Supports: Harakiri for the Sky, Sojourner
Location: LOGO, Hamburg
By: Basak Günel
What else could make a cold and gloomy winter better in Hamburg? An evening full with more doom and gloom of course! In their The Severeign Arsonists Tour, which started recently, Draconian brought along Harakiri for the Sky and Sojourner with them.
Having heard the name many times, we were more than curious to experience how Sojourner was. Formed in 2015, this multi-national band delivered a great harmony of the atmospheric side of doom metal with a folkish approach, and so the crowd experienced this style in the band’s own interpretation.
Having released the latest album “The Shadowed Road” last year, the band delivered a mix of setlist from the previous albums as well as the latest one. One highlight that caught our attention was the harmony of the male and female vocals as this added a great dimension to the set. However, we weren’t sure if the crowd was really into the band; apart from a few people who were headbanging and enjoying the songs, the overall motivation of the audience was unfortunately not that high. Another aspect was sadly the sound of the venue as we got the feeling that the power of the songs could have been a lot stronger with a better sound and atmosphere. Nevertheless, Sojourner will be a name that we noted down and will keep an eye on for the future!
Harakiri for the Sky was a name we followed since the beginning of their career. Founded in 2011, this formation has been delivering a mix of negativity, aggression and melancholy with a fine harmony of black metal and post-rock. Our first time seeing this band live was at a festival so we were more than eager to see them live at a club show tonight.
No atmosphere and no introduction…. The band delivered more than what was expected; total aggression, negativity, darkness and melancholia in their post-BM atmosphere. It was impossible not to get mesmerized by the combination of the guitar tones and the vocals, which reflected the true spirit. This set was also a great opportunity for the new fans to get to know the band’s sound as they delivered a nice mix of the older songs like “69 Dead Birds for Utoya” and “My Bones to the Sea” but also some rather recent ones like “Heroin Waltz” and “Calling the Rain”. Overall, the band delivered quite a different style compared to the other two bands but they became our one of our highlights for sure!
Draconian at last… Having missed the band a few times in the past, it was finally time for us to experience the doom metal in all its glory! Since it has been a while since the last record, “Sovran”, came out in 2015, this show was more like an introduction to Draconian where the audience got to experience the classics as well as the rather recent songs. There was indeed something for all the Draconian fans out there; some songs such as “Bloodflower” and “A Scenery of Loss” were delivered for the ones craving for the old Draconian sound but the band didn’t forget the last record, which made me get into the band as a new fan, and played some of the favorites, “Stellar Tombs”, as well as “The Marriage of Attaris”. As much as I regret not having been there for the promo tour of “Sovran” back then, it was a magical experience to be there to witness the time travel the band took us.
Surely the music wouldn’t have been magical if it wasn’t for the whole dynamics of the band. Not only were the vocals of Mr. Anders Jacobsson and Ms. Heike Langhans in perfect harmony but the tour drummer Daniel Johansson also showed what a great fit he was for the band. I think that a better stage with a better sound would have been much more magical for the band, in particular for the ultimate Draconian experience. Nevertheless, the band delivered a spectacular show and brought the doom into Hamburg! We also gotta add that the the crowd was the most energetic and motivated during the Draconian show!
All in all, despite some problems related to the venue, all three bands managed to deliver a great performance and interpreted the dark metal in their own interpretation and ways! Many thanks to all of the bands and the audience!
Links:
Draconian Official
Harakiri for the Sky Facebook
Sojourner Facebook
Photos by Heavy Harlequin