It was the wolf in me
When the world was cold
It was the life I lived
In the dark world below
Motörhead – ‘In The Year of the Wolf’
Review by Gary Spiller for MPM
2025 is certainly, with absolute respect to the other 58 bands here at Rockharz, the Year of the Wolf. High anticipation has been building over the course of the last 12 months since the announcement of Powerwolf’s headline slot and enigmatic keyboardist Falk Maria Schlegel holding a meet and greet ‘confessional’ during last year’s festival. You’ve got to respect the hype and thus, it goes, in logical calculations, that Friday, the third day of four, is indeed the Day of Wolf.
The Rockharz grimoire has been brought down from its spiring shelf in readiness for the yearly update. The hallowed scribe’s nib shall soon ink the mandate that unicorn, pink and rainbow shall all now be considered equal to the darker, Cimmerian tones of black, dark blue and purple.
Fun and happiness exist amidst the expansiveness and welcoming vibrancy that is the gold standard here at Ballenstedt. Each year it is traditional for the pit security – aka Grabenschlampen – to indulge in Hawaiian Shirts on day three; a massive shoutout to all those in the photo crew who matched the vivid turnout! Rockharz camaraderie encapsulated perfectly.
Rising from the heart of their native Finland Arctis, on their first visit to Germany,take to the Dark Stage, to a booming neo-classical intro, just before AM turns to PM. Myself and a good chunk of Rockharz are about to receive a very pleasant shock to the system from this futuristic Scandinavian powerhouse that quite literally came out of nowhere late last year.
Looking back, the suggestions of elevated levels of quality and potential were there from the off with a Europe-wide tour supporting fellow Finns Apocalyptica kicking off matters and a record deal with Napalm Records for their eponymous debut album. A blend of caliginous obsidians and icy frosts – with vocalist Alva Sandström’s dazzling white outfit contrasting with the darkened garb of her four bandmates – both visually and audibly get our day off to a cracking beginning.
Opening number ‘I’ll Give You Hell’ does precisely that; a mammoth stamping track that blends hooky guitar licks, crystalline vocals, and a delectable dash of electronics. A couple of dinosaurs wander about in the crowd, they’re enjoying Arctis for sure. As the set progresses their numbers increase.
The early doors Rockharz crowd enthuse over the strongarm despatch of ‘Remedy’ with its techno foundations. Contagion levels continue to rise as a sudden windy gust uproots a couple of sizeable parasols. Lyrically the track delivers a similar potent message to the ages old ‘Mr. Brownstone’; times may have changed but some things remain the same.
There’s much to like just a couple of songs in; there’s influences from the ilk of Amaranthe, Evanescence and Within Temptation bouncing about. The latter to the fore in the symphonics of the sterling ‘WWM’. The high-paced ‘Tell Me Why’ is a joyous bundle of electrifying energies. Well received its dance-driven dynamics crackle vibrantly.
Their cover of ‘Bimbo’ (Lambretta) packs much more oomph than their studio version; “That’s the cutest song of this festival, right?” quips Sandström. The highlight, personally, of their allotted half hour is the mournful, darker ‘Frozen Swan’. Its soaring lament captures the band’s heartbeat of capturing the inspirations and imagery of the passing seasons and entwining them with achingly beautiful outpourings.
The set-closing ‘Theatre of Tragedy’ possesses a triumphant resonance that is kept upon a short leash. Threatening to boil over and lose control the dive headlong over the precipice isn’t forthcoming; the band’s control is noteworthy and commendable. There’s much, much promise in this fantastic outfit of that I have no doubt whatsoever, it’s why their CD made its way home to South Wales with us.
In just our two visits to Rockharz it’s conspicuously evident that about its core the festival’s core ethos is the balance of promoting both new and old shoulder to shoulder with a central loyalty. Turning our attentions to the left up next, on the Rock Stage and shifting proceedings to a heavier realm, are English metalcore outfit Defects. Originally due to play here last year until logistical issues precluded their appearance not only here but also at Rock The Lakes this five-piece are the embodiment of Rockharz’s loyalty to its bands.
