Presented by Rockfact Music Club & IRON-T21

Rockfact Music Club, Münchenstein,  Switzerland – 21.05.2022

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a record release. Therefore I had to fix this defect in order to indulge in such an experience. The dark metal band Askara invited to their record release show at Rockfact Music Club in Münchenstein. They didn’t just baptize their new record "Lights of Night" there, but they offered the possibility that you could bring fabric and screen print their band trademark. As The Sun Falls was announced as special guest. My curiosity was awakened and I set out on the way to the venue Rockfact Music Club in Münchenstein. On the day of the good deed it‘s a nice gesture to support these organizers. As The Sun Falls performed as first band of the evening. Unfortunately I didn’t know much about this melancolic melodic death metal band and was looking forward to their show. An intro

announced their appearance at 8:45 pm. „First Snow“ bumped out the speakers and we faced a cold charge of nordic wind. Singer Mischa Büttler growled into the microphone and brought the seriousness closer to the audience with his evil eye. Jonathan Berney kicked ass with his razor-sharp guitar riffs and was allowed to sing along occasionally. Between he sought contact with bassist Matthias Keller (Forced Shadow) and guitarist Alexis Papadopoulos for guitar duels and came up with fancy poses for the photographers. That was pretty cool and included live action with side changes on stage. As a surprise, a Christmas song followed with "Where The Sun Shines No More". Christmas in summer with reindeers to pleasant temperatures always works. During this song the audience was encouraged to shout "hey" and it worked well. Their melancholic melodic death metal wandered back and forth between heaviness and melody including speed changes and dragging passages. Actually, I got used to the given speed when Mischa made a point they would make up for lost time now and a fast song followed with "Memoriam". The gas pedal got really pressed down and the show gained momentum. It was pretty cool and who thought that would work only once was wrong! This continued at the same pace with "From Thy Deepest" and the new song "Beneath Dark Clouds" from the upcoming EP. "The Great Cold" as another fast bullet marked the end of the melodic death metal spectacle. The group received much applause for their show and left the stage satisfied. An acoustic outro sounded. Setlist As The Sun Falls First Snow Through The Storm Way To The North Where The Sun Shines No More Unforgotten Memoriam From Thy Deepest Beneath Dark Clouds The Great Cold A short break occured and the stage was embellished with decorations for headliner Askara. At 10:45 pm, a somber church organ intro sounded, and bassist Benny and guitarist Elia wore hoods and made no movement at first before Elia stretched his arms wide open. Singer Miril and drummer Raffi came on stage one by one and "Nocturne of Cold Mystery" sounded as the first song. Guitarist Benny kicked ass under changing lights with his guitar playing and sought contact with Elia for guitar duels and both band members changed stage sides several times to present themselves to the audience. After "Through Fire" and  “By God“, Miril announced a guest on stage. Her name was Judith and she went on stage with a cello. With her elegant gothic look and the cello on her shoulder, and she was allowed to contribute string sounds during "To Ailsa Rock" and "Hibernation". The sound got more depth and a dark beautiful atmosphere with the keyboard playing of Miril during "Hibernation", which captivated the spectators. As befits the style the CD was held over a metallic cook pot and the band poured over red wine. The band members themselves drank wine from beautiful goblets. In the next step, Elia threw the CD into the audience and landed in the hands of a happy spectator. This baptism was met with much applause and looked extremely cool. It continued with "Dark Night of the Soul pt. I" and before the next song "Seven Years" was played, Miril explained the textual meaning. It was about the metaphor of a moth that hatches after 7 years, signifying a new life. During the chorus of this song, the audience clapped along in rows. Some spectators in the audience drove four to five hours to participate. Unfortunately, there was also a bad news to announce and it was the last concert with original drummer Raffi, who leaves the band. In the same breath Elia announced they had found a new drummer in Emanuel (Theoptica). "Viator" followed and the band thanked the organizers, the opening band, screen printer Noemi and merchandise volunteer Ramon. "King's Song" followed as the second to last song. "Broken Wing" was played as the last track and the band was adopted with much applause. In my opinion, this was a great concert and I‘d be glad to see them live again. Setlist Askara Intro Nocturne of Cold Mystery Through Fire By God To Ailsa Rock Hibernation Dark Night of the soul pt. I Seven Years Viator The King’s Song Broken Wing A wonderful evening with a lot of dark music came to an end too soon. However, the audience brought in a lot of heart and soul that night. That was great from the spectators and this is how to enjoy a concert. Livereport by Dominic Latscha