The bed… still too soft, the night way too short. Getting up was much, much harder ;) And there was much less time, because the first band was on stage at 1 p.m.
:: pics :: STAINTHORPE, DEEKS & QUAIL ::
And the second day got off to a spectacular start. Under the leadership of Mark Deeks (Arð, Winterfylleth), three exceptional artists came together for a project and celebrated their live debut… of course… at PROPHECY FEST in the cave :)
Under the simple banner :: STAINTHORPE, DEEKS & QUAIL :: the trio presented a set - partly freely improvised - drawn from the works of all three participating musicians, namely My Dying Bride, Arð, and Jo Quail, that was incredibly moving. Not only the fans were moved, but also the performers on stage, especially Aaron Stainthorpe, who became quite emotional, particularly during the My Dying Bride songs, which had been stripped down to their very essence and thus seemed somehow even more powerful and impressive.
During First Rain by Jo Quail (both of her songs were from her current album Notan - highly recommended!), Aaron Stainthorpe recited a poem, that, too, had its own unique magic. It was incredibly intense.
I would love to see the trio live again in a small, intimate setting and hope that this project will eventually lead to their own collaborative compositions.
Band: Aaron Stainthorpe (vox), Mark Deeks (keys), Jo Quail (cello)
Setlist: Like A Perpetual Funeral (My Dying Bride cover), First Rain (Jo Quail song - Aaron recitated a poem by "Andreas" over this), Geonde Arð (Arð cover), Rex (Jo Quail song), Burden Foretold (Arð cover), I Almost Loved You (My Dying Bride cover), The Cry Of Mankind (My Dying Bride cover)
:: pics :: CAMERATA MEDIOLANENSE ::
Anniversaries everywhere you look ;) And :: CAMERATA MEDIOLANENSE :: is no exception. The Italian “group of chamber musicians from Mediolanum” is celebrating the 30th anniversary of their second album, Campo Di Marte. Here, too, they chose not to play the album in its entirety. They performed half the songs, supplemented by two new tracks from their current album Atalanta Fugiens (2024) and two older pieces.
Here, traditional Renaissance and Baroque music is artfully blended with neoclassical, wave, and post-punk, with a special emphasis on percussion - a fact impressively demonstrated by the three percussionists. In contrast, there are the three wonderful soprano voices of Carmen D’Onofrio, Chiara Rolando, and Desiree Corapi. Boccaccio’s Il Decamerone came to mind… Just imagine CAMERATA MEDIOLANENSE as background music in an Italian country house, where an illustrious group of people come up with stories…
This may not be everyone’s cup of tea - but I, for one, am always thrilled and impressed.
Band: Elena Previdi (keys), Trevor (percussions - Evor Ameisie), Manuel Aroldi (percussions), Marco Colombo (drums),
Sopranos: Carmen D'Onofrio, Chiara Rolando, Desiree Corapi
Setlist: Fuoco, Balcani In Fiamme, Gu erriero, Rappresentazione, La Magnifica Aurora, La Verità Nascosta, Il Trionfo Di Bacco A Arianna, Corallus, Mercurius, Canzone Alla Vergine, Dolci Ire
:: MAUNAH :: Round Two. On the small stage deep inside the cave, MAUNAH worked their magic a second time and performed the remaining songs from their debut album, Hjarta. Again, the fans responded with frenetic enthusiasm. Since the album contains only six tracks in total and they played four tracks at a time, Heimaland and the title track were each performed twice. Oh, how I love the title track. I just can’t get enough of it.
Band: Søren Sol Koldsen-Zederkof (vox), Mads Laursen (git), Janus Holst Aaen (git), Jakob Kiilerich (bass), Danny Woe (drums)
Setlist: Solin Vaugna, Theinajau, Heimaland, Hjarta
:: pics :: DORNENREICH ::
:: DORNENREICH :: also had to cancel their last performance at PROPHECY FEST due to illness and are now making up for it with one of their rare metal shows. As beautiful and intimate as their acoustic concerts are, DORNENREICH as a metal band is more. More energy, more passion, more intensity, more emotion. And when you see the band rocking out on stage, it seems like they’re really enjoying it, or that it’s doing them good ;)
Band: Evíga (vox, git), Inve (violine), Gilván (drums), Eklatanz (git),
Setlist: Der wunde Trieb, Flammenmensch, Wer hat Angst vor Einsamkeit?, Wolfpuls, In allem Weben, Erst deine Träne löscht den Brand, Trauerbrandung
:: pics :: SUN OF THE SLEEPLESS ::
Multi-talented Markus Stock and his projects. He’s featured at least twice at every PROPHECY FEST ;) In 2026, it’s Empyrium and :: SUN OF THE SLEEPLESS ::, the more experimental, electronically-influenced black metal project.
