Powerwolf

Copenhell - 2017

Text: Tobias Nilsson Photo: Lunah Lauridsen

While being in the business for 14 years, and being one of the fastest rising power metal bands of our age, it was odd to see that the Powerwolf only manage to stray into its neighbouring yard of Denmark last year.
Well, apparently it found the fresh meat pleasing, because now it was already back for left-overs.

“Copenhell, are you here? Are you awake?!”
- Attila Dorn (vocals)


Fittingly for this beast, Powerwolf had gotten the last time of the day (or the very first one if you will) on the Hades stage this day, a quarter to one, still within the witching hour. Judging by the size of the crowd, I reckon all the cubs this werewolf made during its last stay were here, and they had brought their furry little friends with them.
We could already see that great looking stage setup tower before us, with all the props the band utilises to help set the mood. To further the experience even more, they took the time to play the Lupus Daemonis intro before entering in person. This was of course the crowning jewel of their build up, and it payed of in loud cheers from the crowd – this was no time to pause for reflection however, and we were thrust headfirst into Blessed And Possessed, a song with garnered much singing from the audience. The first of many, I should add.

As could be expected, the band was all fired up with an unholy zeal, and were ready to, if you excuse my pun, bless and possess the Copenhell crowd and the very festival itself, if given the chance. They had packed a festival friendly best of setlist, and while the Greywolf brothers howled at the moon, with Fenris itself staring down at them with approval in his gaze from the wall of the B&W Hall, Dorn and Falk Maria Schlegel competed with each other for the grace of the crowd. Schlegel, as per usual, spent more time running around on stage, firing up the crowd, than he did actually playing his keyboards – yep, he had two of them again, so that he could change from side to side when he felt like it.

“So, do you want to fight for heavy metal?!”
- Dorn (vocals)


In many ways, this was a repetition of the show we had seen in Pumpehuset last year, and wicked tongues might say it was just more of the same that Powerwolf always does. And they’d be right. Powerwolf is definitely a band that has found its niche in the metal community, and they stick to it. But so what, so does a great deal of bands. At least Powerwolf does something no one else does, as far as I know at least. The whole religious theme, coupled with the supernatural in the werewolf fetish, can you name another band doing that? I thought not. And not only do they have their own style, but they are great performers to boot! Yeah, I’ve never been a fan of shoegazing shows, so a band like Powerwolf plays right up my alley – there’s always something going on here! An important aspect of the performance skill, one that sets a great show apart from a good one, is that the band not only have something going on on stage, but are aware of the audience as well. Powerwolf checked this box as they dedicated Resurrection By Erection to a naked crowdsurfer Dorn spotted in, or rather on, the crowd.

There were, as mentioned, a lot of crowd singing during Powerwolf’s show. Sometimes planned by the band, sometimes just picked up by the audience without prior enticement.
Dorn and Schlegel had their little lovers quarrel, where they each took command of one half of the crowd, and had us trying to out-shout the other. There were also a lot of the classic “oh oh” chants, and as a demanding physical activity, Dorn would have us do a circlepit for Sanctified With Dynamite – not just any circlepit though, it should go backwards!
As had been the case at their previous visit, the crowd loved every second of the show, and participated as much as could be done in it from start to finish. A finish that came a bit early, if you ask me. Probably also the band. There was no All We Need Is Blood, as is per usual their ending theme. After Sanctified With Dynamite, the show cut directly to the outro, Wolves Against The World. Still, Dorn and Schlegel were not to be driven off the stage, as they stayed on and said farewell as long as they possibly could, even while the crew began dismantling the stage behind them.

It may have been late at night, and it may have been at the end of a hard day, but damnit, Powerwolf lifted my spirits, and I was on top when the show ended. On top, and ready for more, so let’s hope they keep the intervals between their visits this short from now on.

Setlist:

Lupus Daemonis
Blessed & Possessed
Army Of The Night
Coleus Sanctus
Amen & Attack
Sacred & Wild
Armata Strigoi
Let There Be Night
Resurrection By Erection
Werewolves Of Armenia
Sanctified With Dynamite
Wolves Against The World

Latest uploads: