There they are again, the Carpathian wolves unleashed to hunt for prey ;) Having successfully finished the first leg of Set Sail To Doom & Horror Tour 2010 in spring, THE VISION BLEAK set forth to bring us the swing, the Horror-like way ;) Running with the pack on this autumn leg are the doomsters AHAB and the Gothic Metal hopefuls *coughs* SCHWARZER ENGEL. Thus I finally grace the N8 club in Osnabrueck again, after years of absence. I arrive early and the club is still cold and empty. But luckily I had an interview set up that led me backstage, where THE VISION BLEAK live guitarist Josi emerges as a perfect host and entertainer when it comes to coffee. Something warm for the inside… :)
Afterwards some confusions appear regarding the number and names of the bands playing tonight. Four bands are on location and eventually play. In fact there was another one announced known as BLEACH & CHLORINE, but I have no idea where they got to…

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Local Black metallers von NACHTBLUT fame I had to miss due to the interview with Ulf Theodor Schwadorf. But what I got to hear through the walls wasn’t the worst. To last of their set’s tunes I was back in the club and surprised how packed it got meanwhile…

…conditions that did not long last since :: SCHWARZER ENGEL :: lost all sympathies before they even started to play. Hardly to believe but they needed three-fourths of an hour for the sound-check, what actually did not make their live performance any better.
I never heard of SCHWARZER ENGEL before, so I got myself the usual overview about this band, or better said: the one-man-project around Dave Jason, added by live musicians on stage. To be honest, first listening impressions were just horrible. Being the nice girl I am (and journalist) I tried to meet them unbiased and open-minded, but… no way! My first impression got just proved: Gothic Metal, hackneyed, uninspired, umpteen times heard already, with German lyrics. Absolutely nothing this world is in need for! But… a few people liked that though, just to mention that ;)

Much faster :: AHAB :: got onto stage celebrating a heavy Doom mass for almost an hour. Extremely low-tuned guitars that sent riffs through this small club that were bodily felt by everyone, and creating such solemn and hauntingly beautiful gooseflesh atmosphere… breathtaking! Want to see them playing live again!
Setlist: O Father Sea, Old Thunder, Redemption Lost, The Divinity Of Oceans, The Hunt

After a break with excellent music by Bohren & Der Club Of Gore clock strikes almost 12 and :: THE VISION BLEAK :: do not leave anything than just scorched earth too. It’s crowded on this small stage and sound leaves something to be desired at the beginning. As for that we have finally some extra light (although that’s LED spots driving photographers mad because of its difficult wave-length). However, THE VISION BLEAK got in with a new song from Set Sail To Mystery, inviting us on a journey through all four records right after. I can’t help myself, but first the older hymns such as Carpathia, Kutulu! and Wolfmoon get me hooked and on the swing. But it was a great pleasure to see the wolves rocking again; we truly had fun ;) Thus, the show was way too fast over again, releasing us into to a pitch-black, cold and starry night with the full moon just gone…
Setlist: Descend Into Maelstrom, Night Of The Living Dead, Carpathia, The Outsider, The Black Pharaoh II, Kutulu!, I Dined With The Swans, A Romance With The Grave, Wolfmoon, The Charm Is Done, By Our Brotherhood With Seth // The Lone Night Rider

story & pics © Dajana