Now it was unfortunately time. Project Pitchfork, the last band of the Blackfield Festival era, took the stage. A veteran band that has been shaking up the scene since the 1990s. The eyes were wide when the stage set was built, as no fewer than three! drum sets were to create a truly breathtaking soundscape (musically, of course, it made no sense at all).
A few years ago at Wacken Open Air, I was almost "annoyed" with constant advertisements for their then-current album “After The War”, which was accompanied by the opener “Arabia”. Today, I finally had the chance to see and hear a bit more of Mono Inc. Amidst flaming effects, the band, consisting of singer Martin Engler, his partner Katha Mia on drums, brother Carl Fornia on guitar, and Manuel Antoni on bass, blasted the oriental-sounding hookline towards the extremely large audience.
After the wild and lively show by Letzte Instanz, it became opulently sentimental. L’Âme Immortelle had not been seen on stage for a long time, and so this was one of the rare opportunities to see them. After the intro "L’Étang Mâlo," Sonja Kraushofer took the stage and began with her clear vocals for "Tiefster Winter" from the 2003 album "Als Die Liebe Starb." Shortly afterwards, her band mate Thomas Rainer joined to provide the counterpart with his screams and growls.
The mood stayed high as the guys from Dresden, led by singer Holly Loose, provided the next reason for dancing and singing in the audience with their rocking songs. They have a slightly unusual lineup as besides the obligatory guitars and bass, they are enhanced by Benni Gerlach on the cello and Rico Schwibs on the violin.
Before End Of Green could take the stage, there was a bizarre spectacle to behold in the interior. Many people lay down on the floor and had their outlines drawn with chalk. It looked as if there were a lot of corpses lying there. Additionally, there was the inscription: 'We die with you – R.I.P. Blackfield'. Nevertheless, the mood quickly lifted as the band energetically kicked off to the sounds of “Don’t Stop Killing Me”.
After Beborn Beton, the event continued with another veteran of the Dark Wave genre. Clan Of Xymox, who were already founded in the Netherlands in 1984, can look back on a long history. Nevertheless, it was a premiere for them at the Blackfield Festival.
Originally, Legend was supposed to play in the next slot. However, they had to cancel their performance at short notice, so Beborn Beton stepped in. This was a rare opportunity to see them live, as they rarely perform in their home country. But with the new album "A Worthy Compensation" in tow, it was a great chance to present the new songs to a live audience.
On the last festival day of the Blackfield Festival, the weather had become a bit more stable. I still let the first two bands of the day pass and only arrived at the infield for the dark rockers of The Beauty Of Gemina. They had already been guests last year, but with the slightly rockier versions of their songs. Today, it was to be an entirely acoustic set, for which the band had brought additional support in the form of a violinist (Eva Wey) and a cellist (Raphael Zweifel).
The day is coming to an end and despite the warm temperatures, Eisbrecher was set to rock the stage and the Blackfield Festival (even though front man Alexander Wesselsky had some trouble finding the right name of the festival). In full sailor attire, Wesselsky and his band mates, drummer Achim Färber, bassist Rupert Keplinger, guitarist Jürgen Planger, and musical mastermind Noel Pix, took the simple stage and immediately started with “Volle Kraft Voraus”.
From one veteran (Mesh) to the next. Deine Lakaien can even look back on a 30-year history and offered something from every album that evening. For the musical mastermind Ernst Horn and the incredibly distinctive voice of Alexander Veljanov, it was their debut at the Blackfield Festival. They were supported on stage by drummer Slobodan Kajkut and guitarist Goran Trajkoski.