Things have gotten a bit quiet around the project in the meantime. The 2017 debut, To The Elements, has already gathered some dust, and since then there have only been two split releases and one compilation. However, there was a brand-new track called Winterborn, presented live exclusively at the festival, which is set to be released later this year. Maybe there’ll be more to come in the foreseeable future ;)
Band: Ulf Theodor Schwadorf (vox, git), Valkenstijn (bass), Seb (drums)
Setlist: The Lure Of Nyght, Where In My Childhood Lived A Witch, Romanze zur Nacht, The Owl, In The Realm Of The Bark, Winterborn, Phoenix Rise
:: HANGOVER IN MINSK :: was formed when Dymna Lotva set off for home after the Dark Easter Metal Meeting 2024, still drunk or suffering from a massive hangover, and couldn’t agree on what music to play on the tour bus. So, three of the four members decided (the drummer was asleep) to just make that music themselves. This makes HANGOVER IN MINSK, so to speak, the alter ego of Dymna Lotva, but it’s by no means a beer-fueled party band, as one might assume. Far from it. The band walks the fine line between depressive/post-black metal and the post-black/doom metal of the main band.
On the small stage, they played almost the entire debut album from last year, Party Is Over, along with their brand-new single, Bones & Bonds. Yeah, the party is far from over ;)
Band: Nokt Aeon (vox), Jaŭhien (git), Mikita (git), Bocian (drums)
Setlist: Farewell, The Cow Was Stolen From The Bar (Again), Morning Mourning, Devil In Me Wants To Dance, Fuck You My Love (with Ingvarr of Schreigarm as guest vocalist), Bones & Bonds
:: pics :: MISÞYRMING ::
:: MISÞYRMING :: will take the stage twice today. First for themselves, since they’re already there, and later as the “backing band” for Behemoth’s Nergal.
And then things got wild. Like, really wild. Smeared with volcanic ash and blood, the Icelanders thundered through their set at breakneck speed, completely leaving out their latest album, Með hamri, and focusing solely on their debut and second album. But even here, there was a brand-new song with the cryptic title CB. Which means we can probably expect new material from them in the foreseeable future. MISÞYRMING were truly amazing and gave us a taste of what to expect from the headliner.
Band: D.G. (vox, git), T.Í. (git), G.E. (bass), M.S. (drums)
Setlist: Ég byggði dyr í eyðimörkinni, Orgia, Ísland steingelda krummaskuð, Söngur heiftar, CB, Alsæla, Algleymi
:: pics :: SLEEPING PULSE ::
And another world-exclusive live premiere. Mick Moss of Antimatter and Luís Fazendeiro of Painted Black presented their project :: SLEEPING PULSE :: live for the very first time, backed by the musicians who usually tour with Antimatter. But before things really got going, there was first a 1,000-voice birthday sing-along for drummer Fab. Happy birthday! :)
SLEEPING PULSE presented their brand-new album Dreams & Limitations, which was just released in June, interspersed with songs from their debut album Under The Same Sky.
SLEEPING PULSE is a bit rougher and more guitar-driven than Antimatter, and also a bit more experimental. Of course, this was once again a complete contrast to the previous band and, for some, certainly a roller coaster of musical emotions. Awesome, isn't it?
Band: Mick Moss (vox), Luís Fazendeiro (git), Fab Regmann (drums)
Setlist: Parasite, Gagging Order, Noose, The Puppeteer, Dreams & Limitations, Rise, The Constraint, The Butterfly Collector, War
:: pics :: PARAGON OF BEAUTY ::
The 25th anniversary of the third and final album by the German progressive-influenced gothic/doom metal band, Comfort Me, Infinity, marked the end of :: PARAGON OF BEAUTY ::. both then and now. To celebrate this anniversary, the band was reunited in its original lineup for a few shows and is now performing its grand finale here at the Balve Cave.
The album was divided into two sets, which PARAGON OF BEAUTY performed on the small stage. And I have to say, there are still very enthusiastic fans of this band who created an incredible atmosphere in front of the stage and, in turn, thrilled the band just as much.
Band: Monesol (vox), Andreas Schuler (git), Oliver Kron (git), Taisha (bass), Lord Sol (drums)
Setlist: This Impossible Moment, One Step Into Nothingness, How Futile It Seems to Sow, About Glum Naiades And Idle Gods, Comfort Me, Infinity
:: pics :: SECRETS OF THE MOON ::
I was especially looking forward to :: SECRETS OF THE MOON :: To my regret, the Osnabrück-based band had disbanded in 2022 and are now performing a handful of shows to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Antithesis. Today’s show, as dark and low-lit as ever, was, by the way, the very last in this concert series. During Lucifer Speaks. Markus Stock joined the band on stage for a few guest vocals.