Their intro crackles through the static and from the off this lively quintet make the very most of their opportunity. “Rockharz here we fucking go!” roars vocalist Tony Maue as the quintet hurtle headlong into ‘End of Days’. The former Raven Age guitarist leads from the front constantly engaging with the early afternoon crowd, whirling about as their Rockharz assault commences.
“When you’re done chasing the sun” Maue rages, quite unintentionally ironic given the stunning weather thus far, as the ebb and flow of their Architects / Bullet For My Valentine derived set-opener surges one way and the next. The dinosaurs are ‘sucked’ into the fray as a circle pit opens with the infections already running high.
The pit continues to rapidly whirl, kicking up dust as it goes, to the stampeding rhino herd impact of ‘Lockdown’. The 21st century metalcore take on matters is very well received. Soaking it all in Maue, at track end, notes “Gonna take a step back. [It’s an] absolute pleasure to be at Rockharz finally!” The year-long wait has certainly been worth it. Slots at Download and Graspop as well as touring with Of Mice and Men and Orbit Culture in 2024 has clearly reaped dividends.
The spectral tongue of ‘Dream Awake’ haunts to the core ahead of the goosebump raising of latest single ‘Heresy’ sees Rockharz spellbound and firmly under the influence; the crowd jumping, released from crouching, in unison. “Fuck yeah Rockharz” emotes Maue. The segmented ‘Broken Bloodlines’ is high-density personified prior to the elevated impact of ‘Recurring’ bears witness to the first wall of death of the day untethered.
Breaking down the shadows Defects have triumphed with Rockharz wholeheartedly approving of not just the hugely spirited finale but of the entirety of the band’s allotted half hour inspection of their stunning debut album ‘Modern Error’. Watch this band closely, they’re about to go stratospheric.
With a brand-new album, the follow up to 2021’s much-vaunted ‘A Dream of Wilderness’, in the ‘bank’ at their label (Napalm Records) French melo-death coterie Aephanemer begin their promotional campaign by airing the chopping rhythms of ‘Contrepoint’, replete with a deep lying folk fringe and neo-classical guitaring, as a delectably tantalising glimpse into what is to come.
The arena is roasting under the PM sunshine; what broken cloud there is doesn’t offer any degree of relief. However, the striking regalness of the introductory ‘Land of Hope’ – opening number of ‘A Dream of Wilderness – provides the required distraction. Behind the gathering band an imperious horned boar, in stunning blue and yellow hues, watches unwaveringly over proceedings.
As with the band’s 2021 release the intro leads into the supersonic despatch of ‘Antigone’. The gravelly, guttural vocals of Marion Bascoul nestle amidst symphonic speed metal strains. The ebb and flow are majestically graceful, at once packing a punch not unlike Ignea or Nervosa before switching to brief operatic-like interludes. If grabbing the attention is the mission, then the opening number has achieved this in absolute bucketloads.
With an operatic essence to go with the majestic gallop ‘Le Radeau de la Méduse’ brings more than a touch of ‘Le Francais’ to the fringes of the Harz. The despatch, doom-fringed, has a feel of 21st century classical about it and it goes down a proverbial storm. This classy quadrumvirate might be a long way from their Toulouse headquarters (not far off 1,600km. if, like me, you’re wondering) but they’re certainly amongst many friends.
Enmeshing the stout heartedness of the charging cavalry ‘The Sovereign’ we’re shifted back to 2019’s ‘Prokopton’ for all bar a couple of the remaining songs. The next, the unstoppable dynamics of ‘The Call of the Wild, is one of those exceptions. The melodic thrasher, possessing a heavy-duty classical edge is one such along with the aforementioned ‘Contrepoint’.
