Powerwolf @ Lotto Arena: Ruthless under the full moon

Over the past twenty years, Powerwolf has proven itself as one of the most prominent power metal bands. The Germans from Saarbrücken celebrated their twentieth anniversary last year, but that does not mean that they have finished playing yet. In July the formation with Wake Up the Wicked namely their tenth full-length on the market. A very solid album, which in just thirty-seven minutes once again confirmed their status as a showcase for their genre. Because tradition dictates that such a record should of course be accompanied by a grand tour, the five-piece settled in our Antwerp Lotto Arena.

An hour after the doors opened, Wind Rose arrived to declare the festivities open. The foursome from Pisa always dress according to the sacred writings of Tolkien and thus always create an atmosphere on stage. This was also the case last night: the center square was already packed at half past six and I was clearly looking forward to it. The Italian group released the album this Friday Trollslayer out, so we were expecting some new songs. Still, the new material remained with “Rock and Stone,” which seemed to be well received by the audience. The first mosh pits of the evening formed on “Drunken Dwarves” and on “Mine Mine Mine!” we even saw some surfing over the heads of the crowd. Unfortunately, the group suffered from some technical defects, which meant that the signal no longer came through the speakers to the hall, but that did not detract from the tightness with which Wind Rose played its songs. Crowd favorite “Diggy Diggy Hole” closed the opening set and was sung for a while afterwards.

HammerFall also joined Powerwolf’s tour and was allowed to show what they had to offer twenty minutes after Wind Rose. Thanks to their thirty-year existence, we can count the group from Gothenburg as a permanent fixture within their genre. Last night they played the Lotto Arena as a band of that caliber. For a moment it seemed as if HammerFall was the headliner of the evening; not only because of their age, but also because of the sheer quality and dexterity with which they played their songs live. With the first song “Avenge the Fallen”, Joacim Cans’ voice reached Bruce Dickinson levels for the first time and the first Iron Maiden-like guitar solo was not long in coming.

Still, we thought HammerFall’s set was a bit too much. The audience was also slightly less enthusiastic than at Wind Rose and the frontman’s often long cliché lyrics took too much of the pace out of the event. Towards the end of their show we also noticed that fatigue was playing tricks on them: while they were still running around wildly on “Renegade”, it remained relatively static with “(We Make) Sweden Rock”. In our opinion, the fact that the group still has little to prove at this point in their career plays to their advantage. Despite the tired impression, HammerFall still ultimately played a set that many heavy metal bands would envy.

At nine o’clock sharp the roadies finally let down the curtain behind which singer Attila Dorn and his crew had prepared to entertain us for just under two hours. Those two hours were so packed with excitement and action that we are convinced that one of the best metal shows of the year unfolded before our eyes last night. To the sounds of “Bless ’em With the Blade” the start of a majestic show was a fact. Shortly after the start, the first explosions occurred: pyrotechnics and similar show elements were always the common thread throughout the show. The fact that we heard an echo of a German Alex Agnew in the many repetitions of the phrase ‘Hello Antwerrepeuh’ immediately made us feel at home. Not that coming home meant sitting in a cozy living room: the stage was beautifully constructed from various ornaments that were more reminiscent of abandoned dungeons, mossy cemeteries and churches in disrepair. Images were projected on three gigantic screens behind the drum kit to immerse the audience even more in the world of our beloved wolfs. 3D renders of beastly werewolves, grim pirate ships and baroque stained glass windows were featured, among other things.

It didn’t scare the audience, on the contrary: the first notes of “Incense & Iron” had not even left the PA for half a millisecond before there was heavy moshing around again. We will not leave open the role of Wind Rose and HammerFall as crowd-warmers in that spontaneous popular frenzy. The fact that the biggest hit “Army of the Night” was already the third song in the set may also have something to do with it. The furnishings had been well thought out, as we would expect from a group of this age. The show and music elements were constantly interwoven. Needless to say, each of these items generated additional cheers from the audience. During “Amen & Attack” a church organ was rolled onto the stage and Falk Maria Schlegel played it beautifully. The same Falk also acted as vice-frontman at times and constantly interacted with Dorn to stir up their audience even more. With “1589” – our personal favorite from the last album – he was again the head of hell when he was chased to the stake. In “Fire & Forgive” we saw a shadow of Till Lindemann when his compatriot pulled out two flare pistols. Although those flames were a few meters away from the audience, they still set the center square ablaze again and again. Nothing wrong with a little pyromania, right?

The fact that the center square was not asleep can be nicely illustrated by the fact that the band did not even have to perform the sing-along piece in “Armata Strigoi”: the spectators apparently knew the set list so well by heart that they immediately started singing the song. Not to mention the accompanying mosh pit. We checked, but hospital insurance was not included in the ticket price. It was just a single moment where we could see that those present, just like the band, were really looking forward to it. The two always played off each other, fed each other and challenged each other all evening. Although the group’s connecting texts are sometimes written by Gert Verhulst and co. seemed written and that, to be honest, made us sink a bit in our chair, but it always worked to get the rest of the audience on their side. Especially with the last song of the show: “Werewolves of Armenia”, where the floor was split into two parts, Moses-like.

That it doesn’t always have to be a blast, Powerwolf proved with a flawless version of “Alive or Undead”, which has a special undertone, especially due to the powerful operatic voice of Attila, the burning piano of Falk and the build-up of the rest of the band towards yet another show climax. got. The room quickly filled with telephone lights and the atmosphere was immediately set. Horn not only showed a more emotional side of himself, but was also able to demonstrate that you don’t always have to shout to control a team of metalheads. We didn’t have to explain to these guys that it’s best not to beat around the bush for too long. Shortly afterwards, the diptych “Heretic Hunters” / “Sainted by the Storm” followed, where guitarist Matthew Greywolf with his flying V and drummer Roel van Helden with his double kick were also able to put their musical value in the spotlight. The latter song actually sounded quite red hot, to stay with the theme of ‘fire’, and caused a so-called ‘rowing pit’. Was that to symbolically extinguish the fire, or are we taking it too far?

It is no longer a secret that Powerwolf’s catalog is simply full of earworms. The title of “We Don’t Wanna Be No Saints” may sound like English with hair to an English person, but the song was stuck in our eardrums for hours afterwards. “Demons Are a Girl’s Best Friend” is an audience favorite and was also sang along loudly. The bis round also included “We Drink Your Blood” as a ‘surprise’, which is seen by the most hardcore fans as the song they want to identify with. We no longer need to say that the central square could benefit from a thorough maintenance as a result. Song after song, hit after hit, Powerwolf managed to surpass itself musically last night. If it wasn’t because of the chemistry between the band members, it was certainly because of the finesse with which those band members performed.

Perfection remains, as fate would have it, an unattainable achievement, but last night we saw Powerwolf come close. If the Lotto Arena had no roof, we would most likely have seen a full moon. There was metal, there was power, but above all there was wolf. The Germans came, saw and conquered. They played the audience like a puppet show and were inspired by the response to go the extra mile. With success, because the band played a world-class performance last night.

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Setlist:

Bless ‘em With the Blade
Incense & Iron
Army of the Night
Sinners of the Seven Seas
Amen & Attack
Dancing With the Dead
The Undead Army
1589
Demons Are a Girl’s Best Friend
Stossgebet
Fire & Forgive
We Don’t Wanna Be No Saints
Alive or Undead
Heretic Hunters
Sainted by the Storm
Blood for Blood (Faoladh)

Sanctified With Dynamite
We Drink Your Blood
Werewolves of Armenia