Live Report and Photos by: Markus Wiedenmann
When Swedish black metal dinosaurs Dark Funeral hit the road for touring through Europe you better take the chance and visit one of the shows the guys have added to their darkened roadmap. After having released a new album, the first one in a six years period of time, Dark Funeral embarked on a tour through quite some European countries, an endeavor they put under the banner of “Shadows Over Europe”.
From the beginning, it was planned to have a three bands package on the road. Next, the headliner, Brazilian Krisiun and Deserted Fear have been announced as being the support for those shows. A few days prior to the tour start the news was announced of the German death metal gang not being part of this package anymore, something the guys from Eisenberg heavily regretted, since it was, according to them, a decision that was out of their area of influence.
So it was up to Krisiun to open this evening and the trio did a great job and the 60 minutes they got have been used very well. During the first songs there was quite some space left in the venue, but with each note played the Gebr. de Leiden got more filled with fans.
Krisiun felt like a musical steam hammer that night. This death metal machine worked like a clockwork with a sound that was nuanced, loud and clear. Also, the setlist didn’t leave much space for unfulfilled wishes. The tracks performed the night covered the entire era of the Brazilians, including “Black Force Domain” and putting a focus on “Forged in Fury, but also the very early “Apocalyptic Revelation” release. And on top of all this Krisiun played with “Ace of Spades” a brutal version of the Motorhead classic, a moment when the venue turned into a real madhouse.
After such a heavy introduction into the dark side of live, the stage was prepared for the headliner. Dark Funeral started their shows with an extensive intro that created a creepy vibe with the guys entering the stage one by one. Hell broke loose with the first song played. “Unchain My Soul” from the latest album “Where Shadows Forever Reign” kicked it off, followed by pitch black 90 minutes. This musical inferno was embedded into a stage set of downside crosses, lit by candles, and a huge backdrop, all kept in cold blue light. The musical journey brought fans back to the early nineties when the band released with “The Secret of the Black Arts” their first album. Two songs of the debut have been performed that night and Dark Funeral actually did an equal split with two songs from each of the long players from the past. The exception was “Where Shadows Forever Reign” which of course stood in focus as being the newest hellish output from the Stockholm-based band.
Looking on such a setlist means ferocious riffs, a thumping bass and pounding drums, all supporting the malicious screams of Heljarmadr that have been vicious and bloodcurdling. Dark Funeral delivered the soundtrack for an enthralling night in Leiden, opening the gates to hell with a live show that made clear why this band belongs to the spearhead of the second wave of Swedish black metal.
Setlist Dark Funeral
Unchain My Soul
666 Voices Inside
The Dawn No More Rises
The Arrival of Satan’s Empire
Stigmata
As I Ascend
The Eternal Eclipse
Ravenna Strigoi Mortii
Shadows of Transylvania
..
As One We Shall Conquer
Thy Legions Come
My Funeral
Nail Them to the Cross (Encore)
Atrum Regina
Where Shadows Forever Reign