The stridulous ‘Path of the Wolf’, most apt given tonight’s lupine headliner, gets drinking horns and soft toys held aloft as sacrificial crowd offerings. Once notice had been rightfully served of the forthcoming new material that is in the pipeline Aephanemer crank things up with a closing brace from ‘Prokopton’. Further albums added to the ever-growing ‘to be purchased’ list.
Like, in part, a rapidly accelerating Unleash The Archers ‘Back Again’ dramatically tumbles and cascades before the impressive cavalcade is rounded off by the rapid velocity of the rockslide that is ‘Bloodline’. An unknown quantity, to myself and no doubt a good few about, Aephanemer have seized the day and all its opportunities. With their innate talent of alloying the intricacies of the great classical composers and weaving them into a brutalist metal landscape they have conquered all within a considerable radius, even shaking the Devil’s Wall itself.
At the fourth attempt one of the unluckiest bands in Rockharz’s history finally get to play what is now the third largest such gathering in Germany. Swedish gothic doom crew Draconian haven’t been dealt favourable cards in previous attempts. Visa issues in 2016 through to acts of the thunder gods on the final day last year via an unforeseen family emergency in 2023 have all derailed the six-piece.
Even this year it’s not plain sailing as guitarist Niklas Nord is otherwise engaged and thus Lancer guitarist Frederik Kelemen seamlessly steps in. With no fuss nor accompanying fanfare Draconian gather onstage with a spoken intro atop crackling fiery tones before untethering the cyclopean set-opener ‘The Sacrificial Flame’. There’s a haunting chill that spreads across the infield with a symphonic beauty enwrapped about a doom-laden nucleus.
Having released seven albums, the band celebrated its 30th anniversary last year with a late autumn tour. Three-minute heroes Draconian are most certainly not; their three quarters of an hour is filled with just six tracks – the shortest, ‘Bloodflower’, clocking in at somewhere between five and six minutes – and a whole heap of epic brooding.
The seismically uplifting ‘Elysian Night’ rises from stygian depths possessing a startling coruscant vibrancy afore the melancholic vehemence of ‘Deadlight’ lurches into Opeth’s progressive metal domain. The throttle is pulled back as ‘Stellar Tombs’ ups the level of etherealness; skeletal armies maraud across the charred mise-en-scene.
The obsidian whirlpool of ‘Deadflower’ is a strident mistress with its mournful allurement ahead of the gothic fringes of ‘The Sethian’ – just like opening track craned in from 2020’s ‘Under A Godless Veil’ to provide a neat pair of book-ends – that take symphonics on a traverse through proggish landscapes.
Don’t expect short, sharp parties herein, anticipate hypnosis; Draconian thrive on swirling, intense atmospherics and Rockharz is a better place with such diversity in place.
As the Friday afternoon winds its way towards evening Gelsenkirchen metalcore squad Any Given Day take a firm grasp of the fiery Rockharz baton. This is a quintet who many in the know in the German press are touting as being upon the verge of something much bigger.
Formed just over a decade ago each of their four albums have made inroads into the top 40 of the Official German Album Charts. Something I consider impressive given that AGD’s quartet of studio offerings have all been released on independent labels; namely Redfield Records and Arising Empire which was originally founded as a Nuclear Blast sub-label before being acquired, in 2020, by Kontor Records.
A potent intro initially quakes then the warning tremors are pursued by an almighty eruption. The ground beneath opens up a blazing igneous eye. Engrossment of the Rockharz arena is assuredly secured for the coming 45 minutes or so.
The main course begins with the dishing up of the pummelling flow of ‘Get That Done’, the opening number of last year’s release ‘Limitless’. With its pugilist chorus it’s a striking melding of Architects and Hatebreed; a veritable crusher of boulders. Vocalist Dennis Diehl raises double horns as drummer Leon Stiller discharges a percussive fusillade. This is high-grade 110%.
