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Some journeys are quite unexpected, and this one was no exception: After Rockharz, Heimburger Metalnacht and Helmfest, we had actually finished planning our festival summer. But we were kindly asked if we would like to come to Wolfszeit as well. Well, we’re not hobbits, but we like Vikings and good music, so the decision was very easy. Although we were only able to attend two of the three festival days due to family commitments (much to our regret), you can already read about how day 1 turned out for us and why the Lord of the Rings reference is not too far-fetched!
Thanks again to lightinmirror.de for the wonderful photos!!!
Off to the Shire!
I don’t believe in coincidences, but rather believe that everything should and must happen exactly as it actually does. Wolfszeit is actually a good example of this, at least for me. I’ve had the festival on my radar for a long time because of its interesting line-up alone, but somehow it never felt right or came together. When I look back at our work over the last few years, I think that was a good thing. We needed to develop a bit more in terms of both writing and visuals. We are now at a point where we really approach our work with self-confidence and that helped us enormously at Wolfszeit, which was really unknown territory for us!
The festival took place once again this year near Eisfeld in the Auenland vacation village. The name is no coincidence, because not only are there accommodations there that look like the Hobbit caves, but the view was simply bombastic and seemed almost as if Tolkien had dreamed it up. I don’t think we’ve ever seen such a fantastic location for a festival of this caliber before! I arrived at the festival and was simply speechless at the incomparable view. On top of that, the weather was perfect throughout! It was as if the gods themselves were smiling down on us!
The journey was quite relaxed for me with a 2.5 hour drive and the road to the festival was also well developed. There was a small traffic jam on the last few meters, which was related to the glass control, but that was totally ok for me. There was definitely no waiting longer than 10 minutes! Glass checks are absolutely right and important due to the dry weather. For me it was just a bit incomprehensible why I also had to hand in my glasses if I was going on to the booked accommodation in the evening anyway and not staying on site. Perhaps a clearer distinction can be made here in future between camping and day parking.
I did notice that most of the crew members seemed to be quite under pressure, but that didn’t stop anyone from treating us kindly and courteously! I have the sense of direction of a dead cat and whenever I asked someone for directions, I was taken seriously and not fobbed off with a silly remark!
The site itself was easy to walk around once you had gained an initial overview, even if the layout was a bit counter-intuitive in places, the infield was rather elongated and I thought the location of the stage was ideal considering the local conditions. In terms of perspective, a few more shaded areas might be an idea, but a lot has really been done here to create shady spots!
I particularly liked the fact that there was an alcohol-free alternative for the cocktails right from the start!
Where is the music?
Anyone who has asked themselves the question posed in the subheading should no longer be disappointed. This is supposed to be about the music!
The Wolfszeit started for me with the last remnants of KANKAR. I think I caught the last two songs and it was rock solid! You can do that in between!
But my actual first destination of the day was the Leipzig band WOLFSTAVAR. At the very beginning of this blog’s existence, I wrote a review of their (still) current album and very early on (in 2017/2018?) I also visited their rehearsal room. After their last performance at WGT, I was very curious to see how they would do in this festival context. And I have to say: They really had their act together! Vocally, singer Franz really gets a lot out of the songs and breathes a lot of fresh air into them. However, I would have liked all the other band members to pick up on Franz‘ energy and be as absorbed in the music as he is. The music definitely deserves more stage commitment and I’m really looking forward to hearing what’s next from them!
The first undisputed highlight for us were the Austrians from GROZA. We had seen them last year as the support act for HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY and since then I’ve been keeping an eye on their live dates so that I could see them live again as soon as possible. Well, in the end it took a year, but never mind! The gig was just as I imagined it would be: Emotional, completely straightforward and simply unbelievably good! It’s an outstanding mixture of everything that makes Post Black Metal so interesting for me. I would say that GROZA are more suited to a club setting than a festival in daylight, but if you get into the music, the group around singer P.G. manages to take you to new depths and open up a world that you probably didn’t know you had inside you! GROZA create an atmosphere in which you can completely let yourself go and surrender to the music, and for that reason alone they are one of the best bands at this festival for me!
But sometimes one highlight follows the next and in the case of Wolfszeit it was the acoustic set by VARG followed by an opening blót.
The acoustic set as such was simply magical all round. It is something very special to experience songs such as Ewige Wacht or Morgenrot in a completely different musical guise. On a smaller stage, which was quickly set up in front of the actual stage, the wolves around singers Freki and Fylgja were completely surrounded by fans, some of whom were seated and followed the sounds very closely. While the rest of the band, additionally supported by former guitarist Garm, devotedly performed the individual melodies, the sun was already sinking into the valley, giving the whole thing a thoroughly magical atmosphere that touched me enormously. Even though I wish VARG would give this kind of concert more often, I think it’s a wonderful gesture that this performance is something exclusive to Wolfszeit!
The acoustic session then moved on to the inaugural offering, which began with the lighting of a rune. It was a wonderful idea to give all visitors a small wooden plate that they could mark with their wishes and offer to the fire. This created a deep sense of togetherness and community, at least for me, which I have never experienced at any festival in this way before. Overall, it’s a little difficult for me to put this atmosphere into words. It was very spiritual and magical, but at the same time very tangible and real! You simply have to experience it for yourself!
After the ritual was over, the more or less spiritual ARKONA continued on the big stage. To my great delight, the Russians around front woman Mascha had received their visa and were able to fill their slot with furious power. For me, it was the first time I had seen ARKONA live and even though I don’t speak a word of Russian, the gig was a lot of fun! The audience was fully engaged and especially during Goi, Rode, Goi! there was absolutely no stopping them. ARKONA simply convey a Slavic Metal action that is second to none and with exactly this power they almost completely overpowered the following bands!
Of course, that’s not to say that the following UNLEASHED were somehow bad! Quite the opposite! But it was simply different! UNLEASHED have more than rightly earned their place in the scene over the course of their existence and they delivered exactly what we know from them: uncompromising death metal! In terms of atmosphere, however, there was a little less going on here, at least in my opinion.
Our personal finale of the day was NYTT LAND. The band from Siberia presented music that I find extremely difficult to classify… It was a concert that was completely oriented towards folkloristic, rather Nordic elements in its style and left us with many different impressions. If anyone here has ever been to the Landesmuseum in Halle, they will know that there is a reconstruction of a shaman’s grave. They have also reconstructed her make-up and jewelry and this picture looks exactly like the singer from NYTT LAND. As obscure as this reference may be, for me it fits this situation perfectly. Rarely have I heard such sounds coming out of a person… If you are interested in the music of HEILUNG or WARDRUNA, NYTT LAND could be just the thing for you!
Due to the very late hour, we didn’t make our way to the pagan village, but let ourselves be dragged to our beds. To sum up, the first day at Wolfszeit was an experience I could never have imagined! Without spoiling anything, I can say that this has become my unofficial motto for this festival. Stay tuned for the second day of Wolfszeit 2024 coming soon!
Shieldmaiden's Voice 