Wolves in the Throne Room, Gaerea and Mortiferum @ Zeche (Bochum)

Summer is approaching, although the temperatures at a German level make you feel otherwise. People tend to wear short clothing and disgustingly happy music takes control over radio-music-filled spaces. In the midst of this oncoming beam of sunlight stands this big black umbrella that is this tour-package combining Death, Doom and Black Metal with Mortiferum, Gaerea and Wolves in the Throne Room.

Mortiferum opened this evening in an almost primal way. For anyone who has ever wondered what it’s like to be bludgeoned with a moss-covered club and sink into the dark moor, Mortiferum provide the answer.

While it was still broad daylight outside, Mortiferum bathed the stage (even earlier than expected) in deep red and blue light and began to torture (in a good way) the audience with their blend of doom and death metal. Drawing songs from both albums, their set was a massive warm-up for the Black Metal maelstrom to come.

Masked mysteries from Portugal Gaerea entered the stage next and it was clear that a fairly high amount of the attendees gladly took the opportunity to see them.

Intensity was the word of the hour here. From the first second on, there was writhing, screaming and simply diving into the music.

The Portuguese have returned this year with their new single “World Ablaze“: a compact 3-minute Post-Black Metal tour de force that has been well received by the crowd to put it mildly. The rest of the setlist mainly featured songs from their last album Mirage, adding the mentioned single and the fantastic “Urge” from the predecessor Limbo in the mix. The glorious “Laude” finished this triumphant set.

Even before Wolves in Throne Room got on the stage, the whole atmosphere in the room turned. Step by step the stage and the venue as a whole turned into an ancient temple. While Gaerea delivered soul-cleansing catharsis, the room was now filled with the scent of wonder and awe. Wolves in the Throne Room opened the set with the opening duo of their current EP and tour namesake Crypt of Ancestral Knowledge.

Due to the relatively short length of the songs, it was very effective in getting the audience in the mood before diving deep into the band’s catalogue with “Vastness and Sorrow“. It is always astonishing how a long song like this or “Crystal Ammunition” can draw one so deeply into the music without getting boring. The term “cascade” is often used for Wolves in the Throne Room and their music, but probably also because it fits so well. Wave after wave, the audience was pulled deeper into trance and closer towards being one with the band.

“Queen of Borrowed Light” closed this evening in an almost magical way. 13 minutes of widening eyes and minds in the smoke burned “sacrifices”. There is hardly any better song in their catalogue that could pull this off this gracefully.

All in all, it was a very entertaining and fulfilling evening. Each band came with the enjoyment of a perfectly mixed sound: Mortiferum were powerful, Gaerea captivating and Wolves in the Throne Room ethereal. This tour is definitely a contender for the best package of the year 2024!