The infield goes completely ‘ape’ as the Hatebreed underpinning continues this time criss-crossed with faint daubs of the irrepressible Suicidal Tendencies in the warrior’s soul of ‘Never Surrender’. There are middle digits raised all about as Diehl blasts “Middle finger up, just give a fuck about what they say!” Indulging in a spot of tmesis Diehl greets the enthused Ballenstedt ensemble with a blood curdling “Rock-fucking-harz!!” war cry.
Whilst operating beneath the same overall metal umbrella as Draconian what AGD despatches is about as polar opposite as can be achieved. This, herein, is angularly precise and furiously brutal delivered in sharp, short bursts. Rockharz loves veering in different tacks. The titular track ‘Limitless’ is the banishment of the dark in the world in metal form; powerful indeed.
From the pit the powered hose opens up in attempt to dampen the dusty circling pit during the noble, punchy splendour of ‘Endurance’; castle fortifications disintegrate in this first visit to 2016’s ‘Everlasting’ long-player. A second track from this fine album is given an outing not too long after with the circle enlarging during ‘Arise’. It’s the wrecking ball swing that separates a further triplet from ‘Limitless’.
Witnessing mad, mayhemic moshing ‘Unbreakable’ follows the tin’s instructions to the letter. As a sole bell tolls the thunder cracks with strobing bringing the lightning heralding the contagions of the Western-infused ‘Come Whatever May’. This is Ghoultown as you’ve never experienced them. Darker, heavier, and more bad arse. Cowboy-hatted the band are the devil-riders from the pits of hell.
The commanding kinetics of ‘H.A.T.E.’, wrapping up the inspection of ‘Limitless’, provide a knock-out blow before one final lightning strike from the high voltage shock of ‘Savior’. Spellbound and captivated 45 minutes later I too, falling in line with my German press colleagues, sense that this is a band on the verge of something much bigger.
Often dubbed “the Motörhead of thrash metal” Eastern seaboard thrashers Overkill have been plying their trade for over four decades. Remaining founder members D.D. Verni (bass) and Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth couldn’t have imagined in their wildest dreams back when forming the band that, 45 years later, firstly thrash metal would still be highly relevant and secondly that Overkill would still be alive, very much kicking and revered seniors in a scene they played a significant part.
Estimated to have shifted an incredible, not to be sneezed at, 16 million records worldwide the New Jersey thrashers have unmuzzled twenty studio albums through their lengthy career. It’s a quick, flying visit to European shores for this evening’s slot and a gig in Eindhoven 24 hours later. Somewhere along the line guitarist Derek Tailer has gone ‘MIA’. There’s no official announcement or any statement given; Overkill just gets on with the job in hand, no fuss.
With the thrashing bell having tolled the band, albeit with reduced ranks, explode on to the Rock Stage, for their fifth Rockharz appearance, and right into the raw, bleeding opening and title track of 2023’s ‘Scorched’ release – the third consecutive top 10 entry in the Official German Album Charts. Shockwaves emanate from their epicentre, radiating powerfully. There’s serious shredding from solitary guitarist Dave Linsk in this six-minute speedy opus.
From the latest release straight to the debut in one fell swoop as the stupendously glorious ‘Rotten to the Core’ barrels headlong into proceedings. Demons cackle atop heathen spires; if Sabbath had gone thrash, then this veritable skull crusher might well have been the end result. Bumping the goose Rockharz, at the band’s signal, chant the track’s title; there’s much reverence in these parts.
‘Bring Me The Night’ is proper ol’ school thrashing; think Saxon at warp speed and you’ll be on the correct lines. Tween tracks Ellsworth greets the arena “What the fucks up in the Harz mountains today?” furthering “Rockharz it’s been a long motherfucking time!” Six years to be precise, Overkill’s last appearance here was pre-Covid in 2019; their first in 2002, in front of 1,400, at Osterode’s swimming pool park.