Now SECRETS OF THE MOON will once again be consigned to eternity. Maybe until the next anniversary.
I would have loved to buy a SECRETS OF THE MOON zipper hoodie, and for some reason I remembered that they actually had one. Unfortunately, I was mistaken. So, then just a tee… ;)
Band: sG (vox, git), Arioch (git), Thrawn Thelemnar (drums)
Setlist: Ordinance, Versus, Confessions, Metamorphoses, Ghost, Seraphim Is Dead, Lucifer Speaks, Exit
Contrary to my expectations, the second set by :: PARAGON OF BEAUTY :: did not feature any songs from their anniversary album. Instead, the band from the Saarland focused primarily on their debut album, The Spring.
Setlist: The Glory Of Moonlight, Oh Dear Beloved Marblequeen, Narrenjagd, A Cosmos For A Lovestarved Child, Wundenozean
:: pics :: THE 3RD AND THE MORTAL ::
:: THE 3RD AND THE MORTAL :: is another band that actually seemed to have broken up 20 years ago. But here, too, they want to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Sorrow & Tears Laid In Earth. So they’ve reunited, with original singer Kari Rueslåtten, and are now playing shows at select festivals and special venues.
In addition to their debut album Sorrow & Tears Laid In Earth (two songs were omitted), they performed three of the four songs from their first EP, Sorrow, released that same year.
I have no idea what caused it, but there was a delay of about 30 minutes, and the wait felt really long. But then again, PROPHECY FEST fans have had to wait longer before, much, much longer. Still, the wait was rewarded with an absolutely spine-tingling show and an enchanting Kari.
Musically, the atmosphere was rather subdued, melancholic, contemplative, fragile, and sublime, a perfect setting to make the most of the cave’s acoustic advantages. The only tiny downside was the dim lighting. Of course, it all felt very atmospheric, and the sparse lighting fit the mood, but it wasn’t ideal for taking photos. You couldn’t see much from the back, either. And when do you ever get to see THE 3RD AND THE MORTAL live again, say, at a club show? Maybe never again, especially since the band’s future is up in the air. On the other hand, theoretically, there are still three more albums to be celebrated sooner or later and there is surely time and space for anniversaries… ;)
Band: Kari Rueslåtten (vox), Finn Olav Holthe (git), Geir Nilsen (git), Trond Engum (git), Bernt Rundberget (bass), Rune Hoemsnes (drums)
Setlist: Grevinnens bønn, Death Hymn, Autopoéma, Ring Of Fire, Salva Me, Silently I Surrender, Trial Of Past, Song, Shaman, Vandring, Why So Lonely, Oceana
:: pics :: NERGAL & MISÞYRMING ::
Anyone who was already asleep, dozing off, thinking about sleeping, or simply tired was now mercilessly jolted back to their feet.
Bathed in a gloomy blue light and now without blood, :: NERGAL & MISÞYRMING :: picked up right where MISÞYRMING had left off three hours earlier. With brutal intensity and the same breakneck speed, except this time it was BEHEMOTH’s 1995 debut, Sventevith, being performed live.
The album was played in its entirety, including the instrumentals and in the same order as on the record. As a bonus, they also played Pure Evil And Hate from the follow-up EP released that same year.
Nergal, who didn’t have to play guitar or bass (as on the debut) and also shared vocal duties, used the entire stage to let loose like a dervish fresh out of hell. What a ride. Holy crap!
So, it makes perfect sense that Nergal, instead of his own (now highly produced) band, which has strayed quite a bit musically from those roots, would turn to a band that embodies precisely those roots these days: raw, brutal, absolutely uncompromising, and blacker than black. I don’t think Nergal has had this much fun on stage in a long time, he clearly enjoyed it ;)
Band: Nergal (vox), D.G. (vox, git), T.Í. (git), G.E. (bass), M.S. (drums)
Setlist: Chant Ov The Eastern Lands, The Touch Of Nya, From The Pagan Vastlands, Hidden In A Fog, Ancient, Entering The Faustian Soul, Forgotten Cult Of Aldaron, Wolves Guard My Coffin, Hell Dwells In Ice, Moonspell Rites, Transylvanian Forest, Pure Evil And Hate
And so, late at night, another absolutely wonderful PROPHECY FEST comes to an end, and I head back to the hotel with a touch of sadness. It was great to be there again. I’m already looking forward to next year and am very curious to see who FALKENBACH will share the stage with then. E-L-R? THE VISION BLEAK? THIEF or XASTHUR? Any of them would be great… ;)
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