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What’s the best way to spend a holiday? Right! With good music! That’s exactly why we headed back to the Felsenkeller on October 3, 2025, because DARK TRANQUILLITY had invited everyone to the Ultima Ratio Fest. SOEN, EQUILIBRIUM, and IOTUNN were also part of the show. This truly exciting lineup promised a lot, and we had to check it out. Read on to find out how the evening went for us, which band brought back particular nostalgia, and who provided a true Nexus event (Loki fans know what I mean)!
Thanks to lightinmirror.de for the wonderful pictures. Without you, this blog would be nothing!
Many thanks again to lightinmirror.de for the great photographic support!
Iotunn
Being the first band to open such a large venue as the Felsenkeller is always an enormous challenge. But IOTUNN took it on with aplomb! In my opinion, the hall could have been a little better filled that evening, but that’s something you can’t really influence.
The stage was extremely cramped for IOTUNN due to the bands that were still to follow, which certainly didn’t make their performance any easier. I would particularly like to highlight singer Jón Aldará’s microphone stand, which had a kind of searchlight built into it, which I thought was a cool feature.
Musically, the Faroese band moves between Melodic Death and Progressive Metal, a mixture that I initially thought would be right up my alley. But that evening, it didn’t grab me at all, which surprised me greatly. When I listened to the setlist again at home, I realized that I hadn’t been able to hear most of the wonderful details and musical nuances. Whether that was because I was standing relatively far to the front left of the hall, because of poor sound management, or both, unfortunately remains unclear. Overall, however, I am certain that I need to see this band live again, because their style really moved me afterwards!
Equilibrium
With a completely different energy and a more confident presence, EQUILIBRIUM stormed the stage. The intro, a song called Archivist, which you can also expect on the album to be released in November, was accompanied by additional drum interludes, which we had already experienced at previous shows and which I find very fitting.
Admittedly, we have seen quite a few EQUILIBRIUM shows in the last two years since Fabian’s first gig with the band at Rockharz 2023, so the likelihood of being surprised was low. It was all the more wonderful that they then decided, unusually, to play Born to be Epic as their first song.
The set was characterized by a lot of tempo, energy, and enthusiasm, and the new songs fit this band so damn well! It was a real pleasure to hear Bloodwood live for the first time, and this song definitely doesn’t need to defend itself. This was especially evident in the fact that the following song, Blut im Auge, almost seems a bit sluggish in comparison. You can just tell that the knot I felt last year on tour with SEPTICFLESH has now simply burst and this band is hungry for much, much more. But maybe I’m still too inspired by the fact that the last song of the set was Nexus, which is also one of my favorites from the upcoming album.
The only criticism I actually have here is that the stage was too cluttered for my taste. I really like the backdrop, but the room dividers, which were a bit like soundproof walls, blocked the view completely. In addition, there were cones on the stage decorated with ornaments. On their own, they looked cool, but in the overall picture, it was just too much for me. If the stage is bigger, it works better, but under these circumstances, less is simply more! Or, as Coco Chanel once said: “Before you leave the house, take a look in the mirror and take one thing off!”
Soen
It’s super rare for me to see a tour announcement and not know any of the bands. But that’s what happened with Ultima Ratio Fest, so I had to do some digging to find out who SOEN actually are! And as always, once you’ve heard about something, you keep seeing it everywhere. After seeing the Swedes on the tour poster, confirmation of a series of major festivals quickly followed.
This really increased my excitement, and I had heard from various sources that SOEN always put on a good show. Judging by my expectations, SOEN really had a lot to offer! The band’s music is characterized by a high level of skill on a wide variety of instruments. It was truly a declaration of love for music as such, and the musical storytelling was simply enchanting.
SOEN are able to create a powerful soundscape that makes it clear to the audience how much this band loves what they do. The progressive influences are as clear as they are lovingly placed, and it’s a real joy to watch them. Even though it wasn’t 100% to my taste, it was still very worth seeing, and I don’t think this is the last you’ll read about SOEN here.
Dark Tranquillity
When you think of DARK TRANQUILLITY, you undoubtedly have a clear picture of their music in your mind. This is mainly due to their highly successful releases in recent years, and rightly so. But we mustn’t forget that these representatives of the Gothenburg school have been active since 1989 and have shaped the scene with their music.
In light of this, it was a wonderful change to see their earlier discography get its moment in the spotlight again! To be precise, DARK TRANQUILLITY’s set on this evening focused on the albums The Gallery from 1995 and Character from 2005. Five songs were played from each album, which is what I call fan service!
To my great shame, I have to admit that I unfortunately missed the first four songs of the set due to an interview, but I was told that they were very good!
If you’re the kind of person who only experiences DARK TRANQUILLITY at festivals and doesn’t really listen to the band, then this was definitely not the set for you that evening. It was really a performance aimed at long-time and loyal fans who are very familiar with the band’s various albums. I don’t want to give too much away at this point, because there are still a few shows left on the tour, but this concert really left us inspired by the song selection!
We were once again deeply moved by the intense energy that DARK TRANQUILLITY bring to the stage, and listening to them is simply a Ultima Ratio Fest. The atmosphere in Leipzig was therefore electric, and when the concert ended, the audience didn’t want to let the band go. If that’s not a successful evening, then I don’t know what is!
Shieldmaiden's Voice 