Afterburners fully engaged Overkill are tearing it up with ‘Hello From The Gutter’, harking back to 1988’s ‘Under The Influence’, and its V-twin thrash. ‘Deny The Cross’ leaves a blackened trail in its wake whilst the punked-up energy of ‘The Surgeon’ is a genuine screamager, a huge growl from the bowels of the underworld.
The hellbound, bloodthirsty canine ‘Elimination’ keeps the train a-rolling. Linsk’s searing solo fires at maximum velocity as Rockharz chants unified. This is no-thrills, no-nonsense thrash at its best; just as nature intended. The mammoth ‘In Union We Stand’ steps up through the gears and leads to the ultra-rousing cover of The Subhumans’ ‘Fuck You’. Serving as the traditional curtain-call for Overkill since the mid-80s it stands as a befitting last hurrah in the evening sunshine. Whilst the sun might well be setting there’s plenty left in the tank on the basis of this showing.
The appearance, central front stage, of a cardboard cut out of the Welsh patron saint – Tom Jones – can only mean one thing. That thing is, of course, the imminent arrival of the ever-heroic metalliferous legions that collectively are known as Gloryhammer. Hammers and unicorns sway in the evening airs as the unmistakable “Delilah” offers a portent of the forthcoming madness that is about to ensue, even the Grabenschlampen – resplendent in their Hawaiian shirts – dance along.
With much style and panache, the stirring interplanetary call issues forth. With an almighty “Hoots mon” the Imperial March commences; “Please welcome the greatest band in the universe, Gloryhammer!” It’s a surefire thing that this is not a band that goes for an understated approach! Currently on their ‘Dundax Ascendant Summer Tour’, alongside label-mates Visions of Atlantis, they have been on the road since mid-June and are gearing up for a month-long trek across America supporting Alestorm.
Enigmatic vocalist Sozos Michael (Angus McFife) sets Rockharz off, punching skywards in unison and with a “Hoots Mon!” we’re underway with the bombastic majesty of ‘The Land of Unicorns’. It’s high fantasy, much like the beloved Saturday morning cartoons of my childhood, a spirited rabble-rouser chockful of the essence of their Scottish homelands.
Cataclysmic drumming courtesy of Ben Turk (Ralathor) brings in the helter skelter of recent single ‘He Has Returned’; Rockharz has erupted volcanically with even the dinosaurs getting in on the crowd surfing action. A raucous, repeated, chant of “Hoots!” extravasates, in the manner of subterranean magma, from the massed ranks. McFife observes the scene “We are excited to be here!” adding “You guys need a little work, but we’ll work on it!” It’s pure pantomime and it’s precisely what we’ve paid our money for.
The frenetic AOR of 2022’s single only release ‘Fly Away’ gets the seal of approval as the surfers multiply manyfold, the Grabenschlampen have a busy hour ahead of them. Full of joyous the band’s first offering post-pandemic it introduced the myth of Angus McFife V to an unsuspecting public. If Disney did metal, then this would be right amongst the forerunners. Johann Strauss’ ‘Also sprach Zarathustra’ takes centre stage serving as a perky, stimulating segue into the hyper-speed velocities of ‘Wasteland Warrior Hoots Patrol’. A crazy, jubilant atmosphere pervades; one of the highlights of the entire four days of the festival.
Without drawing breath we’re thrust into the ostentatious glittery combustion of the resounding ‘Gloryhammer’; McFife, in time-honoured tradition raises the hammer to the gathered horde. Spontaneous celebratory “Hoots” cantillate as McFife relates to his battles with “flying naked goblins”. Latest single ‘On A Quest For Aberdeen’ maintains the corybantic frenzy all about.
Kerosene fuelled the sorcerous despatch of the lengthily entitled ‘Keeper of the Celestial Flame of Abernathy’ further stokes the furnace as the sun continues, in shades of red and orange, to descend in the western skies. Rammed full of Night Flight Orchestra themed AOR ‘Universe on Fire’ leads the way into the Scandic speed metal of the legendary ‘Hootsforce’ with its nod in the direction of Amaranthe.
