BRUJERIA :: have completely passed me by, until now. Somehow, it always seemed like a lot of fuss and not enough substance to me. That also applies to the gig, in a way. It was fun to watch, but for me it had little musical substance. Phew, yeah, I don't know, honestly. The whole pseudo-Chicano-Mafia thing probably doesn't appeal to me. I'm probably not enough of a target audience. I find my own self-imposed Mexican (German name for Sangrita with Tequila) much more palatable...
[Dajana] Hahaha, yeah, you're definitely right about that! Next year we'll have a Sangrita (recipe) competition. We could also (try to) sing and play air guitar ;)
[BRT] Challenge accepted! This can only make the recipes even better!
[Dajana] Just under a year ago, BRUJERIA had to cope with the death of their co-founder and singer Juan Brujo, to whom virtually all their shows have been dedicated since then. Jessica Pimentel wasn't there, nor was Shane Embury. Sort of half the band, so to speak...
Band: El Sangrón (vox), El Criminal (git), Fantasma (bass) El Sativo (drums)

:: pics :: ROTTING CHRIST ::

[BRT] Here are our favorite Greeks, :: ROTTING CHRIST :: ::, a completely different caliber, who always know how to thrill the crowd, especially live. Sure, some people are annoyed by the overly dramatic gestures, the clapping orgies, and so on, but ROTTING CHRIST simply have a lot of great songs. It's rousing, it grooves, and it's just plain fun! It never bothers us that some of the synths, samples, keyboards, and choirs come from tape. The quartet has rightly landed in the top 3 of the festival. A band you can watch again and again.
[Dajana] What BRT says... Why should I repeat it? Everything has already been said ;) It was a brilliant and extravagant show in 2019 too!
Band: Sakis Tolis (vox, git), Kostis Foukarakis (git), Kostas Spades (bass - Kostas Heliotis), Themis Tolis (drums)

:: pics :: IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT ::

[BRT] The gold mask wearers :: IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT ::, from New York offer some tough stuff, who actually play Metal (attention, just a theory) only on the sidelines. They could also perform at some jazz festival or avant-garde festival and would leave just as many questioning faces behind. A unique band that I certainly don't understand yet, but it's always a pleasure to see them live. Unlike some high-tech metal bands, this is at least atmospherically crazy shit. But you have to get into it, and even then, you can't be sure you won't get a headache. I mean, how do you come up with songs like this? Crazy. Cool. Insane.
[Dajana] Yep! I really wanted to see IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT live. It was my first time ;) I think what they conjure up musically is extremely cool, and I was really curious to see how it would come across live on stage. Well, the music requires a differentiated sound, which didn't quite work out. I would also have liked a “nice” light show and a little more decoration... Probably not feasible on a festival tent stage. I definitely have to see IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT in a club again. But yes, it was a crazy show! Another highlight!
Band: Zachary Ezrin (vox, git), Steve Blanco (bass), Kenny Grohowski (drums)

:: pics :: I AM MORBID ::

[BRT] Tribute bands or, more specifically, “Hans-Franz plays Gurgelwurz in its entirety” stuff are really popular right now, and I find that very difficult to deal with at times. Especially “I'll order the band's classic album played in its entirety,” phew... I don't really need that, but I'd have to go into great detail to explain why or why not. In short, I think some bands come across as neutered because they clearly have a lot more to offer. But okay.
With :: I AM MORBID :: it's kind of similar, but much better. After all, David Vincent is the Morbid Angel singer, and his former main band doesn't seem to be getting much attention at the moment.
I AM MORBID were great, playing an awesome mix of the first four albums with a focus on Altars Of Madness and Blessed Are The Sick. Records that are all very important to me! Despite all my skepticism, I quickly had a big grin on my face and celebrated all the classics, no question. The fact that David Vincent now sings properly here and there doesn't bother me in the slightest. Completely interchangeable Cookie Monster vocals are as common as sand on the beach or Altars Of Madness covers tattooed on upper arms.
[Dajana] Basically, I could write “What BRT says...” again. The aforementioned Morbid Angel albums are also musical milestones for me, and getting to hear them performed live like that was just awesome.
David Vincent (who I didn't like at all in the past) has blossomed into quite a charismatic personality. And he can sing, too. He proved that here last year, especially with Vltimas (he also played with Terrorizer).
Band: David Vincent (vox, bass), Bill Hudson (git), Richie Brown (git), Pete Sandoval (drums)

:: pics :: TRIPTYKON ::

[BRT] When you start a :: TRIPTYKON :: plays CELTIC FROST gig directly with Circle Of The Tyrants and The Ursuper, you can't help but think, “What else could possibly come next?” But Tom Warrior proved me wrong, pulling rarer gems like Sorrows Of The Moon out of his sleeve and topping it off with the smash hit A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh. Both, of course, dedicated to Martin Eric Ain, who co-wrote them. It was great and impressive, and taught me, just like I Am Morbid, that sometimes a tribute like this doesn't have to be so bad.
But now I'd really like to hear some new material from TRIPTYKON, it's been long enough. A great gig that ended, of course, with the ultra-doom lava slurper Synagogae Satanae. Nice!

[Dajana] Without a doubt, it was a great show with a special setlist and a worthy headliner for the second day of the festival. It was truly spectacular. But then, that's what you've come to expect from TRIPTYKON, whether they're playing their own songs, Celtic Frost, or Hellhammer.
Everything else went very smoothly this year as well. Warrior was extremely polite to the crew and audience, thanked them several times, and only went over the changeover time by 5 minutes. Respect for that.
Well, it was a long day, I didn’t take any break and left out a band. Tired...
P.S. In a recent interview Tom Gabriel Fischer said, he is thinking about making an album with TRIPTYKON in the style of Hellhammer... Well, why not?
Band: Thomas Gabriel Fischer (vox, git), V. Santura (git), Vanja Šlajh (bass), Hannes Grossmann (drums)
Setlist: Totengott, Circle Of The Tyrants, The Ursuper, Return To The Eve, Into The Crypts Of Rays, Procreation Of The Wicked, Grounded, Sorrows Of The Moon, A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh, Dethroned Emperor, Necromantical Screams, Synagogae Satanae

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Stories © BRT, Moni, Dajana • Pics © Dajana & Dajana Winkel • Photography