Richmond, Virginia – Brooklyn, New York’s operatic black metal band Folterkammer makes a stop in Richmond, Virginia with support from Philadelphia’s Witching, Fredericksburg’s thrashers Path To Exile and atmospheric black metal band Archael.
Kicking things off was Archael, a black metal band that has been around since 2005 and this is the first time I have seen them live. This is not unusual as there are a number of bands that play “under the radar”. Their set consisted of several songs they have recorded over the years and while they sounded good, I wanted a little more. There was some soloing by guitarist and vocalist Brad Robinson toward the end of their set that piqued my interest. If you are in the Fredericksburg area, give Archael a listen.
I haven’t seen Path To Exile in a couple of years and in that time they picked up a third guitar player. Their sound had changed as a result of adding the extra guitar player. While retaining their core sound, I heard elements of technical death metal and metalcore adding to their already rich groove metal sound. All of the guitar players got to flex their muscles with some solos and strutting, while Tommy delivered vocals with authority and Drake kept time. They are fun to throw down with and you should definitely check them out if you get the chance.
Changing pace, Witching brought their form of sludge/doom metal with a set of songs mostly from their October 27th, 2023 album Incendium. I found the quintet to be very energetic in how they played and sounded, much more energetic than I’m used to seeing live. Vocalist Jacqui Powell sang, screamed and pranced around the stage while guitarist Nate and bass player Tatiana jammed in unison. I really enjoyed Witching and you should definitely check them out.
Witching SETLIST
Throes
Incendium
Last You, Fell From Divinity
From Beneath
Witness
So Young, So Useless
When it comes to bands performing live, I think there should be room for both virtuosity and spectacle, something to hear and see while the band is playing. Folterkammer brings it in spades with the majority of the band dressed looking like Catholic Cardinals wearing upside down crosses and an operatic lead singer in Andromeda Anarchia. The side project of Zachary Ezrin of Imperial Triumphant, Folterkammer bridges opera and black metal seamlessly and subtlety. Their set consisted of songs from their two albums, 2020’s Die Lederpredigt and soon to be released Weibermacht. For many in the crowd it was a unique experience to see Folterkammer live, I found them to be a glorious breath of fresh air from what black metal has become for the most part. If you like black metal and want to see and hear something different, then Folterkammer is the band to see!!!
Folterkammer SETLIST
Anno Domina
Die Hymne
Das Peitschengdeicht
Algolagina
Das Magnificat
Der Unterwerfung
Leck Mich!
Folterkammer is on tour through March 30th with their last stop at Kingsland in Brooklyn, New York. If you can make it out to see them, you will not be disappointed.
Show Date: March 23, 2024