“Well, my friends are you ready for one more battle?” enquires McFife afore the final stampeding incursion of ‘The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee’. Right out of the hallowed halls of Valhalla the rapid-fire onslaught provides a seismically uplifting adventure with unbridled happiness reverberating.
King Hootsman is regally crowned, as the beloved National Anthem of Unst echoes across the plains, and he raises a beer to salute his kingdom. Another ‘battle’ has been successfully undertaken; Gloryhammer have ensured Rockharz are 110% smiles as they exit to Quo’s ‘Rockin’ All Over The World’.
As the day continues to edge ever closer to dusk so the gothic denizens of the Cimmerian darkness enter the fray. Hailing from the English county of Suffolk – an area associated with the witch hunts of the mid-17th century – Cradle of Filth possess an impressive arsenal and history of their own. Fourteen studio offerings across a near 40-year history CoF, with their unique take, have firmly cemented themselves in their very own darkened crevice in the annals of metal.
Doom-drenched fear rides asunder as a Holst-like classical intro rolls. Smoke swirls, menacingly, shrouding all it encounters in a murderous cerecloth. Guitarist Donny Burbage a bottle of ale to the crowd as about him the rest of the band assemble. Cowled vocalist and sole remaining founder member Dani Filth stalks the stage amidst his band, portraying a seemingly tortured soul.
Filth’s hood drops, he removes his cloak, and as the mood darkens further the horror speed metal of ‘To Live Deliciously’ kicks off the set with of screech of underworldly guardians. It’s a precariously thin line between insanity and genius but it’s one Filth and his comrades are extremely adept at running.
Marek “Ashok” Šmerda, with right hand, crisply salutes Rockharz as attentions switch from this year’s release ‘The Screaming of the Valkyries’ to ‘The Principle of Evil Made Flesh’, the 1994 debut that started the capering madness that is at the heart of CoF. The harem scarem of the uber-crepuscular ‘The Forest Whispers My Name’ transports Rockharz back 30 years with its gothic metallic charms.
Filth’s vocals range, effortlessly, from a guttural rage to high-pitched shrieks via a velvety embrace; there’s a lightless romantic vibrancy abounding. The frontman acknowledges the crowd before mockingly taunting the sun “We ask one burning question. When will that big thing go down and stop annoying us?” Hurtling out of the magmatic tomb the rampaging ‘She is a Fire’ is a glorious goth overload with Zoë Marie Federoff-Šmerda’s coruscant keys a masterly crafted juxtaposition.
There’s a delicate underpinning daub of Gary Numan in ‘Malignant Perfection’ coupled with a spicy dash of Neue Deutsche Härte for good measure. Regal and majestic ‘Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids’ encapsulates a dark, epic odyssey in perfection; it’s CoF in a nutshell, it’s what they do best. The evergreen ‘White Hellebore’ provides colour in the depths of winter; I’m struck by its heavy metal Sisters of Mercy DNA. High above the distant Brocken the witches animatedly circle.
‘Nymphetamine (Fix)’ storms out of the crypt, a gothic serenade afore the barked fury of ‘Death Magick For Adepts’. The latter the first of a concluding couplet, with the ethereal ‘Her Ghost In The Fog’, from 2000’s ‘Midian’ bring a captivating hour to a spellbinding journey through the precipitous diocese that Cradle of Filth has created. A dark sinistral metal nocturne for the sun burns as it meets the horizon.
It’s an absolute guarantee that Rockharz, annually, provides surprises and thrills of a hard rocking and heavy metal, it’s the brand certification that has lured us back this year. What follows, in the ensuing sixty minutes, in the exalted company of Hamburg quartet Mono Inc is one of the most pleasant of them all. With a name reputedly derived from a shortening of Monomania Incorporated – or company of the partially insane – then, if with foundation, forewarning clues were there to be gleaned.
