Paralyzed, Rooted, Relieved

Gaahls WYRD, Ritual Day

Vardøger European Tour 2018 presented by Doomstar Bookings, Escape Wien, Austria 20180131

The best concerts are the small ones. And if a Black Metal legend like this is playing in a place where only 150 people can fit in, you better be quick to get your ticket. No question that this show at the Escape just has to be sold out, and so it is.

The exclusive event starts surprisingly early, but the people don’t seem to have any problem with it. The mood is frisky, and when the support act enters the stage, the room is already well filled. For Ritual Day from China it is the first show in Austria. Their optical appearance with very nice corpse paint, dragons, kind of suits of armour and the horns on the shoulders of singer Nong Yong is great. The intro features the sound of hooves and nickers of horses. The Pipa, a traditional string instrument is played live, even though unfortunately it cannot be heard well, still it is amazing to listen and watch.

As if this was not exclusive enough, the singer of the main act simply is an icon of the Black Metal genre: Gaahls WYRD, fronted by the legendary myth known from Gorgoroth, God Seed and Wardruna of the same name. Close to slow-motion he strides on the boards, with an indefinable look he gazes at the audience. People throwing horns in the air he rewards with pointing his horns on the very person. His changing singing is adjuratory, the band going crazy, staring like maniacs. A wonderful performance and a very special mood they evoke in the place, that gets one paralyzed, rooted to the ground. The setlist consist of covers of Gaahls other projects, also Trelldom and featuring the Gorgoroth classic “Incipit Satan” awakening the inner demons. And when you get back to life and reality after the numbness caused by the show, you feel relieved.