Powerwolf was the second band for the day, and provided quite a warmer and fuzzier atmosphere than the bleak outlook on life that Primordial before them had painted.

“I must say, here is fucking hot because of your girls! And the sun.”
- Attila Dorn (vocals)

It had now been a bit over a year since we last saw Powerwolf, and as far as I could tell their popularity had only kept on growing in the meantime. For this very reason, it surprised me that there weren’t all that many people awaiting them as they were about to hit the main stage of Metaldays. In my experience, the band has always been a great party provider, and who wouldn’t want to be part of that?
Still, I must give the crowd that had shown up that they were enthusiastic enough for a full experience! Already as the band members took the stage there were loud cheers filling the air, and as soon as the music kicked off with Sanctified With Dynamite, intensive headbanging and sing along singing ensued.
There was no doubt that Powerwolf appreciated the response, and they were on top of their game up on the stage – a best of setlist was delivered with some new infusions from the latest release, Preachers Of The Night, and in between Dorn was doing his job as a frontman to the fullest. Lots of comments to entertain or to engage, a lot of movement and headbanging to captivate, and several songs to lift our spirits – even though another year had been added to the wolves lifespan, they were as full of youthful vigour as always! A stand-out event that I don’t recall seeing before was when Falk Maria Schlegel, who only rarely visits his instrument at any given show, disappeared for a short while only to return waving a large Powerwolf flag in Werewolves Of Armenia. This was of course only another cool addition to their already lavish visual setup with a great backdrop showing the new album cover, and cool side-drops looking like cathedral windows with Gregorian wolves outside of them.

“What’re you drinking, beer? Do you know what we’re drinking? Blood!”
- Dorn (vocals)

Truly, there weren’t a lot of people to begin with, but as soon as the howl of the wolf echoed off the Slovenian alps, more and more people came scurrying over to the stage, filling the grounds up nicely after only a short while.
They didn’t stop there though, everyone was ready to join in the spirit of the sing along festivity that this band is, and Dorn was more than happy to cater for our every vocal endeavour. We got the classic “Hu ha!” for Werewolves Of Armenia, we got a chorus take-over in the new Amen & Attack, and when one of the guitars had a little problem with feedback, Dorn even got us imitating that!
To my ears, we did an excellent job, but Dorn wasn’t pleased and decided to push us even further, as far as he could take it – thus, towards the end of the show, he spent a lot of time singing out “Did you have fun?” where we of course answered “Yeah!” at the top of our lungs. The tone went higher and higher, ending in an impressive falsetto, in turn causing Dorn to admit that he was no King Diamond.
Singing along to lyrics is definitely the main body of crowd participation at any Powerwolf gig, but there was a good all-round action going on throughout the set, and as the sun set behind the mountain tops at the end of the show and the band left the stage with cape on shoulder and incense in hand, I doubt there was anyone present who didn’t feel like they had just gone through an intensive work out.
So far, I can see no wrong when it comes to the combination of Powerwolf and live-shows, that’s for sure!

Setlist:

Sanctified With Dynamite
We Drink Your Blood
Amen & Attack
Resurrection By Erection
In The Name Of God (Deus Vult)
Werewolves Of Armenia
Kreuzfeuer
All We Need Is Blood
Coleus Sanctus
Raise Your Fist, Evangelist
Lupus Dei