Blending a fusion of gothic industry with more traditional metal elements upon an affluent tapestry of contagious melodics this is a band, previously unknown to ourselves, that we fall head over heels in love with; and all this before the day’s headliners set foot onstage. The chiming intro begins to boom as the atmosphere taxis in readiness before taking flight as the band delivers a full blast jolting a, by now, weary Rockharz back into life.
With a blinding pyrotechnical flash, the uber infectious ‘Welcome To Hell’ enthuses with plentiful symphonics amidst gothic spatters. There is an unspoken seeking of meaning through creative means herein; it’s a subtle beauty that Mono Inc possess. The melodics continue into the rhythmic beat of ‘Louder Than Hell’; faster than fire and harder than steel it’s hooky as heck. Genial vocalist Martin Engler whips up the Rockharz assemblage with the merest movement of his hands; enthralled I’m completely immersed in his enchantments.
About Engler there’s an equally captivating band, Carl Fornia (guitar), and Ilja John Lappin (bass) have shed their beaked masks whilst Katha Maria (drums) is an enigmatic presence behind her kit. With imperious touches of Ghost, the recent single ‘In My Darkness’, immediately accessible, stands proud as a positive affirmative foretelling of the new album, due in mid-August, ‘Darkness’. It’s a dead-cert that the band’s 13th studio long-player will follow in the footsteps of the previous seven by notching a top ten chart position.
A flawless segue into the gothic tones of ‘Arabia’, with more than a knowing nod in the direction of Mr. Eldritch, sees Mono Inc’s sixth Rockharz appearance notch up through the gearings with complete ease.
The hard tempestuous lines of ‘Lieb Mich’ pack a Neue Deutsche Härte impact reminiscent, in part, of such protagonists as Oomph! and Rammstein. The cogs and pistons of the machine roll industrially in ‘Revenge’, Lappin’s bass quakes high on the Richter scale akin to a heavied hybrid of New Order and Sisters of Mercy. Hugely compelling Rockharz can’t avert its gaze; Katha Mia’s drum battle is engaging on a level not normally witnessed.
Scintillating keyed intro leads into the symphonics of ‘Voices of Doom’ which have surely fed the inspirations of zombie-metallers Dominum. Bewitching and compelling it’s pure anthemic as is the following ‘Heartbeat of the Dead’. Tonight we celebrate should tomorrow never come. With the night darkening apace, we hail our kings and queens as Engler ‘controls’ the crowd who dance in the palm of his hand during the stirring set-concluding ‘Children of the Dark’.
I’m utterly hooked, no more need be said other than what has occurred in the past hour provides all the necessary confirmatory evidence that Germany has, following on from the likes of Scorpions and Helloween, the next generation of heavy metal headliners ready at hand.
Nightfall has fully crept across the lands, and an almighty crowd has assembled afront the Rock Stage with the arena close to overflowing. Lupine power metallers Powerwolf have summoned the baying multitude for a nocturnal metal mass like no other. This will be no ordinary gig, it’s far more than that for this is a band who have raised the stakes in terms of bombastic production and presentation.
Earlier in the day the faithful are called to muster by the tolling of a raised bell for a band signing session – aka a ‘lycanthropic council’. A mobile crane had been specially hired for the purpose and once the final ring had emanated it vanished, its services swiftly dispensed with. Disciples of the Saarbrücken heed the bell’s bidding with lengthy queues stretching right across the full depth of the arena to the ‘Food Mile’. The dedicated fanaticism is something to behold in itself.
Open up the German metal encyclopaedia at the section labelled ‘stability’ and this quintet rank very highly. In a history that stretches back to 2004 there has been two previous drummers but other than that a founding quadrumvirate of Mathew Greywolf (Benjamin Buss – guitar), Charles Greywolf (David Vogt – guitar), Falk Maria Schlegel (Christian Jost – keyboards), and Attila Dorn (Karsten Brill – vocals) remains as solid as day one. Simply put this is one astounding outfit.
