04-04-2014 Kampfar

Supports: Velnias, Hate, Iskald; Venue: Baroeg, Rotterdam (Netherlands)
By: Sabine van Gameren

A Black Metal weekend starts with a trip to Rotterdam (Netherlands) where Kampfar would play that night. Three supports were along so an evening was easily filled.

The Norwegian band Iskald was the first of the evening. The band makes Melodic Black and is the brainchild of the duo Simon (Guitars/Bass/Keys/Vocals) and Aage (Drums/Vocals). The band has released a new album called “Nedom og Nord” earlier this year.

On stage the band is not really an intense act to watch, but the music is what makes the impression for them. The melodic side of the band makes it comfortable to listen to, you easily pick it up and the vocals are bringing an extra layer to the vehemence. Altogether the band creates a good balance between the melodic and the heaviness and plays in only about 30 minutes a set that shows what they are up to. One that you would like to see again.

Black/Doom formation Velnias was also not the most entertaining acts as an performance but where Iskald wrapped it up with the music, Velnias struggles to make a connection with the audience at all. It felt like the guys were having some frustration going on, which resulted in a sound that doesn’t hit the spot, but whatever the reason was it did not work out.

While hiding in darkness it seems almost the band does not really want to be out there. Perhaps the expectations were set a bit higher by the success of Iskald but tonight the failed to make much of an impression. Too bad, it didn’t come through tonight.

Hate comes up and eagerly takes the audience towards them after Velnias left. The band has many years on the counter, as their start dates back to 1990. About a year ago they released the album “Solarflesh: A Gospel of Radiant Divinity” which is album number eight for the Polish metallers.

The band has a strong tempo into it, a tough basis that reigns throughout their whole set. With a good feeling of drama in their sound the brutality gets pulled up, songs like “Alchemy of Blood” and “Sadness Will Last Forever” to be the strongest witness of that today. The bands ends strongly with the track “Luminous Horizon” which seemed to give the perfect summarize of their set. A good show from these guys, which are now getting ready for some studio time. Let’s see when that new release is coming up next, we can’t wait to hear it.

Headliner act was Kampfar, a band with a strong fanbase as it gets pretty filled up at their set. The band has been formed in 1994 and a bunch of full lengths have been released through the years. The latest of ammo is “Djevelmakt” which got out at the beginning of this year and they are now taking the album on stage on this tour. Kampfar is an act that does not let the music be all of the show, but the stage decoration, the mimics and the performance are part of the whole Kampfar experience. Waving the flag the tone is set: Pagan Black Metal for those who did not pick that up yet.

Obviously the band give the most attention to their latest release but some sharp tracks from the past the audience gets hyped up. While the other bands kept a bit distance, Kampfar is taking it up to the front and comes close to their audience, a whole dynamic evening becomes reality as the visitors of this evening are having their own opinion on what should be on the setlist.

At the very end the audience was given exactly what they have been shouting for throughout, the song “Norse” and with that one done the show was over.

An interactive hour, so to say, concluding a Black Metal evening. We have seen a diversity in the acts but it is clear that Kampfar had the hearts of the audience right away. As the king of the evening they leave town, leaving us waiting for a return to the country.