Rockhal, Esch sur Alzette, Luxembourg8th November 2019
Powerwolf & Gloryhammer
POWERWOLF’s Metal mass was taking place at the Rockhal church on Friday night! With their seventh studio album, ‘The Sacrament of Sin’, the high priests of Heavy Metal have caused a sensation again. The following headliner shows at various festivals and the following headliner tour in October 2018 and January 2019 were a great success. On Friday, the wolves visited the Grand Duchy and let GLORYHAMMER go first. According to the motto: Metal Is Religion!
Gloryhammer
GLORYHAMMER is an Anglo-Swiss Symphonic Power Metal band founded by keyboardist Christopher Bowes, lead vocalist of the band ALESTORM. Each member of the band represents a character in the story concept. The band appears on-stage in armour and costumes.
Music & Performance
With Intergalactic Space Metal and matching outfits GLORYHAMMER came on stage. All of them jumped around in crazy costumes, so that the thing was also round. From the evil magician to the barbarian “Hollywood Hootsman” (Hoots! Hoots! Hoots!) to Angus in his space armour, everything was there. Of course there were also be fights on stage! Granted, the whole thing was quite cheesy. But please don’t take it too seriously.
The band obviously presents itself with a wink and therefore doesn’t seem that silly. The songs are characterized by melodic keyboard and guitar solos as well as a double bass that whips the band and the audience forward. Outstanding are also the epic choruses of singer Thomas, who masters more octaves than I can name - especially live very impressive! The bottom line is that GLORYHAMMER delivered in general a good show.
Setlist
01. The Siege of Dunkeld (In Hoots We Trust)
02. Gloryhammer
03. Angus McFife
04. The Land of Unicorns
05. Questlords of Inverness, Ride to the Galactic Fortress!
06. The Hollywood Hootsman
07. Goblin King of the Darkstorm Galaxy
08. Hootsforce
09. Masters of the Galaxy
10. Universe on Fire
11. The Unicorn Invasion of Dundee
Rating
Music: 6
Performance: 8
Sound: 8
Light: 8
Total: 7.5 / 10
Powerwolf
After spilling gallons of blood and fighting tirelessly, after only two albums with Napalm POWERWOLF shot straight to the pole position of the official German album charts (and another album made it into the top three!). After selling out venue after venue and thrilling bigger and bigger hordes of fans, the time is right for a new chapter: ‘The Sacrament Of Sin’ which offers eleven Metal psalms forged for all eternity! POWERWOLF entered Fascination Street Studios in Örebrö, Sweden starting in January 2018 to work on their seventh manifesto together with renowned producer Jens Bogren (OPETH, ARCH ENEMY, AMON AMARTH). The result is brimming with the Germans’ trademark sound, and yet the band have recorded their boldest and most adventurous album to date!
‘Where the wild wolves have gone’ even marks the first ballad in POWERWOLF history - whereas ‘Nightside of Siberia’ does the exact opposite and turns out to be one of the heaviest tunes the five-piece have ever written. ‘Incense And Iron’ simply MUST be part of every future setlist with its folky nature and anthemic catchiness; and epic single ‘Fire & Forgive’ brilliantly melts infectious melodies into timeless, heavy shredding. ‘The Sacrament Of Sin’ overwhelms both with sophisticated songwriting and sheer aggression - and proves once more why POWERWOLF are the one and only true high priests of Heavy Metal!
Music & Performance
After a long break, the time had come. When the curtain finally fell, the audience was rewarded. The opener ‘Fire & Forgive’ revealed an opulent and impressive stage design. Three sides of the stage were framed by a monumental backdrop that changed twice in the course of the evening, while the musicians themselves were in a detailed church ruin with walk-in superstructures. POWERWOLF had definitely not saved on the wrong ends and were pulling out all the stops of the entertainment industry this evening. Again and again the pyro flames let heat waves roll over the present ones, while fireworks provided a real satisfaction for the eyes. The band acted in the scenery of a dilapidated church in front of changing backdrop, priest robes and stage make-up made the POWERWOLF-look perfect. Singer “Attila Dorn” had done his homework and welcomed the visitors in French and German, who also answered him loudly.
Every step of the Metal mass was ritualized, between the songs the Germans lighten up their show with little jokes and announcements. The setlist didn’t surprise on this evening either, as it were loaded with songs like ‘Army Of The Night’, ‘Amen & Attack’, ‘We Drink Your Blood’ or ‘Resurrection By Erection’. But the high number of new songs in the set is pleasing, especially the ballad ‘Where The Wild Wolves Have Gone’ gave the crowd goose bumps. The wolves guided through an evening without any nakedness. Even more: song after song the brothers Greywolf & Co. increased their performance once more, so that after a short time the Rockhal quaked completely. With ‘Lupus Dei’ the main set ended and let the audience wanting more. Of course, the wolves willingly fulfilled these calls, so that ‘Werewolves Of Armenia’ finally represented the end of an outstanding show.
You can clearly see what leap forward POWERWOLF had made in recent years. After almost two hours the wolves finished Friday’s Metal Mass and proved impressively that they definitely have what it takes for the big headliner positions.
Setlist
01. Fire and Forgive
02. Army of the Night
03. Incense & Iron
04. Amen & Attack
05. Killers With the Cross
06. Demons Are a Girl’s Best Friend
07. Armata Strigoi
08. Stossgebet
09. Resurrection by Erection
10. Blessed & Possessed
11. Where the Wild Wolves Have Gone
12. Kiss of the Cobra King
13. We Drink Your Blood
14. Lupus Dei
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15. Sanctified With Dynamite
16. Coleus Sanctus
17. Werewolves of Armenia
Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 10
Sound: 9
Light: 9
Total: 9 / 10
All pictures by Elena Arens
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