Probing spotlights illuminate patches of the crowd and as the initial bursts of fireworks erupt from behind the stage, so the front-drape descends so Powerwolf gather on stage with all the intensity of a fleet of battle-ready Viking longships disgorging their cargo of blood-lusting warriors.
The set-opening rapid-fire ‘Bless ‘em With the Blade’ sets the tone for the following hour and a half. There’s pyro aplenty with mighty imagery to the fore and one hell of a strongarm symphonic delivery; it’s easy to see why this band are festival favourites right across mainland Europe. Surely revisits to UK festivals like Download or Bloodstock await in the not-too-distant future.
Werewolves arise as a unified undead army in the striking theatrics of ‘Incense & Iron’. Thrown into the mix the first Sabaton infusion produces a bewitching sulphurous lifeblood. The resounding ecclesiastical ‘Army of the Night’ follows with further blending of themes of battle and dark religious imagery. Creatures of the night tear up the testament; did the thought “Ghost eat your heart out?” really wander across my mind?
Poseidon is eloquently summoned in the oceanic dynamics of ‘Sinners of the Seven Seas’; with pyros rivalling those employed by Amon Amarth at last year’s Bloodstock I sense that Powerwolf have a side-mission to grill Rockharz to perfection. A blending fusion of the sacred and martial ‘Amen & Attack’ sees Rockharz quite literally explode with fire igniting from every available spot including the organ pipes that Falk Maria manically indulges. Searing fretwork from the Greywolves along with thunderous drumming from Roel Van Helden all add to the mayhemic scene.
It’s anthem after anthem with no relenting on Powerwolf’s perspective; there’s a high plane of theatrics at employ within the gothically tinged speed metaller ‘Dancing With The Dead’ as we descend into the abyssal depths. Delving into Romanian folklore in the grandiose narrative of ‘Armata Strigoi’ boomingly sung by the lusty Attila. The track’s powering speed invokes primetime Malmsteen comparisons in the six-string shredding with the spirit of Friedrich Seitz additionally arising. The wolf pack howls in approval.
Across the seas that number seven ‘Sainted by the Storm’ is an untainted alloy of Ghost and Sabaton that packs a heavyweight jab in its delivery. A hat-trick from 2018’s ‘The Sacrament of Sin’ begins with the absolute heretical rampage of ‘Demons Are A Girl’s Best Friend’. Carnal laws prevail in these hours of darkness by all accounts. A mixture of German and Latin lyrics ‘Stossgebet’ melds the unlikely combination of religious and carnal elements in Powerwolf’s inimitable style whilst the thundering gallop of ‘Fire and Forgive’ wraps up this trio as we swerve ever closer to the midnight hour.
Like fellow countryfolk Mono Inc before them this is Powerwolf’s sixth appearance here at Ballenstedt; there’s a buoyant sense of two-way loyalty at work here. The Scandic romp of ‘Heretic Hunters’ provides a hammer of the gods force as fire even erupts from a platform alongside the main sound desk. The symphonic glory of ‘Blood For Blood (Faoladh)’ leads into the closing stages of this emphatic performance; probably one of the best I’ve ever witnessed and certainly head and shoulders above anything I’ve witnessed this year.
The oldest is saved for last with the high-octane ‘Sanctified With Dynamite’ played out on a stage bathed in red; most apt given the hellish imagery of the battlefield that the smart lyrics portray. It’s aptly just gone twelve as the arena chant “Blut”; post-midnight vampiric beings are summoned with the feral demonology of ‘We Drink Your Blood’. With a ‘Kyrie eleison’ (Lord have mercy) Attila provides a Rockharz blessing. The sky-splitting ‘Werewolves of Armenia’ heads back to 2009 for a masterful cataclysmic conclusion to a top-drawer performance. What a way to end our third day at Rockharz! Roll on until the band’s Wake Up The Wicked tour rolls into London’s OVO Wembley Arena next March.
Photography by Kelly Spiller for MPM
