Location: Bornstedt (Germany)
Tales of Ratatösk
Just as yesterday we open with a band that has a bagpipe in their sound. A Pagan/Folk formation with the name Tales of Ratatösk is entering the stage. They have been around since 2015 and a debut full length came out in 2019. It does not take long for the band to have the attention from their audience. Shortly after they entered the stage a giant pluche squirrel got placed on front of the stage. Whether this is their mascot is unknown, but it does seem to be the a character people follow around in a sort of procession through the audience. Cheerful, but rather strange to see. People seem to enjoy it but somewhat distracting a bit of their music. At least people start the day with a good mood.
Jord
The Swedish Jord was up next to bring some Atmospherical Black to the audience of Dark Troll. Last year the third album called “Tundra” got out and now it was time to bring this to Germany. Performance wise this formation starts it all quite calm, letting the audience slowly get introduced to their enchanting tunes. People are on board with it soon enough and when the energy gets onto it from both sides the set progressed into ad dynamic experience where the music takes the listener along in the sound scape it carries. Most vibrant track in their set is the song “The Fall” which has a melody that hits quite well and has also a video available on youtube. Seems like the Swedish guys had a good time and convinced many in their crowd.
Autumn Nostalgie
Autumn Nostalgie came all the way from Slovakia. The band has been founded in 2010 and although it took about a decade for them to come with a debut album the second one followed quite fast. The ambient sound the band brings follows nicely upon Jord’s set but performance wise it was perhaps a bit too static to keep the interest of the majority. Somehow it seems that their transitions are being a bit slow, while the subtle details are not brought to a spotlight to have people enjoy these in a larger extend. Luckily they still got some people with them, but for us it took a bit too long.
Theotoxin
Time to get a bit heavier and darker, Theotoxin was waiting eagerly to lay their darkness onto us. The Austrians have formed their band in 2016 and have been steadily releasing. Ensures us with a lot to choose from for todays setlist. A bit more brutality comes into it, the band has some death influences laying in their past and is not straying too far from it bright now. The vocalist likes to come up front, closer to the audience and making sure each person is addressed personally while bringing his words. An approach that seems to work well here today as some movement starts going on soon into their set. Have they surprised us with something unique, not not that much but with their charismatic way of performing we really got along.
Vermilia
Listeners of our podcast have already heard about our lowkey trauma to Vermilia’s Tuska performance and how much we were rooting for a better show today. Clean vocals were the issue back then… and unfortunately they were today. A pity, because the lady has a warm sound in her voice, a good growl and an amazing feeling for atmosphere. We could not stand it beyond the halfway mark… the show is at dinnertime… choices were made.
Graveworm
Graveworm has over three decades on the counter and it has been a while since we heard from them so when their album “Killing Innocence” got out, it certainly caught our attention. Nice to see the guys on the bill for the festival today and so the guys have a chance to present us with some of that new material. The band got some moshing going on during their set where we have not seen much of that just yet. Even some photographer thought starting a moshpit amongst us for that matter. The band self is headbanging a lot and living their music along with the energy they create. A good thing to see how eager these guys are after all these year to perform and how contagious that is. Good show!
Midnight Odyssey
One of the highlights of the day was presented to us by Midnight Odyssey. Their origin lays in Australia and have been around since 2007. The guys make Ambient Black Metal and their latest full length came out last year. Now, this was quite something. The band is rather static but kept us watching throughout the whole show. A skill that is not given to every band. Songs from a wide variety of albums came by, indicating that through the years the band has kept their style in good line with each other as they blend smoothless. Now a nice surprise and a great add to their show were the pyros om top of the roof, forming a nice atmospheric touch to the Midnight Odyssey live experience. One to watch, when they come by in your festival season!
Einherjer
A new rendez-vous with Einherjer was on our schedule. The Norwegian formation has an interesting style of Viking Metal that is bringing some unique touch to the bill. Going strong for over three decades the band is making it clear that we were also getting some older material today. Audience seemed pleased with that, judged by the cheering but it is the newer songs that set things in motion most. The guys seem relaxed during their set, enjoying playing these tracks for the audience and simply have fun with it. A pleasure to watch. Sure, the last album is dating back a few years. Fans who have gotten their last live release have already been aware of their live reputation and the show we have seen tonight surely lives up that standard.
Nornir
The German formation Nornir was closing the festival. A rather interesting choice, the formation has been around for over a decade, but is perhaps not the wildest in their performance. Yet they manage to bring us the chills with an icy cold sound here tonight. An impressive wall of sound from their guitars rolls over the ruin were standing in, making sure that you are paying attention and when the band is halfway they made their sound a bit heavier even.
The latest release of their hands saw light at the end of 2023 and it is clear to see there are plenty of people who now the album well. They are a nice closer of this evening, somewhat summarizing all bands we have seen play before. A rich and diverse sound that was performed with dedication.
Links:
More articles
09-06-2024 Into The Grave
08-06-2024 Into The Grave
07-06-2024 Into The Grave