Batschkapp, Frankfurt, Germany27th September 2026
ASP - “Mehr denn je! Tour 2026” - Support: Schöngeist
The last time I saw ASP was at the fifth anniversary edition of the Volle Kraft Voraus Festival. That performance made me rediscover the band for myself. I was absolutely impressed by their show, even though that particular day was almost unbearably hot both outside and inside the venue. So, when the “Mehr denn je! Tour 2026” was announced, I knew immediately that I wanted to be there.
I arrived at Batschkapp about an hour before doors opened, and even at that time quite a few fans had already gathered outside, obviously hoping to be among the first inside and secure the best possible spots in front of the stage. By the time the concert started, Batschkapp was packed and the anticipation in the room was impossible to miss.
Schöngeist
SCHÖNGEIST was founded in Munich in 2006 by singer Timur Karakus. Their music combines German-language Dark Rock with Gothic, Metal and electronic influences, while aesthetics and emotional storytelling have always played an important role in the band’s identity. In February 2025, SCHÖNGEIST returned with their fourth studio album, ‘Schwarz vor Augen’, following a long twelve-year gap since ‘Wehe!’ from 2013. The album contains ten new songs and shows a noticeably diverse side of the band, combining dark and powerful Rock with atmospheric and melodic elements.
Socially critical themes also find their place on the record, particularly on the single ‘Fake News’. Another highlight is ‘Du Du Du’, featuring former EVANESCENCE guitarist Jen Majura. Alexander Wesselsky of EISBRECHER was also involved in the creative process as a co-songwriter. With ‘Schwarz vor Augen’, SCHÖNGEIST not only returned after a long recording break but also demonstrated how much their sound has evolved while retaining the dark aesthetics and emotional character that have defined the band from the beginning. https://www.schoengeist-music.com / https://www.facebook.com/schoengeist
Music & Performance
It had been several years since I last saw SCHÖNGEIST live, so I was very curious to see what the band would bring to the stage this time. And I was pleasantly surprised by their new show. From the very beginning, the performance felt energetic, emotional and alive. The band presented their music with a lot of passion and stage presence, and it was obvious that they were not there simply to warm up the audience for the headliner. They delivered a proper show of their own.
Especially after not having seen SCHÖNGEIST for such a long time, it was great to experience how fresh and powerful the band felt on stage. Their combination of darker Rock sounds and emotional melodies worked extremely well in the live setting and was a very fitting start to the evening. Simply energetic, emotional and really good.
ASP
ASP have been one of the most distinctive names in the German Dark Rock and Gothic scene for more than two decades. Led by singer, songwriter and mastermind Asp, the band has built its own musical and narrative universe in which Rock, Gothic influences, literature, storytelling and elaborate visual concepts are closely connected. Lyrics and storytelling have always played an essential role in the world of ASP. Instead of simply releasing collections of individual songs, the band repeatedly creates larger concepts, stories and recurring themes, making their music a world to explore rather than something to merely listen to.
Shortly before the current tour, on 6th September 2026, ASP released the six-track EP ‘Mehr denn je!’. It contains three brand-new studio songs - ‘Mehr denn je!’, ‘Mondlicht Romantasy’ and ‘Schockrock’ - alongside a special track and two previously unreleased live recordings. The EP also serves as a first glimpse of the upcoming album ‘Horrors 2 - Another Collection Of Gothic Novellas’, planned for 2027. https://www.aspswelten.de / https://www.facebook.com/AspsWelten
Music & Performance
ASP is a highly conceptual band, and great importance has always been placed on lyrics, storytelling and atmosphere. This has been a constant throughout the band’s long history. ASP is not simply a band you watch on stage. It is a presence - a force that creates its own worlds and invites the audience to step inside them for a few hours. And Frankfurt was more than willing to follow. There is almost no need to say that the audience took off like a rocket from the very first song. People danced, sang along and completely lived this evening together with the band. The connection between stage and audience was there immediately and remained incredibly strong throughout the entire concert.
The setlist itself was an impressive journey through different chapters of ASP’s history. Songs such as ‘Schwarzes Blut’, ‘Kokon’, ‘Denn ich bin der Meister’, ‘Und wir tanzten’ and ‘Werben’ stood alongside the new material from ‘Mehr denn je!’. Hearing ‘Schockrock’, ‘Mondlicht Romantasy’ and especially the title track ‘Mehr denn je!’ within such a set made the new EP feel like a natural continuation of the ASP universe rather than simply an addition to it. One particularly memorable moment came after ‘Kokon’. Asp addressed something that has become almost impossible to ignore at concerts nowadays: instead of faces in front of him, he could see countless phones and devices because so many people were busy filming.
So, he made the audience an offer. For the next two songs, everyone could film and photograph as much as they wanted. But afterwards, he wanted the audience for himself. The phones should disappear and everyone should simply experience the concert. And there was something wonderfully fitting about this request. ASP’s music is so strongly connected to words, emotions, stories and atmosphere that experiencing it through a phone screen almost feels like missing part of what is happening. Once the devices disappeared, the connection inside the venue became even more intense. Instead of documenting the evening, people were simply living it.
This is exactly where ASP’s strength lies. The concert was not merely a sequence of songs performed one after another. It felt like one long journey through different moods and stories - sometimes dark, sometimes theatrical, sometimes melancholic and sometimes almost euphoric. The lights supported this atmosphere perfectly, creating beautiful dramatic moments without distracting from what was happening on stage. Combined with the excellent sound and the band’s powerful performance, the production created exactly the kind of world ASP’s music deserves.
By the time ‘Ich will brennen’ appeared towards the end of the main set, Batschkapp had long since become one huge singing crowd. But ASP were not finished yet. The encore with ‘Rückfall’ and finally ‘Morgengrauen irgendwo’ gave the evening its last emotional chapter before sending the audience back into reality. Some concerts entertain you for two hours and end when the lights come back on. Others create their own little universe and stay with you afterwards. ASP belongs to the second category.
Setlist
01. How Far Would You Go? (The 6th of September)
02. 20.000 Meilen
03. Die letzte Zuflucht
04. Willkommen zurück (Snippet)
05. Schwarzes Blut
06. Kokon
07. Fürst der Finsternis
08. Denn ich bin der Meister
09. Spät
10. Flickenpuppe
11. Wer sonst?
12. Duett (Minnelied der Incubi)
13. Und wir tanzten (Ungeschickte Liebesbriefe)
14. Sanctus Benedictus
15. Schockrock
16. Mondlicht Romantasy
17. Wanderer
18. Mahr, o mein Mahr
19. Rücken an Rücken
20. Werben
21. Mehr denn je!
22. Ich will brennen / Fortsetzung folgt... 1 (Snippet)
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23. Rückfall
24. Morgengrauen irgendwo
All Pictures by Daria Tessa
